Chapter 49
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Pei Yunshu had been staying here for quite some time, but he had never known about the abundance of peach blossoms on Three-Day Peak.
The ground was lightly covered with pink petals, and the entire courtyard was filled with the fragrance of peach blossoms. However, despite the numerous peach trees that had bloomed overnight, Pei Yunshu did not sense any demonic aura among them.
As he prepared to leave, two unexpected events occurred. Several people had serious expressions on their faces. While Pei Yunshu was heading to watch the competition, Zhuyou had no intention of joining him. Instead, he and Bai Lige had decided to thoroughly investigate what was happening on Three-Day Peak.
Hua Yue had yet to be able to transform, and both of the great demons were not by his side, so Pei Yunshu brought Hua Yue along.
When they arrived at the designated location, the little fox became excited.
“Beauty Yunshu, look in that direction!” the fox exclaimed, “That beauty has captivating eyes and rosy lips. She’s exactly the type of person that foxes adore!”
“And that person on the stage wearing purple clothes is really handsome. Who would have thought that someone would use a robe as a weapon? That’s quite bold.”
Talented and attractive young talents from various sects were always in abundance. The little fox hadn’t seen so many people for a long time, and its eyes couldn’t stop darting around.
Pei Yunshu brought it to the area below the arena. The man in purple had already defeated his opponent on the stage with ease.
“Beauty, do you know which sect this person belongs to?”
Pei Yunshu shook his head, “I have no idea.”
A slightly plump Daoist nearby turned around, chuckled, and took out a palm-sized book from his robe. He enthusiastically said, “My friend, this book contains information about the participants from various sects in the competition. For just five middle-grade spirit stones, you can learn everything you want to know.”
The plump Daoist talked non-stop, pointing at the person in purple on the stage and saying, “This person is on page 108 of the book. He’s the son of the Xuan Yi Sect’s Sect Leader, and his strength and temperament are equally formidable. Although he’s listed on page 108, our Young palace master said that this person is highly likely to enter the top ten of the competition.”
As he spoke, he flipped to page 108 of the small book. Surprisingly, the book also included illustrations. However, the artwork was quite rudimentary, and the handsome man in purple on the stage appeared as an ugly man with small eyes and a large mouth in the book.
The little fox made a disinterested expression, but Pei Yunshu couldn’t resist the Daoist’s enthusiasm. He took out five middle-grade spirit stones from his sleeve and bought the book.
The plump Daoist smiled broadly and handed the book to Pei Yunshu. Pei Yunshu opened it, and the first page featured an illustration of a handsome man in red. The artwork was exquisite, with intricate patterns on the clothing, in stark contrast to the crude style of the other drawings.
Pei Yunshu quickly flipped through the book. Aside from the first page, all the other illustrations looked like they were drawn by a three-year-old child. They distorted facial features, making everyone look grotesque.
He returned to the first page and compared it to the subsequent drawings. The man in the first illustration, who was already 8 out of 10 in terms of handsomeness, appeared to be a perfect 10 compared to the others. Pei Yunshu lowered his head to read the text below the illustration, which read: “Wu Jiu, Young Palace Master of the Yuan Ling Palace, is almost certain to top this year’s cultivation competition.”
The plump Daoist leaned over to take a look and said with delight, “That’s our Young Palace Master.”
“Did your Young Palace Master create this book?”
The plump Daoist proudly nodded, “Of course, only our Young Palace Master could come up with such a clever way to make money.”
Writing the book, selling it, and confidently claiming that their Young Palace Master would top the competition, Pei Yunshu was genuinely impressed by this person’s audacity.
He flipped to the next page and saw a picture followed by a description. He pointed to the drawing in the book and asked, “Did you draw this picture as well?”
The plump Daoist glanced at it and said, “Oh, that’s Pei Yunshu from Shanshui Sect. We did draw this picture. We heard that he broke through to the Golden Core stage not long ago. The disciples of Shanshui Sect are not to be underestimated. Our Young Palace Master said that since this person has never had contact with the mortal realm, if he draws lots with him, he plans to transform into a beautiful woman to distract his opponent and defeat him in one fell swoop.”
