Loyalty Hall was brightly lit. Shi Mei had left first, so only Mo Ran cluelessly followed Xue Meng into the main hall. When he saw the scene in the hall, he immediately understood.

     It was Rong Jiu, that coward.

     Mo Ran stole some silver from him before he left, but he really had the nerve to come to Sisheng Peak to complain.

     Rong Jiu was nestled into the arms of a tall man, crying miserably. When Mo Ran and Xue Meng entered the hall, his sobbing grew three octaves higher than normal. It seemed that he would have foamed at the mouth and fainted if it weren't for the man holding him in his arms.

     On the dais, behind a beaded curtain, sat a delicate woman, looking at a complete loss. Mo Ran didn’t spare another glance at the licentious dog-couple and instead saluted in greeting to the woman in the hall. “Auntie, I’m back.”

     This woman was the lady of Sisheng Peak, Madam Wang. Unlike those female heroines who were every bit equal to male cultivators, she was a meek woman who didn’t involve herself in matters outside of the home. Once people came to her with concerns, she had absolutely no idea how to deal with it in her husband’s absence.

     She said timidly, “A-Ran, you’ve finally returned.”

     Mo Ran only smiled at her, pretending not to see the complaining couple in the hall. “It’s so late, and Auntie still isn’t sleeping. Were you waiting up to see me?”

     “Yes. Well, this Rong-gongzi says you… you took his money?”

     Madam Wang had thin skin and was too embarrassed to say that Mo Ran had gone to a brothel, so she chose to address the minor offense instead.

     Mo Ran’s eyes curved as he smiled, “Really? I’m not in need of money, so why would I want theirs? Besides, I’m not familiar with either of these people. Do I know you?”

     The tall man sneered, “My surname is Chang. I’m my family's eldest son. As part of a businessman’s family, I don’t care for trivial formalities, so you can just call me Chang Da.”

     Mo Ran purposely flipped his name around to change the meaning, a slight smirk on his face. “Ah, so it’s Da Chang-gongzi. Please forgive my rudeness. It’s an honor to meet you. Then this other person is…”

     Big Intestine-gongzi said, “Hah, Mo-gongzi sure is adept at playing the fool. It is true that we are meeting for the first time, but you have spent fifteen out of thirty nights this past month in Jiu-er’s bed. Are you blind? How can you not recognize him?”

     Mo Ran was completely unbothered and continued smiling as he glanced at Rong Jiu. “What is this? Are you trying to slander me? I’m an honorable person; of course I’ve never slept with any San-er, or Jiu-er?”

     Rong Jiu’s face was flushed with anger, but he remained nestled in Chang Da’s arms. “M-Mo-gongzi, I know I am of humble status, and my appearance here is improper. If it weren’t for you taking advantage of me so unreasonably, I, I wouldn’t have come to seek you out. But you unexpectedly became hostile out of nowhere and now claim not to recognize me anymore. I… I…”

     Mo Ran said aggrievedly, “I really don’t know you. I can’t even tell whether you’re a man or a woman. How could we have met before?”

     “You visited me for business just last night! How can you be so cold-hearted? Chang-gongzi, Chang-gongzi, you have to get justice for me.” As he spoke, he burrowed himself deeper into Chang Da’s arms and began sobbing even louder.

     Off to the side, Xue Meng’s entire face was ashen, and his eyebrows twitched as he heard this. If not for the self-restraint of his upbringing as a young master, he would have already beaten this disdainful, licentious dog-couple down the mountain.

     Big Intestine-gongzi caressed Rong Jiu’s head and whispered a few comforting words before he raised his head and said harshly, “Madam Wang, Sisheng Peak is a virtuous and righteous sect, but this Mo-gongzi is despicable! Jiu-er worked hard to earn that money so he could buy his freedom as soon as possible. But Mo-gongzi not only abused Jiu-er, he even stole all of his painstakingly earned savings—his blood, sweat, and tears. Although my Chang family are not cultivators, we’ve been doing business for generations and have become considerably wealthy. If your sect doesn’t give us a satisfactory solution today, we’ll definitely make sure you have a hard time in Sichuan!”

     Madam Wang was distressed. “Ah… Chang-gongzi, please don’t get angry. I, I…”

     Mo Ran sneered internally, The salt merchant Chang family is filthy rich, but this Chang-gongzi can't even buy Rong Jiu’s freedom and wants his Jiu-er to do it himself. This situation is quite fishy, to say the least.

     But he still said with a smile, “Ah, so Da Chang-gongzi is actually the son of a wealthy merchant family in Yizhou. You’re really impressive. Now that I’ve seen for myself, I can say he’s truly admirable.”

     Big Intestine-gongzi sneered arrogantly, “Hmph, at least you know your place. Since that’s the case, you should be more sensible and save yourself the trouble. You stole Jiu-er’s things. Why don’t you hurry and return them?”

     Mo Ran smiled and said, “It’s strange. Your Jiu-er receives so many guests every day. Even if he did lose something, why am I the only one being blamed?”

