Chapter 226: Chapter 223: Off-Track News
Mu Xue was stunned for a full half-minute before she could react.
’Being ambitious is the same as a toad trying to eat a swan?’
’And why were you looking at Qin Daye when you said that?’
’Don’t tell me you think I would actually fall for him?’
"Miss Liu, I think you might be mistaken about something," Mu Xue said.
Liu Ruyan walked over to Mo Qi, wrapped her arms tightly around his, and shot a defiant look at Mu Xue.
"You know perfectly well whether it’s a misunderstanding or not."
When Mu He had moved against Mo Qi, Mu Xue’s panic was clearly genuine.
She was the one who got hit, yet she still defended him. It was obvious to anyone what that meant.
"You!" Mu Xue’s hands balled into fists. Given her temper and personality, it had already been her absolute limit to swallow her pride, apologize, and speak so meekly.
If Liu Ruyan’s status weren’t so incredibly distinguished, she would have already lost it.
However, Niu Kexin’s next move completely shattered her defenses.
Niu Kexin also stepped forward and latched onto Mo Qi’s other arm.
"What Ruyan means is what I mean. I hope you’ll conduct yourself with dignity."
Niu Kexin was willing to accept Liu Ruyan because Ruyan had been with Mo Qi during his childhood, and their bond was deep.
But what about Mu Xue? What gave her the right to interfere?
Even though Mu Xue hadn’t made her intentions clear, Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan had already reached a consensus: nip it in the bud.
"You... You’re going too far!" Mu Xue cried out in anger.
She was far from actually liking Mo Qi. At most, she felt a certain fondness for him, driven more by curiosity than anything else.
Being called out by them like this was incredibly humiliating for her.
On top of that, her brother, Mu He, was infatuated with Niu Kexin. So, although Mu Xue didn’t like Kexin, she had already mentally accepted her as her future sister-in-law.
But now, to see Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan clinging to Mo Qi at the same time... it was more than she could accept.
Also unable to accept it was the gravely wounded Mu He, still on the ground.
His heart shattered. All he could do was smile bitterly to himself.
He desperately wanted to know who Mo Qi really was. Why were both Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan so devoted to him, and how could they possibly coexist so peacefully?
"We’re not bullying you, just giving you a little warning," Liu Ruyan said, her tone softening slightly. She realized they had probably gone a bit too far.
But where Mo Qi was concerned, she would never back down, no matter how out of line she was.
Her and Niu Kexin’s actions were a deep blow to Mu Xue’s pride.
Casting her status aside, she looked at Liu Ruyan and Niu Kexin and said coldly, "I was hesitant before, but since you’ve forced my hand, we’ll just see what happens. I, Mu Xue, have never lost at anything. And that includes matters of love!"
"You talk a big game!" Liu Ruyan laughed. "Never lost? Then how do you explain the shoe print on your face?"
Mu Xue was at a loss for words.
"Xue’er, let’s go!" Mu He couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer.
Staying here would only mean suffering more "damage."
Mu Xue nodded, hoisted Mu He onto her back, shot one last look at Mo Qi, and turned to leave.
The adorably clueless Li Xuemiao finished her Medicinal Pill, stuck out her tongue playfully, and trotted off after Mu Xue.
Sandwiched between the two women, Mo Qi had no idea what was going on. The exchange between the three had left him completely baffled.
’Why did they suddenly start fighting?’
It wasn’t that he had low emotional intelligence; the thought had simply never crossed his mind.
I mean, they had only met once, and he’d even hit her. How narcissistic would he have to be to think Mu Xue had a crush on him under those circumstances?
"Sister Kexin, Ruyan, what was all that about?"
Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan exchanged a look, covering their mouths to stifle their giggles.
"Are you trying to pry into girls’ business?" Niu Kexin asked with a smile.
Mo Qi paused. "Never mind, then."
"Hee hee, Brother Mo, it’s better if you don’t know. Finding out would only cause you more trouble," Liu Ruyan giggled.
"Alright. If it’s just trouble, then I won’t worry about it."
Mo Qi didn’t press the matter. He habitually pinched Liu Ruyan’s cheek, then led the two women into the Cultivation Room.
He wasn’t used to being the center of a spectacle.
The moment the door to the Cultivation Room shut, the crowd erupted.
"Holy shit, that was intense! This new guy, Qin Daye, is something else! The Wen and Wu Goddesses, plus two other beautiful strangers... four women fighting over him!"
"As for the other two, one is the Dean’s newly adopted daughter, Niu Kexin. The other one has an even bigger background. Ever heard of Master Liu, the number one Grandmaster of Arrays? She’s his granddaughter, Liu Ruyan, I hear."
"That Grandmaster Liu?!"
Everyone gasped in shock.
"Now this is going to be a good show."
"One guy picking four of the ’Golden Flowers’... The Imperial Academy isn’t going to be peaceful for a while."
Aside from the gossips, many others had come specifically for Mu Xue and Li Xuemiao.
They had hoped to show off in front of the two goddesses, only to witness a heartbreaking scene.
"It’s over, it’s all over. My goddess has actually fallen for a newbie."
"I refuse to accept this! Why him?"
"Because he could beat Mu Xue, and because Grandmaster Liu’s granddaughter has his back!"
"What do we do? Are we just going to let that brat have all the fun? Taking all four ’Golden Flowers’ for himself?"
"No way. Haven’t you noticed that the most powerful suitors of the Wen and Wu Goddesses aren’t even here? You think they’re going to take this lying down?"
"But with Grandmaster Liu’s granddaughter around, no one can touch him, right?"
"That’s where you’re wrong. The suitors for the Wen and Wu Goddesses are mostly confined to the Imperial Academy. But Grandmaster Liu’s granddaughter is a different story. The Six Great Clans, even the Royal Family... countless people want to use this as an opportunity to get in Grandmaster Liu’s good graces. When that happens, do you think Qin Daye can hide behind a woman’s skirts forever?"
"Tsk, tsk... now that you put it that way, I’ve got a bad feeling Qin Daye is headed for a tragic end."
"You can say that again."
...
Amidst the crowd’s discussion, the truth began to stray far from reality.
As the story spread by word of mouth, embellished and altered by countless imaginations, it was completely unrecognizable by the time it left the Imperial Academy.
In just half a day, everyone in the Imperial City had heard the news: the Second Princess of the Empire, Li Xuemiao; the Imperial Academy Dean’s adopted daughters, Mu Xue and Niu Kexin; and Grandmaster Liu’s granddaughter, Liu Ruyan—four of the most sought-after young women in the land—had all fallen for a new disciple named Qin Daye.
The four women had gotten into a massive fight over him, and Mu Xue’s face had been ruined.
Her brother, Mu He, tried to break up the fight, only to be caught in the crossfire and beaten so badly he could no longer care for himself.
Finally, Qin Daye had taken Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan into a Cultivation Room. Two women and one man, alone in a room together. It was a long time before the two women emerged.
For a time, the Imperial City was in an uproar.
The name Qin Daye became famous throughout the Mountain and Sea Empire.
Many young experts, out on training expeditions, received urgent messages from their clans and rushed back to the Imperial Academy.
Young prodigies in the middle of secluded Cultivation broke out of their retreats, willing to suffer a setback in their Cultivation to do so.
Countless spies were deployed and intelligence reports flew, all trying to investigate the identity of this External Incarnation. Yet, they found that this Qin Daye seemed to have appeared out of thin air; there wasn’t a single shred of information on him to be found.
