Mo Cheng's face blanched, then swiftly changed into a colour of ripe strawberry at noticing Li Meirong's reaction to his words. He flapped his hands in front of his face, criss crossing them again and again in a panic. "Not in that way! We were practising martial arts late into the night. It must have been someone else..."

At that instant, Shu Qianqian gazed up to Mo Cheng with a look of adoration. "I knew that Brother Cheng believes in me!"

Mo Cheng disregarded the outburst from her, still staring at Li Meirong intently. It was painfully obvious that he was reigning in his embarrassment. "I'm simply stating the facts."

The corners of Li Meirong's lips curved up into a mocking smile. "I couldn't care less about what you did or did not do together. I'm telling you that sometime last night, Shu Qianqian came over to the servant's courtyard and lured me away to an unknown island. She claimed that your brother was about to die. She used Mo Jing as a means to blackmail me."

She peered at Shu Qianqian, then turned back to Mo Cheng. "I know that you have a special relationship going on with her, but I'd suggest you look twice into the matter before dismissing my words so carelessly. You said Zhu Qingyue is evil, but I say evil can come in many forms."

For a moment, Mo Cheng appeared to be conflicted. He stayed quiet, glancing between Li Meirong and Shu Qianqian as though he had to choose between them and was torn about making the decision.

After a while, he hung his head low and spoke with finality. "I promise to properly investigate the matter."

Li Meirong cupped her fists together respectfully and gave a small bow, hiding her expression. "That's all I ask. The rest I'll do myself."

Shu Qianqian crossed her arms over her chest and harrumphed. "What else can you do? Brother Cheng will find out that I've been wronged!"

Seeking affirmation, Shu Qianqian eyed Mo Cheng, but her enthusiasm dimmed when she was met with a bone-chilling glare, a shiver ran down her spine. She gave him a slightly hurt look before casting her gaze down.

Mo Cheng turned back to Li Meirong with his mouth set in a thin line. He looked her up and down and said, "I made a promise and I intend to keep it."

Li Meirong silently nodded her head in response, glad to know that she was still able to talk some sense into her slightly crazy friend, and gladder still for his sense of righteousness.

The harshness in Mo Cheng's eyes slightly softened, holding a look of both concern and confusion. "You said you said were nearly killed, but you seem fine." As if desperately searching for any way to believe her, he continued to question, "Do you have any internal injuries? Yesterday, what happened in the end?" finally, almost as an afterthought, he asked about his brother. "Did you find my brother on that island?"

"I'm fine. Your brother is back home, safe and sound, and about what happened, there is no need for you to know the rest. I'll see you soon at the tournament." Li Meirong's answer came out in a clipped tone.

'There is no way to end this meeting politely, so I might as well conclude it.' Li Meirong thought, seeing how this conversation took a lot longer than she expected.

She bobbed her head at Mo Cheng's direction just as she saw he was about to speak again, and turned to glare at Shu Qianqian. "As for you…"

Before anyone could so much as blink, Li Meirong abruptly closed the distance between her and Shu Qianqian, grasping the latter by the collar and flinging her across the room.

Li Meirong's actions were so unexpected that except for Shu Qianqian's yelp of fright, the room momentarily fell into an eerie silence.

Shu Qianqian's back instantly collided with the wall. She cried out as she lay sprawled pitifully on the floor. "Brother Cheng…" she managed to softly whisper.