Assassin

In the afternoon at the Carefree Prince's Estate, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying the fragrance of flowers and grass, making the entire estate feel tranquil and serene.

Yet beneath this seemingly calm surface lurked a hint of unusual atmosphere.

After all, as a Houtian Limit Martial Grandmaster, Mu Bai was extremely sensitive to all kinds of auras.

The fluctuation of aura that had just come from Mu Rongyi's courtyard was nothing else—it was the fluctuation of Martial Dao!

Clearly, at this very moment, a Martial Dao expert was hiding within his father's courtyard!

On the surface, he still wore a nonchalant expression, but inwardly he was very tense, having already mustered full alertness.

Outwardly, he appeared to be sauntering lazily toward his father Mu Rongyi's courtyard.

Entering the courtyard, the afternoon sun stretched the shadows of the rockery long across the ground.

Mu Bai cast a seemingly casual glance, but relying on his keen perception, he detected that the source of the aura was precisely from behind the rockery.

Two people were hiding there!

Although the two deliberately restrained their auras, Mu Bai still sensed that both were Martial Dao experts, and moreover, they were Grandmaster experts of the Houtian realm!

Mu Bai's heart tightened, but his steps did not pause as he continued walking toward his father's room.

Just as he approached the door, he heard the two behind the rockery speaking in voices so low they were barely audible.

The sound was extremely faint; if Mu Bai were not a Martial Grandmaster, he truly would not have heard it clearly.

"Hmph, these three sons of the Carefree Prince each have their own tricks," a hoarse voice sounded, tinged with mockery. "The second, Mu Yu, has some learning in his belly. I heard the poems he composed recently made quite a splash in the Capital City's literary circles."

Another low voice chimed in: "The third, Mu Tang, is even more remarkable. At such a young age, his understanding of military strategy far exceeds ordinary men. In the last sand table drill, even those veteran generals were full of praise."

"Hahaha, when we came, that Emperor said these two absolutely cannot be spared—how utterly ridiculous," the hoarse voice sneered.

"Can't blame him, after all, he's just a mortal emperor; his vision only goes so far," the low voice replied.

Then, their topic shifted to Mu Bai.

The hoarse voice let out a snicker: "As for this one in front of us, he should be that Young Master Mu Bai—spending his days in debauchery, learning nothing, a complete wastrel."

"This Carefree Prince Mu Rongyi has been wise all his life, so how did he end up with such a worthless son?"

"Exactly!" the other agreed. "Even that Emperor cares the least about this Young Master of the Carefree Prince's Estate; he only said to deal with him as a side matter."

The hoarse voice let out a series of low laughs: "To be honest, killing this trash would dirty my hands. To think that I, a man of the Langya Aristocratic Family, have to stoop to killing such garbage."

"Enough, stop complaining. Since it's the plan set between Young Master Xing of our family and the Great Yan Emperor, we have to carry it out!"

The hoarse voice fell silent, clearly unwilling to voice any grievances against that young master of the family.

But he changed the subject and muttered quietly: "Why hasn't the Carefree Prince come out yet? Who would have thought that an ordinary prince like him would actually have a Houtian martial artist protecting him—utterly absurd."

The other sighed: "Not only that, that Mu Tang has also disappeared somewhere. He's another target that Great Yan Emperor ordered must be killed."

Hearing these words, especially that their targets were his father and younger brother, rage surged fiercely in Mu Bai's heart, but he knew this was not the right time to reveal himself.

So he suppressed his emotions, walked steadily to his father's door, and raised his hand to knock.

"Come in." Mu Rongyi's steady voice came from inside.

Pushing open the door, the light inside the room was soft. Mu Rongyi sat at his desk, flipping through a military treatise.

Seeing Mu Bai enter, he put down the book, his gaze sharp, and asked: "Bai'er, why have you come so suddenly? Has something happened?"

Mu Bai's eyes swept like lightning and landed on the middle-aged man standing beside his father, who was lowering his head and concentrating on grinding ink.

This middle-aged man was plainly dressed, unremarkable, seeming like nothing more than an ordinary servant.

Yet Mu Bai knew he was far from simple.

This man was Uncle Cang, who had just returned this morning.

The last time Mu Bai had seen him was seven or eight years ago.

It was said that Uncle Cang had been carrying out a top-secret mission entrusted to him by his father, which was why he had never come back.

Now, under Mu Bai's sweeping gaze, Uncle Cang's Houtian Martial Dao cultivation was fully revealed before his eyes.

Clearly, Uncle Cang was the Houtian expert the two assassins outside had mentioned!

Just then, as if sensing Mu Bai's stare, Uncle Cang, who had been grinding ink with his head down, suddenly looked up.

His eyes met Mu Bai's, and the two exchanged a glance.

A faint smile appeared on Uncle Cang's face, as if he was not surprised by Mu Bai's arrival.

He gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.

Seeing this, Mu Bai quickly called out respectfully: "Uncle Cang."

His voice carried both reverence and warmth toward Uncle Cang.

After all, although Uncle Cang was nominally just Mu Rongyi's book boy, their relationship was far closer than that.

Uncle Cang and Mu Rongyi were like brothers, always as close as kin.

And Mu Bai and his two brothers all regarded Uncle Cang as their own uncle, holding him in deep esteem.

Mu Bai hesitated for a moment. Seeing that his father was still safe for now, he decided not to mention the two people behind the rockery for the time being. He only said, "Father, I was just a bit nervous about what you told me yesterday, so I wanted to come see you."

Mu Rongyi furrowed his brow slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You're being too tense. But it's true that the various factions have been stirring lately, and the situation is fraught. You really should keep your wits about you in your actions."

"Though you usually act on a whim, you must be extremely cautious at critical moments. Stay away from the places you frequent."

Mu Bai nodded in agreement, rose, and walked outside.

After leaving his father's room, Mu Bai forced himself to stay calm and strolled around the courtyard as if nothing were amiss.

He appeared to be idly admiring the surrounding scenery, but in reality, his mind was racing with calculations.

Those two people had dared to infiltrate the Carefree Prince's Estate in broad daylight, and their target was directly aimed at his father!

Clearly, they held no fear whatsoever for the Carefree Prince's Estate.

Not only that, but they even had the leisure to quietly comment on the three brothers. Such behavior was an utter display of contempt for the estate.

Even more outrageous, they seemed to hold even His Majesty, the current emperor, in no regard!

Who exactly were these two people?

The more Mu Bai thought about it, the more he felt that this matter was no simple affair.