On the morning of the second day, Zhuang Xun controlled Bai Yujing to come to the shade of a tree outside the Seventh Courtyard's martial arts field.
A female disciple near the entrance who was tempering her strength caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye and froze.
Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she turned her head back to look at the cold, aloof figure under the shade of the tree, who looked like an exiled immortal. It really was Bai Yujing.
Her mouth fell open in excitement. Just as she was about to call her companion over to take a look, she saw Bai Yujing gesturing for her to come over.
She looked around, then pointed a finger at herself tentatively. Upon seeing Senior Brother Bai nod, she immediately jogged over in excitement.
“U-Um, Senior Brother Bai, is there something you need me for?”
“Could I trouble Junior Sister to call Yan Pingsheng for me? Yujing would be most grateful.”
“Ah, yes! Of course, Senior Brother Bai!”
Having received her task from Bai Yujing, the female disciple did not dare to delay and ran back to the martial arts field without stopping.
By this time, many other disciples had also noticed Bai Yujing. Seeing the female disciple return, several of her acquaintances immediately gathered around to ask her about it.
“Quick! Help me find where Senior Brother Yan Pingsheng is!” Before they could even speak, the female disciple beat them to it.
Then, she stood on her tiptoes, scanned the area, and shouted, “Yan Pingsheng! Senior Brother Yan Pingsheng! Senior Brother Bai is looking for you at the entrance! Hurry up and go over!”
The other female disciples also helped her shout, “Yan Pingsheng! Senior Brother Yan Pingsheng!”
All at once, every disciple on the martial arts field knew that Bai Yujing was looking for Yan Pingsheng at the entrance.
“Yan Pingsheng is over here!”
In a corner of the martial arts field, Zhang Tie pointed at Yan Pingsheng and bellowed.
Everyone then watched as the chubby, ordinary-looking Yan Pingsheng walked somewhat dazedly toward the shouting female disciples.
“Senior Brother Bai is looking for me?”
“Yes! Senior Brother Bai is right under the tree by the entrance! Hurry on over!”
“Oh, okay.”
Urged on by the female disciples, Yan Pingsheng jogged over.
The other disciples on the martial arts field followed closely behind him, crowding around the entrance to peek.
Under the shade of the tree, Bai Yujing stood with his arms crossed, his eyes gazing into the distance. The wind ruffled the tips of his hair, making the scene look as beautiful as a painting.
When Yan Pingsheng came within ten paces, Bai Yujing turned his head. His voice was as serene and pleasant as a pebble dropping into an ancient pool.
“Have you decided which courtyard you will go to?”
Yan Pingsheng stopped and said, “Senior Brother Bai, if I can secure a spot in the Upper Two Courts, I will probably go to the Posuo Courtyard.”
“Understood.” Bai Yujing turned and walked away.
Yan Pingsheng watched his departing figure. After a moment, An Dafu's anxious voice sounded in his ear.
“Pingsheng, you're so foolish! Senior Brother Bai was clearly hinting for you to go to the Formless Courtyard just now. How could you say you're going to the Posuo Courtyard?”
“No, Senior Brother Bai was just asking which courtyard I wanted to go to.”
“No, you don't understand the subtext of Senior Brother Bai's words...”
And now you're doing reading comprehension analysis for me.
Zhuang Xun shook his head, utterly silencing An Dafu with a single sentence.
“Senior Brother Bai doesn't overthink things like that.”
At this moment, the others also crowded around, chattering in envy.
“Brother Yan, Senior Brother Bai actually came to ask you which courtyard you want to go to on his own initiative?”
Zhuang Xun said, “I didn't expect it either.”
“Senior Brother Yan, Senior Brother Bai takes such good care of you. He even made a special trip just for you.”
“Senior Brother Yan, you...”
Zhuang Xun spent quite a while answering the disciples' questions, only managing to leave after satisfying their curiosity.
This should do it. No one should dare to play dirty tricks on me during the martial competition of the promotion assessment... Zhuang Xun thought to himself. He packed up his things and left through the exit behind the martial arts field to avoid being surrounded and questioned again when the next batch of disciples arrived.
Fifteen minutes after Bai Yujing left, Chen Jinzhu came running over in a hurry, panting heavily as she looked around.
“Where is Senior Brother Bai?”
“Fifth Young Lady, Senior Brother Bai has naturally already left,” Chen Qing'er said with a sigh of helplessness, gently wiping the fine beads of sweat from Chen Jinzhu's smooth, fair forehead with a handkerchief.
“Ugh! How annoying! Why does that guy get to enjoy Senior Brother Bai's favor? I want it too, hmph!”
“Fifth Young Lady, if you want to gain Senior Brother Bai's favor, you could try starting with Yan Pingsheng.”
Chen Jinzhu's eyes lit up, and she asked, “How do I do that?”
“All you need to do is...”
...
Inside a private room on the third floor of the Heavenly Guest, Liang Shaohua said calmly to his subordinates, “During tomorrow's promotion assessment, if you run into Yan Pingsheng, forfeit immediately. Understood?”
In the Outer Court, inside a garden funded by the Chen family, the petite Chen Jinzhu sat on a stone table with her legs crossed and arms folded, ordering her subordinates, “Encountering Yan Pingsheng tomorrow is the same as encountering me. You all know what to do, right?”
On the stone path outside the gardens of the Outer Court, a figure standing with perfect posture muttered to himself, “The new Four Great Experts of the Outer Court: the 'Ascetic' Yu Xiao, the 'Sleepless Scholar' Li Zigeng, the 'Green Leaf' Chen Qing'er, and the 'Crouching Tiger' Yan Pingsheng. Interesting. Have so many juniors emerged in the Outer Court during the days I, Little Yujing, was away?”
A timely breeze blew past, brushing against Yu Wuyong's deliberately pursed thin lips, his flared narrow nose, his wide-staring eyes, and the cold expression he forced by furrowing his brows.
Gazing ahead, he said coolly, “Pass the word to all the disciples of the Outer Court. The number one under Senior Brother Bai, the eternal number two of the Outer Court—Little Yujing, Yu Wuyong—has returned!”
“Whoever wishes to challenge me, Wuyong is waiting at any time!”
Two female disciples who happened to walk past behind Yu Wuyong froze. They looked around, then glanced at Yu Wuyong's back, whispering to each other:
“Is he talking to us?”
“It seems so. We're the only two here.”
“Do you know him?”
“No, I've never seen him before.”
“Ah? Let's get out of here, quick.”
The two female disciples quickened their pace and left, while Yu Wuyong remained standing on the spot with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
Two shichen later, he opened his eyes, feeling slightly disappointed.
“Does no one dare to challenge me, Wuyong?”
“Loneliness, solitude, coldness, exhaustion, numbness...” He slowly placed his hand over his heart.
“Is this how Senior Brother Bai feels on a daily basis? Senior Brother Bai, Wuyong can finally understand you a little now.”
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