ã€ŠTransmigrated As Second-Rate Cannon Fodderã€‹


 CH 1

    ¡°Mu Chen is number one again this time, and by the looks of it, the national scholarship will be taken away by this guy again.¡± Inside the library, a student, slightly jealous, said.

    ¡°I heard that he won the first prize in the National Mathematics Competition a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing. In the previous Interdisciplinary Modelling Competition for college students, he won the Global Grand Prize.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that he won the Turing Award for his proficiency in computing, a prize with an amazing amount of gold.¡±

    ¡°It is said that he has also applied for three invention patents.¡±

    ¡°How can there be such a genius?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? He¡¯s just a nerd. I think, if you give him an egg, he won¡¯t necessarily be able to peel the shell. He¡¯s only good at exams, but when he enters into society, he won¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. I heard that this boy, Mu Chen, can cook, and his craftsmanship is not bad.¡±

    ¡°No, he can cook too? Didn¡¯t he spend all his time studying?¡±

    ¡°No! I heard Mu Chen¡¯s roommate say that this guy likes to read novels and he spends a lot of time reading them.¡±

    ¡°He spends so much time reading novels and still gets such good grades, it¡¯s unbelievable.¡±

    ¡°How can there be such a genius? This kind of person should be struck by lightning!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, this kind of person will affect the harmony of the society if he stays in the world, he should be chopped by a thunderbolt.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Mu Chen lay on the bed looking at the ceiling silently. One moment, he was still in the dormitory, reading a novel intently. The next moment, he was struck here by a lightning bolt.

    The extra memories in his head told Mu Chen that he had crossed over.

    As the saying goes, when one is sitting at home, misfortune comes from the sky.

    Mu Chen could not understand which god he had offended and how he had been struck here.

    ¡°Young master, young master, are you awake?¡± A little servant came in and asked.

    ¡°Qi Si, get out and leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°Young master, there is a three-eyed wolf king fighting in the arena today, do you want to go and see it?¡±

    ¡°Get out.¡± Mu Chen bellowed coldly.

    Qi Si shot a few glances at Mu Chen and walked out with a grey face.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that even Qi Si was sent out, the young master usually values him the most.¡±

    ¡°It looks like the young master is so angry with young master Zhuang Yu that he won¡¯t even go to the fighting arena.¡±

    ¡°Young master, it¡¯s the first time he has been so devoted to someone, but it¡¯s so pitiful he had to be rejected so mercilessly¡±

    ¡°If I may say so, there is no grass at the end of the earth, young master Zhuang Yu seems to be very difficult to get. The young master, it¡¯s better if he gives up..¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Zhuang Yu just a bit pretty? What¡¯s the big deal?¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Mu Chen sighed lightly while listening to the conversation between the two subordinates word for word.

    After crossing over, Mu Chen merged the soul power of the original owner, and his ear power instantly improved by several times, so he could hear the two servants¡¯ words clearly.

    Mu Chen lightly touched his forehead and was a little sad to realize that he had not only crossed over but also crossed into a novel he was reading¡­

    This novel tells the story of the rise of a white lotus shou. The white lotus, who comes from an ordinary background, has distinctive looks and is naive and kind, attracting one man after another to go through fire and water for him.

    The attracted men usually end up in one of two ways: those who are well-qualified will be accepted into the harem, while those who are not well-qualified will become cannon fodder.

    Unfortunately, the original owner of the body is an uneducated, lustful, immoral, and desperate man who only relies on the virtue of his ancestors to do his dirty work. This is exactly the kind of person who would be considered cannon fodder by the readers.

 CH 2

    ¡°Young master.¡± Qi Si walked in with a frown and called out.

    Mu Chen squinted his eyes and gave Qi Si an unkind look, saying impatiently, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to bother me?¡±

    Mu Chen lowered his head. According to the original book, Mu Chen¡¯s mother had died early and his father, Mu Yuanfeng, was an alchemist who often closed down to refine pills. Although he loved Mu Chen, Mu Yuanfeng had very little time to take care of him. Nonetheless, Mu Yuanfeng would always come out to clean up the mess for the original owner whenever he got into trouble.

    Qi Si showed an embarrassed expression and carefully said, ¡°Of course I remember what Young Master said, it¡¯s just that Young Master Zhuang Yu is here.¡±

    Mu Chen squinted his eyes and looked at Qi Si, saying, ¡°He¡¯s here? What is he doing here?¡±

    Although Qi Si was acting respectfully, Mu Chen knew that this man was not as good to him as he seemed, because this man was a spy that Mu Chen¡¯s eldest uncle, Mu Yuanhang, put at Mu Chen¡¯s side.

    According to his memory, Mu Chen was still very obedient when he was a child and his talent for alchemy was also good. As he grew older, Mu Yuanhuang smuggled all kinds of playthings to Mu Chen. He was young and malleable and soon became addicted to eating, drinking, and having fun, wasting a lot of time in vain.

    Initially, Mu Chen had some fear toward Mu Yuanfeng but Mu Yuanhang was willing to cover up for Mu Chen, so Mu Chen¡¯s life of eating, drinking, and playing was as smooth as ¡°a fish in the water¡±.

    Although Mu Yuanfeng found Mu Chen to be a bit of a fun-loving boy, he continued to behave in the same way after a few times of discipline, so over time, he could only let it go.

