"Which family’s young lady is so pretty?"

An unpleasing voice suddenly entered, bringing with it a flirtatious tone that made Shang Zisu uncomfortable.

Mu Qingge looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of people pushing through the crowd towards them. She raised an eyebrow subtly and stood in front of Shang Zisu without a noticeable change in expression, shielding her behind her.

This subtle gesture brought a layer of warmth to the usually cold gaze of Shang Zisu.

"Oh! This young man is quite good-looking too! Tsk tsk, what a waste for such a face to be on a man." The group pushed forward, and when they saw Mu Qingge’s face clearly, their eyes lit up. The man who had spoken earlier eyed Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu lasciviously.

While he was unrestrainedly inspecting Mu Qingge, Mu Qingge was also observing him.

The three who came were dressed identically, with a golden ’Refining’ character embroidered on their chests. Their arrogant demeanor caused the surrounding passersby to shy away in fear.

With a flicker in her eyes, Mu Qingge said, "Ah, so they are disciples of the Refining Tower."

Refining Tower?

The name was somewhat unfamiliar to Shang Zisu. She raised her eyes to look at Mu Qingge’s back, recalling carefully in her mind, and remembered that on the Linchuan Continent, there were two towers: the Medicine Tower and the Refining Tower.

’Could these be the disciples of the Refining Tower, which is as famous as the Medicine Tower?’ Shang Zisu pondered in her heart.

"Oh ho! The kid has some knowledge, he even knows where we come from." The leading man puffed up his chest even more after being recognized at a glance by Mu Qingge.

Mu Qingge’s eyes narrowed slightly, her mouth holding a faint, cold smile.

The onlooking citizens could sense the cold aura emanating from her, but the three from the Refining Tower either didn’t notice or didn’t care and were even more arrogant: "Since you know where we come from, it saves us the hassle. Let the beauty behind you come with us."

"Where to?" Mu Qingge’s eyes squinted into a thin line, her tone playful.

The leading man revealed a lecherous smile, his behavior frivolous: "You don’t need to worry about where. If I weren’t not into men, I’d want you to come along too." He even reached out a finger, attempting to hook Mu Qingge’s chin.

Seeing this, the look in Shang Zisu’s eyes turned cold, and a green light appeared in her hand.

However, before she could act, the Refining Tower man suddenly withdrew his hand in pain with an ’Ow!’

She looked over, shocked, and saw the man bending over, tightly clutching the hand he had extended, with a puddle of blood already dripping on the ground.

The man’s face paled with pain, sweating profusely, and he looked at Mu Qingge with venomous eyes.

Mu Qingge, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, her finger lightly brushing over the finger cover on her index finger, her expression cold as she looked at the three from the Refining Tower.

"How dare you injure me!" the injured man growled viciously.

The two behind him, one hurriedly staunching his blood, the other drawing a weapon to point at Mu Qingge, eyes full of wariness.

’Too fast! Too fast! Just now, they didn’t even see clearly what happened before hearing their senior brother’s wail.’

Mu Qingge’s gaze was cold as ice, her voice as cold as she said, "Scram. If there’s a next time, I’ll chop off your paw."

The implication of her words was that she had already shown mercy. Otherwise, instead of a cut hand, he would have lost the whole hand.

It wasn’t that Mu Qingge was afraid of trouble; had this happened elsewhere, she would have killed the person who dared flirt with her. However, since she was in Rong Country for a crucial matter, she didn’t want to create unnecessary complications, so she only gave a slight warning without using heavy hands.

"You!" Mu Qingge’s threat made the man’s face turn dark, his eyes filled with nothing but malice.

"Senior brother," the one who had been on guard against Mu Qingge tugged at his senior brother, whispering, "This person has some skills. Since you’re injured now, let’s leave and treat your injury first. Once we find out where he’s from, we won’t be late for revenge!"

The words of his junior brother, along with the pain from his hand, which made his entire arm tremble, cooled him off a bit.

He glared at Mu Qingge, eyes full of murder, and said in a cold voice, "Hmph, you just wait." With these harsh words, the three of them squeezed out of the crowd in embarrassment, quickly disappearing from Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu’s sight.

After they had gone far, Shang Zisu looked at Mu Qingge with some concern and asked, "Did I cause trouble?"

