Chapter 103: All Eyes on Me

  The atmosphere, which had become harmonious once again, now felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water into their private teahouse room.

  She glanced at Xu Mo, then back at Wei Rong. Xu Mo understood and reassured her by saying, “Sister, you may speak. Brother Wei Rong is a trustworthy person.” Xu Mo looked at Wei Rong, who simply smiled in response.

  “But—” Mei Xueyin was about to object but then thought better of it. If revealing some of her trump cards would make Wei Rong give up on pursuing her, then that would be best—for both worlds.

  Sigh—

  She exhaled heavily and began, “I wanted to apologize to you… for my previous attempt at taking your life.”

  Wei Rong’s eyes widened instantly.

  “But it was just a needle with truth poison, right?”

  “You knew?” Now it was Mei Xueyin’s turn to be shocked, but everything quickly fell into place. Before, she had dismissed the possibility that Xu Mo knew what she was trying to do to him—but now, hearing his response, it became clear. Did he willingly fall into her trap? Was he also like her—a spy?

  “Wait, wait!” Wei Rong immediately interrupted, covering his face with his palm. “How can you both talk so calmly? From what Miss Mei Xueyin just said, it’s clear she was after your life, Xu Mo! How are we still sitting at the same table and chatting like this?” The rest of his rant was just him thinking out loud.

  “Don’t overreact,” Xu Mo said sternly. Wei Rong was breaking his aloof and indifferent act.

  Wei Rong instantly composed himself, while Mei Xueyin couldn’t help but let out a bell-like laugh.

  “Hehe…”

  Wei Rong rubbed the back of his head, though inside he was dancing with joy.

  Xu Mo didn’t speak first. He wanted to use this chance to extract more information from Mei Xueyin. If he said something and she realized he didn’t know much, he’d lose his advantage.

  “I’m not sure if you’ve heard or not, but I have another identity,” Mei Xueyin said. She didn’t plan to reveal anything major—after all, this was still a public teahouse, and it was said even the walls have ears.

  “Let me.” Wei Rong interrupted again, and Xu Mo couldn’t help letting out a deep sigh. “Miss Mei Xueyin is one of the former top three strongest disciples in the outer sect and is soon to become the top inner sect disciple. Not many know, but I also happen to know her other identity—she’s the Justice Princess.”

  “And because of my identity—as you’ve just heard from Wei Rong—the word justice is what needs to be focused on here,” Mei Xueyin said as she looked up and locked eyes with Xu Mo. “Xu Mo, do you remember the first time we met in the technique hall?”

  “Hmm.” Xu Mo nodded.

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  “That meeting was planned. Before I met you, I received an anonymous tip. It said that you were pretending to be mute and were deceiving young girls—tricking them into falling for you, borrowing their support in the form of money and expensive cultivation tools. And after that, you would leave them in debt and take advantage of their inability to prove anything. You’d keep switching partners and repeating the same trick.”

  Pwooo!!

  Pwooo!!

  Wei Rong and Xu Mo both spat out their fresh, hot milk tea as Mei Xueyin continued narrating. Each word she spoke felt like arrows piercing Xu Mo’s heart.

  Mei Xueyin had mixed in a lot of lies with a bit of truth, but it was true that when she first met Xu Mo, it had been a coincidence—and her assumptions back then were unfounded.

  From a hidden location, two people were eavesdropping on the conversation. They too nearly spat out a mouthful of saliva.

  These two individuals were Bai Xu and the Ancestor.

  Bai Xu had brought the Ancestor with him to clarify the doubts that had taken root in the old man’s heart.

  “Hmm,” Xu Mo only nodded, while silently thinking, ‘I’ll accept that explanation for now.’

  Mei Xueyin’s expression brightened when she saw Xu Mo agreeing to her explanation.

  Wei Rong looked at Xu Mo like he had found a long-lost friend.

  “Friend, it’s alright. I’ve gone through the same experience. In situations like this, you have to remain strong-willed.” He lightly patted Xu Mo on the shoulder.

  Creak—

  Xu Mo shifted in his seat to create some distance between himself and Wei Rong, causing the wooden chair to groan slightly. He felt that if he let Wei Rong continue sympathizing with this nonexistent experience, he’d soon be embraced—and he had no interest in such brotherly displays.

  Slap—

  Xu Mo also lightly slapped away Wei Rong’s approaching palm.

  ...

  “Did you see that, Ancestor? Xu Mo was innocent. It was just an anonymous tip that caused this misunderstanding,” Bai Xu said, turning to the elder beside him.

  “Little Bai, you know the kind of life I’ve lived—a life that changed me from the inside. Earning my trust has become difficult, especially coupled with Mo’er’s actions and requests since joining the sect.” The Ancestor and Bai Xu were floating above the teahouse, yet they could hear everything inside the private room clearly.

  “Ancestor, everyone has their own preferences. Xu Mo never backed out when asked to do something for the sect—like going to the secret realm, even if he was forced.”

  “You and I both know…” The Ancestor, despite looking like an old bone skeleton, had eyes that radiated a light of life even Bai Xu lacked.

  “…That we too are forced. Even if we act like one of the top sects of this region, the true giant is the Supreme Sect of our region—Verdant Sky Hall.”

  As the supreme sect in their region, Verdant Sky Hall—and other sects under it—were required to bring their true successors every time the Secret Realm opened. It wasn’t that no one had tried hiding their true successors or legacy disciples in the past, but the end of such people was better left unspoken.

  Bai Xu’s brows furrowed. He too was intimidated by the Verdant Sky Hall—also known as The Hall Above the Peaks.

  Verdant Sky Hall was the unchallenged titan of the southern mortal regions—a sect so dominant that even the Holy Lands and Ancient Clans of neighboring provinces bowed their heads in its presence. Situated atop a chain of floating jade mountains, each surrounded by clouds laced with protective barriers, the Hall overlooked the world like an indifferent sovereign.

  Only once every ten years did they open their “Sky Steps”—a spiraling staircase of light that descended from the heavens (Metaphorical)—allowing selected disciples from lower sects to attempt their trials. Most failed before even reaching the base platform.

  The Verdant Sky Hall wasn’t known for its numbers, but for its quality and legacy. Every single disciple they accepted became a cornerstone of their era, and it was said that those who reached the Hall’s inner court were destined to step into the upper realms. (Other Domains)

  The sect emphasized a balance between Martial Arts, Dao Techniques, and Forbidden Scripture Cultivation—but complete arts were only taught to true core disciples. Their emblem was a soaring silver-feathered hawk with cloud-patterned wings, symbolizing both freedom above all and dominion from the skies.