Chapter 695: 697 Do you recognize (second shift)

The uncle was truly too excited; standing together, these two people were the epitome of talented man and beautiful lady, a perfect match.

Mo Zhixuan nodded slightly, "Thank you, Uncle."

"You two know each other?" Chu Jin asked curiously, looking up at them.

Mo Zhixuan looked down at her and slowly said, "Speaking of which, I was able to find you smoothly thanks to this uncle’s help. I should really be thanking him more."

If it weren’t for the uncle’s clay figurines, Mo Zhixuan wouldn’t have been so certain that Chu Jin was in the Superpower World.

And he wouldn’t have found her so quickly.

Upon hearing this, the uncle immediately said with a frightened tone, "Sir, you’re being too polite. It’s me who should be thanking you. Without your and the madam’s help, my business wouldn’t be going so well. Look, in just an afternoon, I’ve sold all the clay figurines."

"Ah?" Chu Jin said somewhat surprised, "Uncle, you’ve sold all the clay figurines? I wanted to buy another one; the one you made for me last time got lost by accident."

"It’s okay, it’s okay," the uncle said with a smile, "As long as you, the benefactor, like it, I can make another one for you."

As he spoke, the uncle took out a lump of clay from the drawer.

Seeing this, Chu Jin’s eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "Then thank you, Uncle."

"Make one for me as well," Mo Zhixuan slowly said, adding, "Make it a pair."

The uncle cheerfully answered, "Sure thing."

Just then, Mo Zhixuan’s ears twitched slightly, a cold light flickered in his deep phoenix eyes, and he looked down and said to Chu Jin, "Wait here for me for a moment, I have something to deal with, I’ll be right back."

"Okay," Chu Jin nodded slightly, "Go ahead."

Mo Zhixuan reached out to tidy her hair which the wind had tousled, and then turned and left.

The uncle was shaping the clay figurine, and Chu Jin stood there watching the uncle’s movements intently.

At that moment, a commotion spread through the crowd.

To be exact, it was among the small stall owners.

This street was filled with stall owners selling trinkets.

At the entrance, a man wearing a gold necklace swaggered in, followed by two bodyguard-like figures in black, wearing sunglasses, holding iron rods, and carrying an air of underworld enforcers.

One of the bodyguards, holding a megaphone, was shouting loudly, "Our boss Luo is here to collect protection fees. All stall owners, please have your daily protection fees ready."

The man with the gold necklace walked along, stuffing money into his pocket, and if he couldn’t fit it all, he’d put it in a box held by one of the bodyguards following him.

The stall owners were angry but dared not speak out; they had to hand over nearly a day’s earnings to Boss Luo.

This Boss Luo was of the Mo family; they simply couldn’t afford to provoke him and knew to spend money to buy peace.

Soon, Boss Luo arrived in front of the uncle selling clay figurines.

If anyone present knew, they would recognize that this Boss Luo was Luo Yingjie.

"Hey, old man, where’s your protection fee?" one bodyguard demanded, banging his iron rod heavily on the cart, his face fierce and threatening.

The impact almost knocked over the cart, but fortunately, a pair of clean, white hands gently pressed on the cart; this prevented it from flipping over.

Luo Yingjie, now taking advantage of Luo Yu’s pregnancy and using the Mo family’s name, was collecting protection fees and acting unscrupulously.

The people of this area despised him deeply.

Upon hearing this, the uncle stopped his work with the clay, a remorseful expression on his face as he pleaded to the bodyguard, "Boss Luo, I’m really sorry. My good-for-nothing wife has been feeling unwell these past few days and needs money for treatment. Please, could you give me a one-day grace period? Just one day, and after tomorrow, I will give you all the money earned from selling the clay figurines."

The uncle’s business was good, but Luo Yingjie nearly came to collect protection fees every day, and with his wife’s health not being well, he simply didn’t have any extra money.

"One-day grace period?" Luo Yingjie sneered, looking at the uncle, and said viciously, "I’ll give you three days. Do you want it?"

Upon hearing this, the uncle’s face lit up with joy, "Boss Luo, thank you, thank you so much."

"You old moron! I think you’ve lived too long! Dare to bargain with your Boss Luo, hand over the money quickly. Otherwise, believe it or not, I’ll beat you so hard you’ll be looking for your teeth on the ground!"

As he spoke, Luo Yingjie slammed down his machete violently.

To treat an elderly man this way enraged Chu Jin. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a cold light flashed through her clear, bottomless peach blossom eyes. She raised her hand and griped the descending machete casually.

