Chapter 145: Small Competition

Li Piaoqing took it and touched a jade-like feather-shaped piece from her arms: "You take this too. Not only the Lake Heart Gang, any petty thief who dares to harass you can show this Cuiyu Order to them."

"Ah! This is great!" The woman took it with surprise and touched it twice lovingly. She turned around and looked at the shop, the smile on her mouth couldn't be hidden. "... I will hang it in the center! Whoever enters, the first thing they see is the sign of the Cuiyu Gate!"

For the widow who was worried about the wind and rain all day long, like a rootless duckweed, this plaque was undoubtedly like a pillar standing in the bottom of her heart. She seemed to have regained her reliance, and her eyebrows were raised a few points.

But Seeing Pei Ye keenly saw Li Piaoqing's subtle expression.

When the woman said she would hang the Cuiyu plaque on the wall, she opened her mouth, and her hand lifted slightly, as if to stop it. But the next moment, the excitement of the woman who was relieved and happy was completely revealed, and Li Piaoqing closed her mouth lightly again.

She was facing a complete trust in the Cuiyu Jianmen.

Seeing Pei Ye knew what the young girl was worried about—as long as the Cuiyu Jianmen was still there, it would never let this widow be bullied. But... what if it wasn't there?

This plaque would become a death warrant.

Even if she sold the tofu shop and moved to the county town or a neighboring prefecture, how likely would a widow with young children carrying silver be to get a stable and happy life in a completely strange place?

But the young girl said nothing. Her shoulders didn't collapse, and even her eyebrows didn't droop. She cupped her fists and smiled with a clear voice: "Good, then you get busy, we will go back to the martial arts hall first."

Seeing Pei Ye remembered the last sentence of the young girl when they first met yesterday.

The Cuiyu Jianmen will always be there.

And it must always be there.

——

Restaurant.

Old Zhang walked back to the building, his legs still soft.

The people curled up against the wall had stood up one after another. The maid wet a towel and was helping the chef wipe the clotted blood on his face.

Old Zhang supported the door frame and breathed: "Tiger-headed and brainless! Knowing you have strength, don't you look at who is on the opposite side?"

The chef didn't say a word. Old Zhang poked his head over to look and frowned, giving a "hiss": "Damn... the hand is so ruthless. Go to Physician Sun and see, find me for any expenses."

"Hmm." The chef's face was highly swollen and he couldn't open his mouth, only humming from his throat.

Old Zhang greeted the groom and walked in, pointing: "Seal the second floor first, don't let people in, wait for the officials to come and collect the corpse—Li Er! Come and help!"

But no one answered. Old Zhang shouted outside: "Who saw where Li Er went? Scared and peed his pants and ran home?"

The maid recalled and said: "He didn't sit with us in the first place, that... those people left, he seems to have gone to the backyard."

Old Zhang frowned and walked to the backyard. With a sweep of his eyes, he saw the clothes covered with footprints.

But there were only clothes, draped over the grain storage cylinder.

This was the place where the waiter was used to hiding to slack off. Old Zhao walked over and took down the clothes, stunned for a while, not knowing how a living person could disappear.

Suddenly he was startled and lifted the wooden lid with both hands.

The sunlight shone into this dim space. Old Zhang poked his head in and saw Li Er, who had been stripped of his outer clothes, lying inside with his eyes closed.

——

Martial arts hall, Li Piaoqing and Seeing Pei Ye stopped in front of the martial arts field: "You've also learned it? Come out and practice."

"No time! Go to sleep quickly, let's talk about it tomorrow."

Yes, because Seeing Pei Ye had also moved into the martial arts hall.

"But isn't there no time tomorrow?" Seeing Pei Ye frowned, reaching out to push the door, but the young girl had already shrunk her head and pushed her hand, locking him outside.

The next day.

When Seeing Pei Ye opened his eyes from the bed, he thought he woke up early because the sky was very dark, but the next moment his ears also woke up, and he knew it was raining again.

Seeing Pei Ye quite liked rain, the small kind.

