Chapter 71 Apology: "Where is she?"

In a deserted house.

"Mo Sheng, are you still not convinced? Do you want to fight me?"

As the other party drew closer, Jiang Yuhuo struggled to sit up from the ground. Lying down, it was not a good time to make threats, and she had already lost in terms of momentum.

She had already made her plans. If he came for the Spirit Wood, she would never give it to him. After all, the item wasn't in her hands, so he wouldn't dare to try and take it from Jia Yue. If he kidnapped her because he was unwilling to accept defeat, she could agree to a rematch later. If he truly hated her to the point of wanting to kill her, then she would have no choice but to fight him to the death, even if it was a pity that she had wasted all those days soaking in the water.

Jiang Yuhuo had prepared many arguments in her mind. Although she wasn't eloquent, she believed that sometimes sincere communication could be persuasive. But to her utter surprise, Mo Sheng walked over and knelt down in front of her without saying a word.

None of the carefully prepared words were used.

What kind of show is this? She had never seen anything like it before.

"I'm sorry, it was my narrow-mindedness and inability to accept defeat, it was my inferior skill, and I even tried to attack you after the competition ended," Mo Sheng knelt down and bowed his head in front of her, "Fortunately, Master Zongzi intervened in time, otherwise it would have caused more serious consequences."

"Mo Sheng hereby sincerely apologizes to you."

Jiang Yuhuo withdrew her foot somewhat helplessly. Why go through all this trouble to tie her up just to apologize to her? And even then, she was forced to listen to his apology while still tied up.

Even a fool could tell it wasn't that simple.

Jiang Yuhuo didn't interrupt, but just watched quietly as he recounted his crimes and expressed his deep remorse.

"...I humbly beg your forgiveness, Immortal Lord."

After delivering his speech, Mo Sheng paused, took a breath, and prostrated himself on the ground. "I know that I am guilty of grave sins. To atone for them, I am willing to serve the Immortal Lord with utmost loyalty."

"I only ask that the Immortal Lord put in a good word for me with Lord Zongzi, so that he may allow me to return to the Heavenly Palace."

Sure enough, the important part was yet to come. Jiang Yuhuo finally understood, but she couldn't help but admire this person's flexibility and adaptability. She just didn't understand why she thought she could persuade Jia Yue. That person was so petty that she couldn't even tolerate an outsider winning the Grand Tournament; how could she possibly listen to her advice? Mo Sheng's elaborate apology was likely a waste of time.

Seeing this, the female cultivator who had bound her also came over and knelt before Jiang Yuhuo. Mo Sheng scolded her in a low voice, "A-Jun, what are you doing here? It's none of your business."

The female cultivator wouldn't listen to him. The more Mo Sheng tried to reason with her, the more heartbroken she felt for him. "Forgive him. He was just confused for a moment. Anyway, you weren't hurt. As long as you promise to plead with the Sect Master on his behalf, I can give you any immortal treasures you want..."

Mo Sheng immediately glared at her and snapped, "A-Jun, shut up!"

A moment of folly? Jiang Yuhuo didn't think Mo Sheng was the type to make a momentary lapse in judgment. He even knew to use his junior sister in Tianque to help him kidnap someone. Oh, he could be folly, so folly that he didn't realize that if the kidnapping incident in Xihua Hall were reported to the sect, his junior sister would most likely be implicated. But since it was consensual, Jiang Yuhuo couldn't say anything.

He glanced at Jiang Yuhuo's face again, and seeing that she wasn't angry, he felt relieved and calmed down. He gently advised his young junior sister, who always spoke as she pleased, "Junior sister, you must be tired from bringing the immortal lord here. Please rest for a while."

The female cultivator frowned, neither speaking nor leaving, clearly dissatisfied with Mo Sheng sending her away.

Mo Sheng assumed that a cultivator like Jiang Yuhuo wouldn't be interested in the rare and precious materials she spoke of, but he didn't know that Jiang Yuhuo truly desired many things. If it weren't for the Spirit-Subduing Wood, she wouldn't even have participated in this competition. If she weren't there, Mo Sheng might already be another rising star in Tianque.

Jiang Yuhuo asked the female cultivator, "Do you have many treasures? Do you have the Cold Jade?"

