He was rough on the surface, but in some ways, he was very delicate at heart. Ever since they sat down at the wine table, he had been observing. Liu Sha and Wu Siqi were a couple, which was natural. As for Mo Qi and Xue Nu, one drank wine and ate meat from a large bowl, while the other sipped her drink lightly beside him. Neither dared to look directly at the other, but their eyes would meet and then dart away. The inexplicable tension, the flusteredness, and the bewilderment clearly indicated that they were still inexperienced.
At this moment, he glanced at the two of them and felt it was the right time to act foolishly under the influence of alcohol. He then slapped the jade pendant onto the table in front of Xue Nu. "I'm giving this away today, and there's no reason to take it back. I'll give this to you, miss. As for who you send to Zhonghe Sect, you decide yourselves, or neither of you needs to go. Just consider this a gift from me."
The sound of his palm hitting the table was like thunder, and his words were delivered in an unreasonable and unyielding tone, which was the complete behavior of a drunkard. There was no reasoning with a drunkard, and Xue Nu knew very well that refusing a gift from a drunkard at a wine table could very well lead to a beating. Seeing Fang Buyi's fierce expression, it wouldn't be strange if he resorted to violence under the influence of alcohol.
As Xue Nu was at a loss, Fang Buyi suddenly revealed a meaningful smile. "This is for both of you. When I was young, I often heard adults tell stories of lovesick men and women. However, most stories had a common plot: the man and woman each held half of a jade pendant. One day, when these two halves were brought together, the man and woman would also be together."
What was he trying to say? Did this story have anything to do with drinking today? Just as everyone was listening with confusion, Fang Buyi picked up the jade pendant from the table and, with a "snap," broke it in half. He placed one half in front of Mo Qi and the other in front of Xue Nu, chuckling, "If there's a story, I hope it starts here."
The implication was too obvious. Wu Siqi and Liu Sha both wore smiles like loving mothers, watching Xue Nu and Mo Qi. Xue Nu's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she nervously looked at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi's mind was hazy with drunkenness, almost like a paste. He couldn't hear Fang Buyi's words clearly, only feeling that something was strange. Fang Buyi seemed to have taken the jade pendant away, so why was he giving it back? He couldn't make sense of what had happened in between. He only felt that he had to accept the jade pendant no matter what today.
"Brother, you are too kind. Alright, I accept it." Mo Qi put the jade pendant into his sleeve. Although his mind was muddled, his hands were still nimble.
In the eyes of Fang Buyi, Wu Siqi, and Liu Sha, Mo Qi was feigning ignorance and seizing the opportunity to accept the "token of love." They couldn't help but smile, and simultaneously cast fiery glances at Xue Nu.
Xue Nu's blush had spread to the roots of her ears. Mo Qi could pretend to be drunk, but she hadn't drunk much and couldn't "use the same trick." How could she know that Mo Qi was genuinely drunk?
Xue Nu took a deep breath, raised her head, and generously took the jade pendant in her hand, nodding slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, Supervisor Fang."
A round of cheers pushed the atmosphere to its climax.
Mo Qi saw that Xue Nu's cheeks were flushed, her eyes were filled with shyness, and her fair skin, enhanced by the rosy glow of alcohol, appeared even more delicate. In her white attire, under the moonlight, she was exceptionally beautiful and captivating. Mo Qi was somewhat mesmerized. He poured a bowl of wine, turned to Xue Nu, and without speaking, first offered a smile.
Xue Nu also raised her wine bowl, looking at Mo Qi's face with some nervousness. When he smiled before, it always felt a bit mischievous. But now, the alcohol had stripped away all his pretenses. The smile on his face was now pure and innocent, filled with sunshine and freedom.
In that moment, their eyes were only on each other.
Mo Qi opened his mouth, "Xue, I..." Just then, a heavy pressure descended on his head, and his vision instantly went dark. He collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
The next day, Mo Qi woke up early to find himself lying in his own room. He remembered some of what happened last night, but most of it was forgotten. He didn't even remember how he got into bed.
It was good that he didn't remember; he hadn't lost anything anyway.
