The Jiangnan region is rich in water, and Mu Rufeng, mindful of his brother's injuries, specially drove a carriage here, knowing that land travel is far less swift than water travel. On the return journey, Mu Rufeng noticed Yan Liang's increasing melancholy and assumed he didn't want to ride in a carriage, so he changed his plans and took a boat home instead, leaving the carriage to be driven back by servants.
Yan Liang was quite puzzled to see him bustling around and considering everything so thoroughly: "As the head of the family, why did you have to come in person? You could have just sent a servant to fetch me; there was no need for such a fuss."
Mu Rufeng said sincerely, "I am worried about my elder brother. I can only feel at ease if I come in person. Besides, the eldest brother is like a father, and this is my duty."
His words were earnest and full of deep affection, as if he were truly worried about his brother.
Yan Liang smiled slightly, thinking to himself, "Only a fool would believe you."
Using the points he earned from completing previous missions, Yan Liang bought a hidden listening device, a high-tech device that can track targets 360 degrees without blind spots.
Having learned nothing about the prisoner, Yan Liang was shocked to learn that Mu Rufeng was a two-faced drama queen.
Knowing this, he realized that he couldn't completely trust what this person said to Lu Xiaofeng and himself. After thinking it over, he could only wait until he arrived at the Mu family to investigate further.
Mu Rufeng was unaware that his other side had been exposed, and continued to busy himself with being the most devoted younger brother. Yan Liang couldn't help but praise him, "You're amazing. Aren't you tired of doing this?"
Mu Rufeng assumed he was going home alone and smiled slightly, looking quite embarrassed: "What's there to be tired about? It's my honor to travel with you, brother."
Yan Liang was speechless, but in his heart he felt that this person was living a very tiring life. He was only pretending in front of his brother, so this person probably had no close friends.
Thinking about it this way, Yan Liang wondered if Jiang Qing knew Mu Rufeng's true colors. If he wore a mask even in front of his wife, then this person was too strange.
Yan Liang stared at the river in a daze.
Suddenly I miss Hua Manlou and Lu Xiaofeng.
The room was beautifully decorated; the wardrobe, dressing table, chairs, and bedding were all brand new, and even the jewelry in the dressing box was brand new.
The beautiful woman stared blankly at her reflection in the bronze mirror. Suddenly, ripples appeared on the mirror's surface, and the person in the mirror changed their face—it was a...
The young man, with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes but a sickly appearance, startled the woman. She reached out to touch him, but the mirror shattered the moment she touched it, and the figure in the mirror turned into fragments.
What she saw were all illusions she witnessed in a daze.
"No!!" the woman screamed, reaching out to hug the bronze mirror tightly to her chest, as if she had used all her strength.
The two maids guarding outside heard the sounds coming from inside, but they only exchanged a glance before staring ahead with indifferent expressions.
The woman was being held captive here, forbidden from leaving the house, and no one cared for her except for necessary food and drink.
Hearing the commotion from inside the house, a man in black glanced at the letter in his hand, then slowly walked to the door and said, "Madam, the head of the family is on his way back with Young Master Mu. If nothing unexpected happens, they will arrive home tonight."
"Tang Yang!! You and Mu Rufeng will die a horrible death!!" Jiang Qing rushed to the door, pounding on the locked door and shouting hoarsely, "You will both die a horrible death!"
Her curses were nothing more than a few words, nothing more than "may you die a horrible death" and "may you die a horrible death." Tang Yang knew more about cursing people than she did, and had heard far more vicious words. When Jiang Qing was tired of shouting, he said calmly, "The head of the family hopes you can watch your mouth and not say things you shouldn't say."
He paused, then slightly curved his lips into a smile and said, "The patriarch doesn't mind having a mute wife."
The hidden meaning in his words sent a chill down her spine. Jiang Qing trembled as she listened to the man instruct the two maids at the door to prepare her for her dressing up before leaving. She slumped down at the door, staring at the bronze mirror she had just thrown away, and silently shed tears.
...
Night had fallen. Yan Liang and Mu Rufeng walked side by side. Someone pushed open the vermilion gate, and the two entered together. Like the carriage, the Mu residence was unassuming on the outside, but exquisite and elegant inside, with small bridges over flowing water, bamboo groves, green tiles, and the fragrance of flowers filling the air.
Servants stood respectfully on both sides, a young man in black stood at the door, and at the far end of the servants on both sides was a beautiful woman with maids serving her behind her.
Seeing this, Yan Liang knew that the girl was Jiang Qing. As he got closer to her, he noticed that she was staring at him. Yan Liang was puzzled by her gaze, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he smiled and said, "Sister-in-law."
His smile was like a gentle breeze in the mountains, like the bright moon over the river, exuding an indescribable casualness and carefree spirit, while also carrying a hint of concern for the person in front of him. Jiang Qing was almost drowning in that unintentional tenderness when she suddenly met Mu Rufeng's eyes and trembled in fright. She forced a smile and said, "Brother Jiang Chuan, you're back."
“Brother, you always call Qing’er Qing’er, there’s no need to change it.” Mu Rufeng interjected at the right moment, his eyes full of affection as he looked at Jiang Qing.
Jiang Qing's eyes darted away, and although she was still looking directly at Mu Rufeng, she gave off a sense of unease.
...Is this expired dog food poisonous?
Yan Liang hesitated and said, "It's just a form of address... but it's inappropriate now."
