Chapter 26 A Flower in a Greenhouse
"Saint Lord, this disciple has something to say."
Just as everyone was about to leave, Lin Yang stepped forward, his expression calm and indifferent, as though speaking of a trivial matter.
But in the eyes of the entire sect, this was no small matter at all.
The elders and disciples of the Moonwatch Holy Land all had their expressions change.
"Speak of it later."
The Hall of Enforcement's master's face turned cold. A powerful aura of authority erupted from him, one that would make even elders tremble.
But who was Lin Yang?
He was someone who viewed all as equals, with ambitions reaching higher than the heavens, a true protagonist.
Lin Yang walked up to Su Qingyue, touched his nose, and gave a bitter smile.
"Little junior sister, do you still remember me?"
He had stood in the crowd for so long, yet Su Qingyue had not once looked his way.
Could it be she had truly forgotten him?
Impossible.
They shared a deep friendship by the mountain's backwater pool, and Su Qingyue had once given him a precious spirit pill.
That spirit pill had directly saved his life.
It had to be that Su Qingyue simply had not noticed him.
If he did not seize this chance now, he might never see Su Qingyue again.
After all, their statuses were worlds apart, and the Saintess was not someone he could meet at will.
Who knew when Su Qingyue might leave the Moonwatch Holy Land?
"You are… the menial disciple from the backwater pool?"
Su Qingyue involuntarily took a step back, moving closer to Gu Qing.
Lin Yang's sudden bitter smile left her at a loss.
To outsiders, it might even look as though there was a story between them.
If Gu Qing misunderstood, that would be troublesome.
At this moment, Su Qingyue even regretted her actions. She had only wanted a walk to clear her mind—why had she interfered at all?
Had she known Lin Yang was such a person, she never should have pitied him in the first place.
"Oh…"
The crowd suddenly understood.
So Lin Yang was making a scene because he liked the Saintess.
Instantly, they all looked at Lin Yang with pity.
Su Qingyue was so beautiful and transcendent, with peerless talent. Nearly every male disciple in the Holy Land admired her.
But none of them dared express it in public.
The cold, merciless words of the Hall of Enforcement's master still rang in their ears.
Gu Qing, inwardly speechless, had assumed Lin Yang stopped everyone to challenge him.
After all, his status now was exalted, his talent outstanding, making him the perfect target to be struck down.
Lin Yang had indeed harbored hostility toward him.
Gu Qing had even prepared himself mentally for it.
Yet it turned out to be nothing more than a disappointment.
Lin Yang had gone straight to Su Qingyue.
Then again, if it had been some minor villain in his place, one who liked Su Qingyue, he would surely have already jumped out to be humiliated by now.
Tsk… tropes, all tropes.
It seemed Lin Yang was the type of protagonist who claimed not to stir up trouble, yet constantly provoked it.
"Yes, it is me, little junior sister…"
Seeing Su Qingyue still remembered him, Lin Yang's lips curled into a crooked smile.
"Shut your mouth, who is your little junior sister?"
Su Qingyue's anger flared instantly.
In the past, when Lin Yang called her that, it was only because he was older than her, and she had not bothered to argue with a menial disciple.
But now, before such a large crowd, if she acknowledged being his "little junior sister," her reputation would be ruined beyond repair.
"Uh…"
Lin Yang's smile froze, his crooked expression looking comical.
He had never expected Su Qingyue to deny him.
Could it be that after joining the Starry Sky Divine Palace, Su Qingyue now looked down on him?
No, impossible. Su Qingyue was pure of heart and kind. She would never scorn him.
Then…
Lin Yang's eyes turned toward Gu Qing.
Could it be Gu Qing had an unusual status and also liked Su Qingyue?
Was Su Qingyue deliberately saying this to protect him?
[Detected: Lin Yang harbors deep malice toward the host. Initiating luck plunder. Super Counter activated. 1000 fortune points plundered from Lin Yang.]
Lin Yang suddenly felt a jolt of unease, as if some invisible, mighty force had descended upon him, stripping something away from his body.
"Was it an illusion?" Lin Yang quickly recovered, unharmed, as though everything just now had been nothing more than his imagination.
