"Brother, look at you! You haven't come back all night, and you've been smiling all day," Mu Yunhan said, teasing his elder brother.
In Mu Yunhan's heart, he had never seen his elder brother so happy. Especially after the marriage and Su Zimo's return, his elder brother's mood had improved significantly.
"Yun Han, Qi Er is willing to call me daddy. Of course, I am very happy. He said he wants to see me tonight. That kid is mischievous, and the things he says with his tender little mouth are funny," Mu Yunxuan replied, unable to hide his joy. He and Mu Yunhan had always been open with each other. As the Lord of Cloud City, his social circle was limited, and the only two friends he had made were currently inspecting the shops in various countries on his behalf.
"If Zimo and Jin Cheng were here, they would be surprised by your transformation," Mu Yunhan remarked, handing himself a cup of tea and feeling genuinely happy for his elder brother.
Mu Yunxuan had experienced significant changes in his life. In just six years, he had three more children. Not only did he not find it overwhelming, but he also considered himself lucky. It seemed that fate continuously intertwined the lives of his elder brother and Su Zimo.
"Yun Han, have you found anything?" Mu Yunxuan inquired, unable to contain his curiosity about the investigation.
"Brother, I have found something, but I'm afraid it might sadden you," Mu Yunhan replied playfully. He knew that his elder brother would feel jealous once he revealed the information.
"Even if it's something sad, why should I be affected? If my guess is correct, then Hengfeng Commercial Company belongs to Murong Shaofeng," Mu Yunxuan responded, his expression turning slightly cold. He had already formed a certain understanding in his heart, and he had sent Yun Han to investigate to confirm his suspicions.
"You're really perceptive, brother. Indeed, Hengfeng Commercial Company is owned by Murong Shaofeng," Mu Yunhan confirmed, noticing the coldness on his brother's face.
Inwardly, Mu Yunxuan sneered. This Su Zimo was completely different from the Su Zimo he had found before. When he first met her, she was cold and composed, not even shedding a tear. She dared to resist and hurt him with her cruel words.
Was the Su Zimo he found at the Taifu Mansion someone who could only be bullied and dare not speak up? The subsequent versions he encountered could, at best, be considered beautiful but opinion-less dolls. However, the second time he saw her, perhaps due to their previous encounter, guilt, or dissatisfaction, she easily captured his attention. Six years had passed, and this woman seemed to have been reborn. Not only did she dare to provoke the Three Princes, but she also became eloquent and, to his surprise, a skilled businesswoman. Initially, she had no business acumen, but now she had reached the fifth level of the Golden Xuan Period in martial cultivation. If he hadn't seen her twice, he would have thought they were different people.
"Brother, based on the current situation, it seems that the sister-in-law is unaware of Murong Shaofeng's true identity," Mu Yunhan added, revealing his findings.
"Hmph!" Mu Yunxuan snorted coldly. "With her shrewdness, do you think she would cooperate with an unidentified person?" Mu Yunxuan's eyes flickered with an elusive shadow from time to time, giving him a somewhat mysterious aura.
"Brother, are you implying...?"
"With Su Zimo's character, she would never do anything uncertain. She knows Murong Shaofeng's true identity in her heart, but she's pretending not to," Mu Yunxuan stated, contemplating the complex relationship between them. Su Zimo was clearly feigning ignorance.
"Furthermore, our sister-in-law has made some unexpected moves. For instance, she mentioned that the weather in Xingyue Country is prone to cold, and as a result, the wine business under Hengfeng Commercial Company is thriving. According to the information conveyed by Zimo from Kanzimo, our liquor business has suffered a significant decline. Hengfeng Commercial Company offers a wide variety of wines, including a popular women's wine that sells like crazy," Mu Yunhan shared, admiring Su Zimo's tactics.
"Yes! She has made unexpected moves. Can't my wife, Mu Yunxuan's wife, be like that?" Mu Yunxuan's lips curled into a smile, his eyes shining with tenderness.
Ling Qiushui, who had just entered, overheard the last sentence, causing her heart to tremble with anxiety. Ling Qiushui regretted being a step too late, and moreover, Mu Yunxuan had been absent all night. She wondered where he had gone.
"Miss Ling," Qing Feng entered and noticed Ling Qiushui lost in thought. He immediately frowned, displeased with her eavesdropping tendencies. Nevertheless, he greeted her curtly according to protocol.
Ling Qiushui snapped back to reality, feeling extremely awkward under Qing Feng's gaze.
"Oh, Qing Feng, you're back. I came to see if the Lord is busy. Madam has invited the Lord for dinner, and she requested your presence as well," Ling Qiushui said, offering a legitimate reason for her visit. Jun Zixi had indeed sent her to invite Mu Yunxuan and had instructed her to come. Her tone was justified.
Qing Feng's displeasure was apparent, which Ling Qiushui had already noticed. He was displeased because she had been eavesdropping. In his eyes, she had come to listen in on their conversation.
