Unexpected News

Lost in these scattered thoughts, Xu Yuan slowly sat up from the soft couch in the inn. He had insomnia tonight and couldn't fall asleep. Even though he was already a Body Integration expert, Xu Yuan still maintained his good habit of sleeping. However, accustomed to the wear and tear of travel on the road, suddenly checking into such an extravagant inn left him momentarily unable to adapt. Pure moonlight poured through the window lattice into the room. The inn was lavishly decorated, yet unlike the taverns of Great Yan's heartland, its furnishings were tinged with the aesthetic flair of the Western Regions. Draping a black robe over his shoulders, he stepped down from the bed and walked out past the curtain to the room's open terrace, gazing into the distance. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Wild geese flew westward, and a magnificent rift canyon stretching hundreds of li instantly came into view. The night wind, carrying a touch of grit, blew across his face with a hint of dryness. Yangu Inn was an establishment specifically built for cultivators on the northernmost edge of the grand canyon in Zhenxi Manor; three rooms for Xu Yuan and his companions cost a hundred taels of broken silver for a single night. Tonight, however, Xu Yuan had not paid that silver himself—it had been treated by a young man he had befriended on the road. "Under such a moon, since Brother Zhou isn't asleep either, why not share a drink with me?" After he had stood for a while upon the pavilion hanging over the sheer cliff, a slightly raspy male voice drifted into Xu Yuan's ears. Hearing the voice, Xu Yuan glanced back and saw a young man looking at him with a smile. The young man wore a nightrobe. His pale complexion made him appear somewhat haggard, giving his entire demeanor a sickly cast. His surname was Mu, given name Li, and courtesy name Xingyi. He was the head of a caravan Xu Yuan had helped along the way. While passing through a stretch of Gobi desert, the young man's caravan had been attacked by a minor desert wolf tide numbering over a thousand. Xu Yuan had instinctively stepped in to help. After learning that both parties were bound for Zhenxi Manor, they naturally traveled together. Having journeyed alongside each other for over half a month, Xu Yuan found him quite pleasant to talk to. Still, every banquet must come to an end. Mu Xingyi's caravan was bound for the Monan Protectorate, whereas tomorrow Xu Yuan would be taking his Treasure-Hunting Maiden into Thousand Thorns Gorge to search for the remains of the Little Dragon Maiden's younger brother. After tonight, they would formally part ways. After a brief thought, Xu Yuan leapt directly from his room's terrace over to Mu Xingyi's side. Such behavior was quite impolite, even offensive. Even when invited, one ought to enter through the front door after receiving permission. Yet upon seeing Xu Yuan's action, not a ripple of emotion stirred in Mu Xingyi's eyes, and the smile on his face did not change in the slightest. It was as if he were already accustomed to his companion's unrestrained ways. However, Xu Yuan knew it wasn't because Mu Xingyi was used to it, but because he simply didn't care. Mu Xingyi gave Xu Yuan a gentle nod. As he walked toward his room, he spoke in an unhurried, measured voice, "Zhenxi Manor enforces a strict curfew, so going out might be inconvenient. I'll have the inn's servants bring over some fine wine and snacks to set out. Brother Zhou, please wait here a moment." "That won't be necessary." Xu Yuan called him back with a light laugh. Lifting a finger, he directly retrieved a low table and two short chairs from his Sumeru ring and set them on the terrace. Dropping into one of the chairs, his long hair fluttering in the sand-laden night breeze, he smiled at Mu Xingyi. "I've enjoyed your hospitality for over half a month. Let me host you tonight, Xingyi." Mu Xingyi turned back slowly, staring at the suddenly manifested table and chairs for a heartbeat. "Brother Zhou actually possesses a miraculous treasure like a Sumeru ring." As he spoke, he sat down opposite Xu Yuan with a faint smile, that serene expression still resting on his sickly face. "Then I shall gladly accept." Noticing his calm demeanor, Xu Yuan asked with a chuckle, "You don't seem surprised at all." Mu Xingyi shook his head, his voice level and natural. "The two beauties by Brother Zhou's side are both Grandmasters despite their youth. Your family background must be extraordinary." "..." Xu Yuan looked deeply at him. From their first meeting until now, he had never seen any expression other than that smile on this pale young man's face. Even when the wolf pack attacked and the defensive line formed by his entire caravan was on the verge of collapse, the smile had remained firmly in place. Mu Xingyi exuded an air of complete detachment, as if nothing in the world mattered to him. That was probably one of the reasons Xu Yuan could get along so well with him. With that in mind, Xu Yuan casually placed several bottles of spirit wine worth a thousand taels onto the table, along with several dishes of drinking nuts purchased on the road. As he poured wine for the two of them, he chatted idly, "Speaking of family background, given your surname and the scale of your caravan, you must be from the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce, right?" Mu Xingyi did not deny it. He gave a slight nod. "Mu Shanhai is indeed my father." