The music ended, the dance finished, and the ball fell to the ground.
All was silent on the eastern and western boats and decks; only the autumn moon shone white in the heart of the river.
Su Mo wore an expression of utter despair and said crossly, “There’s no way you came up with this idea.”
“It was my sister. She said if I danced this for you, you’d definitely be happy.” Right now, Ye Qing Yi looked adorably foolish. If anyone else saw her, they’d think she was some lovestruck simpleton trying to please the girl he adored.
Su Mo covered his face. “This is why the younger sister can’t outplay the older sister. I don’t know if I’m happy or not, but I guarantee she’s laughing her head off right now, and she’s definitely got an ultra-HD recording of it.”
Ye Qing Yi’s expression changed. Fuming, she turned around to go have it out with her sister hiding in the back.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, then walked back toward Su Mo with a mischievous grin. “Wait a minute—if Su Mo makes a fool of himself, what does that have to do with me, Ye Qing Yi? Are you trying to trick me into deleting that video for you?”
Su Mo gave an awkward cough. “No…”
Ye Qing Yi shot him a knowing glance. “Hmph, you think I’m stupid? I’m actually pretty smart, you know.”
She took the chance to get close to Su Mo and started feeling him up with both hands. “Let me see—after all this time apart, how’s your development?”
“Hey, hey, hey—” Su Mo slapped her hands away. “What are you doing? Is this how blatant people get about being perverts nowadays?”
Ye Qing Yi spread her hands, looking genuinely shocked. “Is it illegal for me to touch my own girlfriend?”
Su Mo emphasized, “Boyfriend.”
“Same thing,” she said, and lunged at him again.
They chased each other around for a few minutes. Then Ye Qing Yi suddenly sped up, caught Su Mo, and asked with a beaming smile, “Someone out there has dirt on your embarrassing past. Want to get back at her?”
“How?” Su Mo’s mind was still sluggish, not fully present, because he had things weighing on his heart.
“Just follow my lead.”
She started adjusting their positions. Once she had them set up just right, she suddenly cupped Su Mo’s face, leaned down, and kissed him.
Su Mo’s whole body tensed up from the kiss, but his eyes instinctively closed.
The kiss didn’t last long—just a few seconds.
As soon as they parted, Ye Qing Yi mouthed something in a certain direction, as if saying: Single dog!
“Your turn,” Ye Qing Yi said gleefully.
Su Mo looked embarrassed. “I’d better not. I’m afraid she’ll kill me.”
“Chicken. My sister is your sister too. What are you afraid of?” Ye Qing Yi shot him a disdainful look.
Su Mo sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s exactly why I’m afraid.”
“Then you’re still a chicken.”
Meanwhile, at a spot perfectly perpendicular to the two of them, where she had a clear view of their kiss, Ye Qing Yu punched a giant boulder next to her.
The boulder obediently cracked into eight pieces.
She ground her teeth, her eyes fierce. “You little—Ye Qing Yi! Not only do you force-feed me dog food, but you dare mock me for being a single dog?”
She was just about to go give her treasonous little sister a piece of her mind when she noticed a gaze from a small grove nearby, fixed on this spot.
“Why are there so many A-grades around these days?” Ye Qing Yu pretended not to notice and slowly edged toward the grove. But the other person showed no sign of leaving, so she simply strode over.
On a stone bench in the grove sat a woman with silver hair and violet eyes, strikingly beautiful. She looked a bit older than Ye Qing Yu—probably around thirty.
Neither spoke first. They just stared at each other.
After a full minute, Ye Qing Yu frowned. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
“Who I am and what I’m doing—does that concern you?” Hong raised an eyebrow. She had been waiting here for a while. Not only had she seen Su Mo change his appearance, but she also knew that “she” was fooling around with a man…
(* ￣3)(ε￣ *)
Just thinking about it made her furious—since you’ve become our king’s consort, why are you still messing around with some other man outside?
The tension between them was immediate. She could tell that the woman in front of her was connected to that other man.
And Ye Qing Yu instinctively assumed she wanted to harm Su Mo and Ye Qing Yi.
Hum!
A wave of intense spiritual energy rippled out from the space between them as their forces clashed. Leaves rustled loudly, and a flock of birds took flight in alarm.
“You just broke through to A-grade recently, didn’t you, sister?” Ye Qing Yu said casually.
Hong frowned. She couldn’t tell the exact cultivation level of the person before her—it was like looking through a fog, hazy and unclear. All she knew was that she was also A-grade.
“What do you want?” Hong asked warily.
“Nothing in particular. If I’m not wrong, you’re from Xia country, right? Your accent is pretty authentic.” Ye Qing Yu covered her mouth with a light laugh.
“Whether I am or not is none of your business.”
“No, no, no. It matters a great deal. It determines whether we’re enemies or friends.”
Hong gave a cold snort. “If you want to fight, then fight. Why all the useless talk?”
A purple gleam flashed, and a giant violet eye slowly opened behind her.
Heavenly Demon Eye · Soul Snatch!
Ye Qing Yu’s vision blurred. She was affected by the Soul Snatch and found herself at a disadvantage after just one exchange.
They fought hand-to-hand. Under the influence of Soul Snatch, Ye Qing Yu was suppressed at every turn by Hong. Just as she seemed about to lose, the corner of her mouth curled up. “Sister, your control here is strong, but your mental power is too weak. It doesn’t do much to me.”
Hong was startled and tried to pull back, but her opponent closed in, not giving her any chance to dodge.
“Now try this one.” Ye Qing Yu pivoted at the waist, twisting her body. A long, pale leg came crashing down from above, carrying within it a sharp, chilling blade intent.
Battle Heaven and Earth!
Hong blocked with both arms. Though she stopped Ye Qing Yu’s attack, the blade intent raged on, and a strand of silver hair was severed, falling to the ground.
“You lose.” Ye Qing Yu landed lightly and gave a soft smile.
Masters often settle their bouts in an instant. The winner and loser were already clear. Yet there was no disappointment in Hong’s eyes—only curiosity. “That was blade intent just now, wasn’t it? How did it come out through a leg technique?”
“Using your body as the blade is the highest essence of swordsmanship. If you need external tools to wield your ability, it’s not that strong,” Ye Qing Yu said generously.
“I stand corrected.” Hong admitted defeat with genuine respect.
Though their cultivation levels weren’t far apart, the other woman’s mastery of combat technique and intent was far beyond her own.
“Come on out, don’t hide anymore. Come introduce me to your friend.”
Su Mo and Ye Qing Yi stepped out from behind a nearby tree.
“Big Sister, long time no see,” Su Mo said, greeting Ye Qing Yu first, then introduced the two of them.
He was currently in Ye Qing Yi’s form, not Chiba Mashima.
Hong’s mind was in a whirl. After thinking it over for a long time, she finally said, “So you’re Ye Qing Yi, not Chiba Mashima?”
“Correct.”
“You told me your real identity. Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you?” Hong asked, expressionless.
Su Mo said with conviction, “Since our clans have formed an alliance, we should treat each other with honesty. A little secret like this is nothing.”
Hong was slightly moved by his serious demeanor. But then she remembered the intimate scene of him hugging and kissing that “man” beside him, and her anger flared up again.
“I don’t care whether you’re Ye Qing Yi or Chiba Mashima. Since you’ve become our king’s consort, you should not be entangled with anyone else.”
“Consort?!”
Ye Qing Yi and Ye Qing Yu both exclaimed at the same time.
The thing they’d been most worried about had indeed happened—Su Mo had started liking men!
