Inside the Danxin Hall, the lights were bright.
Shi Mei had already left, and Mo Ran followed Xue Meng into the hall, immediately understanding the situation upon seeing what was inside.
It turned out to be the two young men, Rong Jiu and Rong Er.
Before leaving, I had stolen some silver from Rong Er. He must have had the audacity to seek justice at the peak of life and death.
Rong Jiu was leaning in the arms of a tall and sturdy man, crying miserably with tearful eyes. When Mo Ran and Xue Meng entered the hall, his crying intensified, as if he would have fainted on the spot if not for the man holding him tightly.
In the hall, behind the pearl curtains, a delicate woman sat there, appearing somewhat confused and at a loss.
Mo Ran didn't look directly at the two men accusing him, but first greeted the woman in the hall, "Aunt, I'm back."
The woman was none other than the master of the peak of life and death, Madam Wang.
Unlike those heroic women who wouldn't yield to anyone, she was a modest housewife who turned a blind eye to external matters when her husband was away. She didn't know how to handle things when others came knocking on her door. Timidly, she said, "Ah Ran, you finally came."
Mo Ran pretended not to notice the two accusers and smiled, "It's so late, Aunt is still awake. Is there something you need from me?"
"Yes. Look, this young master Rong says that you... you took his silver." She was thin-skinned and didn't want to say that Mo Ran had solicited him, so she tried to downplay the issue.
Mo Ran narrowed his eyes and said, "What is this? I don't lack silver. Why would I take theirs? Moreover, these two seem unfamiliar to me. Do I know you?"
The tall and sturdy young man, Mister Chang, sneered, "My surname is Chang, and I am the eldest in the Chang family. As a business family, we don't fuss over trivial matters. Just call me Big Chang."
Mo Ran smiled slightly and deliberately mispronounced Chang's name, "So it's Big Chang, I've heard of you. Impressive, impressive. And who is this other person?"
Big Chang sneered, "Heh, Mo Ran, you really know how to play dumb. Although we've just met, you've spent fifteen out of the last thirty days in Jiu'er's room. Are you blind? How could you not recognize him?"
Mo Ran's face remained calm, and his heart sneered. He glanced at Rong Er and said, "What's this? Are you accusing me? I am an upright person. I haven't slept with anyone, let alone Jiu'er or San'er."
Rong Jiu, with an angry face, blushed and still nestled deeper in Big Chang's arms, tears streaming down his face. "Mo, Mo Ran, I know my status is humble, and I can't be seen in public. If you hadn't treated me so badly, I, I wouldn't have come to you. But you actually turned your back on me and didn't recognize me. I... I..."
Mo Ran felt wronged and said, "I really don't know you. I can't even tell if you're male or female. How could we have met?"
"You took care of my business last night, how can you suddenly act so indifferent? Big Chang, Big Chang, please help me," he sobbed, burying himself even deeper in Big Chang's embrace, completely
ignoring Mo Ran.
Big Chang seemed to be in a bad mood and coldly said, "You must have mistaken someone else for me. I didn't see you, and you didn't see me either."
Mo Ran looked at the two of them, pretending to be confused. "Aunt, they're mistaken, right? I really don't know them."
Madam Wang bit her lip and said, "I, I can't tell. But this young master Rong said that you took his silver, and he has witnesses."
"Witnesses?" Mo Ran sneered, "Aunt, I'm afraid they're just two actors pretending to be witnesses. Who are they? Why don't we let them come out and speak for themselves?"
Madam Wang hesitated and then turned her head to look outside the hall. "Come in," she said, her voice somewhat unsteady.
The two figures that came in were none other than Mister Zhu and Mister Liu.
When they saw Mo Ran, their expressions were quite unsightly.
Mo Ran smiled and nodded at the two of them, "Mister Zhu, Mister Liu, long time no see. How have you been?"
Mister Zhu sighed, "Mo Ran, I never thought you would fall to this point. You were once our great hero, but now you've become a thief, stealing even from young masters. How disappointing!"
Mister Liu's expression was even colder. "Mo Ran, I once admired you, but I never expected you to have such a side to you. Stealing from others without any sense of shame, it's truly a disgrace to the martial world!"
Mo Ran chuckled and glanced at the two of them, "Mister Zhu, Mister Liu, it seems that you've been deceived by someone. These two people claim that I stole their silver. How about you explain it to everyone?"
Mister Zhu's expression sank, "We saw it with our own eyes. Last night, you went to young master Rong's room and took away his silver. We were standing outside the door and saw it all."
Mo Ran looked calm, "Mister Zhu, you must be mistaken. I didn't go to anyone's room last night. I was in the room assigned to me by Aunt. Why don't you ask Aunt if I'm telling the truth?"
Madam Wang's face turned pale, and she stammered, "I... I didn't see it... I didn't see anything last night..."
Mo Ran's eyes turned cold, and his voice became sharper, "Aunt, you're lying. You know very well that I didn't leave the room last night. Why are you trying to frame me?"
Madam Wang trembled and said, "Mo Ran, don't talk nonsense. I... I don't know anything."
