"Young Lady Shuying, if you have something to say, please feel free to speak your mind."
Hearing this, Mu Shuying smiled faintly. "Since you put it that way, Shuying will be direct. I heard from a clansman of mine who cultivates in your noble sect that Young Master fought to a draw yesterday with a female disciple who defeated Wang Meng?"
"That is indeed true." Chen Wuyou nodded in acknowledgment.
"Then, would Young Master Chen be willing to do me a favor?"
"Another favor?" Chen Wuyou frowned, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.
Why were so many people asking him for favors lately?!
Did they think he had all the time in the world?
...Though, as it turned out, he apparently did.
*(????)*
"Well, Young Master Chen is heading to the Northern Domain tomorrow, aren't you?"
At these words, Chen Wuyou's gaze suddenly sharpened, a hint of wariness entering his eyes as he looked at Mu Shuying.
"Hehe, Young Master Chen need not worry." Noting the change in his expression, Mu Shuying offered an explanation. "Actually, the Wanfu Chamber of Commerce also has a stake held by the Mu Family."
"There will likewise be members of the Mu clan among tomorrow's escort party."
Hearing this, Chen Wuyou immediately cast aside his misgivings, though he was still somewhat baffled. Since their goals were the same, what favor could she possibly need from him?
"So, Lady Shuying, what exactly do you want me to help you with?"
"Shuying would like to ask Young Master Chen to protect someone."
"What?" Chen Wuyou frowned. Everyone would be traveling with the caravan anyway—was there really someone who needed his protection?
"You may not know this, Young Master, but my younger sister, Mu Qingwan, is also among tomorrow's escort party. Once we reach the Northern Domain, she will leave the main group with a few of our clan's youths to search for something else."
"So, Lady Shuying wants me to accompany her at that time?"
Mu Shuying gently nodded. "Precisely."
Chen Wuyou did not answer, merely pressing his lips together in thought.
To be honest, once they reached the Northern Domain, he and Chenlong Yunqing ought to go and seek out his master and master's wife immediately.
Yet, by some strange twist of fate, Chen Wuyou couldn't help feeling that the Mu Family's choice to go to the Northern Domain to search for an item at this exact time was bound to be connected to the recent strange phenomena in the Northern Domain.
Therefore, Chen Wuyou asked, "I wonder what Young Lady can offer me if I do this favor? If it's merely another chance to go out on an outing with you..."
"Hehe, then Young Lady might as well pretend I never said anything just now."
He didn't yet know whether the item the Mu Family was searching for had any connection to those strange phenomena. Risking himself solely for Mu Shuying's sake simply didn't seem worth it.
Besides, if worse came to worst, didn't he still have Junior Sister Yu Luo?
Why hang himself from a single tree?
Anyway, he had never specified to whom he intended to give his pure and steadfast heart...
Right?
*Ahem.*
Mu Shuying seemed to have anticipated Chen Wuyou's response and immediately called out to her side, "Uncle Wang, come in."
With that, a robust and heavily built man walked in holding an exquisitely carved jade box.
"Young Lady."
The man bowed respectfully while handing the box over to Mu Shuying.
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Wang."
Mu Shuying smiled faintly, took the box, and then gently flipped open the lid with her slender fingers.
There, resting before Chen Wuyou's eyes, were two talismans radiating faint stellar glows.
"This is—" Chen Wuyou's eyebrows arched, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. "A Divine Defense Talisman?"
"As expected of the Young Master's vast experience. This is indeed a Divine Defense Talisman."
True to its name, a Divine Defense Talisman allowed a cultivator to channel just a tiny bit of spiritual power to summon a divine shield capable of blocking attacks.
As long as the attacker's cultivation did not exceed the user's by an entire major realm, the Divine Defense Talisman could completely block one of their attacks.
In terms of value, a Divine Defense Talisman was far more precious than even a lesser Void Talisman.
"As long as Young Master Chen agrees to help, regardless of the final outcome, Shuying will present these two Divine Defense Talismans to Young Master right now."
Looking at those two precious spiritual treasures capable of causing a massive uproar in the outside world, Chen Wuyou did not show the slightest trace of covetousness on his face.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked solemnly at Mu Shuying.
She, in turn, met his gaze with a gentle expression and a soft smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"Lady Shuying, you claim you never step a single half-step outside the Mu Residence." Chen Wuyou suddenly grinned with a playful, teasing smile. "But there is something you may not know: I, Chen Wuyou, also have a habit."
"Aside from the other day, for ten years I have never fought anyone, let alone involved myself in dangerous matters."
"You want me to take a risk, yet you've handed me two life-saving spiritual talismans." Chen Wuyou abruptly stood up, braced his hands on the table, and leaned in close to Mu Shuying's face.
