Mu Zhong surveyed the cluttered road path.
He looked at Jin Tianyu, Wu Fengtian and then finally at Yang Wei.
Then, his eyes passed over the many disciples and the courtyards lining both sides of the path.
The onlookers were all gawking curiously, their attention focused on the unfolding scene.
Without hesitation, Mu Zhong addressed the disciples.
"You all should return to your disciplines this instant! If you have this much time to watch your fellow disciples fight, then why not focus that energy on something more productive like your respective cultivation."
His words came out as smooth as butter; soft and yet, somehow thick. The thickness of his voice added firmness to his tone - enough that the disciples wouldn't dare defy him.
The disciples swiftly dispersed, retreating to their houses to resume their training. Some rushed into the surrounding caves to seek a quiet environment for meditation.
As the disciples scattered, Wu Fengtian advanced, his small grin on his face as he approached Mu Zhong. "Senior Brother, does that include me too?" he asked tentatively, rubbing his hands nervously.
Mu Zhong shot him a sharp glare. "Come again? I didn't quite get you the first time..." he said.
This immediately caused Wu Fengtian to nervously retract his question, waving his hands dismissively as he quickly stepped back. "Ah, nevermind, Senior Brother," he stammered, an anxious smile on his face.
Smiling gently, Mu Zhong replied, "That's what I thought."
Meanwhile, Jin Tianyu had composed himself, adjusting his attire, dressing his hair and offering a respectful bow.
"Senior Brother, is there anything you need?" he asked respectfully.
Yang Wei, exhibiting calm composure, simply waved at Mu Zhong and greeted him with a casual tone. "Good morning."
Wu Fengtian, however, was the sort of person to make life better for himself by licking the boots of his superior. He didn't care what he had to do or how he had to do it, but as long as he wouldn't be the one in jeopardy he was always ready to act.
Right now, I'm barely holding on. This junior clearly has no clue who this man is. If I were to point out his lack of respect, Senior Brother Mu would finally see how disrespectful he is. It could pave the way for the Young Master and me to explain things to Senior Brother Mu without him doubting us completely. After all, we're somehow the ones being blamed, but I'll never accept that. Come on, make it work!
He seized the opportunity to denounce Yang Wei's casual greeting as disrespectful.
"How dare you greet the first son of the Mu clan in such a manner, insolent brat!" he exclaimed.
Upon hearing Wu Fengtian's outburst, Mu Zhong, Yang Wei, and Jin Tianyu all fixed him with steely gazes.
The way their eyes narrowed at him was as though any one of the three of them would instantly kill him if he stepped out of line again.
Realizing his mistake, Wu Fengtian swiftly covered his mouth with his hands, silently acknowledging his misstep.
Now I get it... I'm the ant here! Wu Fengtian figured.
They all had their reasons to shoot Wu Fengtian such a cold look.
Yang Wei had had enough of Wu Fengtian's endless chatter, especially since he saw Wu Fengtian as nothing but a weakling.
On the flip side, Jin Tianyu didn't want more issues on his plate. Even though Wu Fengtian thought he was doing it for both of them, mainly himself, Jin Tianyu didn't want things drawn out.
As for Mu Zhong, he didn't need someone ordering respect from his juniors for him; it would make him seem incapable of handling it on his own.
Mu Zhong stood with his arms folded.
His expression grew stern as he gazed at Yang Wei and Jin Tianyu.
"What exactly were you two doing? This kind of behavior disrupts the peace of the sect and hinders the cultivation of your fellow disciples."
He was demanding an answer from them, and the look on his face screamed that only a carefully thought out answer would satisfy him.
Jin Tianyu bowed his head.
He clenched his fist into the palm of his other hand as he said, "I apologize for the misunderstanding, Senior Brother."
"Misunderstanding?" Mu Zhong raised an eyebrow; there was obvious skepticism in his tone, so he ordered, "Explain."
Jin Tianyu hesitated before speaking.
"I was merely demonstrating combat techniques to our junior brother here, after all, he's planning to join the Outer Sect soon. I wanted to test his skill and prepare him for the competition. As you could've sensed by now, he has a very subpar cultivation base even for his level, so, it was all to test how well he can fair in combat, and I guess... Things got out of hand."
His initial hesitation wasn't one bred out of fear for Mu Zhong, no. Rather, it was the fear of making a fool out of himself by not giving a proper answer.
Luckily, his hesitance bought him enough time to cook up a proper lie.
