"Madam, please hear me out!" Su Mo spoke up.

Yang Qingyun folded her arms beneath her chest and looked at him with an amused smile.

"Oh?"

"Then please explain."

Her tone sounded gentle.

Which somehow made Su Mo even more nervous.

"I’m honestly very curious." She slowly continued, "What possible reason could you have for visiting my daughter so late at night?"

"Not just once, either, but several times."

Every sentence landed accurately.

Like tiny invisible knives stabbing him.

"And there were even occasions where you stayed in her room from evening until the next morning." Yang Qingyun sighed dramatically. "Sneaking out at dawn like some suspicious thief."

Then her gaze shifted toward Yang Qingxi nearby.

"And my daughter..." Her expression became increasingly complicated. "I still can’t understand how she became shameless enough to do dirty talk at the breakfast table."

"???"

Yang Qingxi froze completely.

What the heck was her mother even talking about now?!

Meanwhile, Su Mo instantly understood everything.

[I see.]

His expression became subtle.

[Those blabbermouth maids and butlers definitely misunderstood things, added their own strange imagination, then reported all the nonsense to her.]

[And now this misunderstanding exploded into this family meeting.]

Su Mo immediately decided inwardly:

[I need to clarify this properly.]

Unfortunately, before he could speak, Yang Qingxi suddenly interrupted hurriedly.

"Why are you here, Mom?"

Her tone came out suspiciously fast. Almost as if she were afraid someone might continue talking.

Yang Qingyun immediately pouted.

"Don’t sound so cold." She sat back down gracefully. "I just wanted to check on my daughter after being away for so long."

"But weren’t you abroad with Dad?" Yang Qingxi frowned slightly.

"Mm."

Yang Qingyun nodded casually.

"But then I heard some interesting things from your brother. So I had to return early."

As she spoke, her meaningful gaze drifted between Su Mo and Yang Qingxi repeatedly.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

"YANG ZHEN!"

Yang Qingxi uttered the name through gritted teeth.

Her beautiful face instantly turned cold.

At this moment, Yang Zhen’s future already looked tragic.

If he appeared before her anytime soon, he was definitely getting beaten.

Meanwhile, Yang Qingyun merely smiled calmly while enjoying her daughter’s reaction. She felt no guilt about selling out her son.

Then, her gaze gradually returned toward Su Mo again.

"Well then, Qingxi."

Her lips curved slightly upward.

"Why don’t you explain your relationship with this young man?"

She intentionally emphasised the next words.

"Your so-called bodyguard."

Yang Qingxi’s expression stiffened slightly. She actually looked somewhat embarrassed.

However, unlike earlier teasing, Yang Qingyun’s gaze had already subtly changed.

Although her tone remained warm and casual, hidden vigilance clearly existed beneath it.

This was no longer simple joking.

She was seriously probing them.

"Where exactly did he come from?" Yang Qingyun asked calmly.

"Why is there absolutely no information about him?"

"Everything I investigated..." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Turned out to be fake records fabricated by you."

Silence briefly filled the hall.

Li Mei quietly hugged her knees while nervously watching the atmosphere.

Even she could tell that things had suddenly become serious.

Meanwhile, Yang Qingxi glanced toward Su Mo. Then sighed inwardly.

Looks like there was no avoiding it anymore.

As for Su Mo, he honestly didn’t understand why Miss Yang tried so hard earlier to hide these things from her mother.

From his perspective, revealing cultivation matters earlier would actually benefit them.

After all, Yang Qingyun clearly had connections with the supernatural world. She probably knew many things that they weren’t aware of.

He had many questions for which he wanted answers. Now, this was a good opportunity.

After thinking briefly, Su Mo finally made his decision.

He glanced toward Yang Qingxi.

She hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding slightly with another helpless sigh.

Seeing her agreement, Su Mo immediately straightened his posture.

Then, he lightly coughed once.

"Actually, Madam..."

"There’s a reason why you couldn’t investigate my background."

Yang Qingyun folded her arms again.

"I’m listening."

Her eyes calmly watched him.

Meanwhile, Su Mo instantly switched modes.

His expression gradually became profound.

It was reminiscent. Almost lonely.

Like some hidden expert carrying countless stories behind him.

"Since childhood..." Su Mo slowly began speaking in a heavy emotional tone, "I lived with my master deep within the mountains."

Yang Qingxi’s lips twitched immediately.

This again?

Wasn’t this literally the exact same excuse he told Zhang Xulin before?

This shameless, lazy man didn’t even bother changing the script.

Meanwhile, Su Mo continued seriously.

"Every single day..."

"I endured harsh training to gain his knowledge and skills."

"For that, I experienced unimaginable suffering."

His expression became increasingly dramatic.

Yang Qingxi silently stared at him.

If she didn’t already know the truth, even she might’ve almost believed this nonsense... again.

"Only after completing all my master’s trials..." Su Mo sighed deeply while looking toward the ceiling at forty-five degrees, "... was I finally permitted to enter secular society."

His tone carried endless emotion.

Then he slowly lowered his gaze.

"I..."

He placed one hand against his chest.

"Am Su Mo."

"Just an unknown cultivator."

The moment those words ended, his body slowly rose into the air.

Yang Qingyun’s calm expression instantly shattered.

"...?!"

Her beautiful eyes widened visibly.

Even Li Mei opened her mouth in shock. ’Uncle Brother is so cool.’

Su Mo calmly floated a few meters above the ground while maintaining a mysterious expression.

At this moment, he truly resembled some hidden immortal expert revealing his identity.

Meanwhile, inside his heart:

[Hehe.]

[My Oscar-level acting must have definitely shocked her.]

Yang Qingyun was indeed surprised, but it was only for a moment.

"A cultivator? I see... but your story sounds familiar. Like those novels I used to read."

Now it was Su Mo’s turn to start sweating. [Damn, why didn’t Miss Yang ever mention that her mother might be an avid reader of web novels?]

[I hope she doesn’t get suspicious.]

While he prayed in his mind.

Yang Qingyun questioned in a confused tone.

"Why would you, a cultivator working under my daughter? I don’t believe her charm is enough to attract a cultivator’s attention."

Suddenly, her gaze became dangerous.

"Or perhaps..."

She held her locket in her hand and stared at him with vigilance. Speaking word by word in a cold tone.

"... It’s not about her, your real target... is the Shen family...?"