Chapter 81: A-V-E-R-A-G-E!

Gentle but cold wind whistled past the cherry trees, shaking the branches and making the petals dance in the air before falling down on the cold ground.

Like any other normal morning, today was no different. After the emergency morning announcement, the disciples were leaving the sect hall one by one.

But unlike any other day, instead of bored expression, they looked as if they had seen something quite unexpected.

"That was something really unexpected. I had not expected the outcome." Ming Jiu was trying to digest the outcome of the match he just saw.

"Well, you never know," Elder Lin interjected when she overheard him.

"Or maybe you people are simply too young and naïve to understand things." She grinned looking at the group of students that had gathered to hear her talk.

"All of you go back and try to contemplate on what happened today." She did not want to make a crowd all of sudden so she decided to leave from there after giving them a short instruction.

"And if you still cannot understand how and why, you should ask the people involved by yourself." she looked at all of them and insisted that they should do it.

They nodded their head and walked out in silence, the voice of Elder Lin echoing inside their head.

"Also do not forget that we have esteemed people coming," she announced in a cold voice which when combined with the anger and hatred in her eyes betrayed her words.

"Understood!" They bowed down in respect before hurrying to their own quarters.

Well, everyone except for the two people who were in their own world at one corner of the courtyard dealing with something.

"It hurts," le Fang Ling hissed out in pain when she felt the bitter juice of the herb on her wound. She was seated on a medium sized rock and once in a while, she could not help but cry out in pain.

"Of course, it will, who asked you to go and challenge someone who is stronger than you," An Cheng sighed as she looked at the pouting face of her reckless junior sister.

She was half kneeling on the ground as she applied the medicine to bruises on her face.

It was the second time she was doing this for the same person and not even a week had passed.

How much does this girl love bring injured!! Oof!

She could not help but think about her inclination towards masochism.

"But I should have expected it form you considering how you challenged me when we first met," An Cheng giggled as she recalled about their unexpected meeting that night.

"But," Le fang Ling interrupted her with her voice.

"But what?" An Chneg scolded her as she increased the pressure she was applying on her fingers.

"But I still won the match, didn't I?" she mumbled lightly under her breath but An Cheng was sharp enough to catch her words.

An Cheng momentarily stopped her fingers. She placed her finger on the top of her lips as in gesturing her to stay silent.

Her eyes became more alert as she turned to look behind, her whole body and nerves on edge.

Le fang Ling noticed this change and her expression as well got solemn.

"Is anything the matter, senior sister?" She leaned a bit forward from her place and asked in a low voice. She followed An Cheng's gaze which was focused on a cherry tree with big trunk. It was thick enough to work as a shield to hide oneself when spying.

"I think we are being watched by someone." An Cheng had felt the piercing gaze of someone on them right after they had settled down here. Thinking it was an illusion on her part, she had simply ignored it but, she could do it no more!

She could literally feel those eyes boring a hole in her back.

Le Fang Ling tilted her head sideways to see if there was something or maybe someone hiding behind the tree but with no luck.

'A little more,' she grunted as she forced herself to bend her body to get a much clearer view of the things.

"..."

That thing over there…

Le fang Ling understood everything, well technically most of the things.

An Cheng was about to stand up and go check it but Le fang Ling caught her wrist taking her by surprise.

"I will go and check," Le fang Ling probed her as she looked at her with her greatest weapon of all; the cute junior sister with watery turquoise eyes.

"Fine, it must be one of those salty people from before." An Cheng shrugged her shoulder uncannily when she thought of this possibility.

"Just do not get in to another fight," she warned her before she left while making herself comfortable on the ground.

"There is no guarantee that you will be underestimated by your opponent." She remarked.

"You got lucky this time."

"I know senior sister, thank you. Le Fang Ling chuckled slightly. She knew she was not stronger in many factors but she also did not have luxury to wait for experience to come knocking at her door.

She was already late and far behind many people. To catch up and even surpass them, she had no choice to beat the cultivation shit in to her body no matter how many bones she broke while doing it.

What she did today, it was just the beginning.

'Or maybe not!' She chuckled nervously as she anxiously looked at the cherry tree a few meters away from them.

