People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 448, The Correct Way to Activate the Moon Goddess
Jade Tiger also understood his role in the Nightfall: to help Ji Wuye amass wealth. Once he lost his assets, Ji Wuye would certainly not help him make a comeback, and he would become a cripple and his life would be in danger.

As for denying it afterward, Jade Tiger wouldn't dare. The Iron Blood Alliance even dared to raid the residence of Prince Gyeongryun of the Korean royal family, and Ji Wuye didn't dare to offend them. How could a small businessman like him dare to go back on his word?
"Yes."

Mo Ya glanced at the Emerald Tiger, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

The agitated Jade Tiger failed to notice Mo Ya's unusual behavior. Instead, he paced back and forth anxiously. The glittering gold mountain on the table no longer seemed precious to him, but instead made him even more agitated.

"You may go down now. You must not let this batch of grain reach Nanyang. At the same time, you must report to the General and ask him to expose Han Fei's embezzlement of the birthday banquet funds to the King."

After hesitating for a moment, Jade Tiger said with a hint of helplessness.

He knew that King An of Han would not punish Han Fei severely for this, nor would he be able to get the money back, but he was determined to try anything, no matter how it might work.

"Yes."

Mo Ya cupped his hands in greeting and then turned and left.

Jade Tiger sat back down uneasily, staring at the mountain of gold before him, his hands gripping the coins tightly, his eyes gleaming with madness and greed.

"This time, I'm going to win no matter what," Emerald Tiger shouted in a somewhat shrill voice.

Meanwhile, outside Luyang City, in a pavilion.

The pavilion stood out starkly against the desolate fields. Xu Qing sat in the pavilion, gazing into the distance. However, an autumn drought had left the once verdant hills bare, devoid of any scenery.

A hot wind blew, stirring up the sand and dust on the ground, and a figure appeared behind Xu Qing.

"I am coming."

The Moon Goddess looked at Xu Qing, who was dressed in a dark Taoist robe, and her cold eyes behind the veil held a hint of inexplicable emotion as she spoke in a clear, cold voice.

Hearing that clear, serene voice with a hint of ethereal beauty, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, a gentle smile appearing on his face, and turned to look at the Moon Goddess.

The Moon Goddess wore her usual ice-blue palace gown, embroidered with crescent moon patterns on the hem, exuding a cold and captivating beauty like a fairy from the moon palace, seemingly untouched by worldly affairs.

The light blue dress covered her entire body completely, and her purple hair was adorned with several ice-blue hairpins, except that the pink eye veil had been replaced with a sky-blue one.

Her eyes were hidden by a veil, but a beauty mark at the corner of her left eye could be vaguely seen, adding a touch of allure and mystery to her small, oval face, making Xu Qing very eager to see the true face beneath the veil of the Moon Goddess.

Her moist lips were alluringly colored, beckoning one to kiss them.

With her hands clasped over her lower abdomen, she exudes a dignified yet not noble air, but rather a mysterious and aloof elegance, like the reflection of a crescent moon in a deep pool.

"Moon Goddess, it's been a long time," Xu Qing said with a gentle bow.

Seeing Xu Qing's polite demeanor, the Moon Goddess's cold eyes were somewhat moved, and she felt a strange, indescribable feeling, as if she were somewhat frustrated.

After their heart-to-heart talk and subsequent discussions, the Moon Goddess had already come to regard Xu Qing as a friend, a very special friend, because he was her only friend. However, Xu Qing's polite attitude made her feel a sense of distance.

After all, Xu Qing was a member of the Taoist Heavenly Sect and didn't care about the formalities that Confucianism valued. Xu Qing's behavior towards her meant that he didn't consider her a friend.

"What do you want with me?"

The Moon Goddess's usually cold and indifferent voice carried a hint of displeasure as she spoke in a chilling tone.

A hint of doubt flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Had he done something wrong? Why did the Moon Goddess seem a little unhappy?

"Miss Moon Goddess seems a little unhappy. Could it be that my sudden invitation to meet you has delayed your plans?" Xu Qing asked in confusion.

“No,” the Moon Goddess replied.

"That's good. I didn't ask Miss Yue Shen to come out for anything else. I just haven't remembered to thank you yet. Back in Taiyi Mountain, it was thanks to you and me discussing the Dao that I was able to comprehend the Great Dao, which allowed me to break through to the Celestial Master level, defeat Xiaoyaozi on the Guanmiao Platform, and obtain the Snow Clearing."

"I originally wanted to visit you when I was at Mount Taiyi, but I was tied up with worldly affairs and didn't have time. By the time things were over, you had already left Mount Taiyi."

"I learned from my men that you had come to Luyang City, so I invited you out to express my gratitude."

Xu Qing was quite certain that the Moon Goddess was somewhat unhappy, but since she was unwilling to say more, he didn't dare to press her for details. So he simply gave the explanation he had prepared beforehand.

"It's nothing. I've benefited a lot from the discussion, and Senior Sister Dongjun has helped you even more."

Seeing Xu Qing becoming increasingly polite, the Moon Goddess grew more and more displeased and said in a cold voice.

“Moon Goddess, you’re mistaken. In my opinion, you’ve helped me far more than Dongjun has,” Xu Qing said with a light laugh.

"how do I say this?"

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in the Moon Goddess's eyes, which were hidden behind her veil. She pursed her moist lips, and her voice seemed to soften a bit.