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, handing the filled cup across the table with a hint of surprise in his voice. "You're actually a legitimate son of the Mu family? Then why doesn't your caravan even have a Grandmaster consecrated retainer?" "I hardly qualify as a legitimate son. My mother is the family head's third concubine. She made some mistakes over a decade ago, so she isn't held in high regard by the family head." Mu Xingyi took the cup and explained placidly, "As for a caravan retainer... we had one originally, but he died in battle shortly before I met you, Brother Zhou." "Demonic beast?" "Yes." "My condolences." Xu Yuan murmured, raising his cup to drain it in one gulp alongside his companion. Savoring the sweet aftertaste lingering on his palate, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "Since you belong to the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce, does that mean those dozens of wagonloads of supplies are bound for the Zhenxi Army?" The Mu Family Chamber of Commerce was the largest merchant guild in Xize Province. Back when the Prime Minister's Manor used Wanxiang Sect's war indemnities to extend the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce's reach into Xize Province, numerous conflicts had erupted between them and the Mu family. Employing every means at their disposal, the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce had failed to gain any advantage, which brought their rapid expansion in Xize Province to a complete standstill. There were many reasons for this, but the thorniest was the Mu family's deep ties with the Marquis of Zhenxi's Manor. The Marquis of Zhenxi held immense prestige in Xize Province. Yet compared to Marquis Wucheng's Manor, that old man lacked a capable helpmate like Lady Fuguo. His management of his own family estates wasn't merely inept—it was an absolute disaster. Were it not for commanding massive armies and possessing formidable martial might, from a purely commercial standpoint, his good "bosom brother" Li Junwu's family assets would have been swallowed whole by other large merchant guilds long ago. The Marquis of Zhenxi was self-aware enough to recognize his shortcomings; unable to manage it himself, he hired professionals to handle it for him. And his partner was this very Mu Family Chamber of Commerce. The Marquis of Zhenxi's Manor provided various raw materials and official support, while the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce managed the estates and supplied grain, rations, and assorted war materiel. According to the Black Scale Guards' investigation, the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce supplied a full fifty percent of the Marquis of Zhenxi's armaments. Another thirty percent was provided by the imperial court, leaving only twenty percent produced by the marquis's own workshops. It was a deformed, colossal war machine, yet it was precisely this deformity that granted the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce imperial-like privilege across Xize Province. Hearing Xu Yuan's question, Mu Xingyi's hand paused slightly as he poured wine. After a brief pause, he said softly, "Because of my mother, I am not favored. My duty on this trip is merely to oversee the transport of these supplies to the Monan Protectorate. I know nothing of the specific transaction details. However, it is most likely bound for the Zhenxi Army. After all, the Dachao have once again amassed an army on our borders, and Lord Marquis of Zhenxi is preparing to confront them head-on." At this, Xu Yuan's eyebrows lifted. Having traveled on the road without access to intelligence from the inner court of the Prime Minister's Manor, he knew very little about recent major world events. After a moment's contemplation, Xu Yuan took a sip of wine and asked in a strange tone, "Didn't the Dachao suffer heavy losses last year? How do they dare advance in such force this year?" Mu Xingyi glanced at him. "Brother Zhou, you don't know? "Around the New Year, the Dachao's Divine Maiden was captured by Commandery Princess Junwu leading a thousand cavalry." As Xu Yuan's eyes widened in surprise, Mu Xingyi shook his head gently. "Yet this was hardly good news. "After capturing the Divine Maiden, Commandery Princess Junwu only managed to transmit a single message back to the protectorate headquarters before vanishing entirely along with her thousand elite armored guards. "Right now, the Dachao Royal Court and Lord Marquis of Zhenxi have mobilized their armies precisely over this matter."