Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 307 Fairy Fuyao
On the other side, in the demonic camp, Yuan Muyu, completely shrouded in a black robe with her cloak covering most of her face, was coldly observing Lu Xingzhou as he followed Ye Tinglan off the ship.

Previously, Yu Fu had overheard her sister's conversation and assumed she wouldn't casually engage in intimate acts with men, suggesting she was probably just trying to annoy her. However, even the most confident judgment can harbor some doubts. Now, seeing Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo accompanying Ye Tinglan, Yuan Muyu's anger was already flaring up.

What does the grand competition of Tianyao Holy Land have to do with you, Lu Xingzhou!

Are you from the Tianyao Holy Land?
Even I'm not considered a member of the Tianyao Holy Land, so how can you be?
Fortunately, they maintained a safe distance as they disembarked. Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo had to put on a show of respect for "Lord Holy Lord" in front of others. The two of them, along with Dugu Qingli, followed a few feet behind Ye Tinglan, their steps orderly, much like disciples following their elders.

Yuan Muyu's gaze shifted back and forth between Lu Xingzhou and Dugu Qingli, remaining relatively calm for a moment.

With that strange white hair, who would want it? Xingzhou wouldn't be so indiscriminate in his eating habits. Moreover, on the surface, these two didn't even communicate, even with Anuo between them; they seemed quite distant.

Once she relaxed a little, her beautiful eyes were fixed on Lu Xingzhou's figure and she couldn't take them off.

He's so tall when he stands up...

He used to sit in a wheelchair, his pale and broken appearance possessing a unique beauty that evoked a strong protective instinct. Now, standing up, he exudes a completely different aura—confident, poised, and with a powerful stride. His former frail appearance has vanished, replaced by a much stronger physique and a radiant, spirited presence, truly embodying the meaning of "a handsome and dashing figure."

He looks good like this... even better than before.

But because it's so pretty, it attracts all sorts of flies, and I don't even know where they came from. It's so annoying!

Yuan Muyu's gaze followed Lu Xingzhou intently all the way, watching Ye Tinglan ascend to the main seat on the high platform, where he stood behind Ye Tinglan.

Even though Tianyao Holy Land was the last to arrive, Ye Tinglan was still the one in charge.

Whispers could be heard from many female cultivators: "Who is that person following behind the Holy Master Tianyao? He's so handsome."

“I looked at the list of participants from Tianyao Holy Land, and there’s a Lu Xingzhou on it. Is he the same Lu Xingzhou on the Great Qian Rising Star List? The compiler gave him a comment.”

"A gentleman as handsome as jade, unparalleled in the world"—I always thought the Great Qian Dynasty's Heroes Ranking was ridiculously overhyped, but now it seems it's not an exaggeration at all! He's so handsome! I admit I was a bit too loud before~

"Stop being a fangirl... If anyone's going to be a fangirl, it's me. Go away."

"If we were to fight him, would you be able to feel how many abs he has?"

Yuan Muyu: "..."

As the female disciples chatted, they noticed a murderous aura emanating from the mysterious elder behind them.

"Are you here to compete in martial arts, or to seduce men?" The voice seemed to come from the deepest hell, chilling the girls to the bone, and they lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Yuan Muyu grinds his teeth.

They painstakingly came to instruct these bastards on how to exploit the weaknesses of the Tianyao Holy Land disciples, only to completely crumble in front of a handsome man. If these little vixens were to encounter Lu Xingzhou in battle, they'd probably be limp before they even got a chance to fight.

Ye Tinglan, you're an idiot! This kind of man should have his legs broken and be hidden away. You're showing him up everywhere, even participating in competitions!
No, why would Ye Tinglan hide him away?

"Gentlemen," Ye Tinglan's voice echoed throughout the island, "the tradition of the Grand Sea Competition has continued for nearly ten thousand years. I vaguely remember that my good-for-nothing sister and I were also on this very arena back then. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye, and it's quite poignant to think about it now..."

Yuan Muyu: "?"

Who is incompetent?

"...As for the competition format and rules, everyone is already familiar with them, so I won't go into detail. Please have the representatives of each immortal sect come up to the stage to draw lots and determine the matches."

Yuan Muyu glanced at an old man beside him, who understood and interrupted Ye Tinglan, saying, "Wait a moment."

Ye Tinglan sneered, "What kind of trouble is your Angry Dragon Island causing now?"

The old man said, "Most of the outstanding disciples of each family have been heard of in the sea. Even those who have been secretly trained and secluded for many years have been rumored to exist. For example, although your sect's Miss Dugu Qingli has never appeared in the sea, we do know that there is such a person."

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "So?"

"The Grand Competition in the Sea has continued for ten thousand years and has its own rules. The practice of temporarily hiring someone from outside and claiming to be one's own disciple to take advantage of loopholes has long been explicitly prohibited. Does Your Majesty not know this?" the old man said. "If people who suddenly appear are counted, and we also hire people from outside to fight in our place, wouldn't the Grand Competition be in chaos?"

These words made perfect sense, which stirred up a storm of emotions among the crowd: "That's right! Do you think we're fools? This Lu Xingzhou is clearly a guest elder of the Tianxing Sword Sect, listed on the list of rising stars! How did he become a disciple of the Tianyao Sect?"

Yuan Muyu's pretty face, hidden beneath her cloak, was all smiles.

