Chapter 26: I Spent The Night With Him
The time had come. The two of them slowly walked onto the stage.
One clad in deep blue, the other in fiery red, the two silhouettes seemed to split the sky in half, each commanding the gaze and colors of the heavens.
Luo Qiaoqiao stared at Shen Shuanglian for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"Before we begin, do you mind if I say something unrelated?"
Shen Shuanglian did not refuse.
"You seem to care a lot about Chen Yin," Luo Qiaoqiao said lightly. "But as far as I know, you didn't have much interaction with that branch sect disciple before."
"So why are you so concerned about him?"
Shen Shuanglian's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her tone remained calm. "That should have nothing to do with our match today."
"It has everything to do with it."
Luo Qiaoqiao smiled sweetly. "I need to know what your relationship with him is."
"Only then can I decide how hard to go on you."
Shen Shuanglian frowned but stayed silent. After a moment, she countered, "What about you?"
"We at least share the same sect origin. But you, someone from Tianluo Sect, why do you have dealings with him?"
"You still haven't answered my question."
"If you won't answer mine, why should I answer yours?"
The two stared at each other quietly, but there was an inexplicable air of probing between them.
Luo Qiaoqiao narrowed her eyes slightly, watching Shen Shuanglian for a long time before suddenly smiling again.
"I spent the night with him."
Shen Shuanglian's eyes widened.
"Oh, your reaction is cuter than I expected."
Luo Qiaoqiao giggled. "Jealous? It seems Chen Yin holds some weight in your heart."
Shen Shuanglian's gaze faltered for a moment before she shook her head. "Don't bother trying to get me to talk."
"He and I… are just ordinary sectmates. We met briefly a few months ago."
"We're not… very close."
Luo Qiaoqiao's once cheerful expression grew colder.
She had sensed a trace of nervousness and hesitation in the eyes of this seemingly aloof and ethereal fairy. Yet, Shen Shuanglian's composure remained unbroken, much to Luo Qiaoqiao's dissatisfaction.
"Good," she said, her voice deliberately sweet. "That night, when we were entangled, he promised me his heart."
"He said I was so lovely, so beautiful, and so good to him. He called me the true Number One Fairy."
"If he's secretly being ambiguous with you, I'll have to teach that flirtatious little brother of mine a lesson."
She spoke so naturally, her face carrying a trace of tenderness and sweetness, as if truly talking about her beloved.
Shen Shuanglian remained silent, her gaze lowering further and further.
After a long pause, she finally spoke with a calm, emotionless tone. "Are you done talking?"
"If you're not going to fight, just admit defeat and leave."
"Oh dear, is Sister Shen getting impatient?" Luo Qiaoqiao covered her mouth and laughed softly. "If you really fancy him that much, I wouldn't mind sharing a husband with you. It would just be a little unfair to that naughty boy."
At that moment, Shen Shuanglian moved.
With her first strike, the arena seemed to be enveloped in a hazy moonlight. Lotus blossoms bloomed elegantly beneath her feet, and her sword light was as pure and radiant as the moon itself.
Her opening move was none other than the Misty Spirit Sect's ultimate technique: Frozen Moon Misty Sword Technique.
Seeing Shen Shuanglian's sudden attack, Luo Qiaoqiao twirled gracefully, the fiery hem of her dress swirling as a clear and sharp sword song, like the cry of a phoenix, resonated through the air.
It was Tianluo Sect's secret technique: Luo Shang Phoenix Melody.
The two sword lights clashed, igniting thunderous cheers from the audience. This much-anticipated duel had finally begun.
Chen Yin in the stands started watching intently. The two had whispered to each other for so long before the fight that it had nearly driven him crazy with curiosity.
—He would never have imagined that they had been discussing him—something completely unrelated to the match.
Once the fight began, however, it immediately became a feast for the eyes. The two fairies moved with fluid grace, their figures intertwining as gleaming sword lights and phoenix-like cries filled the stage.
The two lived up to their reputations as the leading figures of the younger generation in the cultivation world. With their cultivation levels already far above most of the audience, and their mastery of their respective techniques flawless, their duel remained evenly matched.
The crowd erupted into waves of cheers.
Chen Yin, too, watched with appreciation. However, after a while, he let out a puzzled hum.
"…Huh? Why is Senior Sister being so aggressive in her attacks?"
While the untrained marveled at the spectacle, a fellow swordsman like Chen Yin could see the nuances. From just a few glances, he noticed that Shen Shuanglian seemed unusually focused on pressing the attack.
Every strike was relentless, leaving Luo Qiaoqiao no room to catch her breath.
Though the pressure was intense, such an aggressive approach seemed a bit too impatient for cultivators of their caliber.
"Why does it feel like... she's throwing a tantrum?"
Chen Yin scratched his head.
Could it be that before the match, Luo Qiaoqiao said something to upset Senior Sister?