     “You!” Big Intestine-gongzi gritted his teeth and sneered, “Fine, fine, fine! I knew you would make up a false story! Madam Wang, as you can see, Mo-gongzi refuses to be reasonable and confess. I won’t argue with him anymore. You are in charge here, so you make a decision on this matter!”

     Madam Wang knew nothing of such affairs. She was so flustered at this moment that she could only keep stuttering, “I… A-Ran… Meng-er…”

     Xue Meng couldn’t stand by and allow his mother to be put on the spot like this, so he stepped in: “Chang-gongzi, Sisheng Peak has strict disciplinary methods. If your accusation turns out to be true and Mo Ran has indeed violated our mandates against envy and debauchery, we will punish him severely and won’t let him off easily. But there is no basis for your words. You say Mo Ran stole. Is there any evidence?”

     Big Intestine-gongzi scowled, “I knew your sect would pull something like this. That’s why we quickly rushed here to confront Madam Wang before Mo Ran returned.” 

     He cleared his throat and said, “Listen carefully, Jiu-er lost two pearls, ten gold ingots, a pair of plum blossom gold bracelets, a pair of jade hairpins, and a jade butterfly pendant. Just check if Mo Ran has these things on his person, and you’ll know whether I wrongly accused him.”

     Mo Ran objected, “What right do you have to search me?”

     “Hmph, sounds like you have a guilty conscience.” Big Intestine-gongzi raised his chin arrogantly. “Madam Wang, how does Sisheng Peak punish the crimes of envy and debauchery?”

     Madam Wang murmured, “This… sect matters have always been overlooked by my husband. I really… don’t know…”

     “Okay, okay. I believe Madam Wang isn't truly ignorant of this but actually has the intention to shield her nephew. Haha, I never expected Sisheng Peak to be such a dirty and despicable place—”

     “Alright, alright. My aunt already said she doesn’t know how to be in charge. Will you continue to bully a woman? Aren’t you about done yet?” Mo Ran finally grew impatient and interrupted him. Even his ever-present carefree smile was beginning to fade. He turned to throw the licentious dog-couple a sidelong glare.

     “Okay, I’ll let you search me. But if you find nothing, what should be done about all these slanderous accusations against my sect?”

     Big Intestine-gongzi replied, “Then I’ll apologize to Mo-gongzi immediately.”

     “Alright,” Mo Ran readily agreed. “But there’s just one thing. If you’re wrong, you must get down on your knees and crawl down Sisheng Peak as an apology.”

     Seeing Mo Ran’s confidence, Big Intestine-gongzi couldn’t help but feel a shred of doubt. He had envied those immortal cultivators ever since he was a child but unfortunately had no talent for cultivation himself.

     A few days ago, he heard that his old lover, Rong Jiu, had actually won Mo Ran’s favor, so the two of them came to an agreement that as long as Rong Jiu could find an opportunity to seize Mo Ran’s cultivation, Chang-gongzi would buy Rong Jiu’s freedom. Not only that, but he would also bring Rong Jiu into the Chang family and guarantee him a life of wealth and security. Chang-gongzi sought immortality, and Rong Jiu sought wealth. The scheming pair was compatible in their ambitions.

     Mo Ran had fallen for their scheme in his previous lifetime. Although he settled the matter later on, he suffered quite a bit because of their collusion. But in this life, it was as if the two were trying to steal a chicken, only to end up losing the rice to lure it. This time, Mo Ran’s temperament changed drastically without warning. Only a few days ago, he’d still been lying in Rong Jiu’s bed, drunkenly calling, “Jiu-er” this or “Jiu-er” that. But this morning, he’d viciously screwed Rong Jiu twice before stealing all of Rong Jiu’s valuables and taking off.

     Chang-gongzi was so angry that he instantly dragged Rong Jiu to Sisheng Peak to make a complaint. This salt merchant was a shady businessman and figured that once Mo Ran was caught, Madam Wang would be forced to disperse Mo Ran’s cultivation base. For this reason, he’d come prepared with a cultivation-absorbing jade pendant, ready to seize these easy pickings and assimilate Mo Ran’s power into his own spiritual reserves later on.

     But seeing Mo Ran’s demeanor, Big Intestine-gongzi hesitated. Mo Ran was very cunning. What if he’d already sold all the stolen items and was just waiting to pull the curtain over their eyes? But then again, things had already come to this point, so it would be a pity to give up now. Maybe this guy was just bluffing…

     His mind was still churning with uncertainty, but Mo Ran had already started removing clothes. He took off his outer robe without hesitation and casually threw it to the side before making an inviting gesture with a smile. “You can begin your search. Take your time.”

     After all the quarreling, there was nothing on his person except for some loose silver. Big Intestine-gongzi’s expression instantly changed. “How is this possible?! You must be playing some trick!”

     Mo Ran narrowed his purple-tinted eyes, then touched his chin and said, “You’ve searched my outer robe ten times and the rest of my body seven or eight times. The only thing you haven’t done is strip me naked, and you’re still not giving up?”

