After hearing Ming Qi's words, Xiao Lingyun didn't continue to dwell on him. She stood up, stepped back, and put on her clothes one by one.
Ming Qi calmly put away the small mirror on the table and said, "But you still have to answer a few questions for me, otherwise I won't be able to find that peerless master."
Ming Qi was already starting to tease her.
"Okay, ask me."
By now, Xiao Lingyun felt that she had no secrets left in front of this person. She immediately put aside her last bit of apprehension and prepared to speak frankly.
"What's that first place spot? Don't say you don't know."
Ming Qi's focus at this moment was naturally on that spot. He had a feeling that there was something else behind it.
"I don't know much about the spot."
The blush on Xiao Lingyun's face faded, and she had returned to composure.
"I only know that if I get a spot, I can enter a secret place and receive endless benefits."
"A secret place?"
Ming Qi pondered. If the Biyou Sect truly possessed such a secret place, then his earlier speculation about the Biyou Sect's rise to power wouldn't be impossible. Endless benefits? For cultivators, endless benefits would simply mean elixirs, magical treasures, and the like. With elixirs and magical treasures, the Biyou Sect's overall combat effectiveness would skyrocket. If it could rival the Seven Great Prefectures, the Biyou Sect would naturally not be content to remain a third-rate sect, a vassal of one of the Seven Prefectures.
"It's an ancient site, said to have been left behind by a Martial Saint."
Martial Saint!
Ming Qi was shocked. Could there really be a Martial Saint site within the Biyou Sect's control?
Martial Saint? Not only in the Seven Great Prefectures, but even within Xiongfeng City, the governor of Xilan Province, there couldn't possibly be a Martial Saint-level powerhouse. A Martial Saint, that was already a figure that many cultivators looked up to.
There are nine levels of the Acquired Realm, ten levels of the Innate Realm, and a Martial King in between.
Ming Qi took a deep breath and stopped asking. There was no need. Xiao Lingyun couldn't possibly know much about the Martial Saint Ruins.
So, as the champion of the Golden Autumn Festival, a spot at the Martial Saint Ruins was well-deserved.
"Well, have you reached the Innate Realm?"
Ming Qi then asked Xiao Lingyun a personal question.
"Are you testing me?"
Xiao Lingyun chuckled, but then gave Ming Qi a positive answer.
"Yes, I have reached the Innate Realm. I sealed my strength so I could get that spot."
Ming Qi nodded, indicating his understanding.
After all, the allure of the Martial Saint Ruins was incomparable to elixirs and magical artifacts, especially those produced by third-rate sects like the Biyou Sect.
While the Biyou Sect's Tianyuan Pills were indeed remarkable, they paled in comparison to the miraculous elixirs that might be found within the Martial Saint Ruins.
"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you. Come back to me after the Golden Autumn Festival."
Ming Qi wasn't one to hold onto a grudge. After learning some information, he dismissed Xiao Lingyun.
"Well, I hope you won't break your promise."
Xiao Lingyun's bright eyes flickered as she glanced at Ming Qi several times before leaving.
Closing the door with her hands behind her back, Xiao Lingyun's previously composed demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by tears that quickly flowed from her eyes.
Yes, at that moment, this incredibly proud woman finally felt a sense of collapse.
In the past, she had always been accustomed to manipulating men at her will, accustomed to being high and mighty, to being flattered and admired. While those men, believing they were receiving endless benefits, indulged themselves on her, little did they know they were actually feeding her, and she would only relentlessly absorb whatever she desired.
All she wanted—yes, all she wanted—was power.
So she chose this path, and for a time, she was proud of her success.
Even a genius like Zong Weiyi unconditionally bowed down before her. What an honor!
But today, she had been completely defeated, defeated by an unknown boy whose strength was even lower than hers, completely and utterly utterly defeated.
In that room, more than once, she had wanted to instantly kill the demonic-looking boy. She hated him, a hatred she could never utter. She hated him for knowing her secret, for torturing her with such despicable means, for the way he looked at her.
In short, Xiao Lingyun hated everything about Ming Qi at that moment.
The hatred she had harbored towards Tianqiyuan seemed to have completely dissipated at that moment, all the blame now directed solely at Ming Qi.
But Xiao Lingyun's emotions were deeply complex, for this was the first time someone had remained indifferent when he had displayed the most alluring and perfect qualities of a woman.
Yes, she had cast aside her pride and shame, standing before him without reservation.
But he remained unmoved.
"Are you stone? Haha, or is it because of my physical changes?"
Xiao Lingyun walked along, tears sometimes streaming down her face, and sometimes the urge to laugh.
She even felt a sense of failure, unable to even seduce a penniless boy.
