Chapter 132: Chapter 130: Liu Ruyan’s "Struggle

Liu Ruyan, covering her burning cheeks, rushed all the way from the Uncle Niu’s Kitchen God restaurant back to Liu Hong’s residence.

She burst through the main door in a flurry, darted into her room, and buried her head under the covers.

"So embarrassing! So embarrassing!"

Liu Hong, who had witnessed the whole thing, was completely baffled. ’What’s wrong with her? What happened?’

’Could it be Mo Qi?’

’That’s impossible.’

’Didn’t I already chase away those little brats from the Mountain and Sea Empire?’

’With those three old-timers from the Secret Realm backing him, he should be fine.’

Unable to make heads or tails of it, Liu Hong yanked Liu Ruyan out from under the covers.

"Kiddo, what in the world is wrong? Did someone bully you? Tell your grandpa, and I’ll skin him alive!"

Hearing this only made Liu Ruyan more embarrassed. ’How could I possibly say it out loud!’

After Liu Hong’s repeated questioning, and when he threatened to go and confront Mo Qi, Liu Ruyan had no choice but to confess.

She looked at Liu Hong and asked weakly, "Grandpa, if... and I’m just saying if! If I... did *that* before I turn eighteen, what would the consequences be?"

"Did what?" Liu Hong was completely lost.

"Oh, you know... the thing you and Grandma did to make my father!"

Liu Hong: "..."

’Wait!’

After a moment of speechlessness, realization suddenly dawned on Liu Hong.

This time, he couldn’t sit still.

"Speak! Did that boy Mo Qi try to do something to you?!" Liu Hong’s voice shot up an octave as a powerful aura erupted from him, alarming all the higher-ups of the Void Sect.

No one, aside from Liu Ruyan, knew why this great figure had flown into such a rage.

"Nothing like that happened! Grandpa, don’t let your imagination run wild, Brother Mo isn’t that kind of person! I... I was just asking!" Liu Ruyan whined, her face red.

"Just asking?" Liu Hong looked suspicious. "You’re not planning to offer yourself to him, are you, you little rascal?"

"Ah... Grandpa... you... don’t be ridiculous... I... I... how could I!" Liu Ruyan looked flustered, clutching the corner of the blanket tightly in her hands.

If she was only blushing before, now her face was so red it looked like it might bleed.

"Nonsense!" How could Liu Hong not see the truth now? He roared, "You foolish girl, don’t forget who you are!"

"If you lose your virginity before you’re eighteen, all our years of effort will be for nothing! If we alarm *that* certain someone, forget Mo Qi—the entire Mountain and Sea Empire will be buried alongside him! Even I won’t be able to protect him!"

Liu Ruyan, realizing the gravity of the situation, waved her hands frantically. "Grandpa, don’t be so serious. I really was just asking."

"Hmph!" Liu Hong snorted coldly. "That’s for the best."

With that, Liu Hong sighed, and his tone softened. "Kiddo, I think very highly of that boy, Mo Qi. But he has only just stepped onto the Martial Dao and needs time. If you really want to be with him, you absolutely cannot act recklessly right now."

"I know, Grandpa," Liu Ruyan said, sticking out her tongue.

Still worried, Liu Hong reminded her again and again.

She finally had to push him out of the room before things quieted down.

Liu Ruyan sat on the edge of her bed, cupping her chin, lost in thought.

’Brother Mo must be in a hurry, and I can’t help him. I guess I’ll just have to let Sister Kexin do it!’

’Sigh, what a pity I won’t get Brother Mo’s first time!’

’But Sister Kexin is the elder sister, so it’s only right for her to be the main wife. It wouldn’t be so bad for me to be a junior wife either... Pfft! Liu Ruyan, oh, Liu Ruyan, what in the world are you thinking!’

’Shame on me, shame on me!’

In the restaurant, Mo Qi shivered for no apparent reason, but finding nothing amiss, he went back to his work.

What he didn’t know was that at this very moment, a certain pretty young lady was anxiously and restlessly agonizing over his "first time."

