Chapter 20: Your Loyalty and Filial Piety Are Truly Remarkable

Even a minor grandmaster, if severely wounded but still capable of resistance, might prove too much for Xu Mu to defeat. Yet, he had no intention of engaging Ye Shiyi in a fight. He had developed a desire to recruit him. In his previous life, Xu Mu had relied on his invincibility within his cultivation realm, becoming arrogant and headstrong, which ultimately led to his downfall. In this life, he needed to accumulate strength and build his own faction. Ye Shiyi was an unpolished gem, a talent worth molding—not to mention that the boy’s dramatic, "edgy" personality made him incredibly easy to manipulate.

"I wish to cross blades with you, but there are two reasons why I cannot," Xu Mu said, standing with his hands behind his back, his voice deep and solemn.

"Is it because you see I am wounded?"

"First, my mother has recently passed, and I am in mourning; to kill would be a grave disrespect to her memory. Second, you are covered in wounds; if I were to win now, it would be an unearned victory. Once I have laid my mother to rest and you have recovered from your injuries, we shall have a fair and upright duel between men." Xu Mu tilted his head slightly, his tone calm and detached, like an upright hero from legend.

The boy pondered for a moment, then wiped the blood from his face. "I thought you were a petty man for having a woman fight for you. I did not expect you to be so filial while in mourning. If I were to force you into a duel now, it would be an act of unrighteousness."

The boy tossed his short sword to Xu Mu, who caught it with ease. "I will leave my blade here as a token. When you have finished your mother's funeral rites and I have healed, I will come for you." The boy turned and walked away with great difficulty. As he crossed the threshold, he muttered a brief "my condolences" before disappearing into the gloom.

They hadn't fought for long, but the tables, chairs, and cabinets on the first floor were mostly destroyed. This was only because Xu Shuangyi had been holding back; otherwise, the entire shop would have been demolished.

"Back to the manor." Xu Mu tossed the sword to Xu Shuangyi and walked away with his hands behind his back.

*Not again!* Xu Shuangyi felt she shouldn't have stood up for him.

Ye Shiyi dragged his heavily wounded body back to the small tavern. The unremarkable shopkeeper barely glanced at him, continuing to click his abacus. "I told you, you aren't cut out to be an assassin. With your talent, if you focused on martial training and took the military examinations, you would surely make a name for yourself."

"I will become the world's greatest assassin," Ye Shiyi said, his eyes firm.

The shopkeeper sighed helplessly, pulled a small porcelain bottle from thin air as if by magic, and tossed it to him. "Take it."

Ye Shiyi reflexively blocked it, knocking the bottle back.

"Kid, you're severely wounded; even your shoulder blade is pierced. Without my medicine, you'll almost certainly be left with permanent damage," the shopkeeper warned.

Ye Shiyi didn't respond and headed upstairs. As a future world-class assassin, he lived by the code of performing services for pay and would never owe anyone a favor.

"Foolish boy," the shopkeeper called out.

Ye Shiyi looked back, catching a wine jar tossed at him.

"On the house."

"Thank you, shopkeeper. But I will pay for the wine once I get my bounty."

After Ye Shiyi went upstairs, a young girl disguised in men's clothing walked out from behind the shopkeeper. "Why let him go?"

The shopkeeper paused, his voice calm. "Because he is no match for Xu Shuangyi."

"But wasn't Liang Shucheng trying to kill Xu Mu? Isn't that Xu Mu just a notorious coward?" the girl asked, puzzled.

"The Xu in Xu Mu and the Xu in Xu Shuangyi are the same family," the shopkeeper replied.

"So you never intended to kill Xu Mu at all?" the girl asked in surprise. The spineless coward Xu Mu was a member of the Xu clan?

"An illegitimate son is still a son. If he died at the hands of an assassin sent by this tavern, I would have no way to answer to the master of that household," the shopkeeper said.

"I heard Su Hanwei ran off with Liang Shucheng. Liang Shucheng suddenly wants to kill Xu Mu—does that have something to do with it?" the girl asked.

The shopkeeper did not answer. "Skill comes from diligence, and waste comes from play. Go practice your sword."

"Oh." The girl suddenly grabbed a large jar of wine and ran off. The shopkeeper didn't look at her, merely shaking his head with a touch of resignation. She was his daughter, after all; she had inherited his obsession with alcohol.

Liang Shucheng was waiting for news of Xu Mu's death. Seeing Ye Shiyi return covered in blood, he asked anxiously, "How did it go?"

Ye Shiyi took out the jade pendant and placed it on the table. "I failed. You can take your payment back, or leave it with me; once I heal, I will go kill him again."

*Failed?* So the boy was unreliable after all. The jade wasn't worth much, and Liang Shucheng had no intention of taking it back.

"Keep it. When you've recovered, go finish the job."

Afterward, Liang Shucheng went downstairs and saw the shopkeeper hiding behind the counter, drinking in secret. His expression darkened. "Shopkeeper, what kind of person did you arrange for me? A boy of fifteen or sixteen? Are you trying to ruin your own reputation?"

The shopkeeper stood up quickly, offering a flattering smile. "Business is tough these days, and I don't have many men left. That boy is a minor grandmaster. If he failed, it only means his target is even stronger."

*A minor grandmaster? And he still failed?* Could it be that Xu Shuangyi had been by Xu Mu's side, protecting him? Otherwise, how could a minor grandmaster fail to kill a coward like Xu Mu?

"Are there really no others?"

The shopkeeper shook his head. Liang Shucheng felt an immense sense of urgency. If Xu Mu wasn't killed, he would continue to advise Xu Shuangyi, and the negotiations would never succeed. It seemed he would have to find another way out; otherwise, his family would never survive the fury of the Assistant Governor.

At that moment, an idea struck him.

...

That night, at the Xu manor, despite having just stepped into the Body Refining realm, Xu Mu was still soaking in a medicinal bath. Once finished, he summoned Xu Shuangyi to his courtyard.

Thinking Xu Mu was about to order her around like a servant, she scowled. "You still owe me three favors; don't think you can boss me around. Otherwise, handle your own messes in the future!" Although Xu Mu was clever and constantly surprised her, she didn't want to be under his thumb forever. He owed her respect.

"Don't lose your temper so easily, or you'll grow ugly," Xu Mu said with a faint smile.

"If you can't say anything useful, stay silent."

Xu Mu chuckled. "I owe you three favors, and I don't know what you want. I'm about to repay the first one now; I'm certain you'll be satisfied."

Hearing this, Xu Shuangyi became intrigued. She truly couldn't imagine what the current Xu Mu could possibly offer that would satisfy her.