Li Yuan suddenly rolled over, twisting her hips and pinning Chen Mo to the bed like a tigress.
With the boost from her rage, she even gained the upper hand for a moment.
"You lecher! How dare you, how dare you... I'll fight you to the death!"
Li Yuan's eyes blazed with anger as she brought her palm down.
Chen Mo grabbed her wrist and said in a low voice, "Get this straight. You were clearly caught in an illusion and wouldn't let go of me. I was only trying to bring you back to your senses."
As he said this, Chen Mo felt a little guilty.
At first, he really had been trying to wake her up. But her skin felt so good that the more he hit her, the more satisfying it got...
He'd gotten too caught up in it and lost himself.
"An illusion?"
Remembering what she'd seen in the illusion, Li Yuan's expression turned a little awkward.
"Even so, you're a man and I'm a woman. You shouldn't have hit me there..."
Chen Mo shook his head. "Flag Officer Li, you're overthinking it. I've never thought of you as a woman."
At his words, Li Yuan's eyes instantly turned cold.
"You bastard!"
She raised a hand to hit him, only to find both her hands firmly pinned.
Seeing Chen Mo's smug look, she was furious. She threw caution to the wind and sank her teeth into his shoulder!
"Hiss!"
Chen Mo sucked in a sharp breath.
What a tigress! Since when did she start biting people?
Just then, the sound of a copper gong being struck came from the street outside:
"Dong!—Dong! Dong!"
One slow strike followed by two quick ones meant it was already the third watch of the night.
Chen Mo furrowed his brow.
With violent crimes happening all over the city and every household staying behind closed doors, why was someone still out there keeping the night watch?
Talk about dedication!
"I'm telling you, stop biting. Something's wrong!"
"Mmph, mmph!"
How could Li Yuan hear him now? She kept her teeth clamped down and refused to let go.
Chen Mo acted on instinct, raising a hand and smacking her.
Pa!
"Mm~"
A strange sound escaped Li Yuan's throat.
The burning sting mingled with a feeling she couldn't quite put into words. Her strength vanished at once, and she released him without meaning to.
Chen Mo stopped struggling with her, got to his feet, and rushed out of the room.
Li Yuan lay limp on the bed, her ample chest rising and falling. It was as if every bone had been pulled from her body.
After a long while, she came to her senses.
Once she'd calmed down, she realized the situation was urgent.
She struggled to her feet, leaned on the Mo Blade, and staggered after him.
The night was dark.
Chen Mo raced through the air, stepping across the rooftops.
"Dong!—Dong! Dong!"
The night watchman's gongs echoed along the streets, keeping at a distance that alternated between near and far.
Each time Chen Mo felt he was just about to catch up, the next moment the sound would come from another street.
"Playing hide-and-seek with me?"
Chen Mo's gaze darkened.
By the pattern of one death every three days, another violent crime would most likely happen tonight.
Lady Liu would never have held him back at the risk of exposing her identity unless tonight was crucial to her.
It was already the third watch of the night, with only half an hour left until tomorrow.
Whatever the other party was plotting, the key moment was now!
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Mo poured the True Spirit he had left into Wind-Thunder Leap, raising the movement skill from "Proficient" to "Minor Mastery."
True Essence surged through him, and lightning flickered beneath his feet.
His speed soared in an instant as he shot away with the force of a thunderbolt!
Boom!
He crossed several blocks, then crashed into the middle of the street, wrapped in flashes of lightning!
"Dong!—Dong! Dong!"
Chen Mo looked up.
The night watchman's gongs sounded close at hand, but there was no one in front of him.
Suddenly, the gong fell silent.
The night wind wailed. The flagstone road lay empty, and the moonlight, clear as water, stretched his shadow long across it.
"The hour has come."
A sigh seemed to drift on the wind.
Then a burst of commotion shattered the silence.
A joyous wedding tune rose from the far end of the street, accompanied by the blare of horns and the crack of firecrackers, all of it gratingly loud.
