Qi Yu smiled as Feng Mingqi raised his phoenix-like gaze.
*Hmph.*
She knew what Feng Mingqi was thinking.
However, in the Demon Realm, she always wore women's clothing, and her demeanor and personality were vastly different. This brat wouldn't be able to guess who she was even if he tried his best.
Feng Mingqi looked at Qi Yu's face, thought for a moment, and felt he might have been overthinking things. He was just about to say something else.
But before he could even open his mouth, Si Qing walked over from the side, handing him a broom. "Junior Brother Feng, cultivation starts from the very basics, so today's cleaning duty falls to you. The mountain, the stairs, the courtyard, and all the rooms of your fellow disciples – everything needs to be tidied up."
Si Qing smiled. "Senior Brother is doing this for your own good."
Feng Mingqi almost crushed the broom, forcing a smile. "Is that so? Then I truly thank Senior Brother."
Did this Senior Brother Si Qing have a grudge against him?!
He was bullying him!
Qi Yu watched the spectacle with amusement.
She had originally planned to play a small trick on Feng Mingqi, but now that Si Qing had stepped in, she wouldn't interfere.
"You're welcome, Junior Brother Feng," Si Qing said, then reached out and pulled Qi Yu next to him. "Brother and I will be leaving now."
Feng Mingqi nodded with a smile, and the broom in his hand made a cracking sound.
The handle of the broom had snapped.
Qi Yu glanced around, her peripheral vision suddenly catching sight of Li Yu not far away.
She cleared her throat, nudged Si Qing with her elbow, and lowered her voice. "Si Qing, you're being too obvious. It's not good. If Master finds out, it'll be terrible."
She gestured towards Li Yu's direction behind her.
What if Feng Mingqi complained?
"Is that so? I actually think it's not good to have Feng Mingqi clean the entire mountain, but the words are already out," Si Qing glanced back, then quickly turned to whisper to Qi Yu. "Besides, I don't like this Feng Mingqi. Giving up now feels a bit unwilling. I just want to play a trick on him."
"...If I remember correctly, you two only met recently, right? What kind of grudge do you have with him?" Qi Yu looked at Si Qing, her expression full of confusion.
"...No grudge, no hate, no resentment. I just find him displeasing, a bit jealous..." When Si Qing returned from the Underworld, he had already sent someone to investigate the situation of the two princes and the princess of the Demon Realm. He knew that Feng Mingqi was the second child of his father and mother in this lifetime.
Si Qing felt indignant.
Why did he have to grow up alone in the Immortal Realm, while this guy could have his mother's complete love from childhood?!
Even though Feng Mingqi had only just met his father and hadn't officially acknowledged him yet.
But no matter what, he had one!
Much better than him and his sister!
So he just found Feng Mingqi displeasing.
Qi Yu looked bewildered. "Jealous? What are you jealous of?"
Feng Mingqi was indeed handsome, especially with his demon bloodline, which amplified his charm and made him look quite alluring.
But... Si Qing wasn't bad-looking either, and his talent might even be better than Feng Mingqi's.
What was there about Feng Mingqi that made him jealous?
"Hey, Brother, if you don't understand, don't ask," Si Qing pulled Qi Yu's arm. "Feng Mingqi seems to be preparing to sweep. Just like you said, if Master really asks, and this guy exaggerates and says something to Master, wouldn't we be at a disadvantage? I'd even drag you down with me to get scolded. So, is there any way to prevent Master from knowing, and still play a trick on him?"
Qi Yu fell into thought.
Having lived for over two hundred years, she had done many things, but she had never really played a trick on someone.
Feng Mingqi was from the Demon Realm, he had seen all sorts of monsters and ghosts, so scaring him wouldn't work.
If they set a trap, the demons had very keen senses, so it probably wouldn't work on him either.
But if it got out of hand, that wouldn't be good.
"Hmm... Junior Brother Si Qing, I also have a good idea. How about we bring Feng Mingqi into our little group?" Qi Yu suggested. "It would be good to bring Feng Mingqi into our group. When we go out to some secret realms or do missions, we can let him go first. Don't worry, he'll be fine."
In terms of cultivation, Feng Mingqi's demonic cultivation level was not low. Ordinary demons and ghosts couldn't harm him. The monsters that could injure Feng Mingqi, Li Yu wouldn't let them encounter.
"That's a good idea, but I just made him clean. How can I tell him to stop now? I can't exactly say I thought about it and regretted it, and decided not to let you clean anymore, can I?" Si Qing pouted. "If I say that, it'll sound like I'm afraid of something, which is why I'm stopping you from cleaning."
Qi Yu wanted to laugh. "Aren't you afraid of Master finding out, which is why you're preparing to stop?"
Si Qing was silent for a moment. He thought about it and realized it was true.
He stared at Feng Mingqi's direction. After a long internal struggle, he finally strode forward, snatched the broom from Feng Mingqi's hand, and gestured with his chin.
"Junior Brother Feng, stop sweeping. I suddenly remembered that today isn't a cleaning day. You should come down the mountain with us. Let's go to the market and buy some good food to celebrate your joining the sect."
First, give this kid some benefits, then take him as a subordinate, and let him scout ahead in the future!
Feng Mingqi looked at Si Qing with suspicion.
Someone who had clearly intended to play a trick on you suddenly gives you a friendly smile and invites you to buy things and celebrate with you.
It looked like he had ulterior motives!
