Hui Cui Building

After Qin Ruqing left, the smile on the Third Elder’s face faded.

The room, which Qin Ruqing had previously visited, became quiet.

Soon, the multi-treasure cabinet in the room automatically moved aside, revealing an elderly woman dressed in a green robe with intricate embroidery.

The elderly woman’s hair was meticulously styled, and her robe was solemn and dignified.

However, the collar and hem of her clothing were adorned with large red peonies.

The combination of red and green did not appear gaudy; instead, it gave the impression that the elderly woman had a youthful mindset and looked more spirited because of the peony design.

Upon seeing the elderly woman, the Third Elder immediately stood up and addressed her, “Ancestor.”

This was the true person in charge behind the Hui Cui Building, the esteemed Ancestor of the Song family.

While the Third Elder handled the operational matters, the Song family’s Ancestor was actually responsible for the Hui Cui Building and external affairs.

The Ancestor took her seat and spoke first, “This girl certainly has a lot of courage.”

The Third Elder nodded, “She’s just been through an assassination attempt, yet instead of lying low, she chooses to go against the current. She’s not even afraid that the Fang family might retaliate.”

“Just as it should be,” the Ancestor actually approved of Qin Ruqing’s choice of timing, “Now is the best moment. The Fang family has just suffered a setback and is still in a state of fury, with the whole city watching and dealing with the Celestial Bureau’s investigation. There’s no time to make a move against her. Her timing is meant to catch the Fang family off guard.”

The Third Elder sighed.

He was much more composed in front of the Ancestor Song than he appeared outwardly, “She’s both brave and strategic. The gold-ranked first place’s worth is indeed genuine. She even helped our new martial artist during the competition.”

Otherwise, given that young man’s bad luck, he probably wouldn’t have made it into the top seven.

“So, should we proceed with the interview she requested?” The Third Elder returned to the main topic, “The Fang family has already sent someone to ask us to remove the assassination footage. If we agree to remove it, and then arrange an interview, the Fang family might get even more enraged.”

It seemed like they were deliberately trying to provoke and annoy them.

The Ancestor actually smiled, “And how did that girl phrase it… a business opportunity delivered to our door?”

She opened her palms, her eyes sparkling, “Since it’s a business opportunity delivered to our door, why should the Song family not take it? Following the developments of the participants in the Hundred Clans Tournament has always been our tradition.

This year is just a bit special.

However, this special circumstance isn’t something the Song family created; it’s because the gold-ranked first place is so extraordinary.

Her ability to make it to the top three was already surprising.

With her eye-catching skills and the controversy surrounding her, she has attracted so much attention.

Our Song family is just following our usual practice of tracking and interviewing. What’s the problem with that?”

The Ancestor’s tone was gentle, “Moreover, these are the questions that the public is interested in. Catering to public interest is the duty of the Song family.”

What a duty indeed.

This Ancestor of the Song family had a knack for turning black into white and could make it seem like she genuinely believed it was white.

The Third Elder also thought it made sense but, out of caution, asked another question:

“What if the Fang family sends elders to our doorstep, demanding forcefully…”

“Let them fight with the Qin family however they like, but if they dare to trouble our Song family… we’ll just take the good deeds they did in Yingzhou and exaggerate them for everyone to see.”

The little girl from the Qin family keeps shouting that the Fang family tried to assassinate her, or that the Qin family has a grudge against the Fang family.

Outsiders will at most speculate and suspect.

But if our Song family steps in and says how terrible the Fang family is, there will be a significant number of people who believe it.

At that time, the Fang family will have brought trouble upon themselves, which will not be worth the loss.

Although he said this, the Third Elder still keenly noticed, “You think highly of that girl, don’t you?”

The Ancestor finally showed a smile that matched her nature, fitting well with the large peony embroidered on her collar.

She said, “I watched the girl’s entire performance in the tournament. Her actions and methods align with my tastes.”

“She possesses a mix of beauty, strength, and the ability to turn situations around—many popular elements. And she seems to consciously use these to her advantage.”

“Geniuses are often aloof. This one, who can make it to the top three on the Golden List, not only isn’t aloof but is also very resourceful. She doesn’t fuss and knows how to use the resources at her disposal to get things done.”

“She must be a practical person who prioritizes benefits! Such a promising talent that aligns with the Song family’s principles shouldn’t be wasted.”

She should be nurtured well and turned into a money-maker for the Song family!

It all seemed to be for the benefit of the Song family, but the Third Elder, sharp-eyed, asked, “Then what about the recording crystals in the Ancestor’s sleeve?”

He could sense the presence, and there were more than one.

The Ancestor, in high spirits, didn’t even blush and openly admitted, “It’s entertaining~ Watching such a lively junior makes me feel younger!”

She spoke while proudly adjusting her sleeve, with the large peonies embroidered on it becoming even more eye-catching.

So, in the end, you got won over by her too~

Another two days passed.

By now, the results of the combat competition were out.

Although the assassination attempt was still a hot topic, its buzz had somewhat died down since everyone who needed to know already knew.

Meanwhile, the other specialized competitions were still ongoing.

The alchemists, craftsmen, and symbol artists were busy, but their fields were so specialized that they lacked the entertaining spectacle of the combat competitions.

As a result, only specific groups of people paid attention.

