Chapter Forty-Three: Mo Jingjing
Shi Qi arrived at the hall of the Yongzhou branch of the Alliance of Humanity.
He hadn’t noticed it when he first entered, but now that he was officially a member, Shi Qi realized there was a large rectangular bronze mirror standing at the end of the hall, set against the wall, glimmering with golden light.
Approaching the mirror, Shi Qi peered into its depths. The surface was covered in writing; after a closer look, Shi Qi recognized these as the missions President Ouyang Qun had mentioned.
He slowly flipped through the tasks, sifting through the options.
Wanted:
1. Name: Fan Wang
Cultivation Level: Middle Core Formation
Reward: 2,000 spirit jades (dead or alive)
Issued by: Human authorities
Reason: In the third month of year 5320 (present year), at the southern border of Yongzhou, slaughtered an entire village, approximately 56 ordinary humans.
Danger Level: Moderate
(Detailed Intelligence Available)
2. Name: Kui Honghua
Cultivation Level: Late Core Formation
Reward: 5,000 spirit jades (alive, capture required)
Issued by: Tianyuan Sect
Reason: In the fifth month of year 5319 (last year), killed four junior disciples of Tianyuan Sect.
Danger Level: Moderate
(Detailed Intelligence Available)
...
There was no need to formally accept a wanted mission; as long as the task was completed and proof brought to the Alliance, the reward would be granted.
Apart from magical artifacts, spirit jades made up the bulk of the rewards.
Spirit jades served as currency among cultivators, analogous to the silver and gold used by ordinary people. The difference was that spirit jades contained the energy of heaven and earth, which cultivators could absorb to enhance their cultivation.
Most spirit jades were mined from beneath sacred or spiritual mountains. Nearly every major sect owned its own mine. The raw jades, once refined by skilled forgers, became pure spirit jades, the currency for cultivators, used to trade for magical tools and more.
Shi Qi examined the list of tasks reflected in the mirror. The largest category by far was wanted missions. He silently memorized a few names, flipped through a while longer, then with a wave of his hand, closed the bronze mirror.
Besides wanted missions, the remaining categories were bodyguard and retrieval assignments, neither of which interested him. After closing the mirror, he turned and left the Alliance of Humanity.
Stepping outside, Shi Qi glanced upward. It was nearly noon. He wondered if Su Xiaomu was still asleep. Stopping by a street vendor, he bought two baskets of buns and headed back to the inn.
Before long, Shi Qi returned. He stood before Su Xiaomu’s room and knocked on the door.
“Xiaomu, time to get up!”
There was no response from within.
“This girl, she’s really sleeping like the dead,” Shi Qi chuckled. Looks like I’ll have to use my trump card, he thought.
“Breakfast is ready!” he called.
Still, there was no movement.
Shi Qi frowned. That was odd—normally, the mention of food would bring her to life no matter what she was doing. She couldn’t have gone out on her own; he’d told her explicitly not to leave the room when he wasn’t there, fearing her mischievous nature would get her into trouble. Despite her playful spirit, Su Xiaomu was usually obedient.
Something’s wrong. Could something have happened?
With that thought, Shi Qi pushed open the door and rushed in.
Sure enough, the room was empty. There was no sign of Su Xiaomu—only a letter lay on the tea table.
Shi Qi picked it up and read:
“If you want to save the girl, bring what I asked for. Before noon, come to the spot twenty li south of Yongzhou city.”
As expected, something had happened. Shi Qi frowned. “Could it be pursuers from Dianxing Manor?”
With noon approaching, Shi Qi wasted no more time. He leaped out the window and raced through the streets toward the south gate of Yongzhou.
-------------------------------------
A stick of incense earlier—
Inside Yongzhou’s south gate, a young woman in purple and an old man entered the city. The girl’s eyes were limpid as apricots in water, her lips rosy without rouge, her brows vivid without pigment—a presence both ethereal and otherworldly. The old man followed by her side, dressed in a plain black robe, exuding a calm as steady as a mountain—his cultivation, surely unfathomably deep.
Had Bai Qiu been present, he would surely have turned and fled in terror.
The girl in purple was none other than Mo Jingjing, eldest daughter of the Mo clan—the very wife Bai Qiu had fled from on the day of their marriage.
The old man beside her was Mo He, the Nascent Soul expert who had, outside “A Tavern” in South Sea City, gravely injured Shi Qi with a single blow.
As they entered the city, Mo He said, “Miss, let’s find a place to rest first.”
Mo Jingjing nodded. “Uncle Mo, there are plenty of inns ahead. Let’s stay there. And you mentioned you have contacts in Yongzhou who might help us find Bai Qiu?”
Mo He replied, “Indeed. I am close friends with Ouyang Qun, president of the Yongzhou branch of the Alliance of Humanity. I believe he can assist us.”