Pei Yunshu fell silent.
The plump Daoist continued to speak enthusiastically, listing one after another of their Young Palace Master’s “ingenious and first-ranked” methods. After he had spoken at length, he finally stopped, his mouth dry. He looked at Pei Yunshu with gratitude in his eyes. “Friend, you are the first person I’ve met at the cultivation competition who was willing to listen to me talk so much. May I ask for your name? I’d like to treat you to spirit fruits.”
Pei Yunshu remembered the portrait of himself in the book.
His expression froze for a moment, and he slowly said, “I am Pei Yunshu, a disciple of Shanshui Sect.”
The plump Daoist: “…”
***
After Pei Yunshu had disclosed his name, the plump Daoist walked away with an embarrassed smile.
Pei Yunshu and Hua Yue watched the matches all morning, and at noon, Pei Yunshu took Hua Yue to draw lots for tomorrow’s opponents.
There was a long line at the drawing lot booth, and Pei Yunshu ended up at the very back. He held Hua Yue, not feeling bored at all, but he had to maintain an expressionless face, making him appear somewhat unapproachable.
“Beauty Yunshu,” Hua Yue’s paws flipped through that small book as he transmitted his thoughts to Pei Yunshu, “I’ve noticed that the more handsome the person, the more likely that Young Palace Master will draw them as ugly. Just like you, your drawing is even uglier than that beautiful person in purple.”
Hua Yue was indignant, “This person is really wicked. He’s the only good-looking one. If someone who hasn’t seen you all believes this, they might think there’s only one handsome male cultivator named Wu Jiu in the entire cultivation world!”
Pei Yunshu found it amusing, and he didn’t take it to heart. “It’s probably just a joke.”
Hua Yue flipped through the pages of the book, but his paws slipped, and the little book fell, landing on the purple boots of the person behind them in the queue.
The person behind them glanced at the book, bent down to pick it up, and when he did, he froze as he read the contents.
Pei Yunshu turned around to thank the person and was about to speak, but when he saw the person’s face, he was also taken aback. Wasn’t this the son of the Sect Leader of the Xuan Yi Sect, who had just fought against someone?
This person was dressed in purple, with a striking appearance. He moved his gaze away from the small book and looked at Pei Yunshu. “Where did this book come from?”
Pei Yunshu answered truthfully, “I bought it from a fellow cultivator.”
“How much did you spend?” the person asked.
“Five middle-grade spirit stones.”
“I’ll take it,” the person took out a bag of spirit stones, “There are thirty middle-grade spirit stones in there. Will you sell it?”
“If you want it, then it’s yours,” Pei Yunshu said, “I’ve already finished reading what’s inside, so you don’t need to give me spirit stones for it.”
The person looked at Pei Yunshu in surprise, not expecting the seemingly aloof person to be so easy to talk to. After carefully examining Pei Yunshu from top to bottom, he smiled and raised his chin, “I am Bian Rong from the Xuan Yi Sect. Fellow Daoist, would you like to get to know each other?”
Pei Yunshu exchanged names with him. After hearing his name, Bian Rong flipped through the small book and found Pei Yunshu’s portrait. Upon seeing the content above, his initial annoyance turned into a smile. “You look so ugly too. I’m not the only one.”
Pei Yunshu wanted to smile, but this time, he suppressed it. He could only nod gently.
The two of them chatted briefly, and when it was Pei Yunshu’s turn to draw lots, he didn’t say much. However, Hua Yue and Bian Rong had already begun to jointly criticize the Young Palace Master of the Yuan Ling Palace, Wu Jiu.
