“What do you mean by that?” Mu Qingyi frowned, clearly puzzled.

“In the Yin Ruins, my name is Mu Kong, but outside, I am called Nie Kong. And my older brother, who passed away several years ago, was named Nie Qiong.” Nie Kong sighed.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been living with that Nie family all this time?” Mu Qingyi’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Not exactly.”

Nie Kong nodded, speaking with deep emotion. “Twenty years ago, just after the two of us left the Yin Ruins, Mu Shang succumbed to the poison. At that time, Nie Qingyang of the Jiyang Nie family happened to be passing by. Before Mu Shang died, she entrusted us to him. Nie Qingyang then became our father, raising us. At that time, Father was only in his early twenties, and because of our bloodline, we were sickly from childhood, always needing medicine. If it weren’t for him, we two burdens would have died long ago, yet he never married until he passed away a few years ago!”

Hearing Nie Kong’s conclusion, Mu Qingyi couldn't help but be moved. After a long silence, she finally sighed softly, “This Nie Qingyang is truly rare. I never expected that in the Nie family of the Great Accomplishment Empire, alongside an old scoundrel like Nie Shen Gong, there could also be a man of such exceptional character and rarity as Nie Qingyang.”

Seeing this, Nie Kong was slightly delighted. “Aunt Qing, then you…”

“I know what you mean.”

Mu Qingyi said with a distant tone, “Even for Nie Qingyang’s sake, this Aunt finds it hard to make things difficult for the Nie family. However, that half-piece of the ‘Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf’ that Nie Shen Gong snatched away back then must be returned by the Nie family.” By the time she finished speaking, Mu Qingyi’s tone was resolute, her voice unwavering.

Nie Kong breathed a sigh of relief. “That is only natural.”

At that moment, Mu Qingyi suddenly broke into a radiant smile. “Mu Kong, since you grew up in the Nie family, you will be the one to retrieve that half-piece of the ‘Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf’ Nie Shen Gong took. How you do it, this Aunt will not interfere. Moreover, this Aunt’s half-piece of the ‘Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf’ will also be given to you. Consider it a dowry from your mother to Qingying.”

“What! A… a dowry?” Nie Kong froze, stammering out the word.

“Precisely,”

Mu Qingyi smiled sweetly. “At the Heart Canon Grand Ceremony, since you bested the other men, you are Qingying’s husband. Furthermore, you presented an engagement gift to this Aunt right in front of the five great elders of the Yin Ruins and so many clan members. That gift was excellent; this Aunt liked it very much. Now, naturally, this Aunt must also prepare a dowry for my daughter. I believe my sister won’t object to this marriage either, though her objection would be useless.”

“Uh?”

These words left Nie Kong dumbfounded, a fine sweat beading on his forehead. At that time, his mention of an ‘engagement gift’ was merely an excuse. Under those circumstances, what better pretext was there to release the ‘Spirit Treasure Essence’ that was close to Mu Qingyi and pulling at Mu Zu, than presenting a gift? But now, Mu Qingyi was bringing up Nie Kong’s actions, and he found himself unable to offer a rebuttal.

Mu Qingyi grinned knowingly. “Uh what? Little fellow, are you struck dumb with joy? The Yin Ruins are filled with beauties, but a girl as lovely as Qingying is rare. It’s settled! That half-piece of the ‘Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf’ is with Jinzhu; she will give it to you when you go out.”

Nie Kong hastily said, “That, Aunt Qing, about this matter, we…”

“Mu Kong, are you trying to go back on your word?” Mu Qingyi’s tone dropped, and her face darkened.

Nie Kong was immediately choked into silence.

Mu Qingyi’s words had struck him at his weak point. If he nodded now, the emotional plea he had used earlier to dissolve Mu Qingyi’s killing intent would be wasted. Perhaps she would again turn her anger toward the Nie family. But if he shook his head, he would have to abide by Mu Qingyi’s decree and marry that girl, Mu Qingying.

Where, then, would Hua Mei be placed?

Nie Kong suddenly felt a pang of regret. If only he hadn't revealed his identity from the outside world just now, he would have had much more room to maneuver. Yet, if he hadn't spoken, he would have had absolutely no reason or standing to plead for the Nie family, lest he watch them suffer disaster. The Nie family’s strength in the Great Accomplishment Empire was considerable, but against a powerhouse like Mu Qingyi, they stood little chance of resistance.

Although Mu Qingyi’s confinement in this ‘Soul Devouring Cave’ was set for twenty years, Nie Kong, the five great cities, and even Mu Xueyi would not stand by and watch her remain trapped indefinitely. Most likely, Mu Zu held the same view; with a single word from him, Mu Qingyi would be forced out, whether she wanted to leave or not.

For a moment, Nie Kong was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

“No.”

