"Are you blaming me?" Lv Xiuer glared at him in annoyance. "Aren't you doing the exact same thing?"
Jun Qingfeng rubbed the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly.
Lv Xiuer had expected to wake up the next day feeling weak and unable to get out of bed, but the moment she opened her eyes, she felt full of energy and wonderfully light!
It was as if all the chronic illnesses that had accumulated in her body over the years had completely vanished into thin air.
Lv Xiuer discovered that the scar left by an accidental fall many years ago was completely gone, too!
Could that bowl of medicine really have worked?!
"See? I told you our girl is the most amazing!"
Jun Qingfeng started bragging about his daughter again.
Lv Xiuer was so exasperated she couldn't help laughing. "That is not what you were saying last night."
Chapter 38: The Tang Family Prodigy
Jun Qingfeng chuckled, completely unfazed by being exposed. With a thick-skinned grin, he sidled up to Jun Jiuqi. "Jiujiu, do you have any more of that medicinal soup? Can you spare a bowl for your dad?"
"No."
"Huh?" Jun Qingfeng's hopeful expression instantly froze.
Jun Jiuqi looked at her father's pitiful expression and let out a heavy sigh. "Dad, you've just been detoxified, so you can't drink this yet. We'll talk about it once your condition improves slightly."
"Oh." Jun Qingfeng looked a little disappointed.
Jun Jiuqi mentioned the pills that Jun Ting had given them.
Upon hearing this, Jun Qingfeng let out a cold snort and said nothing.
Jun Jiuqi felt utterly helpless.
With that stubborn pair of father and son—Jun Qingfeng and Jun Ting—you could never expect to hear a single soft word come out of their mouths.
"Dad, Grandfather seems to know about you being poisoned. Do you have any idea why?"
"Perhaps it has to do with what happened back then."
Jun Qingfeng began to speak of the past.
Because the Jun family's standing was waning, they had been forced into a marriage alliance with the Tang family. In truth, however, it was because the eldest miss of the Tang family had taken a fancy to Jun Qingfeng and insisted on marrying him. If the Jun family had refused, they would have been plunged into extreme danger.
At that time, the Jun family was also walking a precarious tightrope, facing turbulence and unrest.
Given Jun Qingfeng's personality, he certainly would not have been willing to submit. After arguing with him for a long time, Jun Ting finally expelled Jun Qingfeng from the family.
Jun Jiuqi touched her chin. "Logically speaking, even if you weren't willing to marry the Tang family's eldest miss back then, Grandfather wouldn't have gone so far as to drive you away, right? Besides, the Jun family was in that kind of situation at the time, and you were the Jun family's number one prodigy... Staying would have been much more beneficial to the family than leaving."
She paused before continuing.
"Rather than saying Grandfather expelled you from the family, it feels more like he was protecting you."
Jun Qingfeng remained silent.
Jun Jiuqi continued, "Perhaps once Grandfather discovered you were poisoned, he worried that the person in the shadows would continue to target you, and had no choice but to resort to this worst-case scenario?"
Jun Qingfeng frowned. "That old coot would be that kindhearted? He probably wishes I would never come back!"
Jun Jiuqi watched her father put up a tough front. "If that were true, why would he go out of his way to send you pills? The Xuanming Pill isn't something that can be refined overnight, you know."
"Maybe he just got lucky and stumbled upon it?" Jun Qingfeng glanced at his younger daughter, then reached out to pinch her cheek. "Jiujiu, you're my daughter, so you aren't allowed to take that old codger's side."
Jun Jiuqi remained silent.
Fine.
Her father was truly becoming more and more childish.
***
During the period when Jun Qingfeng was recuperating, the tournament among the three great families finally began.
On the eve of the competition, Jun Jiuqi took Body Tempering potions for three consecutive days, successfully raising her cultivation to the mid-stage of the Rank Two Realm.
She kept her outward display of strength stable at the mid-stage of the Rank Four Realm, though in reality, she possessed the strength to do battle with fighters in the high stage of the Rank Five Realm as well.
Aside from Jun Jiuqi and Chiyun, there were three other junior participants from the Jun family.
