“Was it you who struck first?”
High above, Luo Yingfeng pinched the golden pearl between his fingers, pointing straight at Meng Ruji’s forehead—steady, unerring.
A beam of golden light burst forth, piercing through his formation and shooting directly at her.
Meng Ruji’s eyes widened. With a flick of her sleeve, the four copper coins at her side flew into place, anchoring the corners of her barrier. Bronze light surged, fusing with the silver glow of the pearl, barely holding back Luo Yingfeng’s casual strike.
But then came a sharp crack. Fissures spidered across the barrier.
“This Master of Linlan Mountain…” Meng Ruji clenched her teeth. “Truly troublesome.”
And indeed, he was.
Mu Sui understood well—the difference between copper, silver, and gold in Wuliu Land wasn’t just wealth, but survival. Copper coins barely held scraps of power. Silver pearls commanded respectable force. But gold… gold reigned supreme.
That Meng Ruji had blocked a golden pearl’s attack with one silver pearl and four copper coins was already beyond belief. Only with cunning formations could she have pulled it off.
“Impressive,” Luo Yingfeng admitted, genuinely intrigued. From his vantage above, he studied the hazy figures inside the barrier. Still, he neither descended nor stowed away his pearl; dust from the earth was far beneath him.
“If you hadn’t touched my brother, I might have spared you. Perhaps even recruited you. But alas…” His lips curved in amusement. “A sworn brother of Linlan Mountain must be avenged, no matter how useless he was in life.”
The silver barrier flickered. The pearl was faltering, and the copper coins, drained dry, fell uselessly to the ground.
Meng Ruji eyed Luo Yingfeng’s golden pearl. She wanted to rob him blind, but with it clasped firmly in his hand, she had no opening. She bit down hard on her lip in frustration.
Behind her, Mu Sui’s hand brushed against his waist. Hidden there were six silver pearls and eighteen copper coins.
Should he use them?
With six silver, he could repel Luo Yingfeng—if he struck fast enough. But it wouldn’t stop pursuit. Worse, if he revealed them, how would he explain their sudden appearance to Meng Ruji?
“Go in peace,” Luo Yingfeng said almost gently, charging the golden pearl again.
Mu Sui’s silver pearls lifted of their own accord, drawn toward the gathering force. He was ready to act—
—but Meng Ruji was faster.
From her waist, she pulled not a pearl but a rough, gray-black stone, and hurled it straight at the golden pearl.
Mu Sui froze. A stone!? Was she serious?
But then—
BOOM!
The heavens shook.
The golden pearl shattered into dust, raining down in glittering motes. Gold powder scattered like spring rain, clinging to leaves, drifting onto the silver barrier, even dusting Mu Sui’s shoulders.
Mu Sui blinked. “…What?”
And then the impossible happened.
The stone did not fall. Instead, it crashed into Luo Yingfeng’s floating formation and, before his stunned eyes, transformed—
into a man.
Not just any man, but a devastatingly handsome figure: dark robes flowing, pale skin and crimson lips, long hair streaming like ink.
Mo Li.
He stood on the golden formation, nose-to-nose with Luo Yingfeng. The two men locked eyes in frozen disbelief.
Below, the Linlan disciples gawked. Even Mu Sui was speechless. Only Meng Ruji remained calm, sweeping the golden dust into her silver pearl while redirecting the barrier into a wind-riding formation.
With a sharp “whoosh,” she and Mu Sui shot into the night sky, vanishing into the forest’s depths. She even snatched her four copper coins back mid-flight.
It all happened in a blink.
In the clearing, dumbstruck disciples stared upward. On the ruined golden formation, Luo Yingfeng and Mo Li continued their silent standoff.
Finally, Mo Li sighed, rubbed his forehead, and cast a glance at the vanishing figures. “Ungrateful girl. Runs off without her old man.”
Then, folding his arms, he smiled lazily at Luo Yingfeng.
“So,” he drawled, “shall we chat?”
Luo Yingfeng, still reeling from the destruction of his golden pearl, stammered, “You… chat about what?”
Mo Li’s grin widened. “About why you’re bullying my daughter.”
...
Meanwhile, moonlight dappled the forest as Meng Ruji’s wind formation sputtered and failed. The silver pearl dimmed, sending both her and Mu Sui tumbling to the ground. He instinctively rolled with her, cushioning the fall.
They landed unharmed, lying side by side in the quiet night.
Only the rustle of leaves and their mingled breathing filled the silence—until they spoke at once:
“Who was that man?”
“Whew, it’s been ages since I had such excitement…”
They turned to each other. Meng Ruji’s eyes glittered with exhilaration. Mu Sui’s, however, were dark and stormy.
“Excitement?”
Meng Ruji quickly patted her bosom, relieved to feel the marriage contract still safe. Clearing her throat, she said lightly, “Both your question and mine are the same question. I can explain.”
Mu Sui nearly laughed aloud, sharp and bitter. Explain!?
A proper young lady, hiding another man in her waistband! What explanation could justify that!?
Fury rattled through him, teeth clenched so tight they might shatter. His mind shouted for restraint, but his emotions hurled tables and chairs, tearing down walls in his chest.
Seeing his expression, Meng Ruji panicked. If he was this angry, her marriage contract might be doomed. She hurriedly said, “That man was Yan Tianjun—have you heard of him? A demon so powerful he nearly destroyed the mortal world!”
“Why was he in your bosom!?” Mu Sui shot back. “And why did you call it exciting!?”
“You misunderstood!” she flailed. “Not him being in my bosom—the excitement was using him as a weapon! I threw Yan Tianjun! Do you get it?”
“I don’t.”
“That’s not the point! The point is, there’s nothing between us. I only met him after entering Wuliu Land!”
“The point is, he was in your bosom!”
“The point isn’t the bosom! He was a stone! I had to tuck him into my belt!”
“Belt—” Mu Sui choked.
“I can’t explain clearly!” Meng Ruji pressed her forehead. “He just wants me to provide for his old age, that’s all!”
Mu Sui nearly tore his hair out. “A man that tall—”
“…yes…”
“Young, handsome—”
“…also yes…”
“And you’re supposed to provide for his old age!?”
“He’s just an undying old monster! If he looks like that, what can I do?”
Mu Sui glared at her, her pitiful face only fueling his rage. She was impossible. Shameless. Still clinging to that cursed marriage contract!
“Take it out!” he snapped.
Startled, Meng Ruji fished the contract from her robes. “No need to be so angry…” she muttered.
“The pen!”
She handed it over—broken, but still functional.
Mu Sui seized both. And before he realized it, his hand moved of its own accord, scrawling across the contract.
Was he really so furious at the thought of another man that he’d sign a marriage contract out of spite!?
Panicked, he stabbed the pen downward, piercing the paper instead.
“Ah—” Meng Ruji gasped. “It’s torn…”
Relief crashed over him. Torn. Safe.
But Meng Ruji only murmured, “Don’t worry, we’ll get another one…”
He turned away, jaw locked, refusing to hear another word.
Yet when she grabbed his sleeve, the stitches gave way with a loud rip.
Silver pearls spilled from his clothes, scattering with a chorus of chimes across the ground.
The forest went silent.
Both of them stared at the glittering pearls and copper coins lying between them.
The night was terribly, accusingly quiet.
Urgent problem: What to do when your secret savings are suddenly discovered?
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