Mo Qi recognized the person being kicked as Tang Hao, and behind him stood a woman in a red dress and red robes, her hair also red, cascading down like a crimson waterfall.
Her entire being seemed like a vibrant flame, entwined with fair, tender skin, appearing so alluring.
Upon seeing Mo Qi, Tang Hao lowered his head and attempted to turn away, but the woman pushed and kicked him, forcing him all the way to Mo Qi's front.
"Apologize to Brother Mo quickly," the red-robed female cultivator commanded.
Tang Hao was extremely reluctant, but having been forced before Mo Qi, he had no choice but to comply.
"Brother Mo, I provoked you that day, and it was my fault. I was wrong, I'm sorry. Please overlook my petty mistakes and forgive me." Tang Hao spoke like a firecracker, a rapid burst of words, then bowed to Mo Qi and fled.
Before Mo Qi could react, Tang Hao had vanished.
"Truly spineless," the beautiful female cultivator muttered, watching Tang Hao's retreating back. She then turned with a smile, "My name is Tang Qianyu, do you remember me?"
Mo Qi was taken aback. Her question implied they had met before, but he couldn't recall where.
He looked again, still drawing a blank, and revealed a confused expression, "My apologies, my eyesight is poor..."
A flicker of displeasure crossed Tang Qianyu's eyes, "Think again, in the Myriad Phenomena Valley..."
Mo Qi immediately remembered and said, "You're the female cultivator who entered with me?"
Tang Qianyu nodded, "It was me. It's thanks to you saving me that I'm still alive today."
Mo Qi was a bit puzzled, "But I remember your hair..."
Tang Qianyu's expression turned a little somber, "After I came out of the Myriad Phenomena Valley, my hair turned this color. I've tried many methods, but nothing has worked. It's only comforting that although I wasn't inside for long, my cultivation has improved a bit."
Mo Qi blurted out, "You don't need to find a way to change it back. This color actually suits you quite well. Perhaps it's fate."
Tang Qianyu, however, felt this was just meant to comfort her.
"Do you remember that storage pouch you took last night?" Tang Qianyu said, suddenly a little shy.
"I remember," Mo Qi replied casually, "Tang Zheng Tian gave it to me to help his son pay off his debts."
"That storage pouch is mine," Tang Qianyu said, lowering her head shyly.
"I wondered why there was makeup, powder, and handkerchiefs inside," Mo Qi said, suddenly enlightened, and took out the storage pouch. Opening it, he took out the handkerchief, makeup, and flying blades, handing them to Tang Qianyu, "Here, I'll return these to you."
"I guessed you came today mainly to retrieve these things, right?" Mo Qi said, assuming he was right.
Tang Qianyu waved her hands repeatedly, "No, I came today mainly to thank you for saving my life."
Then, seeing Mo Qi holding out his hand awkwardly, she took the handkerchief and makeup, but not the flying blades, "I'll give you these Tang family flying blades."
Mo Qi accepted them almost without hesitation, "Then I'll gratefully accept. It's just a pity I don't know your dazzling exclusive flying blade techniques."
Tang Qianyu hesitated, "These techniques can only be learned by Tang family members. If you were one, I could teach you, but..."
"I understand, I was just saying it. You don't need to take it seriously," Mo Qi said.
Tang Qianyu sighed softly.
Mo Qi, making conversation, asked, "What were you doing in the Hong Meng South Sea back then?"
Tang Qianyu replied, "I was on a mission. I heard the Myriad Phenomena Valley offered a good place for training, so I went in to have a look."
Mo Qi's heart stirred. A mission at that specific time. What kind of mission could it have been?
"What exactly is your identity?" Mo Qi couldn't help but ask.
"Hall Master of the Vermillion Bird Hall, third tier under the Southern Heaven Gate," Tang Qianyu stated clearly.
Mo Qi was greatly surprised, then thought this might be a breakthrough.
"Would it be convenient to tell me what mission you were on?" Mo Qi asked.
Tang Qianyu showed a troubled expression, "It's not convenient to tell you."
Her answer was within Mo Qi's expectations. He looked around, then at Tang Qianyu, "Then can I guess? Was it that a mission led by the second tier failed, and you suspected an inside job, so you went to investigate?"
Tang Qianyu's eyes widened in alarm, "Who exactly are you?" In an instant, she regained her composure and looked at Mo Qi, "This is not a place to talk. Let's go somewhere else."
"Where shall we go then?" Mo Qi asked.
"To my home," Tang Qianyu said.
"And if I accidentally say something wrong, will I never return?" Mo Qi teased.
Tang Qianyu looked at him intently, "Then you can choose not to go."
Mo Qi glanced at her and suddenly realized her demeanor was different from before.
Therefore, don't let women work, because when women work, they forget to be coy and beautiful.
"Lead the way," Mo Qi gestured for her to go ahead.
Tang Qianyu immediately soared into the air, and Mo Qi followed closely.
Various mountain gates have inner and outer disciples. The Tang family is also divided into direct and collateral branches. Direct descendants live in the central area of the Tang family, while collateral branches reside on the periphery, forming a protective embrace.
Tang Qianyu's residence was in the central area of the Tang family, indicating she was from the direct lineage.
Along the way, everyone they encountered from the Tang family showed her great respect.
"Greetings, Little Aunt!"
"Greetings, Little Aunt-in-law!"
"Greetings, Little Great Aunt!"
