Guliang Yuan arrived outside the gate of Wuji Peak and sure enough, he saw countless disciples gathered around. In the middle of the crowd, Mochen was shouting curses at the gate:
"Long Chen, if you're a man, come out and face me in a real man's fight!"
"What's the matter, won't you come out because you're scared?"
Guliang Yuan's face darkened. He walked right up and gave Mochen a flick on the forehead:
"Scared my foot! The guy's at the late Core Formation stage, he'll beat the gall out of you!"
Mochen jerked his head around, ready to snap in anger, but the moment he saw it was Guliang Yuan, he instantly deflated:
"Master, you're here."
Seeing Guliang Yuan arrive, the surrounding disciples bowed in unison:
"Greetings, Grand Uncle-Master."
Guliang Yuan flicked his sleeve, and a fierce pressure instantly dispersed the crowd:
"Scatter, all of you! Have you never seen a simpering fool before?"
Hearing Guliang Yuan's words, the disciples suddenly remembered his own legendary past as a simpering fool, and it finally dawned on them.
Good grief, so acting like a simpering fool was a mandatory rite of passage for the lineage of Forgetful Peak!
After the onlookers had dispersed, Guliang Yuan ran an investigative scan on Mochen.
To his dismay, he discovered that after a few days of cultivation, the obsession value—which had finally been lowered to 99—had bounced right back up to 100 because of this little stunt pulled by Liu Shuang.
Oh, wonderful, absolutely fantastic! So this is how we're going to play it!
Looking at Mochen, who was still fuming, Guliang Yuan felt a mix of exasperation and disappointment:
"Don't you think you look like an absolute clown right now?"
"Liu Shuang simply doesn't love you. Can't you get that through your thick skull?"
Mochen stiffened his neck, looking thoroughly unconvinced:
"Impossible! If Cousin Liu Shuang doesn't love me, how could she possibly travel thousands of miles just to see me?"
Guliang Yuan gave him another flick on the forehead:
"Anyone with eyes can see that Liu Shuang wanted to see Long Chen and just used you as a convenient excuse to sneak into the sacred grounds!"
"You're the only clown here who can't see it!"
Mochen fell silent, but Guliang Yuan could still see the stubborn defiance written all over his face.
"Unconvinced, are you? I'll make you convinced today!"
With that, Guliang Yuan dragged Mochen straight through the gate of Wuji Peak.
The gate-guarding disciples naturally didn't dare to stop Guliang Yuan as he entered the grounds.
They hadn't walked far past the gates before they spotted a frosty-looking Long Chen, alongside Liu Shuang, who was desperately trying to squeeze in close to him.
Guliang Yuan was far from a stranger to Long Chen; this was the very person whose golden attribute panel he had inspected earlier.
Pity that Long Chen had already taken Lü Qingmei as his master early on and wasn't a simpering fool.
Guliang Yuan casually cast an investigative scan on Liu Shuang. After reading her system panel, his expression turned rather peculiar.
Her innate talent was entirely mediocre, but her obsession value had hit a flat 100.
Clearly, that obsession was targeted entirely at Long Chen.
Indeed, being a simpering fool truly is a revolving cycle!
While Guliang Yuan was busy scanning them over here, Mochen saw the two of them standing so close together and finally lost control, letting out a sudden roar:
"Long Chen, let go of my cousin!"
Mochen's sudden bellow didn't just startle Long Chen and Liu Shuang; it even caught Guliang Yuan off guard.
Wait a minute, which of your eyes saw Long Chen grabbing Liu Shuang? It was painfully obvious that Liu Shuang was throwing herself at him!
When Liu Shuang saw Mochen, the disgust in her eyes was barely concealed:
"Mochen, why are you yelling at Senior Brother Long Chen?"
Mochen took two steps forward, cast a wary glance at Long Chen, and forcefully shoved his way between them before turning back to Liu Shuang with a completely smitten expression:
"Cousin, I was just worried you might be bullied."
"Didn't you say you wanted to see me? Well, I'm here. Let me show you around the sacred grounds."
Liu Shuang sidestepped Mochen, walked right back to Long Chen's side, and tried to slip her arm into his, only for Long Chen to dodge out of the way.
