Chen Wentian and Long Yifei left the privacy of their little practice garden, just in time for her next duel which was a singing one. Although she had expended a lot of energy during their spar, it was a simple matter for him to continue supporting her with his own.
The singing duel was less dramatic than the dancing duel prior. Long Yifei's talent in this aspect was easier to utilize and few could match her voice one-on-one. Even when her opponent tried to go on the offensive, it could not be compared to dancing. Dancing would always devolve into hand-to-hand combat while singing was more like attacking each other from afar.
There was also the fact that Long Yifei's mood had greatly improved in a short time. Her shift in mood greatly aided her singing duel. To begin with, it was never a matter of her talent or skills. It was her fighting spirit and vigor in the face of unexpected challenges that was lacking. His pep talk and their training session reminded her of this and she quickly corrected her weakness, at least temporarily.
The singing duel concluded with an easy victory. The next few duels also had the same result. At the end of the second day, she had entered the top eight in both singing and dancing.
"Interesting, can't be a coincidence," Long Yifei said as she studied the roster for the top eight.
"Oh? What's interesting?" Chen Wentian asked.
"Each sacred daughter in the top eight for both events has been the top students throughout the year. There were no upsets in the previous rounds and none of the top students ever faced each other."
He snorted, "So the matchups were never random to begin with. It seems everything has been planned out by the abbotesses."
"Looks like they are also scrambling the bracket for the top eight so we won't know who I will face."
"But I bet your actual opponent tomorrow will have already known beforehand."
She nodded, "Sounds right."
He chuckled humorlessly.
"Master, how should we prepare tonight? I doubt the easy dances or songs will cut it tomorrow against the top students."
He smiled at her, "How about a few more sparring sessions? But we should get a bigger area that matches the arena."
"I know a place." She replied.
"Then, let's go."
Chen Wentian offered an arm and Long Yifei took it. She led him away from the campus grounds toward the forest in the back situated at the base of the surrounding mountains.
However, before they could get too far, they were stopped by a familiar face. It was Immortal Winter Hymn Xuan Xina.
"Prioress Xuan." They both greeted her curtly.
Xuan Xina nodded at them, "Lord Chen, Yifei. Yifei, congratulations on getting into the top eight for singing and dancing."
"Thank you, prioress." Long Yifei replied.
Xuan Xina spoke a few more pleasantries, praising Long Yifei's singing in particular. After that, she turned to Chen Wentian.
"Yifei, I need to borrow your acolyte. I promise I will return him shortly."
Long Yifei glanced at Chen Wentian with concern but he patted her arm reassuringly, "Wait for me in your room."
"Yes, master."
After Long Yifei left, Xuan Xina took Chen Wentian took him to a private sitting room in a side building. It was comfortably furnished with hand-carved wooden chairs and couches as well as elegant decorations of porcelain vases and jade sculptures.
Chen Wentian sat down casually and asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Xuan Xina's face flashed with the briefest of discomfort before it was replaced with an inviting smile, a mask of her true self.
"No need to rush, here have some tea."
She went to a table and brought a tray with a crystal-clear teapot and two glasses.
"This is called ice spring tea. The water is taken from a ten-thousand-year-old glacier spring. The tea is grown on top of a frozen peak and harvested every ten years. It is sweetened with a sprinkle of crystal sugar cane from the Weiyan Mountains."
The tea that was poured out was clear as pure water. However, a cool, smooth aroma quickly filled the room, bringing down the temperature until it was almost chilly. But to immortals, its effect was more notable, with Chen Wentian feeling that his senses had suddenly become clearer and refreshed.
"Good tea, good tea." He said as he accepted the cup and took a sip.
The icy spiritual energy within energy his body and cooled a tiny bit of the fierce heat within. His mind felt clearer, bringing about a shift in mood. Now, he saw this prioress before him in a new light.
Xuan Xina was beautiful. She had probably entered the immortal realms in her late forties but she managed to maintain almost all of her beauty until then. With wavy brown hair that framed a slender, oval face, she was one of those rare women who could capture men's hearts by simply looking in their direction. Her cool, icy aura also gave her a pure, youthful countenance that was difficult to find amongst immortals.
"Thank you, I thought you might like it. Ice spring tea is especially good for cultivators of flame arts."
Her words were almost musical like she was singing without effort. It was intensely attractive, the perfect voice for the perfect woman.
They shared another cup before Xuan Xina spoke again, "Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian, master of Ten Thousand Flower Valley and acolyte of sacred daughter Long Yifei… I invited you here to give you an offer. I hope you can consider it fairly."
"Sure."
Xuan Xina offered him a charming smile, "Chen Wentian, I will be honest. You have done a great job of supporting Long Yifei up until now. I can admit that but others at this campus cannot. The truth is that the Seven Potentates of Jiannan pretty much control most of what happens here. There are few of us who are completely loyal to the Order and have fallen to their influence."
Chen Wentian didn't interject and listened calmly. His body had been soothed by the ice spring tea while her voice was affecting his mind and senses. However, since he had his soul realm and countless souls to call upon, he remained free from her influence even if he pretended to be.
She continued unawares, "Chen Wentian, you are in a dangerous position. The Seven Potentates want to get rid of you. You may have beaten Yang Gehu but you won't be able to escape this. But I can help you. My master, Abbotess Li, can help you. If you work with us…"
He finally couldn't hold back and raised a hand to stop her, "Prioress Xuan, if you want me to sell my disciple for my life, I can't do that."
She frowned, "Not sell. That is not our intention. She can remain your disciple. We just want you to work with us. Long Yifei has unparalleled talent. If she can get better teachers, if she can undergo more effective training under us, she will be a great figure and a powerful immortal in the future."
He nodded in understanding while hiding his thoughts. He didn't trust a single word she uttered. Better teachers meant abbotesses or perhaps even that cardinal. More effective training meant longer periods isolated from him in hopes that she would eventually take the initiative to renege her oaths as his disciple.
It was a simple ploy. Only desperate people would fall for it. He wasn't scared of the Seven Potentates so naturally; he wasn't going to agree. But he was also curious.
"What's your offer?" He asked.
Xuan Xina smiled and shifted in her seat so that she sat closer to him, "You already have so many beautiful and talented disciples. Naturally, our sacred daughters won't be adequate for you. Therefore…"
She leaned toward him and ran a hand along the neckline of her outfit, drawing his eyes toward the small bit of milky white skin that was visible.
"What do you think about a prioress?"
---
Thank you to all my patrons!
Support me and read ahead by 150 or even 300 chapters!
p atreon.com/kigreenwriting
Join my discord for updates, delays, and my ramblings :)
d iscord.gg/dY5UApw