Children's laughter and play echoed through the air, followed by a lilting nursery rhyme:
"Bright red wedding words hang on the wall, the rat's daughter is to wed after all."
"The daughter knows not whom she'll marry, so she asks her father and mother."
"Father and mother are both old and muddled; after much bickering, the choice is settled."
"She'll marry whoever's most impressive. The daughter can choose for herself!"
"Bright red wedding words hang on the wall, the rat's daughter is to wed after all..."
The song drew closer and closer, until it seemed to ring right in Chen Mo's ears!
A sudden chill swept over him, as if cold wind had passed straight through his body. Every hair on him stood on end!
The song cut off abruptly, and silence returned.
Drip... drip...
Water fell to the ground behind him.
Chen Mo slowly turned around. A woman stood alone not far away.
She wore an embroidered red robe, a Xiapei cape over her shoulders, red skirt and trousers below, and red embroidered shoes.
Her scarlet wedding dress was soaked through, filthy water dripping from its hem. A red veil covered her face, hiding her features.
The woman raised a hand, revealing a stretch of pale wrist. Her slender fingers beckoned, as if calling him over.
Chen Mo sensed something and looked down. Somehow, at some point, he'd put on a wedding robe...
He was tonight's groom!
"Already fallen for me? You're way too easy to win over."
A smile tugged at Chen Mo's lips. "Fine. Let's see what this free bride of mine looks like."
He strode up to the bride and reached out to pull off her veil.
What kind of face lay beneath it?
Her face was narrow and covered in black fur, her nose and mouth pointed. Her eyes were pitch-black, without a trace of white.
She looked just like...
A rat?
A rat's head grew out of that curvaceous body!
Its bulging eyes stared greedily at Chen Mo, viscous drool running from the corner of its mouth.
"Husband..."
"You must be starving. Here, have a bite."
Chen Mo stretched out his arm and held it to her mouth.
Seeing him cooperate so readily, the Rat Bride froze for a moment, then broke into a hideous grin.
"If I eat you... we'll be together... forever!"
It opened its enormous maw. Its pointed snout split into three, and its whole face peeled back, revealing a mouth packed with rows of fine, sharp teeth!
It lunged down and bit at Chen Mo!
In an instant, flames surged!
Blazing fire engulfed the Horizontal Blade, like a fierce sun rising in the dark of night!
"Roar!"
The Rat Bride let out a piercing wail, her red skirt billowing as she sprang backward.
"Wife, don't run."
The finest domestic violence often came down to the simplest way of drawing a blade.
The Horizontal Blade howled in Chen Mo's hands, sweeping the Rat Bride into its path and ripping through her body like a raging cyclone.
Fueled by abundant True Essence, the power of his Great Mastery swordsmanship was unleashed to the fullest!
The eighth strike!
The force of the blade swelled to its peak, compressing and distorting even the air!
As a monster, the Rat Bride felt genuine fear for the first time!
If that blade came down, she would truly die!
"Alas..."
A soft sigh drifted over.
Black mist swept past. The blade's energy tore through the wedding dress, but the Rat Bride vanished!
Chen Mo lowered his blade and stood still, looking toward the shadows in the corner.
Lady Liu glided out with light steps. A little rat perched on her shoulder, gazing timidly at Chen Mo.
"My lady has no grudge against you, sir. Why must you keep hounding me?"
Lady Liu's almond-shaped eyes brimmed with sorrow.
"My lady likes killing people, and I like killing monsters. We'll each see whose skills are better."
Chen Mo spoke calmly.
In his eyes, this wasn't a ghost or a monster. It was a mountain of True Spirit!
Lady Liu shook her head and said helplessly, "I never wanted to make an enemy of the Heavenly Qilin Guard, but things have come to this. I have no choice but to ask you to die."
Footsteps rustled behind him, and several figures emerged.
The Liu Family's wives, concubines, and relatives were all there, staring at Chen Mo without expression.
Chen Mo nodded with satisfaction. "Good. A family ought to stay together, so I don't have to hunt you down one by one."
Before you continue