"Little Black Dragon, aren't these things delicious? Do you want to have this much delicious food every day?" Hearing Mo Mo's words, Little Black Dragon remembered that there was someone else here, so she tried to sit up, but she was already quite full and couldn't sit up right away.
Seeing the adorable little black dragon, Mo Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud, which made the little black dragon look embarrassed and angry. However, it was too full to get up and couldn't do anything about Mo Mo. Seeing that the little black dragon was about to go berserk, Mo Mo stopped laughing, shook his head, walked over and whispered, "Serves you right for being greedy. Now you can't get up, can you?" As he spoke, he bent down and reached out his hand to the little black dragon.
"If it were you who had been tortured for more than ten years, you might not be as good as me. Also, how did you end up here? That old witch Tianhai wouldn't be so kind as to send you down to bring me so much delicious food. And what did you mean by what you just said? Does that mean you'll come and bring me delicious food every day from now on?" After being pulled up by Mo Mo, the little black dragon was full of resentment, but she didn't do anything else because she realized that Mo Mo's strength was no less than Tianhai's, and he was also a master of the Saint Realm.
"Of course not." Mo Mo denied the little black dragon's statement, and the little black dragon immediately became disappointed upon hearing Mo Mo's denial.
Mo Mo naturally knew what the little black dragon was disappointed about. He didn't explain, but looked at her with a smile and said, "Although I won't bring you food every day, you can buy it yourself."
"Buy it myself? Are you out of your mind? If I could get out, would I be waiting here for you?" The little black dragon reached out and touched Mo Mo's forehead, muttering, "You don't have a fever!"
"I'm not out of my mind. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not here to bring you food, but to take you away. But once we're out, you have to stay by my side and don't wander off. Can you do that?"
The little black dragon stared blankly at Mo Mo, unable to accept the contents of Mo Mo's words. After all, Mo Mo's words were too shocking for her. "A master from the Saint Realm was actually willing to risk offending, no, definitely offending the Holy Empress Tianhai, to save her." This was something the little black dragon could not imagine. However, such a thing did happen.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 186 Green Vine Banquet
"Are you really going to rescue me? Aren't you afraid of offending that old woman Tianhai?" After the initial shock, the little black dragon thought of a very practical question: "Why should Mo Mo rescue her? They are not related, and they have never even met before."
"Of course, as for Tianhai, I have my own way of calming her anger, so you don't need to worry about that. But I'm telling you, if you run around and cause trouble after I rescue you, I'll tie you up." Mo Mo threatened fiercely, but even he himself was a little doubtful that he would actually tie up the little black dragon.
The little black dragon waved its hand, looking relaxed, and said, "Don't worry, as long as there's good food, I won't leave even if you try to drive me away. I'll definitely behave."
Mo Mo was relieved only after receiving the little black dragon's assurance. He already had enough of a headache with Xu Yourong, whom he had led astray, and Mo Yu, who had been led astray by Xu Yourong. Now, with the addition of Luo Luo and Bai Luo Heng, who were always stirring up trouble, and if a little black dragon were added to the mix, Mo Mo was really worried that the Great Zhou might be ruined by them.
"That's good. Stick out your feet, no, stick out your claws."
Upon hearing Mo Mo's words, the little black dragon immediately bristled and snarled, "Claws? Look carefully, I don't have claws right now. Have some sense! I'm in human form now, not dragon form. When I transform into a dragon, I have claws. When I'm in human form, I have hands and feet, just like you. Don't get them mixed up in the future!"
"I thought you'd be more used to being called that. It's good that you're used to all sorts of human habits. You won't complain about any inconveniences in the future. Alright, now stick your foot out, the one with the shackles."
Hearing Mo Mo tell her to stick out the shackled leg, the little black dragon was filled with anticipation and trepidation. She hoped that Mo Mo could really unlock her shackles and let her go, so that she could regain her freedom, but she was also afraid that Mo Mo would not be able to unlock the shackles and that her hopes would be dashed.
Just as the little black dragon was waiting for the final verdict with a mix of excitement and trepidation, Mo Mo suddenly said, "Alright, take off your shackles. I still need to make some arrangements to prevent Tianhai from becoming my mortal enemy."
Little Black Dragon: "!????"
Are you kidding me? I waited so long and this is what you show me? Although I was distracted for a moment, I saw it clearly. You just touched the lock ring. Although that old woman Tianhai is a bit hateful, she is not weak. Moreover, this is the seal of the Star Chart Array. You expect me to break it myself? If I could break it myself, would I need you to save me?