     “Mo Ran, you—”

     Mo Ran suddenly smiled knowingly, “Ah, I understand. Da Chang-gongzi, was this all because you covet my good looks? You must have deliberately put on this whole show just to take advantage of me and sneak a feel, right?”

     Big Intestine-gongzi was so enraged that he almost fainted. He pointed at Mo Ran, unable to speak for a long time, his face flushed red. Standing to the side, Xue Meng had already endured this long enough. Although he disliked Mo Ran, he was still a disciple of Sisheng Peak, and he wouldn’t tolerate outsiders humiliating him.

     Xue Meng directly stepped forward without a trace of civility. He unceremoniously raised his hand and broke Big Intestine-gongzi’s finger, admonishing fiercely, “We humored you for half of the night, but you were just looking for trouble!”

     Big Intestine-gongzi howled in pain, holding his finger. “You, you both! You’re both in on it! No wonder we can’t find anything on Mo Ran! You must have hidden it for him! Take off your clothes too! I’ll search you as well!”

     Someone actually dared order him to undress?! Xue Meng suddenly flew into a humiliated rage, “Shameless! You think your dog paws are worthy of touching even the hem of my clothes?! Get the hell out!”

     Now that the young master had spoken, all of the attendants in Loyalty Hall, also long since fed up with this ruse, immediately rushed forward and forced the two ordinary mortals with no means of fighting back down the mountain.

     Big Intestine-gongzi’s infuriated shout echoed from the distance, “Mo Ran, you just wait! I won’t ever let you off!”

     Mo Ran stood outside Loyalty Hall, gazing at the distant night sky. His eyes curved into crescents as he smiled. “I’m so scared~”

     Xue Meng shot him a cold glare. “What are you scared of?”

     “His salt merchant family.” Mo Ran said honestly, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to buy any more salt in the future.”

     “…”

     Xue Meng was speechless for a moment before he asked, “You truly didn’t screw the prostitute?”

     “I truly didn’t.”

     “You truly didn’t steal?”

     “I truly didn’t.”

     Xue Meng snorted coldly. “I don’t believe you.”

     Mo Ran raised his hand with a smile. “If I’m lying, let the heavens strike me down with lightning.”

     Xue Meng abruptly raised his hand and tightly grasped Mo Ran’s arm in a vice grip.

     Mo Ran stared at him. “What are you doing?” 

     Xue Meng snorted and quickly recited a spell. With a series of clinking sounds, a few inconspicuous beads the size of beans slipped out of Mo Ran’s sleeves and fell to the ground. Xue Meng gathered spiritual power into his palm and waved it over the beads. The beads gleamed brightly and grew larger and larger, finally becoming a pile of jewelry—plum blossom bracelets, jade hairpins, and other glittering gold valuables lay in a sparkling pile on the floor.

     Mo Ran: “…We’re fellow disciples of the same sect. Let’s not make things difficult for each other.”

     Xue Meng grimaced. “Mo Weiyu, you have no sense of shame.”

     “Hehe.”

     Xue Meng shouted, “No one is laughing with you!”

     Mo Ran sighed and said, “It’s not like I can just cry.”

     Xue Meng’s face darkened. “Is this how you use Sisheng Peak’s concealing technique?”

     “Well, you have to apply what you learn—”

     Xue Meng was furious again. “That salt merchant dog was bothersome, so I didn’t question you properly in front of him, but that dog was right about one thing—if you violate the mandates against envy and debauchery, you’d be disciplined severely regardless of the sect!”

     Mo Ran grinned, not afraid at all. “What are you going to do about it? Wait for Uncle to come back and tattle on me?”

     He wasn’t afraid. His uncle spoiled him to death. He would only scold Mo Ran with a few stern words at most. He’d never have the heart to beat him.

     Xue Meng turned around and brushed away his disheveled hair that was blown into his eyes by the night wind. His eyes gleamed with bravado in the dark night. “Dad? No, Dad went to Kunlun and won’t be back for a month or two.”

     Mo Ran’s smile froze, and he suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

     He thought of a certain person.

     But… if he were here, he would have been the one to receive Chang-gongzi in Loyalty Hall tonight, not Madam Wang, who was completely ignorant of these matters.

     That person… shouldn’t be here…

     Seeing the flicker of fear in his eyes, the scornful pride in Xue Meng’s eyes only intensified. “Dad spoils you, but at Sisheng Peak, isn’t there still someone who doesn’t dote on you?”

     Mo Ran slowly backed up a few steps and forced a smile. “Dear brother, it’s already so late. Let’s not disturb our elder’s peace and quiet. I know I was wrong, and I won’t visit a prostitute or steal again. Isn’t that enough? Go back to your room and rest, haha. You look so tired.”

     As he finished speaking, he quickly made a run for it.

     You've got to be kidding! Xue Meng is way too ruthless!

     Now that he was no longer Taxian-Jun, emperor of the mortal realm, how could he risk falling into that person’s hands? If that man knew he had stolen and met with a prostitute, he would probably immediately break his legs! If he didn’t run now, he wouldn’t get another chance!