Pei Yunqing had suffered through an entire night of torment.
He had been openly mocked and ridiculed with veiled insults by the big shots of Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect.
The girlfriend he thought would be his strong support had remained completely silent.
Then there was the sudden mention of gu effects and the possibility that multiple treatments might be needed.
This night had been extremely difficult for Pei Yunqing.
He tossed and turned in bed, thinking and recalling everything.
He scrutinized every single word from the remnants of the medical book in his mind, but that fragmentary text had not mentioned a single thing about the situations Lin Rou had described.
The more he thought about it, the worse his headache became.
Those words seemed to turn into faces that mocked him mercilessly.
His rational side knew that in a few days, people from Mistveil Pavilion would arrive and he could just ask his mother, Pei Ruanyan.
However, the mere thought of failing to treat Yan Qingge filled him with uncontrollable fear and anxiety.
Dark circles had appeared under his eyes—the part of his appearance he cared about most—and two cold sores had broken out on his lips.
He rolled over in bed and let out a helpless sigh.
Just as he was about to rest for a moment, a knock on the door startled him into bolting upright.
Clutching his wildly pounding heart, he snapped irritably, “What is it?”
“Immortal Lord Pei, people from Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect request your presence.”
With a thud, Pei Yunqing fell off the bed, his face deathly pale.
The last people he wanted to see right now were summoning him, and he had no way to refuse.
When he arrived at the entrance of Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect’s residence, Pei Yunqing straightened his clothes.
He forced a smile onto his face as much as possible and raised his hand to knock.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was no response.
Knock, knock, knock.
After a long time, there was still no answer.
However, the faint laughter coming from inside made the silent rejection at the door feel especially humiliating.
Just as his patience was about to run out, the door creaked open.
A woman stood inside with no trace of a smile on her face.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
Being questioned like this made Pei Yunqing choke inwardly. The corner of his mouth twitched as he said, “I am Pei Yunqing. People from Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect asked me to come.”
“Oh~” The long, emphasized sound entered Pei Yunqing’s ears. “Come in then. The elders are waiting for you inside.”
Lowering his head, a dark glint flashed in Pei Yunqing’s eyes as he stepped inside.
In the main hall of the courtyard, several elders from Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect were chatting. Pei Yunqing swallowed hard and stepped forward to greet them respectfully.
To his surprise, these elders acted as if they hadn’t seen or heard him.
They continued chatting among themselves.
Only after about half an hour had passed—by which time Pei Yunqing was trembling with rage—did one of them finally speak.
“Oh, Immortal Lord Pei has arrived. Look at you. You didn’t even make a sound when you came in.”
Just wait until Chu Mo becomes the number one in the world.
For the humiliation you’ve given me today, I will definitely have her kill every last one of you!
Pei Yunqing gritted his teeth inwardly and cursed in his heart.
He could curse them in his heart all he wanted, but he didn’t dare say it out loud.
Just as he was about to speak politely, he was interrupted again.
“Enough with the pleasantries. There’s only one reason we called you here: Is treating Yan Qingge your idea or Chu Mo’s idea?”
“It’s my idea.”
His answer triggered a burst of loud laughter in the hall.
“Let me tell you, Pei Yunqing, can’t you see what level Mistveil Pavilion is at?”
“That’s right, that’s right. You’re killing me. When did Mistveil Pavilion become known for medical skills? Who taught you medicine anyway?”
“My mother, Pei Ruanyan.”
Pei Yunqing practically forced the short sentence out through gritted teeth.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the laughter grew even louder.
“This is too unreliable. Chu Mo actually dared to suggest this to us? She must not be thinking clearly.”
“Oh my, Pei Ruanyan? Wasn’t she the one who climbed up by relying on her connections and sleeping around back then? Could someone like that actually have any real skills?”
These words struck Pei Yunqing like loud slaps to the face, shattering his self-respect.
Even though he wanted to keep up appearances, the fire in his heart could no longer be suppressed.
He let out a furious shout.
His second-layer Spirit Core Stage cultivation erupted as a silver longsword instantly appeared in his hand, pointing straight at the elder who had insulted his mother.
“You bitch! I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
However, the weakest person in the hall was at the Spirit Venerable Stage.
They didn’t even lift their eyelids.
His second-layer Spirit Core Stage spiritual power was scattered like a wisp of smoke.
Before Pei Yunqing could move even half a meter, a crushing, mountain-toppling pressure slammed down on him.
With a crisp crack, both his knees smashed heavily into the floor tiles.
His entire body was forced into an extremely humiliating kneeling position.
His forehead slammed hard against the cold floor tiles, producing a dull thud.
“Pei Yunqing, you really think you’re something? Since this was your idea, go tell Chu Mo and Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect yourself that you’re not treating her anymore. Otherwise, if anything happens to Yan Qingge, your Mistveil Pavilion… heh heh.”
***
The welcome banquet was still underway when a disciple from Lingxiao Peak rushed into Chu Mo’s courtyard, covered in sweat.
Chu Mo frowned, about to scold him, when the disciple gasped out, “Senior Sister Chu! True Disciple Yan! Something’s happened! Immortal Lord Pei got into a fight with people from Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect!”
Chu Mo and Yan Qingge exchanged a glance. They threw down their wine cups and hurried over immediately.
