No—
The moves she used, the techniques she displayed, and even her martial arts method were all passed down through the Mo family. There wasn’t a hint of anything else mixed in.
If that were the case, there could be only one explanation: the Mo family’s eldest daughter possessed greater martial talent than him.
This was something the Fourth Nangong Young Master found hard to accept.
He’d rather believe she had encountered some stroke of fortune—some reclusive master giving her pointers!
After all, no one likes to admit defeat when it comes to talent. Especially not the Fourth Nangong Young Master!
But sometimes, reality doesn't care whether you're ready to face it. In fact, the more you try to avoid it, the more it slaps you in the face. And the Fourth Nangong Young Master was about to get slapped.
“Knock your block off!”
The Eldest Lady of Mo Family seized her chance the moment Fourth Nangong Young Master lost focus. Her slender hand slipped right past his defenses and—
Wham!
She thumped him hard on the head!
“AHH! I’ll kill you!!”
Fourth Nangong Young Master was utterly enraged. He was now beyond the point of reason.
“Scarlet Flame Divine Art…”
“Fourth Brother, stop!”
Just as he was about to unleash a special martial technique, a voice interrupted him. A figure flashed forward and appeared between him and the Eldest Lady of Mo Family—a stunning young girl, evenly matched in beauty and grace. Like the Eldest Lady of Mo Family, she had slender, elegant hands, and with one smooth motion, she pinned Fourth Nangong Young Master down.
From that move alone, it was clear that this young woman’s strength far surpassed Fourth Nangong Young Master’s—and even Eldest Lady of Mo Family's. And yet, she was about the same age as the two of them.
Fourth Nangong Young Master didn’t resist—not because he couldn’t, but because he dared not. The girl in front of him was the one person he feared the most.
She was the eldest daughter of the Nangong family. Also a "Eldest Lady," but unlike Eldest Lady of Mo Family, she came adorned with many shining halos—halos that made her far more dazzling.
This Nangong's Eldest Lady wasn’t just the most talented martial prodigy in the Nangong family’s new generation—she was also one of the most famous young talents in all of Qingyun City, and even across the entire Tianfeng Kingdom.
“Big Sis! Let go! I want to kill that damn woman!!” Fourth Nangong Young Master shouted angrily.
“Nonsense! She's the Mo family's eldest daughter. If you kill her, do you want to start a war between our families? And do you not understand that using the Scarlet Flame Divine Art in your current state will severely damage you? Is venting your anger worth that price?” the girl scolded, her tone harsh, but laced with sisterly concern.
The Scarlet Flame Divine Art was a fire-element martial technique—a closely guarded Nangong family secret. It could significantly boost one's attack power in a short time, with the effect scaling with the user’s mastery. But its side effects also increased accordingly. If used beyond one's limits, not even the most profound cultivation could prevent disastrous consequences.
Right now, Fourth Nangong Young Master hasn't yet fully grasped the technique. Using it with his current strength would certainly lead to serious side effects. It was an ultimate move reserved for desperate times.
He had clearly lost his head in anger, resorting to such a reckless act without thinking.
The Nangong's Eldest Lady seemed well-composed. This conflict might be ending here.
So thought Xiaoyao, who had stopped cheering. At this point, nearly everyone had stopped moving and was now watching the scene between the Nangong siblings.
Most onlookers, like Ye Lang, probably thought the Nangong's Eldest Lady seemed polite and wouldn’t escalate the situation.
But they didn’t know her.
This matter wasn’t over—not by a long shot. Because this eldest daughter of the Nangong family was someone who treated her family’s honor as sacred. No one could insult the Nangong family. On top of that, she was fiercely protective of her kin.
However, she preferred to use "legitimate" means. At least, methods that others would see as reasonable. She was an extremely clever woman.
“Miss Mo Yu, while my brother may have been reckless, I won’t allow anyone to bully him. You clearly had the power to defeat him, but you chose to humiliate him instead. That, I cannot accept! I’m here to demand an explanation on his behalf.”
The Nangong's Eldest Lady’s words put her on the moral high ground. By contrast, Mo's Eldest Lady to be in the wrong. Most people in this situation would explain themselves or try to argue their way back to a neutral position.
But not this Mo's Eldest Lady.
She simply said:
“Fight if you want—what’s with all the yapping?!”
"..."
This Mo family eldest daughter didn’t care whether she was right or wrong. In her mind, they were already in a brawl. What was there to justify?