The most terrifying part was that her hand was directly gripping the blade. Although she was holding the blade, there was not a single trace of blood on her hand, as if what she was holding was just an ordinary item.

Seeing this, the surroundings fell silent; everyone turned their gaze over, including the astonished uncle, who had never expected such a twist, nor had he thought that Chu Jin would step in to help him.

Luo Yingjie looked up at Chu Jin, glaring fiercely and said, "Who are you? Do you know who I am? Let go immediately!" While saying so, he forcefully tried to pull the machete free, but despite using a lot of strength, he couldn’t budge it an inch.

Chu Jin simply stood there, as if she hadn’t exerted much effort at all.

"And do you know who I am? This territory is under my watch; how dare you extort protection fees here?" Chu Jin raised her eyebrows slightly and added, "Is your phone not fun, or is the alcohol not to your liking? Isn’t it better to live well?"

She couldn’t stand people who threw their weight around like this.

Chu Jin looked at Luo Yingjie with a trace of a smile curling at the corner of her mouth, both mocking and arrogant, especially with her last sentence which was said with extra defiance.

Yet, on her, nothing appeared out of place; it was as if she was meant to be like this.

Cold, noble, dazzling!

On this street, no one had ever dared to defy Luo Yingjie, for no one could afford to mess with the Mo family.

Seeing such a scene, the street vendors all remained silent, not speaking a word. They were just ordinary superpowered individuals with no backing, relying on their stalls to make a living. Offending the Mo family would mean no way out for them in the future.

Smart people knew to keep their own counsel.

The uncle was also a bit afraid, tugging at Chu Jin’s sleeve, whispering, "Benefactor, let it go. Since ancient times, the poor can’t fight the rich, and the commoners can’t fight the officials. This man is from the Mo family; we simple folk simply can’t afford to offend them."

The Mo family.

Just two words, but they occupied an important position in the Superpower World.

Months ago, these people would never have imagined that the Mo family would have someone who would oppress the commoners in this way. After all, the Mo family had produced a great hero.

Regrettably, the incident had happened.

And it had happened right beside them.

Now, they were... now, they were somewhat disappointed in the Mo family.

How could they not be disappointed?

In the past, they had thought that after Mo Zhixuan’s return, they would have better days. In fact, it was true that after Mo Zhixuan returned, no other outsiders dared to infringe upon the Superpower World anymore.

But what they never imagined was that, in the absence of external invaders, someone from the Mo family would continue to exploit them.

Hearing the uncle’s words, Luo Yingjie immediately raised his head, arrogantly saying, "Let me tell you, I am the uncle of the Mo family. If you offend me, you will regret it! Kneel down immediately and bow your head to your lord, admit your mistake, or else, I won’t forgive you."

Now he was the uncle of the Mo family. In the Superpower World, he could walk around with impunity.

That’s why Luo Yingjie was so disdainful and overbearing, without any concern at all.

Even if he killed all these people, it wouldn’t be a big deal. They were just a bunch of troublemakers after all.

They enjoyed the protection of the Mo family but did not want to give anything in return. How could that be?

Therefore, Luo Yingjie had come up with the idea of collecting protection money.

Chu Jin glanced at the uncle, speaking in a clear and melodious voice, "Don’t worry. I must teach this bastard a lesson today. This kind of scum, if left in the world, simply pollutes the air!"

"This..." The uncle was clearly in distress, "Let it be, there’s no need for you to take such risks for us..."

The uncle’s concerns were not unreasonable, after all, they were just common citizens.

"I, for one, have no particular interests or hobbies aside from enjoying a bit of adventure," Chu Jin said, the corners of her lips slightly lifting as she turned to face Luo Yingjie, "Today, I will let you understand why flowers are so red!"

The last sentence, though spoken lightly, was clearly tinged with the intent to kill.

Luo Yingjie’s heart quivered, a bone-chilling coldness spread throughout his body as he said feebly, "What, what, what do you want to do? I am the uncle of the Mo family!"

Although the person before him seemed to be just a weak girl, were there really any powerless individuals in the Superpower World?

So, Luo Yingjie was still very scared.

He had been collecting protection money for a long time, but this was the first time he had met someone unafraid of death, who wasn’t even scared of the Mo family!

Could this person be a lunatic?

Hearing this, Chu Jin’s eyebrows raised slightly, the dimples on her cheeks shallow, a cold intent growing in her eyes, "What does being the Mo family’s uncle count for? I am an ancestor of the Mo family!"

Mo Zhixuan should be considered part of the Mo family, right?

