Chapter 150: Chapter 147: Xuan Moqing
Every word from Ye Shuangshuang struck Mo Qing’s heart like a hamr. Indeed, everything she said was precisely what drew Mo Qing to Mu Chen. Seeing Mo Qing still wavering, Ye Shuangshuang said in exasperation, "If Mu Chen leaves one day, will you regret it?"
"Will you regret it... Will you regret it... Will you regret it..." The question echoed endlessly in Mo Qing’s mind.
"Will you regret it?" Ye Shuangshuang asked again.
Mo Qing lifted her bright eyes and said with conviction, "I will!"
With that, Mo Qing turned and hurried out of the room. The mont she stepped through the door, she bumped right into Mu Chen, who had just returned. Mu Chen instinctively threw an arm around her waist, and she tumbled into his embrace. To an onlooker, they would have seed to be nestled closely together in an incredibly intimate pose.
Standing just inside the room, Ye Shuangshuang covered her mouth with her hands, staring dumbly at the scene outside. Mu Chen’s face was beet red. There was a simple reason for this: Mo Qing’s body was incredibly soft. Her entire fra was pressed against his, and with the thin clothes of sumr...
Mo Qing wasn’t faring much better. This was the first ti she had ever been in such intimate contact with a man. The mont she fell into his arms and felt his solid, reliable chest, a jolt shot through her body. The sensation made her so shy she wished she could find a hole to crawl into, yet she couldn’t bear to let it go.
THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP...
Mu Chen’s clearly accelerated heartbeat filled Mo Qing with both joy and anxiety. Joy, because his racing heart proved he had feelings for her. Anxiety, because she feared he would push her away, and she would die of embarrassnt.
"Er... um... Mo Qing, are you okay?" Mu Chen gulped, his voice tight with nervousness. He didn’t even know why he felt so flustered around Mo Qing. ’My heart should only have room for Bingling.’ This cultivation genius, a complete novice in matters of the heart, was utterly stumped.
At his words, Mo Qing imdiately sprang out of his arms. Keeping her head low, she stamred, "I’m fine... I... I have sothing to do, so... so I’ll be leaving..." With that, she turned and fled down the stairs, leaving a blushing Mu Chen to stare blankly at the empty stairwell, his mind a swirl of question marks. Even after exiting the High-Level dormitory, Mo Qing didn’t slow down. In a flash, her figure disappeared into the night sky.
Near the ordinary freshman dormitories lay a tranquil lake. Mu Chen had been here before; it was to this very lake that he had brought Qing Lei the night he went on a rampage, lost in his mories. Now, a slender and graceful figure stood at the water’s edge. She stared, lost in thought, at the lake’s surface. Her blue eyes were as still as an undisturbed well, mirroring the inky black water before her. There was no moon tonight, the only light coming from the multitude of stars dotting the sky.
Just then, another figure erged from the nearby woods. From a distance, it was clearly another woman. With her hands clasped before her chest and her head lowered, as if not daring to look up, she slowly approached the graceful figure by the lake.
"You’re here..."
The voice was gentle. The graceful figure by the lake turned slightly. Her long white dress, perfectly proportioned figure, and stunning face all spoke of her extraordinary nature. Aided by the starlight, her features beca clear—it was Mu Bingling.
The other girl froze for a mont before slowly lifting her head. The three grueso claw marks on her face looked even more terrifying in the darkness. Her gaze flickered away as she took two more steps to stand beside Mu Bingling. Softly, she asked, "Senior Mu Bingling, did you ask
here... because of Mu Chen?"
This girl was, of course, Mo Qing, who had just fled the High-Level dormitory. During dinner, Mu Bingling had used her Spiritual Power to tell Mo Qing to et her here tonight. Mo Qing knew Mu Bingling must have figured sothing out, and that this eting would undoubtedly be about Mu Chen. As the one who had co into the picture later, Mo Qing hadn’t wanted to co. But after hearing Ye Shuangshuang’s words, she had finally resolved to fight for her feelings, no matter the outco.
Mu Bingling offered a faint, city-toppling smile. "Yes, it is about Mu Chen." There was no trace of hostility in her voice. "My introduction at dinner wasn’t entirely complete. And it seems you, Mo Qing, have also been hiding quite a bit."
Mo Qing remained silent. Mu Bingling turned to gaze at the lake. "I am Mu Bingling," she said. "Mu Chen’s older sister. And also, his fiancée."
Mu Bingling’s expression was placid as she spoke, her tone completely level. But her words struck Mo Qing and left her frozen to the spot. ’Fiancée.’ What a heavy word. ’So, he already has a fiancée. It seems I don’t even have the right to carry this unrequited love.’ Clever as she was, she could guess the circumstances behind soone being both a sister and a fiancée. ’But I really don’t want to give up. I finally found soone I like. I really, really don’t want to give up.’
"Are you surprised? The truth is, I’m not Mu Chen’s biological sister. I brought you here today to tell you to give up. You and he are not a good match. Moreover, I have no intention of sharing Mu Chen with anyone." Mu Bingling’s voice grew cold, her gaze fixed on the lake’s surface. From start to finish, she never once looked at Mo Qing.
