Hua Qiyue laughed and gestured for Youshui to continue combing her hair.
Lvxin's heart roiled with waves of surprise, though it was the good kind of surprise. She recalled the changes she had seen in the young lady over the past few days. If she really did participate in the martial arts tournament, who knew what results she could achieve.
After washing up, Hua Qiyue went to the grand hall. When Tianci saw her, he pattered towards her and grasped her hand tightly. His expressions was pained, as if he was asking why she didn't let him sleep in her bed.
"Mommy had a bit of a cold last night. I was worried you'd catch it, too, so I asked you to sleep with sister Lvxin. Understand?"
He nodded vigorously, and Hua Qiyue was relieved.
After breakfast, Hua Qiyue and the little guy headed over to Fu Xin Hall to see Madame Hua.
"Come, sit beside grandmother. Tianci, you, too."
Hua Qiyue obeyed and led Tianci by the hand to sit beside her grandmother.
Madame Hua appraised Tianci before nodding appreciatively. "Tianci is looking much healthier after just a few days in your care, Qiyue. It looks like you've been doing a wonderful job raising him."
Hua Qiyue smile. "It's all thanks to you, grandmother! Because of your good health, the whole family is at ease. We've been eating and sleeping well. Even the children are healthier."
Madame Hua returned Qiyue's smile. Her body had recovered a great deal; she felt much better than she used to. Now, she could feel energetic for the whole day.
Well, the Long Red was a miraculous medicine, after all.
After a while, Second Madame and Hua Mengshi made their appearance. When they saw Hua Qiyue, they immediately noticed that Hua Qiyue seemed to them to be pink in health and altogether showing signs that she had been living a good life.
Hua Mengshi's nails dug into her palms. She felt a strong urge to murder Hua Qiyue right that instant, though her rational mind told her to endure. She had to endure!
"Madame, Mengshi wants to participate in the martial arts tournament organized by the Ji family. This time she might be able to make a name for our family!" Second Madame said, smiling at Hua Mengshi with nothing but pride and joy.
Hua Mengshi wore a pale pink gown today. A dancing phoenix was embroidered on the gown's neck with golden threads. A pearl was attached in the place of the phoenix's eye. The pearl glowed lustrously, accentuating her milky skin.
The gown fitted her like a glove. It was neither too tight nor too loose. It brought out Hua Mengshi's perfect figure.
Hua Mengshi flashed a tiny smile and said, "Grandmother, I'll try my best to glorify the Hua family name."
Madame Hua wore a flat expression, as if she did not hold much hope for Hua Mengshi's prospects. "I can only hope so. The Ji family is a house of divine medicine. No ordinary person could catch their eye. Just try your best. Do not be so blind as to hold yourself to unrealistic standards."
Hua Mengshi just wished that the day of the tournament would come sooner. The moment she stepped onto the platform and defeated all the other Qi Artists, she would be gain more admiration and attention.
Surely, nobody could outshine Hua Mengshi if she were to successfully become a disciple of the Ji family. Not even Hua Qiyue, no matter how outstanding she was.
Second Madame chatted with Madame Hua for a short while before taking her leave, claiming the need to accompany Hua Mengshi to enroll for the tournament.
Hua Qiyue took a tiny sip of tea. The light in her eyes was mild, like a growing ripple in water. "Grandmother," she said, "I'd also like to participate in the tournament."
Madame Hua, who was enjoying a bowl of ginseng soup, stared at Hua Qiyue in pure shock.
"Qiyue, you must know that no participant of that tournament is allowed to put blame on their opponents for any deaths or injuries. Because of this lack of accountability, your opponents would not show any reservations at all throughout the tournament. You have bad Qi flow and no knowledge in the Qi arts. Just how do you think you could hold your own in the tournament?" she asked in a low voice.
Hua Qiyue shook her head, though her eyes contained nothing but confidence. "Grandmother, a supreme master recently helped clear my Qi passages. I've already reached the Oracle Profound stage. Please do not worry about me!"
Madame Hua was stunned, her heart palpitating. How could she have found out only now?
For a normal woman, reaching the Oracle Profound stage was already considered an impressive feat. What had utterly surprised her was the fact that Hua Qiyue had reached the Oracle Profound stage so rapidly.
"Yue-er, why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"Pardon me, grandmother. I was worried that I would end up disappointing you if it turned out that I wasn't gifted in the Qi Arts at all. So I decided to wait until I'd shown some good progress before I told you."