    Qi Si glanced at Mu Chen and said, ¡°Young master Zhuang Yu is here to return the Clear Water Sword. He said that he would not accept any reward without merit.¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    ¡°Already gone.¡± Qi Si said.

    ¡°Where is the sword?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    Mu Chen rolled his eye in his heart. According to the book, Zhuang Yu is a beautiful man who doesn¡¯t consume the fire and smoke of the world and has a noble character. Such a beautiful man has no reason to take something from a second-rate man like Mu Chen.

    Mu Chen scoffed thinking of this. In reality, Zhuang Yu¡¯s own talent is limited. The only reason why Zhuang Yu is able to make a name for himself is that he has a group of flower protectors who will do anything for him. Although this guy did not take Mu Chen¡¯s Clear Water Sword, he did take a lot of other people¡¯s things.

    Mu Chen felt that Zhuang Yu did not accept Mu Chen¡¯s gift because, firstly, it was pretentious, and secondly, it was not worth it. Mu Chen had spent five hundred yuan stones to buy the Clear Water Sword, but, in reality, the man was being cheated, and the sword was only worth fifty yuan stones.

    Mu Chen felt that if he had directly given five hundred yuan stones, Zhuang Yu might have been more receptive.

    Qi Si¡¯s heart trembled as he glanced at Mu Chen and said, ¡°It¡¯s at my place.¡±

    ¡®Mu Chen¡¯ has a grumpy personality and he would not ask back what he had given away, so Qi Si took it upon himself to hide the sword, thinking that if Zhuang Yu did not accept it, he would be able to keep it since ¡®Mu Chen¡¯ would not ask for it in fear of losing face.

    ¡°In your possession? What are you trying to do? Are you trying to steal it?¡± Mu Chen said with unkind eyes.

    Qi Si knelt down at once and said, ¡°Young master, how dare I, I am afraid that you will feel bad when you see the sword.¡±

    Mu Chen snorted lightly and said, ¡°Why should I feel bad? Bring the sword to me.¡±

    Qi Si nodded and answered, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mu Chen took a deep breath. According to the original text, ¡®Mu Chen¡¯ would have been furious at Zhuang Yu for returning the sword and would have fought with Zhuang Yu¡¯s flower protector, Chen Moran. Both would end up badly injured and, as a result, his father would have had a falling out with the Chen family.

 CH 3

    A bejeweled sword was held in Mu Chen¡¯s hand, and he rubbed the gemstones on the sword with excitement.

    Each of the gems on the Clear Water Sword was of excellent quality, if taken to Earth, he would be rich.

    ¡°Young master, what are you going to do with this sword?¡± Qi Si asked curiously.

    ¡°What to do with it, return it!¡± Mu Chen said as a matter of course.

    Qi Si frowned and said, ¡°Return it?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°Yes!¡±

    The original owner had already lost all his family¡¯s money for this sword and Mu Chen did not want to become a poor man just after he had crossed over.

    ¡®Mu Chen¡¯ had kept the receipt for the sword, and if he took it and returned it within 15 days, he could still get 90% of the yuan stones, so it would be bad if the sword rotted in his hands.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that sword meant to be given to young master Zhuang Yu?¡± Qi Si said in disbelief.

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°Yes! But didn¡¯t he refuse it?¡±

    ¡°Young master, don¡¯t be discouraged, as long as you sincerely give the sword to Zhuang Yu, I believe he will accept your feelings.¡± Qi Si advised.

    Mu Chen secretly rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Why should he beg someone who is going to indirectly kill him? Does he have too much money to burn? What¡¯s more, this guy, Zhuang Yu, is not his type.

    Mu Chen disapproved and said: ¡°There is no fragrant grass anywhere in the world. Zhuang Yu is just a little prettier, but that¡¯s all. With all the time and energy spent on him, I could have picked up a few more.¡±

    Mu Chen curled his lips and secretly said: ¡°As far as I can remember, before he met Zhuang Yu, Mu Chen was also a womanizer who liked to mess with flowers and grass, but after he met Zhuang Yu, he became a womanizer with no desire.

    Qi Si looked at Mu Chen and his face looked a bit odd.

    ¡°But, young master, didn¡¯t you say before that you would only take one scoop out of the three thousand weak waters, so you have decided on young master Zhuang Yu?¡± Qi Si asked.

    Mu Chen looked at Qi Si coldly, Qi Si was shaken by Mu Chen¡¯s look, ¡°Young master, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that, don¡¯t you think you talk a lot? Do I need to explain what I¡¯m going to do to a servant like you? What are you, the one who is in charge of me?¡± Mu Chen sneered coldly.

    Qi Si said with embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Young Master, I¡¯ve overstepped¡±

    A trace of hatred flashed in Qi Si¡¯s eyes, which didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Mu Chen. According to his memory, the original owner had been generous to Qi Si, and there was no shortage of resources for this guy. This person, even if he eats both inside and out still treats the original owner as an idiot. Really deserves to die.

    Mu Chen coldly glanced at Qi Si and said, ¡°Go out, I don¡¯t need you to serve me here.¡±

    Qi Si¡¯s face changed and he retreated.

