During his stay at the Hua family's residence, Yan Liang ate well, drank well, and slept well, with no one watching him. No matter how arrogant Mu Rufeng was, he wouldn't dare to have the assassins from his own household keep an eye on his brother at the Hua family's residence. There were many wealthy merchants, martial arts masters, and highly skilled individuals among the Hua family's members.
Yan Liang guessed that Mu Rufeng wasn't in a particularly good mood because his smile looked even more fake.
The reason is probably that he felt unbalanced seeing Yan Liang laughing and playing carefree with Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou all day long.
When Mu Rufeng was unhappy, Yan Liang was happy.
Sometimes, those involved are blinded by their own perspective while bystanders see things clearly. Yan Liang, as an observer, could see Mu Rufeng's jealousy towards Mu Jiangchuan by looking at Mu Jiangchuan's memories.
Master Mu was preoccupied with his deceased wife and his frail eldest son, and showed little concern for his stepmother and youngest son.
Mu Jiangchuan was gentle and considerate, and he treated his younger brother and cousin very well. At that time, all the servants in the mansion praised him.
Mu Rufeng was rather mischievous as a child, often throwing tantrums out of spite because he didn't receive much attention from his father. This only served to highlight Mu Jiangchuan's excellence. Having failed to achieve his goal, he later realized that he couldn't compare to Mu Jiangchuan in Master Mu's eyes.
He studied martial arts diligently to prove that he was more capable than the physically weak Mu Jiangchuan.
In Mu Jiangchuan's memory, his younger brother's enthusiasm for learning martial arts was nothing more than a child's curiosity and yearning for the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world. If it weren't for his physical condition, he himself would have had the same idea.
Mu Rufeng learned sword forging in order to prove to his father that he was more qualified than Mu Jiangchuan to become the head of the Mu family.
In Mu Jiangchuan's view, his family was a renowned sword-making family, and since they were sword-makers, it was only natural that Mu Rufeng should learn sword-making. Since Mu Rufeng's surname was Mu, it was perfectly reasonable for him to learn sword-making as well. He was quite pleased, watching Mu Rufeng diligently learning martial arts and earnestly forging swords; he even thought to himself how sensible his younger brother was.
Yes, Mu Jiangchuan never knew what Mu Rufeng was thinking; he only saw Mu Rufeng from the perspective of his silly older brother.
No one would have imagined that the younger brother they grew up with wasn't their biological brother, nor would they have imagined that their brother only wanted them to die.
Therefore, Mu Jiangchuan was completely unprepared.
This is understandable.
Yan Liang sympathizes with Mu Jiangchuan. Whether it's for the mission or something else, just the fact that he's living in Mu Jiangchuan's body is enough for him to fulfill Mu Jiangchuan's wish.
He is now physically weak, barely recovering, gets out of breath after walking ten steps, occasionally coughs up blood, and also experiences dizziness and blurred vision.
Neither Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, nor Mu Rufeng knew any of this. Yan Liang was adept at concealing his illness. He often pretended to be fine in order to get the chance to take a stroll in the garden.
Yan Liang believed that no one could surpass him in concealing his illness.
He even felt smug about it, and although he knew it was strange, Yan Liang still couldn't control his smugness.
He knew it was because he had always been seen as someone who couldn't do anything, yet he had fooled everyone.
He was proud of this.
This is sad and heartbreaking in some ways.
Yan Liang once thought this way.
He still holds the same view, but he's become more carefree.
A person who has died once may not be expected to see through the illusions of the world, but they will always have a greater understanding of certain things.
And he will face death once again.
Mu Jiangchuan's days are numbered.
From afar, Mu Rufeng saw Mu Jiangchuan standing in the garden, staring intently at the blooming flowers, a smile playing on his lips. Sunlight shone on him, making the silver threads on his clothes shimmer, and his previously pale face seemed to regain its rosy hue under the sunlight.
He suddenly felt extremely bored.
I used to think of you as my older brother.
He looked at Mu Jiangchuan's profile, or perhaps he was looking at the flower beside Mu Jiangchuan.
He stood there for a moment, then stepped forward, revealing his usual gentle, fake smile: "Brother, it's time for us to set off."
Master Hua's birthday banquet had ended, and Yan Liang had stayed at the Hua family for several more days. After Lu Xiaofeng left, Mu Rufeng was finally able to ask to return home.
Yan Liang had enough of teasing Mu Rufeng, and thinking of Jiang Qing who was imprisoned in the Mu residence, he agreed to go back.