"Why is there so much noise outside?" Mu Yunhan's voice interrupted their exchange.
Ling Qiushui followed Qing Feng into the room, silently blessing Mu Yunxuan.
"Holy Lord, Second Prince, Madam has invited both of you for dinner?" Ling Qiushui asked, her face betraying her discomfort. She could sense Mu Yunhan's tone indicating that she was meddling, but who could blame her? If Mu Yunxuan had paid her any attention, she wouldn't have needed to secretly enter Yunxiao Hall every day.
"Miss Ling, Yun Han has mentioned this many times. If someone wants to do something, they will. Miss Ling is a guest of Cloud City, and I wouldn't dare to prevent it," Qing Feng replied calmly, defending Ling Qiushui. He knew that Mu Yunhan's tone indicated that she had overstepped her bounds, but he couldn't blame her entirely.
"Yun Han, is that all? Just this little matter?" Ling Qiushui's expression was extremely unnatural. She could sense Mu Yunhan's dissatisfaction, believing that she had been too nosy. But who could blame her? In Mu Yunxuan's eyes, she wasn't worth a second glance, even though she wasn't as beautiful as a fairy, she was still considered beautiful. In the Ling Mansion, there was a line of suitors waiting to marry her, but in Mu Yunxuan's eyes, she was invisible.
"Miss Ling, please leave for now. Yun Han and I still have matters to discuss," Mu Yunxuan stated, his gaze still avoiding her.
Mu Yunxuan, one day, I, Ling Qiushui, will make you submit to me and treat me well.
"Qing Feng, where have you been? Why did you return so late?" Mu Yunhan assumed that it was his elder brother who had instructed Qing Feng to investigate his sister-in-law's whereabouts.
"Holy Lord, Second Prince, Lord of Mingyue Villa left the city with Steward He, but they were followed by people from the Three Kings Mansion. The Three Kings Mansion's men set up an ambush along the way," Qing Feng reported, causing Mu Yunxuan's dark pupils to fill with a chilling aura.
"Big brother, it seems that Lintian still hasn't given up hope. How could he suspect that his sister-in-law is Su Zimo?" Mu Yunhan wondered aloud. It seemed unlikely that Jun Lintian would associate the owner of Mingyue Villa with Su Zimo just because of Su Qingjue and Su Zinian. Su Zimo was insignificant in Lintian's eyes until now.
"Someone deliberately leaked the information to Jun Lintian, but Qing Feng is well aware of it," Mu Yunxuan sneered, certain that some people were inviting disaster upon themselves. Mu Yunxuan had a valid reason not to show mercy.
"Big brother, are you suggesting...?"
"Second Prince, it's Miss Ling," Qing Feng interjected, his tone light.
"Ling Qiushui...?" Mu Yunhan couldn't believe it was her.
"The last time she eavesdropped on our conversation, she became suspicious. Someone has been secretly monitoring her actions," Qing Feng explained.
"I never expected it to be her. Yun Han, did she think she could become my sister-in-law?"
Mu Yunhan covered his face with his hands, reclining in the chair as he mockingly looked at his elder brother.
"My judgment isn't that poor. As for the matter of the Ling family having a mother and daughter, there's certainly some truth to it. I believe there will be news soon," Mu Yunxuan's gaze was sharp, as if he had already spotted his prey.
"That mother will be devastated when she hears the news." Many women wanted to enter the Mu family, but most of them had ulterior motives. If Mu Yunxuan's suspicions were correct, then the Ling family's scheming was truly remarkable.
"Don't inform Mother for now. Let's go to dinner first. I have something to attend to afterward."
Mu Yunxuan stood up, unable to stop worrying about her. He always had a soft spot for her deep in his heart.
"Understood, understood. Big brother is going to play the hero to save the beauty," Mu Yunhan said playfully, surprised that his elder brother actually smiled and didn't refute his words, indicating that Su Zimo truly held a place in his heart.
As the evening approached, the sound of wheels rolling could be heard clearly in the silent woods.
He Yunting's prediction was correct; they wouldn't be able to return to the city before nightfall.
However, Su Zimo had successfully found the dye she needed in Yuhua Village, so their trip hadn't been in vain.
"Momo, we were followed on our way here. Do you think they will set up an ambush on our way back?" He Yunting asked, his face cautious as he scanned the surroundings. He didn't want anything to happen to Momo once darkness fell.
"Thunder! You're like a jinx, always speaking ill omens. Listen carefully in the woods. It seems like God is favoring you. What do you think? What will she reward you with?" Su Zimo replied with a smile, her eyes growing colder as she noticed something amiss in the woods, filling her heart with anticipation, like the clouds covering the full moon on the fifteenth of August.
He Yunting cautiously probed his surroundings and then relaxed.
"Momo, these people are fools who bite off more than they can chew. They have no idea of their own limitations. I, He Yunting, can take them down within three moves."
