As the gust of wind swept past, Mo Qi's disheveled hair straightened, cascading down like a waterfall. His dust-covered face was instantly cleansed, revealing a handsome and dignified countenance.
Chang Yuning stared at Mo Qi, dumbfounded. This was no beggar; he looked like a celestial being descended from the heavens.
A murmur rippled through the crowd. "Didn't they say the third young lady was dying? How is she looking so radiant?"
"And wasn't this man supposed to be a beggar picked up from the road? How can he be so dashing?"
"This isn't a sick patient with a beggar; they look like a perfect match, like a golden boy and a jade girl!"
Hearing these piercing remarks, Ni Wei's composure shattered. He had come to witness a spectacle, but instead, he was presented with a picture of true love, a union of talented man and beautiful woman. It was too much!
A sudden shout of "Send them to the bridal chamber!" carried on the wind, jolting Ni Wei from his daze. Seeing the radiant couple being escorted towards the rear hall, he immediately roared, "Wait!"
Mo Qi and Chang Yuning stopped simultaneously, turning to face Ni Wei. The entire room fell silent as everyone else also turned to look at him.
"You are not to enter the bridal chamber. I will report back to my father, and Chang Yuning is still my wife," Ni Wei declared.
Mo Qi's expression darkened, a killing intent stirring within him.
Chang Yuning rebuked him, "On what grounds? You wanted me to marry a beggar, so I would marry a beggar. You want me to marry you, so I should marry you. What do you take me for?"
"I am not sure if your illness has truly healed. In such a situation, you should feel fortunate that I would still have you."
"I couldn't care less. I never did, and I don't now. I have already chosen him," Chang Yuning said, moving closer to Mo Qi. "Don't forget, you were the one who found this husband for me."
"Stay away from him," Ni Wei said, his voice laced with anger. He pointed at Mo Qi. "A beggar like him, I can elevate him, or I can destroy him, just as easily as crushing an ant."
"I will stand by him. He is my husband," Chang Yuning declared, tightly linking her arm with Mo Qi's and nudging him with her body.
"Yin Wen, kill him," Ni Wei commanded, pointing at Mo Qi.
Yin Wen's body tensed. To avoid harming bystanders, he refrained from using wide-ranging techniques, instead drawing his sword and thrusting it towards Mo Qi.
Chang Yuning's face turned pale with fear. Yin Wen's cultivation was formidable enough to be invincible anywhere outside the Immortal King's Palace. Her own sword strikes were deadly to anyone. Instinctively, she moved to shield Mo Qi, attempting to block the fatal blow.
Yin Wen's sword was already aimed at Chang Yuning. Unable to retract it, he hardened his resolve and thrust even more ferociously, intending to impale them both. He could always apologize to the young prince afterward.
Tang Qing and Chang Shi let out gasps of alarm.
At that moment, Mo Qi casually pulled Chang Yuning behind him. Then, extending two fingers, he gently caught the incoming sword. With a flick of his wrist, the sword snapped. Mo Qi casually tossed the broken blade, which embedded itself in Yin Wen's abdomen.
Yin Wen let out a pained cry, his body flying backward before crashing to the ground, blood gushing from his wound.
Everyone was stunned into silence! Everything had happened so quickly, too fast to comprehend. But the blood flowing from Yin Wen was a stark reminder: Mo Qi had killed him with astonishing speed.
Ni Wei was furious but dared not act. He assessed Mo Qi's strength and knew it was far superior to his own, as he himself could not defeat Yin Wen. As for the soldiers he had brought, sending them forward would be akin to offering them as sacrifices.
With a wave of his hand, he signaled for his men to carry the injured Yin Wen away. He then turned and retreated shamefully. As he left, he didn't even dare to utter a threat. Had he spoken a single harsh word, Mo Qi would have pursued and killed him.
Ni Wei departed, leaving behind a sense of dread for the Chang family. Relatives and friends quickly made their excuses and left, unwilling to linger any longer. Only the Chang family remained, sighing with lament.
Indeed, they had witnessed Mo Qi's extraordinary emergence, but they believed that he alone could not contend with the entire Immortal King's Palace. The Ni family could easily manipulate him.
Chang Xunhuan said sarcastically, "Whoever caused the trouble will have to deal with it." With that, he left. The others also departed, shaking their heads and sighing.
Only Tang Qing, Chang Shi, Mo Qi, and Chang Yuning remained.
"Who cares about all that?" Chang Yuning pulled Mo Qi along, heading towards the back, seemingly intent on continuing the wedding ceremony.
Tang Qing shot her a stern look. "You are a young lady, can you not be more reserved?"
"It's not that," Chang Yuning said, her face flushing with embarrassment. She released Mo Qi. "I just have many questions for him, and it's not convenient to discuss them here."
