A Consequence of Opposing the Heroine’s Halo (GL) - Chapter 25

Bai Tong was worried about Liu Sanye. After Sanye had finished tidying up and was getting ready for bed, she asked hesitantly, “The Sect Leader didn’t make things difficult for you, did he?”

Liu Sanye hopped onto the bed and spun around once. She said with a smile, “Do I look like someone who’s in trouble?”

Afraid that Bai Tong wouldn’t believe her, she sat down cross-legged to recount the events in detail. “At first, I was scared to death. Think about it—that’s the Sect Leader of the entire sect! If he wants to take you as a disciple and you dare to refuse, isn’t that slapping the face of the Hegui Sect? So, all along the way, I was incredibly anxious. I kept thinking about how to politely and tactfully decline without being rude. And guess what?”

Bai Tong grew anxious, moving closer to sit on the edge of the bed. “What happened?”

Liu Sanye slapped her thigh. “In the end, he thought I was too stupid and didn’t take me!”

Bai Tong: “…”

That sounds so logical that she actually couldn’t find a way to refute it.

As if reading Bai Tong’s thoughts, Liu Sanye pointed a finger at her angrily. “You, you, you… you don’t actually think that’s what happened, do you?!”

Bai Tong hurriedly raised her hands in self-defense. “I don’t.”

Liu Sanye snorted. “Good.” Then she smiled mischievously, leaning in to whisper in Bai Tong’s ear, “Actually, I’m not stupid at all! I intentionally acted like a total idiot in front of him. I couldn’t even speak properly—I was stuttering and looked like a complete fool! As soon as he saw my silly act, he immediately dropped the idea of taking me as a disciple. Hahaha… Am I witty or what?”

Liu Sanye’s eyes crinkled into crescents as she put on a face begging for a compliment.

The moment Liu Sanye leaned in close, Bai Tong’s expression froze, but only for an instant. A moment later, she smiled. She reached out with her fair fingers and wiped away a trace of blood near the corner of Liu Sanye’s eye that hadn’t been cleaned off. Her fingertips were warm, like burning fire.

Bai Tong’s hand trembled slightly; she hid it behind her back and replied, one word at a time, “Sanye is truly clever…”

Having received the compliment, Liu Sanye was overjoyed. She rolled around on the bed, shouting, “Right? I’m a genius! Hahaha…”

Bai Tong stared at her blankly. Beneath her gentle expression was a heart in a state of upheaval.

She had often heard her parents say that the Sect Leader of the Hegui Sect cared for the world, possessed peerless talent, and a heart for salvation. It turns out he is nothing more than this—bullying the weak. One day, I will surely replace him.

The next day was the Outer Sect Grand Competition. Liu Sanye woke up early to wash. Before the sun was even up, she dragged Bai Tong to the martial arena to familiarize themselves with the venue. As the “support,” she was more nervous than the actual competitor.

The sky was gray. One could vaguely see seven arenas set up on the vast training grounds. In the center, there was a formation inscribed with dense runes; it was unclear what it was used for. There wasn’t a soul around; the lonely morning air felt a bit chilly.

Liu Sanye asked, “Are you confident?”

Bai Tong replied, “Somewhat.”

Liu Sanye smiled. “How much is ‘somewhat’?”

Bai Tong held up three fingers. “Maybe thirty percent.”

Liu Sanye nearly fainted. “Only thirty percent?!”

She was afraid she had misheard and asked again, but the answer remained the same: thirty percent! Given Bai Tong’s previously calm demeanor, Liu Sanye had assumed she had at least seventy percent confidence. Thirty percent!

Liu Sanye decisively grabbed both of Bai Tong’s hands and looked at her seriously. “How about this—let’s just forfeit.”

Bai Tong didn’t agree. She pulled her hands back. “I want to try.”

In the original story, once Bai Tong made a decision, it was impossible to make her change it. Seeing her attitude was so resolute, Liu Sanye froze for a moment then gave up on trying to persuade her. She said to Bai Tong, “Then you must be careful. Don’t let Ma Shi play dirty…”

She added, “Never mind, I’ll be watching him like a hawk from the side. If he dares to pull any tricks, I’ll report him immediately!”

Bai Tong laughed. “Why are you more anxious than I am?”

“I’m not!” Liu Sanye denied it instantly, then added, “Besides, are you even anxious?!”

Suddenly, Bai Tong thought of something. “Wait, how did you know I’m fighting Ma Shi? I don’t think I mentioned his name to you.”

At the time, Bai Tong had only said a group of people had challenged her, without specifying who. Because Liu Sanye already knew the start and end of the story, she had forgotten to ask.

Liu Sanye: “…”

Crap. I got nervous and exposed the fact that I’ve read the book.

Liu Sanye stuttered, trying to talk her way out of it. “Well… well, last time I found you injured… so I went to your class to ask around. I found out about Ma Shi and Guan Rong in your class, and that they’ve been targeting you… Then there’s the challenge, so there must be a grudge. Then you said Senior Sister gave you medicine—if it’s a Senior Sister, it must be Guan Rong. Since Guan Rong can’t beat you herself, it definitely has to be her lackey who steps up. So I just guessed it…”

“You investigated that clearly?” For some reason, hearing this made Bai Tong feel happy inside. Sanye really had been silently paying attention to her.