Seduction, enticement, teasing?
Suddenly, Xiao Lingyun inexplicably hated these words. The act she had once been so proud of suddenly seemed despicable.
"Is she really just a beautiful slut?"
It was late at night, the entire outer gate of the Biyou Sect hushed in silence, but Xiao Lingyun's heart remained restless. She didn't even know how she'd made it back to the Qionghua Courtyard, to her room. She was lost, and all she wanted was to fall into a deep sleep, forgetting everything.
"I've already talked to your sister. It's best if you don't interfere in this matter."
Just as Xiao Lingyun returned to the Qionghua Courtyard, Ming Qi's room was visited by another uninvited guest.
Xiao Longzhen, Xiao Lingyun's brother, an elite member of the Biyou Sect's inner gate, and the master of the Prosperous Palace.
"Then tell me, my sister cried all the way home. How do I explain this?"
Cry?
Ming Qi was stunned, then gave a helpless smile and said, "That might not be a bad thing for her."
Xiao Lingyun cried, something Ming Qi hadn't expected. However, in Ming Qi's opinion, this woman wasn't beyond redemption. At least, she could still cry.
"Don't be so ignorant!" Xiao Longzhen's true colors were now completely exposed, a completely different person from his gentle and polite demeanor during the day.
"I've prepared many ways for you to die. Do you want to hear them first?"
Since there were no outsiders around, Xiao Longzhen didn't need to pretend. He spoke directly and frankly.
"Xiao Lingyun is lucky to have a brother like you who cares about her, but if you don't want your sister to hate you forever, it's best not to have any murderous thoughts."
Ming Qi also saw that although Xiao Longzhen was hateful, his concern for Xiao Lingyun was genuine.
"Alright, let's end this conversation. There's no point in talking any more. Go back."
Ming Qi immediately ordered him to leave.
"You!"
Xiao Longzhen's face was filled with anger, and he stretched out his right hand, almost stabbing Ming Qi in the face.
"I'm warning you, if anything happens to my sister, you'll die a miserable death!"
"I still want to live a few more years."
Bang!
The sound of Xiao Longzhen slamming the door shut echoed. Apparently, he'd realized he couldn't get any valuable information from Ming Qi, so he simply left.
Finally, I can sleep peacefully!
Ming Qi sighed, locked the door, and turned around, almost bumping into Meng Ling, who had appeared behind him out of nowhere.
"Oh my god! Meng Ling, please don't scare me, okay?"
Ming Qi's face was a picture of pain. Although he'd nearly bumped into Meng Ling's chest, the thought of the shocking, bloody skeleton that had once been there instantly erased the allure.
Besides, Meng Ling's all-red hue was quite frightening at night, and even Ming Qi, a seasoned warrior, was still taken aback.
"Have you seen enough?"
Meng Ling asked abruptly, taking a few steps back.
"What do you mean you've seen enough?"
Ming Qi rubbed his chin awkwardly. Hmm, this situation really did resemble the time when our old Master Qisha visited a brothel.
"A woman's body."
Meng Ling was straightforward and hit the nail on the head.
"Uh..."
Ming Qi swaggered back to the table, picked up his teacup and took a swig of water. He calmed down and said, "Enough. That thing is so weird, it's like a shemale."
Isn't it?
She really is a shemale, just in appearance.
"Hey, let me tell you, will the Realm of Time you gave me actually work? It's my lifeline."
Ming Qi pulled the small mirror from his sleeve and tapped it. Immediately, the image of Xiao Lingyun slowly undressing appeared perfectly on the mirror.
The charming face and flirtatious behavior were all captured.
"Haven't you seen enough?"
Meng Ling spoke again, her voice becoming a little colder.
Ming Qi glanced sideways and immediately saw a terrifying glint of ferocity flashing in Meng Ling's blood-red eyes.
"Enough, sleep."
Ming Qi swiftly placed the mirror into the ring and swiftly rolled over onto the bed.
Meng Ling was about to lose her temper, and Ming Qi, naturally unable to resist, decided to sleep away.
"I'm hungry."
Meng Ling suddenly spoke.
"Okay, let's go to the Valley of Despair and kill snakes!"
Ming Qi was even more agile, scrambling to open the door.
If you want to be close, be close to your own people. Ming Qi understood this principle perfectly well. The people of Tianqi Academy were his own, and Meng Ling was even more so.
Meng Ling was hungry, so it went without saying she was going to suck blood. While the thought was terrifying, Ming Qi, knowing her all, naturally wasn't surprised.
"Alright, go to sleep. We'll go tomorrow."
Meng Ling's voice softened. She ignored Ming Qi and transformed into a guqin.