Mo Jingjing said, “We mustn’t lose time. Uncle Mo, go find him quickly.”
Mo He hesitated, “But Miss, you—”
Mo Jingjing interrupted, “Oh, I’m not a child anymore. What could happen inside Yongzhou? Please go ahead, I’ll find an inn.”
Mo He nodded, “Very well, Miss. Be careful. I’ll return soon.”
With that, he turned and headed toward the Alliance.
Mo Jingjing strolled leisurely, watching the merchants and vendors bustling along the street, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a young man leaped out from a nearby inn window, landed in the street, and sped toward the south gate—directly toward Mo Jingjing. She focused her gaze. He looked familiar—wasn’t this the very young man Bai Qiu had dragged away in South Sea City?
If he was here, then might Bai Qiu be nearby as well?
With this in mind, Mo Jingjing hurried forward and blocked Shi Qi’s path.
Shi Qi, rushing toward the south gate, was abruptly halted by the figure in purple.
He frowned. “And you are...?”
Mo Jingjing asked, “Young hero, is Bai Qiu with you?”
Shi Qi finally recognized her. Time was short—noon was nearly upon him. He simply replied, “He isn’t. I have urgent matters to attend to. We’ll speak later.”
With that, he darted past her and continued on his way.
Mo Jingjing called after him, “Hey! How rude!”
Pausing to think, she muttered to herself, “No, I can’t let him get away. He must have clues to Bai Qiu’s whereabouts.”
So, she turned and ran toward the Alliance, seeking out Mo He.
Meanwhile, Shi Qi dashed out the south gate, cast the Wind-Riding technique, and soared into the sky, flying south at top speed. Before long, he spotted a small hill ahead and descended to land atop it.
He scanned the area—jagged stones and rough terrain, but not another soul in sight.
“So, you’ve come at last.”
A woman’s voice called out from behind a boulder.
A black-clad woman emerged from behind the stone.
“It’s her?” Shi Qi recognized her instantly—the female thief who, days earlier, had collided with him while being chased by two burly men from Green Mountain Sect.
The thief said, “I almost thought you were cold enough to let the girl die.”
Shi Qi asked icily, “Where is Su Xiaomu?”
She gestured. “Behind me.”
Shi Qi stepped forward and saw Su Xiaomu lying quietly on the ground.
The thief said, “Don’t worry. She’s only under the effects of my special sleeping draught. Did you bring what I asked for?”
Shi Qi asked, “What did you want?”
She snapped, “Don’t play dumb. The bottle of pills in your possession.”
So it was about the medicine, Shi Qi thought.
He pulled out the small porcelain bottle Su Xiaomu had given him from his storage pouch.
The thief’s eyes lit up the moment she saw it. “Yes, that’s it!”
He put the bottle away. “And the antidote?”
She took out her own porcelain vial. “A fair exchange.”
Shi Qi said, “Fine. But first, tell me—what are these pills for?”
Since the woman wasn’t from Dianxing Manor, Shi Qi relaxed a little.
She replied, “That’s none of your concern. Just hand them over.”
He tossed her the bottle, unafraid of betrayal; after all, her cultivation wasn’t higher than his. If she could have bested him, she wouldn’t have needed to use Su Xiaomu as leverage in the first place.
The thief caught the bottle and smiled. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll go back on my word?”
Shi Qi smiled too, his right hand reaching behind to grip his Azure Cloud Umbrella. “Give it a try.”
She didn’t argue. She poured a white pill from her bottle, crouched, and fed it to Su Xiaomu.
Within moments, Su Xiaomu gradually regained consciousness.
As she woke, the thief said, “Farewell!” and turned to leave.
“Ha ha ha ha! No one leaves here alive!”
Suddenly, a thunderous voice echoed from the sky.
The thief looked up to see the two burly men from Green Mountain Sect plummeting from above, landing directly in front of her.
“It’s you!” she cried, startled, and made to escape.
“You’re not getting away!” one of the men shouted. “We’ve set a sealing array over this place. None of you can leave!”
Shi Qi, supporting the groggy Su Xiaomu, turned to the men.
The burly man said, “That’s right! All of you! Although we have no quarrel with you, your head is worth a fortune. Dianxing Manor has offered a high-grade artifact for your life—so it concerns us plenty.”
So the news from Dianxing Manor had spread, Shi Qi thought.
“Relax,” the man continued. “They want you alive. We’ll just beat you half to death, right, Brother Wang Yi?”
“Exactly, Brother Wang Er,” replied the other with a laugh.
“And that damned thief is here too—what luck!”
“Indeed. And as for the little one over there, she’s mine!”
At those words, Shi Qi’s eyes turned icy cold.