Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 401 A constant stream of new talents, but an unwavering core.
"I didn't betray my master, I'm not a little traitor!" Ah Nuo struggled as Lu Xingzhou grabbed her by the back of her collar and dragged her away in a fit of rage.

Lu Xingzhou, with a pig in his left hand and a glutinous rice ball in his right, stormed out, fuming: "I even put on an act in front of her, and even reversed things one, two, three times, but it turns out she knew everything from beginning to end, just watching my performance. You made Master a clown, aren't you a traitor!"

"No, no, I didn't say anything about your relationship, I only mentioned the incident." A'nuo continued to struggle, "Master wants to inquire about the trip to the Demon Realm, how could we disciples keep it a secret..."

"Don't give me that. You heartless glutinous rice, you think you can't keep it a secret?" Lu Xingzhou was furious. "No wonder she suddenly went berserk at the end. It turns out it wasn't entirely because of Tangtang. She had been holding back for a long time."

Ah Nuo cautiously said, "Then what's wrong with it? The master is so considerate in his actions, if there's no stimulation, she'll say you've caused a major disaster, right?"

"What do you know, little thing... Whether she says it or not is irrelevant. Even if she doesn't say it, if I really cause a huge disaster, do you really think she'll just ignore me?"

Ah Nuo hung her head and remained silent.

What do you know, you old codger... Whether I tell you this or not is not important, there are other things too.

So far, your husband hasn't publicly acknowledged your relationship, which is causing him some unease. Without a little more pressure, this stalemate will drag on indefinitely.

Ah Nuo has worked so hard for this family, yet she still gets treated like a pig. *sobs*

The master and apprentice bickered as they returned to the new residence. Pei Chuyun didn't even know how she opened the door; her people were already inside.

Seeing the little vixen standing with her hands on her hips, directing the servants and arranging tasks, she looked exactly like a matriarch in the inner quarters, which Lu Xingzhou found quite amusing. Pei Chuyun turned her head and saw Lu Xingzhou, then saw Anuo and the pig she was carrying, and smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Oh, not bad, you even know how to buy groceries when you get home."

The little white pig struggled in terror, while Ah Nuo, suspended in mid-air, cursed, "Who are you? Why are you acting like a mistress?"

Pei Chuyun grinned and came closer, pinching and squeezing A Nuo's face with both hands: "Sorry, this place is under my jurisdiction now. If you dare to disobey, I'll arrange for you to live in the pigsty in the back."

Ah Nuo's words were slurred as she was being choked: "A petty person has gained power, a petty person has gained power!"

Lu Xingzhou finally put her down. A Nuo broke free of her restraints and her fighting power soared: "As the first maid that Master took in, I am now qualified to be the head maid. Look at how well I manage things."

Pei Chuyun: "?"

Ah Yi and Ah Nuo are fighting again.

Only then did Sheng Yuanyao hurriedly arrive with a few people. Upon seeing that there were already servants inside, she turned green with anger: "Pei Chuyun, you, the eldest daughter of the Pei family, have no shame?"

Even as Pei Chuyun and A Nuo were fighting, she couldn't resist saying, "Uncle, go ahead and do your cockfighting and horse racing. Don't worry about things at home."

Sheng Yuanyao racked her brains for a while before realizing that "uncle" referred to her husband's brother.

"Who do you think you are? Did you even ask Prime Minister Pei?" Sheng Yuanyao rolled up her sleeves in anger, ready to step forward and help Anuo.

Lu Xingzhou quickly pulled him from behind: "Keep them all, keep them all."

Sheng Yuanyao calmed down a bit and glanced at him sideways: "Do you really need so many people?"

Lu Xingzhou coughed twice but didn't reply.

It's not necessary now. You'll be staying in separate hospitals later, so you won't need the people you brought with you.

This time, Sheng Yuanyao wasn't fooled. She could guess what the man was thinking just by looking at his expression, and she stomped on his foot angrily: "You wish!"

