Chapter 39: I’m Just Here to Take a Look

Pop!

Mo Jiang heard a subtle sound, and then he saw the shadowy figure of a little girl on his computer screen dig out two blob-like objects from the place where her eyes should have been—presumably, her own eyes.

“What are you doing?” As he spoke, Mo Jiang typed the words on his computer so that Mo Qingqing could see them.

After this, Mo Jiang had no idea what Mo Qingqing was trying to say.

Seeing Mo Jiang sitting dumbfounded in his chair, the shadowy little girl on the screen appeared so frustrated she seemed ready to stomp her feet in fury.

Eventually, though, Mo Jiang figured it out.

By the time he finally understood, the sky was already darkening; he had spent half the day locked in an exhausting back-and-forth with Mo Qingqing via the computer screen.

At last, inspiration struck and Mo Jiang guessed what Mo Qingqing was trying to express—he quickly typed it out, and the shadowy little girl on the screen nodded in affirmation.

“How bizarre,” Mo Jiang muttered, “these eyes can actually attach themselves to a person, and then broadcast whatever they see through this computer… But what if she happens to be taking a bath?” No sooner had he spoken than the shadowy little girl on the screen lunged at him, baring her teeth and claws.

…

Keeping his promise, Mo Jiang went out for dinner and met Zhou Yanxin—the girl who had once confessed her feelings to him. She was dressed stunningly that night and made no effort to hide their intimacy.

Having been reminded by Mo Qingqing to call off his engagement to Su Nanzhou, Mo Jiang couldn’t help but think that just when he was ready to sleep, someone brought him a pillow.

Considering he’d essentially inherited his predecessor’s body, Mo Jiang felt it his duty to fulfill at least some of the responsibilities that came along with it. Acquiescing to Mo Qingqing’s wishes seemed harmless enough. As a result, whatever feelings he might have had for Su Nanzhou faded away.

Having lived two lifetimes, Mo Jiang was rather indifferent when it came to matters of physical desire.

At root, Mo Jiang’s temperament was somewhat detached.

This was an innate lack of sentiment.

To be heartless isn’t the same as being cold-blooded, but all who are cold-blooded are heartless. The body Mo Jiang now possessed truly carried the “Ancestral Blood.” When he first met Mo Zhongting, he was able to suppress the flare-up of the bloodline’s poison—thanks not only to his body’s strength, which had reached the second-tier standard—but also because his temperament aligned so perfectly with the Ancestral Blood’s tradition of severed passion and desire that even the Ancestral Blood itself hesitated.

Survival of the fittest, natural selection—the inheritance of the Ancestral Blood obeyed these principles.

But all of this was unknown to Mo Jiang.

He simply believed his physical constitution was strong enough to suppress such influences.

…

After dinner, Mo Jiang hesitated for a moment before expressing his intentions. As for his excuse, he claimed he’d been acting on impulse and had since come to his senses.

Zhou Yanxin’s expression froze for a moment, her reaction somewhat forced, but she still expressed her affection for Mo Jiang.

He nodded and, taking the opportunity, placed Mo Qingqing’s eye on her.

That was what Mo Qingqing wanted; the rest he left alone.

Back home at the Mo residence, Mo Jiang was just about to plan a trip to one of those places rumored to be haunted, when suddenly, the shadowy figure of a little girl leapt out on his computer screen. The computer seemed to have been infected with a virus, behaving completely beyond his control, first opening his usual media player.

Then the cursor quivered twice, hovered over the files—strings of numbers and letters—then, as if going mad, deleted every single one.

The files were gone for good, erased altogether.

“Hey, those were resources I painstakingly collected!” Though Mo Jiang was indifferent to physical desire, he was hardly a eunuch or impotent.

But his protests went unheard by the shadowy little girl.

Before long, a blurry human figure appeared in the media player.

After a while, the image sharpened—it was Zhou Yanxin. Her voice soon followed from the speakers.

“There’s been a change. Does this mean Mo Jiang’s ‘true wife’ has finally appeared, and that’s why everything’s different now?” Zhou Yanxin’s words made sense only in part to Mo Jiang; he caught his own name, but the rest eluded him.

She then began to speak of matters seemingly unconnected to her earlier statement.

“When you put it like that, it’s not unreasonable. After all, Mo Jiang will eventually be able to open that door and enter our world—the one behind the door! In a way, he’s a protagonist in the history of the main world.”

Mo Jiang narrowed his eyes, recalling the Deathless Grass.

He realized that Zhou Yanxin’s “world behind the door” must be the same place the Deathless Grass had entered—the one Eternal and the Endless Dragon had mentioned.

“But why is she talking like this…” Mo Jiang couldn’t help but notice her use of the word “we.” “Could it be she’s conversing with someone I can’t see?”

The thought struck him, and he immediately grew alert—he was certain this was indeed the case.

“A ghost? Or perhaps someone in the same state as Qingqing? Or… an old master attached to her soul?” Several possibilities flashed through Mo Jiang’s mind. He stared unblinking at the computer screen.

“By the way, should I tell Mo Jiang that Su Nanzhou’s old flame has become an Irregular? The Mo family should know about Irregulars and must have dealt with them before.”

“On second thought, that would reveal too much about myself. In the main world, we already endure the world’s malice—it’s better not to expose myself further.”

Zhou Yanxin rambled on as if talking to herself, then her image vanished from the screen.

She had begun undressing, apparently preparing for a bath.

Mo Jiang was quietly surprised. He hadn’t expected that his half-hearted compliance with Mo Qingqing would yield so much information.

“Su Nanzhou’s old flame? Is that Wen Zheng? Oh, Wen Zheng! The one who resigned was Wen Kangye! There must be a connection between the two. Yes, it must be them!”

Mo Jiang’s expression darkened—he loathed being plotted against in secret.

“An Irregular, huh? Irregulars have to eat the flesh of their own kind to grow stronger…” The thought sparked a plan. He immediately called Su Nanzhou and told her he’d seen Wen Zheng eating human flesh.

“That’s impossible, Brother Mo Jiang.” The girl’s voice on the other end was trembling.

“I’m not sure if it’s true, but you’d best keep your distance from him.” Mo Jiang’s answer was vague; after comforting Su Nanzhou a bit more, he hung up.

He knew Su Nanzhou would definitely ask Wen Zheng about it.

When the time came, Wen Zheng would surely come looking for him!

“I’m only afraid you won’t come for me,” Mo Jiang sneered coldly. After all, killing an Irregular could be troublesome—he intended to minimize that trouble.

As for Su Nanzhou, Mo Jiang could only apologize to her in his heart.