Chapter 137 - 134: What Did You Say?

"No," Xian Ling’Er shook her head. "My master said that even if you were to formally acknowledge him as your master right now, he still wouldn’t agree."

Mo Qianqian was rendered speechless. When someone actually had a Spirit Pill in their hands, their attitude really was different! However, he truly desired that pill.

"Is there really no other way?" Mo Qianqian asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up.

"Currently, there’s only one way," Xian Ling’Er replied.

"Oh?" Mo Qianqian’s eyes lit up slightly.

"You marry me. A fake marriage," she said.

"A fake marriage?" Mo Qianqian was taken aback.

"That’s right. Once we get the pill, I’ll break off the engagement," Xian Ling’Er explained.

"This..." Mo Qianqian was perplexed. "What benefit does this bring you?"

Even if Xian Ling’Er was the one to initiate the annulment, word of a fake marriage would still tarnish her reputation once it spread. More importantly, why would she convince her master to give him a Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill for absolutely nothing in return? That Spirit-Breaking Pill would be immensely beneficial to Chu He as well, so why not give it to him?

"It’s just an engagement and a subsequent annulment. I don’t care about such superficial reputation. Of course, I do have a condition," Xian Ling’Er said. "I want you to do something for me. If you agree, I’ll enter this fake marriage with you."

"Oh? Let’s hear it." Mo Qianqian’s interest was piqued.

Truth be told, that pill was simply too important to him. A fake marriage wasn’t entirely out of the question, especially since he was currently using a fake identity anyway. Once his true identity was revealed, everything would make sense. As for Chu Yiming, it would only be natural for Xian Ling’Er to break off the engagement once Mo Qianqian’s real identity was exposed. It all depended on what condition she was offering. As long as it wasn’t too outrageous, he could agree to it.

At this moment, Xian Ling’Er’s expression turned serious as she stated solemnly, "Kill Ling Qingxue."

"Huh?" Mo Qianqian froze.

He wondered why Xian Ling’Er wanted him to kill Ling Qingxue.

"Why?" he couldn’t help but ask. As far as he knew, Xian Ling’Er didn’t have any deep grudge against Ling Qingxue.

"Mo Qianqian serves as a cautionary tale for Chu He," Xian Ling’Er explained. "I don’t want Chu He to remain stubbornly obsessed and end up being used by Ling Qingxue."

Now, Mo Qianqian understood. So that was it! Xian Ling’Er wanted to kill Ling Qingxue for Chu He’s sake. He had to admit, she was truly devoted to him. Chu He had claimed that Xian Ling’Er only saw him as an older brother, but that probably wasn’t the case at all. Yet, Chu He was the one desperately trying to play matchmaker between Mo Qianqian and Xian Ling’Er.

"You think that if Ling Qingxue is killed, Chu He will return to your side?" Mo Qianqian asked.

Xian Ling’Er shook her head. "No. I just don’t want him to be used by Ling Qingxue, nor do I want him to sacrifice himself for her. The last time he went into the Black Demon Ridge, Chu He almost didn’t make it out."

"I understand," Mo Qianqian nodded, then said seriously, "I accept this condition."

He would have killed Ling Qingxue anyway, even if Xian Ling’Er hadn’t made it a condition. The fact that it perfectly aligned with her request was just a convenient coincidence. Moreover, that pill would indeed be a powerful weapon to help him eliminate Ling Qingxue—provided he could successfully use it to advance to the Third-Grade Spirit Master Realm. However, given his current condition, Mo Qianqian felt that as long as he could refine the Spirit-Breaking Pill, advancing to the Third-Grade Spirit Master Realm wouldn’t be a problem.

"Killing Ling Qingxue will be difficult, and the price will be high," Xian Ling’Er warned. "Besides, she likes you a lot, doesn’t she? During the ten or so days you were missing in the Black Demon Ridge, she came looking for you several times and even sent people into the ridge to search for you. Could you really bring yourself to kill her?"

"I have absolutely no relationship with her," Mo Qianqian shook his head.

