CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 44: BEAUTY CONTEST

Gu Qingqing previously only noticed that Yun Ran could be sharp-tongued during arguments with Zhuo Tingqiu, but this was the first time she saw Yun Ran being so confrontational.

"Haha, mainly because that woman was too annoying, she even wanted to scratch your face yesterday and tried to seduce Brother Yue and the others. If we don’t give her a piece of our mind, she might think too highly of herself." Yun Ran laughed heartily, she just didn’t like women like Lu Yingying, whose eyes were almost overflowing with desire yet pretended otherwise!

"She’s probably going to be furious because of you." Gu Qingqing said with a smirk on her lips.

"There’s nothing that can be done, they just can’t beat us." Yun Ran shrugged fearlessly.

Gu Qingqing shook her head, but the smile on her lips didn’t fade.

Even Yue Zhao and the others had smiles on their faces. Zhuo Tingqiu directly gave Yun Ran a thumbs up, and Yun Ran returned the gesture with a wink.

For Gu Qingqing and her group, Lu Yingying and her ilk were insignificant people, and they were quickly forgotten.

The next city they were headed to, Xiyuan City, was some distance away from Yonghua City, requiring a day and a half by carriage, which meant they needed to camp outside for the night.

The wilds are naturally unsafe, but luckily the cultivation of Gu Qingqing and the others was decent, so they weren’t particularly worried.

By evening, they had set up tents by a small creek, lit a campfire, and began roasting meat.

Gu Qingqing was holding Little Yu in her arms, both their eyes fixed on the roasting fish, sparkling with interest.

Nan Hua watched their expressions with amusement, flipping the roasting fish, and once it was done, he handed it directly to Gu Qingqing, who immediately took a bite and got burnt, fanning her mouth frantically.

Jun Wu, sitting beside her, quickly handed her a bottle of Spiritual Dew, letting her take a sip to ease the pain.

Gu Qingqing took a hasty sip and continued eating the roast fish.

"Take it slow; no one is going to snatch it from you." Jun Wu said gently, helping Gu Qingqing wipe the oil off her face with a handkerchief.

Gu Qingqing smiled at him and slowed down her movements.

After finishing a fish, she felt much better and was about to stand up for a walk when she suddenly heard chaotic footsteps and couldn’t help but look toward the source of the sound.

The others heard the footsteps as well and stopped what they were doing, looking toward the direction of the sound.

The footsteps drew closer, and soon the source appeared before them.

A young man dressed in a purple brocade robe, injured and with some torn areas stained with blood, wearing a jade crown though his hair was a bit disheveled.

His appearance was exceedingly handsome, even more so than Nan Hua and the others; only Jun Wu’s looks could rival his, though Jun Wu gave off a more noble and aloof vibe, while he carried a hint of mischief.

Clearly not expecting to encounter Gu Qingqing and the others, he paused, pupils tightening with a flash of panic in his eyes.

He wanted to seek help from Gu Qingqing and the group, but with the sound behind him drawing ever closer, he gritted his teeth and chose to run in another direction, much to Gu Qingqing and her group’s surprise.

However, his plan failed, as those chasing him also noticed Gu Qingqing and the others, and dispatched part of their group to confront them, drawing swords without a word and filled with killing intent, evidently aiming to eliminate Gu Qingqing and her companions.

The faces of Yue Zhao and the others turned cold, and they drew their weapons to engage with the black-clad pursuers of the young man.

The black-clad men’s cultivation was on the eighth level, which was considered strong in the Sub-immortal Realm, while Gu Qingqing and her group looked quite young, seeming likely to be of lower cultivation, easy to deal with. Yet once the fighting started, they realized how wrong they’d been!

Gu Qingqing and the others didn’t even need to move; Yue Zhao alone handled them all, and even at the point of their death, they couldn’t understand how these people could be so formidable!

Meanwhile, with part of the group diverted to cause trouble for Gu Qingqing and her companions, fewer were left to pursue the young man, who, although managing to take care of them, still sustained injuries in the process.

Clutching his shoulder, he approached Gu Qingqing and her companions, surprise flickering in his eyes upon seeing the corpses and the unscathed Gu Qingqing and her group, before looking at them with a slight sense of shame.