Under the piercing gaze of Mu Qingyi’s two sharp eyes, Nie Kong shook his head with a sense of deflation.

Mu Qingyi’s expression softened, and she spoke with heartfelt gravity. “That’s good. Mu Kong, this Aunt also knows that your main purpose in participating in the Heart Canon Grand Ceremony competition was to expel the spiritual thought from Aunt Qing’s body. But since things have already transpired, if you do not marry Qingying, how will she ever establish herself in the Yin Ruins in the future? Moreover, given the cultivation path Qingying follows—the Heart Aspect—it’s not impossible for her to become a key figure in the Mu Sect of the Yin Ruins someday. Marrying her would not be an insult to you.”

“I know Qingying is a seductive girl,” Nie Kong said with a wry smile, not doubting Mu Qingyi’s words. “However, I already have a fiancée outside.”

“Oh? How many?” Mu Qingyi frowned.

“Just one,” Nie Kong replied quickly.

“Only one? Not too many,” Mu Qingyi waved her hand, laughing softly. “Although the competition at the Heart Canon Grand Ceremony has a round to test a man’s resolve, the Yin Ruins have always had far more women than men. As long as the man himself can handle it, never mind one or two, taking a few more wives is perfectly fine. Qingying plus your fiancée outside would only make two wives; Qingying could surely accept that.”

Seeing Mu Qingyi appear so unconcerned, Nie Kong felt utterly speechless. Were all the men in the Yin Ruins supposed to be studs, and he was expected to follow suit?

“Alright, you can put your worries aside now. This child Qingying, this Aunt will take care of.”

“Oh.”

Not long after, Nie Kong walked out with his head hung low, dejected.

He finally understood: Mu Qingyi calling him into the ‘Soul Devouring Cave’ was primarily to set the stage for those final remarks. He currently had no means to counter this situation, and on this very matter, his own mother and the five great elders all seemed to be in agreement.

Outside the Soul Devouring Cave, Mu Jinzhu sat quietly cross-legged. Mu Qingying, meanwhile, clenched her small fists, her plump little face pouting, pacing anxiously before the stone door. Several times she tried to rush in recklessly to see what was happening, only to be blocked by the force exerted by Mu Jinzhu.

“Mu Kong!”

Finally, Nie Kong’s figure appeared from the stone doorway. Mu Qingying rushed to him in surprise. “How was it? How was it? Did my mother agree to come out?” As she spoke, Mu Qingying’s beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at Nie Kong’s face, filled with eager expectation.

“No.”

Nie Kong shook his head helplessly.

Mu Qingying immediately wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant, the expectation in her eyes turning to disappointment. She murmured, “Then what do we do? What do we do?”

“Don’t forget about Mu Zu,” Nie Kong reminded her.

“My daughter…” Mu Qingying said, her eyes reddening.

“Your mother forbade you from going, but she didn't forbid me. And I’ll be awakening my bloodline soon anyway,” Nie Kong said with a smile.

“Mu Kong, you’re willing to plead for my mother with Mu Zu?” Mu Qingying asked, suddenly excited, a faint, glistening light reappearing in her eyes.

“Of course. She is your mother, and she is my Aunt Qing.”

Smiling as he observed the two of them, Mu Jinzhu finally interjected, “Mu Kong, has Qingyi already spoken to you about the matter of the ‘Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf’?”

“She has,” Nie Kong replied with a headache. Mu Qingying had momentarily set aside her worries because of Nie Kong’s previous words, but hearing this now brought a slight curiosity to her eyes.

“Good that she told you.”

Mu Jinzhu nodded, and a shimmer of emerald light floated out from her embrace, shooting like lightning towards Nie Kong’s chest.

Nie Kong instinctively reached out and caught it. He then opened his palm, and a verdant green glow immediately entered his eyes. It was half a thin leaf, crystal clear and smooth as jade, severed along a thick central vein. If the other half were attached, it would be the size of an infant’s palm.

The leaf displayed clearly defined, lifelike veins. The moment it was held, a refreshing aroma surged into his body, spreading instantly through his limbs and bones, making one feel refreshed and elated, as if basking in a spring breeze. Beyond that, however, no other anomaly could be sensed from it.

Mu Jinzhu gazed intently at Nie Kong and said slowly, “This is the half-piece of the ‘Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf’ that Qingyi brought back. If the other half can be found, perhaps we might discover something. Mu Kong, you must keep this safe. This is the dowry Qingyi is giving to that girl Qingying.”

“My dowry?”

Mu Qingying paused, her eyes flickering between the half-leaf in Nie Kong’s hand, then Nie Kong, and then Mu Jinzhu. A faint blush suddenly crept up her cheeks, growing deeper until, in an instant, she was as red as a ripe apple, ready to burst with color.

Seeing this, Nie Kong felt his head swell to the size of a (a unit of measure), yet he remained utterly speechless…