The sun was setting in the western sky. The colorful rays of sunlight had illuminated the forest that was situated in the mountainous ravine. The scene was overflowing with brilliant lights and vibrant colors.
Chu Yang was carrying Mo Qing Wu in his arms as he walked. There was a smile on his face. It seemed as if this beautiful scene had come straight out of some fairy tale. His black robe was fluttering in the wind. His stature was tall. The red-dressed Mo Qing Wu was curled up in his arms.
The suns.h.i.+ne of the horizon was imbuing a golden tinge to the figures of Chu Yang and Mo Qing Wu. It seemed like a heartwarming spectacle — at least to Mo Tian Ji’s eyes.
This feeling was so harmonious, and so touching.
It seemed as if Mo Qing Wu was a part of Chu Yang’s body. She wouldn’t get down no matter what he said. She would look up and smile at Chu Yang from time to time. Then, she’d lower head for a while. Then, she would raise her head again, and would smile at him again. There was always a radiant smile on her face. Moreover, it was a smile of satisfaction.
Mo Tian Ji just stood there looking dumbfounded.
He had been waiting here for an entire afternoon. And, he had been burning with impatience that entire time. However, he was touched as soon as he saw Chu Yang coming out with Mo Qing Wu in his arms.
He was no longer anxious in that moment.
Never ever ever… had he seen his little sister so happy... so happy that she was smiling from the bottom of her heart… as if her heart was filled with joy and satisfaction!
Mo Tian Ji also felt contentment when he saw her like this. He had been waiting anxiously for an entire afternoon. But, his anxiety seemed to have disappeared without a trace in this moment.
"Brother Mo, I am taking Little Wu with me," Chu Yang looked at Mo Tian Ji, and said in a heavy tone.
Mo Qing Wu raised her head in panic when she heard the two words ‘Brother Mo’. She turned her head and saw her own brother, Mo Tian Ji. Her eyes couldn’t help but turn red. She gently bit her lip and lowered her gaze.
"Little Wu..." Mo Tian Ji stepped forward and spoke in a trembling voice.
Mo Qing Wu continued to bite her lip for a while. Then, she somehow brought herself to say, "Second Brother..."
"Little Wu, do you want to come with me… or go with Brother Chu?" Mo Tian Ji asked as he dotingly looked at his sister, "Second Brother will also protect you."
"I want to go with Elder Brother Chu Yang," Mo Qing Wu replied without the slightest hesitation.
The look in Mo Tian Ji’s eyes turned gloomy.
"I am leaving." Chu Yang looked at Mo Tian Ji, "Brother Mo, don’t miss this opportunity if you want to control the Mo Clan."
"Yes." Mo Tian Ji agreed at first. But then, he suddenly called out, "Wait a moment."
After that, he ran to catch up to them. He looked at Mo Qing Wu and said, "Little sister, I wanted to ask you something, but I never got a chance. Can I ask you now?"
"What?" Mo Qing Wu was nipping at her rosy lips. The radiance of her eyes made Mo Tian Ji have a strange heartache.
"Why have you suddenly estranged your Second Brother?" Mo Tian Ji asked in an anguished tone, "Second Brother is very uncomfortable in his heart."
Mo Qing Wu nipped at her lip. One could clearly see that she was biting firmly with her teeth. She looked at Mo Tian Ji with a complicated look in her eyes and said in a low voice, "I have always wanted to ask Second Brother... why didn’t you come to see me on the day of clan meeting?"
Mo Tian Ji was startled. He suddenly raised his head to look at her.
However, Mo Qing Wu further asked, "Why did you tell them about my saber at that time?"
Mo Tian Ji was stumped for words. He only felt bitter and astringent in his heart. He had a thousand words to say, but he just couldn’t get them out…
"The clan will marry me off once I go back. They are going to get me engaged. And, you are the first one to come to pick me up…" Mo Qing Wu angrily said, "Second Brother, don’t you know what I will have to face after I go back?"
Mo Tian Ji felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He took three steps back in succession! He had finally realized where he had gone wrong.