In truth, it wasn’t that they had no relationship—they were mortal enemies locked in a blood feud. However, he couldn’t tell Xian Ling’Er that right now.

"Furthermore, I won’t use her feelings to kill her. I will kill her openly and honorably," Mo Qianqian added, his attitude resolute.

Back then, Ling Qingxue had manipulated his feelings to deceive him. Logically, he could have used the exact same method of emotional deception to find an opportunity to kill her. Poisoning her or launching a sneak attack would have been a perfectly reciprocal form of revenge. But he disdained using such underhanded methods!

"Your plan to kill Ling Qingxue relies on you advancing to a Third-Grade Spirit Master. What if your attempt to breakthrough fails and you don’t reach the third grade?" Xian Ling’Er pressed further.

"If I fail, I will still carry out what I promised you, even if it means my death," Mo Qianqian replied with a solemn tone.

"If the breakthrough fails, how long will you need to kill her?" Xian Ling’Er asked.

"At most half a year. At least, within a few months, or even a month or two," Mo Qianqian estimated.

Of course, if he successfully refined the pill and advanced his realm, he would immediately storm into the Ling Family. Even if he didn’t succeed, he felt his current strength was already sufficient.

"Alright! It’s a deal!" Xian Ling’Er agreed straightforwardly.

With that, she took out two copies of a marriage contract.

"The wedding will be set for half a year from now. Sign and stamp this, and I’ll go speak with my master," Xian Ling’Er said.

Mo Qianqian was equally decisive. He fetched a brush and ink, wrote down the wedding date, signed it with the name Asura, and then pressed his fingerprint onto the paper.

"I will bring the pill to you soon. Remember to keep the matter of killing Ling Qingxue a secret." Xian Ling’Er handed one copy of the contract to Mo Qianqian, kept the other for herself, and prepared to leave.

"Don’t you need to sign another contract?" Mo Qianqian asked in surprise. They had a marriage contract, but his agreement to kill Ling Qingxue was merely a verbal promise.

"No need. I trust you."

After saying that, Xian Ling’Er turned around, opened the door, and walked out.

Watching Xian Ling’Er’s fairy-like figure stride away, Mo Qianqian felt a sense of inexplicable bewilderment. Entering a fake marriage just for a pill—what on earth was he doing? Word of this would likely spread rapidly, and when it did, the news would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar. It would probably cause trouble with Shi Muyao as well.

Still, making Shi Muyao give up on his Asura persona seemed like a decent choice. The only headache was the appearance of a fake Mo Qianqian, which had led Shi Muyao to divorce his real identity. Adding to his inner turmoil was the fact that before the divorce, Shi Muyao had wanted to sleep with him while he was in his Asura guise. His mind was a tangled mess of complex emotions. Refusing to dwell on it any further, he returned to his room and began to cultivate.

Not long after, Chu He, who had been recovering from his injuries and wasn’t staying at the Wind Shelter Inn, hurriedly arrived.

"Asura!" Chu He shouted the moment he entered the first-floor courtyard, drawing the attention of the Asura Conglomerate members, many of whom stepped out of their rooms.

Hearing the commotion, Mo Qianqian frowned and strode out.

The second he emerged, Chu He yelled across the courtyard, "Are you sure you’re going to marry Xian Ling’Er? And the wedding is set for half a year from now?"

"What???" The members of the Asura Conglomerate went wide-eyed, their jaws nearly dropping to the floor.

"What? Elder Asura is going to marry Xian Ling’Er? And they’ve already set a date?" Pei Hong looked utterly shocked, glancing back and forth between Mo Qianqian and Chu He in disbelief. She wondered if she had misheard.

Shi Muyao, who had just run out of her room, was instantly dumbfounded. "Chu He, w-what did you just say?"

Mo Qianqian felt a massive headache coming on. He wondered if Chu He had seriously come all this way just to confirm this.

"Yes! Xian Ling’Er and I have already set a wedding date!" Mo Qianqian finally declared.

After all, he was currently using a fake identity! Yes, this identity was fake, and his relationship with Xian Ling’Er was merely a cooperative partnership!