Jun Tianxiao composed himself and slowly stepped forward. He patted Zhao Yun lightly on the shoulder and said with an air of righteousness,
"Zilong, you did nothing wrong. There's no need to apologize. This method is indeed somewhat cruel."
"But in extraordinary times, we must do extraordinary things. Our current situation is extremely dangerous; the slightest misstep could bring us to ruin."
"Only by strengthening ourselves and our forces as quickly as possible can we survive the Wei State Duke Mansion's revenge in the future."
"So go ahead and do what you must, without hesitation. I'll back you up, no matter what."
Seeing that Jun Tianxiao had no intention of punishing him as he'd expected—in fact, he'd even found excuses for him at every turn—
Zhao Yun's eyes brimmed with tears. Deeply moved, he cried,
"My lord!"
Jun Tianxiao was infected by Zhao Yun's emotion. Looking at him, he couldn't help answering,
"Zilong!"
"My lord!"
"Zilong!"
As their heartfelt cries rang out one after another, the two of them couldn't hold back any longer and embraced tightly.
Let's leave the two men locked in each other's arms in the Left Wei Guard's Council Hall aside.
At that moment, inside the Wei State Duke Mansion, an Imperial Guard interrupted Mo Yunxuan and Meng Zhirou's intimate moment with a report.
Under Mo Yunxuan's murderous glare, the Imperial Guard seemed to realize he'd barged in at the wrong time.
Without saying a word, he acted as if he hadn't seen a thing, set down the report, and hurried away from the pavilion.
Mo Yunxuan watched him go, but the displeasure in his eyes lingered.
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Meng Zhirou hadn't expected him to be so petty. She burst out laughing.
Still, she reached out her delicate hand and said softly,
"All right, take care of business first. I'll always be by your side. Why rush?"
Mo Yunxuan tilted his head, dodging the delicate hand she'd reached out to stroke his hair, then grabbed it.
He brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly, startling her into snatching it back.
With a soft laugh, Mo Yunxuan picked up the report and began to read.
It recorded everything about Jun Tianxiao and Zhao Yun—their actions and their conversation—in meticulous detail.
After reading it, Mo Yunxuan lifted his head and gazed at the artificial hill in the distance, looking as if he were lost in thought.
In reality, a message had popped up from the system.
[Detectable module found. Adding the module will unlock a new function.]
The unexpected message left Mo Yunxuan exasperated.
Based on the information in the report, the new module had to be related to the Military Tally Zhao Yun had mentioned.
He was glad the system could unlock a new module, but couldn't it be more specific about the new function?
Did it enjoy dangling things in front of him like this?
Damn it, this useless system!
He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before finally calming himself down.
When he turned around, he saw Meng Zhirou's eyes brimming with tears. He couldn't help feeling puzzled.
"Zhirou, what's wrong?"
"Husband, I'm so glad you're all right."
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Zhirou burrowed into Mo Yunxuan's arms again, hugging his waist tightly and refusing to let go.
Only after asking her several times did Mo Yunxuan learn the reason: she'd seen his expression change and feared something had happened to him, which was why she'd been so worried.
For a moment, Mo Yunxuan felt nothing but tenderness toward the girl.
He slowly wrapped his arms around her back, one hand gently stroking her again and again.
What he didn't see was the faint curve of the girl's lips in his arms. Her eyes narrowed, like a little fox who'd snuck a treat.
After a while, Mo Yunxuan released her and helped her sit upright beside him. In a gentle voice, he asked,
"Zhirou, has anything interesting happened at Taihua Academy?"
At his question, Meng Zhirou lowered her head and thought for a moment. Then an unconcealed look of annoyance appeared on her face.
"I haven't really paid attention! But there's one male student who's been pestering me lately."
"Even after I told him I already had a husband, he kept pestering me. It's so annoying."
"I came here to see you, Husband, but I also wanted to hide from him. Maybe if he doesn't see me, he'll give up."
Mo Yunxuan furrowed his brows, his voice turning cold. "Oh? What's his name?"
"His name is Lin Fan."
"Ha! Lin Fan? Is he the one who ruined the betrothal between the Anle Marquis Manor and the Li family?"
Mo Yunxuan sounded as if he were asking, but he was certain it was the same person.
After all, he was a Child of Fortune. It would be strange if he didn't chase after every beautiful woman he met.
Thinking of Meng Qianxue, valiant and spirited in the Barracks, and Meng Zhirou, the soft, obedient, milky-scented little girl in front of him, it seemed there was no way he and Lin Fan—or, for that matter, any Child of Fortune—could ever get along.
Sigh. I'd originally planned to let you off, but you brought this on yourself. That makes it your fault.
Mo Yunxuan believed no man could stand having outsiders covet his woman.
He was no different. And because in this life he held great power and status, the domineering nature he'd once kept hidden in his heart surfaced from time to time.
Still, he was a rather merciful person. He didn't want Lin Fan to suffer; when the time came, a quick blade would be much kinder.
At the thought, Mo Yunxuan's gaze turned dangerous, but he concealed it well when he looked at Meng Zhirou.
"Stay here with me this month. After a month, I'll take you to settle this."
Though she didn't know why they had to wait until a month later, Meng Zhirou obediently nodded.
It wasn't that she couldn't figure it out. She simply didn't think there was any need to. Wasn't it better to leave everything to Mo Yunxuan?
She was already his wife, after all. She only needed to listen to her Husband.
The reason Mo Yunxuan was putting it off for a month was simple: he didn't have enough strength yet.
The Wei State Duke Mansion currently had plenty of Nascent Soul Realm and Spirit Transformation cultivators, and could even overwhelm Taihua Academy outright.
But Taihua Academy's Dean was a mid-stage Void Refinement Realm Expert, with two Early Void Refining Realm Vice Deans beneath him.
With a Child of Fortune's abilities, Lin Fan was bound to cross paths with one of them and win their favor.
If Mo Yunxuan went after Lin Fan now, he couldn't possibly bring too many troops.
A large army surrounding Taihua Academy could indeed suppress Void Refinement Realm experts, but Empress might also take it as a challenge to her authority.
Given the Wei State Duke Mansion's current strength, Empress would be wary of them, but she wouldn't fear them.
If she truly resolved to crush him, he wouldn't have any particularly good way to fight back.
But if he brought too few men, the Wei State Duke Mansion would have no Void Refinement Realm experts to rely on.
Against a Lin Fan backed by a Void Refinement Realm Vice Dean or the Dean, it wouldn't be clear who would end up causing trouble for whom.
A month from now—or even before then—he'd be able to make every member of the Elite Vanguard reach Spirit Transformation. He might even be able to pile up several Void Refinement Realm experts.
By then, even the Body Integration Realm Empress wouldn't dare handle the Wei State Duke Mansion as casually as she did now.
And Taihua Academy was nothing to speak of. Besides, he was a reasonable man himself.
At most, he'd take Meng Zhirou to the academy gates, unfurl a banner, and have a proper, reasonable discussion with Lin Fan.
He'd show him what it meant to win people over with virtue and see what the old fogies at Taihua Academy could say to that.
If Taihua Academy still took Lin Fan's side after all that, then Mo Yunxuan couldn't be blamed for drawing his blade.
Before you continue