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She had been in a daze and couldn't remember whether she had torn off the ring and lost it while struggling with Wen Huaifeng in the forest. Remembering that the ring belonged to Qi Mo's mother, who had solemnly instructed her to take good care of it, she felt a pang of guilt and murmured, "I'm sorry, that ring..."

Seeing Qi Mo's cold and stern expression, she knew he was angry, and her heart grew even more uneasy. The words she was about to say stuck in her throat, and she didn't know how to explain to him.

Just then, Xie Feng's voice rang out from outside the door: "Boss, there's news."

Qi Mo raised his eyebrows, hummed in agreement, and sat up. Yun Ran, remembering that she and he were in bed together naked, quickly buried her face in the blanket, feeling both ashamed and anxious, afraid that Xie Feng would suddenly barge in.

Fortunately, Xie Feng said, "Shen Ye asked me to bring you some spare clothes. I'll wait outside."

Qi Mo got out of bed, opened the door, took his clothes from the threshold and changed himself. He then walked to the bedside, lifted the quilt, and saw Yun Ran with a faint blush on her cheeks, looking at him timidly. He couldn't help but soften, pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and whispered, "I'm going out to see Xie Feng. You can come back after you've changed your clothes."

After Qi Mo left the room, Yun Ran got up, changed her clothes, tidied herself up quickly, and then pushed open the door to go out.

Xie Feng and Qi Mo were seen talking in hushed tones not far away, their faces grim. When they saw Yun Ran walk out, they stopped talking and turned to look at her.

Yun Ran lowered her eyelashes and approached the two of them. Xie Feng did not make any jokes as usual. His tone was unusually serious. He nodded slightly to her and greeted her, "Miss Yun."

Yun Ran blushed slightly. Qi Mo had already taken her hand and said, "Let's go take a look."

Yun Ran asked, "Where to?"

Qi Mo frowned and said in a deep voice, "Find A Luo."

A shadow of sadness crossed Xie Feng's eyes as he handed her a longsword. Yun Ran took it, then he turned and vanished into the darkness. Qi Mo tightened his grip on her hand, and the two of them immediately moved in pursuit of Xie Feng.

Author's Note: Waaah, poor Qiqi, her carefully watered vegetable patch got stolen! *pats on the face*

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Cough, is this a lame joke?

One day, Sima and Qiqi met. Qiqi, her gossipy nature piqued, tugged at Sima's sleeve and whispered with a laugh, "Um, actually, what exactly are you...?"

Sima waved his hand to stop Qi Qi from speaking, and replied in a deep voice, "Enough, I know what you want to ask... It's always you."

Qi Qi was startled, stood there for a moment, his face flushed, and then he fled.

Wen Huaifeng hurriedly left the mansion and was met by a beautiful figure standing quietly in front of him. Yun Ran's brows furrowed with malice as she coldly asked, "So, do you actually have...?"

Wen Huaifeng smiled faintly, shook his head, and whispered two words: "Qi Mo".

Yun Ran was startled and said in a daze, "It's him."

As the author passed by, he seized the opportunity to lean in and ask mysteriously, "Ranran, what exactly are you...?"

Yun Ran looked at her with a hint of reproach, pulled someone out from behind her, clasped her hands tightly with this person, intertwined her fingers, and bit her lip, saying, "It's Wanwan."

They exchanged a smile and left hand in hand.

The author was devastated. Turning to Huo Qingfeng, he stopped him with his last glimmer of hope, gazing at him with deep affection for a long time: "Um, OP, actually, do you...?"

Huo Qingfeng was taken aback, looked down, frowned, and stammered, "Actually, I come from the palace, that... really, I don't..."

The author looked up and saw a flock of crows flying overhead. Tears welled in his eyes, but before he could react, Huo Qingfeng drew his sword and held it to his neck. Huo Qingfeng: "Those who know this secret cannot live in this world, and the author is no exception!"

☆、56 Latest Chapter

The three of them ran south for several miles and arrived at an ancient temple. Yun Ran recognized it as the famous Baique Temple in the vicinity. She was startled to see several people lying in the grass and shadows in front of the temple. Then, one of the people peeked out from behind the shadows and made a gesture to Xie Feng. It was Shen Ye.

Xie Feng turned his head and said, "A Luo has already entered the temple, and they are all inside."