However, despite his thoughts, Feng Mingqi didn't say anything. He smiled and nodded, and the three of them walked side-by-side like close brothers to find Li Yu and apply for permission to go down the mountain.
Li Yu was originally preparing for the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony and didn't intend to agree to them going down the mountain.
But then he considered that for events like the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony, most of the preparatory work was done by the elders of each sect.
The younger disciples like Qi Yu didn't have much to do and didn't need to go too early. Agreeing seemed fine.
So he waved his hand and granted permission.
Upon arriving at the market.
Feng Mingqi's vigilance gradually relaxed as he took in the novel sights around him.
Si Qing, seeing all sorts of snacks by the roadside, pulled Qi Yu along, buying things everywhere.
Feng Mingqi walked between them, holding a skewer of meat in his left hand and a candied haw in his right, feeling that everything looked delicious.
"I never thought the human market would be so fun. It's much more fun than where I used to live," Feng Mingqi momentarily forgot that he was a demon.
"Right? I also think humans are amazing. They can make such strange snacks. I didn't used to eat anything," said Si Qing, who had also forgotten to hide his true identity as a Divine Venerable.
"Yes, humans are really interesting," said Qi Yu, who was not human in the first place and didn't notice anything unusual about Si Qing's words.
The three of them walked and stopped in the market, browsing every stall from beginning to end. They carried several small snacks in their hands, and their storage bags were bulging.
After finishing their shopping, Qi Yu looked at the powder shop at the front and felt a bit restless. She wanted to go in and browse, but before she could find an excuse to step inside, she was called by a familiar voice.
"Junior Brother Qi Yu!" Yue Zhi waved from behind, shouting as he ran over.
Si Qing and Feng Mingqi turned their heads and bowed. "Senior Brother."
Yue Zhi placed his hands on Feng Mingqi and Si Qing's shoulders and looked at Qi Yu, who had just bowed to him. "Have you three finished buying things? If so, let's go back early. Tonight, all disciples must enter the formation for the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony and prepare to participate."
"Ah, the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony. According to reason, it should have started several days ago. Are we only entering the formation now?" Si Qing asked Yue Zhi curiously.
Perhaps it was the difference in perspective. In the past, when he participated in the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony, he was the Divine Venerable being worshipped by everyone.
Therefore, he had to enter the formation from the beginning of the ceremony, sit on the highest divine throne, and continuously accept the blessings of the cultivators in the immortal world, bestow blessings upon them, and then continue to accept the next round of blessings... and so on, repeating the process.
So, in the Nine Heavens, he found the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony quite tedious because it felt boring and troublesome.
Now that he had become an ordinary cultivator, he realized that ordinary cultivators did not need to enter the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony's barrier to worship so early.
Ordinary cultivators were protected by their sects and cared for by their masters. They had elders to handle any major issues, and they could eat and drink as they pleased, and report anyone who bullied them.
When compared carefully... it was truly more joyful than life in the Nine Heavens.
He wondered why humans would want to cultivate and ascend, and become gods.
Si Qing mused inwardly.
"The Immortal Cultivation Ceremony started several days ago, but there are many gods to be worshipped. The requirement for eligible cultivators is Nascent Soul stage or above, and those who have been in the immortal world for 50 years. You are still young, so naturally, you don't need to enter so early."
Yue Zhi walked beside them as he spoke.
"Originally, Master told me to call you over later, but I thought you would prepare more things since it's your first time participating, so I planned to call you in advance. But I couldn't find you in your rooms and learned that you had gone out."
"We saw that Junior Brother Feng had just joined the sect, so we wanted to celebrate with him," Qi Yu said, then pulled Si Qing next to her. "Si Qing suggested it."
"Ah, speaking of which, when Si Qing joined the sect, he didn't seem to have such a special celebration for Qi Yu either," Yue Zhi thought for a moment. "How about after the ceremony, I and the other junior brothers and sisters will celebrate the three of you together?"
The three of Qi Yu nodded together and thanked Yue Zhi.
Upon returning to the sect, Yue Zhi stood in front of Qi Yu, Si Qing, and Feng Mingqi, but did not leave. Instead, he suddenly took out a small notebook and said mysteriously.
"By the way, do you want to participate in the challenge competition? This is a traditional event of the Immortal Cultivation Ceremony. You challenge a disciple from a certain sect, and if you win, you can make a request to the opponent, or ask for 'Ya Sui Qian' (a form of compensation) from their sect, or something else."
"Ah, is that so?" Qi Yu thought carefully and suddenly asked, "Will Shen Yunwen of the Xuanyue Sect also be there then?"
"Shen Yunwen? Ah, who is that?" Yue Zhi recalled carefully. After a while, he tapped his hand with his fist. "I remember now. She's the second disciple under Dao Venerable Suo of the Xuanyue Sect, right? She'll definitely be there. Do you want to challenge her?"
Qi Yu nodded.
Then, the words Shen Yunwen had said while pulling Dao Venerable Suo flashed in her mind:
[She's just a sentient mirror, trying her best to steal the spiritual energy of her fellow disciples!]
Although she had never held a grudge against anyone from the Xuanyue Sect since she gained consciousness, and had not sought revenge, it did not mean she had no heart and did not feel pain.
It was just that, compared to hatred, revenge, falling into demonic ways, or taking lives, she preferred to use straightforward methods to make those who wronged her kneel on the ground.
Now that her injuries had largely healed, it was time to settle the scores with those from the Xuanyue Sect one by one.
First, she would start with Shen Yunwen, who had slandered her in the Xuanyue Sect.