Chapter 78: Was Jiang Yanran not shocked?
“Senior Sister, it’s me. Where have you been all this time?” Jiang Yanran grabbed Gu Qingxue’s hand tightly and asked anxiously.
“What are you doing? Let go of me. I told you I don’t know you.”
Gu Qingxue tried to break free from the hand gripping hers, but the other party clearly had no intention of letting go.
“How can you not know me? Master sent you to assist me, did you forget?” Facing Gu Qingxue’s reaction, Jiang Yanran looked puzzled.
When they first entered the secret realm, she hadn’t seen her Senior Sister.
She thought it was due to some restrictions that she hadn’t entered this secret realm.
But now, not only had her Senior Sister entered the secret realm, but she also hadn’t contacted her proactively and claimed not to know her.
Most importantly, why was her personality so different from before?
She clearly remembered her Senior Sister should be a cool and aloof older sister…
Nangong Xu observed Gu Qingxue for a while before saying, “Yanran, have you noticed that your Senior Sister is now an ordinary person?”
“An ordinary person?” Reminded by Nangong Xu, Jiang Yanran finally sized up her Senior Sister.
She had been too excited to see her here earlier. Now she also noticed that although her Senior Sister had a trace of spiritual energy in her body, it wasn’t even enough for the Qi Gathering realm.
What was going on?
Gu Qingxue looked distressed. Jiang Yanran’s grip was not light, and her eyes began to water from the pain.
When Lin Mo arrived, he saw Gu Qingxue in this state.
His expression instantly turned cold.
Seeing Lin Mo’s expression, Jiang Yanran only felt a tremor in her heart and subconsciously let go of Gu Qingxue.
“Brother Lin Mo…” Gu Qingxue seized the opportunity and threw herself into Lin Mo’s arms, tears streaming down her face.
The reason she cried so hard, besides the pain in her wrist, was naturally the emotional outburst upon seeing Lin Mo after being wronged.
This also showed that deep down, she already considered Lin Mo the most important person.
Lin Mo naturally saw this. He gently took Gu Qingxue’s injured right hand and glanced at her reddened and swollen wrist. Then, killing intent condensed into substance surged towards Jiang Yanran.
Jiang Yanran was still shocked that her Senior Sister had thrown herself into Lin Mo’s arms and called him “brother.” Suddenly feeling Lin Mo’s killing intent, she was instantly unable to move, and her heart began to pound uncontrollably.
Realizing her state, she herself found it unbelievable.
Was she scared?
Circulating her spiritual energy throughout her body, Jiang Yanran felt she could finally breathe. Suppressing the fear in her heart, she retorted, “Is my Senior Sister’s current state your doing?”
“What exactly did you do to my Senior Sister?”
Before Lin Mo could reply, Gu Qingxue, sobbing in his arms, said, “I know I have amnesia now, but Brother Lin Mo saved my life.”
“As for what you said, I am your Senior Sister. Even if it’s true, I really hate you.”
“Compared to Brother Lin Mo, you are nothing.”
Gu Qingxue’s words made Jiang Yanran’s face turn red.
However, she couldn’t get angry at her Senior Sister, as they would have to see each other at the Ice Palace if she recovered her memory later.
Finally, she chose to vent her anger on Lin Mo: “You are truly a scoundrel, using sweet talk to deceive my Senior Sister while she has amnesia.”
“Senior Sister, come over here quickly. Don’t be fooled by that scoundrel. I’ll take you back to the Ice Palace after we leave the secret realm and ask Master to help you recover your memory.”
“No, I won’t!” Gu Qingxue’s attitude was resolute, clinging tightly to Lin Mo’s waist.
Seeing this, Jiang Yanran prepared to grab her again, to forcibly pull Gu Qingxue to her side.
But the moment she reached out her hand, Lin Mo slapped it away.
“Don’t touch her with your dirty hands.”
Jiang Yanran cried out in pain and looked at the back of her reddened and swollen right hand. She was astonished that Lin Mo could break through her protective spiritual energy.
Before she could say anything more, Nangong Xu began to rage.
“You brat, I’ll settle both new and old scores with you today.”
“This is a secret realm. Dying here only means you were not strong enough. You have no one else to blame.”
Nangong Xu drew his sword, not hiding his aura of the mid-stage Golden Core realm. His eyes seemed to want to devour Lin Mo.
“What’s all the noise?”
This light chuckle attracted everyone’s attention. Zhu Shiyao, with a cold face, walked slowly from behind Lin Mo.
Nangong Xu instantly deflated. He quickly retracted his arrogant attitude and forced a smile. “Daoist Friend Zhu, what brings you here too?”
Jiang Yanran was equally puzzled.
“Why can’t I be here?” Zhu Shiyao’s expression couldn’t have been worse. She was about to spar with Lin Mo, but these two interrupted her.
Nangong Xu also noticed Zhu Shiyao’s poor state. He swallowed and said in a smaller voice, “Daoist Friend Zhu Shiyao, Lin Mo and I have some personal grudges to settle. You see…”
“Personal grudges?” Zhu Shiyao glanced at Lin Mo. “Daoist Friend Lin Mo, do you have an enemy with him?”
Lin Mo nodded. “You could say that.”
Zhu Shiyao said, “Alright then, you guys settle your personal matters first. Just don’t kill him.”
Zhu Shiyao was also a very rational person.
If Lin Mo really killed Nangong Xu, the conflict would escalate to the level of aristocratic families.
She quite favored Lin Mo and didn’t want to see the Lin Family in trouble.
Nangong Xu completely misinterpreted Zhu Shiyao’s meaning. He nodded and said, “On your behalf, Daoist Friend Zhu Shiyao, I naturally won’t take his life. However, swords and blades are blind. If I accidentally cripple his hands and feet, or disfigure him and abolish his cultivation, I can’t guarantee it.”