Tang Qianyu nodded to each of them. Only Tang Hao, seeing her approach from a distance, scurried away.
Mo Qi asked, "How old are you exactly?"
Tang Qianyu glared at him but did not answer.
Without any hesitation, she led Mo Qi into her room and closed the doors and windows.
After they sat down, Tang Qianyu said, "You can speak freely now."
"But you're making me so nervous. I don't even know what your identity is," Mo Qi said with a half-smile.
"Didn't I just tell you? Hall Master of the Vermillion Bird Hall, third tier," Tang Qianyu replied.
"What about your hidden identity?" Mo Qi retorted, not backing down.
"There is no hidden identity," Tang Qianyu stated calmly.
"Then, as a show of sincerity, you tell me first what mission you were on," Mo Qi said, sounding weary.
"It's similar to what I told you. The Hall Master of the second tier, Wan Beifeng, and his group went to the Hong Meng South Sea for negotiations. Except for him, everyone else perished. The superiors suspected Wan Beifeng of wrongdoing and interrogated him, but found nothing. The superiors sent me to the Hong Meng South Sea to investigate and see if any clues could be found," Tang Qianyu said slowly.
"Did you find anything?" Mo Qi asked.
"I found nothing. After all, the evidence was destroyed."
"Why did they send you alone to investigate?" Mo Qi asked, confused.
"A smaller target is less likely to repeat the mistake. And it's more discreet."
"How did you investigate?" Mo Qi found it suspicious. Either she was just going through the motions, or her abilities were lacking, otherwise, how could she have found nothing? At least she should have figured out it was the Divine Crow Sect.
"According to Wan Beifeng's confession, he said they were ambushed when they entered the Shen Long Gate's jurisdiction, so I went to the scene but found no clues. I also apprehended a few Shen Long Gate disciples and questioned them, but they knew nothing," Tang Qianyu said.
"Alas," Mo Qi sighed, "You were completely misled by Wan Beifeng. The ambush location was not within the Shen Long Gate's jurisdiction, and this matter was not done by the Shen Long Gate."
"You seem to know everything. Now it's your turn to speak," Tang Qianyu said.
Mo Qi was still hesitant. He felt that if he spoke, he might not be able to leave the Tang family today.
"This topic is too heavy, and I'm not mentally prepared. Let's change to a lighter topic first. Do you want your hair to turn black again?" Mo Qi asked after a moment of thought.
"Of course, I do, but there's nothing that can be done now," Tang Qianyu said, trying to suppress her anxiety and anger.
"I have a way," Mo Qi took out a pill from his storage pouch and offered it to Tang Qianyu, "This is a Black Hair Pill. After you take it, your hair will immediately turn black."
Tang Qianyu took the pill with doubt, holding it in her hand but not daring to swallow it.
"What's wrong? Do you suspect the pill is poisoned? We're at your home, would I dare poison you?" Mo Qi said.
Tang Qianyu hesitated for a moment, then took the pill.
In reality, it was a Truth Pill.
A moment later, Tang Qianyu's eyes became vacant.
Mo Qi asked, "Who ordered you to investigate the failure of Wan Beifeng's mission?"
"Lord Ouyang Zhu of the fourth tier."
"A genuine investigation or a fake one?"
"Genuine."
"Did you collude with any faction in the Hong Meng South Sea?"
"No."
"If Wan Beifeng were a spy, what would you do?"
"I would kill him."
"Do you have a partner?"
"No."
"How old are you this year?"
"Thirty-four."
Then, Mo Qi gave Tang Qianyu another beauty pill and sat beside her, waiting for her to recover.
A moment later, Tang Qianyu's eyes cleared. Although she didn't know what had happened, she clearly felt a gap in her memory. She looked at her hair and found it hadn't turned black. Her eyes widened in anger, "What did you do to me?"
Mo Qi calmly replied, "I gave you a beauty pill. This pill has a slight side effect, not really a side effect, but it makes you a bit sleepy."
Tang Qianyu stood up abruptly, her chest heaving, "What beauty pill? It's all lies! You just said it was a Black Hair Pill."
Mo Qi remained impassive, "I have the Black Hair Pill, but I can't give it to you. It's like a red cat; the red color suits it perfectly, why force it to become a black cat?"
"Then you should have just told me to take a beauty pill," she retorted.
"I was afraid you wouldn't agree to take it, so I resorted to this tactic," Mo Qi said.
"You shameless scoundrel!" Tang Qianyu was furious and kicked him, channeling spiritual energy, and struck Mo Qi forcefully in the chest.
With a dull thud, Mo Qi's body flew backward, hitting the wall and breaking a hole in it. Brick and wood fragments, along with his body, fell from the upper floor, landing with a resounding crash.
A cloud of dust billowed, and when it dispersed, Mo Qi lay sprawled on the debris, his eyes wide as saucers, his tongue sticking out.
Tang Qianyu leaped down from above. Her beautiful face shifted from anger to worry, then to sorrow.
Tang family members rushed from all directions. The most excited was Tang Hao.
When he saw Mo Qi lying dead on the ground, he grinned from ear to ear, "Little Aunt, you killed him! You just told me to apologize to him, and then you killed him. So, what apology do I need to make?"
Tears welled up in Tang Qianyu's eyes. While that guy was hateful, he didn't deserve to die. She hadn't intended to kill him, so how did it go wrong?