Seeing that the little black dragon was about to go berserk, Mo Mo quickly said, "I have already isolated the power of the Star Chart Array, and this lock ring is not too powerful. Without the support of the Star Chart Array, you should be able to break it off. I still need to set up an array to leave an energy source for the Star Chart Array, otherwise it will definitely not let you off easily."
"Really? You're not lying to me?" The little black dragon looked suspicious, but still slowly squatted down and grabbed the lock ring fastened to her ankle.
The expected obstruction did not materialize; instead, it was surprisingly easy. With a simple twist, the lock ring snapped in two. The sudden happiness caught the little black dragon off guard, leaving it stunned and unable to recover for a long time. Mo Mo, seeing this, simply smiled and continued setting up the formation.
He threw the spirit stones in his hand into the empty cave, occasionally inscribing Dao patterns in the void and then driving them into the ground. When the little black dragon came to his senses, his actions were nearing their end. When Mo Mo inscribed the last Dao pattern in the void, the entire cave was filled with a soft light. Two or three seconds later, the light faded, and the cave returned to its original state.
After all, it was just a formation for gathering spiritual energy, and it didn't take Mo Mo too much effort. The little black dragon finally came to its senses and jumped up from its spot, hugging Mo Mo like an octopus. Mo Mo felt the force coming from the little black dragon's arms as it hugged him and couldn't help but think to himself, "If it were Chen Changsheng instead of me being hugged right now, he probably wouldn't even have to wait for his star power to erupt before he was hugged by the little black dragon. The cause of death would be that he couldn't withstand the little black dragon's excited and enthusiastic embrace, resulting in most of his bones being comminuted fractured."
After a while, the little black dragon finally reacted. She hurriedly and somewhat flusteredly released Mo Mo and got off him. She circled around Mo Mo and carefully examined him from head to toe. To her great surprise, Mo Mo was completely unharmed. This put the little black dragon at ease. She didn't want to strangle her savior to death after just escaping her predicament; otherwise, she would become an ungrateful dragon.
Once the little black dragon stopped, Mo Mo spoke up, "Have you seen enough? I'm not as delicate as you think. If you still have anything to pack, hurry up and pack it. We should head back. This isn't a place to linger. It would be quite troublesome if we ran into Tian Hai. Besides, I have other things to do."
"You really are a monster. Although my strength is much less when I'm in human form than when I'm in dragon form, I still have tens of thousands of units of strength. You actually withstood it with your own body, and so easily. If it weren't for the fact that you don't have the aura of a dragon, I would have really thought you were a dragon in disguise." The little black dragon looked at Mo Mo as if he were a monster.
Mo Mo didn't explain anything, letting the little black dragon guess as it pleased. Seeing that Mo Mo had no intention of explaining, the little black dragon went to pack her things, somewhat dejected. Actually, the little black dragon didn't have much to pack, since all her belongings had been taken by the Holy Empress. Now, inside the cave, there were two piles of gold and silver treasures below the well called Beixinqiao.
Seeing the little black dragon looking helpless at the two piles of gold and silver treasures, Mo Mo tossed her a spatial ring so she could store them away. The little black dragon was quite excited when she received the spatial ring, because it contained a space of nearly a million cubic meters, with dimensions approaching a hundred meters in length, width, and height—far superior to her previous storage space equipment.
The little black dragon happily put away all the jewels, its eyes narrowing into crescents. "With such a big space, I can buy lots and lots of delicious food at once, and I don't have to worry about not having enough space anymore."
"All packed up? Let's go then." With that, Mo Mo flew out of the dry well above his head, and the little black dragon quickly followed him out.
Having been trapped in the icy cave for over a decade, the little black dragon was suffocating. Now that she was out of the cave, she was like a bird released from its cage, incredibly joyful. If Mo Mo hadn't been holding her back, she probably would have transformed back into her dragon form and soared through the sky. Even with Mo Mo by her side, she wasn't much better off, buying everything she saw. She only calmed down after nearly emptying an entire street and obediently followed Mo Mo back to the National Academy.
After returning to the National Academy, he introduced the little black dragon to Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng. Then he secretly instructed Qingyue to keep a close eye on them and prevent them from causing trouble. Only then did he go to prepare the reward for Chen Changsheng and the others. Chen Changsheng and the others, who had been frightened by Mo Mo earlier, were also at ease preparing for the Green Vine Banquet.
For a moment, the entire National Academy fell silent, except for the array at the entrance, which continued to rotate, eliminating one student after another who came to participate in the assessment. However, this did not reduce the number of participants; on the contrary, the number increased. Soon, students from other academies also came to participate in the assessment. All of this was because Mo Mo had set up a reward for the second stage. Although Mo Mo knew about this, he did not stop it, since he had no loss to bear, so he ignored it. This led to the situation escalating further, causing the queue outside the National Academy to become a truly long line. Now, it was not only students but also instructors.