Qi Mo's expression was cold and stern as he said in a deep voice, "Let's go in and take a look." The three of them floated into the temple. There were no monks inside, but men in black, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, patrolled back and forth from time to time. Xie Feng seemed to know the situation in the temple very well. He led the way, guiding Qi and Yun silently past the guards, and they slipped to the outside of a meditation room. He nodded to Qi Mo and then found a secluded spot to keep watch for the two of them.

Qi Mo gently pulled Yun Ran, and the two quietly stepped forward, peering into the meditation room through the window.

A concerned voice was heard as someone asked in a deep voice, "Is your injury serious, sir? We should have pretended to leave and stayed nearby to guard the area."

Another woman's voice sneered, "Are you staying to die? There are so many of your people outside the forest, and they were all... all killed by him."

Yun Ran recognized the two voices and peeked through the crack in the window. Sure enough, she saw A Luo and the black-clad man who had ambushed her inside. A man was sitting in a wooden chair in front of them, his expression calm, his thin lips slightly pursed, and he was listening to their reply with a furrowed brow and his chin propped up on his hand. The light in the room clearly illuminated the man's face, which was none other than Wen Huaifeng.

The man in black glared at him and said, "Sir, your martial arts are unparalleled. If you hadn't been caught off guard, how could you have been ambushed by that scoundrel Qi Mo? Now that Miss A Luo has joined forces with us, why speak such sharp words?"

A'Luo coldly said, "When I agreed to join forces with you, I had already agreed on the conditions with the master. Now I have risked my life to take action twice, but the master still has not been able to subdue Yun Ran, and the Absolute Killing Sect can no longer tolerate me. How am I supposed to live?"

The man in black looked at her with a sarcastic expression and said in a sharp voice, "Alu, you seem to have forgotten that when you were captured by my Divine Crossbow Battalion at Wupen Ridge, it was the magistrate who gave you a way out. Your surrender was also your own choice. Now you come to complain and regret, which is rather inhumane."

A'Luo was furious, her face turning ashen. Wen Huaifeng smiled faintly and said, "We're all on the same side, so let's not hurt our harmony. Although we failed tonight, there's always tomorrow. We need to plan ahead and see what to do next."

The man in black said, "That woman surnamed Yun is probably already suspicious of you, sir. It will be difficult to deceive her again."

Wen Huaifeng touched the wound on his lower abdomen, frowned, and said calmly, "In that case, we can only try to capture her back first."

The man in black pondered, "Using her to blackmail Sima Liuyun might work, but if she refuses to cooperate, what will happen to the Jade Sword Sect..."

Wen Huaifeng recalled Yun Ran's delicate appearance as she wept in his arms and couldn't help but smile slightly. He said, "She wasn't completely oblivious when she was intimate with me; she just kept refusing because of the hatred for her father and brothers. If I could keep her by my side and spend time with her every day, I could persuade her to change her mind."

A'Luo stared at him and asked, "Does Your Excellency wish to keep her by your side for some ulterior motive, or have you already developed feelings for her?"

Wen Huaifeng smiled and looked at her, then slowly said, "There is no conflict between the two. Besides, after I subdue Ran'er, Qi Mo will give up his thoughts, and Miss A'luo's wish will be more easily fulfilled."

A'Luo blushed slightly, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "The master promised not to kill him after the deed is done, but only to cripple all his martial arts?"

Wen Huaifeng laughed and said, "That's for sure. Once Qi Mo loses his martial arts skills, he will no longer be a threat to me. When you rescue him, he will be grateful to you and rely on you, and he will stay with you forever."

Yun Ran overheard the two conspiring in the meditation room and realized that A Luo had already colluded with Wen Huaifeng. She glanced at Qi Mo and saw that he had turned his face away into the shadows, so she couldn't see his expression. But she guessed that he must be furious after hearing Wen Huaifeng's words. So she reached out and gently took his hand.

Qi Mo withdrew his hand, and Yun Ran was stunned. He stood up and entered the meditation room in a flash. He said with a deep smile, "I'm afraid Lord Wen's wishful thinking will not succeed."

Wen Huaifeng and the others were all taken aback when Qi Mo suddenly appeared. Yun Ran and Xie Feng followed closely behind. Wen Huaifeng's expression changed slightly. The man in black beside him had already taken out a soft whip and was lashing out at the three of them, while turning to shout at A Luo, "Why aren't you attacking!"

