"If my strength is insufficient, what use would you be following me?" Mo Qi said with a light laugh.
Yao Shuang pouted, "You look down on me."
"I don't look down on you; I just don't want you to be in any danger. Leave the fighting and killing to me. You just need to be beautiful."
The stubbornness in Yao Shuang's eyes softened slightly.
Mo Qi remembered something and looked at her bright, intelligent eyes. "I retrieved your remnant soul before and have kept it safe all these years. However, I've been hesitant about returning it to you. Now, I'll give it to you, and you can decide what to do."
As he spoke, Mo Qi took out a small bottle and handed it to Yao Shuang.
Yao Shuang did not reach out to take it. "Husband, I'm afraid if I regain my remnant soul, I might become a different person."
Mo Qi pressed the small bottle into her hand. "That's also something I've worried about. But after much thought, I've decided to give it to you. Regardless, your decision should be respected; I shouldn't be the one to decide your fate."
Yao Shuang gave a faint smile. "In simpler terms, you're pushing the responsibility onto me."
"Perhaps," Mo Qi chuckled, "but more importantly, it's out of respect for you."
Yao Shuang put away the small bottle. "Thank you for your respect. But I need to think carefully about whether to use it."
Leaving Yao Shuang's temporary palace, Mo Qi was about to head to Sun Qian's palace when a flicker of light and shadow appeared, and a young man materialized before him.
It was Xiao He. Mo Qi was somewhat surprised to see him there.
"Are you looking for me?" Mo Qi asked, quite puzzled.
"Nonsense. If I weren't looking for you, why would I be here?"
"Perhaps you took a wrong turn."
"...I sensed that you are facing a great calamity again, so I came to warn you."
"This... is it good to tell me this right off the bat?"
"Do you want me to lie to you, and then have you die inexplicably?"
"Alas, that doesn't seem good either. Then tell me, how will I die this time? And how many resurrection armors have you prepared for me?"
"You're thinking too much! Firstly, why do you assume I would help you? Secondly, why do you assume I have plenty of resurrection armor?"
Mo Qi was stunned.
After a moment, he murmured, "Then why did you come to find me?"
Xiao He sighed and began to lecture. "Young people shouldn't always expect to gain without effort. Wealth, power, abilities – all must be earned through hard work. Nothing falls from the sky. If you worry about your insufficient strength, then strive to improve your cultivation. Falling behind can lead to being beaten. Only by being invincible in the world will others not dare to bully you..."
Mo Qi waved his hand. "Alright, alright. To put it plainly, you're telling me to fend for myself. I understand. You can go now."
He then frowned. "It seems it is indeed quite dangerous. If you know I'm not dead, then Hongjun might also know I'm not dead."
"Therefore, you must leave this place and find a safe haven to rapidly improve your cultivation."
"Thanks for the reminder," Mo Qi shot him a sidelong glance. "But if I leave, what about my clansmen? Who will protect them?"
"Can't you leave Zhu Yan behind?"
"You..." Mo Qi's hair stood on end. "How do you know everything? Are you tracking me?"
"Why would I track you?" Xiao He said disdainfully. "What about you is worth my tracking?"
"Who knows," Mo Qi said, looking at him warily.
"Actually, I merely asked Xiao Tie about you, and he could tell me everything. As the soul of this world, he naturally has a clear view of everything that happens within it. Naturally, nothing about you can escape his keen sight."
"Alright, then are you taking me somewhere to train?"
"A place where beauties abound. The Jupiter world."
"...What are you talking about? Am I that kind of lecherous person? When are we going?"
"We're going now."
"Wait for me. I'll entrust Zhu Yan to Qing Qing, and I'll be right back." Mo Qi twisted and disappeared, but in the blink of an eye, he returned. "I've made the arrangements. Let's go."
"That fast?" Xiao He rolled his eyes.
"If I don't improve myself quickly, I'm worried Hongjun will come to kill me a second time, and you won't give me resurrection armor. I can only rely on myself. Moreover, I bear the mission of unsealing the Earth Star world. How can I not strive?"
"You speak with such righteous indignation. Very well, I shall send you there now."
As he spoke, Xiao He drew a circle in the air, creating a ripple that could accommodate one person, with shimmering water obscuring the view within.
"Go in," Xiao He said.
"You're not going to betray me, are you?" Mo Qi asked worriedly.
"Where do you get all this nonsense?" Xiao He kicked him into the portal.
Mo Qi yelled as he was buffeted by air currents in a spatial void, spinning and tumbling for a long, long time...
With a *thump*, his body slammed hard onto the ground, kicking up dust and billowing smoke.
After a long while, a ragged, disheveled figure crawled out of a large pit. It was Mo Qi.
