Dugu Qianye's body jolted to a halt, her whip suddenly snatched from her grasp, startling Mo Ju so much that she forgot to swear. It wasn't just her who was shocked; no one else saw how the person who had been dodging non-stop suddenly grabbed the whip.
"You're looking for death! Try cursing one more time?" Dugu Qianye, holding onto the whip, looked coldly at the person opposite her.
"I, I..." Mo Ju was so frightened by Dugu's icy gaze that she was unable to speak. The person who was usually so meek had such a terrifying gaze, more frightening than that of any mercenary she had ever seen.
"Ninth Young Miss, how are you?" Mo Feng had been pushed aside by Dugu Qianye right at the beginning and now, seeing her grab Mo Ju's whip, hurried over to ask.
Mo Feng's words startled Mo Ju back to her senses, No matter how intimidating her look was, she was still just an incapable person who couldn't cultivate. "All I was saying is the truth. Your mother didn't even know who her husband was before she ran off with someone else? And you, this incapable person, I really don't understand why your uncle didn't just kick you out but instead dumped you in Qifeng City to disgrace us, causing us to be laughed at whenever we go out."
"Incapable person? If I, this incapable person, were to defeat you, what then?"
"Humph," Everyone burst out laughing as if they had heard the funniest joke.
"Hmph, if you defeat me, we will never bother you again in the future. But if you lose, you must leave the Mo Family forever!"
"Fine."
Dugu Qianye released Mo Ju's whip and was pulled aside by Mo Feng, "How could you agree to her terms? She might only be a year older than you, but she is already a ninth-level Phantom Warrior. How could you possibly beat her?"
"Ninth-level Phantom Warrior? Then she hasn't yet formed a Pact with a Phantom Beast, right? Then there's no problem. Mo Feng, if you're going to follow me, you have to believe in me, understand?" Dugu Qianye glanced at Mo Feng, her profound eyes filled with confidence. This confidence eased Mo Feng's worries, and a voice inside him said to trust her, she would definitely win.
Mo Feng stepped aside. Dugu Qianye, looking at the self-confident Mo Ju, said, "Remember what you just said." Then, with the Ethereal Steps, she dodged the Crimson Phantom Force unleashed by Mo Lian, spinning behind Mo Ju in an instant. She pulled out the whip that had just been hanging at Mo Ju's waist and, crossing her hands, tightened it around her neck. With just a little effort, she could take her life.
In one move, it was a quick victory.
Everyone was stunned. Without using Phantom Power or Sword Qi, Dugu Qianye had won so quickly against a ninth-level Phantom Warrior like Mo Ju.
"How about it, want to continue?" The icy tone came from behind Mo Ju, frightening her nearly to the point of collapsing.
"That's enough, you've won." Mo Lian, watching her sister's current state, knew she had been scared and spoke up. Walking over, she helped Mo Ju up, saying, "You've won. From now on, no one shall set foot in this courtyard again, nor shall the word 'incapable' be mentioned."
After Mo Lian spoke, she looked deeply at Dugu Qianye, then left with the group. Some matters perhaps needed to be discussed with their father.
Watching them leave, Dugu Qianye approached Mo Feng, who was still in a daze, and waved her hand in front of his face, "Hey, snap out of it."
Mo Feng snapped back to his senses and looked at the Dugu Qianye standing before him, his face blossoming into a smile, "Miss Jiu, you're so amazing! What kind of skill is that? It's incredible!"
Dugu Qianye slapped her palm on Mo Feng's head and said, "What Miss Jiu? Are you afraid to call me Ajiu now?"
Mo Feng rubbed the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly, "Well, you know, before... it wasn't like that, was it? Now that Miss Jiu is so powerful, how could I still call you Ajiu!"
"Psh, stop it. The way it was before is how it will be in the future. I'm tired now and I'm going back to my room, help yourself," she said, then turned and entered her room without looking back, "Oh, and for lunch, I want chicken drumsticks."
After Dugu Qianye entered her room, she poured herself a glass of water but held it without drinking. She was thinking about the look Mo Lian gave her before she left, it was a curious look. Plus, even though Mo Lian always appeared with Mo Ju, she hardly ever scolded or beat her. It was less like bullying her and more like she was watching Mo Ju. The look she gave Dugu Qianye wasn't one of disdain, either.
Thinking about it, she couldn't fathom the reason, so she decided to stop. Some things, one naturally learns when it's time. Thinking now was useless.
However, Mo Ju's words today made her think of her father. As far as she knew, the Mors Empire had hardly ever heard of the surname 'Dugu', and even double-barreled surnames were rare. Yet, in her faint memories, her father was not from a minor family. Could it be that her father was not from the Mors Empire?
Thinking of her father suddenly reminded her of the box hidden under the bed. The box contained some items her mother had left behind and a ring that was said to have been left by her father. Dugu Qianye took out the ring and observed it carefully in her palm. The ring looked very ordinary at first glance, with only simple pattern engravings. But upon closer inspection, the craftsmanship of the pattern engravings was exquisite; each petal was meticulously carved, and the whole ring radiated an ancient charm.
Because little Qianye couldn't cultivate before, she hadn't paid much attention to the ring. Dugu Qianye cut her right middle finger, squeezed out a drop of blood onto the ring, and it was absorbed instantly. Then, the ring snugly fit onto her right middle finger and adjusted its size according to her finger.
Dugu Qianye was taken aback, then came to her senses and tried to channel her spiritual power into the ring. It entered without any resistance. Just as she had guessed, it was indeed a Spatial Ring. She saw rooms divided by doors. One room was entirely filled with Elixirs, each of a grade of at least four or above; another room contained a Medicinal Cauldron, books on Alchemy, numerous Elixir recipes, and neatly arranged herbs; another room was full of weapons and even had Spiritual Artifacts. One room contained Demon Crystals from Phantom Beasts, mostly from Spiritual Beasts, some from Holy Beasts, and even a few Divine Beast Magic Crystals; one room was filled with glittering silver coins, Gold Coins, and even Purple Coins.
Standard currency in this world: 1 Crystal Coin ＝ 100 Purple Coins ＝ 10,000 Gold Coins ＝ 1,000,000 Silver Coins ＝ 100,000,000 Copper Coins. An average person could live for a year on just one Gold Coin.
At a glance, Dugu Qianye saw at least several hundred thousand Gold Coins.
Holy mackerel, do you have to be this rich?!
If she had known she was this rich earlier, why did little Qianye have to grow up like a malnourished bean sprout!
A typical Spatial Ring having a capacity of 200 square meters would be considered large, but this one seemed endless, with one door after another. Just as she was about to exit, she saw an envelope in the outermost room.
Taking out the letter, she unfolded it to reveal a carefree and elegant handwriting:
My daughter Qianye:
Please forgive your father for not being able to accompany you as you grow up. I do not know how much longer I can stay with you, so I prepared these things in advance, hoping that after I leave, you will have a good environment to grow up in. No matter where your father is, you must understand that your father loves you.