Chapter 14
Those deep, dark-brown eyes were like an icy spring. There was light within them, but it was cold.
Song Qi shuddered and immediately looked away, her entire body tingling with numbness.
She could not shake the feeling that Wen Wanxi had set her sights on her.
The only question was whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
【Hey, Song Qi.】
【What?】
Hutu’s electronic voice entered her mind. On the surface, Song Qi appeared to be staring blankly into space, but in reality, she was communicating with Hutu.
【There’s a side mission. Do you want to accept it?】
【Tell me what it is first.】
Song Qi had truly been scammed too many times.
If she impulsively accepted and was then forced to carry out another bizarre mission, the lighter consequence would be dying of embarrassment.
The more serious consequence would be dying on the spot.
【Have a cup of wine with Wen Wanxi.】
Song Qi’s eyes widened.
【What? Hutu, are you sure this is a side mission and not a suicide mission?】
【It really is a side mission!】
Wen Wanxi preferred tea. Ever since becoming the lord of Wucheng, she had rarely drunk alcohol.
Far too many people wanted to kill her, so she needed to remain clearheaded at all times.
【I’m not doing it!】
【It rewards ten luck points.】
【Fine. I’ll do it!】
Song Qi surrendered.
Who could blame her when luck points were so tempting?
Previously, she had spent an entire night digging through the ground merely to obtain two luck points. Now, she could receive ten just by drinking a cup of wine.
Song Qi immediately switched sides.
“Song Tianxing wins!”
The referee’s voice from the arena pulled Song Qi back to reality.
She asked Hutu:
【What’s the deadline?】
【Before the Young Heroes’ Assembly ends.】
【…What happens if I fail?】
【There’s no punishment this time.】
What the hell?
Had she actually received a genuine beginner’s gift package this time?
Song Qi had never expected Hutu to finally discover its conscience and issue her a mission with some humanity.
“Little Sister, let’s go eat first.”
Song Tianxing had just finished his second match, and it happened to be lunchtime, so he brought Song Qi with him to eat.
Bai Luoyin had also finished her match. She had won as well and joined the Song siblings for lunch.
During the meal, Song Tianxing analyzed his opponent’s techniques, strengths, and weaknesses.
Bai Luoyin listened quietly.
Song Qi, however, was completely distracted.
Song Tianxing approached everything with great seriousness. There was good reason for his success.
But Song Qi had already noticed everything he was explaining, so what concerned her more was how she could manage to drink a cup of wine with Wen Wanxi.
At present, Wen Wanxi was the primary suspect in everyone’s eyes.
If Song Qi approached her now, she might draw suspicion from the others.
No matter how she considered it, this was not a good time.
Unfortunately, the deadline lasted only until the end of the Young Heroes’ Assembly.
Still, to drink wine, she first needed to have wine.
While Song Tianxing continued speaking without pause, Song Qi stood and walked toward the place where alcohol was being sold.
“Senior, how much is this wine?”
The dining hall did not sell much alcohol, though the containers came in various sizes.
Song Qi immediately took a liking to the wine stored in a small gourd.
There was no special reason.
It was simply easy to carry.
“Thirty taels for one gourd.”
The old man who answered had white hair and a white beard, both somewhat disheveled.
He picked up the small gourd and shook it lightly.
“Don’t complain that it’s expensive. This is good wine.”
The old man chuckled.
Even so, Song Qi still felt the price like a knife to her heart.
“Can I smell it first?”
Song Qi knew nothing about wine, but the alcohol sold here generally had a weak taste because it was heavily diluted with water.
She had no idea whether the wine in this little gourd was strong or whether it was truly as good as the old man claimed.
“Certainly.”
The old man removed the stopper and held the gourd near Song Qi’s nose.
Song Qi leaned closer and took a sniff.
The sharp yet fragrant scent of alcohol rushed straight at her.
It was intoxicating from the aroma alone.
“Fine, fine. Thirty taels it is.”
Song Qi decided to buy it.
After she paid, the old man called her back.
“Little girl, I’ll give you this as well.”
He handed Song Qi a small wooden box.
When she took it, she felt something rolling around inside.
“What is this?”
“A sobering pill.”
The old man pointed at the small gourd in Song Qi’s hand.
“Don’t drink it all at once. Otherwise, you won’t even have time to swallow the sobering pill.”
“All right. Thank you, Senior!”
After buying the wine, Song Qi returned to her seat.
Naturally, Song Tianxing asked why she had suddenly purchased alcohol.
Song Qi merely said that she had suddenly felt like drinking and offered no further explanation.
She looked back toward the wine stall.
The old man was already nowhere to be seen. Only a young disciple remained to manage the place.
He left that quickly?
【That old man was an expert.】
Hutu’s voice sounded.
Song Qi froze.
【An expert? An expert from the Tianshan Sect?】
【According to the data, he is an ancestor of the Tianshan Sect. He’s an old child at heart, and his martial arts are extremely powerful.】
【What the hell? I can even encounter a hidden master while buying wine?】
Song Qi had not expected to meet an expert so casually.
Was Hutu certain that her opportunity value was only one hundred?
This ancestor of the Tianshan Sect had never appeared in the novel. She had not expected such a person to be hidden away here.
“Wucheng sent only one competitor this time, but Young Master Xiao’s strength is truly astonishing. He has won every match within ten moves.”
Song Tianxing had been keeping track of the other competitors.
The person most worthy of attention was Xiao Sheng.
Like Wucheng itself, he gave off a mysterious and dangerous impression.
His extraordinary martial arts had captured Song Tianxing’s attention.
“And Bing Xian.”
Aside from Xiao Sheng, Bai Luoyin had also taken notice of Bing Xian, the young sect leader of the Flying Flower Sect and another strong contender for first place.
