The White Moonlight Subdues Everyone with a Suona - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Na Na Na Na Na Na
Full of energy and impeccably articulated, her words lingered in everyone’s ears, leaving even elders like He Zhongxian feeling quite dazed. He used to think that because of his advanced age, he had seen it all. Only now did he realize that he was actually still so young.
Who knew that a person’s train of thought could be this complex?
Daoist Xuanfeng suddenly felt that whether he could ascend was uncertain, but if this female disciple said one more word, he would not be far from passing away!
To make matters worse, at this very moment, that sickly Rong Qingyuan softly chuckled again, speaking leisurely with a touch of delight, “Daoist Xuanfeng’s line of thinking is truly unique. Setting up this trial with such interconnected elements is marvelous indeed.”
Li Fuqing let out a snort of laughter. He detested this fake-sanctimonious old man Xuanfeng the most, so he followed Rong Qingyuan’s lead, clapping his hands and laughing loudly, “Marvelous, marvelous indeed.”
His tone was full of ridicule and quite a bit of gloating.
Daoist Xuanfeng was so infuriated by this master-disciple duo that his chest heaved. Li Fuqing looked too young on the outside, like an eleven or twelve-year-old youth.
Daoist Xuanfeng wanted to argue with him, yet could not bring himself to lower his dignity, forcefully swallowing a breath of anger that he had nowhere to release.
“This trial has only just begun,” Daoist Xuan Feng said stiffly, “The dangers of the firmament can only be faced alone. What is more, in the hint just now, there is still a phrase they have not deciphered.”
He was not wrong. Inside the water mirror, the disciples each had their own thoughts.
The hot-tempered Zhong Ziqi was the first to agree, saying excitedly, “I think Daoist Ji’s words make sense! We ought to go poke a hole right through the sky!”
Pei Leye was equally unwilling to fall behind, “I listen to Senior—Daoist Ji in everything!”
The young girl Jiang Ju nodded silently, already standing behind Ji Bingyu.
Ji Bingyu nodded at them one by one, her gaze naturally falling upon Xie Yu’an next to Jiang Ju. Compared to Pei Leye and the others who chose to side with Ji Bingyu without a moment’s hesitation, Xie Yu’an’s choice was clearly more difficult.
Unlike the thoughtless Pei Leye, Zhong Ziqi who had his family’s protection, or Jiang Ju who had no burdens, Xie Yu’an carried far too much weight on his shoulders. His elder brother had already been eliminated in the second trial, which meant that today’s Xie Yu’an was now the highest-ranking member of the Xie family among the new disciples in this tournament. This signified that Xie Yu’an’s years of lying low had paid off. A corner of the endless dark night was quietly lifted by the dawn. Xie Yu’an’s years of scheming were finally coming to light, and an era belonging to him had arrived!
From now on, as long as Xie Yu’an was willing, the family would be willing to tilt the best resources toward him. He was no longer that helpless, pitiable boy who was manipulated and bullied by others—provided that Xie Yu’an did not fall in this trial.
Unlike the hot-blooded Pei Leye, Xie Yu’an had lived under someone else’s roof since childhood, fully experiencing the fickle nature of the world. His mind had so many twists and turns that it could almost be tied into a Chinese knot. Although he was extremely grateful to Ji Bingyu for lending a helping hand when he was most helpless in the first trial, and even now, remembering Ji Bingyu’s grand and imposing stance back then still made his heart flutter slightly.
Since that was the case.
Xie Yu’an lowered his eyes, his slender eyelashes casting a shadow over his eyelids. Since that was the case, then he would choose her. But equally, he also had to make Ji Bingyu understand how great a price he paid, and how high a risk he took.
A complex web of thoughts flashed by in a single instant.
Xie Yu’an’s eyelashes trembled slightly, carrying a somewhat pitiful (?) air, as he whispered softly, “I—”
“I also think Daoist Ji’s words make sense.”
The ordinary-looking disciple who spoke earlier suddenly opened his mouth. He had kept his head down all this time, but now he raised it. Ji Bingyu turned her head and was surprised to find that on such an unremarkable face, there was actually a pair of exceptionally clean and clear eyes.
In an instant, countless clichés from early web novels flashed through Ji Bingyu’s mind.
Lines like ‘on an ordinary face, only a pair of eyes shone crystal clear,’ or ‘the CEO fell in love with Cinderella at first sight, praising her beautiful eyes in his heart’ replayed in Ji Bingyu’s mind.
Perhaps this kind of role-playing gave Ji Bingyu, who was forced to play the “white moonlight,” a sudden sense of mutual sympathy.
Her gaze grew increasingly gentle.
Seeing this, the disciple seemed a bit embarrassed under her gaze. He lowered his eyes slightly, a smile carrying a bit of gentle bashfulness, and bowed earnestly to Ji Bingyu, “I am Shen Hege. I fully agree with Daoist Ji’s explanation just now and am willing to travel alongside you.”
Xie Yu’an, whose lines were inexplicably stolen: …
He froze on the spot.
