As a judo expert, Xu Mu had gotten too serious just now and hadn't checked his surroundings.
He immediately expanded his senses and detected a woman approaching from afar.
She was wearing a loose black tracksuit, her face concealed by a black mask, and even her eyes were covered by sunglasses.
Xu Mu narrowed his eyes slightly — the build and height matched Dai Xingluo.
Dai Xingluo stepped out from the forest and saw Xu Mu holding a disheveled woman in his arms.
For reasons she couldn't explain, a violent surge of killing intent shot straight to her head.
This whole "test" against Xu Mu hadn't even been her idea — it was Li Zizai's.
Later, she thought it wasn't a bad plan. After all, Xu Mu had been able to recognize a Profound Rank martial art technique.
But she hadn't expected that the assassin she hired would so easily capture Xu Mu.
On her way here, Dai Xingluo had actually felt quite guilty — Xu Mu had never wronged her, and had even helped her, gifting her a technique.
Yet when she arrived, she saw another woman making a move on the man she had set her sights on.
Courting death!
You must have a death wish!
Dai Xingluo's face twisted with fury as she closed in on Xia Sihan.
Suddenly, a steel nail shot from her hand.
Xia Sihan's eyes widened. Though her body hadn't recovered, her vision was still clear enough to see —
That nail wasn't aimed at Xu Mu. It was aimed right at her own head!
And not just anywhere — it was a direct strike for her skull.
If it hit, she would die instantly.
Unwilling!
Xia Sihan's heart screamed in rage.
If this had been before, she could have easily dodged such a thing.
But now, she couldn't even muster the strength to move.
If I'm going to die anyway, I should've died with dignity — why did I have to let Xu Mu "fulfill my dream" first?
Her despair was boundless.
Clang!
Just as she prepared to accept death, she realized — the nail had stopped, just two centimeters from her left eye.
Looking closely, she saw two fingers pinching the nail in mid-air.
Xia Sihan stared in disbelief.
Dai Xingluo, in the distance, was equally stunned.
"Attacking without a word, aiming to kill at first sight — you're the one who deserves to die."
Xu Mu's expression was cold as he stood up.
He took a step forward and waved his arm. A flowing, water-like longsword manifested from his body.
Whoosh!
The sword energy flew past Dai Xingluo's ear—
Boom!
A thunderous sound followed.
Behind her, a massive tree — as thick as a washbasin — had been sliced nearly in half.
Losing balance, the tree toppled with a resounding crash, shaking the whole forest and startling flocks of birds into the sky.
Leaves and splinters rained down like a storm.
"Get lost."
Xu Mu's tone was icy.
Dai Xingluo didn't even dare think — she spun around and fled.
Reaching the highway below the mountain, she jumped into her car. Removing her sunglasses and mask, she tossed them onto the passenger seat.
Breathing heavily, she let out a crazed smile.
[Favorability +30]
"Xu Mu! My Xu Mu! Hehehe! As expected of the man I chose!"
She slammed the accelerator — the car roared forward and vanished down the road.
——
On the other side—
Xia Sihan was still in shock from the move Xu Mu had just performed.
"You… how do you know our Demon Sword Sect's Illusionary Sword?"
Xu Mu was slightly surprised. So this move — Illusionary Sword — belonged to the Demon Sword Sect?
"I…"
"To be able to wield the Illusionary Sword with such power… you're not a disciple of Wu Anning, are you?"
Xia Sihan grabbed Xu Mu's arm tightly.
"The senior who taught me back then was indeed surnamed Wu… but I don't know his full name," Xu Mu replied calmly — he couldn't exactly say it came from the system.
"I knew it!"
Xia Sihan's eyes lit up as she clutched his shoulders. "So he's not dead, right?"
[Favorability +20]
"I don't know. I haven't seen him in five or six years," Xu Mu said indifferently. "You knew him?"
"Of course! By seniority, I'm your Senior Sister!"
Xia Sihan slowly stood up from the ground.
"I'm older than you," Xu Mu teased.
"Seniority isn't about age — it's about who joined first! Even if I were three years old, I'd still be your Senior Sister!"
She patted his shoulder proudly. "Since you're my junior, I'll forgive you. Originally, I was thinking of castrating you once I recovered."
"You really know how to repay kindness with cruelty," Xu Mu sighed. "I used my hands to fulfill your dream — if you want revenge, you could at least return the favor and use your hands to fulfill mine."
"In your dreams!"
Xia Sihan's face flushed scarlet, and she elbowed him sharply. "I'm your Senior Sister, show some respect! If this ever leaks out, I'll saw your head off myself!"
"Relax," Xu Mu said calmly. "I'm a man of principle."
"I've got urgent matters to handle," Xia Sihan said, taking out her phone. "Let's exchange contact info. I'll reach out to you later."
Xu Mu didn't refuse.
After they exchanged numbers, Xia Sihan, now mostly recovered, bade him farewell and headed deeper into the forest.
Hands in his pockets, Xu Mu walked toward the highway below.
For a moment earlier, he'd wanted to kill Dai Xingluo outright — but after unleashing the Illusionary Sword, he had chosen to redirect it.
Still, that woman was far too malicious. Xu Mu decided it would be best to stay away from her from now on.
Reaching the road, he called someone. Twenty minutes later, an Audi A6 pulled up beside him.
Zhang Shuaikai hurried out of the car, face full of respect. "Brother Xu! What are you doing out here?"
"Went for a run, then realized I couldn't get back," Xu Mu replied casually, taking the driver's seat. "Get in."
"Yes, sir."
Zhang nodded and climbed into the passenger seat.
Xu Mu drove back toward the riverside where his own car was parked.
Once they arrived, he stopped beside it, got out, and said, "You can head back."
Zhang acknowledged and drove off.
Xu Mu returned to his own car. The earlier scene with Du Yan — both he and the Dai family's bodyguard — were gone.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Xu Mu hesitated briefly, then sent a message to Meng Wanyue, asking her to come to the branch office.
He planned to act tonight. Since the Dai Xingluo route was now abandoned, he would use another strategy — let the Dai family and the Feng family tear each other apart.
But first, he needed to get his hands on the video of Chen Cai and Dai Xiao.
Once that video went public, he didn't believe Feng Kang would just sit and do nothing.
——
Xu Family Group, Yang City Branch
When Xu Mu entered the lobby, he saw Li Yun hurrying toward him.
"Xiao Mu!"
After a few days of inquiries, Li Yun had finally learned who Xu Mu really was.
She hadn't expected that the Xu Corporation of Jiang City was his family's company.
Chairman Xu Shou — was none other than Xu Mu's father. No wonder even the branch general manager treated him with such respect.
Xu Mu's eyes lingered briefly on Li Yun's figure in her uniform — her mature allure was as commanding as ever.
"Auntie, how have you been these days?" Xu Mu smiled.
[Favorability +20]
Li Yun smiled back, genuinely grateful. "Very well."
She felt she owed Xu Mu too much already, unsure how she could ever repay him.
In just these past two days, rumors had already started circulating through the company —
That she was Xu Mu's mistress, and that was why she'd landed such a good position.
She was still debating whether to tell him.