Deflected

The memory came to an abrupt halt there, as if the screen had gone black. After waking from his coma back then, upon hearing that Xu Changge was handling official business in the inner courtyard study, Xu Yuan had paid no heed to the aches wracking his body and immediately limped over to ask about the outcome. Yet that posturing bastard hadn't even looked up, merely offering an indifferent reply: "I won." And then... and then Xu Yuan had been tossed right back into bed to nurse his injuries. A while back, thoroughly bored while playing dead, Xu Yuan had actually tried to look into the details of what had happened back then. However, the records concerning that battle between Xu Changge and Mu Hongli were exceedingly vague. The dossiers brushed past it in a single stroke, devoting most of their ink instead to the investigation into Mu Zhiyun. It had likely been expunged; otherwise, there ought to have been at least some conclusion regarding victory and defeat. After some thought at the time, Xu Yuan understood the reason. Anything detrimental to unity had to be erased. The Chancellor's Manor and the imperial faction were allies, together forming the pillars of the Great Yan imperial court, while Marquis Wucheng's Manor was a crucial pillar of the imperial faction. With Xu Changge and Mu Hongli being the direct eldest sons and heirs of the Chancellor's Manor and Marquis Wucheng's Manor respectively, any friction between them had to be minimized and swept under the rug. Even without those records, however, Xu Yuan could roughly deduce the outcome. First of all, though Mu Hongli had practiced martial paths on the side, his primary discipline remained military arrays. Second, Xu Changge had been running an entrapment scheme during that period. Despite having long since stepped into the Origin Realm, he had continually used a spiritual artifact to conceal his true cultivation, proclaiming to the world that he was merely a Grandmaster in order to bait assassins into targeting him, the sole heir of the Prime Minister's Manor. Word was that not only had he avoided coming back empty-handed, he had even lured several big fish into biting the hook. What he probably hadn't expected was snagging the Young Marquis, Mu Hongli, along with them. At the same realm, even if Mu Hongli went all out, he would be no match for Xu Changge, let alone while underestimating him due to false intelligence. So the outcome was painfully obvious: He had flown in on his own two feet, and was carried back on a stretcher. Pondering this gossip about Marquis Wucheng's Manor, Xu Yuan swept his gaze back and forth across the brother and sister before him. Mu Zhiyun's mother was probably considerably more beautiful than Lady Fuguo. To be fair, Mu Hongli was quite handsome, but much of that came from the bonus of his imposing, naturally authoritative demeanor. Yet set against the ethereal, pure beauty of Mu Zhiyun beside him, his brand of handsome seemed almost excessively ordinary. To catch the eye of an overbearing patriarch like Marquis Wucheng, mere chance and personality were hardly enough; one needed a face captivating enough to outshine all others. Speaking of overbearing types, Xu Yuan inexplicably thought of Xu Changge's sweetheart. That elder sister Young Celestial Master was indeed stunning, but judging from their single encounter back then, her personality seemed somewhat similar to Xu Changge's. Furthermore, she always disguised herself as a man. It was truly a mystery how the two of them had ever hit it off. In the silence, the atmosphere within Hongshang Clothing Pavilion grew taut by degrees. Though Xu Yuan's mind was wandering through all these random thoughts, his eye contact with Mu Hongli never wavered, carrying a distinct air of "What're you looking at?" met with "Looking at you, so what?" At a time like this, the proprietor of the ancient pavilion ought to have stepped in to smooth things over, and the mature, charming female manager indeed wished to do so. Unfortunately, she was an artisan, not the sort of smooth-talking, conventional merchant. She spent all day shut away in the attic cutting cloth and researching array patterns, hardly ever socializing. Expecting an older homebody like her to ease the tension? That was honestly asking too much of her. However, while she might not know how to diffuse tension, she was quite adept at picking a side. No matter what, Hongshang was famous in capital circles, and she had seen her share of genuine nobles. Such as the Prime Minister's Manor's Third Young Master, who had nearly lopped her head off back in the day. Mulling it over, the mature woman wanted to speak up on behalf of the Young Marquis behind her. Marquis Wucheng's Manor was true nobility of Great Yan. Flattering an aristocrat was nothing to be ashamed of. Yet the moment her eyes fell upon the guest on the second floor, she quietly swallowed the words resting on the tip of her tongue. For no other reason than the chair beneath him, and the Sumeru ring on his finger. This master was someone she couldn't afford to provoke either. Amid this silence, Bai Muxi stepped noiselessly back to Xu Yuan's side and took a defensive stance