Hu Yanjie, who usually just grinned foolishly through his girlfriend's scoldings, was now completely serious, his smile gone.

He said, word by word, "Xiaoxiao, when we were together before, you were always so hesitant, worried about what your best friends would think, worried about what my friends would think. When it's just the two of us, why should we care about anyone else?"

"I…"

Yu Xiaoxiao started to respond but was promptly cut off by Hu Yanjie.

"You may be tall to outsiders at one-hundred eighty-three centimeters, but to me, you'll always be a little girl."

Hu Yanjie said earnestly, "You don't always have to be so strong. You can lean on me and act a little spoiled; I'm willing to be your strongest support."

BOOM!

The confession sent a cheer through the bar so loud it nearly blew the roof off.

Ruan Lan, who loved to stir the pot, yelled, "Kiss him!"

"Go on, Xiaoxiao." Even Li Li was egging her on.

What followed happened naturally.

Amidst the cheers, Yu Xiaoxiao walked onto the stage, planted a kiss on Hu Yanjie's cheek, then smilingly took her boyfriend's hand and led him out of the bar to a chorus of cheers.

After leaving the bar, Yu Xiaoxiao's demure demeanor vanished. She smacked Hu Yanjie's arm and said irritably, "Are you an idiot? Couldn't you have said those things in private? Did you have to do it in public… Do you know how embarrassing that was?!"

"Uh." Hu Yanjie was taken aback, scratching his head. "Weren't you happy? Besides, there was supposed to be a proposal after that."

Yu Xiaoxiao was speechless. What a blockhead!

Setting other factors aside, most girls would be thrilled to be proposed to by their boyfriends, but a public proposal like today's… was very likely to backfire.

She had only spared Hu Yanjie's feelings.

Yu Xiaoxiao said, exasperated, "Next time you do something like this, you need to discuss it with me first."

Hu Yanjie asked weakly, "So, the proposal…"

"Next time."

...

I mustered all my courage to say that, and she says 'next time'? Hu Yanjie was dumbfounded.

Ruan Lan and Li Li, carrying their bags and jackets, walked out of the bar and excitedly ran after them. "Xiaoxiao, why are you two running off?"

Yu Xiaoxiao, arm in arm with Hu Yanjie, smiled and said, "We're not running. I was just so happy and surprised that I needed to get some air to calm down."

Yu Xiaoxiao's birthday party consisted of only the four of them. It was simple, but they were very happy.

Ruan Lan didn't go home all night, having the time of her life with her two best friends. They hit the bar, karaoke, and the movies, doing everything they wanted.

But it was mostly Yu Xiaoxiao, Ruan Lan, and Li Li having fun; Hu Yanjie was just their uncomplaining porter, carrying all the bags.

Exhausted from playing, the three women collapsed onto the hotel room bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The happiness of a twenty-year-old female university student. Sometimes, it's just that simple.

「...」

「The same night.」

While some were blissful, others were naturally melancholic.

Shang Er sat in a small inn on the outskirts of East Sea City, leaning against the wall and staring blankly at the moonlight.

He had suffered amnesia twice in a row. Twice his Dao foundation was damaged, and his Boundary had fallen.

Now, Shang Er's Boundary was barely comparable to a human Ninth Grade Martial Artist, and he didn't even dare to crave blood anymore.

Suppressing his bloodthirsty and brutal nature, he hid in this little inn. If discovered by human Martial Artists now, he would surely be captured; he had no power to resist someone in the Divine Gate Realm.

Of course, what this prodigy of the Moon Clan found most difficult to accept was that he, a man of revered status on the Moon and destined for a limitless future, had been pissed on in the face by a stray dog. Twice.

I'm going to kill that dog... Shang Er's expression was grim. His entire body trembled with agitation whenever he thought about it, and he could almost smell a pungent odor in the air.

It's time to ask Father for help.

