Cao Sheng

Chapter 109 No Peeking

But as she took two steps, she saw Xie Yu Cai standing there, smiling and asking, "Why are you following us, Miss Shui?"

Shui Ling was caught off guard and couldn't answer, "I, I wasn't following you!"

Walking to the bottom of the stairs, the three sisters looked up and saw a shifty-eyed man in white standing in the middle of the stairs, looking towards the attic with a lewd expression.

In the attic, a woman in snow-white robes, with eyebrows as faint as autumn water and skin like jade kissed by the breeze. She held a book in her hands, her steps like lotuses, sometimes lowering her head in thought, sometimes raising her eyes with a slight smile, truly embodying grace and ethereal beauty.

"Peeking in broad daylight, utterly shameless, worse than a beast!" Xie Yu Chan shouted, lunging forward and pinning the young man in white, twisting his hands behind his back. At the same time, Xie Yu Zhu leaped up, and they each took one of his arms, one on each side.

With a loud crash, the stairs could not bear the weight and collapsed.

The two still refused to let go, pinning the stairs and the young man in white beneath them, proclaiming righteously, "Pervert, today you will pay the price."

The commotion alerted Xue Ying in the attic, Xiao Cui and Xiao Hong on the second floor, and Shui Ling and Wu Si Qi, who were rushing towards the stairs. Xie Yu Cai, however, quickly walked away.

Xie Yu Huan stepped forward, saying nervously, "He's Shopkeeper Mo's attendant. We can just hand him over to Shopkeeper Mo. Let's not cause any more trouble."

"What are you doing? I am Shopkeeper Mo." said the pinned young man in white.

"If you're Shopkeeper Mo, then I'm Xue Ren Kui," Xie Yu Chan said, tapping Mo Qi on the head.

Xue Ying came down from the attic and, finding no further path on the second floor, stood in the corridor, looking at the three of them and saying, "He is Shopkeeper Mo."

Shui Ling and Wu Si Qi also entered the courtyard from outside, saying, "He is indeed Shopkeeper Mo."

What was going on? The three sisters' minds couldn't keep up. Weren't they told that the shifty-eyed person was Shopkeeper Mo's attendant?

"But even Shopkeeper Mo shouldn't be peeking," Xie Yu Zhu said after getting up, while Xie Yu Chan still held Mo Qi down, speaking righteously.

"Peeking at what?" Shui Ling seemed to realize something and also spoke with righteous indignation.

Xie Yu Zhu pointed at Xue Ying, "Peeking at her."

A blush crept up Xue Ying's face, and she turned away.

"I wasn't peeking, I just glanced," Mo Qi said, feeling deeply wronged.

Wu Si Qi glanced at Xue Ying and couldn't help but comment, "She's fully dressed, that's not peeking, is it? She's not bathing."

Mo Qi showed a look of agreement, "Yes, yes."

Xue Ying felt the words were rather unpleasant to hear, so she went back into her room with a red face. Her two maids followed her.

Wu Si Qi suddenly became the target of everyone's ire. Because Xue Ying was wearing a dress, everyone's eyes were like fire, fixed on him, "What are you saying? It seems you're of the same ilk."

Wu Si Qi stuck out his tongue, looked at Mo Qi, and said, "I can't help you anymore. You're on your own." Then he turned and left.

"Alas," Mo Qi sighed, "Sitting at home, disaster strikes from the heavens! What do you want?"

"Dig out my eyes!" Xie Yu Huan said.

"Immerse in a pig cage!" Xie Yu Chan said.

"Lingering death!" Xie Yu Zhu said.

Shui Ling shivered at the words, waving her hands repeatedly, "Actually, it's not that serious. Such punishment is too harsh!"

"Then what do you suggest?" Xie Yu Chan asked.

"How about we strip him and we look at him, making him too ashamed to show his face?" Shui Ling suggested.

"Good idea!" Xie Yu Chan immediately agreed.

Mo Qi rolled his eyes. These two girls must be desperate to see a man.