You think you're worthy of helping me with my boat? At worst, I'll let you use Anuo. I've deliberately ignored Anuo, isn't that enough for you, sister?
But then Ye Tinglan said leisurely, "How do you calculate the status of someone hired temporarily? How long has it been since they started training?"

Someone then said, "There are already regulations for this matter; one must be an apprentice for at least three years to prevent this loophole. Where was Lu Xingzhou three years ago?"

“But Lu Xingzhou and Lu Nuonuo have been disciples of Tianyao Sect for at least ten years.” Ye Tinglan said leisurely, “As everyone knows, I have a good-for-nothing younger sister who ran away from home ten years ago, but the sect did not remove her from the genealogy. Her status is still that of Tianyao Elder, and her disciples are naturally disciples of Tianyao Sect. They only need to be added to the genealogy.”

Yuan Muyu: "?"

Everyone was stunned: "Then how can you prove that they are Fairy Fuyao's disciples?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Fairy Fuyao…are you talking about that fish? That sounds so out of place… Ye Tinglan’s expression turned cold: “How can you prove something like that? Even if he used my sister’s core technique, you’d say he only recently learned it. My word is law; would I lie to you?”

The group looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Given Ye Tinglan's status and position, she is a person of absolute authority, and the possibility of her lying about such a matter is extremely small; it's highly likely to be true. Besides, there's really no way to prove something like this...

Just as he was thinking this, Lu Xingzhou spoke up: "It's not impossible to prove oneself, but there will be a price to pay. Once the person proves himself, how should those who question the Holy Lord apologize? Let's discuss that clearly first."

Can it really be proven by itself?

Upon hearing this, even those who were initially skeptical began to believe it. Who would dare to gamble with anything? If this person were to prove their innocence, they would have no way to back down.

For a moment, the room fell silent. Ye Tinglan smiled with satisfaction: "Since there's nothing to say, let's draw lots."

Seeing the representatives from each family go on stage to draw lots, Yuan Muyu gritted her teeth.

I am opposed to your Tianyao Holy Land!

Then you use my people and my name to participate in this competition!

This is practically no different from committing the crime in person.

When did Ye Tinglan become so shameless? Wasn't this stupid woman the most principled and aloof person before? When did she become like this...?

She hadn't expected that this wasn't because Ye Tinglan was shameless, but because Ye Tinglan never felt that she and her sister had truly become enemies. At least her name, Ye Fuyao, was still on the sect's jade register, and even the communication array hadn't erased her divine sense imprint. She had only run away from home; how could she not be considered a disciple of Tianyao?
While Yuan Muyu was trembling with anger, the results of the lottery were quickly drawn.

Ye Tinglan waved her hand, and a light screen appeared in the air, clearly displaying the results of the group draw.

The competition format is best-of-three, with the winner advancing. Each team can field five players, three of whom are main fighters and two substitutes. This is because magic weapons of rank three and above are indiscriminate in their power, and if things go wrong, the main fighters will lose their fighting ability, so someone must fill in.

The list of participants from Tianyao Holy Land was clearly displayed on the light screen, including three main players: Dugu Qingli, mid-stage Rank 3; Lu Xingzhou, early-stage Rank 3; and Lu Nuonuo, early-stage Rank 3.

Yuan Muyu had no heart to even curse the shameless woman, and even used A Nuo's name. Was there really no one left in Tianyao Holy Land?

Everyone, including Yuan Muyu, stared in astonishment at Lu Xingzhou and Lu Nuonuo's cultivation levels, speechless.

Everyone else was shocked, but Lu Nuonuo exclaimed, "Wait, how old is this chubby girl? A third-rank official?"

"He doesn't look older than six."

"Has there ever been a third-rank official of this age throughout history?"

"Never heard of it. The last youngest to enter the third rank was Fairy Fuyao, around fourteen or fifteen years old, already astonishing everyone. This six-year-old..."

"To be honest, Tianyao Holy Land is still Tianyao Holy Land, and the Tianyao Holy Lord truly deserves to be called the number one in the world."

"Snap..." Yuan Muyu almost broke her fingernails.

Ah Nuo is mine too! She's mine! I trained her! I fed her so many pills! I even changed her diapers!
How did it become "Tianyao Saintess truly deserves to be called the best in the world"? Tianyao Saintess only exchanged a few words with A'nuo! What does it have to do with her?

and also……

"That Lu Xingzhou is quite impressive. I heard that when he first gained fame, he was just a guest elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect, a mere seventh-rank. It's only been less than a year, how did he become a third-rank?"

"His cultivation level was previously sealed or hidden, and then suddenly it was unsealed and surged. What other reason could there be for such a rapid increase?"

Yuan Muyu pursed her red lips, staring blankly at Lu Xingzhou on the high platform, unsure of her own feelings.

Has his cultivation been sealed?

In a sense, yes.

It's just that it doesn't rely on a seal.

I knew that once he was freed from his shackles, he would rise to great heights and no one could stop him.

Are these shackles on my legs, or on me?

"Lord Yama," the old man beside him whispered, "You said you could help us target the Tianyao disciples, but the two Tianyao disciples we know well, Zhang Qingxiang and Xiao Qingya, are both on the substitutes. The three who are actually fighting are quite different from the ordinary cultivators of the Tianyao Holy Land, aren't they? Do they have any weaknesses?"

Yuan Muyu remained staring blankly at the high platform, offering no response for a long while.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Updates will be irregular these next few days, so please bear with me and don't wait as usual. I'll resume once I've recovered.

(End of this chapter)