Today was exactly this kind of weather, but even if it wouldn't affect cultivation, there wouldn't be too many people on the martial arts field in a while.

Because after more than twenty days of looking forward to it, the second furnace of Ascension Pills had arrived in Bowang Prefecture City, and the "Singing Pill Meeting" would be held today.

"Ascension Pill," this magical pill, no matter what your root bone is, can steadily make you cross from the Third Life to the Fourth Life. If you are already in the Fourth Life, it is also eight or nine out of ten that it can make you cross into the Fifth Life realm.

If you have been pondering in the Fifth Life realm for several years, it can still help you cross into the Sixth Life realm, but at this time, you have to look at the root bone and the accumulation in the current realm.

But the requirements were still not too harsh—if Lin Lin could get an Ascension Pill, he could steadily enter the Sixth Life.

Even when entering the Seventh Life from the Sixth Life, this pill could provide some visible help.

The first furnace had been distributed to the few most suitable people in the whole prefecture, but the demand for this kind of pill was endless. Four of the second furnace would be given to the four most outstanding young people, and it was said that this reward would only be issued in the autumn competition in the future, and would no longer be available in the winter and spring competitions.

And the ownership of the last one would be decided by this Singing Pill Meeting.

If you don't have strength, you also have a chance to fight with financial resources.

Seeing Pei Ye washed up and went out. There was only Zhang Junxue waving her sword in the rain on the martial arts field. When Seeing Pei Ye passed by, the splashing rain hit his face with a stinging pain.

Seeing Pei Ye didn't disturb her, crossed the martial arts field and came to the west courtyard gate. Sure enough, a "ding-lang" sound came from inside.

I don't know if Li Piaoqing and Zhang Junxue were earlier, anyway, every day when Seeing Pei Ye got up, the two of them were already practicing.

Adding Seeing Pei Ye, the three basically had to get up at least half an hour earlier than other students every day.

And others were not lazier, but how much exercise a person could bear every day was actually a kind of talent. Seeing Pei Ye was still refreshed after going to bed late and getting up early every day, while Xiao Qiu still felt that his body fatigue had not faded after working on schedule every day.

The Longmen Class would arrange for students to participate in the Luzhou Poetry Gathering before the martial arts competition, which was also out of consideration for rest.

At this time, Seeing Pei Ye stood at the door and raised his hand to knock. Soon the young girl ran over and pulled it open. She was holding the unsheathed sword under her arm, and the worry on her brows had not yet dissipated.

"What's wrong? Didn't you learn the last three forms? Come out and practice," Seeing Pei Ye smiled.

Li Piaoqing gave a lazy yawn: "No time! Hurry up and go to sleep, let's talk about it tomorrow."

Yes, because Seeing Pei Ye had also moved into the martial arts hall.

"But isn't there no time tomorrow?" Seeing Pei Ye frowned, reaching out to push the door, but the young girl had already shrunk her head and pushed her hand, locking him outside.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 146 =====

As blades clashed, the sword in Xiao Qiu's hand suddenly slipped from his grip, spinning into a flat disc.

Seeing Pei Ye only heard a sharp whistle in the air, and when he turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, a loud "clink" had already come from the courtyard wall in the distance—it was the sound of the sword flying and striking it.

Zhang Junxue was stunned for a moment, then said in a muffled voice, "Sorry."

Xiao Qiu pursed his lips, his expression stiff as he didn't answer, and turned to go pick up his sword under the courtyard wall.

In this second round of trials, Zhang Junxue was the victor, and the instructor also fulfilled his promise, gifting Zhang Junxue one Ascension Pill and ten taels of silver, while Seeing Pei Ye and Xiao Qiu received no Ascension Pill, taking two taels and one tael of silver respectively.

A single Ascension Pill was worth about seven or eight taels; Seeing Pei Ye did a quick calculation, and the instructor had actually spent two or three taels less than last time.

"For the next small competition, the sole winner will still receive an extra ten taels of silver, but if Junxue wins again, there won't be a gift the time after that," the instructor said generously.

(End of chapter)