"I am Lu Ying, apologies for getting you involved." Lu Ying’s face bore a clear expression of regret, sincerely looking apologetic.

"You’re too kind, Mr. Lu, we understand it wasn’t intentional, just an accident." Zhuo Tingqiu said with a smile, glancing at Yue Zhao and the others.

Yue Zhao, though appearing gentlemanly, wasn’t the approachable type, and Jun Wu was inherently aloof; Nan Hua and Mu Chen held no particular fondness for Lu Ying, and naturally didn’t speak up, while it wasn’t suitable for Yun Ran and Gu Qingqing to speak, leaving it to Zhuo Tingqiu to respond.

Lu Ying glanced at Yue Zhao and the others, noticing their disregard towards him, his eyes flickering, "I won’t disturb you further. Let me handle the disposal of these bodies."

"Then we’ll trouble you, Mr. Lu." Zhuo Tingqiu replied bluntly, eyeing the bodies on the ground.

Lu Ying moved to the bodies, crushed a talisman and tossed it onto them, watching as they ignited and turned to ash.

Seeing the bodies disposed of, Nan Hua and Mu Chen’s gazes on Lu Ying became much more amicable.

"I’m truly sorry for the trouble caused; please accept this bottle of superior Spirit Revitalizing Pills as my apology." Lu Ying wiped sweat from his brow, taking out a Jade Bottle and handing it to Zhuo Tingqiu with both hands.

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of surprise passed through Zhuo Tingqiu’s eyes; superior Spirit Revitalizing Pills were valuable, allowing a cultivator below the ninth level to instantly recover eighty percent of their Spiritual Power, hard to find in regular stores and usually seen only at auctions, costing a fortune. How generous of Lu Ying!

"You are too kind, Mr. Lu." Zhuo Tingqiu remarked, accepting the Jade Bottle and putting it away without a second glance.

Lu Ying noticed Zhuo Tingqiu’s action, his eyes flickering, "I won’t bother you any further, hope we meet again!"

"Mr. Lu, until we meet again!" Zhuo Tingqiu cupped his hands toward Lu Ying in response.

Once confirming Lu Ying’s departure, Zhuo Tingqiu retrieved the Jade Bottle and handed it to Mu Chen.

Mu Chen took it, examined the elixir within closely, nodded, and returned the pills back into the bottle, "They are superior Spirit Revitalizing Pills!"

"This fellow is indeed generous; sending eighth-level cultivators to pursue him, his identity must not be simple." Nan Hua commented with a smile, waving his fan.

"To my knowledge, there is no major power with the last name Lu, and his cultivation doesn’t seem weak. If he were a disciple of a major power, he should have some fame," Yue Zhao, who is responsible for intelligence at Lingxi Sacred Land, said with certainty after some thought.

"So, does that mean the name he just gave was fake?" Gu Qingqing blinked curiously and asked.

"Ten to one it was," Jun Wu chimed in beside Gu Qingqing.

"Tsk tsk, he really is quite cautious," Yun Ran thought of Lu Ying’s appearance, shook her head, and felt it was a pity.

The others exchanged glances, but no one said anything more. To them, Lu Ying was just a passerby, not worth spending too much thought on.

After spending a night outdoors, by noon the next day, they arrived at Xiyuan City.

Xiyuan City was smaller than Yonghua City, but it was still bustling, with many people coming and going. There were cultivators of the fourth and fifth ranks everywhere on the streets.

As before, Gu Qingqing and the others found a place to stay first upon arriving in Xiyuan City. The city seemed to be hosting an event, as the inns were almost fully booked. After checking several, they finally found one with available rooms.

Once settled in, Zhuo Tingqiu went to gather information, while Gu Qingqing and the others gathered in Gu Qingqing’s room.

Zhuo Tingqiu didn’t take long to return to Gu Qingqing’s room.

"I just found out that tomorrow is Xiyuan City’s annual beauty contest. Each year, they select the most beautiful woman in the city, and the prizes are very generous, attracting many spectators," Zhuo Tingqiu said, sitting down and taking a sip of water, sharing the news he’d learned with the others.