"What are you talking about?" Xie Yu Zhu and Xie Yu Huan said, "Have you no shame?"

Just then, Xue Ying bravely walked out of the room, as if facing death, and said, "You don't need to argue. I believe in Shopkeeper Mo's character. If you say he was peeking, and if he made a mistake, then I made a mistake too. By parading myself in broad daylight, have you considered that by insulting him, you are also insulting me?"

"And I believe Shopkeeper Mo was merely appreciating. I also wish to be appreciated. He has seen me at my ugliest, and I wish to let him see me at my most beautiful," Xue Ying finished, and then fled back into the room.

The women stood dumbfounded downstairs, looking at a door upstairs where Xue Ying's figure had just disappeared.

Mo Qi also cast a deep glance in that direction, then nimbly withdrew his hand from Xie Yu Chan's grip. He turned and glanced at the three sisters, "Who are you people, and how did you get in here?"

Xie Yu Chan immediately asked without thinking, "Do you think I'm beautiful enough to topple cities and nations?"

Shui Ling was startled, "What are you doing?"

Who asks such a question right off the bat? Mo Qi felt like crying and laughing, "Such things are subjective." He looked a moment longer, then quickly covered his eyes, "I dare not look. What if you dig out my eyes later?"

"If I let you look, then look as you please," Xie Yu Chan said, somewhat annoyed.

Meanwhile, Xie Yu Zhu had already noticed something was wrong. When she looked back, Xie Yu Cai was nowhere to be seen. She remembered Xie Yu Cai saying that the lewd person was Shopkeeper Mo's attendant, but in reality, this lewd person was Shopkeeper Mo himself. Why would her brother lie to her? What was his intention?

"Shopkeeper Mo, do you have any elixirs for permanent beauty?" Xie Yu Zhu asked directly.

"Not yet, I'm still working on it," Mo Qi replied.

"What exactly is Xie Yu Cai trying to do?" Xie Yu Zhu said indignantly, then beckoned to the other two, "Let's go back."

The three turned and walked towards the exit.

Mo Qi flashed in front of them, blocking their way, with a truly lewd smile, "Shouldn't you ladies explain yourselves properly? This is not a teahouse where you can come and go as you please. If you're buying elixirs, you shouldn't be coming to someone's backyard!" He had heard Xie Yu Zhu mention Xie Yu Cai just now and guessed that Xie Yu Cai had sent them to probe for his alchemy secrets. He had no secrets regarding alchemy, but their actions were truly hateful.

Shui Ling immediately switched sides, "Yes, you trespassed on private property. What are you doing here?" She also knew Xie Yu Cai had brought them in, but Xie Yu Cai had slipped away without a word. What kind of scheme were they playing?

"My brother Xie Yu Cai tricked us into coming here. He said you have elixirs for permanent beauty and would give them away to..." Xie Yu Zhu said, but then felt embarrassed to continue.

"Give them away to whom?" Mo Qi pressed.

"To those who can topple cities and nations," Xie Yu Chan declared loudly.

Mo Qi snorted with laughter, "So you asked me if you are capable of toppling cities and nations?"

Xie Yu Chan felt insulted and cried out, "What's wrong? Shouldn't I have that confidence?"

Mo Qi tried to suppress his laughter, but failed, "You should have confidence, haha. If I develop elixirs for permanent beauty in the future, the first one will be for you."

"No, the first one is for me," Shui Ling said from behind them.

Xie Yu Zhu snorted, "Let's talk about it when you develop them. Perhaps we won't even want them then."

"Yes, yes, we won't want them," Xie Yu Chan chimed in. If Xie Yu Zhu hadn't interrupted, she would have said, "It's a deal."

"What else did your brother say?" Mo Qi asked Xie Yu Chan.

Xie Yu Chan said, "He also said..."

Xie Yu Zhu immediately interrupted her, "He didn't say anything else!"

Xie Yu Chan fell silent.

