Mo Cheng nervously retracted his hand, gazing at Li Meirong who seemed just as clueless. Then he looked to the left and right as he sought the enemy who had been bold enough to attack him in his own abode.

A Floating Turtle Spirit with red eyes peered at him with a perplexed yet shrewd look upon its face from behind Li Meirong's shoulder. Mo Cheng could sense no evil intentions from the reptilian creature. He quickly dismissed it as the culprit. Though he did find its presence slightly unnerving, as if it knew more than one would expect.

Following a thorough inspection of the surrounding, Mo Cheng's eyes finally landed upon Li Meirong's Fox Spirit cub, sitting obediently at her side. The Fox's pink tongue darted out of his small snout as he raised one paw and innocently licked himself clean. Seeming to suddenly notice he was being stared at, the Fox Spirit glanced up at Mo Cheng with a pair of yellow orbs, blinking harmlessly a few times over.

'How can this tiny fox possibly be able to attack me without my knowledge?' Mo Cheng sighed, shaking his head at his own ridiculous thought. His heart burned in shame realizing that being attacked like this in his own home had him imagining such an absurd scenario.

Still troubled by the strange occurrence, he turned to Li Meirong and queried incredulously, "What just happened?"

"The wind must have tossed the scattered weapons," said Li Meirong. As if spoken into existence, a sudden gust of wind swept through the courtyard, fluttering her robes and blowing her hair like an onyx cloud about her oval, jade-like face. "Brother Cheng, you should take better care of your items," she further remarked while turning around and picking up the sword that almost slashed Mo Cheng, neatly stacking it back against the polished rack. The Fox Spirit obediently followed closely behind her.

"Right, I really should." Mo Cheng answered in apparent disbelief, arching an eyebrow at Li Meirong's back as she fastidiously occupied herself with rearranging his weapon rack.

While Li Meirong busied herself with stacking the swords, she cast Snowball a knowing look filled with reproach. The latter avoided the stare, sheepishly concealing his velvety muzzle as he looked down. His fluffy tail was carried at half-mast, giving a cautious wag.

Seeing that Li Meirong stepped away, Shu Qianqian used the opportune moment to dash forward and desperately grab hold of Mo Cheng's arm. "Brother Cheng, are you alright?!" she exclaimed. "The sword just levitated in the air and darted in your direction!"

"I'm fine. Nothing happened." Mo Cheng somberly reassured Shu Qianqian, stroking the top of her head, and added, "Go back to your room, alright?"

Shu Qianqian looked at him with an aggrieved look on her beautiful face, tears began brimming in her eyes. "I don't want to! Brother Cheng, I think Li Meirong came over with ill intentions! I wish to stay by your side and protect you."

Mo Cheng's face darkened, pulling away from Shu Qianqian in apparent disappointment. "Stop spouting nonsense! Li Meirong is my friend."

"Brother Cheng," Shu Qianqian whined, keeping a tighter hold over Mo Cheng when she sensed him backing away. "I'm serious. Sister Meirong changed as of late. She's not the same as before."

Mo Cheng pushed Shu Qianqian away with a fierce admonishment. His voice dropped to a low tone that left no room for argument. "You are not allowed to speak ill of her! Do you remember that she once saved your life?"

Shu Qianqian toppled over, landing on her buttocks. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she kept pitifully pleading, brushing away the teardrops with the back of her sleeves. She cried out, "Of course I remember! But Brother Cheng, I have been with you longer than she has, and I've always cared for you. If I'm telling you that she has an evil plan, then you must believe me!"

Mo Cheng's scowl slowly receded into a perplexed frown. Seeing how desperate and pitiful Shu Qianqian appeared, he felt his heart soften. He looked slightly conflicted as he helped Shu Qianqian to her feet.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. I believe you," he said, assuaging the stricken girl. "But please, calm down first. It's unbecoming of a lady to behave this way."

Shu Qianqian wiped the corner of her eyes and sniffed. "If my Brother Cheng says so, then I will do my best."

"I want Shu Qianqian to stay." Li Meirong suddenly called out and interjected in the middle of their conversation, startling Mo Cheng and Shu Qianqian. She came back to stand in front of the bickering couple with her arms folded together and a spirit beast at each side.

"You do?" Both Mo Cheng and Shu Qianqian asked simultaneously. Their expressions subtly shifted as their gazes travelled to Li Meirong in shock.

Actually, Shu Qianqian wasn't wrong. Li Meirong had changed. She always used to walk around with her shoulders slumped and constantly tried to avoid conflict. She used to never raise her voice, and used to always act demure.

Now Li Meirong stood with her back ramrod straight, and a frosty expression on her face. She impatiently tapped her foot on the ground, appearing bold and imposing, undaunted by Shu Qianqian's display in the slightest.

Her lip curled up into a sneer. "Of course I do! Shu Qianqian must stay! She is, after all, the reason I have come here to visit, my dearest friend."

Shu Qianqian cringed as she heard those words, while the floating Turtle Demoness hovering above Li Meirong's shoulder snickered loudly.

At the same time, Bai Qingyue concentrated on a different matter altogether as he stood by Li Meirong's side, studying the crying girl whom his wife had called Shu Qianqian. He carefully observed with narrowed fox eyes the way that Shu Qianqian pitifully sought Mo Cheng's affection. He calmly absorbed how the wretched boy's anger swiftly dissolved at the sight of her tears.

The spectacle in front of him led Bai Qingyue to realize the error of his ways. He simply hadn't been trying hard enough to appear pitiful in front of his wife! Unlike this crying girl, who clearly mastered the craft of pulling at one's heartstrings!