"A beauty contest?" Gu Qingqing was curious. "Are all the participants women from Xiyuan City?"

"Yes, they must be women from Xiyuan City. Outsiders can only watch and not participate," Zhuo Tingqiu nodded, adding more details about the rules.

"Sounds quite interesting," Yun Ran said with interest.

Gu Qingqing also nodded, showing some interest.

"If Geng Geng is interested, we can stay another day and watch the beauty contest before leaving," Yue Zhao, always indulgent toward Gu Qingqing, said directly upon seeing her interest.

The others naturally had no objections and all nodded.

"To let everyone know who the participants are, the girls competing will perform on West Street in Xiyuan City tonight. We could go and take a look," Zhuo Tingqiu reminded Gu Qingqing and Yun Ran of the innkeeper’s note.

The two were immediately intrigued and decided to go see for themselves that night.

Very soon, night arrived, and after having dinner, Gu Qingqing and the others left the inn, heading to West Street in Xiyuan City.

There were even more people out than during the day, with the streets being extremely crowded and lively.

Initially, Gu Qingqing and the others walked together but soon got separated by the crowd. Jun Wu quickly grabbed Gu Qingqing’s hand, and the two were separated, finding a less crowded spot to stand and looking around a bit helplessly.

"There are too many people; we can’t see Second Brother and the others," Gu Qingqing pouted, a bit displeased.

"It’s okay. The inn is right there, and we can head straight back after watching the performance," Jun Wu, who quite enjoyed spending time alone with Gu Qingqing, didn’t show his delight on his face and gently comforted her instead.

Gu Qingqing thought for a moment and agreed, no longer dwelling on it, and continued walking with Jun Wu toward the performance area.

As the rewards were generous and to attract attention, the participating girls performed eagerly. The first they saw was a girl dancing.

The dancer wore attire suited for dance, with an enchanting figure and a veiled face, her dance elegant and captivating, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"This must be the second young lady from the Luo Family. I heard she’s only sixteen this year and quite beautiful—she might just win," a man next to Gu Qingqing shared with his companion.

"Zou Family’s eldest daughter is also beautiful. I heard she performs a sword dance that many people like and is a strong contender to win," the companion said, eyes never leaving the dancer on stage.

"Last year, the Luo Family’s eldest daughter won, and their family gained many benefits. It’s said she’s already engaged to the top of a second-tier sect, quite impressive," the man recalled.

"The Luo Family’s eldest daughter is truly beautiful. If it weren’t for the rule that participants can only join once, she might claim the title again this year!" the companion turned his head and said wistfully.

"The Song Family’s fourth young lady is also quite pretty. I heard her water dance is very beautiful; we should check it out by the river," another person chimed in suddenly.

"Really? It’s the first I’ve heard of it—sounds interesting. Let’s go watch," the man said, pleasantly surprised, glancing at the dancer on stage with interest.

"Let’s go check it out together," the companion agreed, and they both left.

Beside them, Gu Qingqing glanced at Jun Wu, feeling moved herself.

"Let’s go take a look," Jun Wu suggested after understanding Gu Qingqing’s glance.

Gu Qingqing nodded, and together with Jun Wu, they squeezed their way toward the river.

By the time they reached the river, it was already surrounded by many people. Music played intermittently from the river, along with cheers from the front.

Gu Qingqing was extremely curious, but there were simply too many people in front, and not being fond of pushing through crowds, she could only longingly gaze toward the river.

Next to her, Jun Wu surveyed the surroundings and, spotting a large tree not far away, wrapped his arm around Gu Qingqing’s waist, flying her toward the tree.

Gu Qingqing was briefly stunned when Jun Wu held her, and realizing they were now on a tree, she was surprised. Before she could speak, Jun Wu turned her to face the river.

The view from this vantage was excellent, offering a clear view of the dancing figure on the river, and Gu Qingqing fell silent, watching the dancer intently.

Jun Wu glanced once at the performance, then smiled, keeping his eyes on Gu Qingqing’s profile, his gaze soft and gentle.

Unbeknownst to them, someone in the crowd who saw them was greatly surprised, seemingly not expecting to see them there. A curious smile played on his lips as he watched.