Chu Taishang and his people were startled to see Ying Qiaoqiao appear at the valley entrance. They hadn’t expected her to return so soon, nor for her to appear so unhurried. They even imagined the possibility of Princess Chu Ci and Ying Qiaoqiao fighting over the Dragon Blood Pellets, and had gone so far as to prepare medicines for wounds and injuries. Truthfully speaking, they wouldn’t have been surprised if one of the girls had died with the other heavily wounded, so they were incredibly surprised to see Ying Qiaoqiao walk out of the valley with such ease.

　　‘Maybe this girl knew she wasn’t going to win so she gave up?’ flashed through everyone’s minds as they looked at the face of Ying Qiaoqiao in curiosity.

　　“Girl, how many Dragon Blood Pellets have you found?” Chu Taishang asked in a deep voice before the old man Hu Qin had spoken.

　　Ying Qiaoqiao took out three pieces of Dragon Blood Pellets and held them in both of her hands for Hu Qin to see. “I’ve found only three….”

　　“Heh…” Feeling reassured, Chu Taishang laughed and didn’t speak further.

　　Ying Qiaoqiao had left the Falling Snow Valley, so she would no longer be eligible to find any more Dragon Blood Pellets. There were still seven pellets left to be found within Falling Snow Valley, meaning Chu Ci had an assured win and the Dragon-String Guzheng was already within their grasp.

　　However, Prince Chu Huang suddenly let out a loud snort when he heard this. A chill swept across his gaze as he looked towards the Falling Snow Valley. ‘Did my words go in one ear and out the other?’ he wondered. Even if Chu Ci was certain to win, Prince Chu Huang didn’t look pleased, and there was actually anger instead. After so much preparation where he’d even given her a drop of the golden blood, it would have been strange if she didn’t win. He’d told her to take all ten pellets and had even explained how she could do it with her current ability, yet she’d still allowed Ying Qiaoqiao to take three pellets. For this to happen, that girl must not have taken his words into her mind.

　　“Why did you come out so early?” Hu Qin gently asked with some confusion in his gaze.

　　Ying Qiaoqiao bowed. “Dear Esteemed Shifu, I only found three pieces before not being able to sense any other Dragon Blood Pellets.”

　　Chu Taishang laughed, but he didn’t show it too much in case he angered the old man Hu Qin. ‘Heh, this girl seems to know her place….’

　　Hu Qin, on the other hand, was thoroughly surprised. “Can’t find them?” He was rather certain of the innate talents of this little girl he was planning to take in as his fourth pupil; as long as the Dragon Blood Pellets were still inside the Falling Snow Valley, there was no such thing as not being able to find them. He’d asked why she had left the trial grounds so early thinking perhaps she’d heard or met with a situation inside that left her completely bereft of hope. If that had been the case, he would have certainly helped her regain her fair share of justice, although he would’ve no longer taken her in as his fourth pupil afterwards. If she truly had such a weak will, after all, she wouldn’t be able to walk very far on the path of cultivation.

　　“Yes.” Ying Qiaoqiao met Hu Qin’s eyes and did not say anything more than this simple answer. After seeing such a clear gaze from the girl, Hu Qin’s heartstrings seemed to have been moved as though seeing something.

　　“Princess Chu Ci is out!” the red-robed Yin Servant who’d been waiting at the valley entrance exclaimed in excitement, drawing everyone’s attention.

　　A yellow silhouette began to appear from Falling Snow Valley. She arrived at the entrance of the valley in the blink of an eye, only to look to Prince Chu Huang with a worried expression once the formation opened. “Royal Big Brother…. I—”

　　“How many Dragon Blood Pellets have you found?” Prince Chu Huang asked while furrowing his brows.

　　When Prince Chu Huang asked, Chu Taishang, Hu Qin, and even the red-robed Yin Servant all turned their gazes towards her. Although they knew Chu Ci would assuredly win this round now, they were still rather concerned as to its results. Ying Qiaoqiao did leave early, after all, and Chu Ci also didn’t take much time; if she’d been able to find the remaining seven Dragon Blood Pellets within such a short span of time, the innate talent she possessed had to be rather good.

　　Yet when Chu Ci heard her older brother’s question, she unexpectedly lowered her head in grief and didn’t answer.

　　Chu Taishang sensed something was wrong and coldly asked, “Did something happen inside, child? How many Dragon Blood Pellets have you taken?”

　　Chu Ci still held her head low and clutched her fists, unwilling to open them.

　　“Show me!” Prince Chu Huang suddenly yelled out, causing Chu Ci to flinch away in fright before finally showing her palms. Atop those soft and delicate little hands rested two longan-sized pellets with an overflowing scent of blood….

　　After some time, Chu Taishang couldn’t hold it in anymore and asked, “And the rest?”

　　Princess Chu Ci looked timidly to Prince Chu Huang before answering in a small voice, “Royal Big Brother, I really didn’t— I took the lead in the beginning, every single piece of them. I was able to sense it in advance and take it in advance… except then, then… I was knocked unconscious by her. When I woke up, all of the pellets in the valley were gone, leaving me with only these two….”