Liu Sanye immediately covered her mouth after speaking. Dammit, did I just cause another misunderstanding? Why would I know so much? Why would I ‘ask around’? I’m not a stalker! But if I don’t explain it like that, how would I know Ma Shi? I don’t even know what the guy looks like. Should I tell her I’m clairvoyant?

It’s over. I can’t talk my way out of this one. It’s all my fault for not asking clearly in the first place! I should have at least asked for the names of the challengers. Why did I have to act like a know-it-all?!

For a moment, the atmosphere was awkward to the extreme. Fortunately, the sun rose, and disciples began arriving at the arena one after another. Xun Qiu also arrived.

Seeing Xun Qiu was like seeing a savior. Liu Sanye ran toward her with tears in her eyes. Xun Qiu was startled by the sight and quickly flew up, making Liu Sanye miss her mark.

Xun Qiu drifted quietly to Bai Tong’s side like she was looking at a crazy person. She said to Bai Tong, “What’s wrong with Sanye? She looks like she’s gone mental.”

Bai Tong smiled. “It’s nothing. She’s probably just happy to see you, Elder.”

Xun Qiu immediately panicked at those words. She waved her hands frantically. “Little Tongtong, don’t misunderstand! My relationship with Liu Sanye is strictly professional!” She was so scared she even used Bai Tong’s nickname.

Liu Sanye, running over from a distance, heard exactly that. She felt like strangling the old fox. “Elder Xun, what kind of nonsense are you talking about now?!”

Xun Qiu replied with a beaming smile, “I’m not talking about ghosts [nonsense], I’m talking about people. And I wasn’t talking nonsense~” With that, she waved her hand and prepared to leave. “Never mind, this old lady has to go host the Grand Competition. I won’t play with you youngsters anymore.”

After Xun Qiu left, Liu Sanye huffed at her back. She turned to Bai Tong and said, “Elder Xun is an old fox with very dangerous thoughts. Don’t let her lead you astray.”

Bai Tong was a “good, upright child” in Sanye’s mind; she had to protect her! Bai Tong shook her head and flicked Liu Sanye’s nose, lecturing her: “How can you speak ill of the Elder? She is our teacher; we must respect her.”

“Oh.” Having been shut down, Liu Sanye unhappily rubbed her nose. She pouted. “Fine. I won’t speak ill of her.”

Bai Tong stood on her tiptoes and patted Liu Sanye’s head with a smile. “That’s a good girl.”

Liu Sanye was even more unhappy. Her gloom had practically manifested into a physical storm cloud hovering over her head. She spoke ill of someone once and got lectured for it. It reminded her of being managed by her mother.

She remained grumpy until Guan Rong and her gang appeared.

Before Bai Tong came to the Heaven Class, Guan Rong had always occupied the position of “Big Sister.” Most of the class were her lackeys. As soon as she appeared, everyone’s eyes locked onto them. Everyone knew Guan Rong and Bai Tong were like fire and water. Now that they had met, there was bound to be a show. For a moment, even the sound of footsteps on the arena stopped.

Guan Rong had the height advantage and looked down on Bai Tong. She held her whip behind her back and circled Bai Tong once, marveling sarcastically, “I say, a month has passed, why are you still so short? I had to look for a long time to find you. If I didn’t lower my head, I wouldn’t even see where you were.”

Liu Sanye, who was just as short as Bai Tong, was caught in the crossfire. She hated people commenting on her height more than anything! What’s so great about being tall? You’re all just a few meters anyway! And I’m only twelve! Twelve! I’m still growing!

Before Bai Tong could reply, Liu Sanye couldn’t help but snap back: “You must be Guan Rong. Don’t you know that those who grow tall first have plenty of momentum but no stamina? People like us who haven’t grown yet are the dark horses—we’ll soar to the sky later!”

Guan Rong stared at Liu Sanye for a full three seconds before asking bluntly, “Who the hell are you?”

Liu Sanye: “…”

Before she could explain, Guan Rong suddenly remembered. She laughed, “Oh, I know.” She looked at Bai Tong. “This is the one who was lying in your room that day. I didn’t realize it was a girl. I thought she was your little lover, you were so nervous about her.”

Liu Sanye: “…”

Why is ‘being nervous’ translated to ‘little lover’? Can’t it just be great familial or platonic love?! What is wrong with the minds of the people in this world?!

Liu Sanye had a stomach full of retorts she wanted to shout out, but Bai Tong had no intention of engaging with the annoying Guan Rong. Bai Tong was always cold and aloof to outsiders. Guan Rong knew this would happen, but this time she wasn’t angry. Instead, she looked at Liu Sanye. Bai Tong was hard to deal with, but there was always another vent for her anger. “This Junior Sister is a new disciple, right?”

Liu Sanye raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, what of it?”

Guan Rong frowned at Liu Sanye’s “none of your business” expression. She hadn’t expected Liu Sanye to be so defiant. The whip in her hand suddenly felt restless. “The brat’s got some nerve!”

Liu Sanye replied with a smile, “I think I’m okay. Not as much nerve as you.”