So, saying this should be right!

At the end of her words, Chu Jin lightly lifted her foot, executing a beautiful spinning kick that landed squarely on Luo Yingjie’s chin.

Bang—

There was a sudden muffled sound in the air.

"Ouch..." followed by a pained groan.

The surrounding bystanders were stunned.

No one had expected that a seemingly fragile girl would have such explosive power!

Luo Yingjie felt as if his tailbone was broken, lying on the ground with a twisted face looking at his two subordinates, "Are you... are you all dead? Don’t just stand there, grab her for me now!"

At his words, the two subordinates quickly came to their senses, tightening their grip on their iron clubs, and rushing towards Chu Jin.

Seeing this, Chu Jin remained calm, her serene face showing no ripples, not even dodging, she simply lifted her hands, accurately grabbing the necks of the two rushing at her.

Holding one person’s neck in each hand, she put their heads together and smashed them with force.

"Bang, bang," the two men collapsed to the ground, seeing stars.

Both men were high-level ability users, among the top fighters in the Superpower World, yet in front of Chu Jin, they weren’t even worth a glance.

Seeing this, the hearts of the street vendors were somewhat stirred. The Superpower World had not seen such a stirring scene in a long time.

People hate war, so most of the time, they choose to endure in silence.

At times like this, their blood was stirred, exciting their nerves.

"Everyone," Chu Jin raised her eyes to the crowd, "where there is oppression, there is resistance! I believe that the Superpower World is a place where reason and royal laws prevail, and the Prince violates the law he shall be punished as the commoners are! I refuse to believe that the esteemed Mo family would have such degenerates as relatives! Now is the time for us all to teach this scum a harsh lesson, to let him know that we are not so easily bullied! If he happens to be killed in the process, let it be on me, Chu Jin!"

Her last sentence was spoken with extraordinary vigor.

It made people’s blood boil.

Chu Jin had spent some time in the Superpower World, and she knew that the rulers here bore the surname Mo.

The Mo family that everyone spoke of was likely related to the rulers.

From her observations, Chu Jin knew that the ruler here was a rare and enlightened monarch, otherwise, he wouldn’t have managed the Superpower World so well. The occurrence of this incident surely involved some misunderstanding.

The Emperor is far away from the lofty mountains.

Occurrences of deceiving superiors and bullying subordinates were all too common.

Upon hearing this, the fire of justice in everyone’s hearts was ignited. At that moment, they couldn’t care less about the consequences and surged forward, raining punches and kicks on Luo Yingjie and his two subordinates.

Chu Jin was right.

Prince violates the law, he shall be punished as the commoners are.

Although they were ordinary civilians, they were not to be trifled with.

And as Chu Jin said, whether Luo Yingjie was truly a relative of the Mo family was still uncertain!

Luo Yingjie had always claimed to be a relative of the Mo family, and everyone had taken him at his word without any real verification.

The air was filled with cries of agony, indicating that the crowd was not holding back in their beating.

Meanwhile.

Under a large banyan tree elsewhere,

Mo Zhixuan’s face was filled with coldness after hearing Li Xunen’s report. A malicious aura emanated from him, and his lips were nearly pressed into a line. All these behaviors signaled that he was very angry.

Even Li Xunen couldn’t help but shiver inwardly. Despite having followed Mo Zhixuan for so long, he still wasn’t completely used to his presence.

"Master..." Li Xunen hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I will take care of Luo Yu right away."

Mo Zhixuan raised his hand slightly, stopping Li Xunen’s action.

"Are you saying that all the elders were present today?" Mo Zhixuan continued.

"Yes," Li Xunen replied respectfully, nodding.

Mo Zhixuan narrowed his phoenix eyes and said with a gloomy face, "I will handle this matter myself. You may go and attend to your duties."

"As you wish," Li Xunen withdrew and left.

Mo Zhixuan looked up at the horizon, a hint of murderous intent flickering in his eyes. So, Luo Yu had set her sights on him! Keeping her alive previously had been out of consideration for Zhao Yan’s illness, but now it appeared there was no need for such leniency.

Such a person, if left in the world, was always a disaster!

However.

All the influential members of the Mo family were present tonight.

It was an excellent opportunity.

An opportunity to vindicate Chu Jin.

With this thought.

Mo Zhixuan withdrew his gaze and started walking towards Ancient City Street.

By the time he arrived, he beheld this scene.

The girl in the white dress, holding a shadow puppet in her hands, stood there with clear, beautiful eyes watching him, bathed in the soft glow of the Luminous Pearl, which cast a cold halo around her.

