As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Shenzhi looked as if he had been struck by lightning from a clear sky.
His expression was stunned.
He activated his secret movement technique, quickly retreating more than two zhang away before finally steadying himself.
“Senior Brother Gu… what’s wrong with you?” Mo Xiaonian’s starry eyes shimmered, waves sparkling in her gaze, as she asked in confusion.
She thought she was only asking casually—while it wasn’t purely a joke, it was close enough, so there was no need for Senior Brother to react so strongly.
However, what Mo Xiaonian didn’t know was that at this moment, there was a third person in the courtyard besides her and Senior Brother Gu.
An extraordinarily beautiful girl with flawless snowy hair had almost drawn the [Xiehuang] Lingjian from its sheath.
The reason Su Linghuang had yet to reveal herself was because she wanted to confirm how far the two’s relationship had developed, and to categorize the threat level Mo Xiaonian posed for easier handling in the future.
In the Honglian Saintess’s little booklet of romantic rivals, there were a total of three names recorded: Bai Qi, who had ascended to [Must Kill Level]; Taoyao, who was at [Special Threat Level]; and just now added, Mo Xiaonian, at [Regular Threat Level].
As for the [Must Kill Level], there was nothing more to say. If it weren’t for her own lack of cultivation, she would have already drawn her sword and gone to Lingjian Sect to kill that outwardly cold but inwardly depraved wretch.
As for those at [Special Threat Level] and [Regular Threat Level], their treatment was naturally a bit better. The Honglian Saintess would use every method except outright slaughter to drive them away from Gu Shenzhi’s side—or… arrange a mysterious death.
“Junior Sister Mo, we are purely fellow disciples, nothing more. And I have already been favored by the Honglian Saintess—I absolutely cannot betray her. So I hope we can keep a proper distance and nip any inappropriate thoughts in the bud.”
Gu Shenzhi pointed at the green-robed girl two zhang away, speaking with righteous conviction. Compared to his usual “gentle and amiable” self, he seemed like a completely different person now.
Had it been in the past, he would never have been so direct. Instead, he would likely have taken the beauty’s soft hand, whispered a few pretty lines, then gently refused—while still leaving enough room for maneuver, just like the once free-spirited, unrestrained Young Master of Lingjian Sect.
But with Linghuang right nearby watching, and given their subtle relationship, Gu Shenzhi had no thought of flirting with the green-robed girl, responding instead with an uncharacteristically stern attitude.
Looking at the unusually serious black-clothed youth, Mo Xiaonian couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “I was just joking, Senior Brother. Why are you so sensitive? Don’t tell me you really have feelings for me? Want me to go tell the Saintess?”
Hearing this, Su Linghuang silently crossed out Mo Xiaonian’s name in her mind, then turned her unfriendly gaze on a certain scoundrel who thought he could stand on three or four boats at once.
Gu Shenzhi quickly regained his composure and said seriously, “That’s not a joke one should make lightly.”
Although the girl said she was only joking, the truth wasn’t so simple—there was a real hint of emotion mixed in her words.
As the former Young Master of Lingjian Sect, he was both handsome and extremely talented, with plenty of experience being confessed to. There were countless female cultivators who dreamed of becoming Gu Shenzhi’s Dao Companion, and in Lingjian Sect alone there were seven Support Groups with over a hundred members each.
So whether it was a direct confession, a subtle hint, or a tempting advance, he could usually see right through a girl’s eyes before she even spoke.
“By the way, since there are three of us going to the Mo Clan, I wonder which Inner Sect Senior Sister is the last one?” Mo Xiaonian asked softly.
Gu Shenzhi cleared his throat, deliberately using a gentle and respectful tone. “She isn’t from the Inner Sect, but the Holy Maiden of Zhan Yun Peak, the Sect Leader’s only Direct Disciple—Su Linghuang.”
“So it’s the Holy Maiden herself! That’s truly an honor!” Hearing that her idol would be accompanying her, Mo Xiaonian immediately looked excited.
After this, the Honglian Saintess had completely returned to normal. Gu Shenzhi secretly wiped away a cold sweat, preparing to ask about the Mo Clan in advance.
“Junior Sister, besides your father, who else in the Mo Clan is worth paying attention to?”
Mo Xiaonian thought for a moment, then replied, “There’s also my second uncle, Mo Yong. All Business Association and Auction House affairs are directly managed by him. And there’s the Mo Clan’s Grand Elder, known as Qu Mister, the Ghost Shadow Faceless. He’s at mid-stage Nascent Soul, moves unpredictably, and no one has ever seen his true face.”
Gu Shenzhi had naturally heard of Mo Yong—after all, he was the Mo Clan’s number two and managed the two most important money-makers, the Business Association and Auction House.
As for this Qu Mister, he’d never heard of him. In Mu Yunzhou, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators could be counted on one hand. For one to appear so suddenly was bound to arouse suspicion.
As Gu Shenzhi was lost in thought, Mo Xiaonian suddenly asked, “Senior Brother, what do you think of Mo Lin’s potential?”
Mo Lin was both her older brother and her heart demon. If she couldn’t defeat him fair and square, her path to immortality would never go far.
Unexpectedly, Gu Shenzhi asked reflexively, “Who is Mo Lin?”
“He’s my brother. You met him before at the Lingjian Sect’s Zongmen Grand Competition. Back then, you beat him black and blue with just a willow twig,” Mo Xiaonian said in surprise. She thought Gu Shenzhi should remember her brother well.
“Oh, it was him? I vaguely recall,” Gu Shenzhi said, suddenly realizing, then continued, “Sorry, I don’t bother remembering the names of people I can defeat with a willow twig.”
“So in your eyes, Mo Lin isn’t even a worthy opponent?”
Mo Xiaonian asked in surprise. In her eyes, her brother wasn’t the very best, but he was still considered a prodigy of Mu Yunzhou.
With a cold snort, Gu Shenzhi spread his five fingers, facing the green-robed girl. “In my eyes, there are only four people in all of Mu Yunzhou worthy of being called opponents: Lin Kunku of the Blood Blade Sect, Nangong Jing of the White Feather Sect, Ye Lingying of the Ghost Soul Sect, and Su Linghuang of the Yueying Sect.”
If he’d said this three days ago, Mo Xiaonian would have thought he was just boasting—after all, those four were firmly in the top five of the Mu Yunzhou prodigy rankings.
But after seeing Gu Shenzhi crush Mo Renxie with overwhelming strength, she couldn’t help but believe it.
“Then, Senior Brother Gu, do you think I can defeat Mo Lin?”
Gu Shenzhi originally wanted to lie, to spare the girl the pain of the cruel truth, but those determined eyes made him change his mind.
“Not much hope, but it’s not impossible. If you can show the same resolve you had the night you dueled with the Honglian Saintess every day, and with Linghuang’s guidance, I believe you could surpass him in as little as three years.”
The answer was disappointing. Mo Xiaonian had known she was lacking, but she hadn’t realized the gap was so large.
But at least she knew now, and it wasn’t too late. The green-robed girl didn’t lose heart, instead nodding, her eyes still filled with determination and the obsession to defeat her brother.