A trace of disappointment flickered across Liu Shuang's face, but she quickly recovered. Giving Long Chen a brilliant smile, she turned her head and snapped at Mochen:
"I have Senior Brother Long Chen to keep me company, so you can just go wherever you're supposed to go!"
"Junior Sister Liu Shuang..."
"Enough!"
Mochen wanted to say more, but Guliang Yuan mercilessly cut him off.
Guliang Yuan saw right through it: this Liu Shuang was the epitome of double standards, treating Long Chen with an attitude completely opposite to how she treated Mochen.
She was acting just like a sweet little sheep.
Fortunately, at least she made her aversion to Mochen crystal clear and wasn't leading him on.
If anyone was to blame, it was Mochen himself for having no backbone.
She's treating you like this, yet you still shamelessly crawl back to her!
You might not care about your dignity, but I still want mine!
As your master, you've managed to completely strip me of any pride I had left!
Upon seeing Guliang Yuan, Long Chen hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "Junior Grandmaster, Long Chen greets you."
Liu Shuang had been so entirely focused on Long Chen that she only noticed Guliang Yuan when she heard that shout.
Looking at Guliang Yuan's jade-like face and immortal demeanor, her soul drifted off for a fraction of a second.
How could there possibly be a man in this world even more handsome than Senior Brother Long Chen?
Guliang Yuan completely ignored Liu Shuang's gaze and waved his hand at Mochen:
"Mochen, get over here."
Mochen obediently shuffled over to Guliang Yuan's side.
Guliang Yuan pulled Mochen along and looked at Liu Shuang:
"Liu Shuang, do you like him?"
Hearing Guliang Yuan call her name, Liu Shuang snapped back to reality.
So what if there are many handsome men? My heart belongs to Senior Brother Long Chen and him alone!
Faced with Guliang Yuan's question, Liu Shuang gave a crisp and absolute answer:
"No."
Guliang Yuan turned to Mochen: "Now you see it clearly."
Mochen grew somewhat panicked: "Cousin, how could you not like me?"
"If you don't like me, why did you come looking for me?"
At these words, Liu Shuang cast an affectionate gaze at Long Chen:
"I came here to find Senior Brother Long Chen. Finding you was merely an excuse to gain entry into the sacred grounds."
Hearing this, Long Chen put some more distance between himself and Liu Shuang:
"Junior Sister Liu, please have some self-respect!"
Just when Guliang Yuan thought Mochen had finally received his answer and would be furious as a result, Mochen merely offered a nonchalant, airy reply:
"Really? I don't believe it."
Guliang Yuan slapped a hand to his forehead. So you're just living in self-deception, are you?
Kid, you're truly invincible.
Liu Shuang furrowed her brow. Judging by her usual temperament, she would have lost patience with Mochen long ago.
However, looking at Guliang Yuan standing beside Mochen and recalling the outside rumors surrounding Forgetful Peak, she vaguely guessed what Guliang Yuan was up to.
Suppressing her irritation, she answered, "What will it take for you to believe me?"
"Unless you can produce proof that you don't love me."
Huh?
What kind of logic is that?
Since when do you need proof not to love someone?
Liu Shuang's brows locked tight. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Long Chen standing nearby, and abruptly leaned in, pressing a soft kiss directly onto Long Chen's cheek.
Then, lowering her head, she murmured in a voice no louder than a mosquito's buzzing:
"The one I have always loved in my heart... is Senior Brother Long Chen. Do you believe me now?"
Long Chen's brows furrowed sharply. He hadn't expected Liu Shuang to launch a sneak attack. Just as he was about to flick his sleeve and storm off, he caught sight of Guliang Yuan's warning glare and the faint pressure radiating through the air, forcing him to abruptly halt his movements.
Having finished warning Long Chen, Guliang Yuan turned his gaze to the downcast Mochen and patted him on the shoulder:
"Now you believe it, don't you?"
"Listen to your master, focus on cultivating the Forgetful Dao. As long as you grow strong, everything else will follow."
Mochen jerked his head up, a look of utter bewilderment in his eyes:
"Master, when Cousin kissed Long Chen just now... why did my heart feel a faint trace of excitement?"
Guliang Yuan: 💀
Has some bizarre fetish just been unlocked inside you?
Looking at the stubborn 100 obsession value still hovering above Mochen's head, Guliang Yuan could only think one thing:
Kid, you really are in a league of your own!