As Yu Luomian's figure disappeared among the trees, the chill in Liu Erlong's eyes slowly faded. After a long silence, she sighed.
She was already feeling a little irritable when she noticed an itch on her right hand. Turning to look, she realized that her hand was still clasped tightly with Mo Li's.
Mo Li was gazing at her with concern.
Just now, Mo Li had also been the one to reach out and gently scratch her hand with his little finger.
Liu Erlong couldn't help laughing a little as she released the slender fingers she had pressed against the back of Mo Li's hand.
Only after pulling her hand back did she notice the thin layer of sweat covering her palm. She said with a trace of heartache, "You could've just made him leave. Why say all those things to provoke him?"
Mo Li smiled at her. "I really couldn't listen to him anymore."
"Sister Erlong, is he really your father?"
"Mm," Liu Erlong replied listlessly.
Seeing how low Liu Erlong's spirits were, Mo Li wisely didn't ask anything more.
He glanced around, then quietly slipped away.
Liu Erlong remained by the pond, her face troubled. Every time Yu Luomian appeared before her, she thought of her late mother. No matter what, she simply couldn't keep her emotions in check.
And this time, he had brought it up right in front of her. She hadn't held back at all and had simply exploded.
Liu Erlong looked sorrowful. It wasn't that she had never considered demanding a proper title for her mother. Ten years ago, she had fallen out with the clan at the Mountain Gathering, and she hadn't attended another one since.
The clan rules had held her back, of course, but what disappointed her even more was Yu Luomian's attitude. Whenever she brought up setting her mother's name right, he would always evade the subject, refusing to give her a straight answer.
That was what hurt and infuriated her most.
No one knew how long it took before Liu Erlong escaped her memories of the past. Only then did she realize that Mo Li had somehow taken a seat at the stone table beside her.
She walked over in confusion and asked, "When did you sit here?"
"A little while ago, I guess!" Mo Li looked up and smiled.
Earlier, he had seen Liu Erlong standing there with a troubled expression, lost in thought, so he hadn't disturbed her.
But just as he took out the tea set from his Soul Tool and boiled some water, intending to invite Liu Erlong over, she happened to come back to her senses.
"Why did you have to say so much to him?" As soon as Liu Erlong sat down, she looked at Mo Li, her face full of sorrow.
Mo Li seemed to have known she would ask. Without rushing to answer, he poured her a cup of water and said, "What do you think, Sister Erlong?"
Liu Erlong's expression paused. She asked tentatively, "For me?"
"Who else?" Mo Li chuckled.
Liu Erlong was moved, but her expression remained troubled. She shook her head. "You don't need to worry about my affairs. Just focus on cultivating."
She wanted to settle the grievances of the past herself. She didn't want Mo Li dragged into the grudges of the previous generation.
Mo Li asked seriously, "Then may I ask what I'm cultivating for, Sister Erlong?"
"For yourself, for your future. In any case, you don't need to do it for me." Liu Erlong's expression was a little awkward, but she answered without a second thought.
Mo Li shook his head. "My future will always have a place for you, Sister Erlong. So your affairs are my affairs. Just rely on me."
Mo Li patted his chest, looking every bit the responsible young man.
Liu Erlong's face flushed with embarrassment and annoyance. She lightly tapped Mo Li on the head. "Nonsense. Do I need to rely on you?"
"You might not be able to now, but you can later," Mo Li said with a grin.
"Hmph." Liu Erlong gave a soft snort.
Mo Li quietly studied her. Seeing that she seemed to be in much better spirits than before, he smiled and asked, "So, Sister Erlong, could you tell me about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan first?"
Mo Li was full of curiosity. His cultivation had always been rather uneventful, but the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had piqued his interest considerably.
So he took the initiative to ask Liu Erlong about it.
"You rascal." Liu Erlong shot Mo Li a look. "Are you really going to challenge the clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
"It's no trouble at all," Mo Li said with a smile.
"I told you, you don't need to get involved. This is my personal matter!"
"Then toss me aside, Sister Erlong. I promise I won't get involved in your affairs."
"You!" Liu Erlong was completely at a loss over Mo Li's attitude.
"You think I wouldn't dare?" Liu Erlong glared at Mo Li.
"I know you would. There's nothing Sister Erlong wouldn't dare do. But could you tell me what the Mountain Gathering is for? I did promise them I'd go take a look at what they're capable of."
Faced with Liu Erlong, who was all sharp words and soft heart, Mo Li didn't mind backing down verbally if it meant making progress behind the scenes.
Liu Erlong glanced at Mo Li. Seeing how serious he looked, she couldn't help but pause. "Why are you asking so much? What are you planning?"
Mo Li gazed at her sincerely and replied earnestly, "Of course it's so that one day I can fight my way up there. I have to get justice for you, Sister Erlong."
"I told you, you don't need to do that!" Liu Erlong said crossly.
What was all this? Why was Mo Li so eager to get involved in these things? Did he really not understand how powerful the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was? Yu Luomian had just made that clear, hadn't he?
Yu Yuanzhen, the current clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, was a ninety-fifth-level Titled Douluo. Even the mention of him darkened Liu Erlong's expression.
After all, it had been Yu Yuanzhen who had used the clan rules to force her down back then, leading to that unhappy end to the Mountain Gathering.
Mo Li asked in confusion, "Why won't you let me? Didn't you raise me?"
"So what if I raised you? I can handle my own affairs."
"No, no. I've already said it. If I don't follow through, my life will be over."
"What do you mean, over? You're not even grown up yet. You don't get the final say."
"I'm not little anymore," Mo Li said with a pained expression.
"How are you not little in front of me?" Liu Erlong shot Mo Li a sideways glance, then suddenly smiled. "You're still just a child who'll never grow up."
The words had barely left her mouth when she recalled how Mo Li had taken her hand and stood in front of her just moments ago. Her gaze unconsciously grew distant.
When she had seen Mo Li standing before her, a hint of reliance had welled up in her despite her efforts to suppress it. At that moment, Mo Li's figure had seemed to grow much taller—at least, that was how it felt to her.
He had seemed so dependable, so warm, so easy to lean on. Sheltered behind that not-so-tall figure, Liu Erlong had felt a sense of security she hadn't known in a long time.
Liu Erlong abruptly came back to herself, bewildered and embarrassed. Then, without warning, a bucket of cold water seemed to pour over her as she stared blankly at Mo Li, who was still talking.
Her heart suddenly turned cold. A wave of bitterness rose in her, and her eyes reddened at once.
She had still been asking Liu Erlong about the Mountain Gathering and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but the moment he saw her eyes redden, Mo Li immediately fell silent.
He hurriedly changed his tone and asked softly, "Sister Erlong, what's wrong?"