At this moment, Chi Qingying felt an unspeakable grievance.
Her heart felt as if it were pierced by thousands of steel needles, causing her unbearable pain and making it difficult to breathe.
She had been eagerly anticipating Ji Mo's arrival, even fantasizing that the simple-minded Ji would make a grand entrance to snatch her away.
Never did she expect.
Reality to be so cruel, her beloved turning into her stepfather.
Her eyes welled up with tears, her delicate body swaying precariously, as if the entire world had plunged into darkness.
Xia Wan'er covered her mouth, her mind a complete blank.
Mr. Ji had an enormous appetite, was he planning to conquer both young and old, to take in both mother and daughter of the Chi family?
"Dad?"
Ji Mo's forehead was covered in dark lines. He vividly remembered the first time he met Xia Wan'er, the girl had immediately called him "Dad."
He hadn't expected Chi Qingying to have such a mischievous streak, calling him "Dad" after only a short time apart.
"You silly girl, what are you babbling about?"
Madam Chi's face instantly flushed red, filled with extreme embarrassment.
What an unlucky child, calling someone "Dad" just like that, so unreliable.
She quickly corrected, "Qingying, this is the great scholar I mentioned to you before, Ji Mo, Mr. Ji. Mr. Ji is kind enough to call me sister. By seniority, you should call Mr. Ji your uncle. And Wan'er, quickly greet your great-uncle."
Madam Chi also had ulterior motives. Taking advantage of this awkward moment, she immediately seized the opportunity to foster a closer relationship with Ji Mo, hoping to recognize him as a younger brother.
She was extremely satisfied with Ji Mo.
Especially when Ji Mo brought two sea monsters at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm as gifts, which immediately made her consider Ji Mo as one of their own.
It was important to note that the Chi family had guarded Blue Jade City for generations, supporting the entire western coastal defense line and constantly confronting the ambitious sea tribes of the North Arctic Ocean.
Chi Qingying's father had died in battle against the sea tribes, so Madam Chi harbored a deep-seated hatred for sea monsters.
The two sea monster corpses Ji Mo presented were precisely their mortal enemies, which resonated deeply with her.
This also proved that Ji Mo stood in opposition to the sea tribes, naturally earning her trust.
It was precisely for this reason that Madam Chi treated Ji Mo as the Chi family's most honored guest, bestowing upon him the highest hospitality.
This, in turn, led to Xia Wan'er's misunderstanding and caused Chi Qingying to make a fool of herself.
At this moment.
Madam Chi intended to establish a closer relationship with Ji Mo, her ultimate goal being to find a future reliance for Chi Qingying.
She believed that with such an uncle's support, Chi Qingying's future days would be carefree and she would not be bullied.
"Second Uncle?!"
Chi Qingying was stunned, then immediately broke into tears of laughter.
She had almost been scared to death.
She had thought her mother had some kind of relationship with this simpleton, but it turned out not to be what she had imagined.
It was all Xia Wan'er's fault for being so careless and absent-minded, jumping to conclusions. She needed to teach her a lesson sometime.
Chi Qingying's sorrow turned to joy, and she couldn't stop giggling foolishly.
Ji Mo finally understood the relationship between Madam Chi and Chi Qingying, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
Fate, sometimes, was truly wondrous!
He considered Chi Qingying a good friend and initially didn't want to take advantage of her.
However, seeing Chi Qingying's surprised and even tearfully excited expression as she called him Second Uncle, giggling incessantly, he mistakenly thought she really liked having an uncle. After a moment of thought, he accepted it.
After all, they were all family. As long as Chi Qingying was happy, being an uncle was fine.
Ji Mo suddenly thought of something. He stepped forward, took Chi Qingying's small hand, looked into her eyes, and spoke with great seriousness.
Chi Qingying was stunned by this sudden intimate gesture, her heart leaping into her throat. Her heart pounded like a drum, and her gaze darted away.
Her cheeks burned, and she tried to pull her hand away, but it remained motionless. Ji Mo held it firmly, not allowing her to break free.
What was going on?
What was he going to do to me?
Chi Qingying's heart was in turmoil, and she was so nervous her palms were sweating.
"Qingying..."
Ji Mo looked directly into Chi Qingying's eyes, his gaze as soft as water, his voice deep and resonant, tender enough to melt ten thousand years of ice. "Can you promise me..."
He mustered his courage, as if about to ask Chi Qingying for something important.
A confession?
Could this simpleton be planning to confess his feelings to me in public?
Chi Qingying nodded emphatically without hesitation, eagerly responding, "I promise, I promise you anything."
"Really?"
Ji Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief and instructed, "Then you promise me you won't cut your hair this month, okay?"
The saying goes, "Don't cut your hair in the first lunar month, or you'll kill your uncle."
Ji Mo remembered this, which was why he solemnly reminded Chi Qingying.
"Don't cut your hair?"
What kind of absurd request was this?
Was he playing with me?
Chi Qingying instantly turned to stone, trembling with anger.
Then she raised her leg and stomped on Ji Mo several times.
This wicked simpleton, why was he so mischievous, deliberately raising her expectations?
"Qingying, how can you treat your Second Uncle like this? Apologize quickly."
Madam Chi reprimanded. Now that Ji Mo had finally acknowledged the uncle-niece relationship, she couldn't let Chi Qingying ruin it.
Honestly, she was such a big girl, yet she still threw tantrums, never giving her any peace of mind.
However, Madam Chi was also shocked. She sensed that Chi Qingying's kicks were not holding back at all, delivered with great force, yet they caused Ji Mo no harm whatsoever.
Ji Mo didn't even show a hint of pain, his expression as calm as ever.
"Could it be that Mr. Ji is a true Immortal Emperor, hiding his true strength!"
Madam Chi's smile widened, feeling that her judgment was indeed insightful, she had found a treasure.
With this person protecting the Chi family, she would no longer have to worry.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you don't cut your hair this month, you can stomp on me as much as you want."
Ji Mo, the simpleton, released Chi Qingying's hand and chuckled sheepishly.
He felt that perhaps he had offended her by grabbing her hand, and as an elder, he shouldn't hold a grudge against his niece.
Bonny, standing nearby, saw the situation and sensed something was amiss with Chi Qingying, realizing she clearly had ill intentions towards Ji Mo.
She felt a great sense of crisis and couldn't help but feel hostile towards Chi Qingying.
"How can it not matter? As a niece, you should be polite and know your place. How can you hit your own uncle?"
Bonny spoke up, intending to make Chi Qingying face reality, understand the seniority, and not have any ideas about Ji Mo.
"Mother, I refuse to acknowledge this simpleton as my uncle."
Chi Qingying was on the verge of tears.
If she acknowledged him as her uncle, then she and Ji Mo would have no possibility between them.
"Qingying, don't be ungrateful. Mr. Ji is willing to be your uncle; it's your immense fortune."
Madam Chi's tone grew stern, but being delicate in her thoughts, she also sensed Chi Qingying's unusual emotions. She changed her words, "If you don't like it, you can call Mr. Ji your godfather. You called him quite smoothly just now."
"Mother..."
Chi Qingying was almost crying with frustration.
Calling him godfather was even worse than uncle, it was infuriating.
Xia Wan'er saw this and quickly spoke up, introducing their relationship with Ji Mo, stating that they had already joined the Void Sword Sect.
"Oh, so we were already family!"
Madam Chi chuckled, casting a meaningful glance at her daughter, and chuckled inwardly.