The moment she entered, Chu Mo saw Pei Yunqing being pressed to the ground, kowtowing.
His face was covered in snot and tears.
The voice begging for mercy had changed in pitch. The once handsome man now looked utterly wretched.
Chu Mo’s eyes nearly split from rage.
She shouted, “Stop!” The Mo Yuan Sword unsheathed, and a sweeping sword qi slashed out, forcing the elders back several steps.
In an instant, the entire residence was turned into ruins by the sword qi.
Amid the swirling dust and smoke, Chu Mo lifted Pei Yunqing into her arms.
Looking at the man who was close to passing out, the Mo Yuan Sword in her hand trembled and hummed nonstop.
“What exactly does your Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect want…”
The Mo Yuan Sword pointed directly at the elders.
The sword intent around Chu Mo surged wildly.
She actually managed to carve out a domain under the pressure of several Spirit Emperor Stage elders.
The dominance of the number one among her peers in a battle across major realms was fully displayed.
An eighth-layer Spirit Emperor Stage elder surnamed Wang stepped forward and questioned in a deep voice, “Senior Sister Chu, shouldn’t we be the ones asking what you want? How could you be so ridiculous as to let a person like this treat Yan Qingge? Do you think this is appropriate?”
Seeing that neither side was willing to back down, Yan Qingge stepped forward with a smile.
“Elder Wang, didn’t we already agree on this before we came? It’s not very nice for you to attack a young man like this, is it? Besides, I trust Chu Mo, and I trust Pei Yunqing. They wouldn’t harm me, would they?”
Elder Wang shook his head.
“Qingge, you are a True Disciple of the sect. Your importance goes without saying. This kind of matter cannot be taken lightly.”
The situation reached another deadlock.
At that moment, a light voice drifted over.
“What is going on here?”
The newcomer was none other than Lin Rou.
Her smiling eyes fixed on Elder Wang.
“Not going to say anything? This is still our Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect’s territory after all. It wouldn’t be right if you don’t explain yourselves.”
Elder Wang and the others exchanged glances before roughly explaining the situation.
“Hmm, worrying about your own True Disciple is understandable.”
Lin Rou nodded.
Then, the smile on her face disappeared.
Her expression turned unusually serious, radiating the authority of one of the Six Great Peak Masters.
She looked at Chu Mo, her voice carrying no emotion.
“Senior Sister Chu, are you still determined to have Pei Yunqing treat True Disciple Yan?”
With the situation having escalated to this point, Chu Mo truly felt it would be better to drop it.
She should just follow her original plan and take Yan Qingge to Medicine King Valley for medicine.
The words to persuade Pei Yunqing were already on the tip of her tongue when he suddenly raised his head.
His neck was stiff, his face twisted and ferocious.
Combined with the dirt, blood, snot, and tears, there was not a trace of his former handsomeness left.
“I will treat her! You bunch of bastards! None of you believe in me! You’re just afraid of Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect! So you can only bully me! Forcing me to say it myself! Chu Mo! I want to treat her! You promised me! Don’t forget! A year ago, I suffered for a full year in the demon race to save you!”
The person in her arms, who should have been a beauty, now looked like an evil ghost driven mad by hatred! He was utterly hideous! If she didn’t know this was Pei Yunqing, Chu Mo would have thrown him away long ago.
An inappropriate image of the little fox flashed across her mind.
Even when covered in blood and wounds, Bai Qingran still possessed a fragile beauty that made people either want to completely destroy him or cherish him tenderly.
But the person before her now… made her feel a strong physical revulsion.
Yet, he was still her white moonlight.
A year ago, he had been stranded in the demon race for her sake.
If she agreed and then went back on her word, how deep could her love for him really be?
Her expression shifted several times.
Chu Mo looked at Lin Rou with difficulty, her face seeming a shade paler.
“Let Yunqing treat her.”
The smile returned to Lin Rou’s face. She looked at Elder Wang.
“Since Senior Sister Chu has decided to let Immortal Lord Pei treat her, our Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect will naturally provide full support. But please rest assured, the Sect Master has already instructed me to supervise the treatment. While I may not be as skilled as Medicine King Valley, the name of Lin Rou from Yao Furnace Peak still carries some weight.”
Nalan Qingjue? Elder Wang’s expression stiffened for a moment.
Before he could react, Yan Qingge hugged her arm and whined softly, “Aiyo, Elder Wang, you watched me grow up. You already agreed to this. Besides, with Peak Master Lin here, what could possibly go wrong?”
As she spoke, Yan Qingge looked at Lin Rou, who immediately continued, “True Disciple Yan is right. If—and I only say if—Immortal Lord Pei makes any mistake, I will step in immediately to stop him. I guarantee True Disciple Yan’s complete safety. There will be no mishaps. You all need not worry.”
“Moreover,” Lin Rou paused and looked at Pei Yunqing in Chu Mo’s arms, “the man our Senior Sister Chu has chosen will definitely succeed. I have great confidence in Immortal Lord Pei.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Come on, Elder Wang, please~”
Seeing that even their own True Disciple was not on their side, Elder Wang could only swallow his displeasure and agree.
While everyone else breathed a sigh of relief, Pei Yunqing shrank back slightly.
In his eyes was a deep, bone-chilling fear—the kind that appeared only after the anger had passed and calm reflection set in.