Mu Rufeng smiled and said, "Then you can address me as you wish, brother."
Yan Liang nodded, but thought to himself, "Since you told me to call you whatever I wanted, why are you interrupting?"
The three took their seats in the hall, waiting for the servants to serve the dishes. Mu Rufeng sat in the main seat, Jiang Qing was to his left, and Yan Liang was the last to sit down, one seat away to Mu Rufeng's right.
Mu Rufeng glanced at him, but Yan Liang was oblivious. He stared at the man in black for a while before asking, "And who is this?"
“He is Tang Yang. Does your brother still remember him?” Mu Rufeng replied, “He came to the manor three years ago.”
"No," Yan Liang replied quickly. "Let me ask."
It's just that everyone else is dressed in the same clothes, but this person is all in black. Isn't he obviously saying, "I'm special, I'm super special, come and pay attention to me!"
A moment of silence fell over the hall. Yan Liang didn't want to speak, while Mu Rufeng wondered if the man had remembered something, but he didn't seem to. He was quite conflicted. Jiang Qing, meanwhile, turned her head away, lost in thought, occasionally stealing a glance at Yan Liang.
Seeing the strange atmosphere, Tang Yang was speechless. He left the hall and went to the kitchen to urge the servants to bring the dishes and meals. Yan Liang stared at his back as he left, and then glanced at Mu Rufeng.
His gaze was quite obvious. Mu Rufeng looked up and met his clear, pure eyes, and asked with a smile, "Brother, are you very concerned about Tang Yang?"
Yan Liang waved his hand and said, "It's not that I care, I just want to know his position in the mansion."
Having been influenced by Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou for days, Yan Liang could now distinguish between martial artists and ordinary people. He saw that Tang Yang's steps were steady, his back was straight, and his demeanor was naturally elegant. He could tell at a glance that this person was no ordinary person. In addition, Mu Rufeng's attitude towards him was not like that of ordinary servants, so Yan Liang was very curious about Tang Yang.
Mu Rufeng's brow twitched: "He once saved my younger brother; he was my brother's savior, not a servant."
Just then, Tang Yang led a servant carrying food over, and Yan Liang, quite familiarly, invited him to sit down and eat. Tang Yang's eyelids twitched violently. He glanced at Mu Rufeng without showing any emotion, and the young man also gently invited him to sit down and eat with them. Tang Yang had no choice but to sit down to Mu Rufeng's right.
At the large round table, Mu Rufeng sat in the main seat, with his beautiful wife on his left and his benefactor on his right, while Yan Liang stood out alone, looking rather forlorn.
Yan Liang realized he was standing out a bit too much, but he didn't care. He looked at the three people sitting in a row and a few words popped into his mind.
He was surrounded by women on both sides.
Beautiful wives and concubines.
The blessing of having multiple wives.
Yan Liang shivered and quickly shoved food into his bowl.
The others at the table didn't have much of an appetite, and they had already put down their chopsticks while Yan Liang was still eating. After putting down his chopsticks, Yan Liang glanced at the leftover food on the table, secretly lamenting the waste, and waited for someone to come and clear the dishes.
Mu Rufeng probably had something to say to him, and Jiang Qing seemed to have something to say as well. Yan Liang had spent several days with Mu Rufeng and really didn't want to have to play along with someone so late at night. As for Jiang Qing... the relationship between the two was a bit awkward. Yan Liang made an excuse and followed the servants who were clearing the dishes to the kitchen, leaving the three of them standing in the hall in silence.
"I'm going back now..." Jiang Qing said timidly, looking at Mu Rufeng.
Mu Rufeng smiled gently: "Go back first and wait for me."
His tone was light and intimate, like a whisper to a lover, and his eyes shone with pleasure.
Jiang Qing returned with a grim expression.
Tang Yang watched her disappear around the corner of the corridor and said to Mu Rufeng, "She's clearly useless to you, why do you have to play tricks on her?"
Mu Rufeng said lazily, "I'm willing, it's fun, is that not allowed?"
"What about Mu Jiangchuan?" Tang Yang asked again. "Although he's not dead, he's lost his memory and is useless now, why did you go out of your way to bring him back?"
Mu Rufeng said, "I am the younger brother, this is my duty."
He spoke these words in a serious tone, but his eyes and brows were filled with depression and resentment.
"I just want to see what this good-for-nothing can do," Mu Rufeng said finally.
Yan Liang leaned against the kitchen doorway, listening to their conversation with an unchanged expression, still watching the servants tidy up the stove with great interest. His mind was filled with many thoughts, and in the end, he could only come to one conclusion.
Mu Rufeng is probably a psychopath.
Yan Liang thought casually as he followed the servants sent by Mu Rufeng toward his room. Servants passing by bowed respectfully to him. He smiled, waved, and then lazily continued walking, his hands tucked into his wide sleeves.
Jiang Qing rushed out of the corridor, her face pale. She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of him and looked at him from a distance.
Yan Liang was too far away to see her expression clearly. The servant leading the way turned a corner and entered a small courtyard. Yan Liang nodded politely to Jiang Qing, then turned his head and followed her inside.
As Jiang Qing watched the young man's figure disappear through the doorway, she suppressed the urge to rush into Mu Jiangchuan's arms, glanced at the two maids behind her, and quickly left.
In a corner where no one could see, Mu Rufeng took in everything, his expression inscrutable, a dark aura slowly spreading in his eyes.
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