Mo Er looked at Wen Xiaoxiao on the stage.
At this moment, she was extremely shy.
Although Wen Xiaoxiao had been married to Wei Qian for many years, as Wei Qian's business expanded, he grew more and more disdainful of her. Their marriage had long existed in name only.
"But I... I'm not worthy of Miss Wen," Mo Er murmured.
You see, that's how someone who loves you behaves. He won't mind what kind of relationship she's had in the past, won't think that just because she's been a wife or not a virgin, she's unworthy of him.
In Mo Er's heart, Wen Xiaoxiao was as wonderful as the first time he'd seen her.
All he could think about was that he wasn't good enough for her.
Hearing this, Wen Xiaoxiao stood up.
Mo Er's words brought a touch of comfort to her nervous heart.
Previously, Wen Xiaoxiao hadn't had any feelings for Mo Er.
However, people have hearts of flesh.
Mo Er had given up the chance to pursue a scholarly career in the capital for her sake.
Over the past few years, a scholar who should have been wielding a brush had taken up an axe to cut firewood on the mountains and carried oil jugs to sell oil from door to door.
Wen Xiaoxiao remembered all these things.
During her years of marriage to Wei Qian, Wei Qian had never done anything like this for her.
Zhao Shuning turned around.
"Miss Wen, you're a free woman now. Your future is in your own hands. You don't need to consider other things or care about others' opinions. The neighbors here in Chaozhou are all reasonable people. No matter what decision you make, they won't gossip about you."
Wen Xiaoxiao looked at Mo Er.
Mo Er averted his gaze.
Over the years, he'd only dared to steal glances at Wen Xiaoxiao from afar or in the corner. He'd never imagined that one day he'd be this close to her.
"You've been so kind to me," Wen Xiaoxiao said.
Just this one sentence made Mo Er tense up.
Seeing this, Zhao Shuning knew that if no one intervened, this relationship would probably have a happy ending.
"Lord Lou, the auction house must hold a certain position in Chaozhou. I have a favor to ask of you."
"Please speak, senior."
"Wen Xiaoxiao is a relative of an old friend of mine. If she has a hard time in the future, my friend will surely be worried. Well, if these two are destined for each other and have feelings for one another, I'd like to ask Lord Lou to act as the matchmaker and attend their wedding as a special guest."
In this way, everyone in Chaozhou would know that Wen Xiaoxiao and Mo Er's marriage was backed by the Chaozhou auction house. Even those in the jianghu, especially those associated with the Li family, wouldn't dare to act rashly.
Zhao Shuning's proposal was truly a win - win situation.
"Sure, senior. I'll do my best," Lord Lou replied.
After hearing this, the scholar walked onto the stage. Wen Xiaoxiao also walked towards Mo Er.
They looked at each other and smiled. Then they knelt in front of Zhao Shuning.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Shuning was startled by this sudden act of kneeling.
She quickly tried to help them up. Although these people addressed her as senior, she thought she was still young. Being knelt before so often made her feel uneasy.
Wen Xiaoxiao and Mo Er were helped up, but they knelt down again.
Zhao Shuning was about to help them up once more when Wen Xiaoxiao spoke first.
"Senior."
Zhao Shuning stopped.
"I have no way to repay your great kindness, senior. I only hope you'll accept our three bows. Otherwise, we'll never have peace of mind."
"Senior, I'm unworthy and incompetent. To receive your care is a great blessing for me. This is the least we can do. Please accept our three bows, senior," Mo Er pleaded.
Zhao Shuning had no choice but to agree.
After Wen Xiaoxiao and Mo Er finished bowing, they got up.
Zhao Shuning then said, "Wen Xiaoxiao, it's right for a woman to be self - reliant and self - respecting. The fault in your relationship with Wei Qian wasn't yours. You don't need to feel guilty."
She could tell that Wen Xiaoxiao still felt a bit remorseful about her past.
Hearing Zhao Shuning's words, Wen Xiaoxiao nodded.
"Thank you for your advice, senior."
Zhao Shuning felt relieved. Then she said, "I have something to do today, so I won't talk to you any longer. A Shui, A Yue, it's almost time. Didn't you say we were going to the Yaoyue Tower? Is it okay to go now?"
The Water and Moon Envoys quickly replied, "Of course. We've already reserved a seat for the sect leader. We can go as soon as things here are settled."
Zhao Shuning rubbed her forehead.
In an instant, the Water and Moon Envoys and she disappeared from the auction stage.
She believed that with Lou Yang's ability, he could handle the remaining mess well.
The Water and Moon Envoys were well - known in Chaozhou. So when they arrived at the Yaoyue Tower, they didn't have to wait and were directly led to the Tian - character private room.
This tower was named Yaoyue Tower for a reason.
It was extremely tall. There was no other building in Chaozhou taller than it.
At this moment, Zhao Shuning, A Shui, and A Yue were on the top floor.
When they opened the window, they could take in the beautiful scenery of Chaozhou.
Zhao Shuning sat down.
A Shui and A Yue exchanged a look. Seeing that there was no one else around, they knocked on the wooden board on the top floor.
Before long, the wooden board opened, revealing a staircase.
A Shui said, "Sect Leader Ning, the Yaoyue Tower is pyramid - shaped. People think the top floor is just for decoration, but actually, it's a secret chamber."
"Master Kong, you can come out now," A Yue said.
A figure slowly emerged from the dark attic.
The figure looked extremely haggard. It took Zhao Shuning quite a while to recognize that the person was actually Kong Ye.
"Kong Ye? Why is he here?" Zhao Shuning had thought it would take more time to find Kong Ye.
But unexpectedly, she'd run into him. It was really a surprise.
Kong Ye was extremely thin.
Zhao Shuning stepped forward to check.
Sure enough, just as Wen Xi had said, Kong Ye had no spiritual energy left.
What on earth had happened to him?
Seeing Zhao Shuning's confused expression, A Shui and A Yue both sighed.
"Sect Leader Ning, my brother and I are both students from the Yanyu Tower. We were really shocked when we found Master Kong on the auction stage."
"Later, we used some means to hide Master Kong here in the Yaoyue Tower to recuperate. There are our people in the Yaoyue Tower, and they'll take good care of Master Kong."
Zhao Shuning asked, "What exactly happened to him?"
The two elders shook their heads.
"Since we found Master Kong, he's been emaciated and unable to speak. His eyes were dull. If we hadn't studied in the Yanyu Tower, we might not have recognized him."
This reminder made Zhao Shuning realize that since Kong Ye had appeared, he hadn't said a single word.