Mo Ran's gaze swept across the room, and he said in a low voice, "Since no one can prove my innocence, I will take this matter to the higher authorities. Aunt, I hope you will uphold justice as the peak master and not be swayed by personal feelings."
Madam Wang's face changed drastically, and she hurriedly said, "Mo Ran, you... you can't..."
Mo Ran's eyes were cold, and his tone was firm, "I will go to the headmaster and report this matter. Aunt, I hope you can give me a fair judgment."
With that, Mo Ran turned and walked out of the hall, leaving Madam Wang and the others in shock.
Mo Ran refused, saying, "Why are you searching my body?"
"Hmph, I can see that you're feeling guilty as a thief," Da Chang Gongzi arrogantly raised his chin. "Madam Wang, for the crimes of theft and adultery, at the pinnacle of life and death, how should we punish them?"
Madam Wang whispered, "This... sect matter has always been decided by my husband. I really... don't know..."
"Not true, not true. I believe Madam Wang is not unaware but rather has ulterior motives to protect her nephew. Hehe, who would have thought that this pinnacle of life and death would be such a filthy and dirty place?"
"Enough, enough. My aunt has already said she doesn't know how to make a decision. Are you not done bullying a woman?" Mo Ran finally grew impatient, interrupting him. His usually playful and smiling face lost some of its charm as he turned his gaze towards the pair of men.
"Fine, I'll let you search me, but if you can't find anything and you slander my sect with filthy words, then what will happen?"
"In that case, I will apologize to Mr. Mo immediately."
"Alright." Mo Ran readily agreed. "But here's the thing, if you're wrong, as an apology, you'll have to kneel down and crawl off this pinnacle of life and death."
Da Chang Gongzi grew suspicious as he observed Mo Ran's confident demeanor.
He had always envied those who practiced cultivation since he was young, but unfortunately, his talents were too poor, and he couldn't grasp the essence of it.
Some days ago, he heard that his old friend Rong Jiu had gained Mo Ran's favor. They made an agreement that as long as Rong Jiu found an opportunity to strip Mo Ran of his cultivation, Da Chang Gongzi would redeem Rong Jiu and not only redeem him but also bring him into his household, ensuring a life of wealth and luxury.
Da Chang Gongzi sought immortality, while Rong Jiu sought riches. The two collaborated shamelessly.
In the previous life, Mo Ran fell for their scheme. Although he managed to resolve the situation later, he had truly suffered a lot. However, in this life, their plan to steal the chicken and lose the rice failed. Mo Ran inexplicably changed his temperament. Just a few days ago, he was lying in the gentle village, enjoying Rong Jiu's long and short pleasures. But this morning, after having his way with Rong Jiu twice, he unexpectedly took Rong Jiu's belongings and fled.
Da Chang Gongzi was infuriated and immediately brought Rong Jiu to the pinnacle of life and death to file a complaint.
This salt merchant's son had calculated his plan carefully. He planned that once he caught Mo Ran red-handed, he would force Madam Wang to strip Mo Ran of his cultivation. For that purpose, he carried a jade pendant that could absorb cultivation, intending to gain some benefits and merge it into his own Qi Sea.
However, looking at Mo Ran's current state, Da Chang Gongzi hesitated.
Mo Ran was too slippery. It was possible that he had already gotten rid of the stolen goods and was waiting to trap him.
But upon further consideration, since things had come this far, it would be a pity to give up now. Maybe this kid was just bluffing…
While Da Chang Gongzi's mind was still struggling, Mo Ran had already started undressing.
He quickly removed his outer robe and casually threw it aside, then smiled and made a gesture of invitation. "Please, take your time searching."
After all the fuss, they found nothing except for some silver coins. Da Chang Gongzi's face changed.
"How is this possible!! You must be tricking me!"
Mo Ran narrowed his purplish-black eyes, stroked his chin, and said, "You've searched my outer robe ten times, and you've searched every inch of my body seven or eight times. You're just one step away from seeing me naked. Are you still not convinced?"
"Mo Ran, you..."
Mo Ran suddenly realized, "Ah, I understand now, Da Chang Gongzi, could it be that you have been lusting after my beauty, deliberately staging this play to take advantage of me?"
Da Chang Gongzi was almost fainting with anger, pointing at Mo Ran's nose, unable to utter a word, his face turning red with frustration. Xue Meng, who had been enduring it all this time, may not have liked Mo Ran, but Mo Ran was still a pinnacle figure and couldn't be humiliated by outsiders.
Xue Meng didn't hesitate and stepped forward, raising his hand to break Da Chang Gongzi's finger, angrily saying, "You're causing trouble for no reason!"
Da Chang Gongzi screamed in pain, holding his finger, "You... you all, how dare you! You're in cahoots! No wonder those things couldn't be found on Mo Ran, you must have hidden them for him! Take off your clothes, I'll search you too!"
Someone dared to order him to undress?! Xue Meng became even more angry and embarrassed, "Have you no shame! With your dog claws, you dare to touch the hem of this young master's clothes? Get lost!"