The servants who had accompanied them on their journey, Mu Rufeng, had sent them back early. The two of them traveled light, with a carriage carrying some travel expenses and local specialties as a friendly gift from Hua Manlou.
Yan Liang bid farewell to Hua Manlou with a smile, and chatted casually with Mu Rufeng in the carriage. Mu Rufeng tried his best to follow the man's train of thought, but still couldn't understand how the man could suddenly go from the shape of the clouds in the sky to the braised lion's head in Zuixianlou.
Could it be that he damaged his head when he suffered amnesia?
Mu Rufeng held the reins and spoke with a smile to Yan Liang behind him, but his heart was full of malice.
Yan Liang chuckled, knowing without a doubt that Mu Rufeng wasn't thinking anything good.
The two passed through a small town. They hadn't stopped there on their way here, but on their return journey, since it was getting late, Mu Rufeng asked Yan Liang and then stopped in this small town, where they booked two rooms at the only inn.
The shop owner was a ruddy-faced middle-aged man. He took the silver ingot from Mu Rufeng with some disbelief, smiled at Mu Rufeng, bit the ingot, and put it away with satisfaction. He then had a young waiter lead them to their room.
The young waiter walked ahead with a hunched back, looking timid and hesitant. Mu Rufeng found it somewhat annoying, but Mu Jiangchuan approached him with a smile.
Mu Rufeng scoffed at this person's consistent behavior.
It was the dead of night, and Mu Rufeng and Yan Liang were separated only by a wall.
Hearing that there was no more noise from next door, Mu Rufeng sat cross-legged on the bed and silently circulated his internal energy.
This small town is located between two bustling cities, and its sparse population inevitably makes it feel desolate, adding a touch of chill to the summer nights.
With his eyes closed, Mu Rufeng could hear every sound around him.
A gust of wind suddenly swept past the window, whistling past, unlike the wind of a summer night.
The tangled branches made a jarring sound, and amidst this chaos, Mu Rufeng faintly heard the creaking of the door opening.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
His reaction was quick, but the person who came in was even faster, grabbing him, pinning him to the ground, and choking him.
The man's force was just right—not too strong, not too weak—enough to make him unable to make a sound but not enough to suffocate him.
Who is it?
Mu Rufeng was in turmoil, shocked and furious. He hadn't felt so humiliated in a long time, only because of his superior martial arts skills. But now, his situation seemed to be mocking his past confidence.
This person comes and goes without a trace; he must be a master of martial arts, perhaps a senior figure in the martial arts world...
Mu Rufeng thought a lot and made many guesses about the identity of the person with his back to him, but all of these were rejected when the candlelight was lit.
Mu Rufeng stared intently at the wide sleeves spread on the ground beside his face; the embroidery on them looked very familiar to him.
"How does it feel to have someone choking you?" Yan Liang asked him.
Lu Xiaofeng stood by the table, staring at Yan Liang with a strange expression. Yan Liang was holding a candle in his hand.
"Ah, I forgot." Yan Liang loosened his grip slightly and smiled at him. "If you're being choked like this, you can't say a word."
“Mu...Jiang...Chuan…”
Mu Rufeng gritted his teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately, as if it were a great effort.
While he was speaking, Yan Liang slipped a pill into his mouth and then covered his mouth to prevent him from spitting it out.
If there are cheat codes, why not use them?
The system store is Yan Liang's cheat code.
The store has everything from hallucinogenic incense to energy-wasting pills, and the hallucinogenic incense proves that the quality of items produced by the system store is guaranteed.
From the moment Mu Rufeng closed his room door, it was all an illusion.
Lu Xiaofeng set off early to arrange these things at this inn; he and Yan Liang had already secretly discussed everything.
Hua Manlou also knew this.
That's why Yan Liang stayed at the Hua family's house for a few more days.
Everything is for today.
"Mu Jiangchuan's" last wish, the system's mission, and the key for Yan Liang to survive.
"How do you feel?" Yan Liang smiled at the bound Mu Rufeng, mimicking his old tone, and said, "Fortunately, he's just a useless piece of trash now. Even if he does remember, it doesn't matter; he can't escape."
“I never intended to escape.” Yan Liang was pleased to see another expression appear on the young man’s face once again.
Suspicion, humiliation, anger, bewilderment...
He pulled a dagger from his sleeve; the dagger gleamed, reflecting off Mu Jiangchuan's pale face.
"To avenge my grievances..." Yan Liang murmured to himself.
He found himself finding it hard to bring himself to do it.
He had never killed a person before, not even a chicken.
