"Where am I?"
In a daze, Chen Mo only felt a warm current surging within his body, moisturizing his parched meridians and Qi Sea.
As his consciousness gradually cleared, he slowly opened his eyes.
He saw himself lying on a bed, beside him sat a middle-aged beautiful woman holding his wrist continuously transferring True Qi, her eyes full of worry.
"Mo'er, are you awake?"
The beautiful woman spoke softly.
"Mother?"
Chen Mo instinctively called out.
His gaze swept around, and there were two figures standing beside the bed.
One was a well-dressed man with a goatee, dignified in bearing—likely his foster father.
As for the girl earnestly nibbling on Ginger Braised Pork Trotters… it seemed he had seen her face before losing consciousness, it appears she brought him back.
"Finally safe."
At this, Chen Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mo'er, what exactly happened?"
"Miss Shen said she picked you up at the entrance of the Imperial Music Bureau... How did your body end up so overdrawn?"
He Yuzhi asked with concern.
"Hmph, indulging in debauchery, not even caring for your own life! I see you dying on a woman's belly sooner or later!"
Chen Zhuo expressed his disappointed disapproval.
"No, Mo'er obviously fought with someone..."
"Over a woman?"
"..."
Chen Mo silently shook his head.
It seems his foster father held deep prejudices against him.
He interrupted their conversation, stating succinctly, "Gu Manzhi is the Holy Daughter of the Moon Brilliance Sect, a Sixth-rank Mage, who has been hiding in the Imperial Music Bureau. After I uncovered her identity, I inflicted serious injuries on her..."
"It's probably too late to catch her now."
As he spoke, the room fell silent.
This statement was too loaded, stunning everyone for a moment.
Chen Zhuo's narrow eyes slightly squinted; despite his usual absurdity, he wouldn't joke about such matters.
Has the Sect's reach already extended to Tiandu City?
"Wait a moment…"
"You said she's a Sixth-rank Mage, and you left her heavily injured?"
He Yuzhi was somewhat bewildered, wondering if she had misheard.
Martial Artists have rather straightforward methods; before stepping into the Heavenly Human Realm, they are generally oppressed by Mages of the same level.
Not to mention the opponent is a Sixth-Rank, they were fundamentally an entire major realm apart.
Chen Mo nodded and casually remarked, "It was her carelessness against my preparedness, coupled with my mastery of the Sword Technique, that caught her off guard."
Mastery of the Sword Technique?
He Yuzhi's eyes were filled with disbelief.
The Blazing Eight Slashes that she taught Chen Mo, she naturally understood its intricacies.
If it weren't slightly lacking in 'Daoist Charm,' it could be a powerful Martial Art capable of reaching Heaven Rank!
How could mastering it be easy?
How many talents are stranded at the final step, unable to progress an inch, even she only grasped its essence after transcending mortality.
And Chen Mo was merely a Seventh-rank mortal…
"Although Mo'er is talented, he is not to such an exaggerated extent."
"Could it be that he tapped into hidden potential at a critical moment of life and death, making a breakthrough on the battlefield? Hmm, such instances do happen occasionally… No wonder his body is so overdrawn, that would explain it."
He Yuzhi pondered thoughtfully.
"Someone come."
At this moment, Chen Zhuo called out.
The butler entered through the door, "Master."
Chen Zhuo instructed, "Have Cen Long go to the Imperial Music Bureau immediately..."
Cen Long was the commander of the Chen Family's guards, a Fourth-Level Martial Master.
Given the gravity of this matter, even if they couldn't catch anyone, they could still verify if Chen Mo was telling the truth or not.
"Yes."
The butler quickly exited the room.
The room quieted down.
Chen Mo leaned against the headboard with his eyes closed, resting.
Shen Zhixia silently gnawed at the pork trotters, her dark eyes curiously observing him.
Half an hour later.
A burly man walked into the room, a fierce scar running through his left cheek, adding a bit of ferociousness to his demeanor.
Chen Zhuo asked, "What's the situation?"
Cen Long replied, "By the time I arrived, the place was empty, but there were signs of a struggle in the room and remnants of Taoist Skill and Blazing Blade Energy."
Saying this, he glanced at Chen Mo, a flash of surprise and curiosity in his eyes.
"Besides this, I also found this item."
Cen Long presented a wooden box.
Inside was a lump of flesh and blood, nearly ground into mince, its original form unrecognizable.
However, the crescent moon pattern imprinted on the box said it all.
"Indeed remnants of the Moon Brilliance Sect."
Chen Zhuo's brow furrowed as he looked at Chen Mo and asked, "Does this mean you had earlier noticed something off about that woman, so you deliberately got close to her?"
"Correct."
"At first, I was just suspicious but unsure about her identity. To avoid alerting her prematurely, I didn't tell anyone."
"I thought of going through with the drama, tearing up the marriage agreement publicly today was meant to test her further; unexpectedly, she tried to harm me, forcing me to take action..."
"Ultimately, I was too impatient, overplayed my hand, and now it will be even harder to catch her..."
Chen Mo sighed, his expression full of regret.
His explanation was half-true, half-false; even if there were doubts between them, it could be explained as "recklessly seeking merit."
Chen Zhuo remained silent for a moment, then snorted harshly, "Nonsense! Daring to deceive even your father and me, your audacity is growing!"
"This time you were lucky to have Zhixia save you by a hair's breadth!"
"You are grounded for a month; stay in the residence obediently, and you are not permitted to go anywhere!"
With that, he flung his sleeves, turned, and walked out of the room.
"Mo'er, don't overthink it; your father is also doing this for your sake."
"With the current chaotic situation, it's best you rest at home, take care of your health; leave everything else to us to handle."
He Yuzhi spoke softly, comforting him.
Then she took out the "Purple Cloud Powder" for nourishing vitality, watched Chen Mo consume it, and then left reassured.
Upon reaching the courtyard, Chen Zhuo's expression was grim as he said to Cen Long, "Inform the Sky Scale Guard to immediately seal off the Imperial Music Bureau; I want the ground dug three feet deep, don't miss any trace!"
"Anyone who has had interactions with Gu Manzhi, capture them all; I want to interrogate each one personally!"
"Those who dare resist, execute first and report later!"
Whoever dares to lay a hand on the Chen Family has truly crossed his bottom line!
"Yes."
Cen Long responded and departed.
He Yuzhi approached, speaking, "We still need to inform the Empress about this matter. As for Mo'er… though somewhat reckless, he has eliminated a potential threat."
"Usually unnoticed, he does have such courage and thought..."
Chen Zhuo coldly said, "It's nothing but dangerous luck! Just showing off foolhardy courage, difficult to achieve anything substantial!"
He Yuzhi glanced at him, "Alright, there's no one else here; you can barely keep the smile off your face, yet still pretending?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhuo subconsciously touched his face.
Noticing He Yuzhi's meaningful gaze, his expression turned somewhat embarrassed, he harrumphed, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
He Yuzhi shook her head helplessly.
"Tch, a guy whose words belie his feelings… Afu."
"I am here."
"Prepare the carriage, we're going to the palace!"
Chen Mo had no objections to being grounded.
Now that Gu Manzhi surely harbored deep hatred for him, who knew when she might lash out? Better to lay low at home for a while.
Just then, his vision blurred, and a few lines of notification text appeared:
["Gu Manzhi" Favorability Rating increase.]
[Favorability Rating breaks the threshold, unlocking the progress lock.]
[Current Progress: 45/100 (Meeting too late).]
Chen Mo: "¿"