The guards were struck by Lan Fengâs palm, damaging their meridians, and they stood no chance against Huayue and his companions; soon, screams like those of wailing ghosts and howling wolves echoed down the street.
Seeing Huayue punching and kicking, aiming for the soft and painful spots, especially that seemingly kind, innocently smiling fellow who aimed low with every move and attacked from all sides, the onlookers felt a chill down their spines.
Originally wanting to say something, they found themselves speechless, instinctively retreating a few more steps.
No wonder he was known as the biggest playboy of Heishi City; just by looking at the methods of these men, one could imagine the usual ferocity and brutality. The onlooker who had been discussing the gossip about Mu Han Yan as a playboy was so scared they almost cried.
Everything happened too fast.
From the moment Rong Tianhai spotted Mu Hanyan and the others, that young man acted without asking any questions, and without wasting words, and soon they were retaliating fiercely, leaving their attackers bloody and wailing on the ground. It happened so quickly that the onlookers didnât even have time to intervene, just staring at Mu Hanyan with a mix of previous awe and a bit of oddity.
After a brief faint, the young man slowly regained consciousness, and upon opening his eyes, he roared furiously, "Youâve got some nerve to fight back! Kill them, kill them all!"
After shouting, he saw Mu Hanyanâs mocking expression, and then, he saw his men rolling on the ground, screaming. Thatâs when he realized what had happened while he was knocked out.
Turning his head and seeing Mu Hanyanâs mocking gaze again, the young manâs face darkened, and he gritted his teeth and suddenly jumped up.
Mu Hanyan instinctively focused her mind, preparing to act. Though the opponent was a Tenth Rank Great Swordsman with a clearly extraordinary longsword, her loss in the previous move was due to underestimating him. Her Cold Sky Sword was left in the Sword Heart Soul Cleansing Pond, and fighting sword with palm, she couldnât afford to be careless.
However, what Mu Hanyan didnât expect at all was that the young manâs first action upon jumping up was not to attack, but to turn and run.
His elegant, fleeting figure and swift movements showcased the Great Swordsmanâs strength brilliantly.
But... but youâre a Great Swordsman, the peak of the Swordsman realm, and yet you ran like that. Donât you have any pride? Moreover, he ran so decisively and resolutely, not even letting out a harsh word or looking back.
Huayue and the others simultaneously stopped, watching in surprise as that figure demonstrated the Great Swordsmanâs power in a full escape. Then they turned to look at Mu Hanyan, their faces expressing amused exasperation.
"You wait, I wonât let you go," the young man shouted from a distance, before... turning around and running again.
While Huayue and the others paused, Rong Tianhai and his group managed to get up and also hurriedly made their escape, though their postures were noticeably awkward.
Mu Hanyan quickly sidestepped a few paces, keeping a ten-foot distance from Zirong, with an expression that said she did not know him.
In the surroundings, the onlookers also stepped back, maintaining a distance from Mu Hanyan, sporting a similar expression of disassociation. If previously their gaze towards Mu Hanyan was mixed with awe, now, it was clearly more of fear.
Mu Hanyan felt somewhat helpless. Could she never shake off the reputation of a playboy? Everyone had clearly seen what happened; it was the others who had started with severe actions, and they had had no choice but to retaliate fiercely. Yet the way they looked at them was still like looking at something venomous, as if they were the ones in the wrong.
"Cough, cough, Master Mu, are you all right?" The surroundings were deathly silent, the atmosphere eerily strange. Zhang Chihua coughed twice before speaking.
"Iâm fine," Mu Han Yan shook her head and said, "I truly hadnât expected that even in the Capital Region, there would be someone so arrogant and brutal."
"Yes, indeed," Zhang Chihua responded with a bitter smile.
"By the way, who was that young man just now?" Mu Han Yan asked.
From the looks of it, that young man must have been from the family behind the Rong Family. Although she wasnât afraid of him, knowing both herself and her enemy was never a bad thing.
"Master Mu, you really donât know?" Zhang Chihua asked tentatively.
"I donât know," Mu Han Yan looked at him strangely. The way he asked seemed as though she should know the personâs background. Why would I know, and why should I know?
"Well... that person, named Mu Zexian, is the youngest grandson of the Fifth Elder of the Mu Family, and is said to be greatly favored by the Fifth Elder," Zhang Chihua said with another bitter smile.
"What, youâre saying heâs a disciple of the Mu Family..." Mu Han Yanâs eyes widened.
"Thatâs right," Zhang Chihua whispered.
Mu Han Yan slapped her forehead, finally understanding why the expressions of the onlookers were so strange. After all this fuss, the one who got beaten up and cried for his parents was her own kin.
Well then, on her first day back in the Capital, she had already severely beaten up her own family members. Now it would be hard for her, Mu the Big Playboy, not to become famous. Mu Han Yan had originally intended to keep a low profile upon her arrival in the Capital and to shed her playboy reputation early on, but now it seemed hopeless.
"Master Mu, we owe you so much for stepping in to help this time. My childâs life was on the line; I donât know how to thank you enough. Please accept this silver note," said the young woman, holding her child and approaching Mu Han Yan with gratitude. As she spoke, she handed over the silver note.
"No need to be so formal, madam. I simply didnât want him to suffer a rough fate at such a young age, and couldnât help but assist. By doing this, you are belittling me," Mu Han Yan said sternly, without even glancing at the silver note.
She had helped this family out of sympathy, and also because of her indignation towards Ji Gaoxian. She hadnât intended to receive any benefits from them. Of course, at the outset, she didnât know that Star Illusion Thousand Machine would intervene, so even if she wanted to receive benefits, it wasnât possible.
"Quickly, take it back. Master Mu, with such Star Divination techniques, how could you possibly want such worldly items? Doing this is an insult to Master Mu," Zhang Chihua hinted to his wife with a glance and then said apologetically, "The woman of the house doesnât know any better, to treat Master Mu as if she were dealing with those deceiving god-men."
"I was being presumptuous. With Master Muâs Star Divination techniques, these gold and silver items couldnât possibly capture your interest. It must be the finest Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures instead; please forgive my rudeness," the young woman quickly realized her mistake and hurriedly apologized.
Behind her, Ji Gaoxianâs face flushed with shame. Though Zhang Chihua and his wife hadnât named names, it was clear that he was one of those deceiving god-men.
Mu Han Yan was somewhat at a loss for words. She had rarely taken the initiative to do a good deed, and now that she thought about being thoroughly good, this misunderstanding by the couple made them think she deemed the gold and silver items too mundane and sought Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures instead.