"This humble servant, Mu Zhan, greets Your Excellency the Prefect."
The young man first bowed politely, then placed the box on the ground and said with a smile, "I have long admired the Prefect's name, and my Family Head asked me to give you his regards."
"Let's skip the formalities."
Lin Huaijin casually waved his hand, indicating that he should just get to the point.
"To be honest," Mu Zhan straightened up, slightly fading his smile, "It's actually the Family Head who invited you over for a chat."
"I wonder if it would be convenient for you, Prefect?"
"If you don't explain yourself clearly, I don't know if it's convenient for me," Lin Huaijin replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
"As you probably know, the newly appointed prefect has a lot of things to handle and doesn't have much free time."
"Besides, if this is a private matter of the Taicang Mu Family, wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to go and discuss it?"
"If it concerns official business concerning the entire Longtan Grand Commandery, then please have Mu Family Head personally come to my residence. I will certainly treat you with the utmost hospitality."
"This..." Mu Zhan hesitated for a moment, then bowed somewhat helplessly and said:
"Alright, actually, the Family Head wanted to congratulate you on your promotion and also discuss the situation in the county. That's why he sent me to deliver the message. I hope you will forgive him, sir."
Having said that, he cautiously looked up at the old man and tentatively continued:
If you are satisfied with this answer, could you please give me an approximate time?
"The Family Head said he'll wait as long as you can!"
"As expected, it's the Bureau of Commerce..." Lin Huaijin thought to himself with a slight sneer.
To be fair, the Mu family's sincerity was quite commendable.
They are, after all, a master at the half-step Dao Evolution Realm; surely they could afford to invite him to a meal.
Moreover, there's the pretext of [discussing the situation within the county].
As one of the local strongmen in Longtan Grand Commandery, the Mu family must have unique intelligence sources, so it is indeed necessary for them to attend the banquet.
However, the situation within the county is now complex.
Lin Huaijin did not want to delay his work because of a dinner party with unclear motives.
"..."
A moment of silence fell over the hall.
Just when Mu Zhan thought the other party was going to refuse again.
Lin Huaijin, however, seemed to have thought of something; his tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he said:
"Well then, I have official business to attend to and really can't get away."
At this point, a relaxed smile appeared on his face, "But one of the lieutenants I recently appointed should be available."
"Let him go to the Mu family banquet in my place."
Upon hearing this, Mu Zhan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
In any case, as long as he can return with some results, that's enough.
He immediately said respectfully:
"Your insight is excellent, sir. I will now return to report."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the mansion.
"Bring your gifts too."
Lin Huaijin waved his hand slightly, and the wooden box that the young man had placed on the ground suddenly rose into the air and fell straight into the young man's arms. The force it carried directly blasted the two of them out of the mansion gate.
When Mu Zhan scrambled to his feet somewhat disheveled, the wooden box in his arms was shattered into pieces, emanating a pure medicinal fragrance.
Clearly, it contains valuable high-grade Treasure Medicine.
'Stubborn to the end!'
Faced with this stubborn old man who refused to accept gifts, Mu Zhan could only grit his teeth and curse inwardly. He then gave the guard an awkward smile and hurriedly left.
At the same time.
Longtan Grand Commandery, Taicang Mu Family.
This force, considered top-tier within the entire prefecture, occupies a considerable territory. In this picturesque setting, the laughter of its members can be heard from time to time.
However, this laughter would all disappear spontaneously as they approached the imposing mansion at the heart of the Ju Mu family's residence.
And at this moment.
On a high floor of this central mansion, two figures of extremely high status within the Mu family were chatting idly.
"Call..."
A Green Robe woman in a green robe sat upright at the table. After confirming that the series of forged documents on the table were flawless, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
A slight smile then appeared in his eyes.
Judging from her face, she was none other than Mu Zhaorong, the aunt of the Mu family whose clone had been destroyed in Shenzhou.
"Family Head."
Suppressing the smile in her eyes, Mu Zhaorong turned to look at the middle-aged man by the railing and said solemnly:
"That's a bit too meticulous. The prefect might not be so concerned about matters in Shenzhou. These documents might not even be of any use in the end."
Better safe than sorry.
The Family Head Mu Fusheng, spoke in a low voice, with a hint of sigh, "Wasn't it because Jingtai thought victory was assured that he died so confusedly in Shenzhou?"
"All the resources my Mu family has poured into him have been wasted; now it's all for naught."
"On the contrary, it will take a lot of manpower and resources to clean up the mess in Shenzhou for him."
As the Family Head, Mu Fusheng saw things more clearly than anyone else in the family.
He did these things not to avenge his offspring.
Rather, it was to prevent any subsequent retaliation from that sage from the Divine Continent.
"You said earlier that the saint in Shenzhou is named Ye Li?" Mu Fusheng turned around to look.
"Not bad." Mu Zhaorong clenched her hands, gritting her teeth as she said:
"His cultivation level is very high; I estimate it to be at the Ninth Rank level of the Great Void Realm."
"Now that I think about it, he probably relied on the power of [Faithful Wish Power], otherwise how could such a strong person appear in such a small place!"
"Ye Li... his talent is extraordinary. To become a saint in a place like Shenzhou, he is destined to be no ordinary person." Mu Fusheng's eyes held a cold glint as he looked again at the vast territory beneath his feet and said softly:
"Therefore, we must rely on the power of Dasheng to crush them in one fell swoop, and we absolutely cannot be careless in the slightest."
"If Mu Zhan's side fails later, you must go there yourself and make sure Lin Huaijin is on our side first, understand?"
Mu Zhaorong nodded slightly, understanding the intricacies of the situation.
But a lingering resentment remained in my heart.
Even if she tore that damned Ye Li to pieces, her Bloodline Clone would never return. Such a loss is infuriating even now!
"..."
Mu Fusheng ignored the woman's eyes and brows, which were contorted with anger.
Instead, he silently reviewed his next plan in his mind.
Just then, a notification Communication Transmission appeared on his waist.
It was from the Mu Zhan that had been previously sent to Longtan.