CHAPTER 125: 125: SHROUDED IN SUSPICION

This old man with a white beard sure knows how to cry—snot and tears all over, claiming he has a 100-year-old mother at home and a newborn baby. He doesn’t want to do such things, but he was forced into it. If he doesn’t comply, others would threaten his family.

Mu Qiuniang: "..."

Do I look dumb and easily fooled?

"The incident during the day—was it your doing?" Mu Qiuniang asked.

"Yes, yes, yes, it was my doing!" The white-bearded man dared not evade her question and quickly admitted, "This has nothing to do with my elder brother; it was me who took action. We received a job targeting Jiang Nuo, but we didn’t expect Jiang Nuo to be lucky—he descended quickly and avoided disaster before anything could happen. Then another person ascended, and that’s when trouble began... Immortal, I swear this little one isn’t a friend of the great Jiang Nuo and your immortal self. Otherwise, even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare lay a finger on a friend of the Immortal!"

"Immortal, I beg you, spare my second brother. He didn’t mean it; he was just following orders and had no other choice." The tall, skinny man followed the white-bearded man’s lead and continued pleading, "We promise never to cross you again. Please, Immortal, let us go. We will cooperate fully and disclose everything—no deception, no hesitation..."

At this moment, the two were grateful they knew about the deal the third brother had accepted. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to explain themselves.

It’s no surprise that the third brother got into trouble. That woman looks like she has no cultivation whatsoever, but an expert knows their skill at first glance. Judging by how thoroughly she crushed them, she must be at the Enlightenment Stage at the very least. As for them—pathetic Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.

Cultivation has many levels. It’s said that in the era several thousand years ago, when cultivation masters roamed everywhere, there were at least 12 stages: Foundation Establishment, Enlightenment, Fusion, Heart Movement, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Nascent Soul Expansion, Divine Separation, Integration, Dongxu, Mahayana, and Crossing Tribulation.

Hundreds of years ago, something went wrong, and those great cultivators vanished from Earth. The spiritual energy thinned, leaving only a few Hidden Sects and scattered Loose Cultivators struggling in desperation, dreaming of Ascension.

Nowadays, most cultivators remain stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage. A minority make it to Enlightenment, while those at the Fusion Stage are worshiped as legends. As for achieving Golden Core or Nascent Soul? It’s like chasing a dream; no one has succeeded in a hundred years.

The young woman before them looked no older than twenty—a stark contrast. She had already completed Foundation Establishment and reached the Enlightenment Stage. She must either be exceptionally gifted or backed by a powerful sect providing resources. Otherwise, how could she be so young and reach such heights?

Then again, there are rumors from the golden age of cultivation about ancient beings who, upon reaching advanced levels, could rejuvenate themselves, gaining eternal youth. They’d appear as nothing more than young lads and girls.

But alas, those are simply myths.

Nowadays, any accomplished cultivator tends to be an aging old man or woman—resilient elders who age slower, shine brighter, and wield better techniques than average people. Certainly, they never considered Mu Qiuniang might really be one of those legendary "rejuvenated monsters."

Having captured one just recently, and now dealing with two more trying to mess with her husband, Mu Qiuniang certainly wouldn’t let them off the hook. She interrogated them about their names, affiliations, the mastermind behind the mission, and the purpose.

"This little one is named Hunchback Luo. This is my elder brother, Xiao Zonglu. We’re both Loose Cultivators with no sect or backers. With limited aptitude, the major sects look down on us, and cultivation resources are horribly expensive. So we have no choice but to accept odd jobs from normal folks to earn extra money to buy cultivation resources..." That part was truthful.

"Immortal, I wouldn’t dare deceive you. Someone hired us to take Jiang Nuo’s life, saying he was obstructing their plans and had to be eliminated." That’s what they had heard. Since the third brother arranged the deal, they weren’t privy to all the details.

"You mean the person from a few days ago? No, no, no, we have no connection to him. It’s just the two of us—truly, only the two of us..." They denied any ties to their third brother to diminish the wrath of the Immortal.

...

"Immortal, we’ve told you everything. Can you let us go now?" The two humbled themselves, groveling before Mu Qiuniang, expecting mercy. "We can leave you our phone numbers. Should you ever require anything, anytime, just call. We’ll do whatever you command—climb mountains, brave fire, anything—and we won’t even whimper..."

Ha! Spare them so they can come back and bite her later? Do they truly think she’s some green novice? Mu Qiuniang sneered inwardly.

She had learned her lesson from the time her misplaced kindness nearly endangered the people she cared about. Never again would she act with undue mercy. Her creed was simple: cut the weeds to the root, lest the spring wind revives them anew.

Mu Qiuniang’s personality was a paradox—on one hand, kindhearted and inclined to save lives; on the other, cold and ruthless, decisive in action without hesitation.

The Divine Pen drew a stroke in the air, conjuring a massive golden net. It enveloped the two Taoists and the phantom beasts—entirely vanishing in an instant.

Throughout the process, not a single scream was uttered.

Perhaps the two couldn’t even comprehend how, after all the talking, the Immortal suddenly struck without warning, erasing them without leaving a trace.

If not for the presence of someone behind her, Mu Qiuniang would actually prefer to feed them to the Divine Pen—it’d speed up the pen’s growth. Unfortunately, worrying that such a brutal scene might haunt her husband’s dreams, she decided against it.

Afterward, she cleverly sealed Mu Nan’s and Lu Mingchen’s memories.

-

-

Why was he asleep?

Jiang Nuo rubbed his temple, still slightly bewildered. He vaguely remembered having an exceptionally vivid and thrilling dream the previous night.

Had he dreamt of his wife displaying incredible prowess, chastising two Taoists?

Wait—was that a dream?

Jiang Nuo abruptly sat up, discovering his wife was no longer beside him.

He got out of bed and found Mu Qiuniang lounging on the living room sofa, casually eating fruit and watching TV. On screen was a rerun of the show they had appeared on together—"Honey, Let’s Get Married."

"Honey, I think I had a dream last night..." Jiang Nuo plopped down beside her, pulling her into his arms. The surreal feelings from last night made him cling to her, affirming she was truly his.

"Hmm."

"I dreamt of you wielding a pen, creating all sorts of bizarre creatures, defeating two Taoists... Honey, was that real?" It felt so vivid yet so outlandish; Jiang Nuo struggled to reconcile such fantastical scenes with reality.

Was his wife merely someone with minor supernatural abilities? Or was she like the legendary Divine Pen Ma Liang, capable of bringing drawings to life?