to guard against any potential confrontation. And right at this dagger-drawn impasse, Xu Yuan suddenly chuckled. With a clap of his hands, he stood up, smiling as he drawled leisurely: "I have often heard that the Young Marquis tends to make enemies due to his temperament. Seeing you today, it seems the rumors were not unfounded." "..." Mu Hongli realized his old habit had flared up again. Having grown accustomed to slaughtering barbarians and mutineers on the Northern Border, whenever he regarded someone seriously, his gaze naturally carried an edge of killing intent. Even so, hearing this man's subtly mocking words, a flicker of displeasure rose within him. Years ago, with his fiery temper, had anyone dared utter such words, a clash would have been inevitable. Yet after that incident with Xu Changtian, his temperament had matured considerably. He had been the one to cause offense first, and grievances were easily made but hard to resolve. Exhaling softly, Mu Hongli cupped his fists crisply. "A habit from long years in the military. I had no intention of offending you, brother." "..." A strange feeling welled up in Xu Yuan. Unlike Xu Yuan, who had been infamous as one of the Four Young Masters of the Imperial Capital, Mu Hongli was actually cut from the same cloth as Xu Changge: A favored son of heaven, arrogant and proud of his talent. If Xu Changge were in his shoes hearing such words, he probably wouldn't have spared the man a single glance, outright ignoring him; and if anyone dared push further, he would strike without hesitation to teach them a lesson. Yet this Young Marquis had actually backed down. This, in turn, made Xu Yuan feel somewhat petty. Cupping his hands in return, he chuckled softly: "Then it seems I, Zhou, was the impolite one." "..." Seeing the other man take the offered way out, Mu Hongli's expression softened slightly. He made no rush to leave, instead preparing to introduce himself and make an acquaintance. The man possessed Body Integration cultivation, yet had a Dao fusion Grandmaster acting as his protector; his background was clearly far from ordinary. A chance encounter was still fate. This was precisely how networks among noble scions were built up piece by piece: forge a good rapport first, and perhaps it would prove useful down the line. Yet before he could speak, a soft, delicate voice drifted over from beside him. "Brother Li..." The young woman beside Mu Hongli gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "...Let's go." "..." Mu Hongli glanced back at her. Mu Zhiyun clutched the corner of his robes, her rosy lips pressed tightly together. Seeing this, Mu Hongli gave a gentle smile, understanding that his sister was simply shy around strangers. Turning to Xu Yuan, he chuckled heartily: "Brother Zhou, my sister and I have other matters to attend to, so we won't disturb you two any longer." "..." After a brief silence, Xu Yuan glanced at Mu Zhiyun, who had spoken. Compared to years ago, this young commandery princess had matured considerably. Her chest was noticeably fuller than back then, though her frail, delicate temperament hadn't changed in the slightest. Her snow-pale cheeks were like freshly peeled lychees, her delicate nose smooth as goose fat, and the glances of her lovely eyes radiated a pitiful fragility that evoked instinctive tenderness in any onlooker. Her timid look drew an involuntary soft laugh from Xu Yuan: "Heh... Then until next time." "..." Mu Zhiyun looked over in response, their gazes crossing for an instant. The girl immediately shrank entirely behind Mu Hongli's burly frame, clutching the hem of her brother's robes and warily peeking half her head out to keep a vigilant eye on Xu Yuan. She was petite; if one were to poke her from behind right now, she would probably jump three feet in the air. In that hazy memory, though this timid girl had resisted the entire time, her resistance had amounted to little more than biting her lip and desperately clutching her undergarments to keep him from stripping them off; beyond that, she hadn't even so much as kicked him. It was hard to imagine such a meek, obedient girl threatening suicide rather than marrying him. Clearly, the ordeal back then had left no small psychological scar on this commandery princess. Still, had she actually agreed, he never would have met the chest-bound princess. Amused, Xu Yuan put away his chair and stepped aside to clear the way. In silence, Mu Hongli led Mu Zhiyun past Xu Yuan and Bai Muxi with steady strides. But as Mu Hongli stepped onto the stairs leading down, Xu Yuan suddenly extended his spiritual vision, sweeping it toward the girl who was practically glued to her brother's back. He was still somewhat curious about this young commandery princess, who had nearly become his betrothed. He remembered that when she first arrived in the imperial capital, she had been an ordinary mortal. Over these years, however, she must have embarked on cultivation. He merely wondered what realm she had reached... His train of thought froze. Xu Yuan's expression didn't waver, but the gentle ripples in his heart surged into tempestuous waves. Eh? His spiritual vision... Why had it been repelled?