"Your Highness Ninth, a friend has come from afar, why do you refuse to see them?"
Lan Ling greeted Ying Tianbao with a smile, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Behind her, the loyal guards of the royal mansion were brutally defeated by the old man in gray robes, with blood staining the ground.
Clearly knowing that Ying Tianbao would not grant an audience, Lan Ling had chosen to force her way in.
Even in the capital of an enemy country, she dared to be so arrogant and unreasonable, possessing such confidence.
Upon seeing Lan Ling, Ying Tianbao showed a hint of fear and chuckled, "Princess Lan Ling, isn't it necessary to avoid suspicion?"
"Why are you so distant, Your Highness Ninth? You used to call me 'Little Ling Ling,' but now you call me Princess?"
Lan Ling feigned a sad and resentful expression, making her look pitiable.
Such acting, a true green tea!
"Little Bao, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person, abandoning a girl after starting something. The flames of war between our two countries might have been ignited because of you. As a man, I look down on you for being so irresponsible."
Ji Mo suddenly spoke.
What?
Instantly, everyone present was stunned.
Even the old man in gray robes stared at his Saintess in astonishment, wanting to know if this was true. If it were, he would kill Ying Tianbao, this heartless and unfaithful man.
"Brother Mo, I didn't..."
Ying Tianbao, in his youthful arrogance, had indeed flirted with Lan Ling. However, he was eventually severely dealt with by her, and there was no further connection.
He had intended to explain, but he suddenly noticed Ji Mo winking at him and immediately understood.
"Ahem, Little Ling Ling, I was wrong to you. You didn't refuse me that night, and I hurt you that night. I will definitely take responsibility to the end."
Ying Tianbao gazed at Lan Ling with affectionate eyes, his expression full of deep emotion and extreme tenderness.
This guy was also an old hand at acting!
"Ying Tianbao, shut up. There's nothing between us. If you talk nonsense again, I'll kill you."
Lan Ling's smile froze, her face turned ashen. She hadn't expected Ying Tianbao to utter such lewd words.
If these words got out, how would she ever face anyone again?
Lan Ling was furious. What kind of person was this, so shameless.
"Since Little Bao didn't abandon you, why has your Yan Zhao Dynasty raised an army to invade my Great Qin? Retreat immediately and get out of Great Qin's territory. Also, you injured these guards without reason, you need to give an explanation."
Ji Mo's tone turned cold as he changed the subject.
With the two countries at war, Lan Ling's sudden visit was undoubtedly with ulterior motives.
And now she had people injure the guards and acted so arrogantly. Ji Mo naturally wouldn't indulge her, so he deliberately provoked her.
"Ji Mo, the great scholar Ji, as expected, is glib-tongued. No wonder you could trick even the pampered young masters into joining the army. Actually, I came specifically to find you."
Lan Ling looked at Ji Mo, feeling a little disappointed.
As expected, rumors were unreliable. She had thought he was a gentle and refined scholar, but now, seeing him, apart from his good looks, he seemed to have nothing special about him.
"Find me?"
Ji Mo immediately became vigilant. What kind of trick was she trying to play?
Lan Ling suppressed her anger and praised, "I've long heard of Young Master Ji's exceptional talent and outstanding demeanor. Seeing you now, you truly are a dragon among men, a handsome and distinguished figure."
"Mmm, you have good taste. That's right, I am that kind of person."
Ji Mo was not humble at all.
This immediately stunned Lan Ling.
Could there be such a shameless person in the world?
She was just making polite remarks, was he truly arrogant and conceited, or was he mentally deficient and took it seriously?
Ying Tianbao felt a surge of secret delight. As expected of Brother Mo, he was so satisfying when he retorted.
"Young Master Ji, I won't beat around the bush. My Yan Zhao Dynasty has always valued talent. I wonder if you would be willing to serve my Yan Zhao Dynasty?"
Lan Ling directly stated her intention, wanting to recruit Ji Mo.
If Ji Mo had real substance, then his offense could be forgiven. If it turned out he was just an empty shell, she would make him wish he were dead.
"You intend to recruit me?"
Ji Mo was somewhat surprised.
"Lan Ling, what do you mean?"
Ying Tianbao immediately became agitated. He hadn't expected Lan Ling to poach talent from his side.
Ji Mo was a powerful backer he had finally managed to secure, and he couldn't let Lan Ling snatch him away.
"Ying Tianbao, what future does Young Master Ji have by staying by your side? Besides money, what else can you give him?"
Lan Ling mocked Ying Tianbao, then turned to Ji Mo, "You must be aware of Great Qin's current situation. It's not impossible for the country to fall. And Ying Tianci will not let Ying Tianbao go. Why should you accompany him to death?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Tianbao's expression dimmed. Lan Ling's words made a lot of sense.
Thinking about it, he had never given Ji Mo anything, but Ji Mo had saved him several times.
"Then what can you give me?" Ji Mo retorted.
Ying Tianbao's heart sank, his face turned pale. Had Brother Mo been swayed?
"Naturally, endless wealth and glory. If you wish to enter officialdom, I can also arrange a high-ranking position with generous emoluments for you."
Lan Ling's lips curled up, thinking Ji Mo was tempted, and said with a smile, "This is a small token of my appreciation that I specially prepared for Young Master Ji. It should suit your taste."
Saying this, she rotated the spatial ring in her hand and took out a large pile of calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books.
These were various rare editions and treasured calligraphy and paintings collected by the Yan Zhao royal family, all genuine works of famous scholars and great masters, whose value was immeasurable.
Any scholar would regard these items as priceless treasures.
Lan Ling believed that even a sage would bow down upon seeing these items.
A smug cold smile played on her lips as she waited to see Ji Mo shriek in surprise and look utterly shocked, like someone who had never seen the world.
However, she was disappointed.
"Just this, a pile of junk?"
Ji Mo casually flipped through them, his face full of disdain.
These calligraphy and paintings weren't even as good as his own. He considered them too old to even use for burning in the kitchen.
"What, Young Master Ji is not satisfied?"
It was Lan Ling's turn to be surprised.
With such a grand gesture, was she still unable to satisfy the man's appetite?
Was this person so insatiably greedy?
"What do I want with this trash? The old calligraphy and paintings I use to start fires in my kitchen are a hundred times better."
Ji Mo shook his head.
Lan Ling's expression turned extremely unpleasant. These were treasures collected by the Yan Zhao royal family, yet they were dismissed as worthless. Wasn't this a direct slap in her face?
"I have a peerless ancient zither here, Young Master Ji will surely like it."
Lan Ling, unable to bear Ji Mo's disdainful look any longer, gritted her teeth and took out an ancient, colorful, and resplendent zither.
"Legendary-grade magical treasure!"
Uncle Fu almost cried out in surprise.
The grade of this ancient zither was considered a fine example of the legendary tier, and even Emperor-level experts would be tempted by it.
To save face, Lan Ling had spared no expense.
"It seems your Yan Zhao Dynasty is very poor. No wonder you're always thinking of invading Great Qin. This broken zither can be called a peerless beauty? It's not even as good as the toy zither I made for Yue'er last time. Too shoddy."
Ji Mo merely glanced at it before shifting his gaze away.
"You scoundrel, how dare you repeatedly humiliate my Yan Zhao!"
Lan Ling's chest heaved violently, and a strong killing intent erupted from her entire being.