Chapter 97 : Failed Sales Pitch
Yun Qingyue won this match.
Perhaps Bei Luo had yielded at the end, but her victory was well-deserved.
The platform below fell momentarily silent. The crowd was first astonished, then cheers erupted across the entire Little Spirit Peak—few people had the discernment to notice Bei Luo's concession, but regardless of whether they observed this detail, those who had witnessed the spectacular duel wouldn't consider Yun Qingyue's victory dishonorable. They were shocked, they cheered, all for this unexpected outcome.
However, while everyone saw Yun Qingyue's victory, few noticed how severely she was injured. Zhong Heng, as her Junior Brother, was one of them, but before he could do anything, he felt his shoulder lighten as the little white tiger, with practiced ease, once again bounded onto the platform.
The little white tiger now felt utterly distressed. It was certainly good that Senior Sister had won, but why did she always end up covered in injuries after every match? This had happened with You Yi, and now with Bei Luo as well. You Yi was understandable, being from another sect, but Bei Luo was a fellow disciple and generally had a good relationship with Yun Qingyue—how could he strike so viciously?!
Bei Luo had hit hard, and Yun Qingyue's injuries weren't light. When the little white tiger rushed onto the platform and saw Senior Sister's white robes stained with blood, she momentarily didn't know what to do. She feared that even a casual touch with her paw might aggravate the other's wounds.
The little white tiger circled Senior Sister twice, extremely anxious: "How are you? Are your injuries severe?"
Fortunately, although Yun Qingyue looked in terrible shape, her injuries weren't actually worse than after her match with You Yi. At least this time she hadn't collapsed from her wounds. Her sword-holding hand had not yet withdrawn; her eyelashes lowered slightly as if momentarily lost in thought before she slowly sheathed the Fuxue Sword. Noticing the anxious little white tiger at her feet, she spoke softly: "I'm fine, don't worry."
The little white tiger looked at her blood-soaked clothes, then at her shattered shoulder, finding these words unconvincing.
However, facts proved that no one understood Yun Qingyue's injuries better than herself. She took out a medicinal pill from her storage ring and swallowed it, immediately restoring some color to her deathly pale face. Then she calmly picked up the little white tiger with one hand and descended from the platform.
Zhong Heng hurried forward, reaching out to take the little white tiger while asking: "Senior Sister, are you alright?"
The little white tiger, unusually, didn't refuse Zhong Heng and allowed herself to be carried away, turning her head to look worriedly at Yun Qingyue. Under the intense gaze of both human and tiger, Yun Qingyue continued calmly: "It's nothing. Senior Brother Bei Luo didn't strike my vital points; these injuries will heal with a little rest." After a pause, when she looked back at the platform, her brow finally furrowed slightly: "But I need to go back and heal. I'm afraid I won't be able to watch the upcoming matches."
Zhong Heng knew that Yun Qingyue's injuries were definitely not as minor as she claimed. Though Bei Luo might not have deliberately targeted her vital points and had initially held back against his junior sister, later he had clearly gotten caught up in the fight, his strikes anything but gentle!
Now that Senior Sister had finally won this match and advanced to the final four, she naturally wanted to compete further. But with so few people left in the competition—only four matches in the quarterfinals—the remaining three matches would likely conclude today. This meant the semifinal matches would take place tomorrow, leaving Senior Sister less than a day to heal.
Zhong Heng was somewhat worried but wouldn't add to her troubles at this moment, so he quickly said: "Senior Sister, please go heal quickly. I'll record the remaining matches with a recording stone, and you can watch them later if you have time."
Recording stones could indeed capture battles, but most people had little interest in them because many aspects required firsthand experience to comprehend. Things like sword dao concepts and martial truths were profound and mysterious—recording stones could only capture images, unable to convey their essence. Therefore, using recording stones in this case was merely better than nothing.
Yun Qingyue didn't reject Zhong Heng's kindness. She nodded, then looked at the little white tiger in his arms: "Then I'll leave Jianbing in your care for now. Please bring her back later."
At these words, before Zhong Heng could agree, the little white tiger objected: "No, I want to go with you."
Hearing this, Zhong Heng quickly said: "Senior Sister needs to heal her injuries. Jianbing, don't cause trouble."
The little white tiger ignored him, freeing herself from Zhong Heng's arms. But instead of pouncing into Yun Qingyue's embrace as usual, she landed directly on the ground by her feet, her determination to accompany her completely firm—she had already decided that since Senior Sister had used her Azure Essence Spirit Marrow to heal last time, she would certainly need it again. It wasn't appropriate to reveal valuables in public, but returning with Senior Sister to give her medicine was essential.
Actually, why not just give the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow to her directly? Senior Sister was so prone to injuries, and she would be going out for training later. What if she got injured again outside without good medicine?
The little white tiger's thoughts tumbled over each other as she completely viewed the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow as a healing medicine.
However, neither Yun Qingyue nor Zhong Heng knew her thoughts. Seeing her insistence, Zhong Heng wanted to persuade her further, but Yun Qingyue understood that once the little white tiger had made up her mind, she wouldn't easily change it. Without time or energy to debate further, she simply picked up the little white tiger and flew away on her sword.
༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺
Yun Qingyue took the little white tiger back to heal, but upon arrival, the latter was left outside the door.
The reason was simple: Yun Qingyue's shoulder had been shattered by Bei Luo and needed to be set... She could handle this herself, but since the injury was on her shoulder, she inevitably needed to loosen her clothes and expose her shoulder, which wasn't appropriate for others to see. This was why she had hurried back—otherwise, staying at Little Spirit Peak to take medicine and meditate would have been sufficient to heal her injuries, and wouldn't that have saved more time than returning?
Yun Qingyue didn't explain this, but the little white tiger outside the door understood well enough. Standing guard outside, she resembled someone waiting outside a hospital emergency room. Occasionally she tried to peek through the door crack, but unfortunately couldn't see anything.
In her anxious state, time seemed infinitely stretched.
The little white tiger kept watch outside, feeling as if a long time had passed, though it was actually just a brief moment. Yun Qingyue inside the room seemed to know she was waiting anxiously outside. After briefly treating her injuries and changing into fresh robes, she waved her hand to open the door.
A small white figure immediately rushed in like a whirlwind, immediately seeing a snow-white-robed beauty by the bed, her face equally pale—though she had already treated her injuries and her back was as straight as ever, in the little white tiger's eyes, she somehow appeared more fragile and haggard, as if she had lost twenty pounds after a single battle.
Weight loss was impossible, of course, but Yun Qingyue had indeed lost quite a bit of blood on the platform.
The little white tiger felt deeply distressed. Earlier, Yun Qingyue had closed the door too quickly for her to take out the medicine, so now she hastily produced the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow and said: "Senior Sister, last time when you were injured, the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow seemed quite effective."
Seeing the little white tiger eagerly offering her the treasure, Yun Qingyue was somewhat amused but declined: "There's no need. My injuries this time aren't so severe; the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow isn't necessary." As she spoke, she stroked the little white tiger's head: "This Azure Essence Spirit Marrow was given to you by Divine Lord. It has its special uses for you. I already used three drops of yours last time, which was already taking advantage. How could I shamelessly ask for more?!"
Her words weren't without basis. When Divine Lord Zhiming first met the little white tiger and presented this gift, it wasn't without purpose. In fact, precious materials like Azure Essence Spirit Marrow were basically standard provisions for divine beast cubs. It was given to her because it was useful and appropriate, though the little white tiger's inability to fully absorb it was unexpected.
What was even more unexpected was that after keeping a bottle of Azure Essence Spirit Marrow unused for several months, she was now eagerly trying to give it away... This was like a cub giving away its food. Who knows what Divine Lord Zhiming would think if he knew?
The little white tiger didn't know what others might think, but she herself didn't mind: "It was just three drops. There's still plenty in this bottle, and I don't lack this little bit." She puffed out her small chest proudly and said: "Look how quickly my cultivation has improved? I don't even take the pills we agreed on anymore. Normal cultivation and fighting spirit beasts is enough, so I don't need these things."
Yun Qingyue clearly disagreed, but before she could say anything, the little white tiger continued in her milk-sweet yet serious voice: "But Senior Sister, you're different. You still have platform matches tomorrow. What if your injuries don't heal in time and you lose? Wouldn't that be a waste? Besides, you're so prone to injuries—what if wounds pile upon wounds and leave hidden damage? It's better to use spirit medicine early and recover quickly."
The little white tiger's persuasive arguments came one after another, making it seem like she wasn't offering a treasure but rather making a sales pitch. Even the cool and serious Yun Qingyue couldn't help but be both amused and exasperated seeing the little white tiger so vigorously "marketing" the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow.
But no matter how the little white tiger tried to persuade her, Yun Qingyue had made up her mind and wasn't easily swayed. In the end, the little white tiger talked until her mouth was dry, all to no avail.
Perhaps tired of her nagging, Yun Qingyue even closed her eyes and silently channeled her energy to heal. Her unmoved demeanor left the tiger completely helpless. Finally, the little white tiger seemed to give up and, with puffed cheeks, abruptly changed the subject: "Senior Sister, do you know where there's a spirit spring on Mount Tianyang?"
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue finally opened her eyes, her crystal-clear pupils showing slight confusion: "What do you need a spirit spring for?"
When Xuanqing Sect's founder established the sect, he specifically chose this spiritually excellent location, with a high-quality spirit vein running beneath the sect. Because of this, the sect was not only rich in spiritual energy but also had many spirit springs. Even on Mount Mingxia, Yun Qingyue's room had a small spirit spring. As for Mount Tianyang, not to mention other places, the ice spring in Peak Master Qingyu's private courtyard was also a spirit spring.
But the little white tiger clearly didn't want the ice spring. Hearing the question, she replied irritably: "I want to take a bath!" Then she held up the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow: "I'm still young and can't use the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow directly, but Divine Lord said I can put it in a spirit spring for bathing."
Yun Qingyue hesitated upon hearing this. The Azure Essence Spirit Marrow had gentle medicinal properties; she had never heard that Golden Core cultivators couldn't use it. But if the little white tiger said she couldn't use it, then so be it. If she wanted to take a bath, that was fine too—after all, how to use the item was up to her. So ultimately, Yun Qingyue said nothing but nodded: "Alright, I'll take you there."