Conflicts were a natural conclusion whenever Qiu Shui and Qiu Shan made a bet. They were around the same age, and neither would give in to the other if they were to have a conflict. In the dozen years that Ye Sui had been in the Hidden Abyss Valley, he spent most of his time handling that pair of siblings.
Behind the tree.
"Who do you think would win if Mr. Ye didn't stop them?" Wen Ran asked in a low voice while quietly observing the situation.
"The girl."
His strange words prompted Wen Ran look up at him. She could see the young man's delicate jaw from that angle.
Shen Wu, who was currently munching on some melon seeds, tilted his head in puzzlement. "Something wrong?"
He could not understand what Wen Ran's gaze meant.
"Why would the girl win?" Wen Ran decided against correcting him because she was unsure if he was trying to playing dumb again.
The heavy sword had no edge and was not fully refined, while the light sword was flexible and adaptable. The pair of siblings were about the same age, and their cultivation also seemed to be about the same, so how could Shen Wu be so sure that the young lady would win?
Shen Wu munched on another melon seed and said slowly, "Her basic skills are much more solid."
A light sword focused more on technique, while a heavy sword relied on absolute strength. There was no need for any technique in a battle, because any opponent who was struck would either die or be crippled.
Although the young man was agile, his basic skills were not as good as the young girl 's. As time passed, his physical strength could not keep up, and his speed would naturally slow down. At that time, it would be difficult to avoid the young girl's heavy sword.
Wen Ran could not help but nod her head in realization when she thought of that. She then extended her hand towards Shen Wu.
Shen Wu lowered his head and counted the remaining melon seeds in his hand. He hesitated for a long time before finally picking out three melon seeds and placing them in Wen Ran's outstretched hand.
Wen Ran's expression turned stiff.
He looked at his hand that was holding the melon seeds. "I don't have much left, Ranran."
He clearly still had a pile of them in his hands!
Wen Ran turned her head around and ignored him. She bit the three melon seeds he had and watched the situation up ahead.
Ye Sui put on a serious face. "I've told you many times, and your father has emphasized it just as frequently too. You're not allowed to make any bets in private. Have you forgotten that?"
Qiu Shan hurriedly shifted the blame. "It was Qiu Shui who suggested it!"
Ye Sui looked at the girl. "Qiu Shui."
Qiu Shui did not stop there. "Bets take two people. I couldn't have gambled on my own if Qiu Shan didn't agree. He was in the wrong too! How could you blame me alone?"
As she said that, she immediately shed a few tears."You're hurting me!"
Ye Sui immediately let go of her hand. Qiu Shui was about to rush toward Qiu Shan the next moment, but Ye Sui grabbed her collar and lifted her up. Even someone with as good a temper as him was already fuming with anger. "Go and write lines, Qiu Shui!"
Qiu Shan was gloating, while Qiu Shui was crying for real.
Wen Ran saw no gold on the ground, only family drama. She sighed. "It's a pain to have too many children."
"Having one child is best. Would you still like some?" It was a rare occasion that Shen Wu was so generous to ask. He probably felt that it was fated that they both shared the same thoughts.
Wen Ran stretched out her hand without looking up, and she soon felt him placing something on her hand. She then popped them into her mouth as she continued watching.
After that one bite, her entire face scrunched up from the sourness. Wen Ran immediately turned around and threw a punch without so much as another word.
Shen Wu, who had been slugged by her once before, held her fist and asked innocently. "Doesn't it taste good?"
"Shen Wu..."
"What?"
She threw another punch but he caught that too.
He tilted his head and smiled. "You can't hit me."
Wen Ran chuckled.
In the next moment, her leg kicked him in his weak spot.
Shen Wu inhaled sharply. He only managed to keep himself from falling down by relying on his willpower. He complained, "Are you going to throw away your bliss?"
"I don't need anyone to give me bliss. I can create it with my own two hands."
Shen Wu pondered for a while. "Did you just say something lewd?"
"What do you mean by lewd?" Wen Ran mimicked his previous innocent look and blinked. "I don't understand that kind of stuff, Eldest Senior Brother."
Shen Wu blinked too. "To be honest, I don't either."
Wen Ran and Shen Wu had a tacit understanding and did not pursue the question of whether they understood their own remarks. They were arranged to stay in the guest room.
"Forgive our rudeness for letting our two distinguished guests have such a simple and crude stay," the young disciple who led them to the guest room said apologetically.
Wen Ran looked at the gold decor in the room, then at the screen made of white jade, and then at the gold embroidered pattern on the bed curtain. She suddenly felt that the room she had lived in for more than ten years was probably only fir to be regarded as a doghouse in the eyes of those people.
An embarrassed expression appeared on the Hidden Abyss Valley disciple's face. He was not trying to 'humblebrag', but he truly felt that letting Wen Ran and Shen Wu stay here was an injustice to a guest.
Shen Wu maintained some level of propriety in front of them and said in a warm voice, "It's good enough that we're staying here. Thank you for your trouble."
"Not at all!" The young disciple that was dressed in bright yellow clothes looked at Shen Wu with an adulating expression. "My name is Qiu Ming. It is not my intention to offend you, so I'd like to ask if I could address you as Senior Brother Shen?"
Shen Wu nodded. "Of course."
His face could not be seen clearly because he was still wearing his straw hat. With his tall stature and extraordinary temperament, he was very much like a gentleman who had transcended the secular world.
Qiu Ming's eyes lit up. "I've heard a lot about you, Senior Brother Shen. You subdued the tiger demon that wreaked havoc in the human world by yourself, and everyone in the Hidden Abyss Valley knows about it!"
Wen Ran glanced at Shen Wu.
"It's a minor issue that's not worth mentioning," Shen Wu said, unruffled by the admiration.
"But it is!" Qiu Ming almost could not control the veneration in his body. "Senior Brother Shen, may I come and ask you for advice on swordsmanship another day?"
"Sure."
Qiu Ming left in satisfaction with a gleeful expression on his face. Unbeknownst to him,Shen Wu immediately collapsed into the chair, leaning back, and curled into a ball while yawning due to boredom.
His dispirited demeanor was hardly a shadow of the masterful expert his fan viewed him as.
Shen Wu took out a small fruit and ate it slowly. When he saw Wen Ran staring at him, he offered generously, "Would you like some, Ranran?"
Wen Ran moved her feet.
Shen Wu immediately retracted his hand and put his two long legs together, as if the traumatic experience from earlier had rattled him deeply.