    Mu Chen looked at Qi Si¡¯s back and his eyes flashed with a bit of anger, knowing that the other party had bad intentions, Mu Chen couldn¡¯t wait to get rid of this person quickly.

    However, since he wasn¡¯t the original owner and was in such a hurry to get rid of his inner circle, it was inevitable that he would make people suspicious, so Mu Chen decided to hold back for the time being.

    ¡°Qi Si, you¡¯ve been invited out again by the young master!¡± Zhao Er looked at Qi Si with a bit of schadenfreude on his face.

    Qi Si gritted his teeth, although he was one of Mu Yuanhang¡¯s men, on the surface his allegiance was to Mu Chen, and now that Mu Chen¡¯s attitude towards him was so cold, the rest of his subordinates had become more contemptuous of him.

    ¡°Young master, he is in a bad mood.¡± Qi Si said.

    Zhao Er smiled coldly and said, ¡°Young master, he got someone to invite Ren San back.¡±

    Qi Si¡¯s face changed. Ren San was the person Mu Chen¡¯s mother had left to Mu Chen and he had always taken care of Mu Chen before. Ren San was rigid and dull, which was very unpleasant to Mu Chen. He had already been demoted by Mu Chen before, but now he was called back, it seemed that Mu Chen had really changed.

    ¡°Qi Si, what have you done?¡± Zhao Er looked at Qi Si and said.

    Qi Si said awkwardly, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±

    During this period of time, he was still accompanying Mu Chen in his wasteful and lustful activities. Mu Chen should have been really satisfied with him. The only dissatisfaction should come from Zhuang Yu¡¯s rejection.

    Qi Si pursed his lips, if he loses Mu Chen¡¯s trust, then he will lose his value to Mu Yuanhang.

 CH 4

    ¡°Young master.¡± Ren San walked in the door and said respectfully.

    ¡°You¡¯re here¡ªsince you¡¯re here, follow me out for a walk.¡± Mu Chen glanced at Ren San and said indifferently.

    ¡°Yes, young master.¡± Ren San replied crisply.

    Mu Chen looked at Ren San for a few moments. Ren San was unattractive and a bit wooden, but he was obedient enough and his strength was not too bad.

    When Qi Si saw Mu Chen and Ren San coming out, he immediately greeted them, and when Mu Chen saw Qi Si, his eyes flashed with a hint of disgust.

    ¡°Young master, where are you going?¡± Qi Si came up after him and said.

    ¡°Why, do I have to report to you where I¡¯m going?¡± Mu Chen said impatiently.

    Qi Si¡¯s face changed and he said, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about your safety, young master.¡±

    Mu Chen looked at Qi Si and said, ¡°Worried about my safety, what can you do to help me if I¡¯m really in danger?¡±

    Cmmbgvlcu ab atf bglulcji bkcfg¡¯r wfwbgs, ktfc atf bglulcji bkcfg obeuta klat batfgr, Hl Vl jikjsr vbvufv j ofk wbnfr jcv atfc tlv ab atf rlvf ab kjamt atf mbwwbalbc, yea vef ab atf bglulcji bkcfg¡¯r atlmx ygjlc, tf cfnfg cbalmfv.

    Efc Vjc uijcmfv ja Hl Vl lcvloofgfcais jcv obiibkfv Ze Jtfc bea.

    Several servants saw this scene and looked at Qi Si with either mockery, pity, or gloating.

    Ren San looked at Mu Chen and said, ¡°Young master, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°To the Hu Family¡¯s Weapons Shop, to return this sword.¡± Mu Chen said.

    Ren San looked at Mu Chen and couldn¡¯t help being a little surprised, ¡°Return it? This is not quite your style, young master!¡±

    Mu Chen smiled indifferently and said, ¡°Who made me short of money?¡± People are poor and short of ambition!

    ¡°Young master Mu, you¡¯re here, I wonder¡ªwhat do you need?¡± The shopkeeper of Hu¡¯s Weapons Shop saw Mu Chen and immediately greeted him.

    Mu Chen took out the Clear Water Sword and handed it to the shopkeeper, saying, ¡°I¡¯m here to return it.¡±

    The shopkeeper¡¯s face changed and he said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Young Master Mu, are you not satisfied with this sword?¡±

    Mu Chen smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t give it away, so, return it and forget about it.¡±

    ¡°Young master Mu, you must think carefully. The quality of this sword is one in a hundred; if you return this sword, 10% of the paid yuan stones will be deducted. Next time you want to buy it, it will be more than the last price.¡± The shopkeeper reminded Mu Chen.

    Mu Chen smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯d better return it. I thought this sword was not bad before but now, I don¡¯t know why, I always feel it¡¯s not very pleasing to the eye.¡±

    The shopkeeper laughed awkwardly and said, ¡°Alright then.¡±

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this young Mu Chen?¡± Chen Moran walked over shaking his fan, Zhuang Yu at his side.

    Mu Chen couldn¡¯t help squinting his eyes. According to the original work, Mu Chen would have been furious because Zhuang Yu had returned his sword, and would have fought with Zhuang Yu¡¯s flower protector, Chen Moran. Unexpectedly, he hadn¡¯t thought that he would meet these two people even though he hadn¡¯t gone to seek them out.

    ¡°It¡¯s Young Chen!¡± Mu Chen said indifferently.

