Mu Yun repaid kindness, but he was not a man who scattered goodwill indiscriminately. Since Lei Gang had personally said he need not join the fight, he would not force his way in. Moreover, he had learned from Yu Mo that this so-called Treasure Gathering Pavilion was in truth the Sui Chong Pavilion, and the number of hidden cultivators within Qingchuan City could scarcely be counted.
A vague premonition stirred in Mu Yun's heart: this tournament was likely not as calm on the surface as it seemed, and instead bore the omen of great calamity.
The next morning, Mu Yun took his leave of Lei Gang's family, preparing to return home and rest. Lei Yu insisted on seeing him off, and the two walked together to the city gate.
"Good brother, seeing me off this far will do." Mu Yun halted and cupped his hands. "Uncle Lei's cultivation is extraordinary; nothing will befall him. You need not worry overmuch."
Lei Yu gave a slight nod, a grateful smile on his face. "You must think me a sentimental fool. I, Lei Yu, am not a man tangled by such attachments, but yesterday's events came so suddenly. On reflection, what my father wishes is also my own heart's desire. You need not fret over me, brother."
Mu Yun nodded. "That is as it should be. Brother — farewell." With that, he turned and strode away, his steps resolute, long strides carrying him out.
When he reached the dense forest, the trees ahead lay broken and felled, scorch marks everywhere — plainly the place where he had once fought the silver-armored man. Though time had passed, the killing intent had not fully dispersed. Mu Yun's steps faltered slightly; the image of that silver-armored man rose in his mind, but he forcibly pressed it down.
"Who?" His gaze turned suddenly cold, his divine sense sweeping out like lightning. "Could there be an ambush here still?"
A tear-choked cry rang out: "You rascal — it's me."
He turned and looked. Red skirts fluttered through the trees; the newcomer's face was unchanged, but the old smile was gone, nothing but tear tracks streaking her cheeks.
"Mu... Mu Fei?" Mu Yun's brow furrowed, doubt welling in his heart. He did not know why the second daughter of the Mu Manor had appeared in this place.
Mu Fei stumbled toward him, her expression frantic, a trace of desolation in it. "Mu Yun, quickly — save my sister!"
Mu Yun had a deep impression of the two daughters of the Mu Manor. Mu Fei, though she had once played mischievous tricks on him, was by nature free and outspoken, unconcerned with niceties. As for Mu Lin, she had even patiently told him the way to enter the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, and had even divulged the secret of the immortal sects' three-yearly disciple selection. Though cold as frost in appearance, she was truly kind and gentle at heart.
To Mu Yun, neither of them was an ordinary woman.
"What on earth has happened, to reduce you to such a state?" Mu Yun's expression was grave, and he asked urgently.
"It's Mo Bai!" As soon as Mu Fei heard that Mu Yun showed no sign of refusing or leaving, her tears brimmed over at once, her words pouring out like a string of pearls. "It's Mo Bai — he has gravely injured my sister, and means to kill her!"
"Mo Bai?" Mu Yun's brow furrowed, and he asked in a low, heavy voice. "Who is this man?"
"He is my father's sworn son. Since Father entered seclusion, he has schemed again and again against my sister... You must have fought him — he always wears silver armor, that is the man!" Mu Fei gnashed her teeth, hatred in her eyes.
"So it is him!" Mu Yun's mind reeled. In the space of a single lightning-quick thought, his resolve was made.
"Go!" He gave a low shout, his robes flying, and leapt into the forest first.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Two days earlier — the day before the Treasure Gathering Pavilion announced the tournament's rules — in the main hall of the Mu Manor, voices of dispute rose like a tide, angry words flying high.
"Mo Bai, Father has treated you generously — why must you press so relentlessly?" Mu Fei spoke coldly, anger in her eyes, her tone full of barely suppressed emotion.
Mo Bai stood with hands behind his back, his expression unchanged, his tone calm as still water: "Precisely because of my sworn father's great kindness, Mo Bai must do his utmost to seize the Foundation Establishment Pill, that I may repay that grace."
His gaze drifted faintly to Mu Fei, his tone soft, yet carrying a trace of false warmth: "Little sister worries too much. My heart for Lin'er is utterly sincere — how could I press her?"
"Hmph! Smooth words!" Mu Fei snorted, her gaze turning colder. "You plainly take advantage of Father's absence, using the situation to coerce her! Sister, let's go — we'll see Father."
As she spoke, she made to pull Mu Lin up from her seat.
Mo Bai smiled in that ambiguous way of his, his tone offhand, yet hidden within it was the taste of restraint: "Sworn father is currently in life-and-death seclusion, already at a critical juncture. If you insist on disturbing him, I fear..."
He did not finish the words, but his gaze fell, unnoticeably, on Mu Lin — a threat carried in every casual word.
A sharp light flickered in Mu Lin's eyes, then was concealed. Her tone was calm: "Little sister, this concerns the future of the Mu Manor. You cannot be willful."
She turned to Mo Bai and spoke slowly: "I have only one condition. After the tournament, if you can obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, I will agree to you."
At these words, Mo Bai was overjoyed, his expression even flushing slightly. "Good! Lin'er — as you say!"
...
Mu Fei raced through the forest, Mu Yun silent at her side. As she ran, she recounted the events of that day to Mu Yun in vivid detail.
When she finished, Mu Yun's expression was grave, his gaze narrowing. Lightning-quick thoughts flashed through his mind: "This man already knew the tournament prize was the Foundation Establishment Pill? Either someone leaked it, or... he himself has some connection to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion."
He pondered a moment, then suddenly asked: "Do you know what a Foundation Establishment Pill is?"
Mu Fei replied casually: "It's probably... some miracle pill that raises cultivation. What's so rare about that?"
As she spoke, she suddenly faltered, as though recalling something, her brow furrowing slightly:
"That's right! I once heard Father mention that the ultimate prize of the last tournament was also a Foundation Establishment Pill. That thing seems remarkable — it can help one break through... a cultivation bottleneck."
Mu Yun nodded, a deep meaning gleaming in his eyes, though his thoughts were somber: "She still seems unaware... but how did Mo Bai know the prize was the Foundation Establishment Pill in advance? This is unlikely to be coincidence."
"And then?" Mu Yun asked.
"When I saw my sister actually agree to Mo Bai's words, I was so angry I left first."
"What... did she agree to?" Mu Yun's brow lifted, his tone giving nothing away.
"A marriage contract." Mu Fei gnashed her teeth, each word enunciated with a grinding sound, her tone full of resentment and revulsion.
"Oh..." Mu Yun seemed surprised, though in truth a sigh had already risen in his heart.
The two traveled side by side at speed. The forest grew deeper, the sunset spilling from the western sky, evening drawing near.
They reached a quiet mountain path. Mu Yun said nothing, his steps unhurried.
Mu Fei instinctively turned her head to glance at him.
The youth, robed in the golden light of the setting sun, his brows lofty, his black hair bound high, a few unbound strands falling and stirring in the breeze. Sweat slid down his sharply carved features, yet it did nothing to diminish his heroic, handsome bearing.
Mu Fei's heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable feeling stirred in her — but the next instant, she forcibly pressed the thought down, turning her eyes away and refusing to look again.
She spoke softly, as if to herself: "I wonder since when Father's personal guards... also obey Mo Bai."
"Guard One, Guard Two, and Guard Three?" Mu Yun asked suddenly.