The young master had spoken, and the attendants in the Danxin Hall, who had been enduring for a long time, immediately rushed forward and expelled these two defenseless mortals from the mountain.
Da Chang Gongzi's angry shouts echoed from afar, "Mo Ran, wait for me! I will definitely settle the score with you!"
Mo Ran stood outside the Danxin Hall, looking at the distant night sky, squinting with a smile, and sighed, "I'm so scared."
Xue Meng looked at him coldly and asked, "What are you afraid of?"
Mo Ran sincerely and genuinely worried, "I'm afraid I won't have any salt to eat if he, who sells salt, comes after me."
"........."
Xue Meng was speechless for a moment, then asked again, "You really haven't engaged in prostitution?"
"I really haven't."
"You really haven't stolen?"
"I really haven't."
Xue Meng coldly snorted, "I don't believe you."
Mo Ran raised his hand and laughed, "If I'm lying, let the heavens strike me with thunder."
Xue Meng suddenly raised his hand, tightly grasping Mo Ran's arm. Mo Ran stared at him, "What are you doing?" Xue Meng snorted and quickly recited a series of incantations. There was a tinkling sound, and several inconspicuous yellow bean-sized beads slipped out of Mo Ran's sleeve and fell to the ground.
Xue Meng filled his palm with spiritual energy and swung it towards the beads. The beads emitted a sparkling light, growing bigger and bigger, until they turned into a pile of precious jewelry—plum blossom bracelets, jade earrings, a dazzling heap of golden light.
Mo Ran said, "...... We are fellow disciples, why make things difficult?"
Xue Meng's face darkened, "Mo Weiyu, you really have no shame."
"Haha."
Xue Meng angrily said, "Who's laughing with you!"
Mo Ran sighed, "Then I can't cry either."
Xue Meng's face turned black as he said, "Is this how you use the skill of life and death, the dark Chen Cang technique?"
"......"
Xue Meng was speechless for a moment and then asked, "You really haven't engaged in prostitution?"
"I really haven't."
"You really haven't stolen?"
"I really haven't."
Xue Meng coldly snorted, "I don't believe you."
Mo Ran raised his hand and smiled, "If I'm lying, let the heavens strike me with thunder."
Suddenly, Xue Meng lifted his hand and tightly grabbed Mo Ran's arm. Mo Ran stared at him, "What are you doing?" Xue Meng snorted and quickly recited a series of incantations. There was a tinkling sound, and several inconspicuous yellow bean-sized beads slipped out of Mo Ran's sleeve and fell to the ground.
Xue Meng filled his palm with spiritual energy and swung it towards the beads. The beads emitted a sparkling light, growing bigger and bigger, until they turned into a pile of precious jewelry—plum blossom bracelets, jade earrings, a dazzling heap of golden light.
Mo Ran said, "...... We are fellow disciples, why make things difficult?"
Xue Meng's face darkened, "Mo Weiyu, you really have no shame."
"Haha."
Xue Meng angrily said, "Who's laughing with you!"
Mo Ran sighed, "Then I can't cry either."
Xue Meng's face remained dark as he said, "Is this how you use the skill of life and death, the dark Chen Cang technique?"
"Well, it's all about applying what you learn in practice."
Xue Meng became angry again. "That dog selling salt is annoying, so I didn't want to interrogate you properly in front of him. But that dog said something right. If you violate the rules of theft or sexual misconduct, any sect would give you a hard time!"
Mo Ran showed no fear and smiled. "What are you going to do? Wait for my uncle to come back and complain to him?"
He wasn't afraid at all. His uncle doted on him so much that at most he would scold him a bit. He couldn't bear to punish him.
Xue Meng turned around, brushing aside the stray hair that the night wind blew into his face. His eyes shone with a proud light in the darkness.
"Father? No, Father went to Kunlun. He probably won't be back for one or two months."
Mo Ran's smile stiffened, and suddenly he had a foreboding feeling. He suddenly thought of someone.
But—
If he were here, he should have been the one to receive Lord Chang in the Danxin Hall tonight, not the clueless Lady Wang.
That person... shouldn't be here, right…
Xue Meng noticed the flicker in his eyes, and that contemptuous arrogance became even more apparent.
"My father dotes on you, but isn't there someone at the Sisheng Peak who doesn't?"
Mo Ran slowly took a few steps back and forced a smile, saying, "Brother, it's already late. Let's not disturb the old man's peace. I know I was wrong. I won't engage in theft or solicitation anymore. Isn't that enough? Go back to your room and rest. Ha ha, look at how tired you are."
After speaking, he quickly fled.
Just kidding! This little Xue Meng is too vicious!
He's no longer the Supreme Immortal or the ruler of the mortal realm. How could he let himself be handed over to that person? If that person finds out that he stole things and solicited someone, he would probably break both of his legs without hesitation! It's better to run away now. When else would be a good time?
The author has something to say:
Why doesn't Da Chang Gongzi have a brain?
Because his head is full of large intestines.╮(╯▽╰)╭
In the next chapter, the master will make an appearance.