If she wanted to stand on the side of logic and reason, she wouldn’t be standing here in the first place!
Our young lady really is the more lovable one... Xiaoyao smiled. He wasn’t surprised—he knew their young lady too well.
She had a fiery temper, loved drinking and picking fights, and acted more like a boy than a girl. Today’s drama all started because she came here for a drink and happened to run into someone she didn’t like—so, of course, a fight broke out. Still, she was refreshingly straightforward.
Of course, Xiaoyao’s understanding didn’t mean that Mo's Eldest Lady necessarily knew him—or even recognized him...
“I don’t want people saying I bullied you. Your strength is far beneath mine!!” the Nangong's Eldest Lady said haughtily.
Her tone irritated the Mo family crowd, but they had to admit she had the strength to back it up. Their own young lady was clearly still some distance away from her level.
In this world’s ranking system, the Nangong's Eldest Lady had already reached the General-level, while the Mo's Eldest Lady had just advanced from Human-level to Scholar-level. Not only were they separated by an entire rank, but even within the same rank, someone at the peak could be vastly stronger than someone who had just entered.
And a teenage General-level cultivator was rare, even in this world. Her reputation as a prodigy was well-earned.
“It’s just one rank. Granny here will catch up eventually.” Eldest Lady of Mo Family said carelessly, clearly not bothered by the gap.
But when that time came, would her opponent be standing still?
In terms of talent, Mo's Eldest Lady was decent, but she still fell short of the Nangong's Eldest Lady. And the Mo family’s martial foundation wasn’t very strong. It would be nearly impossible for her to catch up unless she had a great stroke of luck, or entered a powerful sect or academy—and made up for her lack of talent through sheer hard work.
However, judging by her personality, Mo's Eldest Lady didn’t seem like someone who’d join such powerful institutions. She preferred to rule her own little corner of the world.
“We’ll see about that later. For now, I’ll give you a chance. Three rounds of duels—one person per round. If you win two out of three, it’s your victory.” the Nangong's Eldest Lady declared calmly, ignoring the Mo's Eldest Lady’s bluster.
Three duels. One of them would be fought by the Nangong's Eldest Lady herself—a guaranteed win. With the Mo family’s overall strength, they would struggle to win any of the other two rounds. They might have a chance in a chaotic group fight, but in one-on-one matches, they didn’t stand a chance.
“Heh, as if I don’t know what you’re planning... But I’m not afraid of you!” Mo's Eldest Lady wasn’t stupid. She immediately caught on to her opponent’s strategy.
“I only want fewer people to get hurt. Group fights are messy and dangerous.” the Nangong's Eldest Lady said with a soft smile.
“Enough talk! Hurry up and step out! I want you to fight the first round!!” Mo's Eldest Lady pointed at her impatiently.
“Fine. Let me start, then—I’ll give you a clean loss!” The Nangong's Eldest Lady stepped into the center, calm and confident.
“Good! Now let me find someone to fight you...” Mo's Eldest Lady grinned slyly. There was a glint of scheming in that smile.
“...What do you mean?” The Nangong's Eldest Lady paused, sensing something was off. Was she being played? By this seemingly brash and brainless Mo's Eldest Lady?
In her impression, the Mo's Eldest Lady was a rude, reckless troublemaker—never one to think things through.
“What do I mean? You’re up for the first round. I’m just looking for someone to fight you...” Mo's Eldest Lady said with an innocent smile.
“You just now...” The Nangong's Eldest Lady frowned.
“I just said you’d be fighting. I never said I’d be the one fighting you.” Mo's Eldest Lady replied coolly, not even bothering to enjoy her successful trickery.
“......”
“Let me go find the worst fighter we’ve got… Hey, who do you all think is the worst?”
At that moment, Xiaoyao’s opinion of their young lady rose once again. She clearly wasn’t as simple as she appeared.
Clever move—abandon the guaranteed loss, and go all-in on the other two matches. With her strength, there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the Nangong group who could defeat her.
That meant they might actually have a shot at winning the whole match—even if winning wouldn’t bring them any real benefits…
As for the candidate, just pick anyone—you guys go ahead, I’ll just cheer from the sidelines… Huh? Wait a minute, why are you all looking at me like that?
Xiaoyao was standing off to the side, taking the role of an uninvolved observer, when he suddenly realized that everyone’s gaze seemed to be focused on him. What the hell was this supposed to mean? Don’t tell me—
You all think I’m the weakest one here?!
(End of Chapter)