The four of them discussed it together and decided to leave Duoshe Cliff and visit Shen Gui Sect.
Visiting Shen Gui Sect was a more official way of putting it. In reality, Mo Qi and the others wanted to continue their mission. With no leads at the moment, they could only try their luck at Shen Gui Sect. What if they inadvertently revealed something?
However, for Liu Sha, they could only say they were visiting. Even though Wu Siqi was willing to entrust her with everything, he dared not reveal any information about this mission. He knew the gravity of the situation.
Saying goodbye to Fang Buyi was not easy. He genuinely felt that Mo Qi suited his taste and was extremely reluctant to see him leave, trying hard to persuade him to stay a few more days. Mo Qi was firm, saying that as long as the mission was not completed, he would be anxious and unable to enjoy himself. He would visit again if he had time after completing the mission.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade them to stay, Fang Buyi proposed to establish a connection between their communication spirit stones. Mo Qi had no reason to refuse and immediately took out his communication spirit stone and handed it to Fang Buyi.
After Fang Buyi established the connection between their communication spirit stones, he reluctantly let them leave.
The four of them then used their flight techniques and headed towards Shen Gui Sect.
Several dozen miles away from Shen Gui Sect, there was a small town selling all sorts of cultivation items such as elixirs, spiritual herbs, and magical artifacts. The group saw immortal mist swirling in the sky above the town, accompanied by a strong, pleasant fragrance. Mo Qi remembered that he had used many spiritual herbs in the cave and even destroyed his alchemy furnace. He wanted to replenish some spiritual herbs and buy a new alchemy furnace, so he suggested they go down to explore.
Since they weren't in a hurry, everyone agreed.
Entering the town, Mo Qi had a specific purpose. He quickly replenished his storage bag with a full bag of ingredients and also bought an alchemy furnace for emergencies. His advantage was alchemy, so he had to always carry his essential tools.
Then, for the remaining time, they simply wandered aimlessly. Mo Qi didn't buy anything else. However, Xue Nu bought another needle-sized magical artifact. She very naturally asked Mo Qi to pay for it, and Mo Qi generously obliged. But he felt that Xue Nu was a bit unusual today.
All the way, Mo Qi felt that Xue Nu's gaze towards him today was a bit strange. What did it mean? He couldn't quite figure it out. He just felt that she had become much bolder. In the past, when he looked at her, she would immediately avert her gaze. But now, she didn't. She met his gaze directly, making Mo Qi blush several times.
After wandering for a while, everyone continued their journey and soon arrived at the foot of Shen Gui Mountain. Shen Gui Sect was located on Shen Gui Mountain, which was named after its terrain.
From a distance, looking down from the sky, one could see a mountain shaped like a giant millstone, slightly raised in the center and gradually sloping outwards in all directions, resembling a turtle's shell. Even more miraculously, beneath this "shell," there were complete limbs, but no head. Outsiders said the mountain didn't look like a turtle at all. However, the generations of Shen Gui Sect passed down the saying that the divine turtle was sleeping, its head retracted under its shell, so it naturally didn't look like one. But the divine turtle would awaken one day, and its head would emerge from the shell.
The four of them descended from the clouds and switched to walking.
At this moment, Mo Qi suddenly felt something in his sleeve. He took it out and saw it was half of a jade pendant. He rummaged through it carefully and confirmed it was indeed only half.
He held the jade pendant in his hand and said somewhat confusedly, "Isn't this Old Fang's jade pendant? How did it get to me? And why is it broken?"
Wu Siqi, Liu Sha, and Xue Nu were stunned, standing still and looking at him as if he were a monster.
Xue Nu's eyes were filled with annoyance, even a hint of pain. "You mean you don't know how this jade pendant got into your hands?"
Mo Qi was somewhat baffled. Seeing their expressions, it was as if he had made a mistake. But he hadn't done anything.
Wu Siqi kept winking and nodding. This made Mo Qi even more confused. He had a gut feeling that he shouldn't answer casually.
