Chapter 143: Chapter 141: Stripped Bare
Mo Qi was indeed weak right now. In terms of strength, he was probably weaker than a Cultivator in the Refining God Realm.
But he had his External Incarnation!
After fusing with the Primordial Energy within the Obsidian and Spirit Marrow, it gained the ability to shapeshift into countless forms.
Not only could it serve as Mo Qi’s External Incarnation, but it could also transform into Battle Armor, a four-piece kitchen set, or even change into anything Mo Qi desired.
For example, this Arm Armor.
With the Arm Armor’s enhancement, the power of a single swing from Mo Qi’s arm was comparable to the Peak of the Purity Realm.
The only reason Qian Duoduo wasn’t killed by that one punch was because Mo Qi had held back.
This was also one of the reasons Mo Qi dared to come to the Mountain and Sea Empire and participate in the annual selection!
"You... you cheated!"
After struggling for a long time, Qian Duoduo finally caught his breath and glared furiously at Mo Qi.
He never imagined that a sickly-looking guy could have nearly killed him with a single punch.
"When did I cheat? You were the one who told me to hit you once. If I didn’t even grant you a request like that, would I still be human?" Mo Qi shrugged, looking completely innocent.
"You... I... PFFT—"
Overwhelmed with rage and frustration, Qian Duoduo spat out another mouthful of blood.
But this was only the beginning!
Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang eagerly ran over, flanking Qian Duoduo and each grabbing one of his hands.
They started pulling off his Storage Rings.
"What are you doing? That’s my stuff!" Qian Duoduo panicked.
A Qian Family ancestral tenet even said: Heads can be severed, blood can be shed, but wealth must never be lost!
In other words, to them, money was more important than their lives.
"Let go of me! I’ll fight you to the death!"
Watching as more than half of his twenty-plus Storage Rings were stripped away, Qian Duoduo roared in fury. His aura surged, and his struggles grew more violent.
"Don’t you move!"
Jin Sanpang, annoyed, sat right on top of Qian Duoduo.
KRAK!
The sound of something breaking.
Qian Duoduo: "..."
His surging aura came to an abrupt halt, and his struggles froze mid-motion. Qian Duoduo’s mouth hung wide open, his face turning beet red, like a little fish gasping for water.
’Dad, Mom, your son wants to come home!’
Qian Duoduo wanted to cry but had no tears left. Just as Mo Qi had guessed, this was his first time venturing out to gain experience.
He thought he would be able to roam the world and make a magnificent name for himself. Who would have thought that just half a day after leaving home, he would run into Mo Qi’s group of monsters.
Soon, all the rings on his ten fingers had been stripped clean.
Jin Sanpang stood up, satisfied. Qian Duoduo took a sharp breath and began to gasp for air, watching the gleeful fat-and-thin duo with a look of utter despair.
"San Pang, how many rings did you get?"
"Hehe, thirteen."
"Thirteen? I only have twelve. No way, I can’t have fewer than you!"
Liu Hui turned back and sized up Qian Duoduo, whose chest was clearly caved in, resembling a pair of butt cheeks.
"This robe is an Earth-level Magical Artifact. It’s not bad. That should count as one, right?"
Liu Hui walked over to Qian Duoduo and said with a beaming smile, "Shouldn’t you be a little more cooperative?"
’Cooperative my ass! What? You really want to strip my clothes off me?’
’Impossible!’
Qian Duoduo wore an expression that said he would rather die than be humiliated.
"San Pang, come over and have a seat," Liu Hui beckoned to Jin Sanpang.
Two minutes later...
"Sir, here’s my robe. Please, take it."
"These are my boots. A bit inferior, High-Tier Profound-Level Magical Artifacts. Please accept them, sir."
"My socks and underwear are also Profound-Level... Huh? You don’t want them? Then thank you very much, sir."
...
Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang handed everything they had scavenged from Qian Duoduo over to Mo Qi.
When Mo Qi saw the contents of the rings, he was utterly shocked.
The man was simply too rich!
