**Chapter 144: Why Is There Another Woman?**
Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu simultaneously noticed the peculiar glint in Yun Zhonghe’s eyes.
Suddenly, alarm bells were ringing in their minds.
Wait a minute, why is this Yellow-haired guy staring at others like it’s a talent show?!
It was Lin Zhongyu’s first time witnessing Yun Zhonghe’s flustered state, and her heart raced in sympathy.
Out of nowhere, a chill crept up Yun Zhonghe’s spine, snapping him out of his daze.
This is strange; it’s hot outside, but just now, I felt freezing cold.
And of course, Mo Xiangsi was enjoying this delightful scene, covering her mouth as she chuckled, not at all pretentious: “Dear friends, don’t be so tense! I’m Mo Xiangsi. You must have seen the crowd upstairs waiting for you; I represent them to inquire about what happened during the trial.”
…
At that moment, inside the City Lord’s residence…
“Brother Qin, how do you think He Er will respond?”
Within the residence, Master Qin Wushuang and Yun Chongtian could only look upwards, sighing. With so many big shots present, there wasn’t much they could do; they could only pin their hopes on the three kids.
“Don’t worry, Junior Sister—oops, I mean Junior Brother—we raised those kids well. I’ve always thought Yun Zhonghe was exceptionally clever.”
Yun Chongtian couldn’t help but glance at Master Qin: “Um, Brother, it’s Junior Sister, not Junior Brother, and you only met He Er for the first time the day before yesterday, right?”
Slightly shifting away from Master Qin, Yun Chongtian created a little distance.
Master Qin coughed: “Junior Sister… oh no, Junior Brother, you just don’t get it! When you reach the Transformation Stage, you can see a person’s entire life with just one glance…”
Yun Chongtian rolled his eyes: “Brother, I might just be in the Golden Core Stage, but I’m not a caveman! Why would a Transformation Stage person have such abilities?”
Master Qin: “…”
…
Forget about the budding bromance in the City Lord’s house; the tension was highest over where Yun Zhonghe stood.
Finally snapping back to reality, Yun Zhonghe was completely enchanted by the ethereal beauty standing before him.
Recalling her name, he suddenly felt it sounded familiar.
Mo Xiangsi… Wait a sec, that last name! She’s the daughter of the first-generation alliance leader, Mo Li—the current acting leader of the Immortal Alliance!
In the original game, she didn’t show up that much, mainly appearing as an NPC for quest-giving before the big boss fights. However, her character design received so much flak for being more stunning than many of the main heroines. What a waste, really.
There were even tens of thousands of players who signed petitions begging the developers to create a standalone DLC for her storyline.
And now, she’s even prettier than her character!
“Do I have something on my face?”
Yun Zhonghe was staring so long that Mo Xiangsi noticed, yet she didn’t mind at all and smiled back gracefully.
Her personality was leagues better than the white-haired loli; if Yun Zhonghe had looked at Mu Jixue like that, she would’ve given him a d*ath glare!
On the side, Mu Jixue was fuming: Why are you staring at her like that?! No looking!
Being another white-haired girl, Mu Jixue felt her character had been stolen, and it was downright offensive!
Mostly though, Mu Jixue thought the lady was drop-dead gorgeous, like a celestial being, making her feel utterly defeated.
She was basically ready to stomp her feet in frustration.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhongyu was even more anxious; the celestial aura radiating from this woman felt way more threatening than Qin Hongye.
“Xue-er, look! If this drags on, more threats will close in on us!”
Mo Xiangsi was observing the three with keen interest; even without them speaking, she could sense their thoughts.
Suddenly, she found it amusing.
“I’m Yun Zhonghe, greeting the Acting Alliance Leader.”
Yun Zhonghe was no stranger to impressive individuals, and even though he was meeting the highest-ranking woman in the cultivation realm, he managed to keep his cool.
At that moment, Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu shook off their earlier jealousy, now shocked: “Acting, Acting Alliance Leader?!”
Mo Xiangsi smiled warmly: “It’s just a title, nothing more.”
Mu Jixue’s mouth fell open, her usual sass completely abandoned as she struggled to find words.
Uh oh, this enemy seems way too powerful.
Mo Xiangsi’s smile widened, delighting in the playful tension between them.
Let’s see… how about I keep this status quo for a while? Maybe tease them a bit?
Feeling playful!
Behind her warm demeanor, there was a hint of cunning lurking.
“Alright, time is short. There are many guests waiting, and I’d like to understand what exactly happened inside the tower. Can I ask you one by one?”
Though framed as a question, the moment she finished speaking, she began her inquiries without waiting for a response.
First up was Mu Jixue, followed by Lin Zhongyu. They both responded honestly about events before the thirtieth floor, as Yun Zhonghe had instructed. But anything beyond that? They played dumb, claiming they collapsed from exhaustion.
“I don’t know, I can’t remember; I woke up on the thirty-fifth floor.”
Such answers left no room for deeper questioning. Unless someone wanted to resort to soul-searching, which was against their principles—especially since the three had accomplished something worth celebrating!