Mo Qing was stunned once again. She never imagined Mu Bingling would be so direct. ’Is this the true nature of the kind, generous woman from dinner? Or was my judgnt of her character completely wrong?’ Her eyes began to moisten. Taking a deep breath, Mo Qing forced back the tears that threatened to spill.
"Heh... And what if I say I won’t give up?" A newfound assertiveness rose in Mo Qing’s voice. "You’re only his fiancée, not his wife. It doesn’t matter whether he likes
or not. What matters is that I have the right to like him." In that instant, she was no longer just Mo Qing; she was the Ninth Princess of the Empire, possessed of the inherent pride of the Royal Race. No matter how gentle or virtuous she appeared, she would be stubborn and defiant when her heart was on the line. If she simply accepted this fate without a fight, what aning would her life have?
Mu Bingling frowned, but the corner of her mouth quirked into a subtle smile that vanished in an instant. She turned her head slowly, her blue eyes locking onto Mo Qing with an icy stare. "What gives you the right to like Mu Chen? Whether it’s beauty, temperant, or strength—in what way are you a match for him?"
"Heh." Upon hearing this, Mo Qing suddenly let out a laugh. It sounded genuine, almost happy, but as she laughed, a tear traced a path down her cheek. "Beauty? Temperant? Strength? Senior Mu Bingling, I never knew you were so shallow. In that case, I have even more reason not to give up. The fact that you could even say that proves I love Mu Chen more than you do!" With that, Mo Qing spun around, acting as if she couldn’t bear to look at Mu Bingling for another second.
She took a single step, about to depart, when a fair, slender hand caught her wrist. Mo Qing froze. Slowly turning her head, she was t with a face beaming with a benevolent smile.
"You..." Yes, the face full of kind-hearted smiles belonged to none other than Mu Bingling. Mo Qing just couldn’t fathom it. How could the arrogant, icy woman from monts before have transford into soone else entirely?
"Is it strange? Mo Qing, you didn’t actually think I was that kind of person, did you?" Mu Bingling’s smile grew wider. Seeing the tear track on Mo Qing’s cheek, she couldn’t help but chuckle. "It seems my little performance was a success."
Mo Qing opened and closed her mouth. "A performance? Then what you said earlier, Senior Bingling..."
"Of course it was fake," Mu Bingling said with certainty.
"Fake? Then what about your relationship with Mu Chen...?" Mo Qing asked.
"Mm, that part’s true. I really am his fiancée." A gentle, happy expression blood on Mu Bingling’s face.
Mo Qing’s head was spinning. After a mont of sorting through her thoughts, she blurted out, "Then everything you said before... was that all a test for ?"
Mu Bingling sighed. "Yes. If you had turned and walked away the mont you heard I was his fiancée, I wouldn’t have stopped you. A person who lacks even the courage to like soone has no right to like them, let alone love them. And if you had chosen to give up when I brought up beauty, temperant, and strength, I wouldn’t have stopped you then, either. A person who retreats at the first sign of trouble is equally unqualified. If you and the one you love face difficulties in the future, will you just shrink back and abandon him?"
"I know it’s strange to hear this from his fiancée, but I believe that with Mu Chen’s talent, his stage is destined to be far grander than a small place like the Xuanling Empire. Naturally, more and more won will fall for him. Soone so exceptional can’t possibly belong to a single person. So, I prepared myself for this long ago. Since I can’t prevent it, I might as well be the one to vet the candidates for him." A flicker of lancholy crossed Mu Bingling’s eyes, and Mo Qing saw it clearly.
"Doesn’t that make you sad?" Mo Qing asked.
Mu Bingling pressed her lips together. "How could it not be painful? No woman is willing to share the one she loves most. But as his future wife, I refuse to let romantic disputes affect his ntal Realm. To beco an expert, a true powerhouse who can reach the summit, he will have to overco countless tribulations, any of which could cost him his life. As his wife, since I cannot aid him on that path, the least I can do is help him manage the trivialities of his love life. This way, when he is exhausted, he will have a warm, tranquil harbor to return to."
Looking at the resolve in Mu Bingling’s eyes, Mo Qing was suddenly struck by how truly remarkable she was. ’If it were ,’ she thought, ’I would never be this forward-thinking. I’d probably just throw a fit.’ It seed the gulf between them was vast indeed.
"Anyway, enough of that," Mu Bingling said, changing the subject with a giggle. "Mo Qing, are you going to keep hiding your true identity and face?"
Mo Qing was astonished. "How did you know, Senior Bingling? My Disguise Technique is an Ancient Secret Technique; very few people can see through it."
Mu Bingling smiled. "Appearances can be changed, but one’s aura and bearing cannot. Haven’t you ever felt that there’s an awkward contradiction between your every move and the face you wear?"
"Is there?"
"What do you think?"
Mo Qing sighed, then smiled. "It’s exhausting, putting on this act every day. And I don’t like it. I used to do it because I was afraid of being harassed. But now... now I’m not afraid anymore."
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