Chang Shi was still utterly bewildered. He looked at Mo Qi, then at his daughter. "Who are you? Where do you come from? How did you cure my daughter?"
Mo Qi answered his questions simply, but Chang Shi remained confused. As he was about to ask more, Tang Qing lowered her voice. "Master, Mo Qi just said that our daughter was poisoned. This means her sister and aunt were also poisoned. This indicates that someone with malicious intent must be hiding within our family. I believe the most urgent matter is to find this cancerous growth, to provide an explanation for ourselves and for the Ni family. Otherwise, the Ni family will continue to force the women of our family to marry beggars for generations."
Chang Shi frowned in deep thought. "Who do you think would do such a heinous thing?"
"It must be someone from the second branch. They are jealous of the women born to the first branch and fear that we will become too powerful and suppress them," Tang Qing blurted out. "The last time, I saw their maid, Lianhua, linger outside the second young lady's room. Not long after, the second young lady fell ill. At the time, I couldn't connect these two events. Now, thinking about it, it's truly chilling. They are so wicked."
Chang Yuning seemed to realize something. "About three years ago, I also saw Lianhua lurking suspiciously outside my window one day. I thought she was just passing by and didn't pay much attention."
"Lianhua is the maid of my cousin, Chang Xiong. Are you suggesting he is responsible for this?" Chang Shi asked Tang Qing.
"Most likely."
"But we need evidence for everything. What do we do if we have no proof?"
"I can obtain the evidence. You just need to bring Lianhua here," Mo Qi said.
"I'll go get Lianhua," Chang Yuning volunteered.
"We can discuss that later. I think the most pressing matter is to figure out how to deal with the Ni family. They will surely come to demand an explanation, and I wonder what kind of storm awaits us," Chang Shi said worriedly.
"The trouble I caused, I will bear," Mo Qi stated.
Chang Shi's face immediately lit up. "It's good that you have such resolve. This matter should indeed be your responsibility."
"Father!" Chang Yuning exclaimed indignantly. "How can you say that? If not for him, I would probably be dead by now. Besides, I also played a part in offending Ni Wei. How can you place all the blame on him?"
Chang Shi glared at her. "What do you know? If he takes responsibility, only he will die. If you take responsibility, our entire family will be ruined. Moreover, since the young prince is willing to overlook past grievances and marry you, don't be ungrateful. Marry him; it's a great fortune for you."
"I won't marry him. If you want to marry, you marry. I'm marrying Mo Qi." Chang Yuning finished speaking and pulled Mo Qi towards the back courtyard.
Mo Qi followed her involuntarily. Chang Shi stamped his feet in anger behind them.
When they reached a secluded spot, Chang Yuning released his arm. They walked slowly, the atmosphere between them particularly delicate.
"I don't necessarily have to marry you; I just don't want to marry Ni Wei," Chang Yuning said slowly after a moment.
"I know," Mo Qi nodded. "Marrying someone like him would mean a lifetime of subservience and no dignity. It's right that you don't choose him. As for me, I merely happened to save your life. Saving a life doesn't always require a lifelong commitment."
"Oh, is that what you think?"
"How powerful is the Ni family? Why are you all so afraid of them? And what is the Immortal King's Palace?" Mo Qi suddenly changed the subject.
"Why are you asking such strange questions? Are you not from this world?" Chang Yuning retorted.
"I am indeed not from this world."
"Then, which world are you from?"
"The world you are currently in is the Star World. Have you heard of the Tree World?"
Chang Yuning gazed into the distant sky. "I have heard of it, but I never expected it to truly exist. I've also heard that our world is isolated from the Tree World. The ancestors of the Immortal King's Palace, to sever ties with the Tree World, preserved all the spiritual energy in this world using a supreme divine art. I don't know the specifics of how they did it, but afterward, the Immortal King's Palace became a nexus of spiritual energy. This allows their people to live for millions, even tens of millions, of years. Their cultivation grows ever higher, while people outside the Immortal King's Palace, no matter how hard they try, cannot reach their level."
Mo Qi suddenly understood. So, this was the place Xiao He wanted him to train in. If he could enter their spiritual energy nexus, how much would his cultivation improve?
As Mo Qi was lost in thought, Chang Yuning spoke again. "If you are truly from that world, you might not be able to return. But, how did you get here?"
Mo Qi felt a pang of worry. He had been kicked here by Xiao He. If Xiao He only sent him but didn't arrange a return, what would he do?
He shrugged it off. "Where there's a will, there's a way." The path back could be found when the time came.
Mo Qi smiled slightly. "I don't know how I got here either. Perhaps I was drawn by you."
"Really? I didn't expect my charm could break through this world's seal and reach beyond the heavens. It seems I need to be more low-key, otherwise, people from all worlds will come looking for me, and the heavens will be trampled flat," Chang Yuning said with a laugh.
"If the heavens are broken, I can go home."