Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 468: Meeting Zi Xing Again

The moment Ye Qingchen entered the inn, he saw Zi Xing, Liu Feng, and a few others were also there.

Zi Xing looked at Ye Qingchen in surprise, not expecting to run into him here.

Liu Feng snorted coldly. "You’re like a bad penny. Seeing that Sister Zi Xing wasn’t at the academy, you followed her all the way here. What are you plotting?"

The other disciples from the Central Celestial Academy also looked at Ye Qingchen with disdain. It wasn’t hard to guess that he must have come to pester Sister Zi Xing. A female disciple beside her spoke up.

"Brat, what’s the point of pestering her like this? You and Sister Zi Xing are from different worlds. Even if you followed her, what could you possibly do?"

Zi Xing was known as the most beautiful woman in the Central Celestial Academy for the last hundred years. She, along with the Wuji Immortal Palace’s genius Xiao Xiao and the Western Region’s beauty Xue Zhao, were hailed as the ’Three Beauties’ and worshipped as goddesses by countless admirers.

Liu Feng’s disdain grew as he mocked, "A celestial daughter like Sister Zi Xing is not someone you can aspire to. You should take a look in the mirror and see if you’re even worthy."

As Liu Feng spoke, his eyes fell on the Double Pupil Sword on Ye Qingchen’s back, and he couldn’t help but laugh. "Kid, is that the piece of scrap iron you spent eighty thousand contribution points on? Why are you still carrying it? Are you afraid people won’t know what a sucker you are?"

Zi Xing waved her hand, signaling Liu Feng and the others to stop. She then approached Ye Qingchen. "Junior Brother Ye, what brings you here?"

Ye Qingchen naturally wouldn’t bother with Liu Feng and the others, so he only replied when Zi Xing addressed him directly. "To be honest, Sister Zi Xing, I’m on my way to Eternal City to watch the Sect’s Newcomer Competition."

Zi Xing smiled. "What a coincidence, I’m also going to Eternal City to participate in the Sect’s Newcomer Competition. Why the sudden trip, Junior Brother Ye? Logically, shouldn’t new disciples like you be cultivating at the academy right now?"

Ye Qingchen shook his head. "I have a friend who will be competing. I promised her I’d go watch, so I requested leave from the Academy Dean. I wanted to fulfill my promise, and it’s also a chance to broaden my horizons."

When Liu Feng saw how much more warmly Zi Xing spoke to Ye Qingchen than to him, his jealousy flared. Hearing that Ye Qingchen was going to watch the competition, he could no longer hold back his mockery.

"Ye Qingchen, you really like to talk big. The Sect’s Newcomer Competition is the most popular event in the Central Region. Because of that, countless people want to watch, but not just anyone is qualified to attend."

Another disciple chimed in, "I heard the tickets to enter the venue have been scalped to sky-high prices. Without a certain status, it’s impossible to get one."

Liu Feng snorted again and said disdainfully, "Ye Qingchen, everyone knows you’re from the North Region. What kind of background could someone from a backwater place like that have? How could you possibly get a ticket? You dare claim you’re going to watch the competition? Hmph! What a pathetic excuse. I bet you’re just here to pester Sister Zi Xing."

The other disciples agreed in unison, "Exactly! That must be it. A toad lusting after a swan’s flesh should know its limits! You’re not even a toad; at best, you’re just an annoying rat!"

Faced with the crowd’s unprovoked mockery, even with his temperament, Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but frown. Even a clay Buddha has its limits, let alone a young man in his prime like him. Just as Ye Qingchen was on the verge of exploding—

Zi Xing was also growing angry. She was going to participate in the competition, and the Dean had personally appointed Liu Feng and the others to accompany her for the experience. But she hadn’t expected Liu Feng’s group to be so petty. Ye Qingchen had barely said a word, yet they were relentlessly aggressive, not behaving like senior brothers at all.

At this thought, Zi Xing’s voice turned icy as she berated them, "We all come from the same academy. How can you speculate about Junior Brother Ye like this? Do you even act like senior brothers? If you continue, I suggest you return to the academy and work on cultivating your temperament!"

Liu Feng’s group was stunned that Zi Xing would scold them for Ye Qingchen’s sake. Not daring to retort, they could only glare venomously at Ye Qingchen’s back without another word.

After reprimanding them, she turned back to Ye Qingchen. "Junior Brother Ye, please don’t take it to heart. Since we’re both heading to Eternal City, why don’t we travel together? It would be good to have someone to look out for on the road."

Ye Qingchen refused almost immediately. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Sister Zi Xing, but I’m accustomed to solitude. I don’t appreciate pests buzzing in my ears, nor do I wish to be the cause of any misunderstandings about you. If fate allows, we’ll see each other in Eternal City."

After he finished speaking, Ye Qingchen ignored Zi Xing’s surprised expression and followed the Shop Assistant toward his room.

Zi Xing never expected Ye Qingchen to reject her invitation. Including his previous rejections, she was astonished to realize that since they had met, he seemed to refuse all of her kind gestures. For someone like Zi Xing, who had been admired and pampered since childhood, this was simply inconceivable.

However, this only made Ye Qingchen seem all the more mysterious in her eyes.

In truth, he wasn’t being deliberately distant. From the very beginning, he had used his Blood Wheel Eye to copy her family’s Martial Technique, which left him feeling somewhat guilty. Because of that, he was even less inclined to owe her another favor. This most recent refusal, however, was simply because he couldn’t stand the incessant noise from Liu Feng’s group. While his temperament was such that he wouldn’t stoop to their level, traveling with them would have been maddening. There was another reason, too. If he traveled with Zi Xing, she might find an opportunity to ask him about the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow. He was afraid he might slip up and be unable to explain himself, so it was better to be out of sight and out of mind, which was why he had so directly refused her invitation.

After he entered the room, the attentive Shop Assistant tidied up the space before addressing him. "Young Master, you asked me to come to your room. Do you have any instructions for me?"

Ye Qingchen nodded. "Where is the biggest commerce association in this Qiyun City?"

The Shop Assistant smiled. "Young Master, you’ve asked the right person. No one knows the affairs of Qiyun City better than I do. If you’re talking about the biggest commerce association, it has to be Changchun Tower. They sell all sorts of Martial Techniques and Cultivation Techniques, as well as Miraculous Elixirs and various medicinal herbs. What is the Young Master looking to purchase?"

Ye Qingchen nodded and then inquired, "Does that Changchun Tower purchase elixirs?"