    When Zhuang Yu saw Mu Chen, a faint trace of disgust flashed in his eyes and his body ducked behind Chen Moran.

    When Mu Chen saw the look in Zhuang Yu¡¯s eyes, he secretly laughed coldly in his heart.

    On the one hand, Zhuang Yu enjoyed Mu Chen¡¯s devotion to him, but on the other hand, he hated Mu Chen for being such a good-for-nothing, second-rate man who wanted to make a name for himself even though he was a whore.

    Zhuang Yu saw Mu Chen¡¯s eyes move away from him, and a strange feeling surged in her heart.

    ¡°Young Mu, what are you doing here? Do you want to buy another sword? That can¡¯t be right! I heard that you¡¯ve been in a tight spot lately, can you still afford to buy a sword?¡± Chen Moran said with some contempt.

    ¡°No, Young Mu is here to return the sword.¡± The shopkeeper said.

    Chen Moran laughed, ¡°No way, young Mu, you¡¯re so poor that you¡¯re going to break the pot and sell the iron.¡±

    ¡°Yes! I am already so poor, young Chen, do you want to give me a hand?¡± Mu Chen said indifferently.

    /petty¡¯s notes: Uhm, for those who are wondering, even though the text calls Mu Chen a player, whore, etc in fact the author states that both the MC and ML are clean. After all, on the path of cultivation, it¡¯s not good to break one¡¯s body too early. (As for the original MC, even if he didn¡¯t care about cultivation, he couldn¡¯t have done it even if he wanted to because of some reason you will know in later chapters )

 CH 5

    Chen Moran looked at the sword on the counter and his eyes narrowed for a moment.

    ¡°Mu Chen, is this the sword you want to return?¡± Chen Moran pointed at the sword on the counter and asked, glaring at Mu Chen in anger.

    Mu Chen nodded his head and said rightfully, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°How can you do this?¡± Chen Moran looked at Mu Chen with a look of utter disbelief.

    Mu Chen curled his lips and secretly said, ¡°What does it matter to you if I return my own things? What¡¯s with that look?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with returning my own things?¡± Mu Chen said indifferently.

    ¡°This is what you gave to Zhuang Yu.¡± Chen Moran said fiercely.

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Zhuang Yu refuse it? So, isn¡¯t it normal for me to return it if Zhuang Yu doesn¡¯t want it?¡±

    Chen Moran stared at Mu Chen sternly and said, ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far.¡±

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    Itejcu Te aeuufv ja Jtfc Zbgjc¡¯r riffnf jcv rjlv, ¡°Cigluta, Zbgjc, vbc¡¯a yf ilxf atja. Ktlr rkbgv lr Ze Jtfc¡¯r raeoo, ktja tf kjcar ab vb klat la lr tlr ogffvbw.¡±

    Ze Jtfc ibbxfv ja Itejcu Te lcvloofgfcais. Itejcu Te¡¯r rxlc kjr rcbk ktlaf, tlr fsfr kfgf gjvljca, jcv tlr ktbif qfgrbcj ibbxfv yfjealoei jcv mbwqfiilcu¡­ Fcobgaecjafis, tf kjr cba Ze Jtfc¡¯r asqf.

    Mu Chen also liked men in his previous life, but he liked tall, handsome, and manly-looking men. Zhuang Yu¡¯s type was the one he hated the most because the type he liked usually liked Zhuang Yu¡¯s type.

    Chen Moran looked at Mu Chen indignantly and said, ¡°Mu Chen, if you know what¡¯s good for you, you will dispel the idea of returning the gift. This sword was given to Zhuang Yu by you, how can you just return it?¡±

    Mu Chen crossed his arms and looked at Chen Moran, his eyes flashing with fury. This sword was bought by him, it had nothing to do with Chen Moran. How did this guy¡¯s brain grow, he had to come out and meddle in the matter, how excessive! What bad thing had he done that made Chen Moran look at him with such bitterness and hatred?

    ¡°Four hundred and fifty yuan stones, boss.¡± Mu Chen coldly looked at the shopkeeper and said.

    The shopkeeper looked at Chen Moran and then at Mu Chen, and said with some hesitation, ¡°Young master Mu Chen, have you really thought it through?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I have.¡±

    The shopkeeper sighed in his heart and somewhat reluctantly took out four hundred and fifty yuan stones, handing them to Mu Chen, who couldn¡¯t wait to put them into his spatial ring.

    Zhuang Yu stood behind Chen Moran watching the scene with a somewhat complicated look in his eyes.

    Mu Chen¡¯s eyes faintly swept over Zhuang Yu, whose eyes were full of puzzlement and sorrow, a look that made Mu Chen¡¯s heart bristle.

    ¡°Mu Chen, I want to fight with you.¡± Chen Moran gritted his teeth and looked at Mu Chen.

    Mu Chen¡¯s eyes squinted slightly. In the original novel, Mu Chen was furious because Zhuang Yu had returned his sword, and he engaged in a deadly fight with Chen Moran. Now, he doesn¡¯t take the initiative to find faults, but this guy, Chen Moran, still comes to him looking for a fight.

    ¡°No time.¡± Mu Chen said without thinking.

    In the original novel, Chen Moran and the original owner had fought to a standstill, both defeated and injured. He had just crossed over and his body was not well coordinated yet, so if he fought Chen Moran, he would definitely lose. He didn¡¯t want to get injured so soon.