However, at least the people they brought stayed behind, preventing Pei Chuyun's people from dominating the Lu residence. So the trip wasn't a complete waste.

Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.

Sheng Yuanyao glanced at Lu Xingzhou jumping around with his legs crossed, and her mood improved a bit. She snorted, flicked her ponytail, and walked away: "Not much skill, but a big appetite."

He sighed as he left the room.

Ultimately, she couldn't be as shameless as the Hehuan demoness, openly treating herself as her wife. Strange, why isn't Prime Minister Pei intervening?

But it was precisely because of her upbringing and excessive concern for her reputation that she constantly suffered setbacks and even made a fool of herself as a brother. If they had established their relationship earlier, what would have been wrong with openly confronting the Dragon Emperor? She was the one who came later!

The psychological trauma of being tied up outside and eavesdropped on all night has not faded from Sheng Yuanyao's mind; the thought of it still makes her face turn black.

Lu Xingzhou chased after them at that moment: "Where are you going..."

Seeing that he ignored Pei Chuyun's fight inside and chased after her first, Sheng Yuanyao felt even better, but she still kept a straight face and said, "What, do you have a wife in your family? What are we outsiders doing standing there?"

"What do you mean by 'insider' or 'outsider'?" Lu Xingzhou said, "I'm exhausted from the journey, and then it took another day to get back. Are you hungry? Let's go eat together."

Sheng Yuanyao asked, "Want to bring your green tea?"

Lu Xingzhou said cautiously, "Well, Chu Yun meant well..."

"Pah! I have food to eat!" Sheng Yuanyao was about to leave in a huff when she suddenly paused.

Lu Xingzhou followed her gaze and saw the Huo family mansion in the distance with its gates open. Huo Qi smiled and saw a young man off, saying, "Brother Qi, I'm sorry, we won't keep you for dinner."

Qi Tuizhi... He fled when the incident involving the Prince of Jin broke out, but returned after the storm had passed.

Although it seemed polite for the eldest son to personally see him off, his words alone revealed a distant relationship. Not only was he not invited to stay for a meal, but he may have also refused the request for help that the young man had come to him for. Such is the fickle nature of human relationships; Qi Tuizhi was previously a man of the Prince of Jin, but now that the Prince of Jin has fallen from power, the Huo family is scrambling to sever ties.

As Lu Xingzhou was analyzing the situation, he saw Sheng Yuanyao rushing over aggressively: "Qi Tuizhi, wait!"

Lu Xingzhou: "?" Qi Tuizhi left the Huo family with a lot of worries. Hearing someone call behind him, he subconsciously turned around and saw Sheng Yuanyao coming like a whirlwind.

Before the person involved could even process what was happening, the onlookers on the street immediately became excited.

Two months ago, on the new ranking of heroes, Sheng Yuanyao was the number one newcomer, pushing the original number one, Qi Tuizhi, to second place.

So now it's a battle between the top two rookies?
Qi Tuizhi also realized what was happening, took a step back and made a gesture of refusal: "General Sheng's prestige shakes the northern frontier, and he is undoubtedly the number one rising star. I am absolutely convinced, absolutely convinced. There is no need for a comparison."

"But I feel that without competing with you, my credentials aren't strong enough. A lot of people are probably saying I got them through connections, right?" Sheng Yuanyao beckoned with her hand: "Brother Qi, come on, let's verify your worth?"

Qi Tuizhi was utterly exasperated. What had he done to deserve this?
He couldn't help but feel the pride of a young strongman. "Damn it, everyone's using me as a stepping stone. Do they think that as long as they fight, they'll definitely win and no one will bother them anymore?"

Am I really that easy to bully?
He took a deep breath, got into fighting spirit, and cupped his hands, saying, "I also want to witness General Sheng's divine might, so please enlighten me, General."

When Lu Xingzhou arrived at the side, Pei Chuyun and Anuo stopped fighting and joined the others in eating melon seeds.

