"Exactly, Brother Han Yan had just given the Chi Xiao Sword to Han Feng. How would he have known it was the Chi Xiao Sword? Do you really think everyone is blind?" Mu Ze and others also spoke up in agreement.
"Shut your mouth, youāre all family and will naturally defend your own. The Chi Xiao Sword is such a divine weapon, how could it be given away so easily to an outsider? They must have plotted this in advance to trap Mu Ziping, even crafting an ordinary-looking scabbard to deceive everyone." Mu Yunshui said through clenched teeth.
The scabbard was too unremarkable; even he had been fooled by it. If he had known earlier that this was the legendary Chi Xiao Sword, he would never have allowed the duel to continue, and Mu Ziyun wouldnāt have ended up in such a predicament.
It must have been premeditated, it had to be!
Mu Hanyan looked at Mu Yunshui speechlessly. Had the old man become so accustomed to scheming and trickery that he could come up with such wild conjectures?
Even the Great Elder felt embarrassed. The matter of inviting Mu Yunshui to Heishi City had been top secret; even Mu Feng had known only the gist of it, let alone anyone else. How could Mu Ruiāanās family have possibly plotted this in advance? Besides, Han Fengās journey was no secret, and planning something like this wasnāt feasible. Clearly, these were just whimsical assumptions from Mu Yunshui.
But since he had invited Mu Yunshui himself, it wasnāt easy for him to say anything in this mess.
"Mu Ruiāan, if you donāt provide me with an explanation today, I swear we will never reconcile," Mu Yunshui, becoming increasingly irate and stubborn, bellowed at Mu Ruiāan.
"What sort of explanation do you want? Do you want to fight another round?" Mu Hanyan, unable to tolerate Mu Yunshui and his disciplesā relentless badgering of her father, stepped forward and said.
"What, do you dare challenge me?" Mu Yunshui glared at Mu Hanyan with hatred.
Han Feng had grievously wounded Mu Ziping, and he naturally detested Han Feng, but his hatred for Mu Hanyan was not slight either. If the Chi Xiao Sword had been personally handed over to Han Feng by Mu Ruiāan, he would have never taken it lightly. But because it came from Mu Hanyanās hands, even he had been taken in by the deception.
Hadnāt it been said that this fellow was an incorrigible playboy full of bad tricks? Could it be that this whole affair was his idea?
It was no surprise he thought this way; the reputation of Big Playboy Mu, of Mu Siyi, was indeed too resounding.
"If you insist on using your status as a Tributor to pressure me, of course I wouldnāt dare challenge you," Mu Hanyan said contemptuously.
The implication in those words was clear: he didnāt regard Mu Yunshuiās martial prowess but was merely wary of his status.
"Fine, fine, I would like to see just how much weight the infamous number one playboy of Heishi City actually holds," Mu Yunshui, choked by Mu Hanyanās words and barely suppressing the urge to slap him to death, said with scorn.
When Mu Hanyan had been deemed a failure, he had been present too. Although the current Mu Hanyan seemed to deviate from the Star Divination Masterās predictions, how much stronger could he have really become? Could he possibly be mightier than Han Feng? Such a cultivation talent was rare even among the Eight Great Families of the Capital, who wouldnāt produce many such individuals even over a thousand years. He truly couldnāt believe Mu Ruiāan was lucky enough to have two sons of such astonishing talent.
As one of the Nine Great Tributors of the Zong Family and a master in the Sword Master Realm, he certainly didnāt consider Mu Hanyan noteworthy.
"Han Yan, no mischief," Mu Ruiāan frowned.
"Please rest assured, Father, I know what Iām doing," Mu Hanyan said.
In this life as in the last, it had been Father who had shielded her from the storm. This time, let her stand up for her father for once.
One was the Branch Family Head, and the other was a Tributor from the Zong Family with the authority of supervision. If they really came to blows, once word of it got back to the Capital, who knows how many would seize the opportunity to slander her father.