For a time, this scene at the gate of the National Academy became a beautiful sight in the capital.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 187 Dragons are born of dragons, not phoenixes, remember that?
Today, the entire capital city is filled with an extraordinary atmosphere, as the world-renowned Green Vine Banquet is about to be held. What the entire capital city is talking about is that this year's Green Vine Banquet is destined to be different from the past. In addition to the five academies and those famous sects that participated in the past, the National Academy, which was once one of the six academies, has also made a strong comeback this year, making this year's Green Vine Banquet and the Grand Examination full of variables.
This year's Green Vine Banquet was hosted by the Prince of Chenliu. Because of Mo Mo, the National Academy wasn't relegated to a corner like in the original series, but instead given the best seats. This year's banquet was even more grand than the original, with more attendees. Saintess Peak and Lishan Sword Sect no longer sent their disciples directly, but were led by their elders. Qiushan Jun was also present. From Mo Mo's National Academy, everyone except Qingyue and the little black dragon Zhusha was there.
Qingyue was originally going to come, but when she heard that the current Holy Maiden of Saintess Peak was also attending the Green Vine Banquet, she decided not to go, to avoid any unpleasant incidents. The little black dragon simply didn't want to participate; she still hadn't finished the food she bought that day, and she was currently busy finishing it off, so she had no time to attend the Green Vine Banquet.
The Green Vine Banquet is a gathering of talented young people from all over the world. After the banquet, the Heavenly Mystery Elder will re-announce the Azure Cloud Ranking. Therefore, the Green Vine Banquet has become the best stage for these young talents to showcase their strength. As a result, each Green Vine Banquet is exceptionally lively, basically bringing together the young talents of the entire continent.
The Green Vine Banquet is held in a venue specially built for it. Although not luxurious, it is still elegant. The most eye-catching thing is that you can see a plaque as soon as you enter. The plaque reads "Green Vine Stands Alone", which means that if you want to stand out at the Green Vine Banquet, you have to show your true skills and stand out from the crowd.
The banquet was held on the second floor. Climbing the stairs next to it, you would find a spacious hall that could accommodate hundreds of people. With shouts and cheers, students from various colleges entered the hall.
Mo Mo and his group arrived relatively late, being the second to last. After they entered, the people from Saintess Peak followed closely behind. After sitting down according to the wooden signs in front of their seats, Mo Mo sensed angry gazes and turned to find that they were actually from Saintess Peak.
"Sir, why are they looking at us like that? It's like they want to eat us up," Xuan Yuanpo asked Mo Mo timidly.
"Why ask so many questions? There's so much food, isn't that enough to shut you up?" Tang Thirty-Six grabbed a piece of food and stuffed it into Xuan Yuanpo's mouth upon hearing Xuan Yuanpo's words.
“There’s nothing I can’t say, because another teacher from our National Academy, Qingyue, is the previous Holy Maiden of their Holy Maiden Peak.” Mo Mo answered Xuan Yuanpo calmly, without lowering his voice at all. The moment Mo Mo finished speaking, the entire second floor fell silent, and then everyone turned their gaze toward the direction where the Holy Maiden Peak was located.
"National Academy, don't push your luck. Our Saintess Peak will repay the humiliation you inflicted on us tenfold at this Green Vine Banquet. And that traitor Qingyue, we will never let her go."
Faced with the provocation from the disciple of Saintess Peak, Mo Mo replied without looking up, "Are you issuing a challenge to our National Academy on behalf of Saintess Peak? If so, then let's fight. If not, then get lost. Where did this brat come from? The adults haven't even spoken yet, what are you interrupting for?"
The man was so intimidated by the imposing aura in Mo Mo's words that he stammered and sat back down in his seat with a livid face. The other members of Saintess Peak also sat in their seats with livid faces, while only the current Saintess, who was in charge, remained calm and composed.
After calming the others from Saintess Peak down a bit, the Saintess stood up and bowed to Mo Mo, saying, "Mr. Mo, on behalf of all my fellow disciples, I apologize for our rash actions just now. However, I am also very concerned about Senior Sister Qingyue's recent situation. I wonder how she is doing now? Why didn't she come to the Green Vine Banquet this time?"
"Qingyue is fine. Thank you for your concern. She's currently at the National Academy taking care of her child, so she can't come." Mo Mo said calmly, completely unaware of the astonishing information contained in his words.
Everyone: "!!!"
