Chapter 27 — Self-Esteem
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 8
"Xiaofan, didn't you say you were going to look for Little Grey and that big yellow dog? So why are you dragging me to the kitchen?" Zeng Shuyan followed behind Zhang Qingyue and into the kitchen, grumbling all the way.
Zhang Qingyue looked carefully around the kitchen and saw that it was immeasurably more spacious than the kitchen on Dazhu Peak, and far brighter too. His eyes kept scanning as he said, "I haven't seen them since early this morning, but I'd bet anything they're right here!"
Zeng: "Impossible. What do you take a Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey for? They're born spirits—compared to a human, they're more than a match, maybe better. And here you are acting like it's some kind of thief—and a greedy one at that!"
Under Zeng Shuyan's dumbfounded gaze, Zhang Qingyue lifted Little Grey out from behind a jar in the corner of the kitchen. Held up in midair, Little Grey shrieked "chee-chee" without pause, and then Big Yellow came running out from behind the jar and began barking loudly at the two of them.
Zhang Qingyue glanced at Zeng Shuyan, whose face was caught somewhere between laughter and tears.
Cradling Little Grey in his arms, Zhang Qingyue scolded Big Yellow: "Dead dog, quit barking! You want someone to come catch us?"
Big Yellow seemed to understand. It looked at Little Grey huddled in Zhang Qingyue's arms, let out a few soft "whuff-whuff" whines from its dog mouth, and fell silent. Zhang Qingyue glanced around and saw that most everything was intact and undisturbed. Evidently these two thieves hadn't managed to make off with anything yet. He counted himself very lucky and hurried toward the door with Little Grey in his arms. After two steps he realized Big Yellow hadn't followed. He turned back and saw the dog, tail tucked, run behind that jar again, root around a bit, and come trotting over with a huge meaty bone in its jaws.
Zhang Qingyue glared at Little Grey in his arms. Little Grey split its monkey mouth in a foolish grin. Zeng Shuyan watched all this from the side and shook his head mightily.
The two of them slipped furtively out of the kitchen with the monkey and the dog, terrified of being discovered—if that happened, the stain on their names could never be washed away. Only after they had run a good distance did they finally breathe easy.
Zhang Qingyue panted for a while, then said, "Oh, right—I never congratulated you. You won another match."
Zeng Shuyan, however, could not have cared less. His eyes were fixed on Little Grey in Zhang Qingyue's arms. "What's the big deal? Sooner or later I'll lose to somebody anyway. How is Little Grey so filthy? How many days has it been since you bathed him?"
Zhang Qingyue was taken aback. "I've never bathed him."
Zeng: "You—you—how could you do that to him!"
Zhang Qingyue privately thought this was ridiculous. The monkey climbed up and down all day; how could it ever be clean? But seeing that Zeng was utterly unreasonable on this point, he gave a dry laugh and changed the subject. "By the way, did you know? In tomorrow's third round, Xueqi's opponent is my senior sister Tian Lingsu."
Zeng: "Your senior sister? You mean Tian Lingsu, the one who uses the Amber Crimson Silk?"
"That's her." Zhang Qingyue reached up to stroke Little Grey, who had climbed onto his shoulder. "These past two days that Xueqi has been riding high. I'm a little worried about my senior sister."
Zeng: "Fair enough. Setting everything else aside, that 'Tianxuan' in Xueqi's hand alone is more than anyone can bear."
Zhang Qingyue looked anxious. "Shushu, do you think my senior sister might be in danger? You saw how Xueqi destroyed her opponent's immortal sword in the first match, and I hear that senior brother from the Long Peak faction was badly hurt in the second."