Do What You Can, Part 2

At this moment, Guaiguai tilted his head and asked, “Dad, are you saying we should act within our limits from now on?”

“That’s right!” Ye Mo smiled and patted his head. She turned to the six little ones and said, “Mom knows you’re all very smart and capable, but this world is full of unknowns. I hope that in the future, you will always act within your abilities.”

“As cultivators, we often defy the natural order, but even then, we must understand our own limitations. There’s no need to be the one who stands out unnecessarily. You’ve probably all heard the saying, ‘The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled.’ I’m sure I don’t need to explain this further, as you’re all smart enough to understand it.”

“Mom, I get it,” Beibei chimed in confidently. “If the sky falls, there’s always someone taller to hold it up. We need to learn how to quietly grow stronger and prosper without attracting attention. We totally understand that!” Beibei’s matter-of-fact tone made Ye Mo laugh.

Mo Mo wasn’t as amused and ruffled Beibei’s hair with a slight scowl. “Cautious development, huh?”

“Dad, it’s just a metaphor. A metaphor!” Beibei hurriedly clarified, worried about being misunderstood.

Ye Mo couldn’t help but chuckle. Just then, a woman’s voice cut into the moment. “So this is the general’s wife? Not that impressive, teaching her children such things.”

The voice wasn’t loud, but it was just loud enough for Ye Mo and Mo Mo to hear it clearly.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room turned icy. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone in the hall turned to the woman, their expressions as if they had just seen a ghost.

Mo Mo’s eyes immediately locked onto the woman, narrowing dangerously—a sure sign he was about to explode. Ye Mo knew her husband’s temper well enough to see this.

The speaker was a female medic named Zuo Lanruo, one of the women who admired Mo Mo. Her father and brother were high-ranking officials in District Eight, and she had always thought she stood a good chance of marrying Mo Mo. But to her surprise, Ye Mo, an outsider, had swooped in and taken that opportunity. She held a deep grudge against Ye Mo and had long been waiting to find a way to humiliate her.

Although Zuo Lanruo had always wanted to find an opportunity to suppress Ye Mo, she had never even had the chance to meet Ye Mo, so it never happened yet.

Zuo Lanruo had finally found her chance to get on the ship through her brother’s connections, even though she’d originally been barred from joining. Originally, Zhu Jun, her brother’s friend, was afraid she would cause trouble, so he had someone watch her all the time and not to let her come out of the medical cabin. But this time, the person guarding her was on patrol and couldn’t watch her, so she ran out directly.

To this moment, Zuo Lanruo, ignorant of how things truly worked around Mo Mo, had mistakenly assumed that he was nothing more than a handsome face, which made her fall in love with him. Since she’d never been in Mo Mo’s presence before, she had no idea how others behaved around him.  After all, whether it was her father or her brother, they never took Mo Mo seriously at home.

Moreover, at this moment, Mo Mo was playing with his six little ones without any airs at all, which gave Zuo Lanruo such an opportunity to abuse her power.

After all, the word “cautious development” said by a child made her feel that it was a sign of lack of education, so sarcastic words came out naturally.

However, she hadn’t expected Ye Mo to stay calm, but what truly surprised her was Mo Mo’s immediate fury. For Mo Mo, no one—absolutely no one—was allowed to insult his wife. The mere idea of a female soldier daring to speak to Ye Mo like that in his presence was utterly infuriating.

“Where did you come from? I recall that there were no female soldiers on this mission,” Mo Mo said, his voice cold as ice. Besides Ye Mo’s aunt, he hadn’t allowed any other women on board.

At that moment, the officer responsible for bringing Zuo Lanruo onto the ship, Zhu Jun, stepped forward nervously. He hadn’t realized the trouble this girl had caused until she opened her mouth, and now he was terrified. “General, I’m so sorry. This is Zuo Yi’s daughter. She’s part of the medical team. We were short on male medics, so I allowed her to come aboard. My deepest apologies for the disturbance.”

Mo Mo was about to unleash his anger, but Ye Mo placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, calming him instantly.

“Zhu Jun, take her away and don’t let either of us see her again,” Mo Mo ordered, giving his subordinate one last chance.

Zhu Jun immediately complied. As Zuo Lanruo tried to speak, he quickly covered her mouth and dragged her away.

Zhu Jun couldn’t help but feel exasperated. This girl was nothing but trouble, but he had owed her family a favour. Left with no choice, he had reluctantly agreed to bring her aboard, with strict orders to keep her out of sight. Now, he was regretting it more than ever.

Zhu Jun hauled Zuo Lanruo back to the medical bay, his patience wearing thin. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“What? I was just telling the truth!”

“Zuo Lanruo, that’s the general’s wife. Do you really think your family is so powerful that you can stand up to General Mo Mo?” Zhu Jun was fed up with her attitude. He knew that her family must have filled her head with nonsense which made her not take General Mo seriously at all, but he had to set the record straight. “Do you honestly believe your family can match the general’s strength?”

Zuo Lanruo shot him a disdainful look. “I’m doing him a favour by even considering him. Sure, Mo Mo has military power, but our family in District Eight isn’t so easily bullied.”

Zhu Jun let out a hollow laugh. “Wow, your confidence is something else. Once the next wormhole is established, I’ll send you back home.”

“Zhu Jun, what are you saying? You owe my family a big favour. My father said you should repay it by looking after me. Don’t think I’m easy to fool—I know you owe us!” Zuo Lanruo snapped, her arrogance returning as soon as she realized he intended to send her away.

(End of Chapter)