Chapter 1645: Choice

Yun Jianyue’s heart skipped a beat. She wondered if the Ice Lady had recognized her. Just as she was about to say something, she feared that an overly deliberate explanation would reveal her true identity.

Fortunately, after glancing at her a few times, Yan Xuehen shook her head. "My apologies, I must have mistaken you for someone else," she said, before drifting away gracefully. Many people around greeted her, but she merely gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Watching her ethereal, graceful figure disappear, Yun Jianyue felt a little annoyed. This woman truly had a captivating demeanor; no wonder all those men fawned over her.

Next, the draw for the upcoming matches would take place. With the four contenders decided today, plus Pei Mianman, there were a total of five participants. One person was bound to receive a bye.

In earlier years, some had questioned this system due to its high randomness, arguing that if someone repeatedly drew a bye, it would be a significant advantage. However, the leading figures of the Daoist sects later stated that luck was also a part of one's strength. The high-ranking officials of the various sects had no objections to this. After all, the higher one's cultivation realm, the more one realized the truth of a saying: half of a person's achievements depended on their talent and effort, while the other half was determined by fate. The stronger a cultivator's fortune, the more fortunate encounters they would have, naturally leading to greater potential for growth than others.

However, over the years, no one had consistently drawn byes. On the contrary, some who received byes found their intensity lacking when they finally competed, having missed the rigorous high-intensity elimination rounds. For these reasons, the rule remained.

Soon, Wu Xiaofan of Zheng Yang Sect, Wan Guiyi of Biluo Palace, Shi Dingtian of Taixuan Cave, Peng Wuyan of Kongming Island, and Pei Mianman all came before a box. This box was specially made by the Daoist sects; it blocked all spiritual energy detection. Furthermore, the sect masters on the judges' panel supervised each other, ensuring no possibility of cheating.

The mood among them was anxious. After all, the outcome of the draw could significantly influence who became the final champion. For the others, drawing the formidable Wu Xiaofan early would likely mean stopping at the semifinals. For Wu Xiaofan, if his semifinal opponent was too strong, and both expended too much energy, another contender might take advantage in the final.

At this moment, Zu An waved to Pei Mianman: "Miss Pei?" He didn't want to go to her, mainly because Master Huo Ling was constantly by her side, making it inconvenient to say anything. But if he called her over, Master Huo Ling couldn't follow so obviously.

Seeing him wave, Master Huo Ling sneered inwardly. "Our Manman, though she smiles warmly at everyone, is more conservative at heart than anyone else. She's been at Biluo Palace for so long, and she's always maintained a respectable distance from everyone; I've never heard of her being intimate with anyone. This boy thinks that just because he helped Manman once, he can summon her at will... can he?"

Her eyes widened in shock as she watched Pei Mianman excitedly jog over, showing no reluctance whatsoever. Others also looked over. Some gossips even showed knowing smiles. A fair maiden is sought by a gentleman; no matter how formidable Master Zu is, he is still a young man after all. What man could resist such a sweet and broad smile?

Only Qiu Honglei felt extremely depressed, watching her lover being intimate with another woman, and the crucial point was she couldn't reveal her identity. "Ah, I really wish this mission would end soon!"

"Master Zu, what is it?" Pei Mianman blinked at Zu An. He was also a good actor, knowing others were observing them, so he didn't use an intimate address.

Zu An took out a pill. "You were injured in your previous match. Here's a spirit pill; it will benefit you if you take it." After a moment's hesitation, he split the pill in half and offered her one portion.

Many onlookers looked puzzled, thinking, "Why is this guy so stingy? Who gives someone only half a pill? He's too cheap to even spend money on wooing a girl; looks like he's destined to be single for life."

Pei Mianman, however, was startled. She thought, "Haven't my injuries almost healed? And you personally treated them last night." But since he told her to eat it, she didn't doubt him. She took it without hesitation and popped it into her mouth at once.

Master Huo Ling couldn't stop her in time and was completely stunned. "What's going on? How can a girl just casually eat something given by another man? Especially Manman, such a beauty?" With a darkened face, she asked Zu An, "What did you give her?"

"Healing medicine, as I just said," Zu An shrugged.

"What's the name of your medicine?" Perhaps realizing that asking so directly sounded harsh, and since he had helped Manman, she added, "We've also given her a lot of spirit herbs these past few days; I'm concerned about conflicting medicinal properties."

"It doesn't have a name; I developed it myself," Zu An smiled. "Don't worry, there won't be any conflict." He had given Pei Mianman a Lucky Pill, hoping it would help her draw a favorable lot. The reason he split it in half was that he figured there would be another draw later. Anyway, the drawing time was very short, so half a Lucky Pill should be enough... right?

"Manman, do you feel any discomfort?" Master Huo Ling asked anxiously, holding Pei Mianman's hand. At the same time, she secretly resolved to give her a good lecture in private later. "This girl is far too unguarded around strangers; how can she just eat something a man gives her without even asking? What if he poisoned you?"