"Donāt forget, no matter how far from the Capital, Mu Ruiāan is still the son of the Family Head. With Mu Hanfengās strong return, itās only natural for him to rejoin the Zong Family. Many people coveting the position of Family Head definitely donāt want to see this happen."
"As for her, itās different ā the Big Playboy, after all. Itās not surprising for her to do something unconventional."
"Of course, with that, her strength can no longer be concealed."
"But challenging Mu Ziping in her anger just now wasnāt solely due to impulsiveness; she had already considered it carefully in her heart."
"The undercurrents in Heishi City are swirling, and itās certain her strength wonāt stay hidden for long. However, according to her grandfatherās wishes, as long as she reaches the Sword Master Realm by the age of sixteen, she can go to the Capital. Then thereās no need for her to hide her strength deliberately. Revealing it a bit earlier shouldnāt be a big deal."
"The most important thing is that she already knows the hidden enemy comes from the temple on the Divine Continent and will naturally be cautious."
"Very well," Mu Ruiāan nodded and said.
Beside him, Mu Hanfeng showed a puzzled expression. He remembered that Mu Ruiāan used to treat Mu Hanyan with cold indifference, hardly speaking a few words to her in a year; yet today, although the father and son didnāt talk much, the estrangement from before was visibly absent.
What was most important was that he didnāt see a trace of worry on Mu Ruiāanās face.
Could it be that Mu Hanyanās strength is now sufficient to contend with Mu Yunshui? He remembered that when he left, she was just a Seventh-Order Swordsman, or perhaps slightly higher.
What on earth happened in these past six months?
Filled with doubts, Mu Hanfeng remained silent in front of so many people, keeping his questions to himself.
"The sword is yours." Seeing Mu Yunshui already clearing the crowd and getting ready to strike, Mu Hanfeng lifted the Chi Xiao Sword in his hand. Still unsure of Mu Hanyanās true strength, he was somewhat worried.
"Keep it. Iām accustomed to the Cold Sky Sword, and itās not bad either," Mu Hanyan said with a smile.
The last time the Chi Xiao Sword appeared, the Cold Sky Sword also resonated, seemingly gaining a faint spirituality. Although it could not compare to the Chi Xiao Sword, it wasnāt much inferior to Divine Swords like the True Water Sword. Most importantly, Mu Hanyanās flurry of frosty Sword Transformation Technique was at its most formidable with the Cold Sky Sword, so she had no intention of changing her weapon.
Seeing Mu Hanyan daring to challenge the Tributor of the Zong Family, Mu Ze and the others were thrilled, looking at her with even greater admiration.
However, the Great Elder looked bewildered. Mu Ziyun was seriously injured, the True Water Sword destroyed, and Mu Yunshui ā a Tributor of the Zong Family ā had actually laid hands on Mu Hanyan, a junior. Everything became chaotic and completely beyond his initial expectations.
In a moment, he didnāt know whether to persuade or not, his mind turning into a mush.
"Could it be that Mu Feng was right? Should we really stop being hostile towards Mu Ruiāanās family?" The Great Elder even began to doubt his decisions as he looked at Mu Hanfeng, resplendent with the Chi Xiao Sword, and then at Mu Hanyan, who showed no hint of fear even in the face of a Zong Family Tributor, and finally at Mu Ruiāan, who remained unflustered throughout.
"Mu Hanyan, be careful when you strike," Mu Ruiāan instructed.
"Yes, Iāll be careful," Mu Hanyan nodded in reply.
"Hahaha, you... you..." Hearing their conversation, Mu Yunshui, despite being filled with anger and hatred, couldnāt help but burst into laughter.
Do they even know who they are facing? "Be careful," "Iāll be careful"āwhatās the use of that? Thereās a clear disparity in strength, and during times like this, they should be hoping that Iām the one who should "be careful," that I hold back a bit, shouldnāt they?
Have Mu Ruiāan and his son lost their minds?