As soon as Mo Mo spoke, the entire second floor fell into a deathly silence; you could hear a pin drop. Except for Mo Mo, everyone's face was filled with shock. After a long while, Qingyi finally came to her senses and exclaimed in shock, "Qing, Senior Sister Qingyue is pregnant? Is it yours?"
"Huh? My child with Qingyue? I'd like to, but no, that child belongs to someone else. I brought him back from somewhere else. You're all overthinking things. At such a young age, you're not learning anything good and are only thinking about doing all sorts of messy things." Mo Mo directly turned the tables and shifted the blame onto others.
Just then, Xu Yourong realized something and said, "Hey Master, that's not right. We don't have any children in the National Academy." The others in the National Academy also realized what was happening and echoed her sentiments.
"Who said that? Our National Academy clearly has a child who is only two or three years old." Mo Mo retorted directly.
Upon hearing Mo Mo's words, Chen Changsheng nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Sir, are you referring to the little black dragon cinnabar?"
Mo Mo nodded.
"No way? Little Black Dragon is only three years old. She doesn't look like it at all. She looks like she's over ten years old. How could she be only three?" Bai Luoheng didn't believe it.
Seeing that Bai Luoheng didn't believe him, Mo Mo explained to her, "The age of dragons is different from that of humans. Although Zhu Sha has lived for several hundred years, according to the age of dragons, she is only two or three years old and is still nearly a thousand years away from adulthood."
"Over a thousand years, it seems we won't have the chance to see the little black dragon grow up, unless we can cultivate to the legendary realm of divine concealment," Tang Thirty-Six exclaimed in surprise.
Just then, the Master of Ceremonies rang the bronze bell, signaling the arrival of the Prince of Chenliu, the host of the Green Vine Banquet.
The Prince of Chenliu was a young man in his early twenties, quite good-looking, with a faint smile on his face, which made him very approachable. Behind him were Mo Yu, the female official of the Emperor's decree, and Xu Weixin, the Eastern Divine General, who was also Xu Yourong's father.
It must be said that Mo Mo's punishment back then was very effective. Over the years, Xu Weixin seems to have become a completely different person. During the years he was sealed by Mo Mo, he basically stayed at home reading the Daoist Canon and cultivating his mind and body. Now he is less impetuous and more calm and composed, and he is unfazed by changes. Moreover, in the second year after the seal was lifted, he broke through his original realm and now he has one foot in the Saint Realm. It is believed that it will not be long before the world will have another master in the Saint Realm.
His wife, who is also Xu Yourong's mother, has reformed herself over the years and become a truly virtuous wife and loving mother, a graceful and noble lady. Now, he is basically in charge of the Xu family. Xu Taizai has also devoted himself to cultivation since the apprenticeship banquet years ago and no longer cares about the Xu family's affairs. With the support of Xu Yourong's elixirs, he had already become a master of the Saint Realm several years ago, but he did not announce it to outsiders.
After ascending to the second floor, Prince Chenliu bowed to Mo Mo before walking to his seat. After expressing his gratitude and exclamations, Prince Chenliu raised his wine cup, announcing the official start of the Green Vine Banquet.
After the dance ended, the Prince of Chenliu suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, there is another joyous occasion today, and since both parties involved are present, why don't I preside over this joyous event? What do you all think?"
Upon hearing Chenliu Wang's words, Mo Mo narrowed his eyes and couldn't help but smile. It seemed there was going to be a good show.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 188 The Competition Begins
Since the Prince of Chenliu had already spoken, those present naturally wouldn't object. Moreover, apart from a few people, the others didn't know what could possibly warrant the Prince of Chenliu's personal involvement, which was quite rare, considering that the Prince of Chenliu was one of the few members of the Great Zhou royal family.
Seeing that no one objected, especially seeing that Mo Mo did not object and even looked very happy, King Chenliu also became happy. This was a true dragon proposing to a phoenix, a rare and fortunate event. If it succeeded under his guidance, it would be a great achievement in his life. In the future, whenever people talked about the true dragon and the phoenix, they would always mention him as the person who presided over the proposal.
After looking around, the Prince of Chenliu asked smugly, "Who from the Lishan Sword Sect has come today?"
Upon hearing this, three people stood up from their seats at the Lishan Sword Sect. Leading them was a dignified, white-faced, beardless middle-aged man, followed closely by Qiushan Jun and Gou Hanshi. After they arrived before the King of Chenliu, the middle-aged man nodded to him. Once Qiushan Jun and Gou Hanshi had finished their greetings, the middle-aged man spoke: "I have come here today on behalf of the Lishan Sword Sect to propose marriage to General Xu of the Eastern Imperial Divine General's Mansion. I am writing to request that my unworthy disciple, Qiushan Jun, be betrothed to General Xu's daughter, Xu Yourong."
