"Look, Aunt Xiu, even they know my reputation is not very good, what is there for you to care about? Iâve decided, starting from today, Yunyun is my sworn sister. If anyone bullies you, just tell me, and if you want to bully someone..." Mu Hanyan paused slightly at this point.
"Tell you too?" Yunyun looked up to Mu Hanyan with admiration and asked subconsciously.
"No, just tell them thatâs fine. I, the Eldest Young Master Mu, have always loathed those who bully others using their power. How could I help you to bully others? None of them are good people; just tell them." Mu Hanyan pointed at Zirong and the others as he spoke.
"Psst," Mu Yunshui accidentally spit out his drink.
Huayue and the others, with bitter faces, helplessly looked at Mu Hanyan. Where in the world is there such a master? Righteous and morally upright on the surface, yet making the servants carry all the blame.
Aunt Xiu and Han Yunyun couldnât help but laugh as well, but upon catching Mu Hanyanâs gaze, they quickly suppressed their smiles. The rules of the Zong Family were strict; as servants, how could they laugh freely in front of their master?
"Aunt Xiu, you donât have to be so stiff around me. I grew up in Heishi City and am used to being relaxed; there arenât so many annoying rules. You can laugh if you want to laugh, cry if you want to cry. Also, though my reputation may not be the greatest, it really depends on the person, so you donât have to be so afraid of me." Seeing the mother and daughter frightened into silence by just a glance from him, Mu Hanyan was really not used to this.
You know, back at Heishi City, even the servants didnât take this useless playboy seriously. Although they were respectful on the surface, they werenât really afraid of him.
"Yes, Young Master," Aunt Xiu replied with a nod, albeit still a bit stiff.
"By the way, this courtyard has been vacant for many years; itâs time to fix it up. Take this silver note, buy what needs to be bought, replace what needs to be replaced." Mu Hanyan knew some things couldnât be changed overnight and didnât force them to immediately change. Seeing that the mother and daughter were modestly dressed, especially Han Yunyun, who was a naturally beautiful young girl but wearing very old clothes seemingly altered from Aunt Xiuâs old clothes, Mu Hanyan felt a pang of sadness and handed a silver note to Aunt Xiu.
"Thereâs no need for so much, Young Master." Aunt Xiu took the ten thousand taels silver note and, after one glance, hurriedly tried to give it back as if it was a hot potato.
She didnât know that Mu Hanyan had deliberately chosen a smaller amount, fearing it would shock them too much, otherwise he would have handed out a silver note worth hundreds of thousands or millions of taels right away.
"Keep the rest for yourselves; use it when needed, no need to ask me," Mu Hanyan said generously.
"Young Master, thank you for your kindness. Actually, the Eldest Young Master and Madam have been supporting us for years; Iâve already been graced with too much of their kindness to comfortably accept your silver," Aunt Xiu, not a woman lacking in perception, replied with a sense of shame upon realizing Mu Hanyanâs intention.
"I am my own person, separate from my father. Now that I have returned to the Zong Family, Iâll still ask for your care; after all, you are people by my side, Mu Hanyan. We canât be too poor, right? Also, since Iâve taken Yunyun as my sworn sister, consider it as a welcome gift," Mu Hanyan asserted with a wave of his hand, his playboy magnanimity booming forth, utterly irrefutable.
Aunt Xiu was about to refuse again when something suddenly came to mind; she wiped her tears and said, "Then, thank you very much, Young Master. I, Axiu, will never forget this kindness and will repay you one day."
Mu Hanyan smiled faintly. He simply pitied the mother and daughter; he had not thought of any repayments. And given their statuses, he doubted they had anything significant to offer as repayment, but this was not out of disdain but merely acknowledging the great gap in their social standings and power.
"Young Master, Iâll go tidy up your room. Tea has already been prepared in the main hall; please wait there briefly with the guests." Aunt Xiu, holding Yunyunâs hand, walked towards the inside.
In fact, the room had long been tidied up, but she wanted to clean it again for fear of missing something.
"Donât rush, take your time," Mu Hanyan said gently.
"Mother, the Young Master isnât that frightening. âThe playboy of Heishi Cityâ? I donât know who started that rumor, but I think the Young Master is a nice person," Han Yunyun said softly as she followed her mother into the inner room.
"Yes, I was worried that the Young Master would be difficult to serve, but now I realize that rumors canât be trusted," Aunt Xiu remarked emotionally.
"I understand now, it must be the doings of his followers. Did you see how fierce they were when they hit people? Especially that sycophant, he was the dirtiest. The Young Masterâs reputation must have been ruined by them," Han Yunyunâs eyes lit up as she identified the culprits, her face filled with joy.
Behind them, Huayue and Zirongâs smiles froze on their faces, chaos ensued: My goodness, we were just taking your side, and now you defame our reputations like this; is there no justice in the world?
"See, I told you, I should keep my distance from you guys. This girl isnât bad; she didnât waste my kindness, her eyes are crystal clear," Mu Hanyan spread her hands and moved a few steps away from Huayue and the others, her eyes squinting into slits with laughter.
"I really donât want to say it, but I canât help it. Hanyan, could your skin possibly get any thicker?" Ye Lanfeng held back for a while, but finally, he let out a long sigh and spoke. However, there was something he didnât say: he liked this version of Hanyan!
"Iâm returning your sword," Mu Hanyan glared at Ye Lanfeng and handed back the longsword.
Ye Lanfeng didnât mind her rolling eyes and took the longsword, casually tying it at his waist.
"What sword is this exactly?" Mu Hanyan asked.
Nearby, Huayue and the others also pricked up their ears.
"Didnât I say? Itâs the Broken Sword," Ye Lanfeng spoke indifferently.
"Iâm serious!" Mu Hanyan looked annoyed at Ye Lanfeng, tired of his teasing others, but unwilling to speak the truth to them.
"What I said is the truth as well; itâs called the Broken Sword," Ye Lanfeng stated.
At this point, even Huayue and Zirong rolled their eyes.
"The Broken Sword, the Broken Sword, could it be..." Mu Yunshui suddenly thought of something, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at Ye Lanfeng.
"Ninth Tributor, do you know the origin of this sword?" Seeing Mu Yunshuiâs shocked expression, Mu Hanyan and the others realized that Ye Lanfeng might not have lied â the sword was truly named the Broken Sword.
But why would anyone name a sword like that? Was this mocking others or mocking himself?
"The Broken Holy Sword, the Breaking God Sword, the Sky-breaking Sword, the Broken Killing Sword, the Broken Love Sword, could it be... this is the legendary Thousand-breaking Sword, also known as the Unbreakable Sword," Mu Yunshui stared unwaveringly at the longsword on Ye Lanfengâs waist, his expression filled with excitement.