The female cultivator puffed out her chest. "Of course, my name is Ji Yun. My father is the head of the Ji family of the immortal sect. My family has countless immortal treasures." She thought for a moment, "But I don't think I've heard of what you're talking about."

"But I can ask my dad for it. If other families have it, our family will definitely have it too."

Jiang Yuhuo had heard of the Ji family of the Immortal Sect, one of the three great families of the Immortal Sect. No wonder they could easily bind her with magical artifacts and so casually promise her treasures that ordinary cultivators would have to struggle for many years to obtain.

But there's something she wants more now than any of those things.

Jiang Yuhuo turned his gaze to Mo Sheng, but spoke to the female cultivator, "Remove these restraints from me first, and then I'll talk to your senior brother."

Just as A-Jun was about to obediently untie her, Mo Sheng looked at Jiang Yuhuo and smiled. He pressed A-Jun's hand down and said, "Immortal Lord, don't be anxious. I have lost all my spiritual power, and my junior sister is only a half-baked cultivator. She is no match for you. At this moment, only by relying on this Immortal Binding Rope can you sit here and talk to us."

Complete loss of spiritual power?

Jiang Yuhuo couldn't help but scrutinize Mo Sheng closely. His face was indeed much more haggard than when they first met, and his skin was dull and lacked luster, unlike the jade-like skin often seen on immortals. The arrow wound on his shoulder even affected his movement, and there seemed to be no sign of improvement. If he had spiritual power to sustain him, he wouldn't be in such a state.

Mo Sheng noticed her confusion, his smile turning wan, and explained the reason to her. It turned out that being expelled from Tianque meant more than just being removed from the register; it also meant losing all the martial arts skills he had cultivated in Tianque over the years.

Come cleanly, leave cleanly, without taking away a single trace of the Heavenly Palace's spiritual energy.

These cruel rules only strengthened Jiang Yuhuo's resolve to learn from others but never formally become a disciple of Tianque.

Jiang Yuhuo looked at Mo Sheng with a hint of sympathy, "Do you still want to join a sect like this?"

There's more than one place in the world where you can cultivate. Even if you don't join a sect, you can still join a noble family. Since you have a junior sister from one of the three great noble families, wouldn't it be easier to cultivate with her?

Mo Sheng's gaze was firm. "Of all the places in the world, only Tianque is where my heart truly desires."

In the past, Jiang Yuhuo would have understood these inexplicably firm beliefs, but now she felt it was best to pursue fewer illusory things, though she certainly respected his faith. Then, let them discuss the terms.

Jiang Yuhuo looked down at the person kneeling before her. "You're willing to do anything to return to Tianque, aren't you?"

Mo Sheng immediately looked up in surprise and answered crisply, "Yes."

"You can't make a move on him!" Ji Yun, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, immediately ran over alertly upon seeing this and warned Jiang Yuhu with a stern face.

"Ah-Jun, stop fooling around, this has nothing to do with you."

"No, I'm worried about her feelings for you..." Ji Yun blushed, unable to say anything more.

Jiang Yuhuo likes to speak her mind and doesn't like others to be speechless. She kindly helped Ji Yun finish what she hadn't said, "Don't worry, I know you like her, but I don't want her body."

"You!" Ji Jun blushed instantly, not daring to look at Mo Sheng, but she was worried about Jiang Yuhuo, so she just glared fiercely at Jiang Yuhuo, protecting Mo Sheng like a puppy guarding its food.

Jiang Yuhuo continued to confirm with Mo Sheng, "What you want me to do is plead with Jia Yue for you, isn't that right?"

"yes."

Although he didn't know what gave Mo Sheng the wrong impression, since he firmly believed that Jia Yue would listen to her, Jiang Yuhuo was going to make a good demand of her. She was just relaying the message; whether it succeeded or not was beyond her control.

"So as long as I promise to plead with Jia Yue for you, you'll agree to do anything I ask, right?"

“Of course, if the Immortal Lord is willing to help, I, Mo Sheng, will do anything for the Immortal Lord, even at the cost of my life.”

Mo Sheng was overjoyed. He knew that Jiang Yuhuo meant to plead for him without guaranteeing success, but that was enough.

Being able to pass on a word to the sect leader on his behalf would be considered a great favor, especially since rumors about the sect leader's favoritism towards the female cultivator who won the competition have been rampant these days.