Xie Yu Zhu had basically figured out Xie Yu Cai's intentions: if he met a lewd person, he would tell him that he was here to meet Shopkeeper Mo for a marriage, and that the lewd person was Shopkeeper Mo, which would mean telling Mo Qi that she was here for a marriage. Her brother intended to marry her off, and not just one, but three!

"Alright, you can go now," Mo Qi moved aside. "I believe what you're saying. This debt will be settled with Xie Yu Cai."

Xie Yu Zhu and Xie Yu Chan took two steps towards the exit, but Xie Yu Huan remained standing, asking somewhat timidly but with a look of resignation, "What do you plan to do to my brother?" Xie Yu Zhu and Xie Yu Chan also turned back, looking at Mo Qi with some nervousness.

"Perhaps immersion in a pig cage, perhaps lingering death," Mo Qi looked at Xie Yu Huan, and seeing her delicate appearance, couldn't help but tease her.

"How dare you!" Xie Yu Chan suddenly turned back and said.

"I think my brother was just playing a prank, and you suffered no loss. Shopkeeper Mo, you are a magnanimous person, why not let it go?" Xie Yu Huan said.

"It's impossible not to hold him accountable," Mo Qi said with feigned indifference, his eyes glinting with a murderous intent. "He intended to steal my alchemy secrets. This is a capital offense. Even if he were sent to the Discipline Hall of the Zhenghu Sect, the outcome would be the same."

These words finally stunned the three girls. Their faces turned pale, and their beauty vanished.

Xie Yu Huan was on the verge of tears, "Shopkeeper Mo, how could we possibly come here to steal secrets? We didn't come to steal secrets."

Xie Yu Zhu sighed and said, "My brother said you have elixirs for permanent beauty, to be given to those who can topple cities and nations, and asked us to come and ask for them. He also said we would encounter a shifty-eyed person who would stop us, and only by telling him we were here to meet Shopkeeper Mo for a marriage would he let us pass."

"Shifty-eyed? I don't have anyone shifty-eyed here either?" Mo Qi smiled, not believing her words. Suddenly, he noticed everyone's gaze fixed on him, and he could no longer smile, "The shifty-eyed person he mentioned is me?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

In an instant, Mo Qi understood Xie Yu Cai's intentions.

"Xie Yu Cai sent you here to have a marriage with me, but fearing you wouldn't agree, he devised a roundabout method. He certainly put in a lot of thought,呵呵. So, tell me, what's your impression of me?" Mo Qi scanned the three of them and said.

Shui Ling stamped her foot and left, "A lecher!"

Xie Yu Zhu and Xie Yu Chan said, "Not very good."

Xie Yu Huan, however, still looked at Mo Qi with concern, "Now you don't think my brother intended to steal your secrets, do you?"

"No," Mo Qi replied.

"Then I think you are indeed ordinary," Xie Yu Huan said.

Mo Qi disagreed wholeheartedly, but after all, their mouths were their own, and he couldn't control them. They were probably sour grapes, he consoled himself, and after a pause, he sighed, "You may leave now."

The three sisters felt as if they had received a great pardon and quickly retreated.

As Xie Yu Zhu walked, she said resentfully, "When I get back, I'm definitely going to teach Xie Yu Cai a lesson."

Xie Yu Huan couldn't help but sigh, "Actually, thinking about it carefully, Shopkeeper Mo is quite a good person."

Xie Yu Zhu scolded, "You little slut, are you in love?"

Xie Yu Huan blushed, "Not at all. I'm just stating the facts. At least he's down-to-earth. Shopkeeper Mo is such a heroic figure, facing the Wang, Xie, and Cui families alone without fear, not falling behind. Yet, when Yu Chan sister pinned him to the ground, he showed no anger. Think about his magnanimity and breadth of mind!"

Xie Yu Chan glanced at her defiantly, "Are you saying I couldn't defeat him?"

Xie Yu Zhu slightly adjusted her tone, "If he had resisted, you truly wouldn't have been able to pin him." She added with lingering fear, "Actually, if I had known he was Shopkeeper Mo at the time, I probably wouldn't have dared to help you pin him."