    Chen Moran snorted and said, ¡°You have no guts, you coward!¡±

    Zhuang Yu pulled Chen Moran¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°Moran, don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Mu Chen gave Chen Moran a cool sweeping glance and wanted to leave.

    ¡°Young Mu.¡± Zhuang Yu called out to stop Mu Chen, who was about to leave.

    Mu Chen turned around, looked at Zhuang Yu, and said, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at Mu Chen and his eyes flashed with a bit of apology, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Young Mu, but there are some things that really can¡¯t be forced.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled and said, ¡°I know.¡±

    Mu Chen took Ren San and left. Ren San looked at Mu Chen with a few moments of deep thought flashing through his eyes.

    Chen Moran looked at Mu Chen¡¯s back, his heart full of disdain. Chen Moran secretly said: ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a few days, but this guy, Mu Chen, is becoming more and more cowardly.

 CH 6

    Zhuang Yu looked at Mu Chen¡¯s unfazed back and his eyes flashed with a strange look.

    Chen Moran looked at Zhuang Yu¡¯s face, a feeling of resentment surging in his heart.

    ¡°A¡¯Yu, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Chen Moran grabbed Zhuang Yu¡¯s hand and asked.

    Zhuang Yu smiled lightly and said, ¡°Nothing, I just feel that Mu Chen¡¯s attitude towards me seems to have changed, perhaps, he will not pester me anymore.¡±

    Zhuang Yu¡¯s mood is a bit complicated. He had always hated Mu Chen¡¯s pestering, but Mu Chen¡¯s current attitude made his heart feel empty.

    Chen Moran curled his lips disdainfully and said, ¡°A¡¯Yu, don¡¯t you understand how Mu Chen is? He is like a sticky splat. Playing hard to get but he was actually trying to get your attention today. ¡±

    Zhuang Yu glanced at Chen Moran and said, ¡°Playing hard to get?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ve known this guy for more than ten years, and I know what he¡¯s up to as soon as he moves his eyebrows.¡± Chen Moran said proudly.

    After listening to Chen Moran¡¯s words, a bit of disdain rose in Zhuang Yu¡¯s heart, and looking at the direction of Mu Chen¡¯s departure, his eyes showed a bit of disgust.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

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    ¡°Tfr.¡± Ktf rtjvbk uejgv atja obiibkfv Ze Jtfc lc atf vjgx rjlv.

    Ze Tejctjcu rdelcafv tlr fsfr jcv rjlv, ¡°Ktlr ues, Ze Jtfc, tf tjr mtjcufv tlr mtjgjmafg!¡±

    ¡°Qi Si seems to have fallen out of favor with Mu Chen.¡± The shadow guard reminded.

    ¡°Yes!¡± A bit of resentment flashed through Mu Yuanhang¡¯s heart.

    Qi Si, that trash, couldn¡¯t even coax Mu Chen, allowing him to call Ren San back again. Hopefully, this guy didn¡¯t leak anything that would make Mu Chen suspicious of him.

    ¡°You go down first.¡± Mu Yuanhang said.

    The shadow guard nodded and quietly retreated.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Mu Chen had just returned to the courtyard when he was greeted by a rare guest, Mu Yuanhang.

    ¡°Eldest uncle.¡± Mu Chen called out. The original owner and Mu Yuanhang had a good relationship and Mu Yuanhang always doted on the original owner.

    ¡°Chen¡¯er, you¡¯re back.¡± Mu Yuanhang said with a smile.

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Have you been having a good time lately?¡± Mu Yuanhang asked.

    ¡°Not too bad.¡± Mu Chen said lightly.

    ¡°You are a son of my Mu family, and the Mu family is your strongest backing. You can do whatever you want. The Mu family will definitely protect you. You don¡¯t have to be afraid of anything.¡± Mu Yuanhang said.

    Mu Chen smiled bashfully and said, ¡°I know.¡±

    A sneer rose in Mu Chen¡¯s heart and he secretly said, ¡°Mu Yuanhang should already know about his avoidance of Chen Moran today and, by saying this, what he truly meant was that he should have fought with Chen Moran. By retreating instead, he lost face for the Mu family.

    ¡°I heard that you called Ren San back, don¡¯t you dislike him?¡± Mu Yuanhang asked.

    Mu Chen shrugged his shoulders and said with a big grin, ¡°Although Ren San is a bit unpleasant, he is resistant to beatings, unlike Qi Si. He shrinks every time he fights, counting on me, a young master, to protect him as a subordinate? What is he!¡± At the end of the sentence, Mu Chen¡¯s face was tinged with a bit of disgust.

    Qi Si had been hiding to the side, watching the situation, and when he heard Mu Chen¡¯s words, Qi Si¡¯s face suddenly turned blue and white.

    The few people around who seemed to be busy but were actually observing the situation with their ears up, could not help but make small calculations in their hearts.

    ¡°Qi Si, after all, is young and a little less courageous.¡± Mu Yuanhang said indifferently.

    Mu Chen snorted coldly and said, ¡°If he has little guts, then replace him with someone who has more guts. Do I, the young master, have to accommodate him as a subordinate?¡±

    Looking at Mu Chen twisted face, Mu Yuanhang¡¯s smiled and said, ¡°Whatever you want.¡±

 CH 7

    Mu Chen opened the door and found an unexpected guest in his room.