"This doesn't seem to hold any benefit for me at all, does it?"
"Young Master Chen, please stay away from our Young Lady."
Uncle Wang, standing nearby, warned him with an unfriendly tone.
"It's fine, Uncle Wang." Mu Shuying waved a hand, maintaining that smile that seemed meant to warm all living souls as she locked eyes with Chen Wuyou.
"If it is as Young Master Chen says, then why did you accept Young Master Qi's request? Could it be that Young Master's trip to the Northern Domain conceals some unknown secret?"
"Shuying has heard that your noble sect has recently dispatched quite a few people to the Northern Domain. Young Master Chen, I wonder if Shuying is correct in saying so?"
As she spoke, an unusual brilliance flashed in Mu Shuying's eyes.
Hearing this, Chen Wuyou first froze in a daze for a split second, then his cheek twitched ever so slightly a few times before settling into a meaningful smile.
"Lady Shuying must have listened to rumors from some unscrupulous individuals. As a major sect of the Jiuyang Dynasty, my Xuanyang Sect has always had numerous disciples executing missions outside. With the slight turbulence in the Northern Domain recently, sending a few more disciples seems hardly unreasonable, wouldn't you say?"
"As for agreeing to Qi Mingzhi, I just said it myself: I've never been one to court danger, and being used to a carefree life, my Grandmaster found it unsightly and used this opportunity to send me out for some tempering."
"I've been raised by my master and grandmaster since I was eight years old, and their kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. Even if I'm reluctant now, I can't disobey them, can I, Lady Shuying?"
...
A thousand miles away, atop a certain peak of Heavenly Phenomena Mountain, an old man sneezed twice in a row.
"...Can you catch a cold even after reaching the Spiritization Realm?"
...
Mu Residence.
Following a friendly battle of wits, Mu Shuying seemed to gradually lose her patience, her smile slowly fading.
"Young Master Chen, what on earth will it take for you to agree?"
Chen Wuyou said nothing as he slowly picked up one of the Divine Defense Talismans from the box.
"Lady Shuying, how about we each take a step back?"
"I'm all ears."
Gently flicking the Divine Defense Talisman in his hand, Chen Wuyou smiled. "You give me one Divine Defense Talisman right now, and I agree to accompany the group. However, I retain the right to leave at any time. But if in the end I do not leave, as you stated earlier, regardless of whether the task is accomplished or not, you must give me the second one."
"In addition, add one more chance for me to spend a few days alone with you. How about that?"
As he said this, Chen Wuyou wore an expression that was both serious and intermittently roguish.
In short: I'll go, but I offer no guarantees of helping out, and whether I help or not, you still have to reward me.
It was the ultimate free-riding strategy—never suffer if you can avoid it.
Chen Wuyou had originally assumed that even with the Mu Family's immense wealth, Mu Shuying would need to ponder for a long time over such an outrageous condition. To his surprise, after just a few breaths of silence, Mu Shuying abruptly stood up and extended her hand toward him.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Young Master Chen."
Chen Wuyou raised an eyebrow. Without a word or the slightest hesitation, he grasped that fair and delicate hand.
"Pleasure doing business with you... including after we return."
Mu Shuying smiled without a word.
She then handed Chen Wuyou a scroll tied with a red string.
"Young Master Chen, this is a portrait of my younger sister... Because her identity is rather special, she will disguise herself as an ordinary escort tomorrow. For the sake of confidentiality, I must ask Young Master not to open it until you set out tomorrow."
Taking the scroll, Chen Wuyou weighed it in his hand a few times before casting a deliberate yet casual glance at Uncle Wang's expression, then nodded lightly.
"Very well, I promise you."
"Thank you."
And so, Chen Wuyou—who had originally come with a rather simple purpose—left the Mu Residence loaded down with commissions.
"Steward Li, take care! See you in a few days, haha."
"Safe journey, Young Master."
"Oh, by the way, Steward Li, the decorations in your estate are truly lovely."
"...Thank you for the compliment, Young Master."
Steward Li was left speechless.
...
"Young Lady, he currently displays only the strength of the Xuanling Second Layer. Why on earth are we paying such a heavy price..."
In the main hall, Uncle Wang bowed and asked Mu Shuying.
"Hehe, Uncle Wang, he is not nearly as simple as he appears."
"After all, he is someone who spent ten years under Old Senior Shangguan."
Mu Shuying's beautiful eyes shifted, landing on a painting beside her that looked utterly ordinary.
As her gaze drifted, her red lips parted slightly: "My father and mother cannot be disturbed right now. These matters must still be handled as best as we can."
With that, her seemingly gentle gaze suddenly sharpened like a blade piercing through illusions, cutting deep into that painting until it caught sight of a hint of...
Dark light.
"Young Master Chen, I wonder if you have noticed it yet?"