Chapter 15

Year 299 of the Wuding calendar, March 28.

At Qingdeng Peak of the Wuchang Sect, since last night, a group of disciples had been yawning and squatting outside the library, starting to fight for the best viewing spots as early as midnight to get a good, close-up view.

The news of the life-and-death duel between the two had been buzzing on the spiritual network. Some had even started betting on who would win, and many disciples had placed their fortunes on the line.

The disciples who arrived the next morning could only squeeze outside from a distance, stretching their necks but unable to see anything, all regretting not coming earlier.

At this hour, the sky hadn’t yet brightened, and the area was still dark. Although it was already mid-spring, mosquitoes were already out, not to mention how many more there were in the mountains. A group of disciples squatted in the grass, feeding the mosquitoes.

The main event hadn’t yet arrived, so they were bored and started chatting on the spiritual network.

Tangcu Yu (Sweet and Sour Fish): 【The post next door is too long, so I’m asking here. Who do you think will win?】

Really Can’t Eat Anymore: 【Damn, the poster’s name, and at this hour too, you’re encouraging people to commit crimes, ahhh!!】

Furong Roast Goose: 【 . 】

Lychee Sugar Dumpling: 【 . 】

Snowflake Crisp: 【 . 】

Spicy Rabbit Head: 【 . 】

…: 【 . 】

Really Can’t Eat Anymore: 【? Seriously, you guys…】

Really Can’t Eat Anymore: 【Sorry, I derailed the thread. Let’s continue. I’m voting for Zhu Mingyu.】

【Zhu Mingyu +1】

【Zhu Mingyu +2】

【Zhu Mingyu +3】

Mingyue 14: 【I also think Zhu Mingyu will win. The difference in strength is too big. With only half a month, Yu Tao can’t surpass her.】

Anonymous Advanced Mage: 【Hmm, the chances of Zhu Mingyu winning are about 80%. Being from the Zhu family and the top new student, she should still have some hidden talents.】

Anonymous Advanced Mage: 【Originally, I thought it would be 100%, but Yu Tao has too little information. The unknowns bring many uncertainties, so I’ll stick to my current view for now.】

Mingyue 14: 【From the Zhu family? I’ve never heard of them, don’t remember any of them. Are they from a side branch?】

Anonymous Advanced Mage: 【No, she’s from the main branch. She’s Zhu Qianying’s sister. It’s said she had poor health when she was younger, so she focused on cultivating in seclusion and never showed up before.】

Mingyue 14: 【No wonder. She became the top new student as soon as she entered the sect.】

Not Wanting to Attend Morning Classes: 【Zhu Mingyu being the top new student is fine, but Yu Tao is not ordinary either. She was accepted as a disciple by Xuan Yuzi right after arriving, so she must have extraordinary talent.】

Doesn’t Think Clearly: 【Hiss… you must be a new student, right? If you’ve been in the sect longer, you’d know. Xuan Yuzi accepted her as a disciple probably just because of her looks.】

Little Liu Little Liu: 【??? What’s going on?】

Not Wanting to Attend Morning Classes: 【No way, don’t tell me Xuan Yuzi took Yu Tao as a disciple because he likes her! Reading about teacher-disciple romances in novels is fine, but when it’s in real life, I really can’t handle it. One is thousands of years old, the other is only a teenager…】

Lu Lu Can’t Pull Out the Sword: 【Hey, isn’t this kind of exciting? An ancient master with a young, innocent disciple, and the strict master can’t help but fall for her, but because of their status and age, he has to force himself to keep his distance and maintain decorum, eventually breaking his principles and falling into the abyss…】

Lu Lu Can’t Pull Out the Sword: 【What’s wrong with that? I find it so exciting!】

Absolutely Adorable, Feels Sleepy: 【Help, there’s a pervert in the thread.】

Doesn’t Think Clearly: 【Pfft, where’s your mind at? Anyone thinking off-track should read my name three times.】

Doesn’t Think Clearly: 【I didn’t expect so many people didn’t know about this. Let me explain a bit.】

