"Thanks for healing me; it saved me a lot of pain," Song Song said as we walked out of the Colosseum through a secret exit. "How long do you think it would have taken me to figure out how to do this on my own?"

"Probably never."

Even though only the two of us were in these tunnels, my mind was elsewhere. I slowly began to understand Song San as a person.

Why had Song Song's brother given up? After thinking briefly, I concluded that he must have done it to hide his element.

Typically, revealing someone's element wasn't a big deal. But since Song San was obsessed with poisons, his element had to be poison. However, saying that someone's element was just "poison" was too broad and could not be made into an element.

My guess was that Song San's element must be a specific type of poison. If people learned what kind, they could develop antidotes against it, putting him at a permanent disadvantage against anyone who knew the antidote.

He could probably defeat Song Song as she was now, but not without revealing his element.

Song San was different from the other cultivators. Though he participated in the tournament, he was not there to win. I doubt he had delusions of winning without revealing his element. He had come way too close for someone putting in half-assed efforts. He didn't care about his reputation or saving face like the others.

But then, why was he in the tournament? He could have faked an injury or something like that when he was announced as one of the participants. As far as I knew, the selected participants could even refuse to enter, citing one reason or another.

I glanced at Song Song, who was still weakened by the aftereffects of the poison. But she could still fight.

I had this crazy theory. Though Song San was never there to win, he removed the biggest obstacles in the tournament.

But why? The only reasonable explanation was that he wanted a specific person to win. When he escorted me to the Sect Leader for my plea to release Song Song, he revealed that he would never do something without some benefit.

What did he gain from pushing his sister to win? Because that's what it looked like he had been doing. Even though he had poisoned Song Song, he hadn't made much effort to try and win that fight.

What a confusing guy! Even though I understood him, I couldn't read what he was thinking.

"Do you know any good places someone might go on a date in the inner sect?" I asked Song Song bluntly.

She turned toward me and raised a questioning brow. "I'm thankful for the effort but don't enjoy public places. Also, your fiancée is here."

She might have misread what I meant if this had been Song Song from a few months ago.

"Well, that's who I'm taking with me. Sorry if you have feelings for me, Song Song. But I look at you as a little sister," I quipped.

Song Song knew I was messing around, and the smile on her lips showed it too. Though she still asked, "Little sister?"

"Well, you might be older physically. But mentally…" I shook my head. "I'd give you six years at most."

"Well…" Song Song frowned, clearly trying to come up with an insult. "You're like a worm who likes to read books constantly. If left alone, you'll linger on books like a leech. So, you're like a creepy bookworm."

We reached the end of the secret tunnel and emerged into a lush forest near the Colosseum. The trees were tall and robust, their leaves vibrant green and glistening in the sunlight. The tall grass swayed gently in the breeze while vines wrapped around the secret entrance, concealing it from anyone flying overhead on swords. The forest floor was a tapestry of wildflowers and moss, creating a serene and almost magical atmosphere.

The forest's scent was refreshing, a pleasant contrast to the damp, moldy odor of the tunnels. The air was filled with the earthy aroma of pine and the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers.

"Well, I'll tell you some nice places you can take your scheming fiancée to," Song Song smirked, trying to hide a mischievous smile.

Yep, I would not go to any of the places she recommended. I refused to be her cheap entertainment.

…

While Song Song headed toward the mansion, I waited for certain people to exit the Colosseum. It didn't take long for my cousins and fiancée to come out. Fu Yating and Liu Qian were talking about something, though I couldn't make out their voices over the rabble of the crowd.

They were both daughters of their respective clan leaders, so they undoubtedly had much in common.

Liu Bo, on the other hand, was bothering our more serious cousin, Liu Heng.

I waved at them, and Liu Bo was the first to notice. He rushed toward me with a spring in his step, using a weird movement technique that zig-zagged like a snake.

"Hey, Liu Feng, I was just talking with Liu Heng, and he said that today's fights were dishonorable. So I told him about how you said this was efficient…" Liu Bo went on ranting a bit longer.