With the sincere Shen Hege setting a gold standard beforehand, Xie Yu’an’s dramatic performance was doomed to fail.
B-But… Xie Yu’an, who had always been the one setting traps for others and never trapped by anyone else, suddenly felt an unwarranted sense of grievance.
I was the one who was first!
—
Outside the water mirror—
Li Fuqing knitted his brows as he watched the scene, feeling that something was not quite right, “Master, don’t you think that disciple named Xie Yu’an is a bit strange?”
Rong Qingyuan smiled calmly, “It matters not.”
He lowered his eyes and smoothed out the folds on his sleeves, saying in an unhurried manner, “They are merely tricks your master used to play long ago.”
Li Fuqing: “…”
Something sounded off about those words. Recalling how Rong Qingyuan used tea-flavored, manipulative words in the Changqing Sect to infuriate others to death, and looking at this young disciple who clearly lacked sufficient skill, Li Fuqing wisely chose to remain silent.
However, Li Fuqing remembered that this disciple named Xie Yu’an came from the Golden Phoenix Xie family. The Xie family’s ancestors were on good terms with the long-extinct Phoenix Clan. Blessed by their ancestors, it was said that they possessed the last piece of Phoenix feather bone in the world, which earned them the elegant title of “Golden Phoenix Xie Family.”
Yet, whether as the former Demon Lord or as a disciple under the Xueyu Peak of the Changqing Sect, Li Fuqing did not particularly like the people of the Xie family.
Hypocritical, sly, and profit-driven.
Time flies like a white horse passing a crevice. The Xie family, whom even the proud Phoenixes—who would ‘neither perch on anything other than a paulownia tree nor drink from anything other than a sweet spring’—were once willing to befriend, had been reduced to a sorry state under the mockery of time. Their pride was ultimately corroded by the mud, leaving behind an empty shell filled with decay.
The Golden Phoenix Xie family was already shiny on the outside, but rotten on the inside.
Wearing biased glasses, Li Fuqing said with a stern face, “As expected of someone from the Golden Phoenix Xie family.”
In any case, compared to Xuanyuan Fentian and his group, Li Fuqing found his future junior sister more and more pleasing to the eye.
Meanwhile, Daoist Xuanfeng, who was also sitting in front of the water mirror, clearly noticed Xie Yu’an’s hesitation. A disciple behind him whispered Xie Yu’an’s background and origins. Daoist Xuan Feng nodded slightly.
His face, which had been turned blue with anger by Ji Bingyu, began to soften, his brows relaxing with a touch of satisfaction, “So he is a child from the Golden Phoenix Xie family.”
Daoist Xuanfeng took it for granted that as a fellow noble family child, Xie Yu’an should side with them—that was, Xuanyuan Fentian’s side.
Thus, Daoist Xuanfeng was extremely pleased that Xie Yu’an had not echoed Ji Bingyu’s sentiment.
“Coming from a prominent family makes a difference after all.”
Daoist Xuanfeng glanced around, giving Rong Qingyuan a meaningful look before stating, “There is an old saying in the mortal realm that goes, ‘Dragons give birth to dragons, and phoenixes give birth to phoenixes.’ I see that the same applies here.”
Daoist Xuanfeng let out a light sneer, carrying a hint of contempt, “Some disciples are shortsighted and easily egged on by people with ulterior motives. They have nothing but foolish enthusiasm, which is utterly laughable. But those born into large families are different. Take this Xie Yu’an for example.”
Daoist Xuanfeng deliberately addressed Chang Qingzi, “I observe that this disciple is calm and cautious, with bright eyes. It is clear that he is a person of vision and depth. He did not choose to go with the flow, but rather observed others and remained silent. Only a disciple with such a broad horizon, who has seen the world, will make the most correct judgment in the end.”
Just as Daoist Xuanfeng finished his words, a soft laugh came from beside his ear.
Rong Qingyuan raised his eyes, speaking leisurely, “It seems Daoist Xuanfeng believes that this disciple surnamed Xie will definitely not choose that disciple surnamed Ji?”
Daoist Xuanfeng declared decisively, “I said it, he will definitely choose the correct path!”
The moment the words left his mouth, inside the water mirror, the gloomy-faced disciple surnamed Xie suddenly burst into a smile.
His dark expression instantly turned gentle and harmless, pure and moving, “There were too many people talking just now, so I couldn’t get a word in. I also want to go with Daoist Ji. Daoist Ji’s choice will definitely not go wrong.”
Daoist Xuanfeng in front of the water mirror: “…”
He could not even remember which time this was that he had been slapped in the face since the trial began. If it were not for his extreme confidence in his own strength, Daoist Xuanfeng would have suspected whether he had been bewitched.
“Will definitely choose the correct path, huh.”
In the dead silence, Rong Qingyuan repeated Daoist Xuanfeng’s words, and then came to a sudden realization, “It appears Daoist Xuanfeng truly likes this disciple surnamed Ji very much.”