The disciple in charge of drawing lots was from Shanshui Sect, and when he saw Pei Yunshu, he smiled and said, “Junior brother, draw a good lot. Just now, Senior Brother Yuncheng asked me if you had drawn a lot yet. It’s only been half an hour since then. If you draw a good lot, Senior Brother Yuncheng and the others won’t have to worry.”
Pei Yunshu’s brows furrowed slightly, and he responded with a low “mm” before drawing a slender wooden stick. There were small characters written on the wooden stick, and when Pei Yunshu focused on them, he saw the words “Yuan Ling Palace, Wu Jiu” written on the top.
He instantly recalled the words of the plump Daoist.
Was this Young Palace Master planning to transform into a female cultivator and use the seductive technique on him?
***
In the evening, when Pei Yunshu and Hua Yue returned, Zhuyou and Bai Lige were already waiting in the courtyard.
The peach blossoms were in full bloom, and a day had passed. The sun had already set, but the peach blossoms showed no signs of withering.
Pei Yunshu sat down and rubbed his face with his hands. “Did you find out anything?”
“Nothing,” Bai Lige chuckled. “But there’s some good news. Your Grandmaster has entered seclusion for cultivation, and he shouldn’t come out for a short period.”
Pei Yunshu was slightly stunned, and a smile couldn’t help but tug at his lips. “Really?”
Bai Lige smiled, and he glanced at Zhuyou. Pei Yunshu also looked at Zhuyou expectantly. Zhuyou nodded, and he spoke concisely, “In seclusion.”
The Cultivation Event didn’t require the presence of a Grandmaster, and if Pei Yunshu’s Grandmaster was in seclusion, then there would be no one in Shanshui Sect with a higher cultivation level than Zhuyou, at least for a short period.
Their departure from Shanshui Sect became much easier.
Hua Yue cheered, “Great!”
Bai Lige said with a smile, “You don’t need to worry for the next few days. However, Yunshu, you’ll still need to maintain your act for a few more days while we’re outside. When we leave the mountain, you can laugh and act however you like. By then, I’ll know how many ownerless secret realms are left. When we’re outside, I’ll claim these secret realms one by one, each of us taking one.”
Pei Yunshu widened his eyes. “Isn’t that too extravagant?”
Bai Lige lightly waved his finger. “I have more than a dozen or twenty secret realms in my hands, and the Fox Clan’s secret realm is just one of the smaller ones. If you like it, we can get as many as you want.”
Pei Yunshu and Hua Yue, who had never seen such extravagance, both gasped in surprise.
Zhuyou glanced at Bai Lige and subtly furrowed his brows. He quietly reached into his sleeve.
But he didn’t have a single secret realm on him.
He suppressed his emotions, keeping his face expressionless.
Under the gazes of Pei Yunshu and Hua Yue, Bai Lige thoroughly enjoyed their reactions. He laughed heartily, and Hua Yue asked, “So, where are these dozens or even twenty secret realms you mentioned?”
Bai Lige’s laughter stopped, and he looked somewhat embarrassed. “I obtained some and gave away others, so I don’t even know where some of these secret realms ended up. It’s possible that many of them have become someone else’s property by now.”
Zhuyou couldn’t help but sneer.
After mocking Bai Lige, he walked over to sit beside Pei Yunshu. His black eyes were serious as he said, “I will collect many secret realms.”
Pei Yunshu looked at him in confusion.
Zhuyou thought for a moment and said, “I’ll collect thirty to forty secret realms.”
In the entire cultivation world, there were probably only a few hundred secret realms. Pei Yunshu smiled and didn’t deter him. “When that day comes, I’m afraid Zhuyou won’t be able to spend all the spirit stones.”
He joked, “At that time, I’ll have to rely on Zhuyou to take care of me.”
Zhuyou’s lips curled up, and he brushed his fingers through Pei Yunshu’s black hair. “Yes.”
He would definitely take good care of Pei Yunshu. Even if it came to consummating their relationship, he would make sure to master the techniques well, allowing Pei Yunshu to show the same joyful expression as the one depicted in the painting.
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