[My fault is… I don’t explain things! I have never explained the things I have done.]
[Mo Qing Wu has raised three matters. I didn’t dare to see her back then because I didn’t have the guts to see my little sister’s sad face. But, I didn’t realize that it was also the moment when she was feeling the most helpless. And, that was the moment she needed someone the most to look after her. One could tell at a glance that she was fighting an inner battle. So, she would have felt a lot better if someone had been by her side.]
[I had revealed the saber’s existence because that was the final effort on my part to save little sister from losing her status in the clan… that was my last resort to get her some attention from the clan. But, it backfired and little sister was left with nothing. She had placed all her hopes and desires on that saber at that time. It was like her psychological support. But, it also got taken away in a ruthlessly manner because of me...]
[And, now I have come to pick her up to take far away with me. I don’t intend to take her back to the clan since I don’t want her to face that cruel fate. But, she seems to have misunderstood that as well… because I didn’t explain clearly...]
[She instead thinks that I want to take her back to that living h.e.l.l…]
[Who can be blame for this?]
[Is it because little sister is too sensitive? But... would I be insensitive if I were to be in her place? How can one possibly be insensitive under such circ.u.mstances?]
Chu Yang sighed and said, "Qing Wu, your second brother... really loves you. His love for you is genuine. It doesn’t have the least bit of pretense. He wants you to be well... but, your second brother has a habit of not explaining things clearly after he has done a good deed. This is your second brother’s shortcoming… you must believe your second brother."
Mo Qing Wu lowered head. Her long hair covered her face as he nodded gently.
Mo Tian Ji looked at Chu Yang in a grateful manner, and expressed grat.i.tude again and again, "Thank you... Thank you... Brother Chu... Thank you very much..."
"No need to thank me… it’s no big deal. Especially because it’s a good deed..." Chu Yang insipidly replied, "Brother Mo, it’s good that you do good deeds, but not saying it won’t do you any good. This weakness... can be detrimental to a Clan Lord who’s in-command of a clan."
Mo Tian Ji nodded deeply with a pensive look on his face.
[I am obvious more powerful than Mo Tian Yun, but there are still many people in the clan who support Mo Tian Yun. Ultimately, it’s because of this point… Mo Tian Yun speaks openly, and wins over people’s heart. And, I have always neglected this aspect.]
[I also have die-hard followers on my side, but their number is far too small. So, I have fallen into a disadvantageous situation!]
Mo Tian Ji understood this point, and everything became clear in his heart.
[If one does something… then it would be better to say it. Such acknowledgement would inevitably turn one into an unpleasant and mean human being, but at least one would be honest.]
He wanted to express grat.i.tude after having realized this point. So, he turned his head, but found that Chu Yang had already walked more than hundred feet with Mo Qing Wu in his arms. So, he hastily shouted, "Brother Chu, Little Wu, I will come to see you whenever I have time!"
Mo Qing Wu raised her head from Chu Yang’s bosom. She peeked over his shoulder, and saw her second brother standing afar. And, he was waving his hand at her. The look in his eyes clearly indicated his reluctance to part with her. She was touched by this. She extended her small hand from over Chu Yang’s shoulder, and gently waved back a few times.
Mo Tian Ji immediately smiled at this, "Thank you! Little Sister!"
A smile bloomed on Mo Qing Wu’s face. Then, she again hid her head in Chu Yang’s bosom.
Mo Tian Ji heaved a sigh of relief. He smiled gently at first. Then, he softly moved his hand, and brought a purple jade flute over to his lips. A ‘woo woo’ flute’s tune suddenly fluttered about in the forest.
Mo Qing Wu listened to her second brother’s flute tune whilst being in Chu Yang’s arms, and felt as if she was floating high up in the clouds. [I feel like the happiest woman in the whole world...]
... …
Next day…
The color of the sky seemed to be particularly bright early in the morning.
Mo Qing Wu got up early, and cheerfully ran into Chu Yang’s room. She saw him lying in bed, and couldn’t help but be relieved. She was scared that yesterday’s events had been a dream...
