These alluring words, which stirred the heart and invited boundless imagination, made Ye Yun’s skin crawl.
The others around him stared at him with envy, jealousy, and hatred, many with murderous intent in their eyes.
“Damn! What does the Empress see in him!”
“Why can’t it be me!”
“Sigh, I don’t even ask to be the one, just let me watch!”
“Whoa, where did this guy come from, playing this weirdly?”
…
Feng Qingxian’s words, like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, were a testament to her impact. As an Empress, countless people already saw her as their dream goddess. Yet, her statement now shattered the hearts of countless male compatriots.
Feeling the killing stares from his fellow men, Ye Yun’s face was etched with a dark line.
“Empress, you…”
But before he could explain, Feng Qingxian patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Alright, since the trouble is resolved, you continue hosting the exchange meeting. I’ll go attend to my own matters.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her figure vanished from where she stood.
“What… she just ditched like that?”
Ye Yun’s lips twitched as he looked at the sharp gazes of the crowd around him. Even Lin Xueyan and the others were staring at him; though they said nothing, their silence spoke volumes.
Just then, Ye Yun felt a sharp pain in his side, causing him to gasp in surprise.
“Zhiwei, what are you doing?”
Looking down, he saw Fang Zhiwei, who was lying in his embrace, glaring at him angrily.
“Master is hugging another girl and still flirting with someone else. So scummy!”
Ye Yun, torn between laughter and tears, tried to defend his innocence.
“She’s just being mischievous, it’s not serious. Nothing has happened between us.”
“Hmph, I don’t believe you!”
Fang Zhiwei snorted, but she didn’t loosen her grip on Ye Yun. After all, words were words, and teasing was teasing, but since she had gained an advantage with her master, she intended to enjoy it for a while longer!
Ye Yun sighed helplessly. After Feng Qingxian’s antics, he felt his innocence in the eyes of his disciples had long since vanished with the wind.
“You little rascal, just lie down obediently for now.”
Ye Yun shook his head and gently flicked her forehead with his finger.
Fang Zhiwei stuck out her tongue at him before burying her head again, enjoying her master’s embrace.
This exchange meeting, strictly speaking, should have ended here, as Chaofeng Mountain had already secured the top three spots. However, Lin Xueyan and the others insisted on determining the ranking, naturally for the reward their master had promised!
“Junior Sister, be careful!”
On the battlefield, Lin Xueyan faced Chen Lingyi, her sword poised. The battle was imminent. At this moment, the elder serving as the referee announced the start of the fight. After a fierce exchange, Lin Xueyan emerged victorious.
However, Lin Xueyan didn’t relax at all; she knew who her true opponent was! As the finalists stepped onto the stage, Lin Xueyan took a deep breath and looked at Ye Yao opposite her.
“Junior Sister, I never expected you to be hiding your true strength. You’re this powerful!”
Her expression turned serious as she continued, “So, in the upcoming fight, you’re not allowed to hold back. You must go all out, including using your domain!”
Hearing this, Ye Yao frowned. “But…”
“No ‘buts.’ As a senior sister, I don’t want a shameful history of being let go easy by my junior sister!”
Lin Xueyan could accept defeat, but she absolutely refused to be deliberately beaten. Seeing her persistence, Ye Yao had no choice but to agree to fight her with all her might.
At this moment, the elder from Chaofeng Mountain announced, “The final battle of the exchange meeting: Lin Xueyan of Chaofeng Mountain versus Ye Yao of Chaofeng Mountain, commencing now!”
The two immediately clashed, and this battle was, without a doubt, the most exciting of the entire exchange meeting. Lin Xueyan, with her formidable strength, managed to hold her ground against Ye Yao within her Abyss Domain for a considerable time, performing even better than Qian Feng had earlier.
Undoubtedly, even if Lin Xueyan had faced Qian Feng earlier, she could have firmly suppressed him before his origin power was severely depleted. However, alas, under the dimension-lowering impact of the domain skill, Lin Xueyan ultimately couldn't defeat Ye Yao and was defeated. Nevertheless, she emerged victorious in defeat, proving her talent to everyone. If her fate had not been tragically cut short, she might have had a chance to reach the Emperor tier!
As the battle concluded, the entire audience rose to their feet, applauding and cheering, showing their admiration for the match.
Thus, the elder presiding over the event, after a few perfunctory closing remarks, announced, “I hereby declare the first place in this exchange meeting to be Ye Yao of Chaofeng Mountain!”
“Second place goes to Lin Xueyan of Chaofeng Mountain!”
“Third place goes to Chen Lingyi of Chaofeng Mountain!”
Chaofeng Mountain completely monopolized the top three spots, a feat unseen in thousands of years. With this, the Three Mountains Exchange Meeting came to a close.
Afterward, when Lin Xueyan and her group came to celebrate their victory with their master, Chen Lingyi suddenly reminded Ye Yao, “By the way, Junior Sister, have you thought about what reward you want from Master?”
At these words, their gazes fell upon Ye Yao, with a hint of nervousness in their eyes. Ye Yun also looked at her and nodded with a smile.
“Yes, congratulations on winning first place. Tell me what you want?”
If Lin Xueyan or the others had won first place, he might have been worried about them making excessive demands. However, Ye Yao didn’t seem like the type of girl who would have such thoughts about her master.
Yet, he only thought of this, completely unaware of her concern for her senior sisters…
Thus, Ye Yao looked at her senior sisters standing beside her, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, “Can… Master take us out for a day trip to the countryside?”
“Uh…”
This condition stunned Ye Yun. Due to the paranoia brought on by Lin Xueyan and the others, the mere mention of going out made his mind wander, worrying if there was a trap. But thinking that Ye Yao had always been quite simple, he figured there shouldn't be any danger…
“Alright, then we’ll find time to take you out for a trip!”
Upon hearing about the outing, Lin Xueyan and the others’ eyes lit up, and they looked at Ye Yao with relief. What a good junior sister! This would be another opportunity to get closer to their master!
Among them, Fang Zhiwei, who was feigning pain in Ye Yun’s arms, almost sat up from her supposed near-death state.
“Yay! We can go out!”
Instantly, countless schemes for her master flooded her mind!
Meanwhile, Ye Yun was unaware that this outing would complicate his relationship with his disciples somewhat…
Furthermore, the encounters and observations from this outing would be recorded by Fang Zhiwei and included in her future “Fang Zhiwei’s Love Diary”!