Mu Zhan, a Rival in Love?

Gama Holy City lay beneath the blazing sun.

A long line stretched before the city gates.

As the empire's Holy City, anyone wishing to enter the imperial capital had to register. Not just anyone could enter as they pleased.

Every city in the Jia Ma Empire charged an entrance fee.

"Young Master, this subordinate has already investigated it. Are you certain Ya Fei is entering the city today?"

"Are you really sure? Why have they not arrived yet? By my calculations, they should have reached this place already."

"Young Master, this subordinate is certain. Perhaps something delayed them on the road. Huh? Young Master, look—isn't that Miss Ya Fei?"

At the city gates, master and servant were discussing the matter. The servant pointed ahead, where Ya Fei, Lin Hao, and a guard approached together.

From far away, Ya Fei also spotted the two figures standing apart from the line.

"Mu Zhan!" Ya Fei stopped walking, her delicate brows knitting together. Her displeasure was practically written across her face.

Mu Zhan?

Following Ya Fei's gaze, Lin Hao also saw the master and servant.

The master wore a fitted suit of black brocade, a dark-patterned jade belt inlaid with iron around his waist. His shoulders stood straight as spear shafts, while the edges of his clothing bore the dark-gold family crest of a military house.

Though not ostentatious, he exuded the tough aura of someone who had commanded troops for years.

He stood tall and straight, with the pride of an aristocratic young master between his brows. His posture was ramrod-straight, carrying the chilling sharpness forged through military life. At a glance, he was clearly a young nobleman from a martial family.

The servant beside him wore a neat gray-blue servant's outfit, with a short blade hanging at his waist. He stood attentively with his hands lowered, respectful yet vigilant, every bit the well-trained guard of a military household.

"Lin Hao, could you do me a favor?" Ya Fei lowered her voice as she resumed walking toward Mu Zhan.

"What favor?"

"I may have to overstep propriety." Ya Fei quickly added, "Don't worry, it won't cause you much trouble."

"Fine."

As they spoke, Mu Zhan had already come forward to meet them.

Mu Zhan smiled. "Ya Fei, this person is...?"

"What do you think?" Ya Fei smiled and suddenly lifted her hand to hook her arm around Lin Hao's.

Mu Zhan froze for a moment. Then, a glint of coldness flashed through his eyes.

To Mu Zhan, Ya Fei's action was an open provocation.

Before Mu Zhan could speak, his guard considerately stepped forward and shoved Lin Hao. "Where did this brat come from? Is this a place you're qualified to stand?"

The implication was that Lin Hao was unworthy of standing beside Ya Fei.

As the guard spoke, he reached out to push Lin Hao. He shoved hard, but Lin Hao did not budge. Stunned, he blinked, then refused to believe it and pushed Lin Hao again with even greater force.

Yet Lin Hao still did not move.

Surprised, the guard refused to admit defeat and continued courting death by reaching out to grab Lin Hao by the collar.

Lin Hao had endured enough. He thrust his chest forward slightly.

Thud!

A subtle force flowed out skillfully, striking the guard and sending him staggering backward before he fell to the ground.

Ya Fei frowned and rebuked him, "Mu Zhan, you've gone too far!"

Mu Zhan angrily scolded the guard, "The master hadn't given an order, so why did you act? You will be punished when we return. Ya Fei, you saw it too. He acted on his own initiative. It had nothing to do with me!"

"Humph!"

Ya Fei snorted. Angrily grabbing Lin Hao's hand, she strode through the city gates without sparing Mu Zhan another glance.

She was not stupid. She could tell that Mu Zhan had deliberately said those words for her to hear. He would not truly punish his own guard.

Nobles did not need to pay an entrance fee when bringing outside friends into the imperial capital, but they still had to register.

However, Lin Hao was different.

When the registration official at the city gate saw Lin Hao wearing the Misty Cloud Sect uniform, he let Lin Hao enter without asking a single question.

Throughout the Jia Ma Empire, only Alchemists could receive such treatment.

After entering the city, Ya Fei explained, "Lin Hao, I owe you an explanation. I only wanted to link arms with you so Mu Zhan would overthink things and back off when he realized the difficulty. I never expected him to go so far as to let his subordinate attack you!"

"It's fine," Lin Hao said.

"Nothing like this had ever happened before. This was the first time. Before, he only harassed me on various occasions. This time, he truly went too far. He actually had someone lay hands on a person beside me." At the mention of Mu Zhan, Ya Fei's face was filled with undisguised disgust.

"It's fine, Ya Fei. You really don't need to keep explaining. I'm not angry."

"You really aren't angry?"

"How about you kiss me as compensation?" Lin Hao grinned, tapping his cheek with his index finger.

Ya Fei's face reddened slightly. Her phoenix eyes shimmered with charm as she scolded him teasingly, "You little rascal. You're still so young, yet you've learned nothing good."

"Hehe."

"But..." Ya Fei paused, reached out to take Lin Hao's hand, and said without looking at him, "Come on. I'll take you back to my family."

Holding hands in the bustling streets, Ya Fei and Lin Hao failed to notice Mu Zhan behind them, standing frozen in place with his eyes fixed on their clasped hands.

Mu Zhan clenched both fists, fury blazing in his eyes.

The guard stepped forward and asked in confusion, "Young Master, why didn't you strike him? Defeat him in front of Ya Fei, make him lose face, and force him to retreat. Wouldn't that be better?"

"Didn't you notice the clothes he was wearing?"

"What was special about them?"

"That is the exclusive uniform of the Misty Cloud Sect. Gold patterns on the cuffs signify the Sect Master; silver patterns signify an elder. If it has neither, then among those in the Misty Cloud Sect who wear such robes, there is only one kind of person: the Sect Master's disciple, or... the former Sect Master's disciple!" It was because Mu Zhan had recognized Lin Hao's distinguished identity that he had restrained himself from attacking Lin Hao earlier.

"His status is actually so noble!" The guard tilted his head and looked at his master.

Mu Zhan was the eldest young master of the Mu Clan, one of the three great families, as well as the heir of an official family. His father, Mu Chen, was one of the Jia Ma Empire's ten strongest experts, a Dou Wang.

Even so, Mu Zhan's status still could not compare to Lin Hao's.

The guard asked worriedly, "Young Master, are we just going to let this go?"

"Absolutely not. Ya Fei is mine, and she can only be mine." Mu Zhan raised his right hand and slowly clenched it into a fist, his gaze incomparably resolute.

The Mite'er Family was a super family that had risen to wealth through commerce.

Dynasties came and went, but the Mite'er Family endured.

The Mite'er Family shared certain similarities with the Misty Cloud Sect. The Misty Cloud Sect was forbidden from interfering in changes of imperial power, much less replacing the imperial family; the Mite'er Family likewise had an explicit rule that family members holding important posts could not interfere in competition among local families, including changes in the royal family and empire.

Simply put, the Mite'er Family was a neutral family in the outside world.

Lin Hao's status was distinguished. After he entered the family estate, the Mite'er Family's patriarch, Mittel Tengshan, came personally to meet him after hearing of him.

Unseen, Ya Fei's standing within the family also rose because of Lin Hao.