Shang Er gritted his teeth and pulled a jade slip from his robes. It was a Sound Transmission Jade Slip. It could transmit messages over thousands of miles. Though costly and with limited uses, it was an essential magical treasure for Cultivators.

「...」

「Atop the Moon.」

The one with the highest authority in the Moon Clan was currently Crown Prince Ji Gui, who had recently been residing in the territory of the Upper Crescent Second Moon Clan.

Inside a lavish palace, behind layers of curtains, Ji Gui watched the graceful dances of the Moon Clan beauties with an air of utter boredom.

"I'm getting tired of this." Ji Gui tilted his head and suddenly smashed his wine cup on the floor.

BANG—

Wine splashed across the ground like blood.

The dancers' faces turned pale. They all knelt at once, pleading, "Spare us, Crown Prince! Spare us..."

Only after hearing their terrified pleas did the Crown Prince laugh. Fear truly is the most delicious flavor. Excellent.

"Crown Prince, my son has sent a transmission!" Shang Sikong, the leader of the Upper Crescent Second Moon Clan, rushed into the palace. He held a jade slip, his face filled with excitement and a desire to curry favor.

As long as Shang Er sent back accurate intelligence, it would be a great achievement, regardless of whether this Li Mi was the mysterious expert the Moon Clan feared.

"Connect it! Quickly!" Crown Prince Ji Gui's face lit up with joy.

"Yes." Shang Sikong couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes. Once the transmission connected, he laughed heartily. "My son, you've finally sent news! How did the investigation go?"

"Father…"

"I'm sure you completed the mission perfectly!" Shang Sikong declared, filled with fatherly pride. "Truly an elite of our Moon Clan, a prodigy personally named by the King!"

Ji Gui glanced at Shang Sikong, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is Li Mi the mysterious expert who wiped out the Lower Crescent Third Moon Clan or not?!"

"I... don't know," Shang Er said, his voice filled with confusion.

Don't know.

Those two words struck the hearts of Shang Sikong and Ji Gui like a heavy hammer. The former felt a chill run down his spine, while the latter's expression turned icy as he crushed the new wine cup he had just picked up.

"What happened?!" Shang Sikong demanded in disbelief. "You're half a step into the Golden Core Realm! You should have been able to fight even if you ran into a Watchman from the Human Race! You—"

"I didn't dare approach Li Mi. The first time I went looking for his wife, I was suddenly, gravely injured and lost consciousness. The second time, at the school gate, I also abruptly lost consciousness."

Shang Er said dejectedly, "My Boundary is barely holding at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and it could fall again at any moment. Father, save me! I wiped out a Martial Dao Association, and they've been searching for me recently. I… I'm going to be discovered soon."

Unlike on Earth, the cultivation levels of the Moon Clan were measured according to the unified standards of the Immortal Domain.

Shang Sikong's expression was incredibly grim. His son, who was supposed to stride arrogantly across Earth, was now begging for help like a stray dog.

But this was his own flesh and blood, and the most promising of his three sons. After all, he'd been personally named by the Moon King after the Upper Crescent Second Clan—an honor few on the Moon could claim.

Shang Sikong bowed, his fist clasped. He gritted his teeth and said, "Crown Prince, I wish to make a trip to Earth to investigate the truth for you!"

Crown Prince Ji Gui gave him a long, deep look. "Are you going to save that useless son of yours, or to investigate intelligence for me?"

...

Shang Sikong gritted his teeth. "Shang Er is at the half-step Golden Core Realm, comparable to the early Divine Gate Realm in humans. Even if he faced a peak Divine Gate Realm Watchman, his Boundary shouldn't have fallen, nor should he have lost his memory. I suspect… Li Mi made a move!"

Li Mi. That was the intelligence Gu Jiu'an and two other Moon Clan members had traded their lives for.

Every time Shang Er approached his wife, he would be gravely injured and fall unconscious. How could such a coincidence exist in this world? There must be something strange going on!

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