Zhang Que, noticing someone following, glanced back and saw Xu Shou and Xu Mu. He smiled and stopped.
"Haha! Senior Brother, this is my old man," Xu Mu introduced with a grin.
"Thanks for helping just now," Xu Shou said mildly, then patted Xu Mu. "I'll have a few words with him."
Xu Mu hesitated, but when he saw Zhang Que nod, he left.
"Xiao Que! Who allowed you to get close to my son?" Xu Shou frowned and barked once Xu Mu was gone.
"Brother Shou, that's unjust—I really haven't sought him out. I've been working security at Muyue Group these days and just happened to run into him," Zhang Que waved it off with a smile.
"Muyue Group?" Xu Shou frowned.
"They're neighbors with the Jiangbei Sanitation Bureau HQ. I'm monitoring movements over there," Zhang Que explained evenly. "This kid gets along well with Muyue's boss."
Hearing that, Xu Shou nodded inwardly. He'd already guessed as much—looked like Feng Yue's beauty pills indeed had Xu Mu's fingerprints on them.
"Regardless, I still owe you for today," Xu Shou said. "When you stepped away earlier—where did you go?"
"To kill someone," Zhang Que shrugged.
"Xiao Que, your killing aura's too heavy. You're not young anymore—rein it in," Xu Shou said, shaking his head.
"Compared to you, I'm still far behind," Zhang Que said, grabbing Xu Shou's arm with his left hand. "Brother Shou! Let's rebuild the organization!"
"I told you before—I'm just a useless old man now. Go find someone else."
"But only you can call the brothers back together," Zhang Que's eyes reddened; his empty sleeve fluttered in the wind as he stared hard at Xu Shou. "Don't lie to me—you want revenge too, don't you?"
"Xiao Que… I'm heading back," Xu Shou sighed, pried his hand loose, and turned up the mountain.
"A 'useless old man' who barehanded grabbed a Gang Qi–realm blade without breaking skin? Next time, act more convincingly," Zhang Que called after him, then turned to leave.
At that, Xu Shou raised his hand for a look and gave a slight shake of his head.
On the mountaintop.
Seeing Xu Shou return safely, Xu Mu relaxed.
Chen Xuan was wolfing down food without an ounce of decorum. "Brother Mu, this stuff hits the spot—way better than my master's noodles."
"Means you haven't eaten the really good stuff yet," Xu Mu lounged back, legs crossed, eyes scanning the area.
He noticed Dai Dongyang and Zhao He had both slipped away.
But what concerned him more now was the location Liang Yi asked about. There had to be something valuable there.
He suddenly thought of Zhang Que. That guy couldn't have come to the Nangong estate just to bail him out. Putting things together, a suspicion formed—
very likely, an ancient ruin lay hidden at that site.
"By the way—what did you just call me?" Xu Shou turned to Dai Xingluo. "If I heard right, you said 'Dad,' didn't you?"
"Sorry, Uncle. In the heat of the moment I blurted out what's in my heart," Dai Xingluo said, bashful, lifting her sleeve to half-hide her face like a classical beauty.
Shameless, Meng Wanyue cursed inwardly. 'Accidentally'? That was on purpose!
Shen Wanning curled her lip. This scheming witch—still pretending to be shy?
Xu Ningbing frowned slightly. Though grateful to Dai Xingluo for saving her father—and for guarding Xu Mu at the ruin last time—she just couldn't bring herself to like her. Their temperaments clashed: Xingluo always seemed a bit performative; Ningbing was blunt and straightforward.
"Hahaha! You're an ancient martial artist—you should know what it means that my son's become a sect disciple, right?" Xu Shou couldn't help laughing.
"I do, Uncle," Dai Xingluo nodded, cheeks flushed.
Shen Wanning clenched a fist, itching to slap her. 'I do, Uncle'? Spare me.
"What a pity my son's already married. Still, funny thing—I had a dream last night," Xu Shou stroked his chin. "I dreamed my son married another wife. She wore Hanfu like you, and they even held an ancient-style wedding."
He was laying it on thick—hinting to Dai Xingluo while also softening up Xu Ningbing in advance.
Shen Wanning felt a twinge of contempt. So shameless! No wonder Xu Mu's shameless—must be inherited.
Meng Wanyue, meanwhile, thought the opposite. So… is Xu Mu allowed another wife? Do I have a shot?
"Dad! What nonsense are you spouting? Eat your food," Xu Ningbing scolded, frowning.
"What nonsense? Look at the Nangong family—Nangong Ping has two wives," Xu Shou said, glancing at her.
(You'll have to marry someday, he thought, though he didn't say it aloud.)
Xu Mu was about to chime in when Nangong Yao came running from afar.
"Kindred spirit!" She tugged at Xu Mu's hem, smiling. "Grandpa wants to see you."
Xu Mu nodded lightly. Good thing Nangong Yao had been taken away earlier—otherwise he would've felt awkward making a move.
Seeing this, Meng Wanyue started to rise to follow, but Xu Mu pressed a reassuring hand to her shoulder. At this point the Nangong family wouldn't dare act against him.
He walked off with Nangong Yao toward the inner compound.
In front of a traditional-style residence, Nangong Ping and Nangong Hua stood by a stone table at the entrance.
Sometimes, Nangong Ping had to marvel at his luck. Though the adults of his family hadn't treated the Xu family well, his granddaughter got along with Xu Mu—
a perfect icebreaker. He would wait and see about Xu Mu's cultivation talent; if the boy became a powerhouse, he'd try to marry Nangong Yao to him.
"Xu Mu, please sit," Nangong Ping said with a smile, gesturing. "As the saying goes, no discord, no concord. I apologize."
"Same here," Nangong Hua inclined his head.
"Senior, it's not that serious," Xu Mu waved it off. "By the way—about your injuries, you'll be fine?"
"To be honest, if I hadn't retreated fast, my belly might've been opened. I've never seen a technique that strong," Nangong Ping sighed.
He'd been hot-headed—seeing that kind of technique should've told him the Righteous Evil Sect was formidable.
"Good. What did you want with me?" Xu Mu asked with a smile.
"You mentioned your pharmaceutical group planned to float ten percent for investment from others in Jiangbei," Nangong Ping said. "We agree—let's all make money together."
Xu Mu's face didn't change, though inwardly he mused—
that saying was true: once you're strong, all the ghosts and snakes around you turn into 'good people.'
"Alright," he said. He'd never had deep hostility toward the Nangong family anyway—especially with the Nangong Yao connection. "By the way, those black-robed people—what exactly was that location they asked about?"
Nangong Ping didn't know; he just related the general situation. Xu Mu nodded to himself. It was almost certain now: the ancient ruin lay in that area.
Just then, Xu Mu's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID—Jiang Huihui. "What is it?"
"Xu Mu… I'm hurt…" Jiang Huihui's weak voice came through.