"So," Mu Zhong's stern gaze shifted to Yang Wei, awaiting his response. "Is this true?" he asked.
However, Yang Wei remained silent, meeting Mu Zhong's stare with a stoic expression.
Unfolding his fan, Jin Tianyu smiled at Yang Wei. "Tell him the truth, junior brother," he urged.
After a moment, Yang Wei spoke up, "Yes, it's as exactly as he said."
Mu Zhong looked taken aback.
I don't exactly understand why he chose to agree with Tianyu's lies, but, I'm sure he has his reasons. If he's anything like little sister says then it's of no use thinking about it...
"If that's the case, then I have nothing more to say," Mu Zhong conceded after deep thinking.
Mu Zhong then turned his attention back to Jin Tianyu.
"While I understand your intention to help a junior brother, there are better locations for training. Without context, others could misunderstand the situation."
All through each word, his voice was firm.
Jin Tianyu nodded in agreement. "You're right, Senior Brother. It won't happen again."
Satisfied, Mu Zhong allowed them to leave. "You may go," he said.
Jin Tianyu strolled away, glancing back over his shoulder. "Come on, Fengtian, let's give them some space," he suggested with a subtle but confident smile.
In his mind however, Jin Tianyu wasn't completely comfortable.
I don't like the idea of leaving that heaping pile of trash with Senior Brother Mu, but I don't have a choice I suppose... It's clear Senior Brother doesn't want me there, it's a little concerning...
Wu Fengtian hesitated, stammering, "Uh, y... Yes, Young Master," before quickly hurrying to catch up with Jin Tianyu.
In that brief second of departure, Yang Wei and Jin Tianyu exchanged a look.
To Jin Tianyu's surprise, Yang Wei wore a devious grin.
This unexpected expression only angered Jin Tianyu.
Mu Zhong surveyed the disgraced followers of the Young Master.
Their bruised and battered bodies littered the ground. And naturally, it gave him an idea of how strong Yang Wei could be even while holding back.
Oh, he's just like little sister said...
But then, looking at Jin Tianyu's cohorts and then back at the departing Jin Tianyu something clicked. "Wait a minute," he muttered, "did he really leave his comrades behind? That's a little harsh, even for him."
Yang Wei, with his usual casual air, yawned and said, "Alright, if he's going then I guess I can too.."
But, before Yang Wei could leave, Mu Zhong gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "Wait a moment, if you will."
Yang Wei paused and locked eyes with Mu Zhong, "There's no need to ask about that... Young Master's associates. I was the one who kicked their asses and incase it's not obvious enough— it was purely out of pure self-defense."
With a pleasant smile, Mu Zhong reassured Yang Wei, "Surely, you don't think I would penalize you for such a trivial matter?"
Folding his arms and narrowing his eyes, Yang Wei commented dryly, "I'm not sure what you cultivators consider trivial. I mean after all, a certain Young Master seemed quite enthusiastic about taking my life over a mere woman."
Tch, how mannerless, he commented in his thoughts.
Mu Zhong's smile widened, "So, the two of you really were fighting..."
Yang Wei nonchalantly shrugged, "Don't pretend like you didn't know what was really going on. It was too obvious for you not to have known." He paused and rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "It's just a pity that the Young Master believed you'd fall for his mediocre deception."
With a soft chuckle, Mu Zhong admitted, "But, wasn't that the best choice? I mean, the only reason I acted ignorant was so that we could resolve the things quickly. It seems you picked up on that quickly."
Amused, Yang Wei picked his nose as he retorted, "Yeah, I can be smart when I choose to be, especially when it's to my benefit."
Then, Mu Zhong explained his actual intentions.
"Actually, the main reason I wanted to settle the matter swiftly, was so that we could have a conversation."
Yang Wei smirked, "I'm guessing Lingxi already told you about me?"
Mu Zhong nodded, "Yes, indeed." Still, he was partly surprised by how Yang Wei was so sure she'd done so. "And, how did you know that?"
"Why else would the heir to a prestigious clan be interested in a junior who isn't even an Outer Sect disciple yet?" he answered with a cheeky tone.
Acknowledging Yang Wei's point, Mu Zhong conceded, "Fair enough."
Yang Wei shifted, "So, what'd you want from me?"
Gesturing forward with his right hand, Mu Zhong tilted his head but a little and smiled, "Let's take a little walk, and I'll tell you."
"Hm, okay then."
That was all Yang Wei said.