Had he been egging on Liu Heng, annoying him enough to argue with me? What a troublesome family—but I was fond of them anyhow.

Liu Heng had a frown on his face as he asked, "What did he tell you?"

"Something about how you wanted to explain honor and all that to me," I shrugged as we walked side-by-side, with Liu Bo trying his best to look anywhere but toward us.

"What? No," Liu Heng's frown deepened. "We were talking about rumors that there might be a joint expedition from all the four great sects after the tournament."

"A joint expedition? Where?" I inquired.

"The rumors mentioned nothing about that," Liu Heng's frown eased as he stared at the sky and narrowed his eyes. "We should be able to get some entrance spots through Liu Qian's master. Do you want to come too?"

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"Liu Qian's master? Isn't she an Inner Elder who was on good terms with Song Song's previous master?" I reminded them, and a part of me was unsure if I wanted to go. But another part was excited like a kid during Christmas. "Are you sure she is okay with something like that?"

"Though Song Song has a disastrous reputation, you're known to be an okay guy. Dependable. Not many would go through the efforts you did to release Song Song," a rare smile graced Liu Heng's lips. "Liu Qian's master has said that if it weren't for Song Song's reputation, many would have been willing to take you under their wings. Loyalty like that is scarce."

I was happy that not everyone thought of me as some bloodthirsty murderer. I had half-expected them to come and cause trouble for no reason other than my association with Song Song.

It seemed that a cultivator's reckless arrogance was more apparent in the younger generation. Which made sense, since with that kind of mindset you would have to be very lucky to survive long without eventually stepping on the wrong toes.

“I will need to talk to Song Song about this. Joining some unknown expedition without her permission can be quite dangerous,” I said as my excuse.

“Let us know when you need us, and we will make sure to save a spot for you,” he nodded.

I slowed my pace a bit, allowing Fu Yating and Liu Qian to catch up. My cousin and fiancée stopped talking when they noticed I was nearby and stared straight at me.

“Sorry for interrupting you, ladies,” I smiled. “But I was wondering if Fu Yating is free this afternoon. I would like to take you on a tour around the Inner Sect, and we can try to find some good restaurants.”

“Oh…” Fu Yating blushed.

My female cousin's eyes sparkled, one would think she was the one who got asked out.

“I will be honest with you, I do not know many places here-” I was about to confess my lack of knowledge when Liu Qian loudly coughed and interrupted me.

“I know all the places,” Liu Qian stated with the conviction and confidence of a Nascent Soul Cultivator about to fight a Qi Gathering Cultivator.

Liu Qian's face was rather nonchalant and cold, but I was reading between the lines of what her eyes and actions showed. Otherwise, she was a very serious person.

Without waiting for an answer, my female cousin rambled about the names and places she knew. She seemed enthusiastic when talking about it, so I made sure to listen and memorize the places she mentioned.

“Okay, I think I know where one of these restaurants you mentioned is,” I said and offered Fu Yating my hand.

She stared at my hand as if examining every wrinkle. Before she took it, we walked away holding hands, leaving my cousins behind as we moved to the side of the crowd.

Though we weren't doing anything strenuous, I felt a slight wetness on my palm. Fu Yating had a smile and a perfectly structured mask that made her look like a bashful girl hanging out with her first boyfriend. She was one of those people who sweat easily.

“You don't have to be so nervous,” I reassured her as we pushed through the crowd and I decided to take a shortcut on one of the uncharted dirt roads. There we were alone, with only tall grass, trees, and some rocks around.

“How am I not supposed to be nervous when a guy dragged me away, with everyone looking at us? They all know there is something between us,” she said.

Fu Yating was acting way too embarrassed. We were just holding hands here.

“Trust me, most people have better things going on in their lives. Even if they for some reason decided to gossip about us, they would forget in a month or two,” I reassured her. The only reason people were even paying attention to us was because she was from the Azure Frost Sect. Otherwise, with our unassuming appearances, we wouldn't stand out.

