"I... I lost..."
Hearing these words, a ripple finally appeared in Yino’s cold eyes.
His gaze was no longer as stern and gloomy. It was just like the first time Ruzhi lost to him in the dual pupil world. Even though he was the victor, he had drawn his sword and shown a hint of gentleness to her, the defeated foe.
Comparing the two, it was only after Ruzhi experienced Yino’s truly brutal side that she realized the young man who had kindly persuaded her back then was actually so gentle and approachable.
Gasp!
The moment the word ’gentle’ crossed her mind, Ruzhi’s body reacted instinctively. She slumped weakly against Yino’s chest, suddenly clamping her legs together beneath her skirt as her body trembled uncontrollably.
She could feel something about to break through the floodgates and leak out.
It was just like the swollen and damp sensation she felt when she first lost to Yino and was poisoned.
At that time, Yino had also looked at her with such a soft gaze.
But now, Ruzhi had completely exhausted her spiritual energy. Even her physical body was sore and utterly drained from being beaten up by Yino. Where would she find the spare strength to keep the gates closed and prevent her flued from leaking out?
Under these circumstances, Ruzhi’s sudden spasm was simply her body developing a sort of muscle memory. The moment she saw Yino’s eyes, she would relive that unbearably humiliating experience. The frustration of surrendering, the shame, and the past muscle memory combined...
Drip... Drip...
Tiny splashes fell silently to the ground.
For a brief moment, Ruzhi suddenly widened her dual pupils, looking up at Yino’s eyes as if her thoughts had completely frozen.
At that moment, Yino seemed to notice something as well.
He gasped, his composure slipping for a second as he quickly reached out to support the trembling girl in his arms. "I advise you to hold it in. This isn’t the dual pupil world. It will be hard to explain if you really make a fool of yourself in public."
Yino kept his voice low, but on the surface, he still pretended that nothing was wrong.
Hearing this, Ruzhi finally snapped out of her daze.
Thinking of the consequences of a single slip-up, she grew even more terrified and clamped her legs tighter beneath her skirt. Even her upturned face and purple dual pupils flushed with an unprecedented redness.
To prevent Ruzhi from truly leaking out, Yino could only let the girl lean against his chest. He gently wrapped one arm around her waist, using his palm to inject spiritual energy into her body to keep the valve firmly shut.
At the same time, Yino deliberately asked loudly in public.
"Miss Ruzhi, you just surrendered, right?"
"Huh?"
Ruzhi froze for a second, glancing back at the many cultivators in the spectator stands.
Savoring the taste of public defeat, her stomach cramped once more. Yet, an unprecedented smile of relief appeared on her face.
"I surrender..."
"Your voice is too quiet. The host can’t hear you."
"I surrender! I admit that you are stronger than me!"
Finally convinced, the young woman gave up her stubbornness and loudly acknowledged Yino’s strength in public.
The entire venue erupted into an uproar once more at her words.
"In this round of the martial arts tournament, He Yino of the Wuji Sect wins!"
The hosting elder stood up and announced the result of the match in a deep voice.
On the Dao Testing Pavilion stage, Yino finally smiled after confirming that the match result had been registered.
He tightened his grip around the girl in the black dress, directly scooping Ruzhi up into a princess carry in public. He then took to the skies on his sword, turning into a blur.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures on the Dao Testing Pavilion stage dashed out of the Immortal Alliance Pavilion and vanished without a trace before the hosting elder could even finish speaking.
"?"
In the spectator stands, the many disciples who were still hotly debating the match froze in place. They had not yet processed what had just happened.
"Did that Yino just carry away the little demoness from the Divine Abyss Gate?"
"I... I think I saw that too..."
"Wait, what’s going on?"
"Weren’t they just giving each other death glares?"
"Don’t ask me, I don’t know!"
"Huh... look, why does there seem to be a puddle of water on the stage?"
A sharp-eyed cultivator in the stands pointed out curiously.
The people nearby heard this but paid it no mind. "Water? Where would water come from? That is clearly the blood Yino coughed up while fighting Ruzhi!"