Doesn’t Think Clearly: 【Before Xuan Yuzi accepted Yu Tao as a disciple, he actually had four disciples. Apart from the three familiar ones, there was also a junior sister named Su Liuli.】

Not Wanting to Attend Morning Classes: 【Eh? Then why haven’t I seen her in the sect lately?】

Anonymous Advanced Mage: 【Because she passed away a few years ago.】

Doesn’t Think Clearly: 【What the Mage said is correct. Su Liuli was personally accepted as a disciple by Xuan Yuzi from the Su family. It must have been a big deal, but unfortunately, she passed away unexpectedly after just a few years.】

Doesn’t Think Clearly: 【This is also why we think Xuan Yuzi took Yu Tao as his disciple—because Yu Tao looks somewhat similar to Su Liuli. Xuan Yuzi probably took her in to remember his former disciple.】

Lu Lu Can’t Pull Out the Sword: 【Ugh, that sounds so uncomfortable for Yu Tao… to think her master took her in just because she resembles a deceased disciple. It’s heartbreaking to think about. I wonder if she knows. It’s a bit pitiful.】

Flowing Fireflies: 【If the incident caused such a stir, how could she not know? She could have just checked the posts.】

Flowing Fireflies: 【You think she’s pitiful, but she probably thinks you’re laughable. No matter how strong someone is, Xuan Yuzi won’t even look at them, but Yu Tao was accepted as a disciple just because of her face. What’s there to pity? She’s probably laughing in her dreams.】

Lu Lu Can’t Pull Out the Sword: 【I wouldn’t say it like that…】

Not Wanting to Attend Morning Classes: 【But it’s true… If it were me, I’d be willing. What an incredible opportunity.】

A wave of replies agreeing followed, with many saying Yu Tao must have had incredible luck, while almost no one agreed with the original idea.

Lu Qingyu glanced at these replies and frowned slightly. He tapped the Liuli Mirror with his finger before setting it down.

Living forever in someone else’s shadow, is this really good luck?

【I find it a bit strange… it’s caused such a stir, but why hasn’t any elder come over yet?】

【Didn’t they say that duels to life and death are not allowed in the sect? Has that rule changed now?】

【Here they come, the main characters are here!】

Lu Qingyu immediately lifted his head and looked over. The crowd purposefully parted early, and a young girl in a white dress walked slowly on the bluestone path. Her hair was loosely tied with a simple wooden hairpin, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She was dressed simply but elegantly.

After the girl arrived, her gaze wandered around, looking at the people nearby, and she gently furrowed her brows.

Lu Qingyu was not a new student, she was from the same year as Su Liuli, several years ago, and came from the Lu family, one of the three great families.

She was already aware of the “secrets” mentioned in the posts. She had always felt some sympathy for Yu Tao, which was why she had come early to watch the life and death duel.

Perhaps because of her tendency to sympathize with the weaker side, she leaned more towards the idea that this duel might have been forced upon Yu Tao by Zhu Mingyu. It seemed like Zhu Mingyu was bullying her.

Lu Qingyu had arrived early, securing a front-row spot. From this distance, she could clearly see the girl’s eyelashes fluttering lightly as she observed her surroundings, and the unconscious habit of biting her lips.

She seemed a bit nervous?

Well, it made sense. A duel to the death would naturally make someone nervous.

The girl in her line of sight hesitated for a moment, tightened her fingers, and as if having made up her mind, she took a step forward.

One step, two steps, until she stopped right in front of Lu Qingyu.

Lu Qingyu: … Eh?

Yu Tao, after mentally preparing herself and organizing her words, took a deep breath and politely asked in a low voice, “Excuse me, is this where we queue to enter the library?”

She felt she had arrived early enough, yet the crowd was already so large it could be described as a sea of people.

Lu Qingyu was momentarily stunned, then replied, “No, just walk straight ahead to enter the library. There’s a senior Shishu at the entrance handling the ticket inspection.”

She pointed the way with her hand as she spoke.