Mu Qingge turned to face her, shaking her head slowly, "They’re not much trouble, there’s no need to worry, senior sister. Let’s go, we should find an inn to rest."

They were on the main street of Yue City, lined with shops and inns.

Mu Qingge casually looked around and spotted an inn sign not far away.

From the outside, the inn seemed decent. Not too luxurious, but not too shabby either, possessing a bit of elegance.

"Let’s stay there," Mu Qingge pointed towards the inn and said to Shang Zisu.

Shang Zisu naturally didn’t have any objections and followed Mu Qingge towards the inn.

The waiter at the inn had witnessed the confrontation between Mu Qingge and the Refining Tower disciples moments ago, and upon seeing them approaching, hurriedly called the shopkeeper.

"Guests, are you looking to stay?" The shopkeeper, hastily called over by the waiter, greeted Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu with polite smiles as they entered.

The waiter had briefly informed him of the earlier incident.

He understood why the waiter did so.

"Shopkeeper, two upper rooms." Mu Qingge directly tossed a gold ingot onto the counter.

Seeing the gold, the waiter couldn’t help but swallow greedily. Even the plump shopkeeper blinked, momentarily stunned.

Mu Qingge’s generous spending made them hesitate about their previous decision.

The waiter discreetly tugged at the shopkeeper’s clothing from behind, bringing him back to his senses. He tore his eyes away from the gold, smiled at Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu, and said, "To be honest, our inn has run out of upper rooms. Please look elsewhere."

After a moment of struggle, the shopkeeper chose to prioritize his life over money.

"No rooms?" Mu Qingge’s lips curled with amusement as she glanced around the area. The inn’s lobby had only one table of guests, not at all resembling a fully booked house.

"Yes... yes..." The shopkeeper nodded with a forced smile.

Mu Qingge chuckled coldly, picked up the gold from the table, and turned to leave.

Shang Zisu followed closely behind, remarking, "The shopkeeper lied."

"I know," Mu Qingge replied calmly.

"But why..." Shang Zisu was somewhat puzzled.

Mu Qingge glanced back at the waiter and shopkeeper discreetly wiping sweat from their foreheads, and explained to Shang Zisu, "Yue City is very close to the Refining Tower, just like the relationship between the Medicine Tower Branch and Sangzhi City. The people here naturally have a mix of respect and fear for the Refining Tower disciples. After our clash with them, they wouldn’t dare let us stay, fearing they might offend the Refining Tower and get into trouble."

Listening closely, Shang Zisu softly commented, "So, it seems that one of those three must hold a significant position."

Mu Qingge nodded in agreement.

However, so what? Was she supposed to endure their insults just because of their significant identities, or send Shang Zisu with them with a smile?

Of course not; since that was the case, what was there to worry about?

Having given them a warning, if they were foolish enough to come back again, she would simply kill them.

A sharp gleam flickered in Mu Qingge’s eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.

"Mu Junior Brother, I didn’t expect you to be so well-versed in the Linchuan Continent Chronicles, knowing that Yue City is near the Refining Tower," Shang Zisu said, admiringly.

Though she’d also read the Linchuan Continent Chronicles, she only skimmed through the parts about distant places. She didn’t have Mu Qingge’s thorough understanding.

Mu Qingge smiled, offering no further explanation.

Since she intended to handle matters in Rong Country, it was only natural to do her homework.

Moreover, since her rebirth, she had frequently read the Linchuan Continent Chronicles to thoroughly understand the differences between this world and her original one.

"Let’s find some food first, then stay somewhere a bit farther," Mu Qingge suggested.

Shang Zisu nodded.

Walking side by side, they didn’t travel far and soon found a nearby eatery.

Upon seeing them enter, the waiter, who was preparing to greet them, showed a bitter expression and looked towards the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper, understanding the waiter’s dilemma, approached Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu politely, "Are you here for...?"

"We’re just here for a meal; those three shouldn’t come back so soon," Mu Qingge said straightforwardly.

With her words, the shopkeeper hesitated to chase them away. With a sigh, he instructed the waiter, "Take the two guests to the elegant room upstairs."

"Yes, shopkeeper," obeying the order, the waiter returned to normal and led Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu to the second-floor elegant room.

"What would you like to eat?" the waiter asked, ready to list the dishes.

Mu Qingge interrupted him by placing a gold ingot on the table.

The waiter’s eyes were fixed on the gold, swallowing involuntarily. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Just bring four or five specialty dishes," Mu Qingge said.