It seemed like there were no new topics in the city.

This was normal; after all, you couldn’t have entertainment every day, especially with just the assassination…

And the matter of the tournament rankings would give them a month’s worth of discussion.

But obviously, Hui Cui Building wasn’t content with just being ordinary.

It seemed that during the tournament, the family had performance requirements. On one hand, they were selling newly produced jade slips of the “Qin Ruqing’s Glance from the Flames” video, and on the other hand, they were urgently launching a new round of interviews featuring the gold-ranked first place.

The interview would address the most talked-about topics in the city and the most highly requested questions from the public, focusing on the gold-ranked first place, Qin Ruqing.

Oh, that’s novel.

But are you Hui Cui Building only focusing on Qin Ruqing?

They had just finished selling her jade slip, and now they’re doing an interview.

From the start, they had done a special report on the gold-ranked first place, exclusively focusing on her.

…But it was still well done!

People were keen on this!

The interview was also produced in the form of a jade slip.

Due to the length of the footage and the difficulty of production, Hui Cui Building only released 500 copies.

Given the current buzz surrounding Qin Ruqing in the Unworldly Isles, these 500 copies would sell out without any promotion, just based on Hui Cui Building’s own fan base.

At this moment, Qirong was holding one of these interview jade slips.

He hadn’t watched it yet and curiously asked, “Isn’t 500 copies too few? The buzz might not be enough!”

Qirong had been accompanying Qin Ruqing to Hui Cui Building frequently, and terms like “topic” and “buzz” had become second nature to him.

Qin Ruqing smiled faintly, took the jade slip from his hand, and used her spiritual sense to view the footage.

The images on the jade slip could only be seen with spiritual sense, not with the naked eye.

She said, “It’s better to proceed step by step. Too many at once might be excessive.”

The interview was divided into two parts. The topics for each part had been meticulously planned in consultation with Hui Cui Building.

Qirong asked casually and watched along with Qin Ruqing.

The interview was filmed on the large stage at the bottom of Hui Cui Building’s main building, where the Third Elder often told stories.

This time, instead of telling stories, the format was an interview.

The Third Elder didn’t appear; only Qin Ruqing was present, along with an unseen interviewer whose voice could be heard.

Hui Cui Building initially wanted to film in a picturesque location.

Having become accustomed to selling fairy jade slips, their default thinking was to find a beautiful setting to enhance the “visual appeal.”

But Qin Ruqing rejected this idea.

She insisted on filming in the most familiar place for Hui Cui Building’s audience, emphasizing a genuine and distinctive impression. “Look, this kind of interview, others can’t do it; only Hui Cui Building can.”

Qin Ruqing’s novel but powerful approach successfully convinced Huicui Tower.

On the screen, Qin Ruqing was dressed in the audience’s favorite outfit—the divine goddess attire they adored, looking aloof yet slightly shy as she greeted them.

She didn’t say “hello” to everyone, which didn’t fit her persona.

Instead, she simply said, “I am Qin Ruqing.”

Suddenly, there was a burst of excitement from a nearby seat.

It seemed like they were holding a jade slip.

Two men and two women were huddled together, seemingly captivated by what they saw.

One of the female immortals, who had a delicate appearance, covered her mouth, but cheerful sounds still escaped through her fingers.

She said excitedly and incoherently, “Oh my gosh, I’m Qin Ruqing, who understands? This is amazing! I love Fairy Ruqing so much!”

Another female cultivator nodded vigorously, “I understand, I understand. Is this what it’s like to be the top scorer on the Golden List? It’s a pity we’re not old enough to participate in the Hundred Families Tournament yet, otherwise, we could greet her in person.”

These two young female cultivator looked quite young, dressed like ordinary female cultivators from the Eastern Region.

They seemed to be juniors from some Eastern Region family, with four siblings coming together to Huicui Tower.

One of the men grabbed the jade slip, staring at it intently and said excitedly, “Fairy Ruqing doesn’t seem that aloof.”

The youngest brother, with the most youthful face, confidently and proudly said, “I always knew it. She’s easily embarrassed!”

He had collected all the jade slips produced by Huicui Tower about Fairy Ruqing and watched the tournament without missing a single event, feeling like he understood Qin Ruqing well.

Qirong couldn’t help but chuckle, nudging Qin Ruqing with his elbow, “Sister, they’re also watching this. All four of them are fans of yours…”

Qin Ruqing remained calm, thinking, so what?

It’s normal to be a fan.

It’s more fun to follow a star together.

If a dormitory or a group of friends are all fans of the same star, it’s incredibly lucky and joyful.

Continuing to watch the jade slip, a gentle female voice appeared on the screen, saying, “Our Huicui Tower, along with many viewers, are very curious about Fairy Ruqing, so we’ve prepared some questions for a brief interview with her.”

The red-clad Qin Ruqing replied, “Sure, ask away.”

“What was your initial feeling when you first heard the triple chime of the Golden List?”

Qin Ruqing said, “I was completely stunned. Coming from the Southern Region, I didn’t even know the basic rules of the Golden List. It was a sister from an Eastern Region family who briefly explained it to me. As for the triple chime, I still don’t know what it means.”

Huicui Tower asked, “Didn’t anyone from the other team explain it to you later?”

Qin Ruqing replied, “No, they didn’t.”