A system notification popped up.
[To avenge oneself.]
Yan Liang closed his eyes, and Mu Rufeng looked up at him, his eyes full of mockery.
Live on.
Lu Xiaofeng was driving the carriage northwards towards the Mu family.
The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the aroma of grass and trees. The sun was shining brightly, and Lu Xiaofeng was in a very good mood.
But just as he opened his mouth to take a deep breath, he froze on the spot, looking somewhat comical.
He smelled blood.
Lu Xiaofeng had tried every means to test Mu Rufeng at the Hua family's residence, but Mu Rufeng remained unmoved. He would occasionally praise Lu Xiaofeng's "Lingxi Finger" technique and then casually mention some of Lu Xiaofeng's friends, starting with Hua Manlou, then moving on to Ximen Chuixue, then to Sikong Zhaixing, and finally from Lu Xiaofeng's romantic escapades in the martial world to the beautiful women who admired him. He would then veer off on completely different topics, leaving Lu Xiaofeng to marvel at Mu Rufeng's quick wit.
Lu Xiaofeng even praised Mu Rufeng to Yan Liang, saying: "Your younger brother is not wasting his talent by becoming a storyteller."
Mu Rufeng's mouth is a deceitful devil.
Yan Liang chuckled, implying that his fake younger brother was not content to be a storyteller.
Lu Xiaofeng understood, and when he looked at Mu Rufeng again, he had a strange expression on his face.
There are countless assassin organizations in the martial arts world, some famous, some unknown, some with excellent reputations, and some with infamous ones. Those who do this job are simply trying to make a living. Lu Xiaofeng has always been aware of this unspoken rule in the martial arts world: whether you are a veteran or a young and impetuous newcomer, you will always keep your distance when facing assassin organizations.
However, the Smokeless Pavilion was too arrogant, standing out from a group of assassin organizations of varying quality, and swaggeringly announcing its existence to the people of the martial arts world.
Lu Xiaofeng racked his brains but couldn't understand why Mu Rufeng, as the head of an assassin organization, would make such a big show of it.
Yan Liang was too lazy to think about it, nor did he want to. From what he had overheard, it was clear that there was something hidden behind Mu Rufeng becoming the head of the Smokeless Pavilion. As for the grand display, it was probably due to some agreement with someone. He wasn't interested in knowing who this "someone" was. When Lu Xiaofeng asked, he casually replied, "What else could it be? Is he crazy?"
Lu Xiaofeng remained silent for a moment after receiving this unserious answer, then asked Yan Liang, "Since you mentioned revenge, do you have any plans?"
Yan Liang glanced at him and said lazily, "Of course there are."
Lu Xiaofeng's heart skipped a beat: "—"
Yan Liang: "I won't tell you."
Lu Xiaofeng: "...Hey."
Yan Liang smiled and said, "I've already made the arrangements." He winked at Lu Xiaofeng, "Do you know where we have to go to get to my house from here?"
Lu Xiaofeng understood immediately and laughed: "Of course I know."
The two secretly discussed everything. Lu Xiaofeng didn't ask Yan Liang about his plans. He took the things Yan Liang handed him and set off for the agreed-upon inn.
Yan Liang is his friend, so Lu Xiaofeng will naturally help him.
But that doesn't mean he can just watch Yan Liang kill Mu Rufeng.
"Yan Liang—" He turned around and lifted the curtain, shouting before he could even see clearly. As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the situation inside the carriage.
Mu Rufeng's face was pale, an unnatural, deathly white from excessive blood loss. Blood was flowing from his wrists and ankles.
Yan Liang was wiping the dagger with a handkerchief, his expression calm.
"You... you still did it?" Lu Xiaofeng wondered why he hadn't heard a thing before.
Mu Jiangchuan replied, "To avenge myself."
Lu Xiaofeng moved his lips. He could tell that Mu Rufeng was not fatally injured, but the severed tendons in his hands and feet reminded him of Yan Liang when they first met.
Lu Xiaofeng had always found it strange that Yan Liang, who seemed to have no feelings for Mu Rufeng, kept emphasizing "revenge," giving him the illusion that he was joking. Now it seemed that Yan Liang was speaking from the heart.
He initially thought that Yan Liang hated Mu Rufeng, but when Yan Liang talked about Mu Rufeng, it was more of a strange sarcasm, and even a hint of disdain.
But now, "Mu Jiangchuan" was expressionless, and when he glanced at the disheveled Mu Rufeng, his eyes were filled with cold hatred.
Can a person really hide their feelings like that?