The waiter smiled awkwardly, "Four or five dishes don’t cost this much."

Mu Qingge shook her head, "This money isn’t for the food; it’s for you."

"For me?" the waiter looked at Mu Qingge in confusion.

Mu Qingge nodded, "I just want to ask a few questions."

The waiter hesitated but ultimately succumbed to the temptation of gold and said, "Whatever you want to ask, if I know, I certainly won’t hide it."

Mu Qingge smiled, "My question is simple. Did you see the conflict we had with the Refining Tower disciples just now?"

The waiter’s face stiffened but nodded.

"Do you know those three?" Mu Qingge’s smile widened.

The waiter felt a chill down his spine.

"Who are these three that everyone fears them?" Mu Qingge asked her final question.

Once the waiter answered, he could take the gold from the table.

The waiter swallowed and said quietly, "These three are disciples of the Refining Tower. The other two don’t matter, but the leader is the favored disciple of an elder in the Refining Tower. Rumor has it that the elder is very protective, eccentric, only cares about refining and his beloved disciple. Can’t stand him suffering any grievance." As he spoke, the waiter seemed to open up and leaned closer, "You don’t know, last time Ding Mao took a liking to a girl from a small city family, insisting on taking her as a concubine. That girl was spirited, refused to give in. During the struggle, she accidentally scratched Ding Mao’s hand with her hairpin."

The waiter’s face suddenly changed, eyes filled with fear, "Actually, the girl’s capabilities were far from enough to harm Ding Mao. The pin only left a faint red mark on his arm. Yet Ding Mao humiliated the girl to death. And not stopping there, he went back and showed his wound to his protective mentor, who directly emerged from the Refining Tower and massacred the entire family of nearly a hundred people overnight."

The waiter’s face turned extremely pale, as if recalling the scene, his voice trembling, "You two didn’t witness it, corpses filled the courtyard, bloodstained the ground, the stench filled the whole street. Worse still, he hung the master’s severed head at the door to warn others against provoking his disciple."

Having said everything, the waiter’s legs weakened, unable to stand steadily.

"They’re so ruthless!" Shang Zisu frowned deeply, the chill around her intensifying.

From her icy eyes, Mu Qingge easily observed a layer of anger.

The waiter wiped the sweat from his forehead, composed himself, and said to Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu, "I see you’re from out of town, so best leave quickly after your meal. Otherwise, when Ding Mao returns, it’ll be trouble." With that, he quickly snatched the gold from the table and left.

The action caused the anger in Shang Zisu’s eyes to dissipate. She smiled, charming like thawing ice. "So scared and yet remembers to take the gold."

Mu Qingge chuckled, "It’s just human nature."

With the smile fading, Shang Zisu’s brows furrowed slightly, "If what the waiter said is true, we should avoid their edge."

Mu Qingge, however, said nonchalantly, "We don’t seek trouble, but if trouble finds us, we won’t run."

Seeing his determination, Shang Zisu said no more.

The cruelty of the master and disciple indeed angered her.

Moreover, in her view, they could at least bring up the Medicine Tower’s name. The Medicine Tower is as renowned as the Refining Tower, surely requiring some respect. However, she didn’t know that Mu Qingge didn’t intend to reveal his connection to the Medicine Tower.

The influence of Rong Country is more complex compared to other nations.

Within Rong Country, besides the Refining Tower, there’s also the Myriad Beasts Sect that can tame Spirit Beasts, with Heavenly Communication Masters able to control them in battle.

Her presence from the Medicine Tower in Rong Country could arouse suspicion from these two major forces, causing unnecessary complications.

...

Their dishes were served promptly, soon filling the table with five dishes and a soup.

However, neither was a big eater; after satisfying their hunger, it seemed the dishes were barely touched.

After the meal, they settled the bill and left.

The waiter and shopkeeper bent almost to the ground, bidding them farewell.

Then, the two strolled around the city for a while before finding an inn on another street to stay.

Two adjacent rooms, convenient for mutual care.

Mu Qingge sat cross-legged on the bed, silently calculating the distance from Yue City to the Refining Tower.

Between Yue City and the Refining Tower is the Flame Forest. The Refining Tower is actually within it. The Flame Forest can’t be fully called a forest, as only the side facing the Holy Yuan Empire has trees. The side belonging to Rong Country is filled with red gravel and strange stone formations.

