Just as Mu En was bristling with anger, Bei Bei stood up like some clueless immortal, looking ready to argue with him.
But as the saying went, an eldest brother was like a father. Though Bei Bei sometimes dared to fool around with Mu Yueye, when it mattered, Mu Yueye needed only a glance to rein him in.
After silencing Bei Bei with a look, Mu Yueye rubbed the space between his brows and said,
"Bei Bei, go outside first."
Bei Bei hesitated where he stood, then finally lowered his head and walked out. Mu En pointed at his retreating figure and said,
"Look at him. He's been like this ever since he brought that girl back. He hardly seems like a child from the inner court anymore."
Mu Yueye smiled, topped up Mu En's teacup, and said,
"Actually, great-great-grandfather, I've thought about it too. Given Bei Bei's circumstances, I don't think it's impossible to arrange things this way."
Mu En snorted coldly, then said,
"And let that Tang Sect girl, Tang Ya, reap the benefits?"
Mu Yueye smiled and said to Mu En,
"Have you forgotten, great-great-grandfather? The Tang Sect's properties are still in my hands. As long as Tang Ya wants them back, she has no choice but to behave and obey."
Mu En rolled his eyes, then said to Mu Yueye,
"Speaking of that, the whole Iron Blood Sect ran into Evil Soul Masters as soon as they left Heaven Dou City and were tortured to death. Tie Li, two elders, and Tie Tang were drained of their bloodlines and souls and died. You know about all that, don't you?"
Mu Yueye coughed lightly and smiled with feigned ease.
"Well, that's news to me. It had nothing to do with me."
Mu En smiled and said to Mu Yueye,
"Of course. What could Evil Soul Masters possibly have to do with you? Afterward, you led a squad of Shrek Inspection Corps members to carry out justice on heaven's behalf and executed those Evil Soul Masters on the spot. The next day, you turned in twice the usual spoils to the academy. Naturally, that was just a beautiful coincidence too."
Mu Yueye smiled, coughed, and said,
"That's right. I didn't receive an assignment from the academy. A concerned citizen merely reported it to the Shrek Inspection Corps."
Mu En nodded and looked at Mu Yueye.
"You set that up rather smoothly. It's certainly not how I would have done things back then, but you did make flexible use of the academy's resources."
Mu Yueye set down his teacup and said to Mu En,
"Back to the original question: I don't think Bei Bei and Tang Ya being together is entirely a bad thing."
Mu En looked at Mu Yueye and asked calmly,
"Your reasons?"
Mu Yueye said,
"It's simple. Given Bei Bei's status, it wouldn't be hard to find someone whose strength and talent matched his, but finding someone to his liking would be difficult. He may be good-looking, but his mind is far too simple. Only Tang Ya, whose mind works in equally peculiar ways, can get along with him."
Mu En nodded and sighed. He raised his eyes to Mu Yueye and said,
"Even so, that girl Tang Ya's intentions..."
Mu Yueye immediately cut him off.
"Don't worry. I'll make things clear to Tang Ya. Don't forget, I have the Tang Sect's ancestral hall in my grip. If I loosen my grip, she lives; if I tighten it, she dies."
Mu En nodded, a trace of approval in his eyes as he looked at Mu Yueye.
That was exactly the effect Mu Yueye wanted. Though the time spent advancing matters with Tang Ya seemed to come at the expense of his cultivation,
the gains from these moves were clear and tangible.
If he didn't intervene, Tang Ya would be taken away by Evil Soul Masters and turned into the Blue Silver Saintess, then drag Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, and the others into expending effort on the matter.
The time and resources that would cost would make these two interventions pale in comparison.
To put it bluntly, aside from deploying some of Shrek's high-level combatants the first time, the rest of what he had spent on these two occasions was mostly a matter of face.
A debt of gratitude was hard to repay... that was because I still wanted to deal with you in terms of favors, and our strength was equal.
Could a mere Heaven Dou City stand on equal footing with Shrek Academy? Don't make me laugh. Whoever came looking to collect a favor for selling those properties at a low price could be fed a young master's pancake.
As for the Iron Blood Sect, in this world, even a loose tongue was a crime for the weak. As for the consequences, those depended entirely on whether the strong person you offended wanted to come after you.
Mu Yueye walked out of the conference room and saw Bei Bei waiting outside with a stiff expression. When Bei Bei saw him, his expression softened slightly.
"Brother, please talk it over with great-great-grandfather. I've never thought of making Xiao Ya some kind of mistress..."
"If you don't want things to get even worse with great-great-grandfather and make him so angry that he kills your Xiao Ya outright, learn to shut up and listen to the arrangements."
Mu Yueye cut off Bei Bei's incessant chatter. Bei Bei tried to resist, but wilted the moment he met Mu Yueye's eyes.
Mu Yueye took a deep breath, then said to Bei Bei,
"I've already talked it over with great-great-grandfather. He's agreed to you and Tang Ya being together."
Bei Bei looked up almost immediately, his previously downcast expression turning excited. He asked eagerly,
"Really, brother?"
Mu Yueye nodded and, looking at Bei Bei's excited face, said,
"But there are conditions, so don't get happy too soon."
By now, excitement had gone to Bei Bei's head. He said eagerly,
"That's fine. Whatever the conditions are, no problem! What are they?"
Mu Yueye smiled and said,
"It's simple. I want to talk to Tang Ya alone. As for the Tang Sect's properties, they can't be handed over to her for now. That will have to wait until she can protect them."
Bei Bei asked hesitantly,
"What counts as being able to protect them?"
Mu Yueye smiled and said to Bei Bei with an air of mystery,
"That's what Tang Ya and I will be discussing. Don't ask about it."
Bei Bei scratched his head. Though he felt vaguely uneasy, he could only nod.
After hesitating for a moment, Bei Bei said to Mu Yueye,
"Although I know you and great-great-grandfather both look down on Xiao Ya somewhat, I still hope you can give her a chance."
Mu Yueye smiled and said to Bei Bei,
"We've given her many, many chances. In fact, if it weren't for you, someone in her position could never have had so many."
"With people, it's greed and unwillingness to accept their lot that you have to fear. Only by knowing your place can you live well."
When Mu Yueye finished speaking, he looked ahead and took Bei Bei to the outer court.
Bei Bei seemed to have come around and cooperated with Mu Yueye. Before long, he led him to the place in Shrek City where Tang Ya worked part-time.
In a private room at the café, Tang Ya was still wearing her maid uniform from work and felt awkward and ill at ease.
The atmosphere reached its peak after Bei Bei left. Mu Yueye's expression, however, did not change at all. He merely picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said calmly,
"I've heard all about you and Bei Bei."
Tang Ya gave a start and looked up at Mu Yueye, who continued,
"As Bei Bei's family representative, I've agreed to him joining the Tang Sect. But we also need to discuss the matter of your Tang Sect's foundation..."