Chapter 240 – A Breakthrough Achieved Naturally

“……”

Xu Qianqian fell silent.

She finally understood why Mo Yin had betrayed her.

Mo Yin had been a spy for the Mo Family from the very beginning, entering the Xu Family with the purpose of gathering intelligence for the Mo Family and helping them achieve certain ulterior motives.

Such spies weren’t actually uncommon, at least among major powers.

The scheming and deception between great families and major powers naturally couldn’t exist without espionage activities.

Every major family and power was aware of this, yet they couldn’t completely eliminate or avoid it.

As long as gaps, suspicions, and interests existed between powers, there would always be those who wanted to plant their own people inside.

Therefore, it wasn’t surprising at all that the Mo Family wanted to plant spies in the Xu Family. She believed they must have done the same with other families and powers.

And other powers and families would similarly want to plant spies in the Xu Family.

After all, the Xu Family was one of the six top families in Longyao City.

With such a large target, many people were targeting the Xu Family, wanting to achieve something within it.

The Mo Family was just one of these powers, and they certainly had their share of spies planted by others.

This was the nature of relationships between powers.

Whether maintaining friendly relations, hostile relations, or even neutral relations, intelligence warfare was inevitable – you never knew when it might prove useful and profitable.

In this regard, major family powers had implemented numerous measures, yet they still couldn’t completely prevent spy infiltration.

Even the Xu Family, or precisely because it was such a massive power, had more gaps for people to infiltrate.

In this aspect, the Xu Family had adopted various preventive measures to ensure that even if spies from other powers got in, they couldn’t access truly important areas.

For promising juniors like Xu Qianqian, whom the family placed great hopes in, their close associates naturally constituted important areas too. The family must have taken many measures to prevent infiltration by spies from hostile powers.

However, the Xu Family wasn’t ruled by a single voice.

Even with Xu Wen, a Six-Star Hunter, serving as Family Head and maintaining order from above, he still couldn’t prevent his two sons from opposing each other.

The Xu Family had factions led by Xu Yongfeng and Xu Qianqian, but there was also another faction led by Xu Yanyan and her father.

From Mo Yin’s words, it was clear that Xu Yanyan’s faction had harbored ill intentions toward Xu Qianqian for a very long time. Not only had they leaked important information about the family’s private soldier training program to outsiders, but they had also interfered, helping the Mo Family plant dangerous elements among Xu Qianqian’s private soldiers.

Xu Qianqian refused to believe that the people the family brought back from outside, intended to be trained as her private soldiers, would be completely unguarded, without any investigation or preventive measures.

Yet Mo Yin had not only successfully infiltrated but had also shown no flaws. If someone within their own ranks hadn’t assisted in this, Xu Qianqian wouldn’t believe it.

Of course, what moved Xu Qianqian even more was that this Mo Family spy had been lurking by her side for over ten years.

How old was Mo Yin over ten years ago?

Had she known how to be a spy since that time?Or perhaps…

“What has the Mo Family… done to you…?”

Xu Qianqian seemed to realize something and asked this question.

Mo Yin fell silent for a moment as well.

However, she soon regained her expressionless demeanor.

“Nothing much,” Mo Yin said slowly. “They just used alchemical tools to seal my memories, making me genuinely believe I was a helpless orphan completely unaware of the truth. They made me truly willing to sacrifice everything for you, Young Miss, until the time was ripe, when they finally unsealed my memories.”

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian understood.

Only this could explain how a child, after being raised by the Xu Family for so many years and undergoing such extensive brainwashing, could show not a single flaw.

Because this spy never knew she was a spy.

Everything she did was sincere.

She had truly been loyal to Xu Qianqian, genuinely seeing herself as Xu Qianqian’s private guard, willing to risk her life to protect her.

It was only after her sealed memories were restored, and Mo Yin learned her true identity, that she remembered her mission and embarked on the path of betraying Xu Qianqian.

Xu Qianqian had reason to believe that the Mo Family had also taken additional measures to ensure Mo Yin could complete her mission without betraying them in return, remaining under the Mo Family’s control all along.

Otherwise, if a spy raised by the Xu Family from childhood were allowed to develop to this stage and become so loyal, the likelihood of the spy being “ruined” and fully assimilated into the Xu Family would easily exceed 90%.

Having figured this out, Xu Qianqian’s gaze toward Mo Yin grew complex.

But there were still some things she wanted to clarify with Mo Yin.

“That night when I accepted the commission from Longyao City’s higher-ups to track and investigate the suspicious group pursuing Little Hai’er, and ended up ambushed and severely injured—was that the result of you tipping off another faction of the Xu Family?”

Xu Qianqian asked this.

“Yes,” Mo Yin replied bluntly.

“During the Huaming Campaign, when I failed to discover anything and fell into Xu Yanyan’s trap—was that also because you tipped them off?”

Xu Qianqian continued questioning.

