Chapter 427: 426
In Muyun City, within a courtyard purchased by Duanmu Cheng, he was savoring tea brewed by a beautiful and enchanting concubine he kept there.
As the fourth elder of the Duanmu aristocratic family, he was deeply favored by the patriarch. Although his martial arts talent was diocre, he managed many affairs of the family and held a very high status within the family.
The aristocratic life was sothing one could readily covet.
Yet, to hold on to such aristocracy, hoping for the old patriarch to live a few more years wasn’t enough; ultimately, it depended on oneself.
Otherwise, once the patriarch passed away, the grander his life had been, the more tragic his death would be.
"Mr. Four, this is this year’s new tea. What do you think?" the concubine walked over and nestled into Duanmu Cheng arms, her voice soft and tingling.
With one hand, Duanmu Cheng held her soft and delicate hand, and with the other, he was already embracing her waist, feeling the plushness through layers of satin, unable to resist giving a gentle pat as he laughed, "The things you carefully select are naturally excellent."
The concubine smiled slightly, looking at him and said, "Mr. Four seems troubled today."
Duanmu Cheng laughed, gently scraping her nose with his hand, "You really are a clever little thing. Out of all my won, you understand
the best—I just love you to death."
After finishing his sentence, however, a displeased expression crossed his face, and he called out to the courtyard, "Nearly an hour has passed. Why haven’t Sun Donglai and Liu Yao returned yet?"
"They should be on their way back, Mr. Four. Please, calm your anger. I’ll go and inquire right away," a fearful voice ca from outside.
"Hmm, hurry them along. I still have quite a bit of trust in Sun Donglai’s capabilities," Duanmu Cheng responded indifferently.
Sun Donglai was one of his most loyal subordinates. Exceptionally skilled and clever, he was an old hand in the Martial Arts World, unlikely to have trouble dealing with a re girl.
"Once I get hold of that item, I might be able to uncover that secret," Duanmu Cheng thought eagerly, sowhat anticipatively.
Thirty minutes later, a panicked voice ca from outside: "Mr. Four, there has been a great disaster."
Duanmu Cheng’s heart chilled, and he urgently demanded, "Speak."
"Sun Donglai and Liu Yao are dead, and the Hong Sect disciples led by Liu Yao didn’t survive either; all were killed in the forest where they had arranged to et that girl," an anxious voice ca from outside.
Duanmu Cheng’s expression drastically changed, and he stood up saying, "What did you say?"
"Please calm down, Mr. Four. The news is confird. A letter was found on Sun Donglai’s body—it’s from that girl to you," the voice outside responded.
"Bring it here, quickly," Duanmu Cheng said urgently.
The person outside did not dare enter the courtyard, but a letter floated gently into the courtyard.
Duanmu Cheng beckoned with his hand and caught the letter, imdiately tearing open and reading it.
The concubine stood cleverly to the side, not peeking at the contents of the letter.
"Hmph!"
A mont later, Duanmu Cheng grunted angrily, his True Qi surged, and the simplicity of the letter shattered into pieces, papers fluttering down like snowflakes onto the courtyard floor.
"To underestimate that young girl. But to dare threaten
like this, she’s courting death!" Duanmu Cheng muttered through gritted teeth, stepping outside.
Yet, his brows revealed deep fears and worries.
If this matter were to be exposed by that girl, it would be the end. He must find a way to redy the situation.
However...
His most powerful aide, Sun Donglai, had already been killed, and Liu Yao with his Hong Sect elite were utterly slaughtered, indicating the significant power behind the girl.
They might have preditated this, targeting him specifically.
What should I do?
The concubine followed him step by step as she saw him out of the courtyard, yet dared not ask anything.
She was very clever, knowing well that she was nothing but a plaything to this Mr. Four, whose power was overwhelming in Muyun City. She knew better than to ask questions that shouldn’t be asked and just needed to take good care of him when he was in a good mood.
...
Duanmu Cheng hurried back to his own courtyard within the Duanmu aristocratic family.
His wife also ca from a great family. Although she was a woman in her forties, being a Martial Artist and bearing the na of a prestigious family, she maintained herself excellently, still possessing charm and a dignified and elegant deanor.