"But blood is red, right? That puddle looks pretty transparent..."
"Sigh, she probably drooled from getting beaten up!"
...
"Alright, there is no one here. Hurry up and deal with it once and for all."
At the entrance of an alley near the Immortal Alliance Pavilion, Yino returned to the spot where they first clashed that night. He spoke calmly to the girl in his arms.
Ruzhi blinked, looking a bit stunned. "W-why does it have to be here..."
"What, do you not recognize where this alley is?"
"I recognize it. This is where I stopped you last night..." Ruzhi recalled seriously, only to suddenly realize something. She let out a soft, embarrassed cry, her face flushing bright red. "Are you doing this on purpose!"
"So what if I am doing it on purpose? Didn’t you say the winner becomes king and the loser a prey? You are just the defeated party. Be glad I didn’t force you to resolve this in public."
Yino spoke disdainfully as he set the girl down.
The moment Ruzhi’s feet touched the ground, she felt as if she had been electrocuted. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed back onto the floor.
"But even so, I... I can’t even stand up..."
The girl looked up, feeling that she could no longer keep the floodgates shut. Even her beautiful eyes were filled with pleas as she looked at Yino.
Yino glanced at her. Thinking of something, he curled his lips into a wicked smile.
"Look at you. If you hadn’t insisted on fighting me to the bitter end, how would you have ended up beaten so badly that you can’t even take care of yourself?"
"Ruzhi, could it be that you are truly a masochist? Do you actually enjoy being whipped by me in public?"
"You pervert!"
Ruzhi was beyond furious and embarrassed.
But before she could speak again, Ruzhi suddenly found herself being lifted up from behind by Yino.
However, the strange way Yino held her this time made Ruzhi feel a sudden chill.
"This is fine, right? Just deal with it quickly facing this wall where you pinned me last night. I will take it as your sincere repentance and forgive you for offending me."
"???"
"Hurry up. Don’t force me to whistle."
"Wait!"
"Shh~"
"Eek!"
.
.
.
.
"Brother Ruxiu, is this the legendary peerless genius with the ancient dual pupils from your Divine Abyss Gate?"
At the Divine Abyss Gate’s seating area on the seventh floor, Lin Yuchen laughed out of sheer anger. He pointed toward the Dao Testing Pavilion and asked mockingly.
Inside the room, Wen Ruxiu, dressed in luxurious black and gold clothes, had long since turned gloomy. He sat alone in silence, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
"This is just great."
"The next round was supposed to be Ruzhi facing off against Lin Che. Now she has been directly defeated by Yino! What’s even funnier is that your incredibly talented sister was actually carried away in public by that bastard Yino!"
"Wen Ruxiu, tell me what we should do next. Hmm? If Lin Che really makes it to the top three in the tournament, my entire plan will be ruined!"
Lin Yuchen grew increasingly furious as he spoke. He could not help but step forward and slap the table hard.
On the other side, Wen Ruxiu slowly raised his head. His ancient golden dragon eyes glared at Lin Yuchen with intense hatred.
"Lin Yuchen, do you think I am happy that Ruzhi lost?"
"..."
Lin Yuchen did not dare to say anything else after being glared at, but he still could not swallow his anger.
He flicked his sleeve and walked away. However, just as he reached the door, Wen Ruxiu stopped him.
"According to my informants in the Northern Region, an ancient ruin that has been hidden for years in the Jianlan Sect’s Northern Region’s Secret Realm will open next spring or summer... That ruin contains the fallen legacy of the Primordial Sword Ancestor. When the time comes, Pei Zhihan, as the sole true inheritor of the Primordial Sword Dao, will definitely be drawn to this opportunity."
"So what?"
Lin Yuchen looked back, narrowing his cold eyes.
Wen Ruxiu sighed and impatiently crossed his arms.
"You are the eldest son of the Lin mansion. Do you really need me to teach you how to operate in a lawless place like a secret realm?"
"Of course I don’t need you to teach me! But I could have used this tournament to take down Pei Zhihan. Now my plan has failed, and it is all because of your disappointing sister!"
"I am her older brother, and I will sort out her issues myself"