A Luo had been standing there dumbfounded when the man reminded her. She quickly drew her Broken Scale Sword, and in an instant, a figure flashed before her eyes. Qi Mo had already rushed in front of her. She dared not look at Qi Mo any longer, and swung the Broken Scale Sword to protect herself. She then tried to use the sword's advantage to rush out the door.

Qi Mo's eyes flashed coldly as he flicked his wrist, sending out several iron caltrops. A'Luo cried out in pain, bending over to clutch her ribs, and the Broken Scale Sword clattered to the ground. Qi Mo then moved swiftly towards Wen Huaifeng.

Seeing the situation was dire, the man in black shouted, "Guards! Assassin!" In a moment of distraction, he felt a chill creep into his chest as Xie Feng closed in, thrusting his blade towards him. In the ensuing close combat, the man's soft whip offered no advantage, forcing him to desperately parry Xie Feng's short sword with his palm. Unexpectedly, a long sword shot out from the side, its attack cunning and piercing his right chest in an instant.

Wen Huaifeng drew his Purple Thorn Soft Sword from his waist, leaned back in his chair, and exchanged several blows with Qi Mo. Still no guards arrived, and he faintly heard the sounds of clashing weapons outside the meditation room, realizing the enemy still had reinforcements. Suddenly, he heard a muffled groan from the man in black, presumably wounded by Xie Feng and Yun Ran. His wound was also throbbing with pain, making it difficult to continue. Forcing himself to stay awake, he unleashed several swift sword strikes, forcing Qi Mo back half a step, and shouted, "Wait! Do you still want Yun Ran's life?"

Qi Mo was taken aback, his hand slowed slightly, and he asked, "What did you say?"

Wen Huaifeng simply sheathed his soft sword and stopped attacking. He raised his eyebrows and said, "She has already taken two of my pills. The poison has accumulated in her body. If there is no antidote, she will not live past this time next year."

Qi Mo glanced at Yun Ran and, seeing her uncertain expression, knew that she had indeed taken Wen Huaifeng's pills. He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Where's the antidote?"

Wen Huaifeng smiled faintly and slowly reached into his robes. Qi Mo saw him raise his hand and knew something was wrong. He quickly leaped backward, only to see flashes of black light and several small hidden weapons flying towards him, Yun Ran, and Xie Feng with a hissing sound. The three of them brandished their weapons and leaped to dodge. Wen Huaifeng laughed, "Here's the antidote for you." Something flew through the air towards the corner of the room, and he seized the opportunity to dart out of the meditation room and disappear into the distance.

Qi Mo leaped to the corner of the room and looked down. He saw a porcelain bottle lying on the ground, but it was empty. Still feeling uneasy, he turned to Yun Ran and asked, "Do you feel any discomfort?"

Yun Ran shook her head. Qi Mo's mind raced, and he realized that Wen Huaifeng's words had many flaws. He thought that Wen Huaifeng was just making things up to get away, and that he had been distracted by his concern for Yun Ran, which allowed Wen Huaifeng to escape. With his worries gone, he turned his gaze to A Luo.

Xie Feng saw that A Luo was pierced by iron caltrops, and blood kept gushing from her ribs. She was in so much pain that her face turned pale, but she knelt on the ground, biting her lip and not daring to groan. He felt a little sorry for her, but he knew that she had committed a serious crime, so he could not plead for her.

At this moment, only the sound of footsteps could be heard, and Shen Ye and the others had already entered the room. Qi Mo's eyes flashed coldly as he stared at A Luo and said in a deep voice, "Was it you who released the poisonous smoke to help Wen Huaifeng escape at Shuangquan Manor that day?"

A Luo and Qi Mo's eyes met, and A Luo's face turned pale. She lowered her head and replied in a trembling voice, "Yes."

Qi Mo had known her, Xie Feng, and Shen Ye since they were young. Over the years, they had fought side by side and gone through life and death together. He had long regarded her as a younger sister. At this moment, in addition to his anger, he also felt a hidden pain in his heart. He said in a deep voice, "In front of everyone, tell me yourself, what kind of punishment should you receive for the crime of betraying your sect?"

A Luo's expression changed drastically, then she smiled bitterly and said in a low voice, "From the day I was captured by the Dragon Guard at Wupen Ridge, I knew today's outcome, but... I am still unwilling and always want to fight back... Boss, I'm sorry, you can do it."

Qi Mo said, "Okay." He turned and glanced at Xie Feng.

