Chapter 36

Anyone else might feel jealous, but they wouldn’t say it out loud. Yet this girl did, and with such confidence too.

Ming Xuan, who had unexpectedly been labeled as a “talented dog,” was somewhat amused and helpless. He urged, “Hurry up and finish copying. The cafeteria will open soon.”

As soon as Ye Qiao heard about the cafeteria opening, her hand movements sped up.

Having been stuck copying books in the library by Elder Yu, she had become quite adept at it by now.

The ancient manuscripts contained many ancient pill recipes. After copying for so long, Ye Qiao could recite them by heart. After finishing her copying, she didn’t forget to take a talisman book along for further study.

They arrived a bit late, and most of the people in the cafeteria had already finished eating. Ming Xuan sighed at the few remaining baskets of steamed buns, “When will our sect’s food improve?”

Ye Qiao was already used to it. She wasn’t picky, but after being away for a while, the bland food was hard to swallow.

“No idea,” she replied. “If it’s no good, I can bring some back for you next time I go down the mountain?”

Ming Xuan shook his head, “You probably can’t go out anymore.”

With the upcoming competition, Fourth Junior Brother and Little Little sister’s frequent disappearances had almost given Qin Fanfan a heart attack. This time, their master wouldn’t let them sneak out again.

“Looking on the bright side,” Ming Xuan paused, “during the competition, we can go to Bishui Sect.”

“Their food is great, lots of meat.”

However, when Ye Qiao and Ming Xuan looked at each other, instead of feeling comforted, they felt even hungrier.

At that moment, their joys and sorrows were indeed shared.

…

After getting rid of the disciples, Elder Zhao immediately went to find Qin Fanfan, who was napping. He snorted, “Your new disciple and Mu Chongxi are back.”

Qin Fanfan: “Did you find out who encouraged them to leave the mountain?”

The two had been kept well-guarded in the forbidden area, yet they had dared to sneak out. Elder Zhao didn’t need to think hard to know who instigated it. He sneered, “Who else but that little rascal Ye Qiao?”

Before Ye Qiao arrived, even if Mu Chongxi was rebellious, he wouldn’t have snuck out like this.

Qin Fanfan wasn’t surprised. She waved her hand dismissively, quite magnanimous, “Youth is meant to be wild. Those kids are just at that age. Why bother arguing with Ye Qiao?”

Elder Zhao rubbed his forehead, “I’m saying, these two are always causing trouble. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate?”

Qin Fanfan nodded thoughtfully, “You’re right. Those kids need to be reined in a bit.”

Planning to have a heart-to-heart with Ye Qiao, Qin Fanfan adjusted her sleeves and, late at night, sent a message to Ye Qiao via jade slip, asking her to come to the main peak.

After receiving the message, Ye Qiao casually tossed the KFC chicken onto her head and sauntered to the main peak.

“…Xiao Qiao.”

Qin Fanfan cleared his throat, ready to put on a serious facade and reprimand his little disciple to behave. However, just as Ye Qiao stepped in, he nearly lost his composure.

His little disciple was dressed in plain clothes, looking rather nonchalant, with a… turkey? on her head.

Qin Fanfan hesitated, “Xiao Qiao, what is that on your head?”

Ye Qiao responded with a casual “Oh,” poking the KFC chicken on her head out of boredom, “This is my contract beast.”

“Master,” she asked, “do you know what kind of demon beast this is?”

“This…” Qin Fanfan pondered for a moment, then got up and flipped through the Exotic Beasts Record, finding nothing similar. After a brief silence, his gaze fell on the chicken atop Ye Qiao’s head, his tone complex, “Xiao Qiao, you didn’t really contract a turkey, did you?”

Who would contract a turkey as a beast? But then again, contracting a chicken was something his quirky little disciple might indeed do.

“Chicken?” After confirming it was indeed a chicken, Ye Qiao accepted reality. She even had the mood to shake it a bit: “Master, it’s not just any chicken.”

Qin Fanfan looked intrigued: “Oh?” Was it some kind of divine beast?

Ye Qiao replied earnestly, “It’s a KFC chicken.”

——What on earth is a KFC chicken?

Qin Fanfan, afraid to reveal his ignorance in front of his disciple, kept his doubts to himself. Under Ye Qiao’s gaze, he shifted the topic to avoid showing his lack of knowledge, “Xiao Qiao.”

He looked at her, “Do you have confidence in getting into the top ten in this year’s sword cultivator ranking?”

The sword cultivator ranking didn’t just include disciples from the five sects; sword cultivators from all over would compete. It was essentially a contest among the most talented young sword cultivators in the cultivation world.

Faced with this sudden question, Ye Qiao gave up immediately, saying, “No confidence. Should I just die?”

This left Qin Fanfan speechless.

Ye Qiao had only heard about the so-called sect competition from others and had no idea what it was like or even the rules. She thought for a moment and asked, “Master, is the competition only for the disciples of the five sects?”

“Yes,” Qin Fanfan explained, “You will all be sent into the same great secret realm. Each of you will carry a viewing stone to let the elders and other cultivators see what’s happening inside.”

Ye Qiao’s eyes widened in surprise, “Is it live broadcast?” Wasn’t that just like modern live streaming?

“Yes,” Qin Fanfan nodded, familiar with the process, “Every move you make will be under the watchful eyes of the cultivators in the cultivation world.”

“Xiao Qiao…” He paused, looking at the nonchalant Ye Qiao, and felt compelled to add, “Don’t cause any trouble.”

For some reason, wherever Ye Qiao was, Qin Fanfan felt this generation of disciples would have an exceptionally lively future. He sincerely hoped that the disciples who got tangled up with Ye Qiao would come out unscathed.