During the questioning, Mu Jixue was particularly compliant, occasionally sneaking glances at Mo Xiangsi, only to quickly look away.
She was putting on a demure act.
The other woman was just too perfect; she couldn’t measure up…
But Yun Zhonghe saw her actions in a completely different light.
Yun Zhonghe thought: This white-haired loli… could it be she has a crush on the Acting Alliance Leader?!
Suddenly, everything clicked.
It’s obvious! Those little gestures only a lovesick girl would make!
But of all the people to fall for, she had to pick the Acting Alliance Leader Mo Xiangsi? Man, that’s a difficult challenge!
But hey, since this is the woman Huang Aotian has his eyes set on, I’ll do my best to help, and maybe charm her into being friends while I’m at it!
That way, I’ll have another solid ally by my side!
At that moment, Yun Zhonghe’s perception of Mo Xiangsi slightly shifted.
This friend could be quite beneficial to him!
Of course, their statuses were still worlds apart; it wouldn’t happen overnight. But Huang Aotian is destined for greatness; she’s on track to become a lady of the celestial emperor! This small-time acting leader better get cozy and comfortable, serving her future hubbies first-class comfort!
Yun Zhonghe had already mentally slipped into that friend role, focusing on both creating a great impression and giving off a friendly vibe—no funny business!
When it was his turn to respond, Yun Zhonghe exuded charm as he recounted what he’d neatly prepped in his mind.
His excuse was simple: all troubles fell back onto the Myriad Path Divine Tower, claiming it malfunctioned due to energy depletion, leading to those three clearing the thirty-fifth floor by sheer luck!
“Ah, so that’s how it is?”
Mo Xiangsi squinted playfully, nodding in understanding, her gaze toward Yun Zhonghe laced with vivid implications.
Then she turned to address the Transformation Gods above: “It seems like the situation aligns with what I was told. If any of you gentlemen wish to negotiate, please feel free. I’m sure Master Qin would be delighted to trade one disciple for such significant benefits, right?”
Throwing the topic back to Master Qin subtly bolstered his position in the Immortal Alliance, acknowledging Yun Zhonghe and friends as Xuantian Sect’s disciples.
Master Qin promptly caught on, cupping his hands with a smile: “Everyone, since everything’s clear, I won’t take up more of your time. My previous interruption was merely to prevent misunderstandings—wouldn’t want to tarnish the Xuantian Sect’s name! Since everything’s sorted, if you feel our disciples are promising, feel free to choose one!”
Once he was done, he thought for a moment before adding: “Of course, it must be at the price we discussed earlier.”
The crowd: “…”
These Transformation Gods weren’t just any bunch; they were sharp as a tack! Who would fall for such flimsy rhetoric?
Nevertheless, since the Immortal Alliance had officially weighed in, and the three trial participants stood firm on the tower being faulty, there was no reason to make things harder for them.
Were they really going to risk a few thousand spirit stones on a bunch of unknown disciples?
Who even knew if the tower had real issues? For now, all three were playing dumb, and with a two-thirds risk of loss, even if they did end up picking Yun Zhonghe, how could they be certain of his talents?
A few thousand spirit stones were too steep; it felt like selling one’s home just to gamble on eldritch talents!
Unless they were absolutely certain, nobody would dare take that gamble.
“Tch! Boring! Total waste of a trip.”
Some decided to cut their losses, and the rest began to walk away, still casting curious glances at the trio but failing to see anything special about them.
Sure, they had decent talent, but… they were no Xia Wudi, that legend was in a different league entirely.
“What a letdown! I thought we would see a spectacular showdown, and this is how it ends?”
“Turns out they only made it to the thirtieth floor; the last five were a stroke of luck.”
“Eh, coming in at the thirtieth floor is still impressive. That’s a genius benchmark; even lots of Immortal Alliance’s elites might not hit that!”
The onlookers murmured among themselves.
But for Yun Zhonghe and his friends, this was definitely the time to lay low.
Especially for Yun Zhonghe; he didn’t want to steal the spotlight or make waves in the cultivation world. Staying under the radar was his motto; the longer he could hang on, the bigger the rewards when they arrived!
So he actually found peace in how hastily things wrapped up.
As the big shots gradually left, only the first black-cloaked old man—Pili Zhenren—lingered at the corner.
He cast a cold glance at Yun Zhonghe, who caught his eye, to which the old man chuckled softly, leaving Yun Zhonghe baffled.
But the next moment, he pulled out a jade slip from his robes and tossed it to Yun Zhonghe.
“If you ever have trouble, crush the slip, and I’ll come find you.”
Without waiting for Yun Zhonghe to respond, Pili Zhenren flew away, disappearing into the horizon in a blink.
Yun Zhonghe stared at the jade slip in his palm, completely perplexed.
But whatever the meaning, he just received a lifeline to summon a legendary figure! That was his ace in the hole!
“Pili Zhenren… can’t say I’ve heard much about him. Seems like an interesting guy.”
Yun Zhonghe solemnly tucked the jade slip away in his storage pouch.
