Chapter 166: Chapter 163: The Flood Washed Away the Dragon King’s Temple
Both Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang had consumed the special Medicinal Cuisine Mo Qi made for them.
As a chef, he might not be as sensitive to Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures as the Pig Emperor, but when it came to cooked Medicinal Cuisine, no one in the world knew more than him.
Anyone who ate his Medicinal Cuisine would, to some degree, retain its scent on their body.
Others couldn’t smell this scent, but Mo Qi could.
He smelled Jin Sanpang’s unique scent on Qian Duoduo, Zhu Fan, and Zhao Zijun, and he smelled Liu Hui’s unique scent on Nangong Yan.
Not only that, but Nangong Yan had also consumed a healing-type Medicinal Cuisine.
Combined with the fact that Qian Duoduo and the others were all injured, it meant they had recently been in a major battle.
Clearly, their opponents had been Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang.
Having just survived Su Yu’s assassination attempt, Mo Qi immediately connected the two events and filled in the blanks with his own narrative.
Qian Duoduo was a disciple of the Qian Family, one of the Six Great Clans of the Imperial City. Having been robbed of his wealth, he surely wouldn’t have taken it lying down.
So he must have brought people past the pass to cause trouble for them.
The "Master" Su Yu mentioned was likely a powerful figure from the Qian Family.
That would explain why Su Yu, a complete stranger, wanted to kill him.
Considering Qian Duoduo’s words and expression upon seeing him, Mo Qi became even more certain of his judgment and decided to strike first.
Restrained by Mo Qi’s External Incarnation, Nangong Yan subconsciously tried to resist.
With Liu Hui’s and Jin Sanpang’s safety on the line, Mo Qi wasn’t about to go easy on a beautiful woman. The External Incarnation squeezed forcefully, almost crushing Nangong Yan’s neck.
A sharp pain shot through her, and Nangong Yan immediately froze.
The killing intent radiating from the External Incarnation was a constant reminder: Mo Qi would actually kill her!
"Speak. Where did you get that Medicinal Cuisine you ate? What happened to Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang?"
Mo Qi knew very well how much Jin Sanpang and Liu Hui valued and cherished his Medicinal Cuisine; they would never give it to someone else lightly.
The fact that Nangong Yan had consumed the Medicinal Cuisine suggested to Mo Qi that Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang had likely been killed.
"Brother Hui and his companion left. They said they had important business to attend to. As for the Medicinal Cuisine you mentioned, I don’t know what that is."
Hm?
Mo Qi froze. ’Brother Hui?’
’Is she talking about Liu Hui?’
’That’s not what an enemy would call him. Or... is she deliberately trying to trick me?’
"Who are you? And what is your relationship with Liu Hui?" Mo Qi asked again, his voice cold.
A pained expression crossed Nangong Yan’s face. The External Incarnation’s grip was simply too strong.
She endured the discomfort, and with a hint of shyness, said, "I’m his wife."
THUMP!
Mo Qi’s heart skipped a beat.
He had considered countless possible answers, but he never, ever expected Nangong Yan to claim she was Liu Hui’s wife.
’Is she serious?’
’How come I’ve never heard Liu Hui mention this?’
Mo Qi’s first reaction was disbelief, but he had Nangong Yan’s expression and physical state under complete control, and there were indeed no signs of her lying.
To be safe, Mo Qi willed a sliver of Yin Fire from his Nether Soul Flame and sent it into Nangong Yan’s Sea of Consciousness.
Nangong Yan’s expression went slack. A flash of black flickered in her eyes, which then became vacant, as if she were soulless.
The Yin Fire could throw a person’s mind into chaos and absorb their Divine Soul. Mo Qi used this effect to hypnotize Nangong Yan.
"Speak."
"Okay, this is what happened..." Like a puppet, Nangong Yan mechanically recounted the series of events.
After hearing Nangong Yan’s story, Mo Qi was dumbfounded.
She really was Liu Hui’s wife!
