Mu Hanyan smiled faintly, not caring much, after all, she owed someone a favor.
"Family Head Fang, when such an incident occurred, didnât you ask the Capital for help?" Mu Hanyan continued asking. The Nanyan Commerce belonged to her and Mu Nan; the Mu Family would never stand by in such an event. If the guards hired by the commerce and those brought by them could hold Fang Town, it meant the Exotic Beasts attacking the city werenât too formidable. As long as the Mu Family intervened, it shouldnât be this difficult to guard.
"We did ask for help, of course. The day after the Exotic Beasts attacked the city, I sent someone to the Capital for assistance. Who knew those Exotic Beasts would roam outside the town, blocking all roads to the Capital and Fang Town? We lost quite a few people, and in the end, it was only Master Qu Shanling who managed to break through the blockade. However, before he reached the Capital, he turned back." said Family Head Fang.
"Why?" Mu Hanyan and the others asked in unison.
"At the same time as the Exotic Beasts attacked Fang Town, the Capital was also besieged by Exotic Beasts. Those Exotic Beasts were much stronger and numerous than those outside Fang Town. I heard that even the Imperial Army was caught off guard. It was only with the joint efforts of various aristocratic families that the Capital was secured.
When Master Qu arrived at the Capital, they were in a fierce battle outside the city. Seeing the situation was dire, he quickly broke through the Exotic Beastsâ blockade and returned to Fang Town. Fortunately, it was him; if it had been someone else, they might not have made it back even with nine lives," Family Head Fang said with emotion.
After listening to him, Mu Hanyan finally understood why her father urgently summoned her back. It turned out that even Anyun City suffered a massive Exotic Beast invasion.
Though Exotic Beast city attacks have never ceased for millions of years, she had never heard of a countryâs capital being invaded in her memory. With the wisdom of Exotic Beasts, it seemed unlikely for them to do such a foolish thing.
Mu Hanyan was more convinced of her suspicion that this incident was definitely related to those powerful Netherworld Beasts from the Jiuyou Netherworld. Since they could erase the Spiritual Marks of Exotic Beasts, they could control their mental state. Otherwise, with their intelligence, Exotic Beasts would never be this foolish. But what was their purpose?
Of course, Mu Hanyan wouldnât waste her energy guessing the thoughts of Netherworld Beasts. She had only seen one of them once, and she didnât even get a good look at what it looked like. Trying to guess what goes on in someoneâs mind was a futile effort.
"Whatâs the situation in the Capital now? Is there any news from the Mu Family?" Mu Hanyan asked. This was what she was most worried about.
The letter was written by her father. Could it be that something happened to her grandfather? But it shouldnât be. With her grandfatherâs strength and the Mu Familyâs disciples as guards, how could anything go wrong?
"We are not too sure, but we suppose there shouldnât be any major issues." Family Head Fang said uncertainly.
"How is Master Qu Shanlingâs condition?" Mu Hanyan asked, knowing she wouldnât get a satisfying answer, so she inquired about Qu Shanlingâs injuries.
"Heâs not in any grave danger, recovering at his masterâs old residence. Mu Cheng is accompanying him, and he should be fully recovered in a few days." Family Head Fang replied.
"Alright, Lady Mu, now you know about the situation in Fang Town. Weâve come all the way to Fang Town to support your Nanyan Commerce. Weâve put in both manpower and effort to help you defend the city, and now the reinforcements are unlikely to arrive. You, as the owner of Nanyan Commerce, certainly canât let us all die here with you." Park Donghan said sarcastically.
"Young Master Pu, rest assured. You are guests of Nanyan Commerce. If I hadnât returned, it would be one thing, but since I am back, I will ensure your safety. At worst, I will ensure you leave Fang Town safely, and we will compensate for your losses twice over." Mu Hanyan said.
She hadnât yet seen the strength of those Exotic Beasts, so she didnât make any bold promises, but she was confident enough about breaking through the Exotic Beastsâ blockade to lead them safely out of Fang Town.
"Easy for you to say. Other people might not know your strength, but donât I? You are at the Sixth Rank of a Sword Master, right? And your guards are only at the Fourth Rank, correct? With such strength, you boast about safely escorting us out of Fang Town? You might as well send us to death," Park Donghan mocked. As the Young Master of the Pu Familyâs chamber of commerce, he had some understanding of Mu Hanyan and her associatesâ strength.
The stewards of other chambers of commerce initially looked pleased with Mu Hanyanâs promise, but after hearing these words, their expressions turned grim again.
"Master, most of those Exotic Beasts are not strong; High-level Knights can handle them. But later on, a few incredibly strong ones came, comparable to a Sword Master of the Eighth or Ninth Rank in cultivation." Family Head Fang said with a wry smile to Mu Hanyan.
Mu Hanyan was slightly surprised; she hadnât expected the Exotic Beasts attacking Fang Town to be this strong. If it were her former strength, she wouldâve been hard-pressed to cope. However, talking about the guards hired by the Nanyan Commerce, their strength wasnât particularly exceptional either, even if they had experts above a Sword Master, it would be difficult to exceed the Ninth Rank. The guards brought by the chamber of commerce stewards certainly wouldnât be stronger than that level either. She wondered how they managed to hold on.
"Lady Mu, a word of advice: it would be better to sign the contract honestly and transfer Fang Town to that person. Otherwise, even with your added strength, facing the fierce assault of those few strong Exotic Beasts, you wonât be able to hold out for long," said Park Donghan.
"Oh, but who exactly is eyeing the town?" Mu Hanyan was a bit unclear earlier from Park Donghanâs words, but now she finally understood what was happening and asked Family Head Fang.
"I donât know who the person is, but fortunately, he and a few attendants acted just in time. We were able to repel the Exotic Beastsâ recent attacks due to them. He helped us a few times and, after showcasing his strength, put forth a condition: if I transfer Fang Town to him, heâll exert full effort to help us drive off the Exotic Beasts and ensure everyoneâs safety." Family Head Fang said.
"Oh." Mu Hanyan frowned slightly.
Park Donghan only knew her strength as the Sixth Rank of a Sword Master when she left Anyun. He was unaware that she had reached the Great Sword Master Realm, equivalent to a Ninth Rank Sword Master. So, she certainly wouldnât take those Exotic Beasts seriously. However, she was curious about this person trying to exploit the situation with intentions towards Fang Town.
"Family Head, that person is here again." At this time, a Fang Family disciple came in to report.
"Let him in," said Family Head Fang.
Soon, a young man led more than ten attendants confidently into the conference hall.
"Itâs you!" Upon seeing the young man, Mu Hanyan suddenly realized. At first, she thought he was targeting Fang Town, but now it seemed she had underestimated his ambitions.
"Mu Hanyan, itâs been a long time." The young man said with a fake smile, none other than Dan Tai Xuan, who once fiercely fought Mu Hanyan over the Sword Heart Soul Cleansing Pond and later was scared away by Ye Lanfeng.
Earlier, upon hearing that someone targeted Fang Town, Mu Hanyan wasnât sure who it was. She thought he was after the endless strange flowers and herbs from Flying Peak, but upon seeing Dan Tai Xuan, she understood that this guy was aiming for the Sword Heart Soul Cleansing Pond.
The gall to target her; trying to bite off more than he could chew without fearing breaking a tooth!