She still didn't much like having too much contact with those prominent families. Besides, living in a clan residence with such tight security was inconvenient; you could never tell if someone was lurking in the shadows, watching your every move.
If those hidden guards were low-level, it might be fine, but if they were truly powerful...
Wouldn't that be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den?
Furthermore, she could enter her space at any time. In those prestigious families, she would have to be on guard; how could that ever compare to the freedom of being out on her own?
Seeing Murong Yunsheng’s persistent refusal, Lu Chengze found it difficult to press the matter further. "Very well!"
He had originally wanted to introduce Miss Murong to his parents.
...
Yunqi Kingdom, the coastal city of Huaiyao.
All the cargo from the ship had been tucked away into storage rings. Lu Chengze and his party took only a few guards, leaving the rest of their men in Huaiyao, and set off for the Imperial Capital in a spirit carriage.
Inside the Lu family spirit carriage:
Nangong Yushao and Lu Chengze stared at each other. Murong Yunsheng leaned against the carriage wall with her eyes closed, resting. Nangong Ling glanced at her third brother from time to time, then at Lu Chengze, seemingly accustomed to their dynamic.
Lu Chengze: "Nangong Yushao, tell me, does your family not own a spirit carriage? It was one thing to hitch a ride on my Lu family's Spirit Boat, but now you're even freeloading in our carriage."
Their two major merchant houses had properties in almost every city. In Huaiyao, which served as the hub for trade between the continent and the sea, their two families controlled the vast majority of the industry.
Nangong Yushao: "Is a young master practicing frugality not allowed?"
Lu Chengze: "..."
He chuckled softly and remarked lazily, "Who doesn't know that the Third Young Master Nangong once caused a sensation throughout the Imperial Capital by throwing away his wealth at the Treasure Auction House?"
When this guy had successfully broken through to the rank of Blue Spirit, it happened to coincide with the conclusion of an auction at the Treasure Auction House. It was unclear if he had truly lost his mind, but he had taken every last Spirit Stone earned from that auction, sat by a sixth-floor window at the Treasure Auction House, and scattered the entire haul until it was gone.
It was said that Old Master Nangong had been so furious he nearly broke the boy's legs; for a time, the roar of the old man’s rage could be heard from the Nangong estate every single day.
That was a full hundred million Spirit Stones!
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
That day, the streets below were packed so tightly you couldn't even drop a needle, filled with the screams and cheers of the crowds. Spirit Stones lay scattered everywhere on the ground.
Nangong Yushao, dressed in that flamboyant red robe of his, sat by the high window, beaming with triumph.
Nangong Yushao: "Hey, Lu Chengze, I know a few embarrassing things about you from your childhood, too. I’d advise you to keep your trash talk to yourself, hmph!"
Lu Chengze: "Likewise. You’d better sit tight, Young Master Nangong, and don't let our carriage jolt your old waist."
Outside, the guards from both families, who were escorting a prisoner carriage covered in a black cloth on horseback, traded silent, resentful glares.
...
Five days later.
Yunqi Kingdom, the Imperial Capital.
"Big Brother!"
A voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of approaching hooves.
Lu Chengze didn't even need to look to know it was that little girl, Lu Muning.
A young girl in a pale purple riding outfit came galloping toward them on a white steed. Her youthful face was still full of baby fat, but her brows held a hint of spirit, and she was beaming with joy.
"Whoa—"
The girl dismounted with fluid grace. The Lu family carriage pulled to a halt, and Lu Chengze lifted the curtain.
Lu Muning: "Big Brother, you've finally returned! If you hadn't come back soon, Second Brother would have literally cried himself to death."
Lu Chengze frowned upon hearing this, sighing with helpless exasperation. "What trouble has he caused this time?"
That brat Lu Chengfeng only knew how to make a mess of things.
Lu Muning: "Second Brother went to the Huachun Pavilion and got caught. Father gave him ten lashes and has kept him locked in his courtyard for two whole months now."
Lu Chengze’s mouth twitched. The Huachun Pavilion—the brat was quite the playboy, wasn't he? Visiting a brothel! "Leave him be. It's time he learned a lesson. When you go back, tell him that when the Shuangmeng Academy opens for enrollment in a while, I’m sending him there. I’ll have the instructors at the academy teach him a proper lesson. If he keeps this up, he’ll truly become nothing more than a good-for-nothing playboy."
He didn't even care about the family business.
Lu Muning smiled smugly. "You got it, Big Brother."
Hmph, that's what he gets for going to the Huachun Pavilion without taking her along! As for the Shuangmeng Academy—given her Second Brother’s personality, he’d probably be skinned alive before he lasted a week in that place!
Hahahahaha...
However, before Lu Muning could enjoy her glee for more than a few seconds, Lu Chengze added, "Don't look so happy. You’re going too."
He wasn't fooled by the little girl's schemes. She spent her days hanging around that brat Lu Chengfeng, bullying half the noble sons and daughters in the capital; she had practically earned herself the title of a female tyrant.
Lu Muning’s face instantly crumbled into a look of misery. "Ah? Why?"
Lu Chengze spoke coldly: "I said so."
His tone was firm and brooked no refusal.
Just then, Nangong Yushao, sitting across from Lu Chengze, pushed the curtain all the way open and said with an insufferably smug grin: "Little Sister Muning! The Shuangmeng Academy is actually quite fun. Hope you have a wonderful time."
Lu Muning: "Nangong Yushao? Why are you in our Lu family carriage?"
She poked her head in, and sure enough, she saw not only her brother and Nangong Yushao, but also Nangong Ling and another woman she didn't recognize.
Lu Muning: "???"
She could overlook the strange woman, but those two were members of the Nangong family! How could her brother let them ride in the Lu family carriage?
Nangong Yushao chuckled, stepped out of the carriage with Nangong Ling, and looked toward Murong Yunsheng inside. "Miss Murong, we’ll take our leave now. See you tomorrow."
Murong Yunsheng: "Hmm."
Nangong Yushao: "Young Master Lu, be sure to wait for me at your estate."
He wore a beaming smile.
Lu Muning looked as if she had just witnessed the destruction of her entire worldview. This, this, this—what was going on between her brother and the Third Young Master Nangong?
Lu Chengze: "You'd better not come."
Nangong Yushao: "That won't do."
Lu Chengze dropped the curtain. "Return to the estate."
He didn't forget to tell Lu Muning outside: "Don't think about running away. You are coming with us, or I will have people drag you back."
Lu Muning, who had been busy calculating her escape route: "..."
...
As the most powerful of the three great nations on the Shuangmeng Continent, the capital of the Yunqi Kingdom was unimaginably prosperous. The wide streets were large enough for ten carriages to travel side-by-side. The city was bustling with noise and excitement, lined with all manner of shops showcasing various treasures. Towering pavilions stood everywhere, and the flow of peddlers and passersby was endless.