Madame Hua looked at the adorable Tianci, who was waiting quietly beside them. Her heart shuddered.
This child was definitely not ordinary. Hua Qiyue had only trained him for just a few days, and yet he was already so quiet and composed.
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I can't believe that the Hua Mansion now has two talented Qi Artists." Old Madame was ebullient and ordered Nanny Zhou to retrieve Hua Qiyue's reward.
Hua Qiyue tried to turn down the reward, though her efforts were futile due to her grandmother's strong insistence.
Beside them, Lvxin and Youshui nearly started squealing with excitement.
"Very well, then. But Yue-er, if you really do participate in the tournament, you have to promise me one thing. If your opponent is more powerful than you, you must not force yourself during decisive moments. The most important thing is to stay alive, you understand? We aren't a large family, after all. We don't want you taking unnecessary risks. You don't have to trade your life for reputation."
Afterwards, Hua Qiyue began formulating plans with Madame Hua. Hua Qiyue decided to present two sprigs of Long Red to her grandmother after the tournament. Madame Hua would then bring them to the palace and present them to the emperor
Naturally, Old Madame was thrilled with the idea. The emperor would no doubt be extremely overjoyed when presented with two sprigs of Long Red.
Old Madame had been entertaining that idea for quite some time, though she kept putting it off. She'd been afraid that Hua Qiyue might hate the idea.
After all, Hua Qiyue had acquired the aid of a supreme master, who must have been among the world's top elites. Old Madame would not risk offending him just for the sake of a gift.
Now that Hua Qiyue herself had suggested it, the she breathed a sigh of relief.
Hua Qiyue left Tianci at home under Youshui's care while she and Lvxin went to enroll for the tournament.
The streets were busy and filled with noises from the crowd. The entire street was lined with a variety of stores. There were herb stores, pawnshops, and other shops catering to all basic human needs
An old man strolled around with a tray of skewered candies while children chased after him. The children finished skewer after skewer, leaving the old candy seller grinning from ear to ear.
The enrollment booth the Ji family had set up was especially crowded. When Hua Qiyue saw the long queue, she frowned. At this rate, she did not know how long it would take before it was her turn.
Her time was too precious to waste in this line.
Lvxin had noticed Hua Mengshi and Second Madame. In Changjing Kingdom, all women were allowed to step outdoors, though some women preferred to have their faces obscured with a veil, but many did not bother.
The tournament had been set up in this area, and was teeming with beautiful women. They were as abundant as the clouds in the sky. Most of the men lining up for enrollment threw them surreptitious looks.
"Come, let's head over." Hua Qiyue had noticed Hua Mengshi. A barely-there smile adorned her lips as she strolled confidently towards the front of the queue.
"Miss, what do you think you're doing? Don't we have to queue up?" asked Lvxin.
When Hua Qiyue walked up to Hua Mengshi and Second Madame, she was smiling crisply. "Second Madame, sister, I didn't expect to meet you here."
It was clear that Second Madame loved her daughter dearly. When the servants from other families saw that she had personally come to accompany Hua Mengshi for the enrollment, they began singing Hua Mengshi's praises. They lauded Hua Mengshi for being in such good taste. They even went as far as declaring Hua Mengshi as the woman destined to win the tournament. At such compliments, Second Madame was all smiles.
Upon hearing Hua Qiyue's voice, both Second Madame and Hua Mengshi thought they were mistaken.
But then they saw Hua Qiyue smiling at them. Lvxin's face was crumpled into a frown.
"Oh, yes. What a coincidence. Big sis, are you here to shop?" Hua Mengshi was grinning. They were in public, so she acted as pleasant as possible.
Hua Qiyue looked at the long queue a little hesitantly. Most of those in the line were servants. These servants were in charge of the enrollments of several ladies in their respective houses.
"No... I... actually... I'm also here to enroll." Hua Qiyue looked a little sheepish, her eyes filled with hope and yearning. "A supreme master said that this year will be my lucky year. Any tournament that I join, I'll be able to win, right?"
Hua Mengshi and Second Madame looked at each other, their eyes brightening with glee.
Hua Mengshi had been trying to come up with ways to get Hua Qiyue to enroll in the tournament. But now, Hua Qiyue had volunteered to sign her own death warrant!
Hua Mengshi smiled, calm and poised. She picked up Hua Qiyue's hand with warm enthusiasm. "Big sister, why didn't you tell us earlier that you intend to join the tournament? Mother and I would have helped guarantee your spot."