"No, Master Zu's medicine is quite effective," Pei Mianman replied, smiling.

Master Huo Ling gripped her arm and used her spiritual energy to examine her. Discovering that her injuries had almost completely healed, she was startled. "Is this medicine really that potent?"

The grandmasters of the various sects had been watching Zu An, initially concerned he might tamper with the draw, but seeing he only gave a pill, they lost interest. Instead, Wan Guiyi looked eagerly at Zu An. As a fellow member of Biluo Palace, he could tell from Master Huo Ling's and Pei Mianman's reactions that the pill was remarkably effective. He wondered, "He deliberately split the pill in half... could the other half be for me? After all, both Pei Mianman and I are from Biluo Palace, and I'm also injured, even more seriously than her." Normally, he wouldn't dare hope for such a thing, but with the championship at stake, he didn't want to miss any opportunity.

Seeing him look at him so eagerly, even displaying a rare "ingratiating" smile, Zu An was momentarily stunned, then replied, "Girls get special treatment, men rely on their own effort."

"What a joke! This half of the Lucky Pill is reserved for Manman; how could I possibly give it to you?" Wan Guiyi didn't understand his words, but he roughly grasped the meaning and instantly felt utterly dejected.

Next, the drawing began. Zu An originally wanted Pei Mianman to draw first, to prevent someone else from getting the bye. But on second thought, that would defeat the purpose of the Lucky Pill, and it would inevitably arouse suspicion from others. So, the participants each followed the normal procedure and drew a jade token from the box.

Pei Mianman glanced at the jade token in her hand and was startled. Master Huo Ling looked at it and immediately beamed with joy.

"She got the bye again? Is this a joke?" Many participating disciples looked suspiciously at the judges' stand, wondering if Pei Mianman's beauty had led these "old perverts" to manipulate the draw for their own "under-the-table" rules. Wang Wuxie and the others were also surprised. However, there had been cases of people drawing two consecutive byes in the past, so their expressions quickly returned to normal. "Surely, she can't get three byes in a row, can she?"

Some rejoiced, while others despaired. Wan Tongtian's expression, in particular, was not pleasant, because Wan Guiyi had drawn the strongest opponent, Wu Xiaofan. Wan Guiyi showed no sign of dejection. Instead, his eyes blazed with unprecedented fighting spirit. In his heart, Wu Xiaofan was the only true opponent among the nine Daoist sects; this was the perfect opportunity for a decisive battle.

Peng Wuyan of Kongming Island was set to face Shi Dingtian of Taixuan Cave. Qiu Honglei looked at her opponent and said with a smile, "Brother Shi, I hope you'll go easy on me in the next round." Shi Dingtian scratched his head, "You're very strong; I might not be able to defeat you."

"If you can't defeat me, then just surrender directly," Qiu Honglei chuckled.

Shi Dingtian was taken aback, unsure how to respond for a moment. He could only say, "The two cave masters told me to bring back a good ranking; it wouldn't look good if I just surrendered."

"I was just joking," Qiu Honglei said indifferently. Her peripheral vision was entirely focused on Zu An. Unfortunately, her current identity prevented her from revealing herself to him. "Ah, I really wish this mission would end soon!"

For the next two days, Zu An kept an eye on the situation in Yi Commandery. However, neither Xiao Jianren nor Zhang Zitong sent him any messages, suggesting they hadn't finished their investigation yet. Xie Daoyun had been very busy these past few days, traversing the towering mountains of Purple Mountain, investigating every potentially problematic area. However, it was evident that her expression was becoming more relaxed, because following her master's instructions, she had detected no trace of such a killing formation anywhere. This proved that the Grand Tutor and Zheng Yang Sect could still be trusted.

Zu An, meanwhile, arranged for Zhang Zijiang and Wang Bolin to both repair the various halls on Purple Mountain and set up secret sentinels everywhere to ensure security. Sometimes, he felt it was a bit redundant. With so many Daoist masters present, who would be so foolish as to come here and harm the Emperor?

In his free time, he wanted to visit Pei Mianman, but Master Huo Ling kept a close eye on her, as if worried her daughter would be tainted by young rascals. He no longer dared to impersonate Master Huo Ling and Wan Tongtian to write letters to each other. That night's "date" between the two had clearly not been pleasant. If it happened again, neither of them were fools; they would definitely realize something was amiss. If they found out he was the one pulling the strings, they would likely be so ashamed and enraged that it would become a life-and-death situation. The key was that Big Manman, after that night, seemed less willing to cooperate. When he asked what had happened between her and Chu Chuyan later that day, she wouldn't say.

Unable to visit Manman, he steeled himself and requested an audience with Chu Chuyan. Unfortunately, Yan Xuehen blocked him. He originally intended to use this opportunity to get closer to Yan Xuehen, but to his surprise, she gave him no quarter. After he tried to see her several times, Yan Xuehen finally lost her patience. She looked at him with a face like frost, "What exactly do you want? Are you perhaps thinking of taking both master and disciple?"