Edited by Aelryinth
“If she’s willing to help us, I don’t think we should worry about her intentions. It’s not like someone’s unexplainable relationship with her during the World College Tournament isn’t in play here,” Zhao Manyan said.
Mo Fan glared at Zhao Manyan, indicating he should shut his mouth.
“Let’s get some rest for now. We’ll make our move once we receive the update from her,” Mu Ningxue said.
—
The meeting was dismissed. Brianca and Heidi were the last to leave Mo Fan’s room. Mo Fan walked them to the door and waved his hand to say goodbye, but Brianca suddenly turned around and looked at Mo Fan.
“What is it?” Mo Fan asked.
“The woman just then was Asha’ruiya, one of the Candidates of the Parthenon Temple, right? You two seem pretty close to one another,” Brianca asked him.
“How did you know?” Mo Fan’s eyes widened.
“You said her name when you were demanding the name of the culprit from her. I didn’t want to interrupt since you looked very serious just then,” Heidi replied stiffly.
“Huh? Did I say her name? Am I that stupid?” Mo Fan was stunned. He recalled the meeting and realized he did call her actual name. He was burning with rage, and completely forgot about the opposition between them.
“Humph, I kept wondering why have so many medicines of the Parthenon Temple. You’ve been keeping it a secret for so long. Are you seriously treating us like three-year-olds!?” Heidi said.
“I knew her even before the World College Tournament. We did one another some favors, but we weren’t that close, either. Please don’t misunderstand, I was only keeping it a secret because I know how opposed you two are to the Parthenon Temple. To be honest, not everyone in the Parthenon Temple is a snob,” Mo Fan explained in an awkward tone.
“We aren’t unreasonable, either. If you had told us right away, why would we be biased against you? After all, you’re not from the Parthenon Temple. You shouldn’t have hidden it from us, it will only make us more suspicious,” Brianca scolded him.
“I got it…” Mo Fan nodded. He immediately thought about Xinxia, and was wondering if he should tell them now.
They were already overreacting because of Asha’ruiya. If he told them about Xinxia now, they were most likely going to explode. He seriously did not understand; the people of the Alps Institute were very womanlike in terms of their attitude toward the Parthenon Temple. “You are not allowed to have a pleasant conversation with the people I hate, it’s a form of betrayal!”
It seemed like it was going to be difficult to convince the Alps Institute to cooperate with Xinxia…
—
—
Asha’ruiya was very efficient. She found out Silver Ornament Master Bartholomew’s whereabouts by the next day. The group disguised themselves as tourists as they headed to Lanmu Mountain to the north of Athens.
Lanmu Mountain was a scenic area with only a few structures. The mountain was like a huge national park, covered in rare and beautiful plants. The colorful shrubs were well taken care of, unlike a primitive forest.
The mountain had a retro-style railway for tourists to enjoy its scenic views. Since Spring was approaching its end, most of the tourists had already left, so the number of them on Lanmu Mountain was greatly reduced. The railcar that Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue were in only had four people.
A couple sat in front of them. They had to be from a European country, and were talking in their own language. They were still in the phase of falling head over heels in love, completely immersed in their own world. They could not have cared less about the scenery.
It was the essence of traveling; it did not necessarily have to be the right season or weather. The trip was still going to be pleasant with the right person!
Mo Fan was in the same mood. They were waiting idly for their target to show up, but even so, it did not stop him and Mu Ningxue from enjoying their ride on the retro railcar, a rare moment of peace and comfort.
“I feel like we rarely go out on a date like this,” Mo Fan said.
“Mm,” Mu Ningxue vaguely replied.
“Why don’t we travel around Europe after we are done here? There’s no rush going back to Fanxue Mountain,” Mo Fan suggested.
“I don’t think I can. The threat of the sea monsters is still around, especially at the Quartz Reef Island. I should hurry back and deliver the defensive Equipment to them,” Mu Ningxue responded. Mu Ningxue would not have left Fanxue Mountain if it wasn’t for the disheartening incident. There were a lot of things she had to handle there. She was already falling behind with her cultivation!
“Alright, I’ll go back with you. Feiniao City’s view isn’t too bad, either. Besides, our Fanxue Mountain should be a lot better now!” Mo Fan did not force her.
As they were talking softly, the couple in front of them suddenly raised their voices. The brunette shoved the man’s hand away. The man raised his voice after his ego was hurt. The brunette looked at him and said something along the line of “Did you just yell at me!?”, even though Mo Fan could not understand a word they said.
“The railcar of love flips over pretty quickly, don’t you think?” Mo Fan said.
“Wasn’t I like that, too?” Mu Ningxue said.
Mu Ningxue recalled how she used to have a bad temper in the past. She would keep a straight face and leave if anything did not go according to her will.
Luckily, Mo Fan was able to cheer her up with some antics all the time. Mu Ningxue realized how relaxing it was back then, being able to both throw a tantrum and laugh happily at any time. However, too many things had happened. She did not even realize her emotions had slowly faded away. She was no longer touched by the little things, nor would she run away from things she could not handle. She continued along on her path expressionlessly. Everything other than magic had lost its brilliance in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Mo Fan was still the same. Mu Ningxue liked to hang around Mo Fan when she was young because Mo Fan was always brimming with life and energy. His heart was warm, just like his blood. He was full of vigor every day… he was still the same now, his heart and blood were still hot, and even the greatest sorrow and despair could not overwhelm his passion and desire. She could not help but look forward to tomorrow and the future when she was staying with him.