2072 Watch Your Mouth!

Duan Ling Tian had offended several high-ranking officials in the Fire Worship Sect. Although they were not extremely strong or influential, it would still be very easy for them to annihilate a third-rate force like the Qiu Clan. For this reason, he regretted not asking Qiu Mu Qing to keep his name a secret from her father.

"No," Qiu Mu Qing answered as she shook her head. She was confused by Duan Ling Tian's question, but she still said, "I told my father about everything that happened today. He should be with Grand Elder now to discuss how to deal with this matter when people from the Dongfang Clan come calling. However, he has promised me that he'll try his best to protect you. You can stay in the Qiu Clan's estate without any worries!" It was obvious Qiu Mu Qing was trying to reassure Duan Ling Tian.

"Miss Qiu, you don't have to worry about the matter with the Dongfang Clan. I'm not afraid of the Dongfang Clan!" Duan Ling Tian said indifferently. However, his expression turned solemn when he said, "However, I'll have to ask you to not reveal my name to anyone, including your father!"

Qiu Mu Qing did not take Duan Ling Tian seriously when he said he was not afraid of the Dongfang Clan. Although she had seen how strong Duan Ling Tian was, she did not think he was a match for the entire Dongfang Clan. She was, however, puzzled by Duan Ling Tian's request to keep his name a secret. However, she did not say anything since she knew everyone had their own secrets. She believed he had a good reason for wanting to keep his name a secret.

"Okay." Qiu Mu Qing nodded. "I promise I won't reveal your name without your permission."

Duan Ling Tian smiled when he heard Qiu Mu Qing's words. He felt relieved. He was not afraid of wreaking havoc in Clarity City. However, he planned to keep his presence here a secret. He was afraid those high-ranking officials in the Fire Worship Sect whom he had offended would find out he was in Clarity City and cause trouble for the Qiu Clan.

Duan Ling Tian was not certain if the Sanctum Leader of Azure Dragon Sanctum and Dong Yuan Jin, one of the Vice Hall Masters of the Enforcement Hall, would take any actions against the Qiu Clan. However, he was very certain Li An, the First Silver Flame Elder in the Black Turtle Sanctum, would definitely seize this opportunity and attack the Qiu Clan if he knew Duan Ling Tian had a good relationship with the Qiu Clan. If that happened, Qiu Mu Qing would certainly be affected.

For these reasons, Duan Ling Tian had requested Qiu Mu Qing to keep his name a secret. This way, no one would be able to link him, a famous prodigy from the Fire Worship Sect, to the Qiu Clan even if he acted outrageously in Clarity City.

"You..."

"You…..."

Both Duan Ling Tian and Qiu Mu Qing spoke at the same time after a period of awkward silence. They both fell silent to allow the other party to continue speaking.

"Please go ahead."

"Please go ahead."

After a few moments, Duan Ling Tian and Qiu Mu Qing said at the same time again. People would have thought they had rehearsed this.

Qiu Mu Qing laughed as Duan Ling Tian fell into a daze again. Her face turned pink when she looked at Duan Ling Tian.

Duan Ling Tian was about to speak when a deep voice interrupted him.

"Qiu Mu Qing!" A hint of anger could be heard in this voice that came from the distance.

Qiu Mu Qing's smile vanished immediately and an unhappy expression appeared on her face when she heard this voice.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Duan Ling Tian frowned when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them. A strong and tall middle-aged man entered Qiu Mu Qing's private residence with a group of old, middle-aged, and young men trailing behind him. It was clear they were here to look for trouble with Qiu Mu Qing. Some of them looked at her with a hint of hostility as though she had committed a serious crime.

"Second uncle and elders… What do you mean by this? Isn't it a little rude for all of you to come calling without an invitation?" Qiu Mu Qing said as she stood up and turned to look at the people who came. She walked toward them.

Qiu Mu Qing was the owner of this private residence. It was rude for these people to drop in unannounced.

The person who had led the group over was none other than Qiu Gang Yi, the Second Master of Qiu Clan. The people behind him were elders whom he rallied to his cause. All of them shared a common goal to force Qiu Mu Qing to marry Dongfang Zhu, the Second Young Master of Dongfang Clan.

All of them were furious at Qiu Mu Qing when they heard of her actions. They knew the marriage alliance between the Qiu Clan and Dongfang Clan was over. They came over to punish her for her actions.

"What's the problem? Since you plan to destroy the Qiu Clan, why would we need permission to enter your private residence?" Qiu Gang Yi, the Second Master of Qiu Clan, said as he looked at Qiu Mu Qing with a grave expression. "Do you think you'll be able to live peacefully in your private residence without the Qiu Clan?"

Although Qiu Mu Qing addressed Qiu Gang Yi as second uncle, they were not closely related. Qiu Gang Yi's grandfather were cousins of Qiu An Ping's grandfather. He was only a distant relative.

Qiu Gang Yi only cared about the well-being of the Qiu Clan. He did not care about Qiu Mu Qing at all. As long as it would benefit the Qiu Clan, what Qiu Mu Qing wanted did not matter at all. For this reason, he had forced marriage on Qiu Mu Qing even though she had made it clear that she was unwilling. Qiu Gang Yi even went to the elders to rally them to his cause and pressured the Clan Leader, Qiu An Ping, so he would convince his daughter to marry into the Dongfang Clan.

Qiu Mu Qing was stunned when she heard Qiu Gang Yi's words. She asked coldly, "Destroy the Qiu Clan? How did you come to this conclusion, uncle?"

"How did I come to this conclusion?" Qiu Gang Yi sneered as he looked at Duan Ling Tian who had appeared next to Qiu Mu Qing's side. "Is this man your illicit lover? He's really good-looking. Unfortunately, he's a dead man walking now that he has offended the Dongfang Clan."

"Illicit lover?" Duan Ling Tian frowned when he heard Qiu Gang Yi's words. However, he chose to endure since Qiu Gang Yi was from the Qiu Clan. He would tolerate it for now. Naturally, there was a limit to how much he could tolerate. He moved to stand between Qiu Mu Qing and Qiu Gang Yi.

Qiu Mu Qing's expression changed immediately as well when she heard Qiu Gang Yi's words. She could still tolerate it if Qiu Gang Yi had only insulted her. However, she could not and would not tolerate him insulting her friend.

"Qiu Gang Yi! You better watch your mouth! He's my friend!" Qiu Mu Qing said coldly as she glared at Qiu Gang Yi.

This was Qiu Mu Qing's first time addressing Qiu Gang Yi by his full name. He was shocked when he heard her words. He quickly tamped down his anger and laughed. "It seems like you're all grown up now. Addressing your uncle by his name and siding with your illicit lover over your uncle."

"I repeat, he's my friend, not my illicit lover!" Qiu Mu Qing said coldly. Based on her expression and her voice, it was obvious she was extremely furious.

Duan Ling Tian knew he could no longer remain quiet when he saw Qiu Mu Qing's anger. He took a step toward Qiu Gang Yi as he said threateningly, "Are you Qiu Gang Yi? You better heed Miss Qiu's advice and watch your mouth!"

Duan Ling Tian caught Qiu Gang Yi's attention when Duan Ling Tian stepped forward. He was cowed by his threats, but he regained his senses and began to laugh. After a while, he looked at Duan Ling Tian coldly and said contemptuously, "Young lad, don't think that you can do whatever you want in the Qiu Clan just because Qiu Mu Qing likes you. You're a nobody in my eyes."