    ¡°Father.¡± Mu Chen lowered his head and called out carefully.

    Mu Yuanfeng was not bad to Mu Chen, but Mu Chen was always more respectful than affectionate toward Mu Yuanfeng, and when he saw him, he always acted like a rat meeting a cat.

    Mu Yuanfeng turned his head to look at Mu Chen and asked, ¡°I heard that you have sent Qi Si out?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you like him a lot?¡± Mu Yuanfeng asked.

    Mu Chen lifted his head and looked at Mu Yuanfeng cautiously, ¡°Qi Si is too weak, every time I fight with others he is always watching from the side. Father, if you like Qi Si, I will call him back.¡±

    ¡°No need, eating inside and out, just send him away.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said coolly.

    Ze Jtfc vlv cba xcbk atja ktja Hl Vl tjv vbcf mbeiv gfwjlc tlvvfc ogbw Ze Jtfc, yea vfolclafis cba ogbw Ze Tejcofcu.

    Ze Tejcofcu tjv yffc vlrrjalrolfv klat Hl Vl obg j ibcu alwf, yea Ze Jtfc kjr nfgs joofmalbcjaf abkjgv Hl Vl, ktlif tf kjr delaf vlrajca ogbw Ze Tejcofcu. Ze Tejcofcu kjr kbgglfv jybea atf gfijalbcrtlq yfakffc ojatfg jcv rbc ufaalcu kbgrf jcv kbgrf, yea tf kjr jirb kbgglfv atja lo Hl Vl ifoa, atfgf kbeiv obiibk j Hl Qe bg Hl Ole, rb tf vlv cba ajxf jmalbc jujlcra Hl Vl.

    This time, Mo Chen had just sent Qi Si out with his right foot, and Mu Yuanfeng had someone break Qi Si¡¯s legs on his left one.

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°What father said is true.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng tilted his head, looked at Mu Chen, and said, ¡°I heard that you have been chasing a man called Zhuang Yu recently.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°There are too many people chasing Zhuang Yu and I have already given up.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s good to give up. You¡¯re still young, it¡¯s not good to be overly obsessed with children¡¯s love, not to mention, you¡¯re a married man.¡±

    A dark light flashed in Mu Chen¡¯s eyes. The original Mu Chen''s fianc¨¦ was a man, so ugly that the first time Mu Chen saw him, he almost passed out.

    ¡°Father, who is the man I am engaged to?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a twin child called Ye Shi.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen squinted, there are three kinds of people in this world: men, women, and twins. A twin child is a man that can give birth, and Zhuang Yu is also one of them.

    ¡°Father, Ye Shi, who is he? How did the engagement between Ye Shi and me come about?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    Mu Yuanfeng put his hands behind his back and said, ¡°Ye Shi¡¯s grandfather and your grandfather were old friends, and you have been engaged since you were young. Unfortunately, Ye Shi¡¯s grandfather passed away a few years ago and the Ye family fell apart. It¡¯s not as good as before.¡±

    Mu Chen bowed his head and said, ¡°Is that so?¡± In the original article, not much was written about Ye Shi, and since he was his fianc¨¦, it was necessary to investigate properly.

    ¡°Father, do you know Ye Shi¡¯s current condition?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    ¡°Ye Shi¡¯s grandfather, Ye He, has a son, Ye Xun. Ye Xun is a soft-eared man with more than a dozen concubines, which he spoils endlessly. Although Ye Shi is a direct son, his birth mother died early. The situation in the Ye family is complicated. However, I heard that Ye Shi has good qualifications and he¡¯s already a two-star warrior ¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen nodded thoughtfully and said, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡±. Ye Shi is the same age as Mu Chen. Mu Chen has not lacked resources since he was a child, but he was very lazy, so he was still only a seven-star martial apprentice.

    The Mu family and the Ye family entered into a marriage contract hoping to form a strong alliance, but now that Ye He has passed away, Ye Xun is not strong enough to hold the fort. The Ye family¡¯s properties have been robbed, Ye Shi is not valued and as the Ye family¡¯s strength has declined, Ye Shi¡¯s status has also dropped significantly.

    ¡°I heard that Ye Shi will come over in the near future, you can see it then, if you really don¡¯t like it, it¡¯s fine to push it away.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen nodded his head and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Mu Chen bowed his head, Mu Yuanfeng was indeed a father who cared for his son, you know, grandfather Mu Ke was very fond of Ye Shi, if the marriage happens to fall through, Mu Ke would definitely hold a grudge against Mu Yuanfeng. Although Mu Ke is no longer in charge, his influence on the family is still huge.

    /petty¡¯s notes: Are you all fine with me using ¡®twin child¡¯ or would you prefer if I used ¡®double¡¯/¡¯shuang¡¯er¡¯? Mu Ke is Mu Yuanhang and Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s father and the head of the Mu family but he has basically transferred most of the power to Mu Yuanhang.

 CH 8

    ¡°I heard that you returned the Clear Water Sword you bought¡­ why, are you very short of money?¡± Mu Yuanfeng was just about to leave the door when he turned his head and asked as if he had just remembered something.