The thought flashed by, and Lin Yang looked at Gu Qing with a calm expression, shrugging his shoulders as he said,
"You are little junior sister's senior brother?"
"Impudent."
"Lin Yang, how dare you provoke a true disciple of the Starry Sky Divine Palace?"
Before Gu Qing could respond, the elders and disciples of the Moonwatch Holy Land were already furious.
How could a mere inner disciple dare to be so arrogant?
The Hall of Enforcement's master gazed at Lin Yang as if looking at a dead man.
His strict warning earlier had been precisely to keep the sect's geniuses from recklessly provoking Gu Qing.
In truth, it had been a disguised way of protecting their prodigy.
Yet unexpectedly, someone still dared to act without fear of death.
"That's right."
Gu Qing gave a simple reply.
It seemed things had returned to the beginning. Even if he did not provoke Lin Yang, Lin Yang would still find an excuse to provoke him.
"I heard the Starry Sky Divine Palace is a transcendent immortal lineage, holding countless divine arts and secret methods. Even a menial disciple from there would be stronger than the outside world's so-called prodigies."
"I, unworthy as I may be, believe I have some ability. I wish to experience the divine arts of the Starry Sky Divine Palace. Would you grant me the honor of a duel at the same realm?" Lin Yang said indifferently.
"Very well."
Since Lin Yang delivered himself to have his fortune plundered, Gu Qing had no reason to refuse.
"Senior brother… how is he worthy of crossing hands with you? Let me do it."
Su Qingyue's expression changed, speaking anxiously.
Her senior brother was a Supreme Divine Body, unmatched across the ages.
Even in debates of Dao arts against Saint Realm experts, he would not be outshone.
Lin Yang, a nobody crawling up from nowhere, was utterly unworthy of Gu Qing's hand.
He did not even have the qualification to look up at Gu Qing.
"Exactly."
"How can a ground-bound ant be worthy of drawing out the strike of a true dragon soaring through the nine heavens?"
"Gu true disciple, if you do not mind, I am willing to act in your place and slay this arrogant ant for you."
A handsome youth with vigorous blood energy stepped forward, clasping his fists and bowing humbly as he spoke.
He was the Holy Son of the Moonwatch Holy Land.
In the past, he had pursued Su Qingyue obsessively.
But he was not foolish. When he saw Su Qingyue enter the Starry Sky Divine Palace, he understood that the two of them were impossible.
Now, seeing Su Qingyue standing beside Gu Qing, though jealous and unwilling, he accepted it.
He knew his own limits.
Clinging to Gu Qing was the wisest choice he could make.
"Good."
With the atmosphere built up this far, refusing would make him seem careless of appearances.
Gu Qing gave a slight nod, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Heh!"
Being compared to a mere ant, Lin Yang let out a cold laugh, seething with fury.
Inwardly, he swore that one day, he would trample Gu Qing beneath his feet.
He would make these scornful eyes see clearly who was the true dragon of the nine heavens and who was the crawling ant upon the ground.
And moreover…
Lin Yang frowned slightly, looking at the aloof and ethereal Su Qingyue, beautiful as a fairy from the Moon Palace.
Why would Su Qingyue rather act herself than let Gu Qing fight him?
Was Gu Qing truly that strong?
Lin Yang did not believe it.
He had fought his way to breakthrough into the Purple Mansion Realm, his combat power unrivaled.
To slay his peers was as easy as killing chickens, and to challenge across realms was as effortless as eating and drinking.
And Gu Qing?
Merely a flower raised in a greenhouse.
Had he not already slain enough so-called prodigies like that?
Not to mention a duel at the same realm—even with Gu Qing at the Profound Core Realm, Lin Yang was confident he could still defeat him at full power.
Hey readers! If you're excited to explore advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. The moment you join, you'll unlock 30 chapters ahead of public releases. On top of that, you'll also enjoy 60 brand-new chapters every month — with 14 fresh chapters released each week.
Plus, there are even more fics waiting for you there, all updated at the same steady pace. Join now to keep the adventure going strong!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/JoyceCruize