Regretted It

"What? Can't I?" Yaoye actually revealed a faint smile at Nalan Chaoge's reaction. She seemed very pleased to have managed to surprise him.

"No, your grandfather is a Dou Huang, and you're the Eldest Princess of the Jia Ma Imperial Family. The cultivation resources available to you should be the best in the Jia Ma Empire. Is there really any need for you to go to Jia Nan Academy?"

"A flower raised in a greenhouse can never stand on its own!"

"Fine. Actually, I have one more important question. You can cultivate?"

"I'm currently a Three-star Dou Zhe!"

"..."

Nalan Chaoge once again looked Yaoye over in surprise. He truly had not expected this. Who said Yaoye could not cultivate? Who said this woman's only talent was leading troops into battle?

"Then even if you want to enter the academy, there's no need to have me guarantee your safety, right? You trust me that much?" Nalan Chaoge still did not understand.

He was only thirteen himself, okay?

Yaoye did not immediately answer Nalan Chaoge's question. Instead, she crooked a finger at him.

Nalan Chaoge cautiously glanced at that Fifth-order Magical Beast before carefully stepping closer.

Yaoye leaned down and whispered something beside Nalan Chaoge's ear.

"Someone who can survive being hunted by a Dou Ling and a Two-star Dou Shi from the Mu Family—I believe you have the ability to protect me!"

"Reporting to the Eldest Princess, Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team has appeared at the city gate!" A city guard hurried over and dropped to one knee several meters away from Yaoye.

"Leave the city!"

Ignoring the petrified Nalan Chaoge, Yaoye lightly squeezed her mount's sides with her legs. She was the first to pass him and head toward the city gate.

Jia Nan Academy recruited a great number of students every year. Naturally, its annual recruitment was a major event in Holy City.

A huge crowd followed Yaoye's Black Armored Army toward the city gate.

Meanwhile, a storm raged in Nalan Chaoge's heart.

This woman actually knew that the Mu Family had sent people to hunt him down.

It seemed the Jia Ma Imperial Family had its own exceptional intelligence network to remain standing all these years!

Yaoye was even going to Jia Nan Academy with him. It seemed he would not be lonely there after all!

But when he thought about having to bring along the Eldest Princess as deadweight, Nalan Chaoge somewhat regretted deciding to go to Jia Nan Academy.

Shaking his head and casting those impractical thoughts out of his mind, Nalan Chaoge headed toward the Marshal's Mansion of the Lionheart.

At that moment, quite a few elders of the Mu Family had gathered once more.

Mu Family Patriarch Mu Chen's face was livid, and he did not say a word.

The Mu Family's brothers Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, and Aluminum were the sons of Mu Chen's elder brother, Mu Xing. Now, Mu Lu had been openly beaten to death, while Mu Tong had vanished in the Magical Beast Forest and had yet to return. He was likely dead. Since the Mu Family had established itself, it had never suffered such a calamity.

Bang!

He slammed his palm onto the table beside him.

"Investigate! Even if you have to turn the Magical Beast Forest upside down, find out who dared to strike against my Mu Family! And do everything possible to find Tong'er!"

Though he said that, everyone knew that Mu Tong's chances of still being alive were exceedingly slim.

"Second Brother, what is there to investigate? It must be that little trash from the Nalan Family!" Mu Xing's face was filled with fury. Both of his sons had been killed, and he wished he could immediately rush to the Nalan Family and tear Nalan Chaoge into ten thousand pieces.

"Eldest Brother, we absolutely cannot act rashly. By all rights, Tong'er should still be confined in our residence right now. We barely managed to suppress the matter of him drugging Yaoye back then!"

According to the plan, Mu Tong had indeed drugged Yaoye in order to establish an alibi.

Yet somehow, he had been exposed and caught red-handed on the spot.

If Mu Chen had not arrived in time, Mu Tong would likely have been tortured to death by Yaoye then and there.

Now, someone supposedly under confinement had vanished in the Magical Beast Forest. Not only could they not explain it to the imperial family, but once the confinement period ended, how could they make the already missing Mu Tong reappear?

They truly had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

"I don't believe that trash from the Nalan Family could have escaped. Perhaps Tong'er simply failed to find that little trash and is still searching for him in the Magical Beast Forest!"

"I don't believe that little trash could have escaped either. Tong'er had a Dou Ling with him, and Tong'er himself was a Two-star Dou Shi. I have already investigated it clearly. When Nalan Chaoge left home, he only brought four Da Dou Shi guards with him!"

"Not four—three guards. According to the latest news from the spy we planted in the Nalan Family, the captain, A'da, returned three days later. And after returning, he has not left Nalan Marshal Mansion even once!" said an elder of the Mu Family responsible for gathering intelligence.

Of the four guards, only one had returned. It appeared Mu Tong had succeeded.

Mu Chen and Mu Xing exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of hope in the other's eyes.

That meant Mu Tong might truly still be alive.

The only explanation for why he had not returned after an entire month was that Mu Tong had discovered some treasure or inheritance. At the very least, he must have encountered some fortunate opportunity.

With a Dou Ling guard at his side and the Mu Family name behind him, who would dare provoke him?

Wonderful. They had eliminated that little trash from the Nalan Family, avenged Mu Lu, and ensured that the Nalan Family would no longer have anything capable of opposing the Mu Family.

Once they controlled the Silver Armored Army and then the Lion Army, forcing Jia Ma to abdicate and taking control of the Jia Ma Empire would be just around the corner!

Of course, if they wanted to smoothly take control of the Jia Ma Empire, they naturally needed to win over another great family as well—the Mite'er Family.

"Zhan'er, you need to speed things up a little with Ya Fei of the Mite'er Family. Only by winning Ya Fei and using her to restrain the Mite'er Family can we improve our odds!" Mu Chen smiled as he looked at Mu Zhan, who was seated below.

"Yes, Father. I have already spread the word throughout Jia Ma Holy City: Ya Fei will marry no one but me, Mu Zhan. Whoever dares set their sights on Ya Fei again will be making an enemy of me, Mu Zhan!" A muscular young man rose to his feet and declared arrogantly.

"You still pursue girls in such an overbearing manner. But it should not be much of a problem. In Jia Ma Holy City, even that old fellow Jia Xing Tian has to weigh the influence of our Mu Family. Once Tong'er returns, I will bring up Tong'er's marriage to Yaoye with that old fellow Jia Xing Tian again!" Mu Chen lightly stroked his beard, looking as though he already had everything under control and victory was certain.

He leisurely picked up a teacup from the table beside him, gently blew on it, and slowly took a sip of hot tea.

"Second Brother is wise. Our Mu Family will finally hold its head high! Once we control Yaoye, will Jia Xing Tian still dare refuse? That old fellow Mittel Tengshan dotes on Ya Fei the most. As long as we control Ya Fei and Yaoye, the entire Jia Ma Empire will be in our hands. Then..."

"Report—" A spy's urgent voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Mu Xing froze, stopping his flattery of Mu Chen. For a moment, everyone turned toward the entrance.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, word has come from our brothers guarding the city gate that the trash from the Nalan Family has entered the city! And... and he knocked one of our captains unconscious!"

Bang!

The teacup in Mu Chen's hand exploded into fragments!