Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

As the strong wind subsided, Xue Xiaoqi rubbed her wind-blown hair and tilted her head to ask Xie Xiaoyi, "How was it? Was my mom amazing?"

Xie Xiaoyi nodded repeatedly, his face full of admiration:

"The fight between these two big shots is like tearing the sky apart. I reckon even Vajra Saint's physique would have a hard time withstanding a single blow from them."

The lingering power of the hundred-foot-long water dragon and the towering giant sword still reverberated between the mountains and the sea. Gale-force winds swept over Fuyu Mountain, and even the bluestone on the cliff edge was scraped until it gleamed coldly.

Yue Xiaoshen hovered on the crest of a wave, her red robes fluttering, her phoenix eyes glancing sideways at Xie Lingyun opposite her.

"The battle just now stirred up too much of the energy of heaven and earth, and I imagine that both of us have exhausted our true energy. Now I want to have a real fight with you."

Xie Lingyun stood on another wave crest, his coldness undiminished, and slowly spoke:

Why are you so fixated on rankings? What's the difference between fourth and fifth in the world?

Upon hearing this, Yue Xiaoshen chuckled: "Back then, you were universally recognized as the most beautiful woman in the world, and I was second to none."

In the current rankings of martial prowess on the Heavenly Dragon List, I am still behind you. Am I destined to be forever overshadowed by you?

Xie Lingyun shook his head and remained silent.

Although the two spoke softly, each word was like thunder rolling across the sea, and everyone watching on the shore heard it clearly.

Xie Xiaoyi secretly pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "A woman's competitive spirit is truly terrifying. Back then, Mu Pingting, in order to beat Fu Yaoqin, disregarded my complete acquaintance..."

She could even be so heartless as to use herself as a bargaining chip, engaging in that fleeting, absurd affair with me. In the end, when the snipe and the clam fought, the fisherman profited.

Thinking about this, he started fantasizing again.

If Xie Lingyun liked me like Fu Yaoqin did, would Yue Xiaoshen also...?

Should I try to win over Grandma Xiaoqi later?

Wouldn't that mean being a son-in-law for a day and a father for a day?

Hey!

Cool!

Seeing his sly grin, Xue Xiaoqi nudged his arm and asked in a cheerful voice, "Hey, what are you grinning about?"

"Uh... I was admiring the martial arts level that the two masters just demonstrated."

"real?"

"Of course it's true!"

"But your expression just now was a bit... a bit like you had ulterior motives."

Xie Xiaoyi forced a serious expression on his face:

"In the eyes of a virtuous person, everyone in the world is a virtuous person; in the eyes of a petty person, everyone is a petty person. Grandma Qi, you've gone too far!"

"What you said seems to make sense... well, I'm sorry!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than two figures on the distant crest of a wave suddenly moved.

The crimson aura surrounding Yue Xiaoshen surged and formed a cocoon, enveloping her like a crimson thunderbolt soaring into the sky.

Xie Lingyun condensed his true energy into a light shield, and swirled forward with his long sword to meet the attack.

"boom--"

The two air masses collided in mid-air, creating a deafening explosion that sent white mist billowing into the air!

The red and white figures clashed, their energies clashing, and both were sent flying hundreds of feet away, the waves beneath their feet dented by the force of the impact.

Before they could even land steadily, the crimson aura condensed again, the sword energy shield coalesced once more, and the two figures charged toward each other once more.

"boom--"

The collision in mid-air produced another deafening roar, sending shockwaves blasting outwards and forcing the two men back dozens of feet.

There were no fancy moves, only pure, hard-hitting internal energy.

Each collision sent him flying a hundred feet backward, his aura fading slightly. He charged and collided again, being knocked back dozens of feet, yet he was still instantly heading straight for his opponent.

In mid-air, two beams of light, one crimson and one jet black, repeatedly clashed, collided, and flew backward.

The burst of energy created a white mist that obscured half of Floating Jade Mountain, and the muffled sound shook the mountains and seas, making the sound of the tide almost inaudible.

The crowd below the cliff looked up, their shouts of surprise rising and falling.

"Isn't this even tougher than a man? Women fighting head-on?"

"Yeah! She beat him up so badly that even men would be ashamed."

Xue Xiaoqi clenched her hands, her fingertips turning white: "Mother is really something! She's already used up most of her inner energy, and she still insists on fighting like this!"

Xie Xiaoyi was so engrossed in staring at her that he pretended to back away, but actually rubbed his arm against her chest...

really!

Xue Xiaoqi didn't notice at all, so he didn't hold back and started taking advantage of her while calculating "his grandma's" bra size.

Just then, the voices of two "female demons" came from mid-air.

"Alright! Xie Lingyun, let's try again!"

"I'll fight you to the bitter end!"

boom--

Both players gave it their all in this collision.

The two figures flew backwards for more than a hundred feet, their toes leaving two trails of water dozens of feet long on the sea surface before they finally managed to regain their footing.

Yue Xiaoshen's arms hung limply, her chest heaving violently, her red clothes clinging to her sweat-soaked back as she breathed heavily.

Xie Lingyun leaned his longsword against the crest of the wave, the blade trembling incessantly, each breath accompanied by a faint hiss.

The air was so still that only the sound of the tide could be heard. The two people looked at each other across the hundreds of feet of water mist, and neither moved nor gathered their qi again.

After a long pause, Yue Xiaoshen spoke first, his voice hoarse but each word crisp and clear: "Is this the end?"

Xie Lingyun raised his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and slowly nodded.

Amidst the swirling mist, two figures, one in red and one in black, gracefully landed on two giant rocks on the shore.

The onlookers, still reeling from the spectacle of the two, suddenly froze.

The dragon scale jade pendant hidden close to her chest trembled slightly through her clothes, the cool jade sensation spreading through her skin.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers instinctively gripped the jade pendant beneath her clothes, tightening their grip slightly.

This jade pendant had been silent and lifeless for eighteen years, so why is it suddenly moving today?

Could it be... that he's here?

The thought struck Xie Lingyun like a thunderbolt, and he was instantly stunned.

She glanced up at the thronging crowd around her, her gaze sweeping over the cheering martial arts practitioners, searching frantically among the heads of people, and unconsciously took a step forward.

His aura dissipated, and he didn't even notice Yue Xiaoshen's gaze coming his way.

The crowd was bustling and noisy, but all she could see was the trembling of the jade pendant, and all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

The only thought that kept replaying in his mind was: "Is it him? Is it really him?"

Xie Lingyun was utterly dejected.

Yue Xiaoshen scanned her surroundings and immediately spotted her daughter flying towards her.

Xue Xiaoqi jumped onto the boulder and, without saying a word, reached out and hugged her arm:

"Mom! You can't be so willful next time! You were almost out of energy and you still insisted on fighting! You scared me to death!"

Yue Xiaoshen looked down at her daughter's face, which was scrunched up like a little bun, and reached out to rub her head.

"How old are you? Still so impulsive?"

"Mother, between you and Xie Lingyun, who lost, and who won?"

"Hmm... there's no winner or loser, it's a draw."

"A draw is fine! This proves that your fifth place on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking is in no way inferior to fourth!"

"Silly girl, you're wrong. We could have actually decided the winner today."

Xue Xiaoqi was stunned for a moment, looking at her mother with a face full of doubt.

Yue Xiaoshen looked up at the surging waves on the sea, her voice much softer: "Because to determine a winner, we must fight to the death. If it really comes to that, Mother will die..."

Xie Lingyun would also sacrifice all his cultivation, which would ultimately be a loss for both of us.