Chapter 246: Chapter 243: Guarding the Door

"Why?"

Liu Ruyan asked, surprised and disbelieving.

Given Mo Qi’s current status, and the importance the Mountain and Sea Empire placed on him, how could he possibly not survive a month?

Liu Hong sighed. He knew that if he didn’t give Liu Ruyan a satisfactory answer, she wouldn’t let it go.

"There’s no harm in telling you. Besides, news of this will reach the Mountain and Sea Empire soon enough."

Liu Ruyan quieted down. Liu Hong’s solemn tone made her realize the gravity of the situation.

"Ruyan, how long has it been since the two of us left home?" Liu Hong asked.

Liu Ruyan’s expression faltered. She didn’t understand why Liu Hong had suddenly asked this, but she thought for a moment before answering, "In another month, it will have been eight years."

"Eight years... You’ve grown from a little girl into a young woman!" Liu Hong let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with both relief and nostalgia.

Liu Ruyan was also moved, her mind filled with memories of everything they had been through over the past eight years.

But she still didn’t understand what this had to do with Mo Qi.

Before she could ask again, Liu Hong continued, "In a little while, people from home will be coming."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan froze on the spot.

"People from home are coming? Why? Didn’t they say that only poor and lowly mortals would ever come to a place like this? Didn’t they look down on coming here?"

Liu Ruyan’s emotions erupted like a furious little leopard. Clearly, this topic had touched a nerve.

Liu Hong had expected this reaction. "They do indeed look down on coming here," he said, "but this time, several of the Saint Ancestors from above have personally issued a decree. They demand a grand Martial Dao banquet be held across the entire continent to scout for geniuses from all regions. The Mortal District is included, so they have to come!"

Hearing Liu Hong’s explanation, Liu Ruyan calmed down slightly, but her expression remained frosty.

"A Martial Dao banquet? What kind of trouble are those bored old geezers trying to stir up now?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Liu Hong gave a bitter smile. "I don’t know either. But you must not speak of them as ’old geezers’ again. If someone with ill intentions were to overhear you, it would cause a lot of trouble."

Liu Ruyan pouted, clearly not taking his warning to heart.

Just then, a thought struck her and her face paled. "Grandpa, are you saying they’ll likely make a move against Brother Mo?"

"It’s not ’likely.’ It’s certain. Because *that* person is coming too!"

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

"The one from the Huangfu Family, Huangfu Yu?"

Liu Hong nodded, and Liu Ruyan fell silent.

’If it really is Huangfu Yu, and he sees that I’ve fallen for a mortal, he’ll definitely fly into a rage.’

’With Mo Qi’s current strength, he would be a dead man!’

"Grandpa, you have to help Brother Mo!" Liu Ruyan grabbed Liu Hong’s arm and started shaking it forcefully.

Liu Hong was shaken until he felt dizzy. "Stop, stop! I’m already helping him, aren’t I? By using the pretense of recruiting a son-in-law, I’ve temporarily placed Mo the kid on the opposite side. Given that brat Huangfu Yu’s personality, he’ll surely be too disdainful to interfere."

"However, you must be careful. During this time, you absolutely cannot go see him, much less show any intimacy. The Huangfu Family’s advance party may have already arrived. You can’t let them see anything they shouldn’t."

Liu Ruyan frowned slightly, then clenched her teeth and agreed.

Although not seeing Mo Qi would make her feel like ants were crawling all over her, it was better than being targeted by the Huangfu Family.

Seeing Liu Ruyan’s conflicted expression, Liu Hong’s heart softened. "Don’t think of it as all bad," he said. "At the very least, this Martial Dao event will be an opportunity for Mo the kid."

"That may be so, but if that happens... Brother Mo will have to suffer so much!"

"It can’t be helped. Once you step onto the path of the Martial Dao, your fate is no longer your own. Besides, he’s a man. What’s a little hardship?"

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan’s expression became resolute. She turned and left.

"Where are you going?"

"To cultivate! If Huangfu Yu dares to make a move against Brother Mo, I’ll beat him to a pulp!"

"You’re only thinking about cultivating now? Isn’t it too late?"

"It’s like sharpening your spear just before battle. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s better than nothing!"

"..."

...

After Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang learned of Nangong An’s actions from Qian Duoduo, they didn’t say a word and went straight to the Fighting Cultivation Room to stand guard at the entrance to Mo Qi’s chamber.

"Fatty, this whole thing started because of me. What are you doing here?"

Liu Hui hadn’t told Mo Qi about this. He felt it was a personal grudge between him and the Nangong Family and that Mo Qi shouldn’t be dragged into it.

Furthermore, the External Incarnation had been cultivating in the Cultivation Room recently, which made Liu Hui mistakenly believe that Mo Qi was on the verge of a breakthrough. That was all the more reason not to let anything disturb him.

"San Pang is here to help... help Brother Mo stand guard."

Jin Sanpang chuckled foolishly and added, "Dazed Dragon, don’t get the wrong idea. San Pang is definitely not here to help you."

It would have been better if he hadn’t said that last part. By adding it, wasn’t he just protesting too much?

Liu Hui was speechless, but also deeply moved.

How could he not see that Jin Sanpang was actually worried about him?

Because the two of them had been standing guard at the Cultivation Room’s entrance, they didn’t know about the imperial decree, nor did they know that Mo Qi had become the target of challenges from every young person in the Empire.

So the next day, when they saw thousands of young people clamoring for a fight with Mo Qi, both of them were completely dumbfounded.

Not only that, but as time went on, more and more people gathered at the entrance to the Cultivation Room.

’Is it really okay for Nangong An to bribe the Imperial Academy disciples so openly?’

Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang exchanged a look. They both assumed that these people had been arranged by Nangong An.

If they knew that this crowd was just a fraction of the total, and that large droves of young prodigies were currently flocking in from all corners of the Empire, one wonders what they would think.

"Fatty, let’s do it! We absolutely cannot let them disturb the Master!"

Liu Hui underwent his Dragon Transformation. His body shot up in height and became covered in pale golden scales.

Dragon Energy coiled around his body, causing his Dragon Scales to flash with a soul-stirring light. His perfect muscle definition exuded an aesthetic of explosive power.

He had absorbed a massive amount of Dragon Energy at the edge of the Dragon Vein and fused with the Bloodline Essence of a Silver-backed Earth Dragon. His Cultivation had already reached the Peak of Early-stage Purity Realm, just one step away from the Mid Stage.

"Alright!"

Jin Sanpang’s move was much simpler. He summoned two giant hammers and slammed them heavily onto the ground, blocking everyone’s path.

"The Master is cultivating and has no time to deal with you. All of you, disperse," Liu Hui announced, his voice resonating with True Essence and carrying far into the distance.

The crowd was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, are these two here to be funny? Master? Since when did we Imperial Academy disciples learn to be someone’s slave? Or do you think a petty trick like this is enough to fool us and let you get a head start?"

"Yeah, I don’t know where he learned that clumsy transformation. Does he think growing some scales and a pair of horns makes him a dragon? Don’t make me laugh myself to death."

"Look at the two of you! One is as ugly as a monster, and the other is as fat as a pig. Get lost! Even if you beat Qin Daye, Fairy Liu wouldn’t give you the time of day."

"Yeah, yeah, get lost!"