Chapter 60

“Ye Qiao!!”

The voice of the Sword Inquiry Sect’s leader suddenly thundered from behind.

Ye Qiao, who was about to slip away, froze. “…”

“Xue Yu!!”

Xue Yu lowered his head nonchalantly.

“Mu Chongxi and Zhou Xingyun.” He sneered as he called out their names.

“All four of you, come over here and pay up!”

Ye Qiao awkwardly said, “Please don’t be angry. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Did you cause the secret realm to collapse?” How could he not be furious? If it weren’t for Ye Qiao, the Sword Inquiry Sect would not have fallen to such a state.

Last place in the second round of the competition!!

This had never happened in a thousand years.

Qin Fanfan was forced to step up and defend them, “The secret realm would have closed sooner or later. Paying compensation will just create bad blood.”

The Sword Inquiry Sect leader raised his hand and coldly interrupted him, “Stop. There’s no goodwill between us and your Changming Sect.”

“Do you know how dangerous it was for the secret realm to close early? Pay up.”

In the end, Qin Fanfan had to clean up the mess, tearfully handing over the money to the Sword Inquiry Sect. Meanwhile, Ye Qiao was already surrounded by a crowd.

“When did you learn formations?” Song Hansheng rushed up to question her.

“A few months ago.” Seeing his agitated and flushed face, Ye Qiao’s tone became much cheerier. “From now on, please call me the low-key genius, thank you.”

“And,” she said, poking him with her bamboo shoot weapon, “remember to speak respectfully to the champions of the second round.”

Song Hansheng was speechless.

Chu Xingzhi immediately began to point fingers at the scene, “Look how proud Changming Sect is. I told you we could cooperate, but you insisted on opposing us.”

Ming Xuan and Ye Qiao clapped in celebration and joined in pointing fingers. “Chu Xingzhi, watch your tone when speaking to the champions of the second round.”

Chu Xingzhi was at a loss for words.

As each sect returned to their homes, Ye Qiao, clutching what seemed to be a valuable spiritual tool, returned to the courtyard. She and Xue Yu began to study it, while the other senior brothers appeared disinterested.

Ye Qiao had never seen this item before, but Xue Yu had some knowledge.

“I’ve seen this in a book before. It seems to be called the ‘Map of Mountains and Rivers.’” Xue Yu poked it. “You can check the spiritual tool rankings.”

“If I remember correctly, it’s ranked third. When opened, the scroll’s scenes can trap enemies in your own past memories.”

It was a very useful illusionary tool.

Xue Yu propped his chin, “It’s said that the scenes inside can be so realistic that they’re indistinguishable from reality.”

Ye Qiao’s interest was piqued. “Can I try it?”

“If I get lost inside, just kick me.”

It would be a shame not to experience such a spiritual tool firsthand.

Xue Yu made a gesture, “No problem.”

As soon as he activated the spiritual tool, Ye Qiao felt a wave of dizziness and quickly opened her eyes.

She saw a white desk lamp. She was sitting at a computer, burning the midnight oil working on design drafts. Her face was pale with dark circles under her eyes, looking like someone exhausted and oppressed by life and society for years.

The moment Ye Qiao saw this illusion, she shuddered and instantly woke up.

It was too terrifying.

“What did you see?”

Xue Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had woken up the instant she entered?

Was the third-ranked spiritual tool really this ineffective?

Ye Qiao, still shaken, said, “I saw the miserable daily life of a corporate worker.”

Xue Yu blinked in confusion, not understanding.

But he was used to not understanding her.

“Want to try again?” Ye Qiao was eager. “Maybe the scene wasn’t well-crafted.”

Who wants to see themselves being overworked and staying up late on design drafts?

Xue Yu nodded in agreement. He activated the spiritual tool again, and the next second, Ye Qiao saw herself being harshly reprimanded by her boss.

She wiped her face expressionlessly.

She woke up again.

Xue Yu was speechless. Was this spiritual tool broken?