The answer is, of course not.
Yan Liang snapped out of his reverie and looked up to see Lu Xiaofeng staring at him with a strange, inquisitive expression.
"What?" Yan Liang put away the dagger, instinctively avoiding looking at Mu Rufeng on the ground. "Were you captivated by my dashing pose?"
"Hehe." Lu Xiaofeng was a natural at uttering the word "hehe" without any instruction.
"Are you still coming to the Mu family with me?" Yan Liang asked him. "There's also Tang Yang there."
Lu Xiaofeng recalled the man dressed in black on Mu Rufeng's wedding day.
"How skilled is he in martial arts?"
"I can't compare to you," Yan Liang replied, rubbing his wrist.
"Should I say thank you for the compliment?" Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but ask.
“No, you should say you are deeply grateful for your kindness,” Yan Liang said with a smile.
Lu Xiaofeng thought to himself, how could there be such a person, so narcissistic and unwavering, unprecedented and unparalleled.
The two of them set off with the injured Mu Rufeng.
Mu Jiangchuan's lingering resentment surfaced at the last moment; without hesitation, he severed Mu Rufeng's tendons in his hands and feet. Meanwhile, Yan Liang's consciousness was in a black space, where the system gave him a lesson.
Killing one's enemy personally is more satisfying than anything else. Mu Jiangchuan's lingering resentment has been hidden in the system space. Although he has been reincarnated, the resentment remains. Only by taking action himself can Mu Jiangchuan completely let go of his obsession.
"It wasn't me who did it," Yan Liang thought.
The system has already indicated that the task is complete. Mu Jiangchuan's obsession has dissipated, and Yan Liang has received a generous reward. Logically speaking, the affairs of the Mu family are no longer related to him, and he no longer needs to return to the Mu family.
Yan Liang thought of Jiang Qing, who was still living in the Mu family.
She was still in the prime of her life, yet she was confined to that mansion.
Yan Liang hoped to offer the girl some help. Mu Jiangchuan was consumed by hatred; he had forgotten his cousin before his death, leaving only the obsession with revenge.
After that, Tang Yang seemed to know that Mu Rufeng had been kidnapped, so he sent people to chase after him on the road. Yan Liang used a special hallucinogenic incense made by the mall to knock out the chasers and left a note.
The note was indeed taken away, and Tang Yang saw it, because no one came after them after that.
When Lu Xiaofeng and Yan Liang arrived at the Mu family's gate, Tang Yang stared at them expressionlessly. When she saw Mu Rufeng's disheveled appearance through the lifted curtain, her pupils contracted, and she said in a deep voice, "I misjudged you."
He said this to Yan Liang, who smiled slightly and said, "Then you should wash your eyes."
"I promise you what you said before," Tang Yang said, looking at the slightly swaying curtain.
“You’re a sensible person,” Yan Liang said. “Since you’ve already agreed, have all the people in the manor been evacuated?”
“Of course.” Tang Yang closed his eyes. “You should also keep your promise.”
Yan Liang moved to the side, and Lu Xiaofeng glanced at him and followed suit.
Yan Liang gestured "please" to Tang Yang.
Tang Yang glared at him fiercely, then strode forward and boarded the carriage.
Yan Liang called out from outside the carriage, "This carriage is a gift to you. Hurry up and go."
Lu Xiaofeng: "Those horses and carriages were bought with my money..."
Yan Liang: "I'll return it to you later."
Tang Yang lifted the curtain and glared at Lu Xiaofeng and Yan Liang again before driving the carriage straight away.
Lu Xiaofeng said, "He is quite carefree."
Yan Liang said, "If he weren't so easygoing, he wouldn't have given up the position of Pavilion Master of Wuyan Pavilion to Mu Rufeng."
The former head of Wuyan Pavilion was Tang Yang's father. For some reason, Tang Yang did not inherit the position of head of the pavilion, but instead gave it to Mu Rufeng.
Lu Xiaofeng said, "I still don't understand how the Smokeless Pavilion operates, and how those clients entrust the Smokeless Pavilion to kill for them."
Yan Liang said lazily, "I suppose there are special channels involved."
The gate of the Mu residence creaked open, and Jiang Qing looked at Lu Xiaofeng and Yan Liang outside with surprise and uncertainty.
"Brother Jiangchuan...?" she asked hesitantly.
Yan Liang paused for a moment, then called her name.
"Qing'er".
He laughed, like the dawn breaking on the horizon, illuminating the boundless darkness.
Jiang Qing couldn't help but shed tears.
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