As soon as He Yunting finished speaking, more than a dozen black-clothed masked men appeared, blocking their path.
Chi Yan, the red flame spirit beast, blew its nose forcefully, and a sticky liquid sprayed onto the four black-clad men in front of them.
"What the hell, it stinks!"
"Cough..."
"It's itchy and stinky..."
He Yunting smiled as he made them taste the discomfort caused by the Red Flame Snot.
One of the black-clad men couldn't bear it and vomited.
"Damn it, kill them!" Among the four, one seemed to be the leader. Covered in slime, his furious gaze seemed to want to tear He Yunting apart.
"Wait, wait. He Yunting spoke unhurriedly, his eyebrows raised, and his face calm as if the dozen black-clad men didn't exist.
The dozen black-clothed masked men looked at each other, unsure of what He Yunting was planning.
"Guys, we all want to live, right? How about we have a discussion? Let's not make unnecessary trouble. We can pay you double the amount the buyer offered you to spare our lives. If you want to take his life, we can pay you double to take his life," He Yunting suggested, appearing righteous and awe-inspiring. In reality, he wanted to find out if the other party wanted to hire assassins or...
"Brothers, don't waste time talking nonsense with them. We can't let them leave alive, or we'll all be dead when we return," the lead black-clad man wiped off the slime from his body and roared angrily.
"On..."
Without unnecessary words, the dozen black-clothed men began to attack, driven by their desire for silver and disregarding their own lives.
"Oh, it's like poking a hornet's nest. Why are they all so eager to die? There's silver to be earned," He Yunting lamented, but he fought mercilessly.
At this moment, his eyes turned cold, his movements swift and fierce. He was no longer the lazy person from before. The black-clad men who approached him were almost instantly defeated. Seeing this, the remaining black-clad men felt a palpable fear but had no way to retreat.
After a few rounds, He Yunting hadn't even left the carriage, and more than a dozen first-order masters of the Golden Xuan Period lay on the ground.
He Yunting glanced at them disdainfully.
"Red Flame, let's hit the road."
The wheels resumed their slow rolling.
"Momo, that person really underestimates us. They even sent first-order Golden Xuan masters to kill us. Do you think they're foolish or ignorant?" He Yunting remarked, once again assuming his carefree demeanor, a dog's tail hanging from his mouth, a fishy smell lingering.
"Don't be too pleased. It's just a small test from the ox-knife. With the commotion caused by Mingyue Mountain Villa in the capital of Haoyue Country, we don't know the underlying situation. Do you think they would engage in such a futile act?" Su Zimo's tone was filled with sarcasm. She had already guessed who wanted to kill her, but she was concerned about what lay behind it.
"Wow! Momo, you're a walking disaster. You never fail to stir up trouble. One problem after another!" He Yunting shook his head. These people were simply overeager, pulling out sprouts without allowing them to grow.
"Alas...!" He Yunting sighed regretfully, looking at the countless black-clad masked men before Chi Yan's eyes.
"I say, all of you, don't you ever get tired of sticking your hands into the hornet's nest and inviting trouble upon yourselves? It's late, time to return to your mothers, time to return to your women. Let's each go our separate ways!" He Yunting said with a touch of despair. Dealing with a group of black-clothed men who seemed to have a cultivation level two steps higher than the previous ones was a difficult task for him alone.
"You shameless scoundrel, don't think we'll let you get away with playing tricks and fooling around here. More than a dozen of our brothers are dead, and if I don't kill you today, I won't be able to face them in the afterlife," the lead black-clothed masked man, a burly and aggressive figure, cursed angrily.
"Anyone who dares to insult this lord deserves a taste of my wrath. Today, this young master will show you my power," He Yunting pretended to be angry, but he didn't actually want to fight. Fighting was too tiresome!
"Attack, brothers! Kill them and collect our reward," the leading black-clad man commanded with a booming voice, exuding a strong sense of authority.
He Yunting narrowed his eyes and swiftly drew the soft sword from his waist, engaging in combat with several of them to prevent them from reaching the carriage.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, a masked black-clad man silently approached the carriage from behind.
Su Zimo had already sensed the intruder's presence and furrowed her brows.
Her hand instinctively activated a mechanism on the carriage.
"Huh..." A concealed weapon flew towards the carriage.
Just as Su Zimo was about to dodge, she was suddenly pulled down forcefully.
Startled, Su Zimo raised her eyes and met a stunningly handsome face. Deep black eyes, like a tranquil sea beneath white clouds, were calm and profound, yet a faint smile played on his lips as he looked at her.
"It seems I arrived at the perfect moment. Isn't the hero supposed to save the beauty in the most critical moment?" Mu Yunxuan said with a smile, drawing closer to Su Zimo. He caught a whiff of her delicate fragrance, causing his heart to race. Su Zimo's doe-like eyes only deepened the smile on his face.