Early the next morning, Mu Bai was woken up by a commotion outside.
He sat up in bed, feeling that after a night of rest and the Carefree Prince's Estate's sparing no expense on medicinal pill treatments, his injuries were already much better. At least his chest did not hurt as much as it had yesterday.
Hurried footsteps and whispered conversations drifted from outside the window, and Mu Bai frowned.
The Carefree Prince's Estate had always maintained strict rules, and servants never dared to make such a din unless something major had happened.
Ling Meng? He called out softly.
The door was pushed open immediately, and the maid Ling Meng, who had been guarding outside the door all along, walked in quickly.
She wore a pale cyan maid's uniform, her hair was simply coiled up, and a trace of exhaustion lingered on her face; clearly, she had not slept all night.
"Young Master, you're awake." Ling Meng hurried forward to steady Mu Bai. "Do you feel better?"
Mu Bai nodded and stood up with her support.
A dull pain came from his chest, but it was already much better compared to yesterday's heart-rending agony.
"What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy early in the morning?"
While skillfully helping Mu Bai change his clothes, Ling Meng spoke in a low voice, "I heard a Minister of War lord is arriving in the Capital City today, and the prince's estate is making preparations for it."
Mu Bai's fingers paused, and the conversation between him and his father, the Carefree Prince Mu Rongyi, yesterday immediately surfaced in his mind.
Liu Yi, the Minister of War and a core figure of the Crown Prince's faction, making a sudden visit to the Carefree Prince's Estate at this time was by no means a coincidence.
"When did they start preparing?" Mu Bai asked in a deep voice.
"Word came down before dawn this morning, and the Prince immediately ordered the entire estate to prepare."
Ling Meng fastened Mu Bai's belt and fetched a dark blue outer robe, draping it over Mu Bai. "The Prince said to ask you to go see him in the study as soon as you wake up."
Mu Bai nodded and quickly tidied his attire.
The young man's face in the mirror appeared slightly pale, but his gaze had regained its past sharpness.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his chest, and strode toward his father's study.
Along the way, Mu Bai saw servants rushing past busily—some sweeping the courtyard, others preparing for a banquet. The entire prince's estate was shrouded in a tense and bustling atmosphere.
Outside the study doors, Old Zhou, the estate's head steward, was pacing anxiously. Seeing Mu Bai, he immediately hurried over. "Young Master, the Prince has been waiting for you for a long time."
Mu Bai nodded and pushed the door open to enter.
Inside the study, Mu Rongyi stood with his back to the door in front of the window, sunlight casting mottled shadows upon him through the lattice.
Hearing the door open, he turned around. His face bore the calm expression Mu Bai was familiar with, but his eyes flickered with a guarded light.
"Father." Mu Bai offered a salute.
Mu Rongyi looked his son up and down. "How are your injuries?"
"Already no major issue," Mu Bai replied, then went straight to the point. "When will Liu Yi arrive?"
Mu Rongyi motioned for Mu Bai to sit, walking over to the desk himself to lightly tap his fingers against the tabletop. "They have already arrived within Xiaoyao City. I'm afraid they will be at the estate in less than an hour or so."
Following that, Mu Rongyi looked at Mu Bai and said in a deep voice, "I have already ordered preparations for the highest-spec reception. Surface appearances must be fully maintained."
Mu Bai nodded to show he understood.
The relationship between the Carefree Prince's Estate and the imperial court had long been extremely delicate—submissive on the surface, while guarding against each other in reality.
Liu Yi's sudden visit this time undoubtedly added yet another strain to this taut string.
An hour later.
Outside the main gates of the Carefree Prince's Estate, Mu Rongyi had already led the estate's personnel in lining up to wait.
Mu Bai stood at his father's side, casting his gaze toward the dust-filled official road in the distance.
Soon, a troop appeared in sight.
At the head was none other than the Minister of War Liu Yi, dressed in scarlet official robes with a solemn expression.
However, Mu Bai's gaze was immediately drawn to the slender figure behind him—that was a young man around twenty years old, wearing white clothes purer than snow, with a face so handsome it was nearly uncanny.
A faint smile hovered at the corners of his mouth, but those eyes were as cold as ten-thousand-year glacial ice.
What startled Mu Bai even more was the aura emanating from that person—the aura of a martial arts powerhouse!
The procession stopped before the estate's gates.