It is said that the Sect Master not only gave her his privately owned sinking pool, which he never lent out, but also personally visited her there. He even entrusted her with the care of his contracted spirit beast, and disciples often saw her with that beast. It is important to know that contracted spirit beasts only recognize their masters and will instinctively resist all outsiders. Anyone who can gain the favor of their contracted beast must be someone whose master trusts them implicitly.

Since she is such a close person, her words must carry weight in Lord Jia Yue's heart. Moreover, she is the one who suffered the most, so it is naturally more effective for her to plead for him than for anyone else.

It's truly unexpected that he originally intended to make a good impression on Lady Jiayue during that decisive battle, but instead it benefited this woman, causing Lady Jiayue to take a liking to her.

Although he now knew that he was indeed inferior in skill, the thought that he should have been the one valued by Lord Jia Yue still stirred up a surge of emotions in Mo Sheng's heart.

Jiang Yuhuo beckoned to him, signaling him to come closer.

Mo Sheng obediently leaned over. His path to immortality now rested entirely in this woman's hands, and she had truly defeated him before, both physically and mentally, shattering his pride and self-esteem on the dueling stage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have collapsed to the point of wanting to kill her even after the outcome was decided.

But as a cultivator, he was ultimately someone who admired the strong, and it was human nature to submit to the strong, especially now that he had lost all his spiritual power and was no different from an ordinary person.

Jiang Yuhuo whispered in his ear the reward he was asked for pleading for him, and Mo Sheng couldn't help but smile after hearing it.

So that's what she wanted.

If he were still a disciple of Tianque, he would have been utterly incapable of doing so. But now that he has been expelled from Tianque, he is able to grant her request without any constraints. It must be the will of Heaven to allow him to return to Tianque.

Seeing the two of them avoiding her and talking mysteriously, Ji Yun suddenly became angry. "What are you two doing? Is there anything I can't hear?"

But Mo Sheng turned back and smiled at her, "A-Jun, it's better if you don't know." His expression was as gentle as ever, and he called softly to Ji Jun, "A-Jun, come, help the Immortal Lord untie the Immortal Binding Rope."

Ji Yun's anger was easily calmed down by him, so she obediently untied the Immortal Binding Rope and watched the two of them go into the house.

Before entering, Mo Sheng specifically instructed Ji Jun to guard the door and not to let her in or anyone else in.

Ji Yun's thoughts immediately drifted elsewhere, and she was about to follow when Mo Sheng stopped her with a look. But he always knew how to control Ji Yun, and he quickly softened his expression, soothingly saying, "Don't overthink it. I'm keeping it from you for your own good."

Ji Jun could only glare at Jiang Yuhuo, warning her not to do anything reckless.

The dilapidated door of the abandoned house was closed. Ji Yun stood outside and waited and waited, until the sun set and the moon rose above the top of Tianque Mountain, but the two people inside did not come out. When she grew impatient, she would go closer to the door to listen for any sounds inside, but it was extremely quiet, without a sound at all. It didn't seem like they were doing such filthy things, so she obediently went back to the courtyard to guard the door for them.

As night begins to fade and the stars dim, day and night are about to alternate once again.

Ji Yun woke up after a haphazard nap. The broken door behind her was still closed. She was unhappy about being neglected for so long, and the thought of being left alone outside all night only made her feel more and more aggrieved. She didn't want to care anymore. Even if she got scolded by Mo Sheng, she wanted to find out what they were doing.

Ji Yun got up from the ground cursing and was about to turn around and rush into the door when a gust of cold wind suddenly hit her, and the air around her instantly became cold.

In the dim night, a figure in a white robe embroidered with silver descended from the sky. The handsome, godlike figure cleaved through the chaotic darkness, instantly waking Ji Yun from the ground. It was a face that one glance would never forget, yet one she never dared to look at more than once.

She quickly bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Ji Jun pressed his hand tightly against his wildly beating heart. Just now, when they met eyes, there was a terrifying light on the Sect Master's face, and when the sharp gaze in his blue eyes looked over, it was like an icy arrow, instinctively making him feel afraid.

Jia Yue's gaze slowly fell on the Immortal Binding Rope in her hand, her voice as cold as ice, "And her?"

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Author's Note: Out of curiosity, I searched for pirated copies and found a website that had directly changed the book's title to "How to Kill a Fly"?! Seriously?! [Cracks]