Therefore, half of the Flame Forest is woodland, and half is stone forest, or it can be called the Gobi.

That Ding Mao, after being injured, needs time to heal, then return to the Refining Tower to find his protective mentor. Coming and going, it’s estimated that he’ll come to trouble them only after dawn.

’At least Shang Zisu can get a good sleep,’ Mu Qingge thought inwardly.

After departing from the Medicine Tower Headquarters, Mu Qingge used special means to notify Mo Yang. After resting for two days, she would meet Shang Zisu at the Ghost Sea and only then venture into the Endless Swamp alone to find the Mixed Element Heavenly Extreme Flame.

Si Mo told her that the Mixed Element Heavenly Extreme Flame is within the Endless Swamp. She never doubted this.

When did she start trusting Si Mo so much? Every time Mu Qingge thought about this, she would frown in discomfort.

Si Mo’s suggestion, she heeded reluctantly, sent a message to Gu Ya saying she had no such intention. But, could that powerful man truly retreat?

At this thought, Mu Qingge felt a bit irritable.

In this agitation, Mu Qingge found herself unable to sleep.

She walked to the window and opened it, seemingly seeking the cool night breeze to clear her mind.

However, upon opening it, she unexpectedly saw several shadows sneaking close along the wall.

Mu Qingge’s clear eyes narrowed, hiding her body in the shadows, silently watching the figures...

"Quiet! Don’t alert anyone!"

"Rest assured, senior brother. We’ve arranged with the inn, no one will come."

"Are you sure they’re staying here?"

"No mistake!"

"Great! I want to teach that boy a lesson! And that icy girl..." Amidst his words came several lecherous laughs.

Their conversation was faint, but Mu Qingge heard every word clearly.

’Really underestimated you,’ Mu Qingge sneered, her eyes cold as she watched them. She had thought Ding Mao would return to the Refining Tower for his mentor. She hadn’t expected his audacity to return.

’Looks like the lesson I gave you earlier wasn’t enough!’ Mu Qingge thought.

Several shadows indeed had queried thoroughly before acting, accurately reaching Shang Zisu’s window in the dark. One took out a tube.

He aimed the bamboo tube at the window seam but was stopped by Ding Mao.

In a lowered voice, Ding Mao asked, "Are you sure this thing works? I see these two are cultivators; ordinary drugs might be useless against them."

The individual replied confidently, "Rest assured, senior brother, this drug is potent. Unless the girl inside reaches Purple Realm, whether she’s icy or fiery, she’ll transform into an unrestrained woman under its effect!"

Finished speaking, he let out a few vulgar laughs.

His assurance ignited Ding Mao’s eyes, eagerly demanding, "Hurry up and blow!"

The person aimed the bamboo tube at the gap in the window again, just about to blow out the medicine powder inside, but the door of the room was suddenly kicked open. Shang Zisu stood at the door in white clothes, like a goddess under the moon, coldly glaring at those who harbored ill intentions towards her.

The few saw their plan exposed and immediately stood up but didn’t panic upon seeing Shang Zisu.

Ding Mao stepped out, tore off the covering on his face, revealing his frivolous face. His left hand still bore bandaging marks; it seemed he had just casually wrapped it at some clinic before coming back to stir trouble.

Shang Zisu pressed her lips tightly with anger flickering in her eyes.

Evidently, she had heard the conversation outside her window, which is why she appeared with rage.

"The young lady hasn’t slept yet? Are you waiting for me? How is your little lover willing to leave such a beautiful woman alone in the room? Maybe he is incapable?" Ding Mao finished speaking, and his men laughed in sync.

"Disgusting!" Shang Zisu uttered coldly with icy words.

Ding Mao shrugged indifferently and continued, "That guy is all show, why not follow me instead? I’ll make you feel heavenly every day and night, and you’ll forget that pretty boy in no time."

"Outrageous!" Shang Zisu had never been teased like this and instantly felt both shame and anger. She wished she could slay these few before her!

Suddenly, the neighboring room opened, and Mu Qingge similarly dressed came out.

Her red attire seemed particularly enchanting under the moonlight.

Shang Zisu seemed to find her pillar of strength upon seeing her, joy flickering in her eyes.

"Oh, the pretty boy is awake too." Ding Mao’s tone turned cold upon seeing Mu Qingge come out.