"Senior sister, is it done?" She asked showing the mild injury on her face.

"Yes, it's done." An Cheng nodded her head. It was about time for her to head back to her own training as well. She needed to perfect the technique which she used on Le fang Ling, before the tournament.

But ohh boy, it really was hard. She was hoping to get help from Elder Lin later as both of them had wind element based spiritual roots.

"I will take my leave for today then." Le Fang Ling stood up and dusted of her robe.

"Thank you for the medicine by the way," she pointed to her round cheeks and smiled in a flattering way before turning around and taking off towards the tree.

"That chuckle," An Cheng totally knew that whatever she said had gone straight out of her ears.

"But oh well, she can do anything she likes as long as she comes back alive in one piece." She murmured looking at the girl in front of her.

.

Le Fang Ling stood in front of the tree and patted herself in her chest to clear her throat before speaking.

"Cough," she cleared her throat to make her presence known to the person behind the tree.

'As expected,' she smiled when she saw the mild reaction from the exposed body part.

"I saw you." Le Fang Ling sighed and placed her hand on the trunk.

"So, stop hiding and come out."

The person who was hiding behind the tree still showed no sign of revealing themselves so Le fang Ling had no choice to bait them further.

"If you do not show up yourself, I am going to have to use other method to force yourself out." She raised her eyes to look at the white tail that was continuously wiggling.

Meanwhile, the owner of that tail seemed to be unaware of the fact that her tail had already given her away and it was useless to continue spying, Ahemm, hiding there any further,

So, she continued hiding there without showing any sign of movement.

"There goes nothing, just so you know, you made me do this." Le fang Ling crouched down on the ground and caught hold of the tail that unaware of what was going to happen to it.

"Aye! Where do you think you are holding?" Nagina screamed out in surprise when she was suddenly pulled out from behind the tree.

'Owiee,' her eyes immediately filled up with tears when her head struck the chest of Le Fang ling. If it was not for the fact that her chest was not a skateboard, she would have got a huge swollen bump on her forehead.

As for Le Fang Ling, she felt not much pain when Nagina bumped into her chest.

"I caught the hiding rat," she smiled as she caught hold of her with her free hand.

"I am not rat!" Nagina scowled as she distanced herself from Nagina but her tail was still a hostage.

"Do you even know what you are holding?" she glared at Le fang Ling.

"I think," Le Fang ling curled up her lips in a smirk as she looked at the tail she was still holding.

"Hmm, I think what I am holding is a smooth, shiny tail that was unable to hide itself from me." She narrowed her eyes in a squint.

Nagina: "….." She has a point.

"Cough, you should let it go." She swatted away the hand that was holding her tail and rolled her eyes at Le fang Ling.

"Alright! Whatever you say!" she giggled as she let go of her hand. Once free, Nagina immediately secured her tail in right behind her, far away from her reach.

She was being vigilant towards her host.

"So, why are you here?" Le fang ling crossed her arms in front of her chest and inquired her.

"I-"

Nagina had not completed her sentence when Le Fang ling placed forward the question.

"And instead of coming to meet me, why are you hiding like this?" she looked at her with inquiring eyes.

Nagina heard the question and was silent for a while.

"Let's talk while we are walking back." Le Fang Ling grabbed Nagina by her wrist and both of them started to walk in silence.

"I saw all of your fight," Nagina started to speak.

"I figured." Le Fang Ling nodded her head.

"You are here because you thought I was injured heavily?" She thought about the instance when she herself wondered if she was going to die. It was when she was hit by the condensed qi from Song Yang.

If not for her agile body, she would not have been able to dodge it on time.

"Yes, looks like I worried needlessly." Nagina spoke without much emotion but the pouty cheeks and lips of her spoke something else.

'Wait, is she jelly jelly of senior sister?' Le fang Ling had a momentary panic attack on the spot because of the overloaded cuteness that Nagina was spilling out.

"So, what do you think of it?" She looked down at the little snake girl who was crawling in silence and asked.

She was expecting to hear a few words of compliments since she fought someone with greater experience and strength and still won.

"Hmmm," she was thoughtful for a while.

"You are pretty average," Nagina shrugged her shoulder looking unimpressed.

"A-V-E-R-A-G-E!"