In the hall, amidst the almost stunned gazes, Xiao Yan casually pulled out a chair and sat down with a nonchalant air. Glancing at Luo Bu, whose face was pale, he idly picked at his nails and said indifferently, “Tell me, what’s been going on recently? With your character, it seems you don’t have the guts to sweep away all the forces in Stone Desert City.”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s slightly derogatory words, Luo Bu could only smile awkwardly. After a moment of silence, he said bitterly, “Indeed, I never intended to monopolize Stone Desert City. Besides, the Sand Mercenary Group doesn’t have the strength to clear out all the forces here.”
“Everything might be because of that little girl named Qing Lin from the Moe Tie Mercenary Group,” Luo Bu said, his expression somewhat regretful.
“Luo Bu, be careful what you say! Our family can help you dominate Stone Desert City, but we can also annihilate you in an instant!” Just as Luo Bu was about to reveal everything, the man leading the group beside him suddenly roared.
Hearing this, Luo Bu’s face changed slightly. After a moment, he turned angrily and snapped, “Damn it, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“Who are they?” Xiao Yan turned his head and stared at the men who were not part of the Sand Mercenary Group, asking softly.
Seeing Xiao Yan look over, the men hurriedly stepped back, their Dou Qi flowing rapidly within them, their faces filled with wariness, and their eyes darting to the ground, fearing that the eerie ice would suddenly appear from beneath their feet. Clearly, Xiao Yan’s previous demonstration had instilled a fair amount of fear in their hearts.
“They are from the Mo Family. The little girl named Qing Lin was captured by their Great Elder himself. Not long after she was taken, they contacted us, offering to lend us their people and help us dominate Stone Desert City. But the condition was that we must kill everyone from the Moe Tie Mercenary Group!” Luo Bu swept a glance at Xiao Ding and the others behind Xiao Yan and said.
“The Mo Family?” Hearing this, Xiao Ding’s face changed, and he gasped.
“Who are they?” Xiao Yan turned to look at Xiao Ding, whose expression was slightly uneasy, and asked.
“The Mo Family is one of the four major families in the northeastern provinces of the Jia Ma Empire. Although their power is not as strong as the Nalan Family, they are not to be underestimated. They have been entrenched in the northeast for a long time, practically becoming a local tyrant, and few dare to provoke them. I didn’t expect that it would be them targeting us,” Xiao Ding said, frowning deeply.
“The Mo Family! How strong are they?” Xiao Yan lightly tapped the table with his fingers and asked in a low voice.
“The strongest in the Mo Family is their Great Elder. I’ve heard his name, it should be Mo Cheng. He is quite well-known in the eastern part of the empire! He once single-handedly wiped out the notorious Black Tornado Bandit Gang in the east. That bandit gang was no small fry; they had three Great Fighters and more than a dozen Fighters. Despite their fierce nature, the empire’s several attempts to suppress them were unsuccessful, and they suffered heavy losses. That massacre truly made him famous, earning him the nickname ‘Butcher Mo’!” Xiao Ding said grimly.
“Seems like quite a ruthless person!” Xiao Yan chuckled.
“Of course, although he is just a Fighter, his strength is indeed formidable. However, what gave Mo Cheng his current status and reputation is mainly another identity of his.” At this point, Xiao Ding’s expression became somewhat strange.
“What identity?”
“That guy, when he was young, was a disciple of the Yun Lian Sect. Later, due to managing family affairs, he left the sect. But he was smart; even though he left, he still paid a large tribute to the sect every year. He would personally congratulate the high-ranking members of the sect whenever they had something to celebrate. He is extremely smooth-tongued. It’s said that when the sect master of the Yun Lian Sect was accepting disciples years ago, that guy was invited. After returning from the sect, he always boasted about it. Of course, being able to attend the sect master’s ceremony to accept disciples is indeed something to be proud of!” Though he said this, Xiao Ding still shook his head slightly, showing some disdain for Mo Cheng’s character.
“Oh, by the way! The sect master of the Yun Lian Sect has only accepted one female disciple over the years. You should know who she is!” Xiao Ding spread his hands and said.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly and smiled faintly. The female disciple, other than Nalan Yanran, could it be anyone else?
“Therefore, although that guy left the Yun Lian Sect, he not only escaped the pursuit of the sect’s law enforcement team but was even given the title of an external steward. Over the years, many strong fighters in the northeast have refrained from clashing with him, mainly because of their fear of the Yun Lian Sect behind him. Haha, after all, that is a true behemoth,” Xiao Ding sighed and laughed.
