Chapter 12: Leave None Behind

Upon seeing Xu Mu and Xu Shuangyi enter one after the other, Li Baofu’s heart instantly sank halfway.

He was now certain that Xu Mu’s previous image as a good-for-nothing was completely a façade.

Now that Xu Mu had attached himself to the Miss of the Xu household, he was beginning to reveal his true claws.

“Young Master Xu, what brings you here? I thought the weather was nice today and planned to take my wife and children out for an autumn outing,” Li Baofu replied, feigning calm.

“It’s almost nightfall. Where do you plan to go for an outing? Besides, winter has already set in,” Xu Mu asked with a faintly mocking smile.

“Th-this...” Li Baofu was at a loss for words, trembling as he struggled to utter a single response.

“You say you haven’t withheld any of my silver? Open your luggage; let me inspect it,” Xu Mu said.

“Th-this isn’t appropriate, is it?” Li Baofu took a couple of steps back, hesitant.

Xu Mu glanced at Xu Shuangyi, who lightly waved her hand.

The servants immediately stepped forward and, without a word, snatched Li Baofu’s luggage.

“No, no! Young Master Xu, please speak properly. Why are you snatching my things?” Li Baofu was visibly nervous.

“What are you doing? Breaking into someone’s home in broad daylight is bad enough, but stealing?!” A young woman desperately shielded the luggage but was roughly pushed to the ground by the servants.

Soon, the servants found a large number of silver notes and some cash in Li Baofu’s luggage.

Upon seeing so many silver notes, the woman was dumbfounded.

“Li Baofu, where did you get so much money?”

“Is this the right time to ask that?” Li Baofu’s vision darkened; he felt doomed.

“I’m asking you where the money came from!”

“Shut up!”

Li Baofu quickly knelt down, crawling to Xu Mu’s side, clutching his leg.

“Young Master Xu, this money isn’t yours. It’s… it’s what I earned through my own efforts.”

Xu Mu frowned. “Let go.”

“Young Master Xu, I really didn’t withhold your money. I wouldn’t dare…”

Xu Mu, full of impatience, kicked Li Baofu away.

“Miss, there are a total of eighteen hundred silver notes and over two hundred in cash,” one servant counted and cupped his hands toward Xu Shuangyi.

Xu Shuangyi glanced at Xu Mu in surprise.

He had hit the mark. Li Baofu was bold enough to withhold two thousand taels!

Having lived in the capital for years and mingled with no commoners, she had indeed underestimated the greed of these small players.

“Li Baofu, I trusted you so much to handle this lucrative job. It would be forgivable if you withheld a hundred or two, but you dared to withhold a full two thousand taels from me? You’ve truly disappointed me,” Xu Mu said, shaking his head slightly, his tone filled with regret.

“Young Master Xu, you’ve really misunderstood me. Please listen to my explanation. I, I…”

Xu Mu leaned in slightly and suddenly smiled softly, causing Li Baofu, who was kneeling, to fall backward onto the ground.

The murderous intent in that look was overwhelming!

“Didn’t you just say you’d give your life for me? Do you keep your word?” Xu Mu asked with a light laugh.

“I do! If you order, Young Master Xu, I would go through fire and water without hesitation…”

Xu Mu nodded, then turned his attention to Xu Shuangyi.

“If he’s so eager to die for me, then give him the chance—kill him,” Xu Mu said.

Hearing this, Li Baofu’s face turned ashen.

He had long known that one day the big shots wouldn’t let him off, because he knew too much.

But he never expected the first to raise the slaughtering knife against him would be Xu Mu!

The notorious good-for-nothing of Liangzhou, whose wife had been taken from him—since when had he become so ruthless?

“Please spare me, Young Master! I won’t dare again! I’ll return all your money, not a single cent left!” Li Baofu begged.

Xu Mu listened to his incessant pleas with a look of disgust.

“You’re really noisy. Shut his mouth quickly.”

After saying this, a servant stepped forward and stuffed a cloth into Li Baofu’s mouth.

Xu Mu walked over to Xu Shuangyi.

“If we’re going to kill Li Baofu, we might as well wipe out his entire family to prevent future troubles.”

Xu Shuangyi looked at Xu Mu in disbelief, noticing how calm he was, as if discussing something trivial.

This Xu Mu, so decisive and ruthless—was he really the good-for-nothing illegitimate son that even the Xu family servants used to despise?

“Remember, make the entire Li Baofu family vanish without leaving any trace. If this gets exposed, bear the consequences yourself,” Xu Mu said, lightly patting Xu Shuangyi’s shoulder.

It was both an order and a warning.

Then Xu Mu left the residence, politely closing the gate behind him.

Xu Shuangyi’s expression was icy to the extreme, for Xu Mu had clearly treated her like a subordinate.

Aside from her foster father, no one in the Xu family spoke to her with such authority.

She hated the feeling of being used as a tool.

Once Xu Mu was gone, Li Baofu hurriedly pulled out the cloth from his mouth and kowtowed, begging for mercy.

“Miss Xu, I’ve served Jinhuaxuan for so many years. Even if I have no merits, I have my hard work. Please have mercy and spare my family. I don’t want the money—I’ll leave Liangzhou immediately and never come back!”

Xu Shuangyi didn’t yet know what strategy Xu Mu had employed, but it was clear that Xu Mu had never planned to keep Li Baofu alive after using him.

She realized Xu Mu’s cunning ran deep; by killing Li Baofu and making him vanish, the seventeen thousand taels would become an untraceable loss.

However, Xu Mu’s decision to kill Li Baofu’s entire family was beyond what she had expected.

Such ruthlessness—only with such a heart could one secure a place in the Xu family in the future.

Xu Mu had her personally do the dirty work to bind her entirely to him.

“Leave no one alive. Dispose of the bodies thoroughly. They must disappear completely.”

“Yes.”

She had pledged her allegiance; next, she would see just how formidable Xu Mu truly was.

Xu Mu returned alone to the Xu mansion. Before entering, he saw the Su family’s carriage parked outside.

Su Tong and Su Hanwei stood by the gate. The elder was patiently lecturing, while Su Hanwei wore a face full of impatience.

Xu Mu hadn’t intended to greet them but paused for a moment.

“Did Grandpa tell you what to do? Go apologize immediately!”