He shook the Map of Mountains and Rivers in confusion. “What did you see?”

She hadn’t been able to enter the right state twice.

Ye Qiao finally accepted reality. With a heavy sigh, she placed the map on the table. “Forget it. The farther this thing is from me, the better.”

The Map of Mountains and Rivers had only made her recall scenes from her modern life.

Ye Qiao had no fondness for the days of staying up late working on design drafts.

Xue Yu’s mouth twitched, and he had no choice but to put the Map of Mountains and Rivers away.

This was supposed to be a spiritual tool that evokes deep memories. Shouldn’t the first reaction be getting lost in one’s memories?

What is with that expression of hers, like she wants to avoid us at all costs?

After testing the Map of Mountains and Rivers, the courtyard had become lively. Ming Xuan and Mu Chongxi were busy preparing a barbecue, claiming it was for a celebration. By the time they came out, the bonfire was already set up.

Ming Xuan threw a talisman into the fire, and the flames immediately leaped high.

Hearing the commotion next door, Song Hansheng snapped out of his distraction with the talisman book and frowned, asking, “What’s going on in the next courtyard?”

It was noisy even late at night.

Su Zhuo sniffed the air with his keen nose and said, “It seems like they’re cooking?”

Cooking?

Song Hansheng was even more speechless. “Don’t they have any fasting pills?”

Su Zhuo’s voice was low. “I heard they’re celebrating.”

… It smells really good.

No matter what they were cooking, it was making him hungry.

Song Hansheng withdrew his gaze, trying to focus on his talisman book, but the delicious smell made it impossible to concentrate. He sat up.

“Let’s go check out the neighboring sect.”

Su Zhuo replied, “Okay.”

He actually didn’t want to face Ye Qiao.

Every time Su Zhuo faced his former Second Senior Sister, his feelings were inexplicably complex. For a moment, he even wondered if things would be different if she hadn’t left…

Although that thought was quickly snuffed out, it was undeniable that Su Zhuo had fantasized about it.

They arrived just in time. Ye Qiao was sitting there grilling food. Hearing the noise, she looked up at the two of them and said, “Pay up.”

“If you want to eat,” she added, fearing they might not understand, “you need to pay first.”

Song Hansheng was surprised that she could read his mind so easily. Since he was already there, he wasn’t going to give up over some spirit stones. He couldn’t afford to lose face.

The young man’s face darkened, but he reluctantly handed over three high-quality spirit stones and then sat down with a stony expression.

Ye Qiao didn’t chase them away. If they wanted to eat, they had to pay.

Ye Qiao’s grilling speed was quite fast, but her senior brothers were also quick to grab the food. Watching the empty plates, Song Hansheng’s face darkened again.

The five of them took turns grilling, and they had cooked a bit too much.

Song Hansheng’s plate was already piled high.

Ye Qiao yawned, looked at the sky, and seeing that Song Hansheng still wasn’t leaving, she impatiently started urging them to leave. “Isn’t everyone done eating? Why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Song Hansheng was also annoyed. “Can’t you see I still have food on my plate?”

Ye Qiao: “…”

She paused for a moment, “Oh. So, are you planning to finish eating here?” Could he even finish it?

Song Hansheng stared at her with a deadpan expression and raised his voice, “If I can’t finish it, can’t I take it with me?”

He looked at Ye Qiao’s stunned expression and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

Didn’t expect me to get smarter.

From now on, Changming Sect would have a hard time tricking him out of a spirit stone again.

Watching Song Hansheng actually take the whole plate of barbecue with him, Ye Qiao crossed her arms, feeling even more complicated.

Ming Xuan was also stunned for a few seconds. “What’s going on with him? He used to be the top disciple who insisted on staying in the best rooms at the inn.”

“Song Hansheng…” Ye Qiao’s tone was a bit heavy, “I’ve noticed he’s changed a lot lately.”

“Oh,” Xue Yu said, understanding. “He’s become kinder?”

Ye Qiao replied, “He’s become a bit of a fool.”