    Mu Chen smiled awkwardly, lowered his head, and wiggled his fingers with embarrassment, saying, ¡°I¡¯m indeed a little short of money lately, and I don¡¯t think the sword is worth that price anyway.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled gratefully and said, ¡°If you think the sword is not worth that price, it means you are starting to grow up.¡±

    Mu Chen lowered his head, his cheeks tinged with red.

    ¡°Here are 500 yuan stones, spend more time on cultivation, don¡¯t spend all day doing nothing, fooling around with your friends.¡± Mu Yuanfeng scolded.

    Mu Chen nodded his head and said, ¡°Father has taught me well.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Chen a little more and left.

    Seeing Mu Yuanfeng leave, Mu Chen let out a sigh of relief.

    Ze Jtfc kflutfv atf yju bo sejc rabcfr lc tlr tjcv, jcv j rwlif jqqfjgfv bc tlr ilqr. Ze Tejcofcu lr gfjiis ufcfgber!

    Ze Jtfc tjr remt j ufcfgber ojatfg, yea tf vbfrc¡¯a xcbk tbk ab mtfglrt la. Lf gfjiis vbfrc¡¯a xcbk tlr yifrrlcur.

    Ze Jtfc rdelcafv jcv rjlv lc tlr tfjga: ¡°P gfjiis cffv ab qgjmalmf tjgv! Lf lr cbk atlgaffc sfjgr biv jcv, jmmbgvlcu ab atf ybbx, tf klii cba ilnf ab yf rlzaffc. Lf tjr jigfjvs vlfv bcmf. Pc atlr ilof, tf vbfrc¡¯a kjca ab vlf sbecu bcmf jujlc. Ktf ragbcufg tf lr, atf rjofg tf mjc offi¡­ cba ab wfcalbc, tlr ybvs lr bcis j rfnfc-rajg wjgalji jqqgfcalmf ktlif tlr oljcmf, ktb tf tjr cfnfg wfa, lr jigfjvs j akb-rajg kjgglbg.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Young master, this is Mo City and the Mu family is one of the three great families in the city. Your fianc¨¦ is Mu Chen, the young master of the Mu family. If you go to the Mu family, you will have something to fall back on in the future.¡± Chen Da said.

    Ye Shi said with a lack of interest, ¡°The marriage contract between me and Mu Chen was decided by my grandfather, but now that my grandfather has passed away and I have been driven out of the family by my father, it is hard to say whether the Mu family will acknowledge it.¡±

    Chen Da¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Ye Xun, this ungrateful guy, how much did madam pay for him in the first place, but he treated you like this just to please a few foxes.¡±

    Ye Shi shook his head and said, ¡°Alright, Uncle Chen, let¡¯s not talk about this.¡±

    ¡°Young master, the Mu family is a respectable family and will not easily break the contract.¡± Chen Da said comfortingly.

    ¡°Even if the current head of the Mu family, Mu Ke, does not intend to break the contract, Mu Chen will not necessarily approve of the marriage. A twisted melon is not sweet. I have hands and feet, and I can support myself. There is no need to beg for someone to marry me. If Mu Chen can¡¯t see me, then let¡¯s forget about the marriage.¡± Ye Shi bit his lip and said.

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi and said, ¡°Young master, don¡¯t talk nonsense. You are a twin child with no one to depend on, it is too dangerous to go out and show your face.¡±

    Ye Shi said with disdain, ¡°What are you afraid of? Who will like me when I look like this?¡±

    Chen Da said helplessly, ¡°Young master, don¡¯t say that.¡± Ye Shi¡¯s appearance is not ugly, it¡¯s just too rigid. All men like delicate and soft little girls, but Ye Shi was born with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, making him look too rough.

    ¡°Uncle Chen, since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s go and find out who Mu Chen is before we make our plans.¡± Ye Shi rolled his eyes and said.

    Chen Da nodded and said, ¡°Good, the old master''s eyes must be good.¡°

    Ye Shi¡¯s face was tinged with a little red and Chen Da couldn¡¯t help but smile. Although Ye Shi looked like a mature young man, he was only thirteen years old and he still held some expectations for his marriage partner in his heart.

    /petty¡¯s notes:

    ½£Ã¼ÐÇÄ¿ (Sword eyebrows and starry eyes): Generally describing an appearance that is valiant, upright, and heroic. This is how generals were described in ancient times.

    People with long sword eyebrows and starry eyes are generally honest and have a straightforward personality.

    Something like this:

    In the text, Chen Da is basically saying that Ye Shi looks too manly for a twin child that should have more delicate and soft features, like women.

    random info:

    ½£Ã¼ÐÇÄ¿ is used to describe generals.

    ÌúÃæ½£Ã¼£¬±øÈ¨ÍòÀï (phoenix eyes and sword eyebrows) is how emperors were described instead.

 CH 9

    After settling down Ye Shi, Chen Da went out to inquire about Mu Chen.