However, Xue Nu kept staring at him, seemingly waiting for his answer, with a determined look that suggested she wouldn't give up until she got one. There were even tears welling up in her eyes, which completely unsettled Mo Qi. In that instant, he desperately searched his mind, but his memory of the jade pendant stopped at the point when it was still intact. How it broke afterward was entirely left to the strong wine.
"I'm sorry, I really drank too much last night..." Mo Qi said apologetically.
Little did he know that his sincere apology was precisely what triggered Xue Nu's disappointment. A crystal-clear tear rolled down her cheek. Xue Nu's figure flickered, and she vanished in a flash of white light.
Mo Qi was left standing there with a look of melancholy.
"Aren't you going to chase after her?" Liu Sha and Wu Siqi urged him anxiously.
Mo Qi was also extremely anxious. "What happened after I got drunk last night? If you don't tell me, I won't be able to explain myself even if I catch up."
Wu Siqi thought for a moment and said briefly, "At that time, Fang Buyi split his jade pendant in two and placed it on the table. You took one half, and then she took the other half."
Mo Qi became even more confused. "What are you talking about? Why would Old Fang split the jade pendant in two?"
Wu Siqi felt that it was too difficult to explain in a few words and became even more anxious. "He told a story..."
Liu Sha immediately interrupted him. "There's no time for stories! Actually, he meant that the story starts here, and then you took one half, and she also took one half, and then your story began."
Mo Qi seemed to be starting to understand.
Wu Siqi glanced at Liu Sha, his anxious expression deepening. "You didn't explain it clearly either." He looked back at Mo Qi. "To put it bluntly, Old Fang saw that you both had feelings for each other and wanted to play matchmaker. He offered half the jade pendant to see if you would accept it. You accepted it, and she accepted it too. But then you refused to acknowledge it..."
Mo Qi's head buzzed. He finally came to his senses. Old Fang's actions were well-intentioned, but why did he have to do it when he was drunk?
Mo Qi said urgently to Wu Siqi, "You go to Shen Gui Sect and wait for me. I'll meet you at Shen Gui Sect after I find her."
Before Wu Siqi could respond, Mo Qi soared into the sky and vanished in a streak of blue light.
However, by then, he had already lost track of Xue Nu and could only pursue in the direction she had initially left. After chasing for a while, he saw no sign of her. He chased for another while, still no sign.
He stopped in mid-air, feeling somewhat dejected. In the vast sea of people, where could he find her? He was filled with regret. If he had known this would happen, he would have drunk less wine last night.
It was then that he remembered that he hadn't established a connection with Xue Nu's communication stone. It was simply because he had always felt she was very close to him, so it wasn't necessary.
Now, he felt that this distance, both near and far, was maddening.
Where would she go? If she was running aimlessly, then there was truly no way.
"I'm afraid I'll have to wait until the three-month deadline expires and search for her in the Northern Territory."
Thinking of this, Mo Qi sighed deeply, shook his body, and transformed into a streak of blue light, heading towards Shen Gui Sect.
As he neared Shen Gui Sect, suddenly, there was a flash of light, and several figures sped past him.
Although their figures were fleeting, Mo Qi still recognized one of them. He couldn't be sure at first, so he decided to chase after them to see who it was.
He immediately accelerated and pursued them. However, the speed of the group was very fast, and he couldn't close the distance. Fearing he would be left behind, he took a teleportation pill. Like a bolt of lightning, he shot forward. Ahead, four people were arranged in a line. From back to front, they were Shen Dun Sect's Qi Zhi Mei, Pei Ru Xue, and Ba Dun. Mo Qi passed them one by one. The person at the very front was wearing a black robe, exuding black energy all around, and constantly emitting a bloody aura.
Mo Qi immediately realized that this was likely the "unidentified" cultivator they had found.
So he increased his speed and flew in front of that person.
The black-robed figure saw his path blocked and immediately descended towards the ground. Then, he made a turn and flew past the three members of Shen Dun Sect, escaping rapidly in the opposite direction. Mo Qi also hurriedly descended and passed under the three members of Shen Dun Sect. The three members of Shen Dun Sect then came to their senses and immediately turned back, pursuing rapidly. Pei Ru Xue twisted her body and disappeared.