As soon as he emerged from the pit, two armored figures suddenly appeared beside him. "It truly is a case of searching high and low only to find it unexpectedly. We were looking for a beggar, and now this beggar has appeared before us."
Saying this, the two men grabbed Mo Qi by the arms, one on each side, and dragged him away.
Mo Qi was about to resist when the bearded man on the left said, "This brat is getting off too easily. The third young lady of the Tang family is a beauty that could topple cities. I heard she's the most beautiful among the Tang sisters. What a pity that this little beggar got lucky."
What? What?
Mo Qi's interest was immediately piqued. Got lucky with what? Could it be marriage?
If that were the case, he would go along with the plan.
He didn't necessarily have to marry, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
So, he hung his head low and allowed the two men to drag him forward.
They wound through several turns and corners, and soon entered a vast courtyard, as luxurious as an imperial palace.
Such a luxurious courtyard should have been bustling with activity, but instead, it felt desolate and bleak.
Mo Qi suddenly had a premonition that luck wasn't so easily obtained.
"Is he dead?" The two soldiers threw Mo Qi onto the ground. "If he's not dead, come out and receive him. This is your future son-in-law. Hurry and take him in. Our prince has decreed that the third young lady must marry this beggar tonight, or the entire household will be executed."
This was too ruthless!
Mo Qi's initial assessment was that this family must have some enmity with this so-called prince, and the prince's family, in order to exact revenge, was forcing this family's most beautiful daughter to marry a beggar!
In that case, this was a tragedy!
But before a tragedy concludes, it could still turn into a comedy.
After speaking, the two soldiers did not leave far, retreating to the entrance. Their hawk-like eyes scanned every door like swords.
After a moment, two people who appeared to be servants emerged from the main entrance. They also dragged Mo Qi, one on each side, towards the back.
As they passed the main entrance, he caught a glimpse of several people inside arranging a wedding hall, busy at work. However, not a single person had a joyful expression on their face. It seemed they all felt humiliated!
Mo Qi was dragged through several corridors and arrived at a room in the back.
The two servants knocked on the door and then stood quietly.
Mo Qi's heart was pounding, and suddenly he felt a surge of anticipation.
After a moment, the door opened, and a beautiful woman in her early thirties (her actual age was unknown) emerged. Her face was pale, with tear tracks at the corners of her eyes, giving her a tragically beautiful aura.
Was this the third young lady?
The beautiful woman scrutinized Mo Qi carefully, then stepped aside and said softly, "Take him in to let the third young lady see him."
So it wasn't her!
The two then dragged Mo Qi into the room.
The two servants released Mo Qi and fled as if escaping for their lives.
Mo Qi raised his head to survey the room.
This was indeed a lady's chamber. The bed curtains were embroidered with flowers, and the table was adorned with various feminine trinkets.
The entire room was resplendent, with gold and silver utensils, silk bedding, and nanmu furniture, all exuding opulence.
But why was she forced to marry a beggar? Mo Qi himself felt incredibly stifled.
On the bed lay a young woman, her skin fair, her features delicate, her beauty breathtaking.
But at this moment, she was coughing uncontrollably, causing the bed to tremble.
She was ill, and seriously ill!
After the third young lady finished coughing, she glanced at Mo Qi in passing, tears streaming from her eyes. "The Ni family is truly too overbearing. They are tormenting and humiliating me, a dying person. I will not rest even as a ghost."
Dying soon?
Indeed, luck wasn't so easily obtained.
But why would that so-called Ni family orchestrate such a scene? Why would they humiliate this family? Had this third young lady done anything wicked?
The beautiful woman at the door walked over and said to the third young lady, "Ning'er, do you think this person is suitable? Do you find him to your liking?"
Ning'er turned her head, cast a fleeting glance at Mo Qi, coughed a few more times, and said irritably, "What does it matter if he's suitable or not? We're all going to die anyway. Aren't they just trying to humiliate me? Let them have their way then."
The beautiful woman turned to Mo Qi. "Young man, where are you from? Why are you begging?"
Did I look like a beggar?
However, with the situation as it was, if Mo Qi wanted to understand the whole story, he had to continue pretending to be a beggar. So, he casually replied, "I'm from the north. Begging was my last resort. My parents are deceased, and I've achieved nothing. To survive, I had no choice but to beg."
"I can sense some spiritual energy in you; it seems you've begun cultivation. Why then have you fallen into such a state?"
"Ahem," Mo Qi coughed dryly, concealing his spiritual energy. "What spiritual energy? You speak in a way that confuses me. I've never even heard of such a thing as spiritual energy, so how could I possibly possess such a vile substance?"
The beautiful woman probed him again, saw that his spiritual energy was completely gone, and was a little puzzled. She then thought that perhaps she had misjudged, and no longer dwelled on it.
"I don't know why you've captured me. What is the purpose?" Mo Qi asked, feigning caution.