Zhu Shiyao frowned and cursed him as an ‘idiot’ under her breath.
She was about to say something else, but after hearing Nangong Xu’s statement, she decided against it.
It seemed Daoist Friend Lin Mo would know how to torment this Nangong Xu.
Just as Zhu Shiyao guessed, Lin Mo planned to retaliate exactly as Nangong Xu had suggested.
He stroked the head of the person in his arms and said softly, “Stay behind that sister. I’ll take care of him soon.”
Gu Qingxue obediently walked behind Zhu Shiyao. She believed in Lin Mo’s strength.
Nangong Xu also told Jiang Yanran to stay away. “Yanran, just watch from the side. Within three moves, I’ll make that brat grovel on the ground.”
Jiang Yanran nodded, confident in Nangong Xu’s strength.
Before the fight, Nangong Xu started showing off again. “Brat, if you hand over the things I sent to your Lin Family, and then cripple your own arms and legs, I might consider not abolishing your cultivation.”
“Idiot!” Lin Mo found it outrageous. Why did villains always like to talk a big game before fighting?
“You truly don’t know what’s good for you!”
Nangong Xu circulated his spiritual energy, pointing his spirit sword at Lin Mo’s hands.
Just as he was about to cripple the brat’s hands, he felt a sharp pain in both of his hands.
With a ‘clatter,’ his spirit sword fell to the ground. There were two distinct holes in his hands, and the blood seemed to react belatedly, starting to flow down.
Nangong Xu looked astonished. Suppressing the severe pain in his arms, he questioned Lin Mo, “What exactly did you do?”
Why couldn’t he even see the other party’s sword?
Lin Mo’s expression was calm, and he didn’t intend to answer Nangong Xu. The Liuli Sword in his hand shone brilliantly under the sunlight.
Nangong Xu only saw a flash of white light. Before he could react, his legs were pierced by Lin Mo’s sword energy.
“This, how is this possible?” Nangong Xu’s legs were crippled, and he fell to the ground. His gaze towards Lin Mo was no longer angry, but filled with fear.
For people like this, Lin Mo naturally wouldn’t drag things out if he could resolve them quickly.
Zhu Shiyao reminded him, “Daoist Friend Lin Mo, you should stop now.”
Others couldn’t see clearly, but she, Zhu Shiyao, could see very clearly. Lin Mo’s sword energy was not only extremely sharp but also incredibly fast, so fast that she had to concentrate to perceive the direction of the sword energy’s movement.
“I’ve only made two moves. According to his request, I still have a third sword to deliver.”
Lin Mo’s expression was cold, and his sword was even colder.
The sword spirit of the Liuli Sword was showing a strong desire to perform at this moment, and Lin Mo naturally noticed this.
He felt that his swordplay was smoother than ever, clearly because the Liuli Sword was cooperating with him.
He also knew the reason. Zhu Shiyao’s presence must have caused the Liuli Sword to want to show off its power, likely hoping to make Zhu Shiyao regret ‘abandoning it’.
Seeing Lin Mo aim his third sword at his face, Nangong Xu couldn’t care about his reputation anymore. He joined the fingers of his right hand, formed a hand seal, and cast a life-saving talisman given to him by his Master.
Lin Mo’s sword energy had already been unleashed. The moment it touched Nangong Xu, Nangong Xu’s entire body vanished from its original spot.
“Did he escape?” Lin Mo secretly lamented regretting not being able to slice open Nangong Xu’s face.
However, the method of escape was so familiar…
Lin Mo suddenly remembered that when he led a team on an expedition, there was a man named Tang who also escaped in the same way.
And that man named Tang was a member of the Night Raid.
Could it be that this Xuanming Hall had some connection to the Night Raid?
Putting aside these thoughts for now, Lin Mo’s cold gaze fell upon Jiang Yanran.
Jiang Yanran’s expression was stunned. Her mind was filled with too many questions.
She clearly remembered Lin Mo cultivating physique-based techniques, so why was his swordsmanship so ferocious?
Even if his cultivation technique was hidden, Lin Mo’s aura wouldn’t lie to her.
Lin Mo’s cultivation level was early Golden Core. Even if he had special attainments in swordsmanship, or possessed sword-related cultivation techniques like Zhu Shiyao, he couldn’t have defeated Nangong Xu so easily.
Therefore, Lin Mo’s Golden Core was definitely not below Rank 7, meaning Lin Mo couldn’t possibly have Dual Spirit Root aptitude.
But she couldn’t understand why Lin Mo would hide his talent, hide his strength, and even go to a Rank 2 immortal sect like the Azure Spirit Sect.
What was the point of doing all this?
If Lin Mo had revealed his talent and strength to her from the beginning, she definitely wouldn’t have broken off the engagement at the Lin Family.
As for getting together with Nangong Xu, she admitted she had a little bit of a crush on him, but it was mostly for future benefits.
Nangong Xu had the Rank 1 immortal sect, Xuanming Hall, behind him. Just based on this status, his future was bound to be bright. Naturally, he was a suitable match for her, and she could gain greater benefits from it.
And now, she was completely baffled by Lin Mo’s actions.
No wonder, no wonder Lin Mo was so confident when she broke off the engagement, and even called Nangong Xu a waste.
Now it seemed he indeed had the capital. Lin Mo was clearly a sword cultivator, a ‘monster’ on the same level as Zhu Shiyao.
“Why, why hide yourself?” This was the question that puzzled Jiang Yanran the most.
“Is it necessary for me to explain to you?”
Lin Mo’s expression was very calm. “Alright, since things have come to this, I need to take back what doesn’t belong to you.”
