Lu Qing Forcefully Invites

Mo Qingkuang gently stroked Han Yan's hair, a sincere sense of fulfillment welling up in his heart. 

This was a girl who had tied her heart to him, worrying about him ever since he entered the Fallen Leaf King's Tomb. 

Mo Qingkuang had been pampered since childhood, bullying men and dominating women was commonplace for him, but he had never experienced this kind of feeling before. 

Because those women in the past had all come to him under coercion and enticement, without any real feelings for him. 

But Han Yan made him feel an unprecedented sensation—being cared for, being cherished, being loved. 

So this was what it felt like to be liked by someone! 

Mo Qingkuang sighed deeply in his heart, watching Han Yan's trembling shoulders as she sobbed, his gaze becoming even gentler. 

Ahem—after a while of affection between the young man and woman in front of everyone, Wu Ming couldn't bear it any longer and coughed to remind them. 

Mutual affection wasn't the issue, but Han Yan was an unmarried princess. Embracing each other so intimately in front of everyone, where was the propriety? What would this do to Tianxuan's reputation? 

Mo Qingkuang and Han Yan quickly separated upon hearing the cough. 

Han Yan's tears had already dampened Mo Qingkuang's clothes, and she stood beside him, her face blushing deeply to the roots of her ears, but still firmly staying by Mo Qingkuang's side, unwilling to move away. 

Mo Qingkuang, thick-skinned as ever, didn't mind the large wet patches on his chest at all. He grinned at Wu Ming, earning himself an annoyed glare. 

"Did you retrieve everything from inside?" Wu Ming asked. 

Mo Qingkuang nodded. "Got everything." 

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts surged with excitement. Mo Qingkuang had indeed obtained the inheritance of the Fallen Leaf King. 

It was rumored that the Fallen Leaf King and the Nianhua King were fellow disciples. Mo Qingkuang had obtained both their inheritances simultaneously, leaving everyone curious if there was any special connection between the two inheritances. 

But this was a question they were destined to remain unanswered for the time being. 

Wu Ming nodded and whispered, "We'll talk more once we're back. For now, rejoin your team." 

Then, Wu Ming put on a smile and bowed to Lu Qing, whose face was extremely gloomy. "Steward Lu, this time Mo Qingkuang has safely returned and obtained the inheritance of the Fallen Leaf King, thanks also to the restraint of your sect's disciples. The Imperial Academy expresses its gratitude!" 

Though Wu Ming's words carried a smile, they felt like several slaps landing hard on Lu Qing's face. 

After a series of events, the Imperial Academy and the Yuan Sword Sect had long been at odds, and there was no need to save face for the Yuan Sword Sect. 

Moreover, Lu Qing's earlier smugness had made Wu Ming quite uncomfortable. Now that Mo Qingkuang had shown his mettle, how could he not reclaim some face? 

Upon hearing this, Lu Qing trembled with anger, and his sword aura uncontrollably surged around him, as if it could explode at any moment. 

"What's wrong, Steward Lu?" Wu Ming, never one to have a good heart, mocked knowingly. 

Lu Qing's face flushed red, and it took him quite a while to calm down slightly. Instead of responding to Wu Ming, he stopped Mo Qingkuang, who was about to return to the Imperial Academy's camp. 

His eyes were bloodshot, filled with undisguised killing intent. "Mo Qingkuang, did you kill all eight disciples of my Yuan Sword Sect?" 

Mo Qingkuang halted in his tracks upon hearing this, turned around, and replied, "You overestimate me. Those were elite disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect. How could I possibly match them? I barely managed to dodge their attacks!" 

"How did they die then?" 

"You're asking me? Maybe they accidentally stepped on some flowers or grass in the Fallen Leaf King's Tomb and offended the King, who casually wiped them out?" Mo Qingkuang's cheeky nature remained unchanged; he could even provoke Martial God realm experts to death with just his words. 

But he wasn't entirely wrong either; indeed, the eight disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect had been killed by the Fallen Leaf King. If not for the timely response of the Saint Alchemist, both Lin Yang and Chu Yanran would have also perished here. 

Mo Fan had already told Mo Qingkuang about the course of events. 

Now that Lu Qing had asked, how could Mo Qingkuang not provoke him a little? 

The Yuan Sword Sect harbored deep-seated enmity towards him, and only wiping out one side could cleanse it! 

But would people believe such a blatant truth from Mo Qingkuang? 

Why would the Fallen Leaf King kill disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect? These individuals were candidates to inherit his legacy. As for the notion of stepping on flowers and grass, it was even more absurd! 

Rather than believe that the Fallen Leaf King had intervened to kill the Yuan Sword Sect's disciples, people were more inclined to believe that Mo Qingkuang alone had killed eight martial masters. 

Of course, even if Lu Qing believed that it was indeed the Fallen Leaf King's doing, he would still insist that it was Mo Qingkuang! 

"You're talking nonsense! It's clearly your doing, and now you're trying to shift blame onto a deceased King?" Lu Qing's voice was harsh, pointing accusingly at Mo Qingkuang. 

Mo Qingkuang was somewhat speechless. "Steward Lu, do you really think I'm capable of killing eight martial masters without a scratch? No, wait, it was actually ten in total!" 

Lu Qing paid no heed to Mo Qingkuang's defense, bluntly asserting, "Stop with your sophistry! It must have been you!" 

Seeing Lu Qing so obstinate, Mo Qingkuang could only spread his hands helplessly. "Steward Lu, if you say so, then so be it. If it makes you happy!" 

Seeing Mo Qingkuang's indifferent attitude, Lu Qing felt a twinge of satisfaction. 

He quickly spoke up to solidify Mo Qingkuang's words. "In that case, you're admitting it! You killed eight disciples of our Yuan Sword Sect. Therefore, please come with me to the Yuan Sword Sect." 

Everyone present was shocked. So Lu Qing's stubbornness was aimed at making this accusation stick and taking Mo Qingkuang away. 

There was contempt for Lu Qing's shamelessness all around, especially from Wu Ming, who stepped forward next to Mo Qingkuang with a cold expression. "Matters of life and death in the pursuit of treasures in exploration realms is out of our hands! Does your Yuan Sword Sect want our students from the Imperial Academy to pay with their lives for your disciples?" 

Seeing Wu Ming ready to get physical at any moment, Lu Qing didn't back down. 

Mo Qingkuang and the Yuan Sword Sect were already at odds, and now, as a Wind Spirit Body, he would inevitably grow and pose a significant threat to the Yuan Sword Sect in the future! 

This kid had to be dealt with! 

Lu Qing's eyes flickered, suddenly changing his tone and showing a troubled expression. "Marquis Yingzun, it's not that our Yuan Sword Sect wants to hold Mo Qingkuang accountable for the killings in the tomb! These eight disciples were all outstanding members of our sect, and when they joined, I promised their parents to take good care of them." 

"But now, they died so inexplicably in this tomb! How can we explain this to their families? This time, asking Mo Qingkuang to come to the Yuan Sword Sect is not to hold him responsible! As long as he apologizes to the families of the deceased, we can have closure! I promise! I guarantee Mo Qingkuang's safety!" 

Lu Qing was earnest in his assurance, seemingly concerned for the sect's reputation. 

But who would believe that? 

Since when did the Yuan Sword Sect care so much about its disciples? 

For years, countless disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect had perished during their adventures outside, yet the sect had never given any explanations. 

Now, they wanted Mo Qingkuang to help them provide explanations. 

Any discerning person could see that if Mo Qingkuang went to the Yuan Sword Sect, he might never come out again! 

Regardless of whether Lu Qing was sincere, the guarantee of a mere steward like him held little weight.