At the foot of the mountain.
Yan Zhi frowned, her fair fingers twisting the corner of her clothes as she paced back and forth, appearing extremely nervous.
She wondered how Mr. Ji's assessment was going. Had those old women made things too difficult for him?
She could only hope they hadn't offended Mr. Ji, as the consequences would be unimaginable.
Despite Mr. Ji's harmless and amiable appearance, he was terrifying when angered.
For instance, not long ago, to avenge Boniu, Mr. Ji, in a fit of rage for his beloved, had almost overturned the entire Arctic Ocean, slaughtering nearly ten million sea creatures.
If he were truly angered, the entire Shallow Sun Forest might be razed.
"Hee-haw..."
The Heavenly Horse suddenly reared, whinnying excitedly towards the snow-capped mountain before them.
A figure descended from the mountain.
"Mr. Ji..."
Yan Zhi looked up and saw Ji Mo, her eyes widening in astonishment.
What had happened? Why was Mr. Ji back so soon?
Could it be that the Grand Elders had gone too far, and Mr. Ji had stopped the assessment in anger and left?
Suddenly.
Her pupils contracted. Seeing the flower resembling rosy clouds in Ji Mo's hand, she was filled with dread.
If she wasn't mistaken, this should be the rare flower, Bin Yu Rui, cherished by the Grand Elders. And now, Mr. Ji had... picked it!
Yan Zhi gulped, sensing that something big was about to happen.
It must be that those old women had gone too far, and Mr. Ji, refusing to indulge them, had directly fallen out with them and ruthlessly destroyed the flower.
Would Mr. Ji... go on a killing spree next?
"Mr. Ji, did those old women do something too extreme and make you angry? I'll report it to the Grand Elder and settle the score with them. I'll definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yan Zhi's smooth forehead. Her heart was pounding.
She was terrified that Ji Mo would erupt in anger and start killing.
Ji Hanhan looked puzzled and said, "I'm not angry. In fact, I'm quite happy. Actually, the Grand Elder was quite reasonable and readily agreed to let me be the Saintess of the Moon Sect."
Reasonable?
Readily agreed?
Yan Zhi's expression was peculiar.
These two words seemed impossible to associate with those rigid, self-important, and arrogant old women.
But looking at Ji Mo's demeanor, he didn't seem to be speaking sarcastically, which made Yan Zhi's mind fill with questions.
She quickly asked Ji Mo what he had done on the mountain.
"I didn't do much. I just thought the beast statues in the tunnel were too ugly and scary, obstructing the view, so I had them change their appearance to be cute and adorable. Halfway up, I encountered a poisonous flower that causes hallucinations, so I picked it. There were also several problematic spots in the latter half of the path, which I also fixed. From now on, the path up the mountain will be smooth and free of danger."
Ji Mo casually recounted his journey up the mountain, leaving Yan Zhi dumbfounded.
Good heavens, this wasn't an assessment; it was more like dismantling and causing destruction.
No wonder those old women had admitted your Saintess status without any fuss. They were probably shocked.
They had invested who knew how much effort and treasure to build this testing path.
And in the end, you ruined it in a few strokes.
The Grand Elders would likely be so angry they'd spit blood. How heartbroken they must be.
"As expected of Mr. Ji, he never takes a loss! He's so domineering! I really want to see the expressions on those old women's faces now. Their current expressions must be absolutely spectacular!"
Yan Zhi mused, a smile blooming on her face.
How dare they try to make things difficult for our Moon Sect by testing Mr. Ji? Now they're in a pickle, aren't they?
Serves them right!
Now that Mr. Ji's Saintess qualification is legitimate, there will likely be no suspense in the upcoming contest for the Sect Master.
The Saintesses from the other three sects are no match for Mr. Ji.
Our Moon Sect, after many years, is finally rising to prominence and will have a Sect Master, who will undoubtedly be the strongest Sect Master in history.
After arranging accommodations for Ji Mo, Yan Zhi eagerly went to report the good news to the Grand Elder.
With several days left until the Wind Flower Snow Moon Sect's Sect Master selection ceremony, Ji Mo, having nothing else to do, wandered around.
Finally, he noticed something amiss.
He frequently saw men in various parts of the Shallow Sun Forest inquiring about a young lady named Ji.
He wondered what kind of unparalleled beauty this Miss Ji was to attract the attention of so many lecherous old men.
"It seems our Old Ji family's genes are indeed excellent. The men are handsome and dashing, and the women are adored by all. Truly remarkable."
Ji Hanhan felt pleased with himself, taking pride in his lineage.
Just then, a shout was heard.
From the shadows nearby, a shifty-looking young man greeted him, winking incessantly.
He also patted his chest, signaling that he had something good to show him.
This behavior gave Ji Mo a sense of familiarity.
This kind of act was exactly like those selling pirated CDs under the overpasses back in his hometown.
These scoundrels were the most unreliable and detestable.
The CDs they sold were often not as advertised. The covers were gaudy and enticing, but the content inside was either nature documentaries or children's cartoons.
They were all about tricking honest people.
Ji Mo, not wanting to deal with such unscrupulous swindlers, pretended not to see him.
"I, Ji, am a learned man. How could I be fooled?"
However, in the next moment, he couldn't resist and rushed over with great urgency.
A single sentence from the young man struck him to the core, making him jolt.
"Young man, come quickly! I have something good that will surely satisfy you. This is a private portrait of that Miss Ji. It's only for those destined to receive it. If you miss this village, you won't find this shop!"
As the man spoke, the four words in his speech had an incredibly impactful effect on Ji Mo.
Miss Ji?!
Ji Hanhan was stunned, sensing something was wrong.
Was it someone with the same name as him?
But why did he feel so uneasy?
He walked over and urgently questioned, "What Miss Ji are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend. Of course, it's the mysterious Saintess of the Moon Sect, Miss Ji Mo."
The young man raised an eyebrow, giving Ji Mo a knowing look. He then feigned looking around and furtively took out a painting from his embrace, slowly unfolding it.
On the paper was a portrait of a beautiful woman, dressed lightly and with a graceful figure.
The artist's skill was clearly not ordinary. Although it was only a back view, the alluring curves and the skin radiating a sacred glow, along with the sense of mystery emanating from her, were enough to ignite endless fantasies at a single glance.
On the right side, a poem was inscribed: "May we all be blessed with longevity, though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together."
This was the most classic line from "Shui Diao Ge Tou - When Will the Moon Be Bright?".
Below it, there was a line of small text: "My loneliness, who can understand?"
It had to be said that the person who painted this had some talent and knew how to capture the psychology of old lechers.
This captivating back view, combined with the short verses, would make any man's restless heart itch.
Ji Mo stared intently at the painting, his mouth twitching, his body trembling with anger.
There was no doubt about it. The much-talked-about, universally adored Miss Ji was actually himself.
What a disaster!
His anger surged, and he snatched the painting away.
"Young man, don't get agitated. I completely understand your eagerness to obtain Miss Ji's portrait, but you need to pay first."
The young man rubbed his fingers together, revealing a greedy expression.
In his eyes, Ji Mo was a fat sheep ready to be fleeced.
"I'll give you my grandpa!"
Ji Mo, enraged, tore the painting to shreds and shouted sternly, "Ji Mo doesn't look like this at all! If you dare to spread malicious rumors and slander again, I'll slap you to death with one blow!"
This was utterly outrageous. He, a manly and pure fellow, was being mistaken for a beautiful maiden and coveted by countless old lechers. The thought alone made him sick.
No, he had to find an opportunity to make these damned scoundrels pay for this.