Everyone noticed that Qi Tuizhi was quite formidable. With his cupped hands, his aura surged, clearly indicating that he had touched the edge of the third rank and was on the verge of breaking through to the Cloud Soaring stage.

Half a step to the clouds.

He's still so young. Given enough time, he'll definitely break through to the third rank.

To ordinary people, Qi Tui was at the peak of the fourth rank in his early years. After Ye Wufeng's death, he was made the number one new talent. It was only autumn of that year, and he was already preparing to ascend to the clouds. He was definitely a genius.

However, the people around him were too abnormal, which made Qi Tuizhi's genius pale in comparison.

After all, Gua Mei is already at the third rank... and after further training in the Demon Realm, she's even closer to the middle stage of the third rank. Poor Lao Qi doesn't know that yet, and he's very eager to compete.

Sheng Yuanyao smiled slightly: "You're second, so I'll let you make the first move."

Qi Tuizhi felt humiliated and said coldly, "Then General Sheng, be careful."

"Boom!" The fist brought out a strong gale and arrived at Sheng Yuanyao's shoulder in an instant.

Sheng Yuanyao held up one finger.

With his finger pointing at his fist, it seemed like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, but Qi Tuizhi suddenly felt a surge of lightning, which numbed him and caused him to lose all his punching power.

Sheng Yuanyao kicked out, and Qi Tuizhi, still numb from the electric shock, was sent flying several meters away without any resistance, landing on the ground coughing.

The entire street was completely silent.

It wasn't as simple as shocking the first to defeat the second... it was because everyone realized that Sheng Yuanyao had reached the third rank.

Good heavens, when she returned to the capital from Xia Prefecture last year, wasn't she only a fifth-rank official? I need to go home and check the old version of the new talent list; it seems there's a record of it.

How long has it been, and you're already at the third rank? Are battle formations really that good for training people?

No, once you reach the third rank, you're no longer on the Rising Stars list; you have to go to the Heroes' List. The new rankings will be updated again in half a month, so who should be number one among the Rising Stars now?

All eyes turned to Qi Tuizhi, who was lying on the ground.

What kind of luck does this person have? The rookie list changes constantly, but the number one spot is always there?

Qi Tuizhi coughed as he propped himself up, showing no sign of disappointment or defeat at being instantly defeated. After all, he wasn't a third-rank cultivator, and being instantly defeated by a third-rank cultivator wasn't shameful; it was far more dignified than being outmaneuvered by a mid-fourth-rank cultivator the previous times…

"Since General Sheng is already a third-rank official, why are you still torturing me? Isn't that a bit unethical of you to fight?" Qi Tuizhi smiled wryly and cupped his hands, saying, "I understand."

Sheng Yuanyao glanced at him but said nothing.

Actually, it was because she wanted to get into trouble for assaulting someone in the street... but then she realized that Qi Tuizhi wasn't so bad after all.

Putting everything else aside, the fact that he didn't get discouraged after being repeatedly humiliated in public, but instead improved, shows his remarkable mental fortitude.

Since I don't dislike them, I can't bully them anymore. Who should I find to beat them up this time?

Sheng Yuanyao's eyes darted around and she spotted Huo Qi, who was leaning against the Huo family's door watching the show.

"You thief, don't run away!" Sheng Yuanyao strode past Qi Tuizhi and rushed over: "What are you thinking, eyeing me like that?"

Huo Qi: "???"

what?
Who is that person with those bulging eyes?
Before he could even close the door, a long leg kicked it shut: "I heard that the eldest son of the Huo family has already reached the third rank for two years? I, Sheng, have just entered the third rank and am looking for someone to spar with. Young Master Huo, since everyone is in such a good mood today, would you be so kind as to give me some pointers?"

Huo Qi: "..."

He was a vice minister.

You, Sheng Yuanyao, are a general.

They are all considered important young officials in the court, yet they are fighting in the street right in front of their own homes?

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.: Please fill my chrysanthemums with monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)