His hand’s injury seemed to ache more due to Mu Qingge’s appearance, reminding him of the humiliation experienced during the day!

"You all really love courting death." Mu Qingge spoke coldly.

Ding Mao’s face darkened with hatred towards Mu Qingge, saying, "Don’t be smug, brat! Do you think you can escape? Let me tell you, tonight I’ll sleep with your woman right in front of you, then sever your tendons and toss you into a brothel, letting those fond of male beauty ravage you at will!"

The venomous words made Shang Zisu’s face colder.

However, upon hearing Ding Mao call her Mu Qingge’s woman, she couldn’t help but feel her cheeks flush.

"Foul mouth!" Shang Zisu said coldly.

Mu Qingge seemed unaffected by his words, and after he finished, she nonchalantly said, "Where’s your confidence coming from?"

"Confidence?" Ding Mao sneered and suddenly raised his hand.

It was then that Shang Zisu and Mu Qingge saw him holding an uncorked porcelain bottle.

A cloud of ghostly blue smoke began to rise slowly.

Ding Mao snarled with a grin: "Do you know what this is? We took an antidote before coming, now you must feel powerless." He added some disdain in his expression.

Mu Qingge’s gaze swept lightly over the bottle in his hand, she spoke, "Musk smoke, inhaling it renders one powerless, spiritual power drains away. Typically, the effect lasts three hours. Unfortunately, this bottle is impure and can only achieve half of its potency. Are you really boasting about such poor-quality poison?"

Using poison against Medicine Tower people, how ignorant!

This musk smoke was useless against both Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu. When Medicine Tower disciples travel, who wouldn’t carry some anti-poison items?

Mu Qingge’s words chilled Ding Mao’s heart.

An ominous feeling rushed over him. Unwilling to believe Mu Qingge, he looked at Shang Zisu. The musk smoke should have been effective.

Unexpectedly, Shang Zisu remained coldly standing there, looking icy.

Mu Qingge’s face also carried a mocking expression.

Among Ding Mao’s men surrounding him, one of them hesitated saying, "Senior brother, they knew and recognized the musk smoke, seems it’s useless against them!"

Ding Mao hardened his heart, throwing the bottle towards Mu Qingge angrily, "If the poison fails, we’ll fight! I don’t believe they can defeat four of us!"

The bottle filled with musk smoke hadn’t hit Mu Qingge when it shattered before her eyes, dispersing the ghostly blue smoke invisibly.

Behind the bottle, Ding Mao’s attack arrived.

He held a thin sword, thrusting it at Mu Qingge’s brow.

The other three immediately charged towards Shang Zisu.

Shang Zisu’s gaze sharpened, green spiritual power emanating from her.

While the three released their spiritual power, all were mid-Green Realm. Though all were in the Green Realm, facing three was challenging for Shang Zisu.

Ding Mao attacking Mu Qingge also radiated a deep azure light.

Clearly, he had reached the late Green Realm.

He seemed confident in his strike, with a sinister grin on his lips.

As the sharp tip of his thin sword was about to pierce Mu Qingge’s brow, she remained motionless, seemingly stunned by Ding Mao’s fierce attack in his eyes.

Suddenly, Mu Qingge moved, her finger lightly flicked his sword, breaking Ding Mao’s sword momentum.

A giant force flowed back through the thin sword, numbing Ding Mao’s wrist, his entire arm felt like it snapped, painful beyond words.

He cried out, the thin sword fell to the ground, stepping back several paces.

"High-rank spiritual tool." Mu Qingge retracted her hand, spoke calmly.

The brief exchange already informed her of the level of Ding Mao’s thin sword.

Weapons are categorized as weapons, spiritual tools, treasure tools, divine artifacts. Above them are even higher ranks, but in Linchuan, divine artifacts are already at the peak.

On this continent, weapons are most common, spiritual tools follow, treasure and divine artifacts are extremely rare.

For an ordinary disciple’s weapon to reach spiritual tool level is already difficult, those who have spiritual tool high-rank weapons, aside from the Refining Tower, only her Dragon Tooth Guards.

Mengmeng once said, without a refining bloodline, no matter how gifted, at most could forge a treasure tool.

From Ding Mao’s weapon, Mu Qingge discerned two points.

One, was the wealth of the Refining Tower.