Bing Xian?
Hearing that extremely familiar name, Song Qi suddenly remembered the female lead.
She had been so focused on completing her mission that she seemed to have forgotten Bing Xian existed.
She had not even watched any of her matches.
If nothing unexpected happened, Bing Xian would face Song Tianxing in the semifinals.
That match would mark the beginning of their connection.
The quarterfinals were next.
Duan Qingyi had already been eliminated.
Bai Luoyin would also lose in the quarterfinals, while Song Tianxing alone would advance to the semifinals.
“Oh, right. Senior Sister Bai, who is your opponent in the quarterfinals?”
Song Qi had read the novel, but there was no way she could remember every detail.
“Cao Xi of the Water God Cult.”
“Oh, her!”
The moment Song Qi heard the name, every detail about this person from the novel returned to her mind.
“She has a small habit when drawing her sword. She likes to pull her hand back two inches to gather force, but that slows her attack. Use a fast sword to suppress her, and you’ll be able to win.”
Any small detail during a martial arts match could determine victory or defeat.
Cao Xi’s tiny movement would be impossible to notice without carefully observing her several times.
In the novel, Cao Xi possessed exceptional swordsmanship.
However, this one habit was exposed by Xiao Sheng, her opponent in the semifinals, allowing him to defeat her.
No.
Rather than saying Xiao Sheng had seen through it, it would be more accurate to say Wen Wanxi had.
That woman was terrifying.
Bai Luoyin: “…”
Song Tianxing: “…”
“Wh-why are you both looking at me like that?”
Song Qi thought carefully.
She had not said anything wrong just now.
Why were these two staring at her as though she were some kind of monster?
“How did you notice that?”
Bai Luoyin spoke first.
Song Qi’s heart skipped a beat, but she reacted quickly.
“I watched her match. It’s only my guess, though. You don’t have to listen.”
You’ll lose anyway.
Song Qi was only an insignificant hanger-on.
Naturally, Bai Luoyin would not take her words seriously.
“All right. Now that I’ve eaten my fill, I’m going for a walk!”
She claimed she was going for a walk, but in reality, Song Qi returned to her room to apply medicine.
She had been bouncing around all day, and her wound genuinely hurt.
Bai Luoyin watched Song Qi’s retreating figure.
Her gaze deepened as she fell into thought.
**
By the time Song Qi emerged from her room, the quarterfinals had already begun.
She went directly to the Qian Arena to watch Song Tianxing’s match.
The battle between Song Tianxing and his opponent was extremely exciting, but Song Qi was distracted by the commotion coming from the Li Arena.
She turned and saw that Bai Luoyin and Cao Xi were the ones fighting there.
Cao Xi was being forced backward repeatedly by Bai Luoyin’s rapid swordsmanship.
What the hell?
Without thinking, Song Qi turned and hurried toward the Li Arena.
She stared at the match with her mouth hanging open.
Cao Xi had been caught completely off guard and could only defend.
Bai Luoyin gave her no opportunity whatsoever, attacking so fiercely that Cao Xi had no strength to retaliate.
What the hell?
Song Qi was stunned.
She had never expected Bai Luoyin to truly take her advice seriously.
And then—
“Bai Luoyin of the Divine Sword Sect wins!”
What the hell?
Song Qi was dumbfounded.
This was not the plot she knew!
She had merely said one extra sentence, yet the story had changed.
Would this cause some kind of consequence?
【It will. It only depends on how significant the impact is.】
Song Qi calmed herself and considered it carefully.
This did not affect Song Tianxing, so there probably would not be any major problem.
Once she thought it through, she relaxed.
Bai Luoyin had already begun walking toward her.
“Junior Sister Song.”
“What?”
Song Qi returned to her senses and discovered that Bai Luoyin was standing before her.
“Thank you.”
“No, no, no. I only got lucky and guessed correctly. You won because of your own abilities.”
Song Qi had no desire to accept such high praise.
She only wanted to keep a low profile and survive.
Bai Luoyin said nothing more.
She merely headed toward the Qian Arena where Song Tianxing was competing.
Song Qi followed closely behind.
From a distance, she glanced toward Song Tianxing’s arena and felt that he was close to winning as well.
Two people from the Divine Sword Sect had advanced to the semifinals.
This time, Yu Mingshun could finally hold his head high.
Song Tianxing’s match soon ended.
He also advanced to the semifinals.
The semifinals would begin at dusk, while the finals would take place the following day.
The drawing ceremony began as soon as the quarterfinals ended.
Song Qi had originally shown little interest, but then she heard He Rui announce:
“Song Tianxing of the Divine Sword Sect will face Xiao Sheng of Wucheng!”
What the hell?
Song Qi’s mind stopped working.
Wasn’t Song Tianxing supposed to face Bing Xian?
“Bai Luoyin of the Divine Sword Sect will face Bing Xian of the Flying Flower Sect!”
What the hell?
Listening to the disciples around her burst into discussion, Song Qi finally confirmed that she had not misheard.
The highly anticipated final match had been moved forward.
More importantly, the semifinal in which the female and male leads first became connected had completely disappeared!
【It’s over, Hutu. Did I derail the whole script with one sentence?】
【Probably not. Even if it derails, there are ways to play a derailed story.】
【Are you practicing tongue twisters?】
Song Qi forced herself to calm down and think.
The plot was still within a controllable range.
There was no need to worry unnecessarily yet.
Perhaps the male and female leads would meet in the finals instead.
The process would be slightly more complicated than in the original story, but Song Tianxing could still take first place and meet the female lead.
For now, she should focus on figuring out how to persuade Wen Wanxi to drink a cup of wine with her.
To ask someone else to drink with her, Song Qi first needed to drink herself.
Fine.
Tonight, she would go drink at the rear mountain!
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