Even though it wasn’t the first time he had seen her, she never failed to dazzle him every time.

As if he could never get enough of her.

So much so that Mo Zhixuan had ignored the chaotic crowd behind her.

The crowd was still assaulting Luo Yingjie, stirring up clouds of dust, accompanied by cheers.

Luo Yingjie had long been beaten beyond recognition.

"Let’s go, we’re going home," Mo Zhixuan said, somewhat absentmindedly, then stepped forward to take Chu Jin’s hand.

"All right," Chu Jin nodded slightly.

Only then did Mo Zhixuan notice that there seemed to be a layer of perspiration within her clasped hand.

"Don’t be nervous," Mo Zhixuan spoke softly, comforting her, "they are all your closest kin, and more than that, they all like you very much. You don’t need to feel any pressure."

To divert Chu Jin’s attention, Mo Zhixuan glanced behind him and frowned slightly, "What’s going on with them?"

Chu Jin slightly curved her lips and spoke in a light tone, "Oh, they are teaching a lesson to a degenerate who claims to be an uncle from the Mo family."

In fact, she was no longer that nervous. Instead, she felt more anticipation.

Moreover, fragments of memory kept flashing through her mind.

All of them were very unfamiliar faces.

As she spoke, Chu Jin squeezed Mo Zhixuan’s hand, "Let’s hurry home, I can’t wait any longer."

"Okay," Mo Zhixuan nodded lightly.

Right then, a black car stopped in front of the two, and Mo Zhixuan guided Chu Jin into the back seat.

The black car soon disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile.

At the Mo family, in the banquet hall.

This last puzzle was about chess.

A famous millennium-old chess dilemma from the Superpower World.

For thousands of years, not just in the Superpower World but even in the other two worlds, no one could solve it.

It was the final highlight of this evening’s activities.

The Lady of the House and the other Mo family elders were confident that Luo Yu would definitely not be able to solve this chess puzzle.

When the millennium-old dilemma was placed before them.

The crowd below gasped in astonishment—clearly, the Mo family had no intention of letting Luo Yu become their daughter-in-law, even going so far as to bring out the millennium puzzle, a challenge that had stumped everyone for over a thousand years. How could a mere woman solve it?

Yet Luo Yu didn’t care at all. She wore a confident smile, walked over to the chessboard, and lifted her right hand to move the pieces.

As Luo Yu moved the pieces, she spoke disdainfully, "Such a simple puzzle and you bring it to me to solve? This is all the Mo family is capable of. Now, watch closely, for today, not only will I solve this puzzle, but I will also create a game that no one besides me could solve in this entire world."

Her demeanor oozed disdain for everything, as though she didn’t regard anyone else as worthy of notice.

It was a bit... overconfident to the point of arrogance.

At these words, the crowd below burst into laughter.

Did Luo Yu really think she could bluff her way through without a draft?

Did she believe she could unravel this millennium-old dilemma?

Moreover, to create a chess problem that no one else could solve?

Who did she think she was?

Facing the ridicule from the crowd, Luo Yu appeared utterly unconcerned, maintaining her haughty composure.

The crowd below waited to see her make a fool of herself.

What an ignorant woman.

To boast to such an extent—she must have never faced death before.

Mu Xianxian sat leisurely below, gently swirling the wine in her glass. She could already see the writing on the wall—the Mo family had no intention of letting her in. It seemed the elderly Madame Mo was intent on a "keep the son, lose the mother" strategy.

The chess puzzle that had stumped all for a millennium.

Tsk tsk tsk, not to mention Luo Yu, even she could not solve it.

Thinking this, a hint of a smile appeared on Mu Xianxian’s lips.

She was laughing at Luo Yu’s foolishness.

But Luo Yu maintained that proud look, like a peacock spreading its feathers. She knew how much these people looked down on her now and how much they would worship her later.

True, she couldn’t solve such an ancient puzzle—as a matter of fact, she couldn’t even play regular chess.

But she had a cheating artifact.

With the Crystal Bug, there was no difficulty she, Luo Yu, couldn’t overcome.

Following the Crystal Bug’s guidance, Luo Yu moved the pieces step by step, and in just three minutes, she had solved the chess problem.

And more than that.

Luo Yu not only resolved the famous dilemma but also laid out a new puzzle that no one present could solve.

"Please look," Luo Yu stood up, her face filled with pride as she arrogantly said, "This is the chess puzzle I have laid out. Now, I ask you all, is there anyone among you who can break through this game of chess?"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read