Two, Ding Mao’s master indeed favored him greatly!

Left without a sword, Ding Mao endured the pain in his right arm, retrieved something from his clothes with his left hand, and threw it at Mu Qingge.

That thing resembled a round metal ball, and once thrown, it quickly spread out into countless finlike flying needles, descending upon Mu Qingge from all sides.

Mu Qingge’s eyes flickered with interest, her hand swung, the finlike flying needles immediately reversed direction, not only flying back towards Ding Mao but also towards the three attacking Shang Zisu.

These three mainly aimed to restrain Shang Zisu without harming her. Otherwise, Shang Zisu couldn’t endure till now.

Flying needles showered down like rain, the four’s expressions changed, dodging awkwardly.

Clearly, they realized the power of these flying needles.

Shang Zisu seized the chance, getting to Mu Qingge’s side.

Mu Qingge glanced at her indifferently, asking, "Why not use poison?"

Shang Zisu was momentarily stunned by her question.

Mu Qingge added, "Poison is also one of our means."

Just one sentence enlightened Shang Zisu.

Mu Qingge then focused on the fallen flying needles, speaking lowly, "Never thought someone here could create such elaborate hidden weapons."

Among the four, two failed to dodge, struck by flying needles.

The fin-like flying needles easily pierced through their spiritual energy protection, entering their bodies.

Then, seeing these two painfully writhing on the ground, the tiny flying needles seemed to bring them endless suffering.

"This hidden weapon has such power?" Shang Zisu exclaimed in shock, staring at the two people on the ground clutching their heads and rolling in agony.

Ding Mao climbed up awkwardly, not sparing a glance at the two writhing in pain, his gaze dark and cold as he looked at Mu Qingge and Shang Zisu. "This flying needle is my master’s prized work. Once it enters the body, it follows the meridians, destroying them and entering the brain. I didn’t expect you to evade it!"

"So vicious!" Shang Zisu shivered inside from what she heard.

Being a cultivator herself, she naturally understood the pain of damaged meridians.

What frightened her more was Ding Mao. His junior brother was accidentally injured by his hidden weapon and was in such agony, yet he remained indifferent.

He seemed completely unconcerned about his junior brother’s injuries, only frustrated that Mu Qingge was unharmed.

"They are in great pain," Shang Zisu commented, frowning.

She wasn’t sure why she said that.

However, after she spoke, Ding Mao suddenly sneered, "Feeling sorry for them, beautiful? Fine, let me end their pain for you."

With that, two green lights shot from his hand, piercing the brows of the two on the ground, instantly taking their lives.

This extremely cold scene made Shang Zisu’s face change, her gaze at Ding Mao becoming full of caution.

Yet the person beside Ding Mao seemed accustomed to his actions, showing no opposition or fear at all.

"I have many such hidden weapons. You evaded once; do you think you can evade a second and third time?" Ding Mao sneered, pulling out a metal ball from his bosom.

Mu Qingge shook her head slowly, as if mocking his ignorance.

With a flick of her hand, an object appeared, its shape strange and lacking any sharpness.

To Ding Mao, it was unfamiliar, but to Mu Qingge, it was very familiar. It was a handgun she refined based on the principles of a modified grenade gun.

The bullet within comes from the power of a transformed beast core.

Holding the gun, Mu Qingge pointed its dark barrel at Ding Mao, her finger already on the trigger.

Shang Zisu’s eyes widened, watching Mu Qingge’s actions, unable to understand.

Ding Mao and his junior brother frowned, having no idea what Mu Qingge held in her hand.

"Wonder if you’ll still have the chance to throw that hidden weapon," Mu Qingge said with a dangerous smirk, swinging the gun.

Ding Mao’s eyes grew fierce, "You dare look down on me!" Angered by Mu Qingge, he forgot that she had never shown her spiritual power cultivation from start to finish.

Ding Mao raised his hand, preparing to throw the metal ball.

Bam—!

A gunshot rang out, startling Shang Zisu and stunning Ding Mao and his companion.

Ding Mao felt a sharp pain in his wrist, unable to hold the metal ball, letting it fall to the ground.

He looked up, finding a finger-sized bloody hole in his wrist, and blood continuously oozing out.

’What’s going on!’ Ding Mao was utterly shocked inside.

The person next to him was even more shocked. He only saw the strange object move and make a noise, then his senior brother was hurt.