They were Jun Qingya's fifteen-year-old daughter Jun Ruoxia, alongside the son and daughter of Jun Qingqi's second older brother Jun Qingbo—sixteen-year-old Jun Ruohan and eight-year-old Jun Zeyan.
Upon arriving at the assembly grounds, Jun Ruoxia caught sight of Jun Jiuqi and Chiyun, turned her nose up at them, and let out a cold, disdainful snort.
"What time even is this? Showing up so late! You might as well just be turtles!" Jun Ruoxia wore a thoroughly disgruntled expression, glaring at them with eyes and nose twisted in displeasure. "Let me tell you, you'd better behave yourselves from here on out. Don't think that just because you have a tiny bit of skill, you can look down on everyone else!"
Jun Ruohan chimed in, "Second Sister, Third Sister and the others aren't late either; the timing is just right. Besides, they're still young, and since they have to train every day, it's normal for them to sleep in a little longer..."
"They have to train, and we don't?" Jun Ruoxia retorted in dissatisfaction.
Jun Jiuqi's expression remained calm. "We agreed on the Hour of Chen, and the Hour of Chen it is. You can't say we're late just because someone arrived a few breaths early, can you? Furthermore, neither Academician Zhuang nor the Seventh Elder has said a word. For Second Sister to be in such a rush to slap labels on people, what is the meaning of this?"
"You! At such a young age, you have a sharp tongue! Who gave you the gall to speak to me like that?"
Jun Ruoxia stepped forward, as if to say more.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Academician Zhuang and the Seventh Elder are here!"
They saw Academician Zhuang and the Seventh Elder walking over from a distance. Left with no choice, Jun Ruoxia could only glare fiercely at Jun Jiuqi and Chiyun, swallowing the reprimand that was on the tip of her tongue.
Because of the incident involving Jun Zelin and Jun Zechuan, she had also suffered plenty of gossip and criticism at the martial arts academy these past few days.
Added to the fact that her two younger brothers were still confined to their rooms reflecting on their mistakes and barred from the tournament precisely because of Jun Jiuqi and Chiyun, how could Jun Ruoxia possibly give them a pleasant look?
Academician Zhuang walked over, swept his gaze across the group, lingered for a moment on Jun Jiuqi and Chiyun, and then looked away.
The Seventh Elder began his address, speaking of the rules for this competition and the precautions to keep in mind once outside.
"...I hope that all of you can achieve excellent results and live up to the Jun family's expectations. In addition, I hope everyone will focus entirely on the competition, and not be swayed by other matters, let alone go looking for trouble. Otherwise, once it is discovered, don't blame this old man for not warning you in advance."
The Seventh Elder pointedly addressed the crowd, casting a stern look at the haughty Jun Ruoxia over there.
Indignant, Jun Ruoxia was just about to argue when she was reined in by the guard beside her, leaving her with no choice but to angrily glare at Jun Jiuqi, who was standing nearby.
Chiyun pulled a face at her. This woman must be out of her mind!
Soon, the group set off.
The competition venue was none other than the Lingxiao Terrace.
The Lingxiao Terrace was erected in the South Square of Liucheng.
By the time they arrived, the members of the Tang and Ji families had already mostly gathered.
The attire of the Jun family disciples was blue and white. Embroidered across the chest was a lifelike tiger's head, with auspicious cloud patterns decorating the sleeves, and wooden plaques unique to the Jun family disciples hanging at their waists.
The Tang and Ji families wore similarly styled garments, though the colors and details varied. The Ji family in particular, as the preeminent clan of Liucheng, dressed their disciples in pristine white.
As they moved, their robes fluttered about them, carrying a certain otherworldly immortal air and scholarly elegance.
"Look! The Jun family is here!"
"The tail-enders are here! It's useless even if they show up! Our Tang family will definitely take first place in this trial!"
"Tang-shixiong, you're here!"
The crowd parted as a young man emerged from the center. He looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years of age, clad in the disciple uniform of the Tang family.
The newcomer was none other than the Tang family's number one prodigy, Tang Zhou.
When Tang Zhou caught sight of the Jun family contingent, a trace of disdain flashed across the depths of his eyes.
So he was the number one prodigy of Liucheng—Tang Zhou, who at not even sixteen years of age was already a high-stage Rank Three fighter.
"Tang Zhou-gege!"