Seeing her husband pacing restlessly in the room, his wife, Mu Sujing, asked with furrowed brows, "What has happened?"
If it were not sothing significant, her husband, who held considerable power within the Duanmu family, would not be so disturbed.
Duanmu Cheng glanced at his wife, hesitated slightly, and waved his hand in frustration, "It’s better if you don’t know about this." After pacing back and forth in the room a few tis, he finally made up his mind, "I must take the initiative to confess my wrongdoings to the elder patriarch."
Upon hearing this, Mu Sujing’s expression drastically changed, and she hurriedly grabbed him, "Have you lost your mind? Do you know how many eyes within the clan are watching your position, how many people are waiting for you to slip up and send you to your death, and yet you choose to confess your mistakes proactively?"
Although she did not know what trouble her husband had caused, she could tell it was no trivial matter. Once he confessed, their branch of the family would be utterly ruined.
"Calm down for a mont and tell
exactly what happened?" Mu Sujing insisted, gripping Duanmu Cheng’s sleeve tightly.
Duanmu Cheng was astute and capable of amassing wealth for the family, but should this matter spiral out of control, it would exceed his ability to handle. At this mont, putting the interests of the entire family first, he thought to seek forgiveness from the elder patriarch, trusting that the elder would be able to nip the danger in the bud.
His wife holding him back, Duanmu Cheng waved his hand, "Don’t interfere in this matter. I must be honest with the elder patriarch, or it will endanger the whole family."
Mu Sujing turned pale with fright and clung even tighter to his clothes, shaking her head, "Have you lost your mind? Even if you confess proactively, would the others in the clan let you off once they know? It doesn’t matter if you die, but what about
and the children? Don’t you think about them?"
Duanmu Cheng was moved by her words.
"Quickly tell
what exactly is going on. I might be able to think of a solution." Mu Sujing urged him.
Duanmu Cheng pondered for a long ti, and thinking of the years of support his wife had given him in his career, he explained everything to her in detail.
Mu Sujing was stunned several tis but managed to suppress her surprise, listening quietly until he was finished.
At last, a firm look flashed through her eyes as she said, "So the girl has arranged to et you again?"
"Yes, tomorrow at the Ten Miles Pavilion outside the city," Duanmu Cheng replied.
"So you want to confess to the elder patriarch and have him go to the eting?" Mu Sujing asked.
Duanmu Cheng said helplessly, "I underestimated the girl’s capabilities. Now that Sun Donglai is dead, and without absolute certainty that my bodyguards can detain the girl, I can only seek help from the elder patriarch."
Mu Sujing nodded, "Asking for help from the elder patriarch is correct, but you shouldn’t confess. You need to change your approach," she advised.
Duanmu Cheng’s eyes lit up with hope, "What clever plan do you have, my dear?"
Mu Sujing said, "The elder patriarch trusts you deeply. Since Sun Donglai, who had been following you since he was young, is now dead and you have no skilled bodyguards left, you can explain to the elder patriarch that soone targeted you by killing Sun Donglai. Ask the elder to assign more formidable guards to protect you. With these n by your side, you can et Qi Hongshao tomorrow, capture her, and keep the whole incident under wraps."
Duanmu Cheng frowned, "My concern is that the force behind the girl is extraordinarily powerful. If we fail to capture her again next ti, and the incident gets exposed, Giant Sword Manor won’t let it go easily, bringing disaster upon our clan. I would rather die than bear the bla for that."
Mu Sujing angrily retorted, "Since you are so committed to the family’s cause, why take such a huge risk? From ancient tis, a victorious king and a defeated bandit have been one and the sa. Having already co this far, are you truly willing to fail at the last hurdle? If rumors are true and you obtain the item in the girl’s possession, you could rise to greatness. Who in the clan would dare underestimate you then? Don’t forget, the elder patriarch doesn’t have many years left. What will you do once he is gone?"
The words struck Duanmu Cheng like a thunderclap, waking him to reality.
Gratefully gripping his wife’s arms, he thanked her, "You always think everything through, my dear. I was indeed flustered just now. You are right, to this point, I can only fight one last ti. I will go see the elder patriarch imdiately and request that he assign the Elite Guard to ."
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