The speed turned his face pale.

He thought that if the bloody hole was not on his senior brother’s wrist but his own forehead, he would likely be a cold corpse.

"You! What is that?!" Ding Mao, clutching his bleeding wrist, asked in horror.

Holding the gun, Mu Qingge stepped closer to him, her expression cold as she said, "You said you wanted to cripple my tendons just now?"

Ding Mao drew a cold breath, his lips tightly pressed, not daring to speak.

The strange object in the opponent’s hand was enough to shut him up. He didn’t want the next bloody hole to appear in his mouth.

Wise people adapt to circumstances; he understood this truth!

Suddenly, Ding Mao’s knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground.

Seeing this, the person behind him immediately followed suit, kneeling down.

"I had eyes but failed to see! Spare me, sir! I promise never to appear in front of you again. Please, let me go!" Ding Mao pleaded.

He didn’t want to die, nor could he.

If he survived the night, he had his ways of revenge!

"Do you think I would believe you?" Mu Qingge said with an amused smile, pointing the gun at Ding Mao again, this time aiming at his forehead.

With the gun pointed at him, Ding Mao’s heart inexplicably tightened, a chill spreading throughout his body.

Suddenly, the area between his legs became wet and muddy, and a stench of urine slowly spread.

Seeing this, Shang Zisu frowned slightly and turned aside.

But Ding Mao was oblivious, his lips trembling as he begged Mu Qingge, "I... I won’t lie to you... Please trust me just this once... If I deceive you and come looking for trouble again, you can blow my head with that thing!"

He spoke with great certainty, his tone sincere.

"But you disturbed my sleep," Mu Qingge said, tilting her head slightly, hesitating.

Ding Mao immediately grabbed the thin sword beside him, stabbing himself a few times, creating bloody holes that soon bled profusely, soaking his black clothes.

His body was covered in wounds, and without timely treatment, he would surely bleed to death. Yet before Mu Qingge, he dared not use spiritual power to stop the bleeding.

In no time, Ding Mao was turned into a bloody mess, the smell of blood wafting through the air, making Shang Zisu wrinkle her brow in discomfort.

"Is... is that enough..." Ding Mao looked up, pitifully toward Mu Qingge.

Mu Qingge looked at him for a long while, then smiled playfully, pressing the gun’s barrel against his forehead, softly saying, "Remember what you said, if it happens again, you’ll become a headless corpse. Of course, before you die, I’ll make sure you enjoy the cost of breaking your promise. Go."

As Mu Qingge lowered the gun, Ding Mao and his companion supported each other, fleeing in panic.

"Wait." Mu Qingge suddenly called, startling the two, freezing them in place.

Mu Qingge pointed at the two corpses on the ground and said, "Take them away too, so they don’t pollute my place."

Ding Mao and the other quickly dragged the bodies out of the inn.

Throughout the entire event, no one appeared in the inn. It was unclear if Ding Mao intimidated them or drugged them unconscious, but it did save Mu Qingge some trouble.

After they left, Shang Zisu approached Mu Qingge, looking down at the gun in her hand, not asking much but only saying, "His words are not trustworthy."

Mu Qingge nodded.

She naturally knew Ding Mao’s words could not be trusted.

However, if she killed Ding Mao, it would inevitably draw in his protective master. By then, the situation would escalate, potentially impacting her plans.

Mu Qingge was a person with strong purpose; once she made a plan, she would go all out to complete it.

This time, her goal is the Mixed Element Heavenly Extreme Flame, so everything else is not important. Letting Ding Mao go didn’t mean trusting he wouldn’t return for trouble but to avoid escalation. Ding Mao was brainless; she hoped some sensible people in the Refining Tower would stop his foolishness.

Mu Qingge could predict that Ding Mao would surely return to the Refining Tower, wounded, to inform his master of everything. From Ding Mao’s words, his master should realize she was not easy to deal with.

But, if he’s still obstinate, she won’t mind confronting the Refining Tower.

Mu Qingge’s eyes turned cold.

"Junior brother, we might as well leave overnight." After thinking for a moment, Shang Zisu suggested to Mu Qingge.

Leaving overnight? It was indeed a way to avoid trouble.

Mu Qingge calculated the agreed time with Mo Yang and said to Shang Zisu, "Let’s rest well tonight and talk about everything tomorrow."