Xie Feng stepped forward slowly with a grim face and drew his short knife. When A Luo saw the flashing blade in front of her, she recalled the horrific scenes she had witnessed Xie Feng carrying out executions for others. Her lips and cheeks twitched uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured down her body. Suddenly, her body trembled violently, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing hoarsely.

Xie Feng's expression shifted, and he could no longer thrust his blade. He turned to look at Qi Mo and whispered, "Boss, A'Luo, she..."

Qi Mo was silent for a moment, then said, "She betrayed our sect, so her life cannot be spared no matter what."

Xie Feng licked his lips and said in a deep voice, "I understand, but I beg the chief to grant her a whole corpse, so that she won't suffer so much before she dies."

Qi Mo sighed and nodded slightly to him.

Xie Feng took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a bright red pill, and held it to A Luo's lips, whispering, "Take it quickly."

A'Luo raised her head with tears in her eyes. She knew that this "Soul-Devouring Pill" was extremely poisonous, and that anyone who took it would die instantly, losing consciousness and experiencing no pain. Without hesitation, she said to Xie Feng in a trembling voice, "Thank you," and then opened her mouth to swallow the poisonous pill.

After a long while, the meditation room fell silent, and no one uttered a sound. Qi Mo looked at A Luo's body on the ground, his heart heavy with sorrow. He calmly instructed Xie Feng, "Give her a proper burial," and then slipped out of the room. Yun Ran quickly followed him out of Baique Temple.

As dawn broke, she saw Qi Mo quicken his pace and fly forward, and couldn't help but call out, "Qi Mo."

Qi Mo paused, stopped, and turned around. Yun Ran rushed to him, and seeing his indifferent expression, unreadable, she felt a pang of unease and asked in a low voice, "Where...where are you going?"

Qi Mo lowered his eyelids slightly and said calmly, "Yes, let's go back to Baiguquan."

Seeing his reaction, Yun Ran lowered her eyelashes and bit her lip, finding it even harder to utter an explanation. After a moment of hesitation, she suddenly remembered something important and softly said, "Then be careful on your way," before silently leaving.

Qi Mo stared at her slender back for a while, unable to let go of her. Remembering that Wen Huaifeng still coveted Yun Ran, he worried that she might encounter danger on her way back. Seeing that she was in a hurry, as if she had something urgent to attend to, his curiosity was piqued, and he immediately used his lightness skill to quietly follow her.

Author's Note: ... My naming skills are getting worse and worse.

☆、57 Latest Chapter

Yun Ran was focused on getting on her way and didn't notice Qi Mo following behind. She moved lightly and nimbly, and after running for a while, she felt that her skills had improved significantly compared to before. She thought it was because of Shi Wei's guidance and her recent diligent practice.

Before long, they returned to the same forest as the previous night. Yun Ran stopped in her tracks, feeling even more remorseful for the subtle feelings she still had for Wen Huaifeng. She stared blankly at the ground for a while, then bent down and carefully examined the weeds and bushes.

After losing the black gold ring, she felt both ashamed and guilty towards Qi Mo. Although she knew that finding such a small ring in such a vast forest was like finding a needle in a haystack, she still held onto a sliver of hope and wanted to try again. Unfortunately, after searching the forest for a long time, the ring was still nowhere to be found.

Just as Yun Ran was feeling frustrated, she suddenly heard a soft sound behind her, and a deep voice asked gently, "What are you looking for?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly straightened up and turned around, only to see Qi Mo standing a few feet behind her, staring intently at her.

Yun Ran felt slightly embarrassed, composed herself, and said softly, "Why did you come along too?"

Qi Mo didn't answer, but slowly walked up to her. A hint of tenderness flashed across his handsome face as he looked down at her and asked, "What are you looking for? The ring?"

Yun Ran lowered her gaze and gave a soft "hmm". After a moment, she said softly, "Those were things left by your mother. I feel really bad about losing them."

Qi Mo saw that her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her tone was full of regret and self-blame, and she was clearly apologizing to him. However, her face was flushed and her expression was very awkward. Qi Mo's anger dissipated by most of it. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Yun Ran say in a low voice, "I didn't come home last night. I'm sure the Sima family has been alerted by now. I'd better go back first."

She turned to leave, but Qi Mo reached out and pulled her back. His eyes were cold, and he frowned, scoffing, "You want to leave so soon after I arrived? Don't you want to see me?"

Yun Ran remained silent for a long while before biting her lip and softly saying, "It's because you don't want to see me."