"It is because of the Moon Goddess that I have the opportunity to discuss the Dao with you and Dongjun, that is the first reason. Although Dongjun's words are more profound and mysterious, they are not as clear as yours. Moreover, the Dao you have spoken of has solved the problem that has been troubling me for a long time, that is the second reason."

"As for the third one," Xu Qing said, glancing at the Moon Goddess, deliberately not finishing his sentence in one breath.

"What's the third one?"

Intrigued, the Moon Goddess took two steps closer to Xu Qing, her aquamarine eyes sparkling with anticipation.

During her competition with Fei Yan, this was the second time the Moon Goddess had heard someone say that she was better than Fei Yan, and both times it came from Xu Qing. This dispelled the Moon Goddess's displeasure, and she looked forward to Xu Qing's next words.

Looking at the expectant Moon Goddess, a smile flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.

Although the Moon Goddess is aloof and cold, seemingly unapproachable, that's because the right key to unlocking her potential hasn't been found yet.

If you try to discuss various schools of thought with the Moon Goddess, she might scoff, but if you say she's better than Dongjun Feiyan, she'll want to talk to you for a whole day and night.

"The third one is my personal problem. As for the reason, I won't say more, lest it make the young lady laugh."

Xu Qing looked at the expectant Moon Goddess with an embarrassed expression. After glancing at her once, he looked away slightly, appearing like an innocent boy secretly in love with the Moon Goddess.

Seeing Xu Qing's appearance, a hint of surprise flashed in the Moon Goddess's eyes. Although she did not understand the feelings between men and women, she could still see through Xu Qing's obvious behavior.

Does this mean he has some feelings for her?

Thinking of this, the moon goddess unconsciously clenched her folded hands.

"You don't need to thank me."

The Moon Goddess's lips curled slightly upwards, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips, as she spoke softly.

Seeing the Moon Goddess smile, Xu Qing knew his thoughts were useless, so he quickly followed up with...
"It is only right that you do not need to thank me. My teacher taught me that I should repay kindness with gratitude. I do not know what the Moon Goddess likes, nor do I know what you lack, so I took the liberty of preparing a gift of thanks. Please do not refuse it."

Before the Moon Goddess could refuse, Xu Qing took out a box from his pocket. When he opened the box, a golden bracelet was placed inside. In the center of the bracelet was a light blue gemstone, and around the gemstone were purple gilded patterns.

"Although it's a mundane gift, it's a token of my goodwill, so please accept it, young lady," Xu Qing said with a smile.

There's no need for thanks or gifts between us.

After glancing at the bracelet in the box, the Moon Goddess shook her head and said...

"This is a token of my appreciation; please accept it."

Seeing that the Moon Goddess refused, Xu Qing revealed a serious expression and said sincerely.

Seeing Xu Qing's seriousness, the Moon Goddess became somewhat conflicted, as she didn't actually care about these gifts.

Xu Qing had comforted her before, giving her an affirmation she had never received before. This was a gift she had never received before, and its value far exceeded the guidance she had received from Xu Qing during their discussions.

"Does the Moon Goddess find this gift too common?" Xu Qing said somewhat disappointedly.

"No, it's beautiful, it's just..."

A hint of shyness flashed in the Moon Goddess's eyes. She found it difficult to speak her true thoughts. She couldn't very well say that your arrival was the best gift for her, could she?
"Since you think it looks good, then accept it."

Xu Qing reached out and grabbed the Moon Goddess's wrist, then placed the box in her hand.

"I'll accept this, thank you for your gift," the Moon Goddess said softly.

Looking at the bracelet in the box, the moon goddess's eyes gleamed beneath her veil. Although she wasn't particularly interested in gemstones or gold, women are naturally drawn to shiny and beautiful jewelry.

Moreover, this was a gift from Xu Qing, which indirectly proves that her status in Xu Qing's heart is far higher than that of Fei Yan.

Hmph, Fei Yan, this newcomer, actually dares to compete with her. She's just asking for trouble. This time, she'll definitely beat Fei Yan.

A smile appeared on the moon goddess's cold and beautiful face, like a fairy from the moon palace descending to earth.

"I'm glad you like it. I really didn't expect to meet you again on this trip to Nanyang. I thought you went to Xianyang with Dongjun after you came down the mountain," Xu Qing said casually.

The Moon Goddess closed the box with her other hand, her smile fading, and a glint of light flashed in her aquamarine eyes.

She came to Nanyang for Xu Qing's sake. Originally, she wanted to finalize the cooperation between Xu Qing and the Yin Yang School at Taiyi Mountain. However, after the Heavenly Man Agreement, Xu Qing was busy contacting the Hundred Schools to enter Qin, which made her miss a good opportunity.

However, it's not too late to bring up the matter of the Yin-Yang School entering Qin now. After all, Xu Qing has been actively inviting all schools of thought to Qin, so there's nothing wrong with her bringing up the Yin-Yang School's entry at this time.

"Senior Sister Dongjun had her own matters to attend to, so we parted ways and headed to Xianyang. But I was quite surprised to run into you in Nanyang. Shouldn't you be in seclusion on Mount Taiyi right now?"

A sly glint flashed in the Moon Goddess's eyes, but her face remained aloof as she asked with a puzzled look.

(End of this chapter)