Chapter 116: Envy and Jealousy

  "Look at him. Trying so hard to cling to the thighs of an inner sect disciple," someone from the inner sect muttered, his eyes practically spitting fire as he glared at Xu Mo, who was chatting comfortably with Wei Rong. It might not have mattered much if it were just any inner sect disciple—but this was Wei Rong. He belonged to the prestigious Wei Clan. Even though he was only from a branch family, his ascension to the inner sect had already proven that his status within the clan had risen. Now, even the main family was starting to take notice of him.

  "That guy’s name is Xu Mo. His reputation in the outer sect isn’t exactly stellar. In just one year, he’s been arrested by the Disciplinary Hall three times. There was even a time he got detained for about six months," said a narrow-eyed outer sect disciple a little too loudly. It was obvious who he was trying to impress. The inner sect disciples clearly didn’t like Xu Mo, and neither did he. He was jealous of Xu Mo’s good fortune—able to talk on equal footing with someone like Wei Rong—while he was stuck flattering some fat young master from a minor noble family.

  Mei Xueyin watched from a distance, noting that Xu Mo and Wei Rong were standing at the far end of the Flying Spirit Barge, laughing and joking like close friends. Meanwhile, she was left alone to fend off a growing crowd of eager suitors. At times like this, she really missed her best friend, Lan Rouyan—the same friend she had hurt and distanced herself from. If Lan Rouyan were here, she would probably have said something like, “Hey Mei Xueyin, why waste your time with them? Come, I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

  Lan Rouyan had always had that strange charm, effortlessly making friends wherever she went. Mei Xueyin, on the other hand, had never been particularly liked by other girls—even the ones she had helped, saving them from deceitful male disciples.

  Of course, she’d heard herself called many names—none of them suitable for children’s ears.

  Her eyes drifted to where Lan Rouyan stood, surrounded on all sides by inner sect girls trying to befriend her. They formed a protective circle, not letting a single male disciple near. Meanwhile, Mei Xueyin felt like she was fighting a battle all on her own.

  She excused herself and walked toward the back of the Flying Spirit Barge, where Wei Rong and Xu Mo continued chatting, oblivious to the growing tension surrounding Xu Mo. But she knew better. Xu Mo wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Though he appeared calm, kind, and composed—and never abused his power—she understood that such people were often the most dangerous. They acted as if everything was just a game. And if something—or someone—irritated Xu Mo, that person might vanish without a trace, and no one would even suspect him.

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  As she walked, she glanced at the young noble who had insulted Xu Mo and the narrow-eyed flatterer trying to curry favor by digging up Xu Mo’s past—conveniently forgetting that if Xu Mo was truly that troublesome, how had he managed to earn a spot on the ship to the secret realm?

  "You said we were a team, and now you do this—leaving me alone with a pack of wolves," Mei Xueyin interrupted, tapping both of them on the shoulder. Her tone was half-playful, half-accusatory, and both Wei Rong and Xu Mo turned toward her in surprise.

  She stood there, shivering slightly, like a girl who had just been harassed by a group of disciples, staring at the two people she trusted most—who had, in her eyes, just betrayed her.

  Wei Rong’s heart softened instantly. He bowed his head and began apologizing, even bending forward slightly in remorse.

  Mei Xueyin no longer misunderstood Wei Rong. He had long cleared up the rumors surrounding him—explaining that when he’d first entered the sect, he had turned down a number of confessions from female disciples. Some of them had decided to retaliate by spreading vicious rumors. Since he wasn’t directly affected by them, he chose to ignore them, which unfortunately led Mei Xueyin to believe he was the worst kind of scumbag.

  Xu Mo, of course, didn’t say a word. Instead, he silently pulled out two gifts wrapped in textured cloth, each tied with a neat ribbon. He retrieved them from the system’s inventory—but did so in a way that made it look like they came from the storage ring on his finger.

  "Here. A little late, but these are for you two. Happy belated New Year," Xu Mo said, handing the gifts to them both. He had planned this carefully—he wanted to give the gifts at the same time to avoid any misunderstandings between Wei Rong and him. Wei Rong might have thought Xu Mo harbored feelings for Mei Xueyin. And with the way she sometimes acted around him, it could have easily confirmed his suspicions.

  But Xu Mo understood Mei Xueyin better than that. She was just comfortable around him, maybe trusted him enough to act close. It was in some girls’ nature to smile and speak gently. People who mistook that for love were the real fools.

  "You could’ve just given this to us back at the sect. Why wait so long to hand these over now?" Wei Rong asked. Mei Xueyin nodded beside him, equally curious.

  "I forgot to buy gifts for both of you back then," Xu Mo replied, shrugging casually. "And then, I didn’t have the courage to first go to Mei Xueyin’s residence and get scolded, then go to your place and get scolded again. So I waited for a time when we’d all be together again. Go ahead, unleash your barrage of scoldings now."

  It was a lie, of course—but a necessary one. If he had told the truth, Mei Xueyin might’ve been touched and thought, “What a thoughtful young man.” And that was exactly what Xu Mo wanted to avoid. He had no interest in impressing any female disciples. To him, all the women of the Hidden Dragon Sect were like sisters.

  This was also why he spoke so little. He feared that if he said too much, his thoughts—especially about female disciples—would be exposed.

  He was content with his single life. More importantly, right now… he was invincible. He had no weaknesses.