Qiu Haitang originally felt extremely nervous, but she gradually calmed down as she gazed at the lantern light in the distance. Who knew how many times she had seen this sight growing up, but this was the second time she had found it so pretty.
She could still remember the first time. She was still a little girl dressed in simple clothes, leaning by the side of the roof. Amazement filled her face as her eyes shone, unable to believe such a bustling and beautiful sight existed in the world.
Today was probably the last time she saw this sight again!
In that moment, the memories of the past flooded through her head before drifting away with the night breeze. The young girl rapidly grew up into a woman like a budding willow twig, until now.
She smiled faintly. Having set aside life and death, she instead found solace. As she stood among everyone, she was like a goddess, awe-inspiring and forbidding.
The hideous grin on E Feng’s face gradually grew heavier. Finally, he was unable to help himself anymore as he bent over and laughed aloud. His wild laughter was like the howl of a jackal. He spread his arms and spun around.
“Hah, tell me, just where is the wretched daemon? Didn’t you say he would come and save you immediately? How come I don’t even see a trace of him after so long?” Then he pressed himself into Qiu Haitang’s face. “Don’t tell me you were lying to us? C’mon, just admit it! Oi, little animal, how does it feel to be fooled by a woman?”
Everyone relaxed and began discussing among themselves. “Why would Northmoon come? She’s only trying to keep up her appearance at the end of the day.” “Forget it. This is a matter of the Sect of Clouds and Rain. This has nothing to do with us!” “But she has made commander Li look bad!”
Granny You was furious and displeased. “Children sure know how to be mischievous. Commander Li, this is an internal matter of our Sect of Clouds and Rain, so please step aside!”
Li Qingshan suddenly pointed behind E Feng and called out, “Northmoon!”
E Feng was momentarily surprised. He squinted his eyes. “Do you really think that I’m a kid? So much for using a trick like…”
Suddenly, he felt the rooftop become extremely quiet. Everyone looked in the direction Li Qingshan pointed towards before seizing up like the Freezing curse had hit them all. However, their expressions twisted and changed with alarm, fear, trepidation…
As for granny You, she was like a startled old hen. She shrank up, seeming even shorter.
E Feng slowly turned around…
Under the crescent moon, a flawlessly handsome man with scarlet hair and eyes stood on the edge of the rooftop. Even the moon seemed to be dyed red. Behind him was a resplendent sea of lantern light. His long hair and clothes ruffled in the night breeze.
Silently, the tsunami had arrived. Northmoon was here.
E Feng felt all of the blood in his body surge, but his heart immediately became icy-cold. His mouth hung agap, unable to say anything.
“Oi, woman, why’d you call me here?”
Northmoon glanced around the rooftop with his scarlet eyes before looking at Qiu Haitang.
Met with the red eyes, the cultivators all could not help but shrink back. With a swish, they cleared out a great space as if Northmoon’s gaze contained some kind of invisible spell.
“Northmoon.”
Qiu Haitang could not help but take a step over. She had no idea how to answer him. She had already prepared herself for death, yet the savior she had blurted out descended from the sky all of a sudden. She was thrown into a trance as well as if she suspected something had gone wrong with her memories from several years ago.
In the eyes of the spectators, this was obviously the behaviour of a woman meeting the lover they could only dream of, a display of emotion so intense that she could no longer control herself.
The cultivators in black were all shocked, while E Feng’s back became covered in cold sweat. He forced himself to calm down. He had to fight this battle with wit and not brute strength. He had to restrain Qiu Haitang as soon as possible and keep this wretched daemon at bay through fear!
He looked around from the corner of his eye. The heavens were smiling at him. Li Qingshan had already backed away to one side before he knew it. Qiu Haitang stood there alone, truly as delicate as a flowering crabapple. He communicated with his companions in a hurry. They only needed a single move, and they could restrain her!
Right when they were about to strike, a gust of warm wind swept past his face. E Feng widened his eyes. He felt like time had come to a standstill, with only a single person unaffected. Northmoon walked past him leisurely, arriving beside Qiu Haitang.
We can’t win! We definitely can’t win! We won’t even be able to escape! E Feng wailed inside.
Northmoon brought his hand around Qiu Haitang’s especially thin waist. “Why aren’t you talking?” He glanced at the pile of precious jewels and metals. “What’s this about?”
Qiu Haitang’s body stiffened as she opened her cherry lips slightly. As she gazed at Northmoon, her memories from a few years ago became extremely vivid. He seemed to have leapt directly out of her memories, but she was unable to read anything from his scarlet eyes.
However, having reached this point, she had no choice but to play along. She leaned against him and grumbled in a flirtatious manner, “These people wanted to force me into marrying E Dan. These precious jewels and metals were the betrothal gift…”
She told him everything that had happened patiently, going into special detail over how E Feng called Northmoon a wretched daemon. She mentioned everything and went into vivid detail over things like, “I won’t be afraid even if the wretched daemon comes.” and “He’ll flee from the sight of my master.” Although she did not tell any lies, she could not help but spice up the details, which made E Feng and the others seem even more despicable.
With each sentence Qiu Haitang uttered, E Feng and his companions would tremble. She basically attacked them with every single word. The delight of revenge flashed through Qiu Haitang’s eyes. Regardless of why Northmoon had come, only death would await these people after he had heard all this!
Northmoon listened to the end silently and could not help but smile. “Oh? Now that’s very interesting!” He extended his hand and touched Qiu Haitang’s smooth, full cheek in a half-joking manner and said tenderly, “I’ve made you suffer.”