“It was me,” Mo Yin answered just as bluntly.

“Then, was it you who leaked Hai’er’s existence to the Mo Family?”

Xu Qianqian stared coldly at Mo Yin.

“Correct,” Mo Yin replied without hesitation. “You and Mr. Su were always acting mysteriously in the backyard. Knowing that, it was impossible for me not to sneak a peek.”

That one glance naturally allowed Mo Yin to see something she shouldn’t have.

For instance, Little Hai’er playing and splashing in the swimming pool.

Thus, Hai’er’s existence was exposed.

The Mo Family learned that the Phantom Demon cub they had been tracking was right there in Xu Qianqian’s villa, and only then did they plan this operation.

All the innocent servants, maids, and other private guards in her villa had lost their lives because of this.

After learning this, Xu Qianqian closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze toward Mo Yin held no trace of sympathy or emotion.

Shing…

Xu Qianqian drew the dagger from her waist.

Mo Yin did the same.She had no intention of explaining anything, nor did she plan to let the Young Miss she once served pity or sympathize with her.

Her life had completely shattered the moment her sealed memories were unlocked.

Thus, Mo Yin simply said:

“I knew that if it were you, Young Miss, even if I fled to the ends of the earth, you would eventually find a way to track me down and personally clean house. I just didn’t expect you to come so soon.”

Mo Yin finally let out a cold laugh.

“But speed isn’t always a good thing.”

Indeed.

At the very least, the current Xu Qianqian lacked the ability to personally clean house.

“Young Miss truly possesses extraordinary potential and talent. In the future, catching up to me, or even surpassing me, would be entirely possible.”

“But as of now, you haven’t caught up to me, let alone surpassed me.”

“Right now, I am the stronger one, Young Miss.”

Mo Yin spoke these words.

Having been nurtured by the Xu Family for many years and serving as one of the twin stars in Xu Qianqian’s Private Army, Mo Yin had already broken through the limits of the human Domain several years ago, reaching the level of a Three-Star Hunter.

In contrast, Xu Qianqian was only nineteen this year, not yet graduated from the Academy. Even as the top student of the Hunter Department in her third year, she was only at the level of a Two-Star Hunter.

Mo Yin was well aware of this.

So, she was actually a bit disappointed, a bit regretful.

“Someone as cold-natured as you, chasing after me here despite knowing the difference in strength—this kind of suicidal behavior really doesn’t suit your style at all, Young Miss.”

Mo Yin mocked Xu Qianqian in this way.

Xu Qianqian said nothing.

She did only one thing.

That was, charging toward Mo Yin.

Her speed was astonishingly fast.

“What?”

Mo Yin’s pupils contracted, and without a word, she swung her dagger to block the cold gleam stabbing toward her.

“Clang!”

Amid the sound of metal clashing, the two daggers collided, sparked, and rebounded apart.

Xu Qianqian, now in front of Mo Yin, remained utterly calm, her twin daggers transforming into countless cold flashes as they continuously slashed out.

“Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang…!”

In the unending series of metallic clashes, Mo Yin wielded her dagger at extreme speed, constantly parrying.

But Xu Qianqian, relentless as if refusing to yield an inch, not only showed no signs of stopping but accelerated her attacks, growing faster and more urgent. Mo Yin found it increasingly difficult to defend effortlessly, gradually becoming strained.

“You…!?”

Mo Yin’s gaze toward Xu Qianqian shifted, now filled with shock.

She had finally realized.

Xu Qianqian’s strength was completely incomparable to what it had been before.

A Two-Star Hunter?

No!

She had clearly broken through to Three-Star!

“You didn’t know, did you?”

While Mo Yin struggled to defend, Xu Qianqian’s cold voice slowly reached her ears.

“Due to a transaction with someone, my strength has advanced by leaps and bounds recently. I completed my breakthrough long ago.”

That was how it was.

The second transaction with Su Ming had allowed Xu Qianqian to obtain a limited quantity of red vein stones from him.Although limited in quantity, Red Vein Stones were treasures that could be encountered but not sought after. Even a single piece was enough to spark fierce competition among major factions. Having obtained several from Su Ming and consumed them, Xu Qianqian’s Bloodline concentration rapidly increased, unleashing greater power.

Coupled with her relentless self-training and rigorous discipline during this period, she naturally achieved a Breakthrough just a few days prior.

She advanced from the Two-Star Domain to the Three-Star level.

“So you’re stronger now?”

“Unfortunately.”

“That may not be the case.”

Xu Qianqian abruptly shifted her offensive stance, closing in swiftly.

“Boom!”

Mo Yin failed to keep up with Xu Qianqian’s sudden movement change and was kicked squarely in the chest, sent flying backward before tumbling to the ground.

As she rolled, Mo Yin caught a glimpse of Xu Qianqian charging toward her again from the corner of her eye and realized—

She was in danger.

(End of Chapter)