However, she covered her cute little nose with her hand soon after, "It’s so stinky in here... Elder Brother Chu Yang’s foot odor can kill a person..." She strode out of the door like an arrow, and breathed a few times outside. However, she was reluctant to leave. So, she stayed at the door. She squatted on the doorstep, and rested her chin on her hands. She then looked-on with her sparkling eyes.
"Stinky…?" Chu Yang turned somewhat gloomy. [I had even washed my feet properly before going to sleep last night...]
[Sigh, I don’t know what to do about such feet of mine. I may wash them ten times at night, but they still stink the next morning...] He called that Mo Qing Wu’s only disaffection towards him in his previous life was his smelly feet...
He couldn’t help but smile at that thought. He crawled out of the bed and stood up. Then, he flipped over the quilt, and filled the entire room with that fragrance. Consequently, the dense smell spread out. Mo Qing Wu covered her nose and ran away, "Elder Brother Chu Yang, why did you do that...? This stench is killing me..."
Chu Yang burst into loud laughter.
... …
Various big clans had already been waiting in full swing battle formations. The gamble had ended, and everyone was waiting for the results.
No one was present in the middle portion of this huge arena. However, this empty portion was surrounded by a sea of people. It was a full house!
The best spot was located in the middle of the line of sight, and a big chunk of it had been occupied by the Dark Bamboo. There were teams of big aristocratic clans on both sides of Dark Bamboo. Then, there was a huge crowd of ordinary people. And, they were all anxiously waiting for this battle to commence.
Dong Wu Shang and the other clans’ members were present in the south, while Gao Sheng and the other clans’ people on his side were present on the opposite side. The four big clans in-charge of this gambling match were naturally present at a spot that was nearest to both the sides since it would allow them to observe the outcome of the battles with ease.
Everyone was apprehensive in their heart.
This wasn’t just a gambling match. It actually involved the net worth of many people!
Chu Yang and Young Master Yu had betted 800 million, and Gao Sheng’s compensation rate had become 1:1 due to that. So, the people who betted on Gao Sheng increased many folds… in just one day! In fact, a total amount of 100 million was betted on him yesterday alone!
Mo Tian Yun and the others would’ve been grinning from ear to ear if this sum had been collected earlier. However, at this time these four people would only say with a deep sigh, [it’s just drizzle...]
‘Thump Thump’ the loud sounds of drumbeats shook the ground and the sky. The compet.i.tion was about to begin.
The Master of ceremonies was standing in the middle of the arena. He applied his vigor to his voice, and shouted, "Everyone! Silence!"
However, countless people suddenly clamored-up in unison as soon as he said "silence".
"s.n.a.t.c.h the wife! s.n.a.t.c.h the wife!" several people bellowed at the same time. They obviously seemed in high spirits…
"s.n.a.t.c.h the wife! s.n.a.t.c.h the wife..." more people bellowed together.
"Ahwooh... wife!" Luo Ke Di’s strange shout resounded at a high pitch. Ji Mo got angry at this, and smacked him on his head, "What are you shouting for? That is my wife!"
Luo Ke Di smiled mischievously and replied, "Who among us would marry her?! Of course it’s your wife and not mine..." Ji Mo raised his leg and kicked Luo Ke Di. And, Luo Ke Di let out a weird cry as he got kicked in the air like a ball.
Suddenly a burly figure jumped from the spectator’s grandstand, and landed in the arena. The figure raised its hand, and roared like a thunderclap, "Hold on a minute. I have something to say!"
Everyone"s attention turned towards this person… who was tall, had a strong build, and arms so thick that one could stand on them. This person’s thighs were so muscular that it seemed as if they could run in a horse race! It seemed like a big guy who had an imposing appearance!
It’s just that this person had a big bosom, and a big b.u.t.t that was sticking up. It was actually a woman!
This compet.i.tion’s biggest gambling stake – Huyan Aobo! Young Miss Huyan had appeared on the stage!
She looked around in a majestic manner. The sounds of drumbeats had been resounding a moment ago, but they suddenly came to a stop. No one knew what she was about to say…