Mu Zhuoyun knew her daughter was unaware of the things that had taken place after she fell unconscious. He immediately told her what he knew.
“Sigh, who would have thought that the kid would sacrifice himself as a bait to lure the Razortail Drake out. In the end, the Razortail Drake and Lu Nian ended up killing one another, while you guys were saved. Mo Jiaxin did come to visit you a few days ago. I’ve comforted him, and offered him a job with high pay. Unfortunately, he declined the offer,” Mu Zhuoyun said with a hint of sadness.
Mu Zhuoyun was never too fond of the little jerk Mo Fan, but who knew he would sacrifice himself for his daughter. It totally revised his point of view on him. He had asked his people to take extra care of his family, as a way to express his gratitude.
“Is…is he really dead?” Mu Ningxue asked sternly.
“Mm, Zhan Kong has said it himself. I don’t think he would be lying. Don’t get too emotional about it…To be honest, I didn’t know he liked you so much, to be willing to sacrifice his life for you…If I knew…I won’t have treated him like that before…ah, forget it,” Mu Zhuoyun uttered with a sigh.
Mu Ningxue hugged her knees while staring blankly out of the window. She subconsciously recalled the words that Mo Fan had said to her at the church.
Did he really mean what he had said?
Either way, she had no way to verify it. It had somehow become his last words to her.
The last remaining anticipation inside her heart thoroughly dissipated.
“Ningxue, you shouldn’t use the Ice Crystal Bow again for the next year. Even though I’m eager to see you establish yourself in the massive Mu Clan, I’m more inclined to see you well and healthy. Our little Mu Family is already in such bad shape that we have to live under the Clan’s roof here in the capital. If you fall, it will be the end for our family,” Mu Zhuoyun said with a stern face.
“Mm, I’ll be more careful,” Mu Ningxue nodded. She was still occupied with past memories that made her feel slightly embarrassed.
Mu Zhuoyun stopped disturbing her rest. He understood that her daughter’s mind was still occupied with the boy who had brought her away from a giant cage…
——
Leaving the room, Mu Zhuoyun sank into the sofa and let out a deep breath.
As he was just about to start planning his next step, the butler led a young man with a silver necklace and a middle-aged man whose hair was combed back from his forehead from the entrance.
Both of them were appropriately dressed, with a fair amount of accessories, including jades, pendants, and rings. It was hard to tell if they were mere decorations, or valuable magic equipment.
“Why hello, Mr. Zhou and You Hong. Xiao Ling, please bring me my best tea leaves.” Mu Zhuoyun rose to his feet and greeted them warmly.
“Don’t worry about the tea, we’re just here to visit Mu Ningxue regarding her injury,” the middle-aged man with the surname Zhou said.
“She’s currently resting. Please, take a seat. I do want to discuss with Mr. Zhou our business of acquiring rare bones from all sources in the market. I’m well-prepared to present the proposal. Should we invite the presidents of the various auctions for a team meeting sometime soon?” Mu Zhuoyun asked with a smile.
“Shouldn’t you be asking the people from your Clan? Most of the auctions and trading markets are tagged with the surname Mu. I don’t see any reason to ask me about that,” Mr. Zhou raised his brows and said, pretending to be clueless about what he had heard.
“Dad, you can’t say that, you know that Uncle Zhuoyun here is in quite a tough position. We should help him as much as we can.”
“I don’t see any need to do that. First, we aren’t related at all. Our Zhou Family might be quite powerful in the capital, but we do follow the rules among the renowned families,” Mr. Zhou said.
“This…” Mu Zhuoyun wore an awkward face, not knowing how to respond.
Mu Zhuoyun disliked the feeling of asking for people’s favor, but he was left with no choice. He had a giant family to look after. Most of the family members were completely useless, and only knew how to waste money. He had already told them many times that their status was not as comfortable as it used to be in Bo City, but his advice was totally in vain.
Zhou Youhong ran out of patience, seeing Mu Zhuoyun hesitating as usual. “Uncle Zhuoyun, you know that I’m sincere toward Mu Ningxue. I believe we should proceed with our wedding as soon as possible, then we will have a reason to help you all we can. We do feel pity for your family after what had happened to Bo City, and we are aware that you’re currently living under the Clan’s roof. They are pretty much treating you all as outsiders.
“However, it would be completely different after the wedding. You will be directly related to our Zhou Family, and the Mu Clan will be friendlier to you as a way to express their respect toward us. I was going to give Mu Ningxue some expensive herbs for her recovery, but our Patriarch has made it clear that it’s not allowed since Mu Ningxue is still not one of the Zhou Family. In addition to that, without our Zhou Family’s support, the advantage that Mu Ningxue has due to her talents will soon be irrelevant against the rest of the geniuses in the Imperial College.”
Zhou Youhong had no intention to drag things on further. Since she was already engaged to him, he preferred to get it done as soon as possible.
Mu Ningxue’s outstanding physique, smooth skin, and glamorous face… Zhou Youhong had long coveted her. Knowing that he would obtain her once the marriage was done, he tried even harder to persuade Mu Zhuoyun.
“Well…about this…” Mu Zhuoyun was unable to make up his mind. He clearly knew that with the marriage, his family that was on the verge of going bankrupt would finally have hopes of recovering.
But…
When he remembered that Mo Fan had just saved Mu Ningxue’s life, if he were to agree to the wedding now, he would feel guilty toward the deceased kid.
“Why don’t we decide this sometime later? Mu Ningxue is still incredibly weak, I don’t want her to be bothered by it…” Mu Zhuoyun said.
“Exactly, we should just proceed with the wedding to cleanse her from her recent bad luck.” Mr. Zhou blurted out impatiently.
“It’s fine, her well being is more important. If that’s the case, we shall let Mu Ningxue rest well. We will come to visit her again.” Zhou Youhong knew that there was no need to push any further. It would not look good if he were forcing an injured woman who was still lying in bed to marry him.
It was just a matter of time until he claimed the beauty as his!
“Please excuse us. As for the auctions, you will need to come up with a plan yourself.” Mr. Zhou said bluntly.
Zhou Youhong still showed his politeness as a future son-in-law by saying goodbye before taking his leave.
Mu Zhuoyun let out a deep sigh, watching the figures of the father and son of the Zhou Family from leaving.
Family, Clan, and House were three completely different levels.
The Mu Family Mu Zhuoyun was in charge of was only a small emperor controlling Bo City. In the eyes of the real Mu Clan, they were like insignificant family members who had been exiled to a small city in the south.
Now that Bo City was gone, Mu Zhuoyun was forced to bring his half-broken Mu Family back to the capitol. However, apart from Mu Ningxue, who could still earn the respect of the ancient Ice Element Mu House due to her outstanding talent among those in her age group, Mu Zhuoyun and Mu He were like higher servants obliged to listen to the orders of other family members who had more resources than them.
They were considered fairly old, and their cultivation would no longer be able to improve any further. As a result, they had no chance of expanding their power and circle of influence. They could only place their hopes in the younger generation. Otherwise, they would never be able to raise their heads as long as they were surnamed Mu.