Walking straight ahead, there was no crowd blocking the way. Yu Tao was puzzled. “Then what’s everyone in this long line for?”

Lu Qingyu: ?

Of course, everyone is here to watch your duel with Zhu Mingyu.

Yu Tao seemed a little less sharp than she thought, Lu Qingyu mused inwardly.

“It’s all over the spiritual network. Didn’t you know?”

Yu Tao froze for a moment. Then she remembered she had seen something about a duel between two people on March 28th in the posts.

Once she recalled, she felt a bit regretful. She had been so focused on earning points lately that she had forgotten to discuss this matter with Zhu Mingyu.

Thankfully, they hadn’t gotten caught up in the crowd heading to the library. Yu Tao sighed in relief and smiled at Lu Qingyu. “I see now, thank you.”

Lu Qingyu: “… No need to thank me.”

Because she, too, was one of the people who had come to watch.

As the distance closed, Lu Qingyu took a closer look at Yu Tao’s appearance. The girl stood tall and graceful, with bright eyes and a radiant smile. Especially her eyes, which were unusually bright. When her eyelashes fluttered, the sunlight glinted off them, making them seem as clear as crystal.

She looked like someone, yet not quite. Lu Qingyu gave her evaluation.

It seemed like her features did have some faint similarities, but it wasn’t because of the strikingly pure and clear eyes, just this one detail was enough to distinguish the two.

Su Liuli always spoke with a soft, gentle smile, and her eyes always seemed to carry that smile, making her very likable. Many people adored her.

In the past, Su Liuli had wanted to be friends with Lu Qingyu and had made the first move to get closer, but Lu Qingyu had rejected her.

The reason Lu Qingyu had rejected her was that she couldn’t tell whether it was just her own sensitivity or something else, but she always felt that Su Liuli’s smile was too perfect. At first, it was fine, but the more she saw it, the more it felt somewhat unreal.

Now, comparing the two, Su Liuli’s smile resembled Yu Tao’s quite a bit. The expression was similar, both having bright eyes that stared intently at others, with the corners of their lips curling into a soft smile.

The difference was that Yu Tao’s smile didn’t give her that strange feeling. Instead, her attention was drawn to the dimples that appeared when she smiled.

It wasn’t until Yu Tao turned and walked away that Lu Qingyu realized she had been staring at the dimples for a while.

It felt… kind of cute.

As time passed, Lu Qingyu watched as Yu Tao stood patiently in a quiet corner, occasionally reaching up to adjust her hairpin and fix her hair.

Then, the other main character appeared. The crowd surrounding them suddenly became excited, all eyes turned toward Zhu Mingyu as she entered.

Zhu Mingyu had never been greeted with such enthusiastic attention before, and she immediately felt overwhelmed. She wished she had worn a hat.

She quickly walked over to where Yu Tao was waving at her.

“Good morning, Classmate Zhu.” Yu Tao tugged at the corner of her sleeve and whispered, “They said someone is going to duel here. Do you want to stay and watch, or should we go inside now?”

Zhu Mingyu: “…”

‘Is it possible that they’re talking about us?’

Knowing the truth, Zhu Mingyu didn’t plan to tell Yu Tao. After all, it was just a misunderstanding. She figured it was better if Yu Tao didn’t read those posts and discussions.

Zhu Mingyu coughed lightly a few times. “What’s so interesting about a fight? Knowledge is more important.”

“I think so too,” Yu Tao nodded in agreement. “Let’s go then!”

The crowd murmured quietly.

“What are they talking about? They look so… friendly?”

“Tsk, do they not understand what a ‘gentle knife’ is? The more they smile, the more vicious they are. Just wait, those two are definitely going to fight to death.”

“I know this one well!”

And so, under the watchful eyes of everyone,

Yu Tao took out a white ticket and handed it to the gatekeeper uncle, who was calmly standing by, then smiled warmly as she linked arms with Zhu Mingyu. Together, hand in hand, they walked into the library.

The crowd: …?

—

Word Count: 2,204