"You'll stay in Yang City for the next few days. As soon as I get any news, I'll let you know."
Xu Mu picked up a chicken leg and took a bite. "Do you have enough money? I can lend you some."
"No need. Qin Yanzi from the Qin Family gave me a bit over a hundred thousand last time — it'll last me for a while."
Chen Xuan smiled. "I'll take this chance to experience city life for a few days."
"Alright then."
Xu Mu nodded with a smile.
After they finished eating, the two parted ways.
Xu Mu pondered what to do about Chen Xuan.
One thing was clear — he couldn't treat him the same way he'd treated Lin Yan.
When he got to his car, Xu Mu called Jiang Huihui.
It took a long while before she picked up.
"Xu Mu!"
"Where are you? I need to talk to you," Xu Mu said.
"I'm at home arguing with my grandpa. I can't come right now. I'll call you back later!"
Jiang Huihui hung up right after speaking.
Xu Mu stared at the phone, momentarily speechless.
Thinking it over, he guessed she must've reached the Mystic Art Realm and gone home to negotiate with her grandfather.
He didn't think much of it. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to return to Jiang City and meet Meng Wanyue.
Meanwhile, Xu Shou and Xu Ningbing had been running around Yang City all day.
They sat in the back of the Rolls-Royce, both looking tired.
"This Chai Family—what's their problem? Aren't they mainly in the entertainment industry? Why are they constantly working against us?"
"Heh. They want to expand their territory too, especially while Yang City is in chaos."
Xu Shou chuckled, gazing out the window. "But we've been doing business here for twenty years. For newcomers like the Chai Family, competing with us won't be that easy."
"That's true. And we're not the same as before — our cash flow is solid now."
Xu Ningbing's tone softened slightly, but she still puffed her cheeks. "That brat Xu Mu never helps with anything…"
"Stop the car!"
Xu Shou suddenly shouted, startling her. "Dad, what's wrong?"
"I… saw someone I know."
He was staring out the window, pupils narrowing sharply.
The driver immediately pulled over by the bridge and shut off the engine.
They were on Yang City Bridge. Near the railing stood a middle-aged man.
He wore a suit and a purple tie, around his early forties.
His face was thin, cheeks sunken, with faint crow's-feet at the corners of his eyes.
He had the whites showing around his pupils — a "four-white eyes" type — giving him a feral, menacing look.
He leaned on the railing, smoking quietly.
Xu Shou got out of the car and walked toward him.
A gust of wind lifted the man's sleeve — revealing that his right arm was missing.
The man turned his gaze toward Xu Shou. For a brief second, his lifeless eyes widened in shock.
When Xu Shou reached him, he plucked the cigarette from the man's mouth, tossed it to the ground, and crushed it underfoot.
He pulled out a pack of fine Tianye slims. "Smoke mine."
"Brother Shou…"
The man accepted the cigarette, dazed. "I didn't come here for you."
"I know."
Xu Shou lit the man's cigarette, then leaned against the railing beside him, lighting one for himself.
Neither spoke for a long time. They just smoked quietly, side by side.
Then the Rolls-Royce's back window rolled down, revealing Xu Ningbing's beautiful face.
"Your daughter?" the man murmured.
Xu Shou nodded.
"She looks just like her… especially the eyes."
The man's tone was filled with emotion. "Hard to believe so much time has passed."
"Xiao Que, what brings you to Yang City?" Xu Shou asked, exhaling smoke.
"Something big's about to happen in Jiangbei. If you're interested, I can tell you," Zhang Que said, flicking away the ashes and looking up at the cloudy sky.
"Not interested. I just want to make money and retire," Xu Shou replied, finishing his cigarette. He patted Zhang Que's shoulder. "Take care."
Zhang Que watched him walk away, throat tightening, his eyes flashing faintly. "Brother Shou… back in the day, we brothers were unstoppable."
"Even the unstoppable grow old. I'm just a fifty-year-old has-been now," Xu Shou said without turning around, waving a hand dismissively.
"I'm still young," Zhang Que murmured as he watched Xu Shou get back into the car.
Xu Mu had already returned to Jiang City.
From a phone call, he learned that Meng Wanyue was training in a forest outside the city.
When he arrived, he saw tree trunks all around scarred with knife marks.
Meng Wanyue, dressed in a sports outfit with her hair tied up, was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily as she trained.
When she saw Xu Mu, her eyes lit up. "Manager Xu!"
[Favorability +20]
"Wanyue, how difficult is that technique?" Xu Mu smiled as he approached.
"It's much harder than the Illusionary Sword from before. As expected of a legendary Earth-Rank technique—its power far exceeds my imagination."
She looked at him with gratitude. Even now, she couldn't believe he'd given her such a high-level cultivation method.
"Show me."
Xu Mu gestured for her to demonstrate.
If it looked suitable, he was thinking of trying it himself.
Meng Wanyue nodded and assumed an attack stance, holding her dagger horizontally before her.
Swish!
A dark shadow suddenly burst out from her body, flashing across the air.
Crack!
It swept past a tree, leaving a deep gash in the trunk.
"The technique isn't fully mastered yet. I should be able to control the shadow, but I can't do it for now," she said apologetically.
"That's already impressive—it's an Earth-Rank art after all," Xu Mu said, gesturing. "Come on, let's head back and relax for today."
"Alright."
Meng Wanyue nodded, putting away her dagger.
As soon as they got into the car, Xu Mu's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID—it was Xu Ningbing.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Are you in Jiang City right now?" Her tone was anxious.
"Just got here."
"Go to our company immediately! I heard it's been surrounded!"
"We're still on the road," she added.
Xu Mu's expression darkened. He immediately drove toward the company, taking Meng Wanyue along.
When they arrived, a crowd of a dozen people were shouting outside the entrance.
Some were holding banners that read:
"Heartless Company! Selling Fake Medicine! Give Me Back My Father's Life!"
A young man with a megaphone shouted furiously,
"Xu Corporation's diet pills killed my father! Where's the justice? Where's the law?"
Several others beside him were filming with their phones.
Xu Mu's face darkened.
It was easy to spread rumors, but clearing them up was like running a marathon. In this age of instant virality, someone was clearly targeting them.
Their pills were pure herbal formulas, designed only to provide a feeling of fullness—not dangerous in any way.
Thinking it over, Xu Mu ruled out the Feng Family. Could it be Fang Chu?
"Brother Xu, what should we do?"
Meng Wanyue's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Should I make him disappear tonight?"