She took her hand off mine and hurriedly wiped her palm across her uniform while trying to avoid my eyes.

“You play a bashful character quite well,” I complimented her.

“It isn’t hard to play with feelings you already have. I just go a bit… extra,” Fu Yating said, her gaze turning steely though she still avoided meeting my eyes.

“One day, if neither of us rejects it and nothing tragic happens, we will get married. There’s no reason to act embarrassed or any other way when it’s just the two of us. I’d like a wife I can trust,” I said, expressing my true feelings.

Love was a tricky thing, something we had little control over. I couldn’t ask her to love me, but trusting someone was a choice. Of course, we barely knew each other, and I doubted she trusted me, nor did I trust her. However, we could build this relationship one block at a time, and one day, we might even end up in a happy marriage.

We trekked through the mountains, past green trees, hollow trees, tall grass, and strange vines. We even stumbled upon a ruin made from stones that resembled ruby. The Blazing Sun Sect had many interesting things on its grounds, even though most of the ruins seemed untouched for the last century.

After all that travel, we finally reached a vast field where four neat stone roads converged. At the intersection stood a tall pagoda, its elegant structure rising above the field. The pagoda was built of intricately carved stone, its surface adorned with patterns of swirling clouds and mythical beasts.

With its upturned eaves, the roof was decorated with vibrant red and gold tiles gleaming in the sunlight. Lanterns hung from the corners, gently swaying in the breeze, adding a warm glow to the scene. People came and went, entering and exiting the pagoda’s arched doorways.

There were fewer people than I remembered, likely because the more exciting tournament was drawing most of the crowd. Some people arrived on flying swords, landing gracefully at the front doors. The crowd jested and joked while some innocent couples looked at each other bashfully and held hands.

“What is this place?” Fu Yating asked.

“One of the many restaurants in the inner Sect. They serve monstrous beast meat that can help with your cultivation,” I explained, recalling my last visit under different circumstances.

“Oh yeah, you had that whole Monstrous Beast Wave incident, right? The elders from our Sect described it more like a war. You probably got a lot of monstrous beast meat from it,” Fu Yating nodded as we emerged from the trees. She brushed off some grass strands stuck to her robes and fixed her hair. “By the way, did you guys ever find out who was behind that whole ordeal? According to rummours on our side, it was led by some kind of Core Formation Monstrous Beast.”

"Yeah, it was some snake-like monstrous beasts, they say. It attacked the ships returning to the Blazing Sun Sect after the acceptance exam, even before winter was around," I explained the narrative conveyed to the masses. Unlike most, I didn't buy into the propaganda.

We reached one of the roads and walked behind another couple as my mind wandered back to the monstrous beast waves. Those had been some tough times.

I had a theory that the snake-like Core Formation monstrous beast harbored a grudge against Hu Jin. That was a significant reason it attacked the Blazing Sun Sect and gathered an army.

However, there was one thing… There was no definitive proof that the snake-like beast was behind the extensive attack on the Blazing Sun Sect's territory.

Perhaps it was just a warm-up to whatever calamity the Blazing Sun Sect would face every hundred years.

A surprisingly rowdy atmosphere greeted us as we entered the restaurant. Usually, cultivators were a serious bunch, but now they were letting loose, enjoying themselves among friends or lovers. They revealed parts of themselves that were usually hidden behind masks.

The aroma of delicious food filled the first floor, and a tall, thin waiter with a mouse-like appearance led us to our table. We ordered from the menus he handed us, and after taking our orders, he darted off toward the kitchens.

Despite the lively atmosphere and the pleasant company of Fu Yating, my mind kept drifting to tomorrow's fight between Song Song and Ye An.

By all measures, Song Song should easily win. But Ye An wasn't foolish; she wouldn't enter a fight she knew she would lose without preparing something of her own. That worried me.

Also, without a doubt in my mind, Ye An would approach the fight with the intent to kill. There was no room for error on either side.

Thankfully, Fu Yating's company was pleasant, which kept me from sinking into anxious, pessimistic thoughts.