There were twenty-five rings in total, and the value contained within each one far surpassed everything Mo Qi had acquired from the Void Sect over the past few days.
And mind you, in those few days, he had drained the assets of a total of six Elders from the Void Sect.
The way Mo Qi looked at Qian Duoduo changed completely.
’Where did this bizarre nouveau riche pop out from? The power behind him probably couldn’t be described as just ’impressive’—it had to be terrifying!’
With this in mind, Mo Qi abandoned his original plan.
He patted Qian Duoduo’s shoulder and said with a smile, "When you’re out in the world, you don’t flash your wealth. Don’t you understand such a simple principle? Do you feel like you’ve learned a lesson now?"
"Yes, absolutely! It was truly thought-provoking, a real eye-opener!" Qian Duoduo nodded repeatedly. Did he dare say no?
Mo Qi pointed to the carriage and added, "As the saying goes, ’leave a path for others, and you’ll meet again on good terms.’ We’ll just take these things as your tuition fee. We won’t take anything else."
After speaking, he even shot Qian Duoduo a look that said, ’See how magnanimous I am?’
Qian Duoduo looked down at his remaining underpants and socks. "..."
’Heh, as long as you’re happy.’
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Qian Duoduo of the Imperial City Qian Family. Might I ask for your name, brother?"
Mo Qi raised an eyebrow. "Planning to remember me so you can get revenge later?"
"Not at all, not at all." Qian Duoduo shook his head repeatedly. "It’s pure admiration. I wish to befriend you."
Mo Qi gave Qian Duoduo a long look, then answered without hiding anything, "Mo Qi."
With that, Mo Qi called out to his companions, boarded the carriage, and departed towards the Imperial City.
Leaving Qian Duoduo standing alone in the wind, his expression gradually turned grim.
He watched the carriage depart and muttered to himself, "He didn’t react at all to the four words ’Imperial City Qian Family.’ That means he isn’t from the Mountain and Sea Empire."
"Heading to the Imperial City at this time... he must be going to participate in tomorrow’s annual selection."
Qian Duoduo rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I was originally planning to sneak out of the Qian Family for a bit of fun, but it looks like I have to go back now. My, Qian Duoduo’s, things aren’t so easily taken."
"You’re the first person to ever make me fail at showing off, Mo Qi... I’ll remember you."
A gust of wind blew past. Qian Duoduo shivered and hugged his bare torso.
"What a bunch of inhumane bandits! Luckily, I came prepared."
Qian Duoduo tensed his stomach, opened his mouth, and spat out a ring. From within it, he took out clothes and a healing Elixir.
"Trying to strip me bare? In your dreams!"
...
Inside the carriage, the Pig Emperor, nestled in Mo Qi’s arms, sent a confused telepathic message, "Mo the kid, why didn’t you take the ring he had hidden in his stomach?"
"Did you think I was joking when I said, ’leave a path for others, and you’ll meet again on good terms’?"
At this moment, Yun Xuzi, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke.
"Junior Brother Mo, I’m afraid you’ve gotten yourself into big trouble."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Yun Xuzi said with a grave expression, "The old ancestor should have told you about the power structure of the Mountain and Sea Empire. Besides the Royal Li Family, there are the One King, Two Generals, and Three Grand Masters. Among them, the Three Grand Masters represent wealth, strategy, and intelligence, respectively."
"And the Imperial City Qian Family is the one among the Three Grand Masters that controls wealth."
Mo Qi was dumbfounded. ’No way... Could it really be such a coincidence?’
The Ni Brothers had repeatedly emphasized that he could provoke anyone except the Direct Lineages of those six families: the One King, Two Generals, and Three Grand Masters.
"This Qian Duoduo... is he from the Qian Family’s Direct Lineage?" Mo Qi gave a bitter smile. His luck was truly rotten.
Yun Xuzi shook his head. "I’m not entirely sure, but I do know that the current Patriarch of the Qian Family is named Qian Juduo. I imagine that even if that Qian Duoduo isn’t from the Direct Lineage, his status must be extraordinary."
