A Small Favor

Watching Yu Luomian's figure disappear into the woods, the coldness in Liu Erlong's eyes slowly faded. After a long silence, she let out a sigh.

Feeling a sense of agitation in her heart, she suddenly noticed a tickling sensation on her right hand. Turning her head, she realized that her hand was still tightly clasped with Mo Li's.

Mo Li was looking at her with a face full of concern.

It was Mo Li who had just reached out with his little finger to gently scratch her hand.

Liu Erlong found it somewhat amusing and loosened the slender fingers she had been pressing against the back of Mo Li's hand.

Only after pulling her hand away did she notice a thin layer of sweat on her palm. With a touch of heartache, she said, "Wouldn't it have been better to just let him leave? Why did you have to say those things to provoke him?"

Mo Li smiled at her. "I simply couldn't listen to it anymore."

"Sister Erlong, is he really your father?"

"Yes," Liu Erlong replied listlessly.

Seeing Liu Erlong's low spirits, Mo Li was tactful enough not to press the matter further.

He glanced around, then quietly slipped away.

Liu Erlong was left standing by the pool, filled with vexation. Every time Yu Luomian appeared before her, she was reminded of her late mother, and no matter what, she could never properly control her emotions.

Moreover, he had actually brought up the matter to her face this time; she hadn't held back at all and had exploded right then and there.

Liu Erlong's expression was sorrowful. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought about seeking a proper status for her mother. She had parted on bad terms with the clan during the Mountain Gathering ten years ago and hadn't attended one since.

Although the clan rules were a factor, what disappointed her even more was Yu Luomian's attitude. Every time she brought up the subject of clearing her mother's name, he would always be evasive and avoid the topic.

This was what caused her the most pain and hatred.

It was unknown how much time had passed before Liu Erlong finally escaped from her past memories. Only then did she realize that Mo Li was already sitting at the stone table nearby.

She walked over, puzzled, and asked, "When did you sit here?"

"For a while now!" Mo Li looked up and smiled.

Earlier, seeing Liu Erlong lost in melancholy and standing there wondering what she was thinking, he hadn't wanted to disturb her.

However, just as he had taken the tea set out from his Soul Tool and boiled the water, intending to invite Liu Erlong to sit down, he happened to catch her as she came 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 with a face full of worry.

Mo Li seemed to have known that Liu Erlong would ask this. He didn't rush to answer, but instead poured her a cup of water and said, "Sister Erlong, don't you know why I did it?"

Liu Erlong paused, then tentatively asked, "For me?"

"What else could it be?" Mo Li chuckled.

Liu Erlong felt touched, though her face remained troubled. She shook her head. "You don't need to worry about my affairs. You just need to focus on your cultivation."

These past grievances were something she wanted to resolve herself; she didn't want to drag Mo Li into the grudges of the previous generation.

Mo Li asked with a serious expression, "Then may I ask, Sister Erlong, what do you think I am cultivating for?"

"For yourself, for your future. In any case, you don't need to do it for me." Liu Erlong's expression turned unnatural, and she answered without thinking.

Mo Li shook his head. "My future will always have a place for Sister Erlong, so Sister Erlong's affairs are my affairs. Just rely on me."

Mo Li patted his chest, looking quite responsible.

Liu Erlong felt shy and annoyed, tapping Mo Li on the head. "Nonsense, do I look like I need to rely on you?"

"Maybe not now, but you will in the future," Mo Li said with a grin.

"Hmph." Liu Erlong let out a soft snort.

Mo Li took a quiet look and, seeing that Liu Erlong's mood had improved significantly compared to before, asked with a smile, "So, Sister Erlong, could you tell me about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan first?"

Mo Li was full of curiosity. For someone whose cultivation had always been plain and uneventful, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had piqued his interest quite a bit.

Thus, he took the initiative to ask Liu Erlong.

"You guy," Liu Erlong rolled her eyes at Mo Li. "Are you really going to challenge the Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"

"It's just a matter of convenience," Mo Li laughed.

"I told you not to worry about it! This is my personal business!"

"Then throw me away, Sister Erlong. I promise I won't meddle in your business anymore."

"You!" Liu Erlong was completely helpless regarding Mo Li's attitude at this moment.

"You think I wouldn't dare?" Liu Erlong glared at Mo Li.

"You would, you would. There's nothing Sister Erlong wouldn't dare to do. But could you tell me what the Mountain Gathering is? After all, I promised someone I'd go and see what their foundation is like."

Facing the sharp-tongued but soft-hearted Liu Erlong, Mo Li didn't mind conceding verbally to gain some progress behind the scenes.

Liu Erlong glanced at Mo Li, and seeing his earnest expression, she couldn't help but be slightly stunned. "Why do you want to know so much?"

Mo Li looked at her with sincere eyes and answered earnestly, "Of course, it's so that one day I can fight my way up there. I have to seek justice for you, Sister Erlong."

"I told you, you don't need to!" Liu Erlong said crossly.

What was all this? Why was Mo Li so obsessed with these things? Did he really not understand how powerful the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was? But Yu Luomian had already said as much earlier.

Yu Yuanzhen, the current sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and a level ninety-five Title Douluo—Liu Erlong's expression darkened at the mere mention of him.

After all, it was he who had used clan rules to forcibly suppress her back then, causing that Mountain Gathering to end in discord.

Mo Li asked with a puzzled look, "Why won't you let me come? Didn't you raise me, Sister Erlong?"

"So what if I raised you? I can handle my own affairs."

"No, no, I've already given my word. If I can't pull this off, my life will be ruined."

"Ruined? Don't be ridiculous, you're still just a kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Mo Li said with a bitter face.

"In front of me, you'll always be a kid," Liu Erlong glanced at him sideways, then suddenly pursed her lips and smiled, "Just like a child who never grows up."

As the words left her lips, she couldn't help but recall the moment just now when Mo Li had taken the initiative to grab her hand and stand in front of her, her gaze drifting into deep thought.

Watching Mo Li standing before her, even though she had suppressed it, a trace of dependency had welled up within her uncontrollably. At that moment, Mo Li's figure had truly seemed to grow much taller—at least, that was how it felt in her heart.

He had become so reliable, so warm, and so instinctively comforting to lean on; being protected behind such a figure, though not particularly imposing, had given Liu Erlong a sense of security she hadn't felt in a long time.

Liu Erlong snapped back to reality, her eyes dazed and filled with shame and anger, before she suddenly poured a bucket of cold water on the mood, staring blankly at Mo Li, who was still talking.

A sudden chill gripped her heart, followed by a wave of bitterness that surged upward, and her eyes reddened instantly.

Mo Li, who had been curiously asking about the Mountain Gathering and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, immediately shut his mouth the moment he saw her eyes turn red.

He hurriedly changed his tone and asked softly, "Sister Erlong, what's wrong?"