And the victims weren’t Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang. On the contrary, Qian Duoduo and his two companions were the ones who had been robbed blind.
’Well, this is fucking awkward!’
He released Nangong Yan and retracted the Yin Fire.
Nangong Yan awoke from the hypnosis and stared at Mo Qi in terror.
During the hypnosis, a part of her consciousness had remained aware, so she had clearly experienced the bizarre state of being unable to control her own body.
In that state, if Mo Qi had continued questioning her, she would have spilled all her deepest secrets with no way to resist.
’What a terrifying ability!’
Even as a disciple of the Nangong Family, she had never seen anything like it.
She no longer dared to look down on him because of his Cultivation level.
"Um... I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were my sister-in-law. I’ve deeply offended you. Please forgive me, please forgive me."
’Talk about a huge screw-up, attacking one of my own people.’
’I actually attacked Liu Hui’s wife, and nearly killed her.’
’The thought alone is terrifying!’
Mo Qi rubbed his hands together and put on his signature silly grin. He looked completely harmless, his expression as sincere as it could possibly be.
If she hadn’t just witnessed Mo Qi’s terrifying power, Nangong Yan would never have imagined that this simple-looking young man before her could bewitch her mind with a casual wave of his hand.
And...
Nangong Yan’s gaze fell upon the External Incarnation.
’For such a powerful expert to willingly be his subordinate and fight for him is truly incredible.’
She had mistaken the External Incarnation for one of Mo Qi’s subordinates.
"You only did this because you were worried about Brother Hui. It’s alright," Nangong Yan said, rubbing her neck and forcing a smile.
Seeing this, Mo Qi slapped his forehead and quickly took out a Medicinal Pill.
"Here, sister-in-law. Take this and you’ll be fine."
Nangong Yan’s gaze sharpened, but she didn’t refuse and accepted the Medicinal Pill.
It was very similar to the one Liu Hui had given her, but it looked to be of a much higher grade.
When Liu Hui gave it to her, he had stuffed it directly into her mouth, so she hadn’t had time to observe it closely.
But now, she noticed that this pellet-shaped object was soft to the touch and had an enticing aroma. It was clearly not an Elixir, but more like some kind of dessert—a sesame ball, for instance.
Especially after smelling its fragrance, she, a dignified Purity Realm Cultivator, actually felt the urge of hunger and a desire to eat.
If she hadn’t already experienced the miraculous effects of a Medicinal Pill, she would have thought Mo Qi was playing a prank on her.
Seeing Nangong Yan staring at the Medicinal Pill for so long, Mo Qi thought she didn’t trust it and explained, "Don’t worry, this is my own secret recipe. I guarantee it’ll work with just one. You’re Liu Hui’s wife, which makes you my, Mo Qi’s, sister-in-law. I would never lie to you."
"I... I wasn’t doubting you. I was just... just curious." Nangong Yan blushed and popped the Medicinal Pill into her mouth.
Being repeatedly called "sister-in-law" by Mo Qi made her both happy and shy.
Mo Qi was Liu Hui’s master. To Nangong Yan, being acknowledged by Mo Qi was like being accepted by Liu Hui’s family elders.
"You rest for a bit. I’m going to check on Qian Duoduo and the other two."
Compared to Nangong Yan, Qian Duoduo’s trio was in a much more miserable state; their Dantians were even cracked.
"Oh, right. Don’t just swallow it whole. Chew it," Mo Qi added with a smile before he left.
"Huh?" Nangong Yan was taken aback. ’Chew it?’
She thought she must have misheard, but after saying his piece, Mo Qi had already walked over to Qian Duoduo’s group, paying her no more mind.
So, she tentatively tried biting into the Medicinal Pill in her mouth.
And then, a warm current gushed out, filling her mouth.
The smooth, silky texture was intoxicating. An intensely rich aroma, mixed with pure Spiritual Energy, playfully danced around in her mouth.
In that moment, she experienced a happiness and satisfaction she had never felt before.
She had never imagined that food could bring her such joy.
