Chapter 1290: From Acting Cute to Throwing a Tantrum

"Uh..." Xia Youchen’s old face turned slightly red. He wasn’t intentionally trying to trick Mu Hanyan; he truly wanted to repay her. However, letting Little Qiongqi stay by Mu Hanyan’s side did serve the purpose of ’out of sight, out of mind’ to some extent.

"A gentleman doesn’t take what others love. You’d better let it continue to follow you," Mu Hanyan said righteously.

Just now, seeing the little creature acting cute in front of her, Mu Hanyan’s mood improved, so she tossed some snacks to it. The result was that it couldn’t stop eating. Before she knew it, all the delicious treats stored in her Star Disk Space were gobbled up by it. Despite this, the creature still wouldn’t let go, clutching Mu Hanyan’s pant leg, crying and making a fuss, almost rolling around on the ground in a tantrum.

Mu Hanyan wiped cold sweat in secret and finally realized Xia Youchen’s inner anguish firsthand.

Even though this little guy had impressively shown its power once before, who knew if it would lend a hand in the next dangerous encounter? Mu Hanyan didn’t dare pin her hopes on it. More importantly, with its huge appetite, she worried she’d eventually be eaten into poverty.

Ignoring Little Qiongqi, who had switched from acting cute to throwing a tantrum, Mu Hanyan took out paper and a pen, wrote a letter, and handed it to Xia Youchen.

"Then I’ll take my leave, Lady Mu. Take care on your journey," Xia Youchen said, taking the letter, carefully storing it, and giving a slight bow to Mu Hanyan. With a casual wave of his hand, the rolling Little Qiongqi on the ground vanished.

Seeing the embarrassing state of the little creature, Xia Youchen felt a burst of embarrassment too and didn’t want to spare another glance at it.

Mu Hanyan, accompanied by Zhu Xiuqing, headed towards Shangyue City.

With the threat of the Fierce Stone Demon eliminated, there was naturally no need for the duo to wander around the Longyan Mountain. However, there was no point in returning to Hanshan Town either. After wandering in the mountain range for over half a month, they couldn’t really find the way back.

Estimating the direction of Shangyue City, the duo pressed on. A few days later, they walked out of the mountain path, and an ancient city appeared in their view. Though not large in size and far from comparable to the Capital, its city walls were exceptionally tall and majestic—perhaps a distinct characteristic of Shangyue Country.

Due to the martial spirit and fierce nature of its people, Shangyue Country had been plagued by wars since ancient times. Hence, regardless of size, cities were built exceptionally solid and difficult to breach.

"Dingbian City." The three large characters on the city gates were solemn and imposing.

"This is Dingbian City, our Shangyue’s northwest first stronghold. It’s three thousand miles east from here to Shangyue City," Zhu Xiuqing said excitedly upon seeing the characters on the city gates. As long as he was near Longyan Mountain, he couldn’t feel at ease. Only now did he finally feel truly safe.

Seeing the bustling scene of merchants and citizens coming and going at the city gate, Mu Hanyan also felt a bit more relaxed. Although their journey had been thrilling yet safe, enduring the elements daily made her feel somewhat tired, so she just wanted to find an inn and have a good sleep.

"I wonder how Huayue and the others are doing," Mu Hanyan thought to herself.

After all, she’d drawn away the two Fierce Stone Demons, so those weaker Exotic Beasts shouldn’t pose a threat to them, especially with Li Dingfeng leading hundreds of Shangyue’s elite Imperial Army. While these soldiers might be slightly inadequate against Fierce Stone Demons, they should manage against regular Exotic Beasts.

However, recalling what Xia Youchen mentioned about a strange and powerful Exotic Beast deeper in the Longyan Mountains and associating it with the Jiuyou Netherworld Beast, Mu Hanyan still felt uneasy.

Hopefully, they are safe and sound. Realizing that worrying wouldn’t help, Mu Hanyan quickly adjusted her mood and silently prayed for their safety.

"Let’s go find a money house first," Mu Hanyan said as she headed towards the city.

She was carrying several silver notes, but the smallest was tens of thousands of taels, which wasn’t convenient for everyday expenses like meals and lodging. She needed to go to a money house to exchange them for some silver taels.

In the past, with Huayue and the others around, she didn’t have to worry about such things. Now that they were absent, Lady Mu had to think of something herself.

"Oh," Zhu Xiuqing replied. His earlier excitement vanished, and he looked as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"What’s wrong?" Mu Hanyan asked.

"About the silver taels I owe you, could I repay them after some time?" Zhu Xiuqing asked, looking at Mu Hanyan pleadingly. It seemed he misunderstood her intention, thinking she was hurrying to the money house to demand repayment.

"You’re not trying to skip on your debt, are you?" Seeing Zhu Xiuqing’s ingratiating smile, a sense of foreboding arose in Mu Hanyan’s heart.

Despite not intending to take advantage of someone in difficulty, Zhu Xiuqing insisted on writing an IOU. Rejecting it would seem disrespectful, but if he defaulted, it would be an emotional betrayal to Lady Mu, with serious consequences.

"No, no," Zhu Xiuqing hurriedly explained, seeing Lady Mu’s slender brows starting to arch, "I just don’t have that much silver. Give me more time, and I’ll definitely repay you."

"The heir to Prince Anxi doesn’t even have tens of millions of taels?" Mu Hanyan glanced at Zhu Xiuqing doubtfully.

"An heir is one thing; the Prince another. Before I inherit the title, all of Anxi Prince Mansion’s industries are managed by the Emperor. I only receive a small salary each month," Zhu Xiuqing patiently explained, then added, "But rest assured, once I inherit the title, I’ll have control over all the mansion’s industries and can repay you double."

"When will you inherit the title?" Mu Hanyan asked.

"I don’t know—a-as soon as the Emperor favors me," Zhu Xiuqing replied, lacking confidence, knowing full well the Emperor had never favored him.

"Never mind. I don’t need you to repay me double," Mu Hanyan said.

Zhu Xiuqing, overjoyed, was just about to express his gratitude when Mu Hanyan continued, "Let’s consider the interest, then. Eight percent monthly."

"Wha-what?" Zhu Xiuqing looked at Mu Hanyan with wide eyes, as if he’d been doused in cold water.

He thought Lady Mu was being incredibly merciful, only to find she was more ruthless than a loan shark. An eight percent monthly interest nearly doubled the sum over a year. If it took years before he inherited the title and could pay back, the compounded interest would force him to simply hand the Anxi Prince Mansion over to her.

"Not willing? Then pay now," Mu Hanyan said, glaring at Zhu Xiuqing. Having no money and daring to owe was infuriating to Lady Mu, and the consequences were, naturally, serious.

"Eight percent it is," Zhu Xiuqing, deflated and downcast, followed Lady Mu like an underdog. Oh, and he really was an underdog.