Chapter 124 - 121: Please Behave Yourself

"..." Mo Qianqian was left speechless.

Seeing his stunned reaction, Nangong Ling curled her lips into a smile. "Am I cute?"

"Beautiful. Very cute," Mo Qianqian was forced to reply.

"Can you take off your mask and let me see your face again?" Nangong Ling suddenly asked.

Mo Qianqian fell silent again. He glanced left and right at his own shadow.

Was that mysterious woman still not coming out?

She was the one who told him to ask Nangong Ling out. Surely she wouldn’t bail on him now, right?

"Since Miss Nangong wishes to see, there’s no harm in it." Mo Qianqian removed his mask, revealing his peerless visage.

Given the flawless craftsmanship of his disguise, he was confident she wouldn’t notice any flaws.

Nangong Ling stared blankly for a moment like a starry-eyed fool before finally saying, "You can put it back on."

Mo Qianqian complied.

"Master Asura, thank you, but... it’s impossible between us," Nangong Ling added.

Mo Qianqian was at a loss for words.

"Miss Nangong, actually..."

Just as Mo Qianqian was about to explain, Nangong Ling cut him off. "I don’t like you."

Mo Qianqian fell silent once more.

"Or rather, compared to romance, I will always choose my future," Nangong Ling added. "In the face of ambition, feelings aren’t that big of a deal."

"Miss Nangong, you might have misunderstood," Mo Qianqian quickly interjected. If he didn’t speak fast, he wouldn’t even get the chance to clarify.

But before he could finish, Nangong Ling chuckled softly. "I know, I know. Men have their pride."

"Miss Nangong, I came today because of a cultivation issue," Mo Qianqian hurried to say. "It seems something has gone wrong with your cultivation."

As he spoke, he turned his head to check his shadow again. Where was that mysterious woman? Why wasn’t she coming out?

Could she be in secluded meditation within the second layer of the Ninefold Coffin, oblivious to the outside world? If that was the case, he was in a tight spot. However, since she explicitly stated that Nangong Ling needed to be saved as soon as possible, it stood to reason that she wouldn’t just vanish.

"I will now transmit a Secret Technique to her," the mysterious woman’s voice suddenly rang in Mo Qianqian’s ear.

Mo Qianqian breathed a sigh of relief.

SWOOSH!

The next moment, Mo Qianqian watched as Nangong Ling’s petite body jolted. Her eyes instantly glazed over in a trance. He knew right then that she had received the Secret Technique.

Inwardly, Mo Qianqian was utterly astonished. She could transmit a Secret Technique across two layers of the Ninefold Coffin? Just how powerful was this mysterious woman?

"You..." Nangong Ling stared at Mo Qianqian in absolute shock.

"If you continue with your previous cultivation method, something will inevitably go wrong soon. Heed my warning, Miss Nangong. Farewell!"

With that, Mo Qianqian turned and decisively walked away.

How Nangong Ling reacted or how she cultivated from now on was her own business. It had nothing to do with him, and he had no desire to over-explain. In truth, he knew nothing about the Secret Technique; he only knew that whatever the mysterious woman imparted was definitely far from ordinary. If Nangong Ling was smart, she wouldn’t leak it to anyone.

"How is this possible? Just who is he?" Nangong Ling gazed at Mo Qianqian’s retreating back in disbelief, muttering to herself, "Does he really have no feelings for me? But if he doesn’t, why would he give me such a crucial Secret Technique?"

The sun sank in the west, and the evening twilight deepened. Stepping out of Mist Rain Lake and onto the bustling streets, Mo Qianqian noticed quite a few pedestrians casting odd glances his way.

"Did Asura just go on a secret rendezvous with Nangong Ling?"

"Definitely. They went to Mist Rain Lake, after all—a famous spot for lovers’ trysts. I heard that the Emperor and the Third Princess’s mother met right there at Mist Rain Lake. That’s why, after the Third Princess was born, the Emperor named her Xia Yu Yan. Asura and Nangong Ling will probably fall in love just the same."

"I wonder what they’ll name their future children?"

Amidst the endless whispers of gossip, Mo Qianqian walked away, completely speechless.

By the time he returned to his room at the Wind Shelter Inn, quite a few members of the Asura Conglomerate were wearing strange expressions. Someone even jokingly greeted him, but after a stern reprimand from Mo Qianqian, everyone kept their mouths shut.

Meanwhile, Shi Muyao was feeling quite flustered. When night fell, dressed in a low-cut red gown, she knocked on his door.

"Elder Asura, it’s me," Shi Muyao’s timid voice rang out.

"Come in!" Mo Qianqian called out from inside the room without overthinking it.

As soon as he spoke, the door slowly opened, and the gracefully poised, breathtakingly beautiful Shi Muyao appeared in his line of sight.

She wore a low-cut red gown that revealed patches of snowy-white skin. Beneath the delicate fabric of her slender figure, a pair of fair legs was faintly visible. It was a breathtaking blend of purity, elegance, and sheer allure, complemented by her natural sweetness and the bashful blush painting her youthful face.

It stirred a primal desire within Mo Qianqian that he couldn’t help but feel. However, right now, he was assuming the identity of Asura, not Mo Qianqian. He immediately suppressed his urges.

Calming himself down, Mo Qianqian asked in bewilderment, "Miss Yaoyao, what are you doing...?"

Stepping inside and closing the door behind her, Shi Muyao avoided his gaze with shy, evasive eyes. She lowered her head slightly and asked, "Elder Asura, back at the Shi Family when my grandfather injured me... was it you who saved me?"

Mo Qianqian had no idea why she would suddenly ask this, but he nodded anyway. "Yes."

He knew she was trying to discern whether it was Mo Qianqian or Asura who had come to her rescue. But whether it was Mo Qianqian or Asura, wasn’t it all just him?

"I knew it!" Shi Muyao’s suspicions were finally confirmed.

The one who truly saved her life was Elder Asura, not Mo Qianqian. Elder Asura had saved her three entire times.

"Why have you saved me time and time again? Can you tell me now?" she asked.

Mo Qianqian shook his head. "I cannot say for now. You will understand in the future."

Shi Muyao didn’t press the matter further, but her face grew even redder. "Elder Asura, please..."

Reaching out, she slowly began to untie her low-cut gown.

Staring at the graceful expanse of snowy-white skin before him, Mo Qianqian’s first instinct was to let her continue. After all, Shi Muyao was his wife. But reason told him that he couldn’t do this right now. Because at this moment, he was Asura, not Mo Qianqian!

A sudden, inexplicable pang of discomfort surged in his chest. That’s right—he was Asura right now. By doing this, Shi Muyao was technically betraying his true self! She was currently Mo Qianqian’s wife, yet here she was, offering herself to Asura...

If Asura had been someone else entirely, wouldn’t that mean...

A sickening knot twisted in Mo Qianqian’s stomach.

"Miss Shi, there’s no need for this," Mo Qianqian quickly spoke up to stop her.

"You’ve saved me three times. Even if you refuse to marry me because of my status as a married woman, I am still willing," Shi Muyao said, keeping her head bowed.

"Miss Shi, please have some self-respect," Mo Qianqian said, his tone turning dead serious.

Shi Muyao’s body trembled slightly. Biting her lip, she insisted, "I... I just want to repay you."