"You! You!" Mo Sigui threw down his folding fan and began undoing his belt. "Just you wait, I'll show you what real magnificence looks like!"
An Jiu crossed her arms, clearly enjoying the spectacle without a care for the consequences.
How could a young lady behave like this! Mo Sigui decided to teach her a lesson.
Mei Jiu had dozed off briefly and woke to find herself in the red maple grove, where Mo Sigui stood before her with a menacing expression as he fumbled with his belt. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest, and she instinctively covered her face, shrieking, "Pervert! Pervert!"
Mo Sigui hurriedly reached to cover her mouth. He hadn’t actually intended to strip—he just wanted to see how long she could keep up her bravado.
In the main hall, the family head and elders, who had been discussing matters, paused at the sudden scream before rising to investigate.
From the doorway, they saw Wen Cui supporting a trembling Mei Jiu, while Mo Sigui frantically tried to fasten his belt on the opposite side.
"What happened?" the family head asked Wen Cui.
Though skilled in martial arts and capable of hearing their conversation from several yards away, Wen Cui knew that if her mistress’s words reached the elders, there would be dire consequences. "The young lady stepped out of the main hall, and the young master stopped her, saying he had something to ask. I stepped aside, but then I heard her scream and rushed back to find... to find the young master disheveled, holding her—"
"Mo Sigui! Explain yourself! What is the meaning of this?!" Elder Zhi roared, his fury erupting. After seven years without taking a disciple, he had finally accepted one—only for her to be harassed! Did they think he was dead or something?!
"It’s all a misunderstanding! Fourteen Lady said she wanted to see... to see..." Mo Sigui realized his words were only making things worse and abruptly stopped, casting a pleading glance at Fourteen Lady.
But to his horror, the sight nearly made him spit out blood in frustration—the same girl who had been brimming with arrogance moments ago was now cowering in her maid’s arms, trembling and weeping uncontrollably!
"Take Fourteen Lady back to rest," the family head instructed Wen Cui before turning a stern gaze on Mo Sigui. "You, come with me."
Mo Sigui followed obediently, shooting a desperate look at Elder Qi as they passed.
To his dismay, Elder Qi was simply observing the scene like an ordinary bystander, not even gloating—which only deepened Mo Sigui’s dread.
As an outsider whose parents had died young, he had been fortunate enough to be taken in by Plum Blossom Village and, by some stroke of luck, had caught Elder Qi’s favor, earning him a place in the Mei Clan School. But if his reckless behavior today angered Elder Zhi, his chance to study there might vanish!
Gritting his teeth, Mo Sigui swore inwardly: Mei Ru Xue! If I lose my place in the Clan School, I’ll make sure you suffer for it!
At this moment, he despised Mei Jiu intensely—not because he blamed her entirely, but because her sudden shifts from shyness to arrogance to pitiful helplessness struck him as utterly despicable.
Mei Jiu, still shaken, was half-carried back to Jade Serenity Residence. It took her a long while to calm down.
"Hey!" An Jiu snapped impatiently. "Can you tell me what the hell was worth screaming like that?!"
Earlier, Mei Jiu’s heart had suddenly pounded so violently it nearly shattered An Jiu’s soul, followed by erratic beats that left An Jiu—accustomed to steady rhythms—struggling to cope.
An Jiu hadn’t felt such rage in years. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to grab an M134 and blast Mei Jiu into oblivion.Mei Jiu was startled, "You—why are you shouting so loudly!"
"Damn it, what else can I do besides shouting right now? You’ve practically pushed my tolerance for idiocy to its limit!" The overwhelming sense of helplessness, as if her entire body were paralyzed, drove An Jiu into a frenzy. At this moment, she truly wished she had died completely when she was shot in the head rather than endure this torment!
The word "torment" flashed through her mind, and An Jiu quickly calmed herself: There’s still a chance to escape. This is just a trial—how can I even think of retreating? When have I ever shown the slightest fear in the face of a challenge?
The thought passed in an instant, and An Jiu spoke in a composed tone, "Your cousin didn’t have any ill intentions—he was just teasing you. But your hysterical screaming alarmed the Clan Elders, and now his future might very well be ruined because of you."
Tears welled up in Mei Jiu’s eyes after being yelled at by An Jiu, and she was on the verge of breaking down. But hearing this, she froze in shock.
"Let me ask you—did you see him naked?" An Jiu patiently guided her.
Mei Jiu flushed with embarrassment. "No."
"Did he lay a hand on you?" An Jiu pressed.
Mei Jiu thought carefully. Mo Sigui had only reached out to cover her mouth after she started screaming. So she answered truthfully, "No, he didn’t."
An Jiu said, "There’s a hierarchy to the severity of matters. Couldn’t you have waited to clarify the situation before reacting?"
Hearing An Jiu imply that this was a trivial matter, Mei Jiu immediately retorted with righteous indignation, "A woman’s chastity and reputation are more important than her life!"
"..." There’s no reasoning with this!
Today’s incident gave An Jiu some food for thought. She had acted rashly without understanding the reality of the situation, which had triggered the chain of events. Moreover, she wasn’t the type to swallow her pride—if someone harassed her, she wouldn’t let them walk away unscathed. The difference was, if she provoked Mo Sigui, she had the means to clean up the mess afterward. But Mei Jiu might not.
It seems I’ll have to keep a low profile from now on...
"Fine, I’m at fault too. Since the mess has already been made, we’ll have to clean it up..."
Mei Jiu brightened.
For the first time, the two of them seemed to be on the same wavelength. After a pause, they spoke simultaneously:
"Then I’ll explain everything to the Family Head and clear Cousin’s name."
"Kill him. Eliminate the problem permanently."
A long silence followed. Then Mei Jiu asked in shock, "Y-you... what did you say? This is our fault—how can we treat Cousin like that?"
An Jiu acknowledged that she was at fault, but for some reason, when Mei Jiu said "our," a faint ripple stirred deep in her soul. After a moment of silence, she sought the opinion of the person she considered an "idiot." "In situations like this, isn’t it normal to prioritize our own interests?"
Mei Jiu protested urgently, "Forget that he’s my cousin—that’s a human life ! Murder is punishable by death! Besides, he might not even hold a grudge!"
An Jiu snorted. "Then it’s up to you. If you freak out like that again next time, I won’t hesitate to kill."
"Okay!" Mei Jiu agreed hastily.
By evening, Wen Cui had learned of the family’s punishment for Mo Sigui.
Mo Sigui had failed to meet the family’s standards for evaluation. He was denied entry into the family, deemed ineligible to be recorded in the family register, and barred from attending the Clan School.
When Mei Jiu heard the news, her face turned deathly pale. Because of her uninformed scream, she had single-handedly destroyed Mo Sigui’s chance to establish roots in Plum Blossom Village!
"No! I—"Before Mei Jiu could finish speaking, An Jiu interrupted her, "Going there now won’t help anything—you’ll only end up getting yourself involved."
An Jiu acknowledged her own mistake, but that didn’t mean she felt any guilt toward Mo Sigui. After all, it takes two to tango—if he hadn’t behaved so frivolously, he wouldn’t have fallen into the pit he dug himself.
"Ask Wen Cui about Mo Sigui’s background," An Jiu said.
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