Liu Yi dismounted in a fluid motion, cupping his fists in a salute. "Your Highness the Carefree Prince, apologies for the uninvited intrusion."
Mu Rongyi stepped forward to return the salute. "Lord Liu has traveled far. Forgive me for not welcoming you from afar."
Yet his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the young man in white.
Noticing Mu Rongyi's gaze, Liu Yi's face flashed with a trace of unnaturalness. "This is my... distant relative, surnamed Liu, with the single given name Xing. He is traveling with me this time to broaden his horizons."
Mu Bai acutely noticed that when Liu Yi spoke of a "distant relative," his gaze kept glancing toward that Liu Xing, and fine beads of sweat even seeped from his temples.
Yet that Liu Xing acted as though he hadn't heard this introduction at all, simply sweeping his indifferent eyes across the people of the estate before finally letting his gaze land on Mu Bai.
The moment their lines of sight met, Mu Bai felt a bone-chilling coldness crawl up from his spine.
This person was definitely not simple!
"This must be Young Master Mu Bai, right?" Liu Yi smiled, breaking the silence. "Truly a hero out of a youth."
Mu Rongyi spoke modestly. "Lord Liu flatters him."
Yet Liu Yi continued with profound meaning, "An eighteen-year-old Grandmaster of Martial Arts, who even defeated Master Dehua—if he cannot be called a hero, then Great Yan has no more brave and righteous men."
Mu Bai's heart tightened.
The matter of defeating Master Dehua had only passed two days ago; he hadn't expected that not only the imperial family, but even Liu Yi would already have learned of it.
His expression remained unchanged as he simply stood smiling, though his peripheral vision always locked onto that Liu Xing.
Liu Xing seemed to sense Mu Bai's gaze and suddenly spoke, "Young Master Mu Bai, it is this older brother's first time coming to this Xiaoyao City as well. Might you be able to show this older brother around?"
His voice was faint, carrying a condescending indifference.
Mu Rongyi's expression changed—where did this tone sound like he was speaking to a prince's estate's young master?
It was clearly the tone of commanding a subordinate!
He was just about to speak when Mu Bai raised a hand to stop him.
"This younger brother shares the exact same thought. Older brother, please lead the way." Mu Bai wore a proper smile on his face, though alarm bells rang wildly in his heart.
The two of them thus left the estate as if no one else was around.
Mu Bai noticed that when they turned and walked away, Liu Yi actually heaved a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, as though he had completed some crucial task.
Emerging from the estate, the two of them walked one after the other through the bustling market.
Liu Xing walked in front, his white garments fluttering, causing passersby to cast sidelong glances.
Mu Bai followed behind, secretly regulating his breath to prepare for possible sudden situations.
They walked all the way in silence, passing through the city gates to arrive at a secluded cliffside pavilion outside the city.
The pavilion was built on the edge of a precipice, with rolling mountains in the distance and lingering clouds and mists.
Liu Xing stood by the edge of the pavilion, gazing into the distant mountains and waters, and suddenly spoke, "Very beautiful scenery. So, is this the burial ground you chose for yourself?"
Along with his words, a terrifying martial arts aura scattered outward from his body.
Mu Bai managed a wry smile.
His sensing had been correct; this Liu Xing truly was a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, and his cultivation was unfathomable.
With his current injuries, he was definitely not the opponent's match.
"Haven't asked for your great name yet?" Mu Bai asked, feigning composure.
Liu Xing withdrew his gaze, those indifferent eyes staring directly into Mu Bai's, a mocking curve hooking the corner of his mouth. "You killed two of my family servants, yet you don't know who I am?"
Mu Bai's pupils shrank to pinpricks. "Young Master Xing?"
The man nodded lightly. "I am Langya Xing."
The air seemed to freeze in this single instant.
Mu Bai finally understood why Liu Yi would be so respectful toward this young man—the Langya Aristocratic Family was a reclusive lineage that even the imperial family had to fear by three parts!
"Those two men in black who ambushed me turned out to be Young Master Xing's family servants." Mu Bai forced himself to remain calm. "I just wonder why someone of Young Master Xing's status would cooperate with the Prince of Yan?"
Langya Xing chuckled softly, his voice indifferent as he spoke, "The Prince of Yan holds something that belongs to the Langya Family, and I wish to take it back. Unfortunately... the mission failed."
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