“This is all just a misunderstanding. We have no intentions of opposing you, sir. Our master is great general E Dan, who has also admired you for a very long time, sir. We didn’t think fellow Qiu actually had someone already. We thought she was trying to deceive us with some outrageous claims. If we’ve offended you in any way or form, please forgive us, fellow Qiu!”
E Feng changed his insolent demeanour in the blink of an eye, coming off as courteous. He addressed Northmoon respectfully as sir before bowing deeply towards Qiu Haitang in the end. He seemed extremely sincere, bearing absolutely no resemblance to the common thug who spoke carelessly anymore.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s all a misunderstanding. I was just about to pass the position of sect master to Haitang and return to the mountains so that I could cultivate in seclusion!”
Granny You rubbed her hands and said with a smile. When Qiu Haitang told her story, she did not forget to mention her. Granny You dared not show the slightest discontent. She squeezed that old face of hers into a smile like a flower. When she looked at Qiu Haitang, she put on a pitiful guise, silently using the arts of charm.
Qiu Haitang could not help but feel, Granny You is already so old. Just how many years does she have left in her anyway? She’s still my senior after all. She was only doing this for the sake of the Sect of Clouds and Rain!
Smack! There was a crisp slap.
Northmoon conveniently slapped granny You across the face. Her protective spiritual qi immediately crumbled under the powers of the Tremors of the Ox Demon. Her face twisted to one side, and her head was lifted into the air. Over a dozen teeth flew out of her mouth.
“Your smile is disgusting. Keep it to yourself!” Northmoon said restlessly.
Granny You was surprised, angered, and fearful. She clutched her swollen face and became even more afraid to attack him or smile. She murmured, “Yes, yes!”
Smack! There was another crisp slap.
Northmoon backhanded granny You. He waved his hand and said, “Forget it. You better keep smiling. You look even more hideous when you don’t smile!”
The world spun around granny You. Not a single tooth remained in her mouth. She stood there awkwardly, unable to cry or smile.
Qiu Haitang returned to her senses and knew that she had been charmed. Originally, she felt very furious, but when she saw granny You’s miserable state, she could not help but burst out with laughter. As she thought about how she had once swaggered around on her high horse and coerced her again and again, she felt great delight.
Smack! There was another slap.
Even the kindest of souls had a temper, let alone a mighty Golden Core cultivator. Granny You said in surprise and anger, “You- I-”
“If you like it, I can keep slapping her for you!”
Northmoon paid absolutely no attention to granny You as he spoke to Qiu Haitang softly. He was unable to imitate how King You of Zhou lit the warning beacons to fool his nobles, but slapping a person around was still very easy to achieve.
“There’s no need.”
Qiu Haitang lowered her head and replied softly. Her face was slightly red, knowing he was standing up for her. She was unable to describe whether this gesture had moved her or she was feeling something else. She felt slightly light-headed.
In the moment earlier, she was still being oppressed by granny You, harassed by E Feng, and cold-shouldered by everyone else, with only Li Qingshan willing to help her—when she thought up to there, she could not help but glance back, only to see that Li Qingshan had retreated far away, smiling and nodding at her.
When she looked around now, was there still anyone who did not look at her with a gaze filled with alarm? They were only afraid she would drag them into this mess with a single sentence. Even if they managed to survive through luck and only endured a few slaps, they would still be utterly humiliated. In particular, E Feng and his companions were ashen. They were as alarmed as stray dogs.
Then she saw Hua Chengzan’s extremely mixed expression. She smiled brightly, no longer clinging onto him at all. She discovered she actually felt rather complacent inside. Hmph, go think about your Gu Yanying. I have someone who wants me too!
Qiu Haitang bit her lip, tugged Northmoon by the collar, and pointed at E Feng’s group. “Them too!”
E Feng and his junior brothers cursed incessantly inside, calling her damn woman and wretched bitch. They smiled dryly.
“Sir, if you refuse to spare us, our master E Dan and prince Si Qing will never just let the matter be. Why must we make such a great mess out of a single misunderstanding?”
Northmoon waved his hand. “Since it’s merely a misunderstanding, why don’t you piss off now?”
Hearing that, E Feng and the others were overjoyed. They felt like they had just been spared. They thought, Hmph. Sure enough, he still has some qualms. This wretched daemon will definitely die a horrible death in the future! They wanted to toss out a few threats, but they were too afraid to do something like that, so they clasped their hands and turned around to leave.
Qiu Haitang was rather reluctant to simply let them go, but she did not forget it was all an act right now. If she fell out with him over something small and displeased him, it would not be worth it.
“Hold on!”
E Feng and his juniors had already arrived on the edge of the rooftop. They only needed to take a few steps forward, and they would be free, but Northmoon’s despicable voice rang out behind them. They gulped and turned around. “What’s the matter, sir?”
“You forgot your betrothal gifts!” Northmoon glanced at the pile of precious jewels and metals. E Feng’s group eased up inside and walked back over. Right when they were about to stow the mountainous pile of treasure away, they heard Northmoon say, “Wait, is this how you’re going to take it away?”
“Sir, how would you like us to take it away?”
Northmoon pointed at the pile of treasure with his chin. “Eat it!”
“What!?” E Feng exclaimed. How were they supposed to eat these gems and metals?
Northmoon smiled. “You have to eat the words you uttered, and you also have to eat the items you brought. I don’t even want to see a single sycee of silver remaining!”
PS: Woah! The dragon is so powerful! Congratulations to the envoy of the dragon, “?Precious Copernicium?”, for donating as much as three Alliance Heads, honorably elevated to Great Alliance Head and making my wish come true. Alright, I can’t go without expressing my gratitude. You know already, but I’m not made for things like mass releases and so on, but we will return to the “8 am, 6 pm” release schedule tomorrow!