“Brat, now that you know the Yun Lian Sect is backing the Mo Family, you’d better be sensible and come with us quietly. Otherwise…” Hearing Xiao Ding’s account, one of the younger men among the group couldn’t help but show a smug expression. Judging from his practiced demeanor, this was clearly not the first time he had shown off. However, before he could finish his boast, Xiao Yan, sitting on the chair, casually waved his hand, and a layer of ice instantly spread from under his feet, enveloping him and silencing his unfinished words.
“Even if the sect master of the Yun Lian Sect were here today, it wouldn’t necessarily be enough to take you away. So, stop saying those idiotic things. Anyone who speaks will end up as an ice sculpture,” Xiao Yan said indifferently, not even glancing at the ice sculpture.
Hearing Xiao Yan’s arrogant words, the remaining four men’s faces flushed with anger, but with the ice sculpture nearby, they could only grit their teeth and remain silent.
“But these guys are really strange. They took our people and then wanted to kill us all. What’s wrong with them? Are they hiding something?” Xiao Ding frowned, muttering in confusion.
“Do you know why they want Qing Lin?” Xiao Yan looked at Luo Bu and asked.
“I don’t know!” Luo Bu cast a sidelong glance at the newly formed ice sculpture, swallowed, and shook his head embarrassedly, as if afraid Xiao Yan wouldn’t believe him. He quickly added, “I haven’t had much contact with them. Mo Ran is the highest-ranking member of the Mo Family I’ve met.”
Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on Luo Bu for a while before nodding. Pointing to the men of unknown origin, he said, “They are from the Mo Family, right?”
Luo Bu hastily nodded.
Smiling, Xiao Yan turned his gaze to the men, whose faces had become increasingly sullen, and said, “Gentlemen, tell me, what is your purpose in capturing Qing Lin?”
The man standing at the forefront, his gaze trembling as he glanced at the ice sculpture, gulped, and stammered, “We are just following orders and don’t know the details.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his finger, the eerie ice once again spread from the feet of one of the men, instantly turning him into an ice statue.
“I want to hear the truth!” Xiao Yan’s smiling face appeared terrifying to the men from the Mo Family.
“We really don’t know!” The man’s legs trembled slightly, his face pale with fear, and his voice hoarse.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s face remained indifferent, and he was about to wave his hand again when Hai Bo Dong, who was standing beside him, suddenly spoke up, “Stop asking them. They truly know nothing. The Mo Family keeps their secrets very tightly and wouldn’t divulge important information to them.”
Pausing, Xiao Yan turned to look at Hai Bo Dong and smiled, “What do you know?”
Meeting the gaze of Hai Bo Dong’s pitch-black eyes, the latter looked away after a moment and said, “I once had dealings with the Mo Family, so I know some secrets. An ancestor of the Mo Family was once an alchemist, but he wasn’t interested in traditional alchemy. Instead, he focused on studying strange and bizarre things, such as removing strong claws or bones from magic beasts and transplanting them onto humans.
“Quite twisted,” Xiao Yan said softly.
“Hehe, indeed twisted, but he had some skills. In the end, he managed to create something. Many in the Mo Family transplanted these creations, gaining increased strength, but they ended up neither human nor ghost. After studying the magic beasts, he turned his attention to some humans with unique organs. As you know, there are always some people with unusual features, and that ancestor of the Mo Family would capture them and remove those unique organs, transplanting them onto their own people, greatly increasing their power!”
At this, Hai Bo Dong’s face showed a trace of disgust, clearly indicating his distaste for such perverse practices.
“I think the little girl named Qing Lin must have something unique about her, otherwise, I can’t imagine why they would go to such lengths to capture a little girl.”
Hearing Hai Bo Dong’s words, Xiao Yan’s face turned extremely ugly. He knew full well what was different about Qing Lin. The so-called Bice Serpent Three Flower Eyes were highly praised even by the Pharmacist Elder. If the Mo Family discovered Qing Lin’s secret, their twisted nature would surely lead them to try every means to capture her.
“Damn it, so these scoundrels are after Qing Lin’s eyes!” His face darkened, and he clenched his fists. With a swift wave of his sleeve, a surge of white flame erupted, and the remaining men of the Mo Family, except for the one who had already spoken, were incinerated before they could even scream.
Watching the suddenly furious Xiao Yan, Hai Bo Dong was slightly stunned, then muttered, “It seems that little girl named Qing Lin was indeed targeted by the Mo Family for this reason.”
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