Li Shiyin's test was very different from the covert maneuvers and deadly battles between Yao Qingke and Zhao Qingke. After the test, Tian Wenjin and Lu Junxing parted on good terms—one politely bowed in thanks, the other humbly returned the greeting. They went up and down the dais in orderly fashion, following proper protocol.
This was the true meaning of philosophical debate.
However, when they descended from the dais and saw Qin Ran intimately embracing his disciple, both of their expressions subtly changed.
Seeing the close master and disciple, Tian Wenjin suddenly felt like a bowl of vinegar had been poured over her head. Her back and her heart turned sour.
Her mind was in turmoil, not knowing whether to leave directly or say something.
Lu Junxing was rather nervous. He walked over apologetically and asked Qin Ran, "Junior Martial Sister...you're not seriously hurt, right?"
Qin Ran smiled ambiguously and replied, "I'm not really injured."
"That's good..." Lu Junxing breathed a sigh of relief, then apologized to Li Shiyin, "This matter is my fault. I'm sorry, Junior Martial Sister."
Before Qin Ran could utter some perfunctory, polite words, the dark little loli Long Qiqi opened fire first.
"I thought you, Lu Junxing, were a man of noble character and high moral principles. I didn't expect you to be so low and despicable." She sat on the back of Chasing the Wind with Little Treasure in her arms, sneering coldly, "To actually do such dirty things."
"Yao Qingke and I have had some entanglements and grudges over the years. She also deceived me for a bit..." Lu Junxing explained briefly to Qin Ran what had happened.
It turned out that not only did Lu Junxing discover that Danfeng knew the secret of the numbers, Yao Qingke also found out. Seeing Lu Junxing go to Danfeng, and estimating Lu Junxing's status, Yao Qingke figured he'd be able to learn the secret of the numbers. So she ambushed him halfway and extracted the secret from him using their past grievances.
After hearing Lu Junxing's account and apology, Long Qiqi still refused to let it go. She stared at Lu Junxing and said coldly,
"No matter how Yao Qingke got the secret from you, the secret was ultimately leaked by you. The blame for what happened to Shiyin today lies with you. So you have to take responsibility. I think you should just admit defeat outright in tomorrow's test!"
"Don't worry. Although I haven't competed with Yao Qingke for many years, I guarantee she won't possibly..." Lu Junxing was saying when he suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Li Shiyin nestled in Qin Ran's arms. He was shocked and asked, "It was Junior Martial Sister Li who beat Yao Qingke?!"
"What's so hard about beating Yao Qingke?" It was Long Qiqi bragging arrogantly, not Li Shiyin speaking. "That woman's skill is far inferior to my Shiyin. Even with her cheating, she was still easily defeated by Shiyin."
Lu Junxing knew Yao Qingke's abilities well. And he also had some understanding of Li Shiyin's abilities from their previous sparring. By his estimates, Yao Qingke was stronger than Li Shiyin. How could she have lost to Li Shiyin? He didn't understand!
"Then..." He pointed to Li Shiyin with her head buried in Qin Ran's embrace, previously thinking she was heavily injured, and asked, "What's wrong with Junior Martial Sister Li?"
"Shiyin has exhausted her spiritual power and her body is weary. She sustained some minor injuries," Qin Ran replied.
Upon hearing this, Lu Junxing opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"Even though Yao Qingke had clearly lost and was nailed to the dais on the verge of death by Shiyin's sword, she launched a sneak attack on Shiyin after the referee announced the result..." Long Qiqi said. "I've never seen someone so sinister, shameless and thick-skinned."
"Junior Martial Sister's skills are formidable," Lu Junxing praised.
Long Qiqi looked at Lu Junxing again and asked, "So what are you going to do tomorrow?"
Lu Junxing thought for a moment and said, "This is the sect's test, it shouldn't be affected by an individual's cheating... Tomorrow I will have a fair match with Junior Martial Sister and do my utmost to show her full respect."
"Pah!" Long Qiqi folded her arms contemptuously as she looked at Lu Junxing.
With Long Qiqi scolding him, Qin Ran hurriedly played nice cop and laughed with Lu Junxing: "Nephew, don't take it to heart. Just fight however you want tomorrow. Firstly, it concerns the sect's dignity and trust; secondly, it's just a ranking in the end. It will also teach Shiyin that there are people outside of people, and mountains outside of mountains."
"Uncle-Master, you speak too highly... My skills are negligible," Lu Junxing said modestly.
After chatting pleasantly with Qin Ran for a few more sentences, Lu Junxing hurriedly took his leave, still feeling wrong about what he had done to Li Shiyin.
Seeing the intimate interaction between Li Shiyin and Qin Ran, Tian Wenjin also felt uncomfortable. She said a couple words and left as well.
With Lu Junxing and Tian Wenjin's match over, this round of testing was finished.
In the end, apart from Li Shiyin's upset victory, the other results were normal.
Qi Yuan still couldn't beat Liu Baiyun, stopping in the top 8. Ximen Wushang's dark horse run was ended by Dong Zhongyuan, leaving him sobbing on the dais.
So the final four were: Lu Junxing, Li Shiyin, Liu Baiyun, and Dong Zhongyuan.
The semi-finals matches were Lu Junxing vs Li Shiyin, and Liu Baiyun vs Dong Zhongyuan.
In the end, they were unable to convince Lu Junxing with moral coercion, so Li Shiyin still had to fight hard against him. Long Qiqi sighed repeatedly, feeling very unhappy.
Li Shiyin managing to defeat Yao Qingke was already pushing her limits. To actually beat Lu Junxing would be wishful thinking.
"Why don't we send Lu Junxing a jug of wine?" Long Qiqi asked while sprawled on Chasing the Wind's broad back.
She didn't hide anything from Qin Ran, believing he must know about all the shady things they'd been doing these days.
Qin Ran looked at her and shook his head. "If she can't win then she can't win, why engage in so many crooked ways?"
"Since when were you so righteous?" Long Qiqi said disdainfully.
"Hmph!" Qin Ran laughed coldly. "I have always been this way, pure of heart and unsullied reputation, the nemesis of evil in this world, the embodiment of justice under heaven."
"If you had blushed a little when saying that, I might believe you still have some sense of righteousness," Long Qiqi shook her head and asked Li Shiyin, who was still pretending to be dead in Qin Ran's arms, "Stop pretending. Tell me, should we go all out on Lu Junxing?"
She asked the question but Li Shiyin didn't answer for quite a while. Qin Ran lowered his head to check and found that the silly disciple had fallen asleep at some point unknown to him.
Qin Ran held Li Shiyin and flew back to Danfeng on Chasing the Wind, leaving the Debate Plaza.
He passed through the illusion formations, flew over the Sword Washing Pond, walked under the chinaberry trees, passed the old catalpa, entered the small wooden house, went up the stairs, turned down the corridor, and arrived at Li Shiyin's bedroom. He gently placed the silly disciple on her bed.
Qin Ran rarely entered his female disciple's bedroom, but it actually didn't match Li Shiyin's general image. The furnishings were like those of a maiden anticipating her wedding night.
Qin Ran sat at the bedside looking at his silly disciple's tranquil sleeping face. Her usual blithe liveliness and aloof arrogance were gone. All that remained was a serene and exquisite little face.
Delicate skin, heroic brows, long eyelashes covering her sometimes strange eyes, fluttering nostrils—everything made her seem extraordinarily peaceful, along with her rosy lips...
He gazed at her for a while, then reached out and poked her nose before turning and leaving the room.
Li Shiyin heard the door close. Her long lashes fluttered and she opened her eyes, which held a hint of laughter as she watched her master's silhouette pass by the window.