Shen Shuanglian lived up to her reputation as Misty Spirit Sect's top prodigy. Even with her relentless attacks, her swordplay remained as steady as a surging river, endlessly flowing. Luo Qiaoqiao was forced into an impenetrable defense, unable to find any opportunity to counterattack.
Chen Yin watched with admiration, occasionally letting out murmurs of appreciation.
As expected, watching women fight is always the best.
On the stage, Luo Qiaoqiao's scarlet dress swirled around her, flowing like a blooming red spider lily. Amid their clashing swords, she couldn't help but laugh softly:
"Why are you so heated, little sister? Could it be that I've touched a sore spot?"
Shen Shuanglian said nothing, her sword movements growing even fiercer.
"Hehe, if you truly have feelings for him, why keep it bottled up? Why not just tell him outright?"
"Although," Luo Qiaoqiao sighed mockingly, "it's a pity."
"He's already mine." She even licked her lips slightly, her eyes carrying a teasing charm.
For a moment, the aura around Shen Shuanglian's sword seemed to falter.
Luo Qiaoqiao didn't miss the fleeting opportunity. Her sword let out a crisp ring as it struck directly against Shen Shuanglian's blade.
Shen Shuanglian staggered, her aura unstable as she quickly retreated.
This was exactly the moment Luo Qiaoqiao had been waiting for.
Her sword erupted with an overwhelming surge of intent, soaring skyward like the rebirth of a phoenix, its cry echoing across the heavens.
Phoenix's Soaring Cry—a massive, intangible fire phoenix let out a resounding call and charged toward the staggering Shen Shuanglian.
Many spectators sighed regretfully, already concluding Shen Shuanglian's defeat. Even the elders of various sects seated high above shook their heads in lamentation.
Only Chen Yin remained fixed on the stage, his gaze unshifting.
Just as the fire phoenix was about to pierce through Shen Shuanglian's slender figure, her eyes suddenly steadied, becoming calm and still.
Her previously faltering steps shifted like a ghost's, gliding into the opening stance of a sword technique.
Moonfall Amid Raven Calls.
A radiant, moon-like sword light cleaved through the fiery crimson skies in an instant. The intangible fire phoenix let out a sorrowful cry before being sliced apart, disintegrating into a rain of embers.
Luo Qiaoqiao's expression turned to one of astonishment.
Moments later, as the embers faded away, Shen Shuanglian and Luo Qiaoqiao stood motionless at the center of the stage.
Shen Shuanglian's sword was already poised at Luo Qiaoqiao's throat.
Luo Qiaoqiao stared into Shen Shuanglian's face and said deliberately, "You cheated."
"Likewise," Shen Shuanglian replied, her tone calm and indifferent.
"It was your assumption that I'd be affected, which made you so easy to lure in."
She paused for a moment, then added, "I told you. He and I are just ordinary sectmates."
Luo Qiaoqiao pouted slightly, her face showing a mix of frustration and regret. But she said no more.
She knew in her heart that she had indeed been reckless. Had the fight gone on longer, it was anyone's guess who would have won.
After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into cheers and shouts, and the referee quickly announced Shen Shuanglian's advancement to the finals.
Luo Qiaoqiao gracefully stepped down from the stage. The disciples of Tianluo Sect hesitated, unsure how to console their senior sister without provoking her ire. But Luo Qiaoqiao didn't seem too bothered. Instead, she sighed lightly with a carefree air.
"Hmph. Let her enjoy her moment of glory."
Her gaze inadvertently swept over to the stands where Chen Yin sat.
Chen Yin was watching her as well.
Luo Qiaoqiao immediately donned a pitiful expression, her eyes shimmering with tears, looking as though she were about to cry. She seemed to silently plead: Sister lost, sister is so sad and needs a hug and some comforting from her dear little brother.
Chen Yin: "…"
—She wouldn't have intentionally lost just to get my attention, would she?
No way, right?
But then again, Chen Yin thought, that seemed like exactly the kind of crazy thing she'd do.
Meanwhile, Shen Shuanglian descended from the stage to a chorus of cheers, her face remaining calm and serene.
In her mind, the system's voice rang out:
[That was close. That girl is also a fated one, with her own system. If I hadn't blocked her system during the fight, you might not have won.]
Shen Shuanglian lowered her head, saying nothing.
[But for her to see through your feelings for that boy before the match… she really is a sharp little thing. Haha, young people, so full of life.]
She still didn't respond.
[What's wrong? Still thinking about the fight?] the system asked curiously.
Then, suddenly, the system fell silent.
On Shen Shuanglian's usually icy face, there was now a faint blush, and her expression carried a hint of shy delight. Her lips curved into a subtle, sweet smile.
"System," she murmured to herself. "I won."
"Wearing what he likes, looking the way he likes, I won."
The system: "…"
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