Jun Ruoxia suddenly dashed out, running right up to him with a look of delighted surprise.
"Ruoxia-meimei." Tang Zhou gave a slight nod, clearly recognizing her.
"Tang Zhou-gege, you'll definitely achieve great results in the match later!" Jun Ruoxia said excitedly. "I'll be cheering for you!"
"Thank you."
Tang Zhou's expression remained indifferent.
Chapter 39: Chiyun vs. Tang Lin
"Oh, and Tang Zhou-gege, these are the elbow guards I embroidered for you specially. Please... accept them..."
Blushing, Jun Ruoxia produced a pair of elbow guards and offered them up with a shy expression.
jeering sounds instantly rose from the surroundings.
Jun Ruoxia's infatuation with Tang Zhou was a matter known to almost everyone among the noble families of Liucheng.
And Jun Ruoxia made no effort to hide her affection in front of others.
Furthermore, the First Madam of the Jun family and the Madam of the Tang family were bosom friends who had long since intended to unite their families through marriage, which was why neither side had ever interfered with their interactions.
"Tch, this Jun Ruoxia acts all overbearing and arrogant in front of everyone else, yet she becomes so gentle and submissive in front of this Tang family young master. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were already a couple!"
Chiyun couldn't help but complain.
Jun Jiuqi's gaze landed on Tang Zhou, and she noticed that listening to Jun Ruoxia talk only brought a heavy dose of impatience to his brow.
His eyes held not a shred of affection for Jun Ruoxia.
It seemed it was all just one-sided wishful thinking on someone's part.
"Say, how come I don't see Zelin and Zechuan?"
Tang Zhou glanced around, failing to spot the figures of Jun Zelin and Jun Zechuan.
"It's all because of certain people..."
Jun Ruoxia shot a white-eyed glance in Jun Jiuqi's direction. She added plenty of fuel to the fire with whatever she said next, causing the Tang family disciples to cast strange, probing looks their way.
What was truly bizarre was that even though the Tang family looked down on the Jun family and never gave them a pleasant expression on ordinary days, Jun Ruoxia still loved to crowd around them and ingratiate herself in every possible way. And it wasn't just Tang Zhou—she was exceedingly polite and friendly to everyone around him, too.
Yet the dignified second young miss of the Jun family maintained such a lowly posture in front of the Tang family, while the people around her didn't think anything of it at all. This was primarily because the Tang family had been developing at a fierce pace in recent years, and with the emergence of a prodigy like Tang Zhou, they were now practically on equal footing with the Ji family.
That was why Jun Ruoxia was so desperately eager to butter them up.
At that moment, the sound of a bell suddenly rang out from the high platform.
The tournament was about to begin.
All the disciples lined up in formation.
The leaders of the three great families stepped up onto the platform one after another, among them the Seventh Elder. The others were representatives from the Tang and Ji families, as well as the City Lord of Liucheng.
Following a brief opening speech, the rules of the competition were announced.
Just as in previous years, a White Boundary Stone would be used to determine the names of those who would face each other in combat.
Jun Jiuqi looked at the White Boundary Stone. It stood roughly two meters tall, pure white in color. Once the participants tossed their disciple tokens into it, the stone would make random selections, pairing off two people at a time for a match.
The participating disciples from the three great families would be thoroughly intermixed, and in the end, the top three would be decided.
These top three would receive the rewards bestowed by the tournament, and their final rankings would also determine the power hierarchy of the three great families for the coming year.
This was precisely what mattered most.
With a total of fifteen participating disciples, the competition quickly got underway.
As the White Boundary Stone flashed with light, two names appeared.
From the Jun family, Jun Chiyun.
From the Tang family, Tang Lin.
Chiyun was up for the very first battle.
"Will the contestants please come up to the arena? Everyone else, please wait below."
Jun Jiuqi looked at Chiyun, who was still in the middle of a yawn, and patted his head. "Fight well."
Chiyun gave Jun Jiuqi a "don't worry" look.
Then, with a light tap of his feet, he leaped up onto the arena, while his opponent from the Tang family stepped up onto the opposite side.
"The match is decided when one party admits defeat or falls off the arena. Taking lives is strictly forbidden during the match, and weapons are permitted."