...

「The Great Hall of the Void Sect’s Main Peak.」

A group of Elders, led by Yun Xuzi, were prostrated on the ground, their hearts filled with both trepidation and shock.

Standing before them now were not only the Ni Brothers, but also a hundred other figures exuding formidable auras.

They had come out of the Secret Realm with the Ni Brothers to support Mo Qi and had been hiding around the great hall until now.

When Mo Qi absorbed the Secret Realm Soul, it triggered a Soul Essence Tide, and they had all reaped enormous benefits from it.

It could be said that each and every one of them now owed Mo Qi a favor.

"Where is Wang Xinglong?" Brother Ni demanded.

Yun Xuzi replied, "Reporting to the Ancestors, Wang Xinglong has already fled the Void Sect."

"Fled? Hmph. From this day forward, label Wang Xinglong a traitor to the Void Sect and issue a warrant for his capture across all territories!"

"As you command."

"Where is Ji Lin?"

His name called, Ji Lin hurriedly stepped forward.

"Disciple is here."

"Do you know your crime?"

"This disciple knows his crime and accepts his punishment." If time could be turned back, Ji Lin would never have been the one to stick his neck out.

"Very well. Your punishment will be to work as a Waiter at Mo Qi’s restaurant for the time being, at his beck and call, until you earn his forgiveness. Do you submit?"

"This disciple submits wholeheartedly."

"Yun Xuzi!"

"Disciple is here."

"In a few days, Mo Qi and his party will be traveling to the Mountain and Sea Empire. Your punishment, along with Ji Lin’s, will be to escort them. There must not be a single mishap!"

"Disciple obeys."

Brother Ni glanced at the other Elders but didn’t call anyone else out. He figured he would leave the task of punishing them to Mo Qi.

"Additionally, there are two more matters. First, from now on, Mo Qi will be an honorary Grand Elder of our Void Sect, enjoying the same treatment as Master Liu. Second, in the time before he leaves, Mo Qi will be preparing Medicinal Cuisine for our Void Sect. If any of you have a request, this is your only chance. Oh, and you must provide your own ingredients."

Hearing this, the many Elders were both shocked and delighted.

The breakthroughs of both Yang Ming and Qin Feng had made all the Elders green with envy.

They had thought they’d lost their chance, but they never expected Mo Qi to be so generous!

However, this thought lasted for less than a day.

Because they would soon discover that the word "generous" was not at all a fitting description for Mo Qi.

...

The night was as tranquil as water. Mo Qi lay on his bed, clutching the ring hanging from his chest. He hesitated again and again, but in the end, he didn’t take it off its cord.

His intuition told him it was safer to keep it hidden on his chest than to wear it on his finger.

’Mother, I don’t know where you are now. Are you suffering? I don’t blame you for leaving me; you must have had your reasons. Rest assured, I’ve grown up. Before long, I will come and find you!’

Mo Qi fought back the tears. He took a deep breath, shook off the distracting thoughts, and began to recall the words of the Ni Brothers.

’It’s alright to be sentimental once in a while,’ he thought, ’but it can’t become a stumbling block on my path forward.’

The Ni Brothers had pointed out the problems with his combat skills, Sword Technique, and Medicinal Cuisine. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He put combat skills aside for now. That wasn’t something that could be improved in a day or two; it required a great deal of real combat experience.

As for his Sword Technique, the question "is your blade better for cooking or for killing?" had been a complete wake-up call.

Having good Sword Skill didn’t necessarily mean it was suitable for battle. It might be fine for crushing weaklings, but against a worthy opponent, it would become a fatal weakness.

Mo Qi had once thought that after practicing the Basic Staff Technique, he could use his own attainments in Sword Skill to extrapolate a corresponding Sword Technique.

But now he realized he was wrong. It wasn’t that he couldn’t extrapolate one, but that the Sword Technique he derived was still fundamentally culinary. It could not become a true killing blade.

To forge a true killing blade, he had to learn to change his way of thinking!