In the main courtyard of the Mu Residence.
"Me? Third Elder, are you mistaken? I, Han Yan, may not have many virtues, but Iâve always conducted myself properly and strictly adhered to the family rules, behaving honestly. How could I possibly cause trouble and disturb the peace of the Zong Family?" Han Yan blinked her flawless black and white eyes, looking as innocent and aggrieved as one could be.
Seeing Han Yanâs innocent expression, even those around her, like Huayue, could not help the twitching of their mouths.
The title of the Capitalâs Number One Playboy, although somewhat inaccurate and mostly based on rumors, certainly couldnât associate words like "conduct oneself properly" and "strictly adhere to family rules" with the Young Master Mu in front of them.
If sheâs considered honest, then could there possibly be dishonest people in the world?
Fine, the Supreme Elderâs actions today are indeed beneath his status, a bit too petty, but Han Yan canât have such thick skin either. Seeing her innocent and aggrieved face, if Huayue and others did not know their young masterâs character well, they would almost believe it.
The young master should have gone into acting; what a waste. The few people couldnât help but think.
"Han Yan, donât try to cloud the issue. The Supreme Elder is saying that youâve been causing trouble outside, offending the Mo Familyâs young master at one moment and bullying the descendants of the He and Song families at another, even daring to oppose the Fifth Prince, causing the Mu Family to make enemies everywhere. He isnât talking about your actions within the family." The Third Elder, being somewhat younger, reacted much faster, fearing Han Yan would twist and turn the conversation until she dragged the Supreme Elder into it again, so she quickly cut Han Yan off.
"Third Elder, where did you hear these rumors from? I admit there have been some altercations with Mo Yanhong and others, but itâs clearly due to their persistent bullying and abuse of power. As a descendant of the Mu Family, I couldnât stand by and watch them besmirch the reputation of our Eight Great Families, so I stepped in to uphold justice." Han Yan said with a righteous face.
"So, youâre saying you stood for justice to protect the reputation of the Eight Great Families, and I should reward you then?" The Supreme Elder laughed out of anger.
"If the Supreme Elder insists on rewarding me, then I wouldnât decline. However, since you just gave me tens of millions of silver taels the other day, thereâs probably nothing suitable left for a reward. Just giving me something casual will do, itâs the thought that counts." Han Yan said, thick-skinned.
Cold sweat poured from the foreheads of Huayue and the others. Initially, they only felt inferior compared to Young Master Muâs natural talent in cultivation, thinking it was hard to catch up. Now they realize, compared to cultivation talent, Young Master Muâs shamelessness is even rarer in the world, truly unique in thousands of years.
Obviously bullying others, yet when he speaks, it becomes a righteous act. The Supreme Elder only made a sarcastic comment, but he dares to ride the wave and ask for a reward.
Especially the last sentence, itâs like rubbing salt into the wound, a direct stab at the Supreme Elderâs sore spot. Isnât she afraid of making the elder so angry that she suffers an internal injury?
Sure enough, the Supreme Elder clutched his stomach, speechless with anger.
Sigh, he should have known better than to argue with him. Seeing the darkened face of the Supreme Elder, the Third Elder secretly lamented.
"Han Yan, how dare you still quibble at this point!" Not daring to let the Supreme Elder speak again, the Third Elder pointed at Han Yan and scolded harshly.
"Third Elder, I am not quibbling. Since I disciplined Mo Yanhong and others, theyâve learned from their mistakes and become much more sensible, each and every one grateful to me. As for the elders of the Mo and He families, seeing their descendants turn over a new leaf, they are grateful to me as well and wish to reconcile with our Mu Family." Han Yan said confidently.
She deliberately brought up Mo Yanhong for a simple reason, as Mo Qingkuang still owes her quite a few favors. If push comes to shove, she could bring that old guy out to back her up, and see what the Supreme Elder has to say then.
However, the favor of the Mo Family Ancestor is precious, so unless the Supreme and Third Elders push her too far, she would avoid using it if possible.
"Hahaha, what a big joke. Doesnât everyone in the Capital know that you, Han Yan, Big Playboy Mu, are overwhelmingly bullying others? Yet you dare speak of gratitude. If you truly have the ability to reconcile the various aristocratic families with our Mu Family, do you think I canât reward you? Even if I give you my entire share, what does it matter?" The Supreme Elder, driven mad by Han Yanâs veiled and indirect jabs, couldnât help but laugh aloud.
The Third Elder frowned; the Supreme Elder seems to be getting more confused with age, saying such things so freely. One must know how supreme the Supreme Elderâs position is in the family; receiving more cultivation resources than even Mu Beichen, it would be a bargain for that brat if given to Han Yan.
However, this time, he didnât rush to speak. The entanglement between Han Yan and Mo Yanhong isnât a secret; everyone in the capital knows about it. If not for saving face, not wanting disputes among the juniors to hurt harmony, perhaps the elders of each family would have already come seeking justice. How could they possibly be grateful to Han Yan?
Such bragging is just something Han Yan casually says; they arenât foolish enough to believe it.
Other Mu Family disciples also glanced at Han Yan. If she truly got the Supreme Elderâs share, she could soar to the top, but they also knew it was impossible.
Almost no one took the Supreme Elderâs words seriously, but Han Yan was inwardly moved upon hearing them.
The Supreme Elder saying she was causing trouble and making enemies for the family was just an excuse to give her a hard time, without any real evidence. Her boastful claims were merely to prevent the Supreme Elderâs scheme from succeeding, with no intention of gaining anything.
But unexpectedly, in a moment of anger, the Supreme Elder offered his share as a reward.
Han Yan didnât know what the Supreme Elderâs share entailed, but just imagining with a toe, she could guess how substantial it must be. How could she not be tempted?
"Words alone are not enough; should we invite the Mo Family elders to discuss?" Han Yanâs mouth curved into a cunning smile.
The corners of Huayue and the othersâ mouths also twitched involuntarily, showing weird smiles.
Others may not know who Han Yan is referring to, but how could they not? Lest they forget, Mo Qingkuang, that Mo Family Ancestor, still owes the Eldest Young Master Mo several favors.
Looking again at the coldly smiling Supreme Elder, Huayue and the others felt full of sympathy: "You are not young anymore; why get into a verbal spar with Big Playboy Mu, a junior? Arenât you just digging a hole for yourself to jump into?"