"Both sides, step forward and perform the aristocratic bow."
The two exchanged bows. At the cry of "Begin!", the opponent launched the attack proactively!
Spiritual energy churned around his entire body as the pressure belonging to a mid-stage Rank Three fighter enveloped the arena!
"What? He's actually a mid-stage Rank Three fighter?"
The crowd below couldn't help but be startled, while the Tang family members looked immensely smug upon hearing this.
"Hump, Tang Lin is the disciple in our Tang family second only to Tang-shixiong, and his talent is exceptional to boot. You lot are just unlucky to have run into him in the first round!"
"There's zero suspense for this match!"
"Exactly, just sit back and watch—this is definitely going to be a solo show by Tang Lin-shixiong!"
...
Jun Ruoxia cast a smug look at Jun Jiuqi. "Don't think you're all that just because you tested at the Fourth Stage. The outside world is far broader than you can imagine. Just watch, there'll come a time when your jaws hit the floor."
Jun Jiuqi looked at her as if she were a fool. Did this woman have something wrong with her head? Even if she was licking up to Tang Zhou, she should at least remember what surname she carried!
"What kind of look is that?"
Catching Jun Jiuqi's gaze, Jun Ruoxia felt a ball of fire suddenly flare up in her chest.
Too lazy to waste words with her, Jun Jiuqi replied, "The look of not wanting to bother with you."
"You!"
"All right, Second Sister, stop talking. Academician Zhuang is glaring at you."
Jun Ruohan pulled her back.
Jun Ruoxia raised her head and sure enough, saw Zhuang Sheng staring at her with a frown.
Daring to cause no more trouble, Jun Ruoxia could only stand off to the side, seething with resentment.
Meanwhile, up on the arena, the battle had already begun.
In the blink of an eye, a dozen moves had passed.
Tang Lin unleashed his Beast Martial Spirit.
The Tang family's Martial Spirit was a lizard.
Various types of lizards existed, some evolving toxins that made them far more powerful.
Tang Lin's lizard was a point-tailed lizard.
It was entirely azure-blue in color, roughly a meter in length, and capable of spitting a toxic mist that could paralyze a person's body.
In an instant, the arena was engulfed in poisonous vapor, swallowing Chiyun whole.
A wave of cheers erupted from below, especially from the Tang family disciples.
"The outcome is decided."
"Sigh, he couldn't even last against a few moves like that. Still, you can't really blame him—who told him to be so unlucky? He's just a little kid, yet he ran right into Tang Lin-shixiong right out of the gate."
"I think the Jun family did it on purpose to cut their losses!"
"How do you figure?"
"Ever heard of Tian Ji's horse racing strategy? Pitting a five-year-old toddler against our Tang Lin-shixiong is basically writing off this single match to give the other Jun family members a better chance at winning!"
"Makes sense!"
The Tang family disciples made sarcastic remarks without a shred of restraint.
Suddenly, a drastic change occurred on the arena.
"Huh?"
Someone let out a soft exclamation of surprise, causing everyone else to instinctively look over. To their shock, on the arena, the person they had assumed was poisoned and brought down was standing there completely unscathed.
"How is that possible?"
It wasn't just them who were astonished; Tang Lin was equally shocked.
"How can this be? My poison had no effect on you?!"
Chiyun boredly picked at his ear. Are you kidding? His true form was a Qiuniu; absolutely no poison in the world could harm him! Let alone this measly little toxic mist?
"Did you dodge it? Well, your luck is decent, but you won't be so lucky next time. Little milk-baby, watch yourself—don't blame this young master for bullying someone smaller than him."
With that, Tang Lin once again manipulated the lizard to spew out a wave of toxic mist.
Chiyun was the youngest participant among all three families in the tournament. Of course, the other families also had young participants, but those kids were already seven or eight years old.
Someone like Chiyun participating at the tender age of five was a rare sight even over the past decade.
This was because Chiyun and Jun Jiuqi had only just returned to the Jun family. Under the deliberate protection of the Jun family, the other two families barely knew anything about either Chiyun or Jun Jiuqi.
Billows of poisonous mist surged forward, and soon there was nowhere left to hide on the arena.
Chapter 40: Turning One's Elbow Out
"Surrender!"
