"Phew~" Blowing away some steam, Wu Qingce picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"Ah... As expected of Senior Brother's tea. The color is a clear reddish-orange, the fragrance as elegant as orchids, the taste rich and pure, smooth as poetry, with a sweet aftertaste that lingers on the teeth and cheeks, carrying a charm that—" "Enough," Jiang Beiran waved his hand to cut him off.
"Aren't these all the words I taught you? What are you showing off for? Just tell me—does it taste good?"
"Peerless!"
Wu Qingce nodded earnestly.
"Here, take this."
Jiang Beiran tossed two paper packets onto the table in front of Wu Qingce.
"This is...?"
"The tea you're drinking. Remember to have a cup after every meal when you go back."
Wu Qingce looked puzzled.
"It's for detoxification. If you ingest poison, this tea will make you vomit immediately."
"Senior Brother thinks someone might poison me?"
"Better safe than sorry. Now that you're the top disciple in the JB District, the Chaotic Star Hall will undoubtedly pour resources into you. At that point, your so-called 'brothers' might not be so brotherly anymore. Take Luo Bei from the True Martial Hall—do you know him? He won first place in their hall's trial mission two weeks ago. Now he's bedridden."
"Ah?"
Wu Qingce was startled at first, but he quickly accepted the tea leaves and cupped his hands in gratitude.
"Understood. Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother."
When he first joined the Heart Returning Sect, Wu Qingce had genuinely believed in the phrase "loyalty through thick and thin." He thought that being in the same sect and the same hall meant they were brothers bound by fate from past lives and should get along well.
But after four years of witnessing too many "unpleasant incidents," he gradually began adopting Jiang Beiran's survival philosophy.
"And this—try it out, see if it suits you."
Jiang Beiran placed a black cloth bag in front of Wu Qingce.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Knowing that anything his senior brother produced was guaranteed to be top-tier, Wu Qingce thanked him first before opening the bag.
"Empty?"
Staring at the bag's empty interior, Wu Qingce couldn't help but ask.
"Reach in and feel around. And be careful when you do."
Following Jiang Beiran's instructions, Wu Qingce cautiously slid his hand inside.
"Darts!"
The moment his fingers brushed against the contents, he knew what they were.
"Right. These are Shadowless Darts I forged recently—formless and soundless. Take them back and practice well."
"Senior Brother, you're incredible... I've never even heard of such darts before. Not even my father has them."
Wu Qingce pulled one out and examined it closely, barely able to make out its outline. If used in a sneak attack, the enemy would have no way to defend against them.
"My deepest thanks, Senior Brother!"
Having been obsessed with darts since childhood, Wu Qingce immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Jiang Beiran, his admiration reaching its peak.
"Alright, sit down. Tell me about anything interesting that happened at the tournament."
Beaming, Wu Qingce straightened his back and began his report.
"Many elders from other sects attended this time. Even the Blue Banner leading us said the JB District’s major sects are taking the tournament more and more seriously."
Jiang Beiran smirked dismissively. Such a great competition, wasted on a bunch of old men. What a shame.
The timing isn’t right yet, but one day I’ll show this continent what a real tournament looks like. Wu Qingce then recounted his championship journey, repeatedly mentioning one name: "Zhou Guican."
"That Zhou Guican was truly formidable. If not for Senior Brother’s guidance on fighting fast opponents, I might’ve lost."
"Oh? Is he also at the peak of the ninth stage?"
Jiang Beiran asked.
"Yes. In terms of cultivation, we were evenly matched—at most, he was just slightly below me."
Jiang Beiran fell into thought. Wu Qingce’s rapid progress over the past four years was largely due to the pills he’d been given. For Zhou Guican to match him in cultivation, he must’ve been a key cultivation target in his sect, with exceptional talent to boot.
Memorizing the name Zhou Guican, Jiang Beiran tossed an envelope to Wu Qingce after hearing his report.
"These are the materials I need you to gather for me next month."
"Understood!"
Wu Qingce caught the envelope eagerly.
"Good. You can go now. I’ve got things to do."
"Senior Brother... I... have one more request. I don’t know if I should say it."
"Oh? Then don’t." Jiang Beiran waved him off.
"..."
Even after all this time, Wu Qingce still wasn’t used to his senior brother’s unconventional way of speaking.
"Senior Brother, please let me say it..."
"Tch... Fine, what is it?"
"I’ve recently mastered a new technique and wanted to ask for Senior Brother’s guidance."
"Guidance? Sounds like you’re pretty confident. Alright, I’ll spar with you for a bit. Come on."
Jiang Beiran stood and walked to an open area nearby.
"Thank you for the instruction, Senior Brother!"
Wu Qingce quickly cupped his hands and bowed before taking his stance opposite him.
"Senior Brother, forgive my offense!"
With a shout, Wu Qingce suddenly produced six crescent moon throwing knives in quick succession, hurling them at Jiang Beiran before drawing his Azure Edge Sword and charging in with the blades. His assault was lightning-fast, closing the distance in the blink of an eye as he unleashed his newly mastered technique—"Blossoming Chaos."
"Too slow."
Jiang Beiran caught the Azure Edge Sword between two fingers while his left hand swept out, intercepting all six crescent knives mid-flight.
"..."
After a second of silence, Wu Qingce wordlessly released his sword and trudged over to a nearby purple bamboo, squatting down dejectedly.
"None of that. I’m not here to comfort you. Get up."
Knowing his senior brother meant what he said, Wu Qingce forced himself to stand despite his crushing disappointment and cupped his hands.
"My Senior Brother is invincible!"
Returning the sword and knives, Jiang Beiran critiqued, "The idea behind the move isn’t bad—using attacks from multiple angles to disrupt the opponent’s judgment. But you’re just too slow. And why stand still when throwing the knives?
Wouldn’t it be more effective to attack with both sword and blades simultaneously?" Wu Qingce flushed red.
"I... I can’t do that yet."
"Then why did you say you’d mastered it?"
"..."
"This junior has embarrassed himself! I’ll go practice another eight hundred times!"
With that, he fled the purple bamboo forest as if chased by demons.
"Watch out for the formations on your way out, or I’ll dock a month’s worth of pills."
"Got it~" Wu Qingce’s voice echoed from afar.
Tch, winning a tournament really went to his head. If I praised him any more, he’d start flying. The stick works best for him.
Shaking his head, Jiang Beiran returned to his room and sat before the alchemy furnace. PS: Sorry, my hands are slow... Another short chapter.
But it will get longer! Please give me time!
(End of Chapter)