Just as Zhao Qian raised her hand a second time to strike Qiyue, a crisp shout suddenly cut through the air.
The voice came rapidly closer from afar, and in the blink of an eye, a dark figure materialized like lightning in front of Qiyue, blocking Zhao Qian's attack.
By this time, Zhao Qian's palm had already landed heavily against the newcomer's chest, but in an instant, everything froze.
Trembling with fear, Qiyue slowly opened two fingers of the hand covering her eyes, wondering in bewilderment why the sharp pain that should have come never arrived.
Looking closely, she realized that Song Yifan had arrived in the nick of time, shielding her with his own body.
"Oh! Fi-Fifth Senior Brother, it's you!"
Qiyue's tone was filled with joy. Yet strangely, Song Yifan did not turn to look at her, and even Zhao Qian stood rigid in her tracks, paralyzed as if under a binding spell.
Curiosity stirring in her heart, Qiyue took a step forward and looked in the direction Zhao Qian was staring at through her bird's-nest-like mess of hair.
One look was all it took to leave her utterly dumbfounded: Zhao Qian's hand had landed squarely on the Fifth Senior Brother's groin, while the Fifth Senior Brother wore an expression of sheer agony, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he stared in disbelief at the hands Zhao Qian had placed against his lower body.
"Ah! Fifth Senior Brother, are you alright?"
Qiyue's sudden voice struck like a thunderbolt, instantly snapping the two people out of their extreme awkwardness and back to reality.
Startled like a frightened frog, Zhao Qian violently yanked her hand back and leaped a large step backward. A flush instantly spread across her face, and even her speech became stuttering.
"I... I didn't mean to hit you there! Wh-Who told you to suddenly pop up in front of me?"
As she explained, she unconsciously rubbed the hand that had just struck Song Yifan hard against her skirt over and over again, as if it had touched something filthy.
Indeed! Zhao Qian's original target had been Qiyue's abdomen, but who could have guessed that at the critical moment, the tall Fifth Senior Brother would appear out of nowhere like a deity descending from the heavens to block her path?
Due to the height difference between Qiyue and the Fifth Senior Brother, the blow Zhao Qian had intended for Qiyue's stomach had mistakenly landed directly on the Fifth Senior Brother's crotch.
At this moment, Song Yifan was experiencing a whirlwind of complicated emotions.
He opened his mouth, as if wanting to scold Zhao Qian for a few words, but being the gentle person he always was, he simply could not bring himself to speak.
Moreover, Junior Sister Qiyue was watching right beside them, and such an embarrassing scene was truly too difficult to put into words.
"You... you...!"
He could only point a helpless finger at Zhao Qian, completely at a loss for what to say.
Fortunately, he was at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining, and her Level 2 Qi Refining cultivation couldn't actually harm him. It was just that the location was special—to say it didn't hurt at all would be a lie, though it wasn't serious, just intensely embarrassing. He could only grab Qiyue by his side.
"Junior Sister, let's go!"
How could Zhao Qian let Qiyue leave so easily? She hurriedly spread her arms to block their path.
"Wh-What else do you want? Step aside right now, or don't blame me for being unpolite!"
Song Yifan's temper had finally been pushed to the limit by the crazy woman before him.
"No way, she promised to take me to find someone. How can she just walk away like this?"
Zhao Qian pointed a finger at Qiyue behind him. Perhaps still weighed down by the awkward atmosphere from their first meeting, Zhao Qian never dared to raise her head to look directly into the Fifth Senior Brother's handsome face.
"Find someone? Find who?"
With that, Song Yifan looked curiously at Qiyue behind him, while Qiyue was left completely bewildered by their gazes, even raising a finger to point at her own nose.
"Me? Find someone? Oh—" Suddenly, understanding dawned on Qiyue."She was looking for you all along! Wait! No, when did I ever agree to take you to find someone? You clearly forced me to bring you here. The person you're looking for is right in front of you—don't you even recognize him?"
Qiyue was completely baffled by the girl before her. It seemed she didn't know Fifth Senior Brother at all, yet she had specifically demanded that Qiyue guide her to Song Yifan.
Upon hearing Qiyue's words, Zhao Qian and Song Yifan stared in utter shock, their mouths forming an "O" shape. They exchanged glances and spoke in unison:
"What do you want with me?"
"You're Song Yifan?"
Taken aback, the two of them spoke simultaneously once more:
"That's right, I am!"
"I'm your cousin!"
As their voices trailed off, all three of them stood frozen in utter astonishment.
Qiyue had originally assumed this ferocious, ill-tempered girl was looking to cause trouble for Fifth Senior Brother. She never imagined in a million years that the girl turned out to be his cousin.
Zhao Qian could never have dreamed in her wildest dreams that this handsome, dashing, and elegant man was actually the cousin she had been longing for day and night.
As for Song Yifan, his mind went completely blank. He looked at the woman before him, whose hair was as messy as a bird's nest and whose face was covered in dust, and simply couldn't remember what sort of cousin she was supposed to be.
Fortunately, Zhao Qian had a sharp eye and instantly caught the confusion on Song Yifan's face. Unable to contain herself, she eagerly introduced herself:
"Oh, Cousin, it's me! I'm Zhao Qian! How can you not even recognize me? Surely you remember? When we were little, we used to play together all the time, and I was always dressing up as your bride!"
At the mention of this, Song Yifan hazily recalled that he did indeed have a cousin with quite a difficult and capricious personality. After all, he had gone up the mountain to cultivate immortal arts for nearly ten years now, and his childhood memories were no longer all that clear.
"Oh! So it's you!"
Song Yifan replied with cool indifference.
"Yes! It's me, it's me, it really is me! Cousin, do you remember me now?"
Zhao Qian stared into Song Yifan's eyes, her own gaze sparkling as if filled with countless little stars, not even blinking as she looked at him.
"Oh! Then... then what did you want to see me about?"
Zhao Qian's cheeks flushed crimson, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz as she spoke. Her heart was pounding like a startled deer, and her already nervous state of mind became even more chaotic. Hearing his question, Zhao Qian couldn't help lowering her head, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her garment, looking as shy and bashful as a hesitant young girl.
"I heard from my aunt that you were cultivating immortality here, so I begged my mother to teach me the arts of cultivation as well. But the outer sect disciples only learn superficial techniques, and when I suddenly heard that they were recruiting inner sect disciples here, I purposely came to take part in the trials—all so I could see you, Cousin."
"Oh! Well, now you've seen me. Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving!"
Seeing such a lukewarm and indifferent response, Qiyue couldn't help mentally cursing Fifth Senior Brother for being such a blockhead. The girl's intentions had already been made abundantly clear, yet he showed not the slightest reaction—he was simply a piece of wood!
Seeing her cousin treat her with such coldness, Zhao Qian couldn't help feeling a wave of disappointment.
She had originally expected her cousin to respond to her feelings, and never imagined things would turn out this way.
Seeing that she remained silent, Song Yifan once again grabbed Qiyue's hand and made to leave. He had no desire to entangle himself with this woman any longer; he just wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible.
Watching him hold Qiyue's hand, Zhao Qian felt a nameless surge of jealousy. She had always been fond of Song Yifan, and seeing him hold another woman's hand now was naturally painful for her. A flash of resentment unconsciously crept into her gaze, as if she wanted to devour Qiyue alive.
"Wait, I still need to talk to you." Zhao Qian gritted her teeth and called out to stop Song Yifan.