The lizard, Tang Lin's Martial Spirit, lashed its tail like a whip, *bam*, striking a stone pillar a heavy blow!
Chiyun spun and landed lightly atop another pillar.
He was feeling rather bored, but Jiujiu had told him not to draw too much attention, so he had to last through at least thirty moves before dealing with his opponent. Otherwise, he might expose his true strength prematurely.
Still, it should be about time now, right?
Out of the corner of his eye, he cast an inquiring look toward Jun Jiuqi down below.
Jun Jiuqi gave him an imperceptible nod.
"What's going on? Why hasn't this milk-baby fallen yet?"
"Tang Lin-shixiong, stop holding back! Even if the opponent is just a five-year-old toddler, he's still your opponent! Don't forget this is a match!"
The match had failed to produce a winner for quite some time. Seeing Chiyun still standing safe and sound upon the stage, everyone assumed Tang Lin was deliberately pulling his punches.
Yet Tang Lin, up on the arena, was suffering in silence—he had practically exhausted all his strength, but the bizarre thing was that he simply couldn't hit his opponent!
Why on earth was this happening?
Could it be...
His heart slowly sank as the gaze he fixed on his opponent began to change.
Abandoning any lingering hopes of luck, Tang Lin unleashed his full power!
"Toxic Needles!"
Dozens of venomous needles shot forth from the lizard's tail at blistering speed!
Right before everyone's eyes, the milk-baby who had just been standing on the stone pillar suddenly vanished into thin air!
"Where did he go?"
The crowd below started in alarm, and Tang Lin's heart skipped a beat as well. Suddenly, he felt a rush of wind at the back of his head!
Whirling around abruptly, he discovered that the vanished Chiyun had somehow appeared right behind him!
*Bam!*
Chiyun threw a punch straight at him, and Tang Lin instinctively raised his arms to block!
The moment he made contact with that fist, however, a terrifying wave of force slammed into him!
That strength sent his entire body flying backward out of control!
By the time he recovered his wits, he had already tumbled completely off the arena!
Tang Lin was left in a daze for a split second, and the same went for everyone else outside the ring.
Especially the Tang family disciples, who had been loudly cheering and gleefully waiting to watch a good show—their voices abruptly choked off in their throats.
Silence fell over the scene for a fleeting moment.
Until the sound of a bell rang out from the platform, accompanied by the referee's announcement: "This match goes to Jun Chiyun of the Jun family!"
Only then did the crowd snap back to reality.
"How is that possible?"
"How could Tang Lin-shixiong lose to a milk-baby?!"
"He's no ordinary milk-baby," Tang Zhou spoke up. "I've heard he's a Rank Four fighter."
"What?!"
A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples!
"No way!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Naturally, the Tang family disciples were unwilling to believe it. Jun Jiuqi's ears twitched slightly, taking in every single word of their conversation clearly.
So did Zhuang Sheng.
He shot a displeased look at Jun Ruoxia.
A flicker of a guilty conscience flashed through Jun Ruoxia's eyes.
"Second Young Miss, was it you who told them about this?"
"I..."
"I recall the Jun family rules explicitly forbid leaking the cultivation realms of our own disciples to outsiders. How could you knowingly break the rules?"
Zhuang Sheng was genuinely furious.
Before they set out, the Seventh Elder had repeatedly instructed everyone to act with caution precisely because he considered the Second Young Miss's relationship with Tang Zhou and worried she would run her mouth and leak secrets.
The Jun family had gone out of their way to seal off all external channels, warning their disciples that the testing session at the banquet that day must never be spread outside. Especially the cultivation levels of the Third Young Miss and the Fourth Young Master—they had to be kept strictly confidential prior to the tournament among the three great families.
After all, this was the Jun family's greatest trump card for the event.
Never had he expected that no sooner had the tournament begun than the Second Young Miss would go and expose it directly!
"Tang Zhou-gege isn't an outsider... I only... mentioned it in passing, I didn't say anything else..." Jun Ruoxia's voice grew softer and softer. Meeting Zhuang Sheng's stern gaze, she finally trailed off completely and couldn't say another word.
"I will report this matter truthfully to the Seventh Elder. Second Young Miss, did you also mention the Third Young Miss's cultivation?"