"The marriage between Lishan Sword Sect and Dongyu Divine General Mansion is naturally what everyone wants. Since it is an engagement, the proposal begins, followed by a personal ceremony and the signing of a contract. Once these formalities are completed, the marriage is considered settled. There are still three questions to ask: whether the Heavenly Emperor, the Emperor, and the parents and teachers all agree to this marriage."
After the Prince of Chenliu finished speaking, a master of ceremonies walked over and stood next to the three people from the Lishan Sword Sect who were beaming with joy, and called out, "A Question to Heaven and Earth!"
In fact, when the Lishan Sword Sect proposed marriage to the Dongyu Divine General's Mansion, Xu Yourong was about to stand up and object, but Mo Mo stopped her, indicating that she should just watch the show. Out of trust in Mo Mo, Xu Yourong was angry, but she held back and did not object. However, things progressed unusually smoothly, and they had already reached the third question. If no one objected after the third question, the marriage would be settled, which made Xu Yourong anxious.
Just as Xu Yourong was feeling anxious, the Master of Ceremonies called out the second question, "Second question for the Emperor."
After saying this, Mo Yu stood up and said, "His Majesty has granted my permission to bestow a jade ruyi as proof." As soon as Mo Yu finished speaking, a maidservant walked up with a wooden tray holding the jade ruyi.
The Emperor granted the request a second time, so the Master of Ceremonies then called out, "A third question: about parents and teachers."
As soon as the master of ceremonies finished speaking, the white-faced, beardless middle-aged man smiled and said, "This marriage was proposed by me, and my Lishan Sword Sect naturally agrees."
After the people from the Lishan Sword Sect finished speaking, Xu Weixin smiled and said, "I am very pleased with Qiushan-jun's love for my daughter, and I am also satisfied with Qiushan-jun's talent. However, although it is said that marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers, my daughter has already grown up, and she has always been very opinionated. Therefore, I cannot make the decision. Since she is here today, Qiushan-jun, why don't you ask her yourself? As long as my daughter agrees, I will not object."
Qiushan-jun nodded to Xu Weixin, then ran over to his seat at the National Academy with a joyful expression. He smiled at Xu Yourong, who was sitting at the front with Mo Mo, and said, "Yourong, did you hear that? Uncle Xu has agreed. As long as you nod, we can choose a date to get married."
Xu Yourong looked at Qiushan Jun, who was beaming with joy, her face filled with disgust, which she made no attempt to hide. She stood up to object, but just as she stood up, her eyes caught sight of Mo Mo, who was watching the show with a smile. She turned her eyes around, bent down, pulled Mo Mo up, and leaned him on her shoulder, saying with a smile, "As long as my master agrees, I agree."
As soon as Xu Yourong spoke, everyone's eyes turned to Mo Mo. Xu Yourong also gripped Mo Mo's hand tightly, and you could tell how hard she was holding on by looking at her white knuckles.
Feeling the squeezing sensation in his arm, Mo Mo sighed inwardly, "This girl is using me as a shield. If I dare to agree, I'll never have a good life. She'll definitely bite me to death. The force in my arm is a silent threat."
Mo Mo did not answer directly, but instead asked Qiu Shan Jun, "Qiu Shan Jun, do you still remember what I said to you when you left the National Academy?"
Akiyama was taken aback, not expecting Mo Mo to ask this question instead of answering directly. However, his memory was always excellent, so he replied, "This junior naturally remembers. Senior said that we young people should handle our own affairs and that the older generation should not interfere. You Rong should decide her own affairs, and you would not interfere. Am I mistaken?"
“If you remember correctly, did you succeed? And think about it carefully, you should understand You Rong’s feelings. You are a smart person, go back.” Mo Mo shook his head, sat down by himself, and ignored the dejected Qiu Shan Jun.
The fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged man, the current head of the Lishan Sword Sect and also Qiushan Jun's master, saw Qiushan Jun standing dejectedly at the National Academy after being rejected. A hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes. He quickly walked to Mo Mo, who was already seated, and said condescendingly, "The marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers. The Lishan Sword Sect and the daughter of General Xu of the Eastern Imperial Divine General's Mansion are a match made in heaven. Why should Dean Mo refuse?"
As the sect leader of the Lishan Sword Sect spoke, he unleashed his aura, which was at the peak of the Saint Realm and half-step into the Divine Concealment Realm. He then directed this aura towards the students of the National Academy, implying that a fight was about to break out at the slightest provocation.