Chapter 25: Portrait

"So, the eldest daughter of the Mo family is even more beautiful than the one who entered the palace earlier!" Several women gathered in front of the notice board, scrutinizing the portrait of Mo Liuli and voicing their opinions.

"Indeed! The prettier a woman is, the more venomous her heart. She’s just like a vixen, flirting with men everywhere, getting herself pregnant, and now forcing her own sister to take the fall for her! How truly wicked!" chimed in a woman with a mediocre face, dressed in ostentatious wealth. Her piggy eyes were filled with undisguised envy, jealousy, and spite.

The other women exchanged glances, curled their lips, and chose not to engage, turning their attention back to the notice.

The He family was one of the wealthiest in the main city of Huanlan. Although the head of the family was handsome, well-regarded, and known for his charity, his wife was a different story. Not only was she fat and plain-looking, but her tongue was also malicious; if anyone was beautiful or successful, she would find fault, as if their very existence was an eyesore.

Many of the women present had already been targeted by her sharp tongue, but due to the He family’s status in the Huanlan Continent, they had no choice but to endure her insults without retaliation.

Seeing their silence, Mrs. He took it as agreement and became even more spiteful.

"I say, like mother, like daughter! That woman surnamed Leng must be a slut too, otherwise, how could she raise such a daughter? Perhaps she’s the one who paved the way for her daughter to elope!"

Mrs. He spoke with smug satisfaction, her obese body swaying as she moved, causing the thick layers of powder on her face to flake off in clouds.

Mo Zichuan, who had escaped from the Martial Arts Academy, was hiding in the crowd. Hearing this, his small fists clenched until they cracked, and his bruised face darkened with rage.

He had originally intended to go home and consult with his mother about swindling his eldest sister out of her jade pendant. But as soon as he stepped out of the academy, he was met with a storm of gossip. Everywhere he went, people claimed his eldest sister was the reincarnation of a vixen, a curse to everyone around her. Portraits of her were posted everywhere, as if they were terrified someone might fail to recognize Mo Liuli.

"Do you want to know where she is?"

Suddenly, a cloaked man appeared behind Mo Zichuan. He patted the boy on the shoulder and pointed at the portrait.

The cloak hid the man's face entirely. When Mo Zichuan turned, he could only see a sharp chin. The man’s voice sounded deep and unfamiliar, seemingly belonging to a middle-aged man.

Mo Zichuan’s eyes lit up. Greed clouded his judgment, and without hesitation, he nodded, following the cloaked figure away from the notice board.

***

News from the Huanlan Continent soon reached Wucheng, and the portraits spread like wildfire.

"Isn’t the woman in this picture the same one who vomited all over the young master that day?"

"Let me see, let me see!"

The portrait was snatched away by another man.

"She’s definitely even more beautiful in person than in the portrait! So she came from Huanlan; no wonder I’ve never seen her before..."

"But is this girl really pregnant? She doesn't look like it at all!" The man who snatched the portrait sighed with emotion, drawing nods of agreement from those around him. He had been present when Mo Liuli lifted the curtain in front of Wucheng that day. Captivated by her beauty, he had wanted to approach her, but refrained because the young master had also taken an interest.

Mo Liuli, who had been eating in a corner, was deeply annoyed by the sudden commotion in the Yipin Restaurant, especially by the group of flashy young men nearby. They had been loud and unrefined since they arrived, and now they were brazenly passing around a woman’s portrait, discussing her as if she were a piece of meat. Mo Liuli found it truly vulgar and perverted.

Xiao Junwang, sharp-eyed and quick-eared, caught a glimpse of the refined woman in the portrait from afar. He paused, then looked at the disgruntled and now appetite-less Mo Liuli. "Since you’ve finished, let’s go. It’s too noisy here."

He rose calmly, shielding Mo Liuli from the view of the portrait.

Disturbed by the ruckus, Mo Liuli had lost her appetite. Just as she was about to leave her seat, someone else appeared beside her, followed by a wave of heavy perfume.

"Miss Mo, why are you leaving when you haven't enjoyed yourself yet?" Master Rao, dressed in pink robes, sat down uninvited, leaning close to Mo Liuli. He pointed at the banquet on the table with graceful, oily fingers.

The exquisite dishes on the table had barely been touched, making it look as if she hadn't eaten at all.

The moment the young master appeared, the Yipin Restaurant buzzed. Youths at nearby tables began to stir, eager to curry favor, their eyes darting toward the corner where Mo Liuli sat.

"Isn't... isn't that the girl from the portrait?"

Someone at a nearby table, perhaps less tactful than the rest, pointed at Mo Liuli and shouted, his expression one of shock, as if he had seen a beautiful monster.

Master Rao shot a sharp, icy glare at the source of the noise. The man immediately shut his mouth, his fingers retracting into his sleeves in terror.

"Miss Mo, since I haven't eaten either, why don't we dine together? Here, try this. It's the Yipin Restaurant's most famous Drunken Concubine Chicken. You must try it while it's hot!"

Rao placed a piece of tender, beautifully prepared chicken into Mo Liuli’s bowl, staring at her unblinkingly.

He had seen the notice and the portrait. He had happened to run into Feng Xiyan and had come with her to find Mo Liuli.

When he first saw the notice claiming Mo Liuli was pregnant, he had been shocked. For some reason, he had subconsciously already claimed Mo Liuli as his own, even though she had vomited all over him that day.

Judging by the situation, the man in the notice must be this masked man by her side who dared not show his face. Master Rao was confident that he could easily outshine a man who hid behind a mask. As long as Mo Liuli was willing to be with him, he wouldn't mind waiting until she gave birth to the child before marrying her. If that was what it took to have her, he didn't mind the wait.

As for the trouble in the Huanlan Continent, he would handle it himself. A mere Mo family and a minor crown prince were nothing in his eyes.

Xiao Junwang and Mo Liuli were, of course, unaware of Rao's thoughts. Any sensible person could see at a glance that Mo Liuli was pregnant, so she never imagined anyone would still harbor intentions toward her.

Seeing Rao’s fawning, overly familiar behavior, Mo Liuli felt only irritation. Even though she had vomited on him, she never expected him to be petty enough to hunt her down. It wasn't a big deal—if his clothes were dirty, he could have just thrown them away! Was there really a need to pester her?

Mo Liuli sat with a sour expression, refusing to say a word to the overly familiar Master Rao.