　　Chu Ci pointed to Ying Qiaoqiao. In her eyes, she and Ying Qiaoqiao had been the only people within the entire valley, so naturally the person who’d knocked her out had to be this barbaric girl from Bohai. Ying Qiaoqiao must’ve sneak attacked her after realizing she was going to lose.

　　Still, Princess Chu Ci did feel a bit confused. Their cultivation levels were similar, so how did she manage to get so close to her without her noticing and knock her out so easily?

　　Chu Taishang was also surprised when he heard this. His gaze was filled with indignation as he turned and questioned Ying Qiaoqiao coldly, “Child, was it you who did it?”

　　Ying Qiaoqiao did her best to keep calm as she softly answered, “No, it wasn’t me. When I found these three Dragon Blood Pellets, I could no longer sense any more and so came out here…. Besides, with my battle prowess, it’s not that easy for me to sneak attack her, right?”

　　Chu Taishang looked towards Princess Chu Ci, his gaze full of questions.

　　Princess Chu Ci was nearly in tears. “I didn’t see who it was, but… who else could it be except her?”

　　Everyone became quiet at this, all feeling rather surprised.

　　Chu Taishang’s expression darkened as he released a cold snort. A light yellow shine flashed across his eyes before a semi-transparent energy surrounded him and began to spread outwards, instantly sweeping across all of Falling Snow Valley. Three breaths later, the energy returned, yet Chu Taishang’s expression was still dark. “There are already no more Dragon Blood Pellets left within the valley. Chu Ci has been attacked with only two left in her hands, and you so happen to have three—just enough to defeat her. Girl, how dare you say this has nothing to do with you?” he coldly asked.

　　Faced with the pressure of a Golden Core, Ying Qiaoqiao could only stand there pale-faced and unable to move.

　　Chu Taishang became certain she knew something when he saw her reaction. “Did you use some dirty tricks? Tell me the truth—now!” He released a cold roar, causing a giant hand to form in front of him that immediately reached towards her as though intent on forcing it out. Ying Qiaoqiao had no way to defend against an attack from a Golden Core; she didn’t even have the ability to evade and could only hold up her head and gaze at it in fear.

　　Just at this moment, Hu Qin—who’d been quietly watching from the side—released a sigh and a shabby spike lute ¹ appeared beside him. Its entire body was tainted yellow with a simple design and a shiny handle. Although it was impossible to tell what the strings were made of, they looked to be from the tail of a horse, soft and gentle.

　　The strings began to move without wind, as though being plucked by an invisible hand. An ear-piercing sound rose up, sudden and extreme, carrying with it the unspeakable feeling of something being torn asunder.

　　Woosh ….

　　Just as the strings began to vibrate, it seemed as though an invisible sword light shot towards the giant hand formed by Chu Taishang, causing Chu Taishang to immediately move backwards in surprise. The giant hand was suddenly sliced into two, and although it looked as though only a strong gust of wind had passed through the falling snow, a deep crack splintered the ground in front of Ying Qiaoqiao.

　　“Fellow Daoist Hu Qin, what… what did you do that for?” Chu Taishang yelled in astonishment. In front of the strongest person in Chufung, he did not dare to be careless.

　　Old man Hu Qin didn’t respond and simply drew down from the air like a floating piece of ice. Once he landed, he waved towards Ying Qiaoqiao, who immediately ran behind him. He patted her lightly on the shoulder before turning to Chu Taishang. “Since this child has already won the trial, she has become my fourth pupil and will succeed the Dragon-String Guzheng. What kind of position are you putting me into if you try to take her in front of me?”

　　Chu Taishang was a bit startled by this, but he growled after only a moment’s pause. “There’s something wrong with this trial; it cannot be counted! This girl must have used some kind of scheme to win this round. I merely wanted to take her to ask for the precise details….”

　　“Even if there was something wrong, how do you know it wasn’t the will of the heavens?” old man Hu Qin calmly replied. “Since she won, she is my fourth pupil. If you want to ask anything of her, you must first go through me. If you dare try to take her without going through me again, I shall break your hands!”

　　“You….” Chu Taishang was dumbstruck. His expression was filled with anger and surprise, and he wasn’t even able to speak a full sentence.

　　Everyone else present—Prince Chu Huang, Princess Chu Ci, and the red-robed Yin Servant—were all surprised as they felt a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts. The usually gentle Hu Qin had suddenly become furious, and even the heavens and earth changed their presence. How could anyone take this lightly anymore?

　　Chu Huang in particular felt vigilant. When the old man Hu Qin spoke, Prince Chu Huang could feel Hu Qin’s spirit sense sweep over him as well—those words were also being directed partially towards him! Although the three strikes he’d delivered to Ying Qiaoqiao were within the rules, the old man Hu Qin had still become angry, and he’d borrowed this chance to deliver a warning not only to Prince Chu Huang’s grand elder, but to him as well….