    After two hours, Chen Da returned to Ye Shi with a forced smile, ¡°Young master, I have heard clearly¡­ Mu Chen is distinguished in appearance, young and promising, and his father is a third-level alchemist¡­¡±

    Ye Shi looked at Chen Da, smiled helplessly, and said, ¡°Uncle Chen, you don¡¯t need to comfort me, I know what kind of person Mu Chen is. I¡¯ve heard all about it. It is said that Mu Chen is very lustful and has countless lovers. However, recently, I heard that he has tightened up a lot, the reason is that he is infatuated with a young man named Zhuang Yu.¡±

    ¡°I heard that this young man named Zhuang Yu is so good-looking that he has attracted countless followers. Many famous young men are willing to throw thousands of yuan stones for him. Mu Chen is also one of them.¡±

    Chen Da smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Young master, you know all about it?¡±

    Ye Shi nodded and said helplessly, ¡°Yes! People are talking about him everywhere in the teahouse, how can I not know about it? I would know even if I didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Tbecu wjrafg, P tfjgv atja gfmfcais Ze Jtfc tjr ubcf lcab rfmierlbc. Lf wluta tjnf mibrfv vbkc ab rfio-gfoifma.¡° Jtfc Gj rjlv gfjrreglcuis.

    Ye Shi didn¡¯t think so and said, ¡°A leopard can''t change its spots, I don¡¯t think he has gone to self-reflect. Rather, he has no money and he¡¯s ashamed to meet people, so he has gone into hiding.¡±

    Jtfc Gj ibbxfv ja Tf Vtl jcv rjlv, ¡°Tbecu wjrafg, sbe rtbeivc¡¯a yf abb eqrfa. Tbecu wjrafg Ze Jtfc lr ralii sbecu, wjsyf tf klii yf yfaafg lc j ofk sfjgr.¡±

    Ye Shi bit his lips, a look of uncertainty on his face.

    ¡°Uncle Chen, how many yuan stones do we still have in our hands?¡± Ye Shi asked.

    Chen Da said awkwardly, ¡°There are still twenty.¡± Ye Shi had been driven out of the family, and Ye Xun had never attached much importance to his son. He had not even given him any money for the journey.

    Ye Shi pursed his lips and said, ¡°There are only twenty more! Uncle Chen, go and see which restaurant needs a butcher.¡±

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi with distress and said, ¡°Young master, no matter what you say, you are still a shuang¡¯er! Thinking about slaughtering pigs and sheep all day long, If people knew, you¡¯d become a laughing stock!¡±

    Ye Shi disapproved and said, ¡°Apart from this, I don¡¯t know how to do anything else! Besides, it¡¯s quick money and people will even give me some meat if they see me doing a good job.¡±

    After Ye Shi¡¯s mother passed away, Ye Shi¡¯s food quality and quantity deteriorated. To have enough to eat, Ye Shi often went to the Ye family¡¯s kitchen to work as a helper and get some food on the side. He has studied in the kitchen for many years and while he has not learned any cooking skills, his knife-handling skills turned superb.

    When Chen Da thought of what happened to Ye Shi in the Ye family, he couldn¡¯t help getting angry. Looking at Ye Shi, Chen Da said helplessly, ¡°Young master, you should eat less. Nowadays, people like thinner men¡±

    Ye Shi gnashed his teeth and said indignantly, ¡°This is how I look, what can I do?¡±

    Chen Da said helplessly, ¡°Young master, it is not good for the Mu family to know that you are working as a helper in a restaurant.¡±

    Ye Shi lowered his head and said dejectedly, ¡°If I don¡¯t go to work as a helper, I won¡¯t do anything else either!¡±

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi and said, ¡°No matter what, let¡¯s go to the Mu family first.¡±

    Ye Shi bit his lip, nodded, and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    /petty¡¯s notes: I have read your comments and ¡®twin child¡¯ will be changed to shuang¡¯er. Poor Ye Shi. I understand you, who can resist meat? (¨s?©n?¨t)

 CH 10

    Ye Shi followed Chen Da to the front door of the Mu family. Looking at the grand and majestic Mu family mansion, Ye Shi couldn¡¯t help feeling a little strange in his heart.

    Chen Da stepped forward and knocked on the door.

    ¡°Who is it? What are you knocking so early in the morning for?¡± A little servant yawned and came out impatiently.

    Chen Da walked up and said, ¡°We are from the Ye family in Yuncheng and we are here to see Elder Mu Ke.¡±

    ¡°You want to see the old master? He is in seclusion. How can he have the time to see you?¡± The servant scanned the shabbily dressed Chen Da and Ye Shi with disdain.

    Ye Shi¡¯s face turned red.

    Chen Da knitted his brows and said, ¡°Then could you please inform senior Mu Yuanfeng¡±

    The little servant snorted and said, ¡°You have a lot of face! Either you want to see Old Master or Second Master, but Second Master is not available.¡±

    Jtfc Gj¡¯r ojmf ofii, ¡°Qbeiv sbe qifjrf lcobgw atfw bo beg jgglnji? Yeg sbecu wjrafg jcv sbecu wjrafg Ze Jtfc tjnf j wjggljuf mbcagjma, rb Vfclbg Ze Tejcofcu klii vfolclafis rff er.¡±

    Ktf rfgnjca rcffgfv jcv rjlv, ¡°Zjggljuf mbcagjma? P¡¯nf cfnfg tfjgv bo ws sbecu wjrafg tjnlcu j wjggljuf mbcagjma. Tbeg sbecu wjrafg lr cba tlw, lr tf? Lbk vjgf sbe atlcx bo Tbecu Zjrafg Ze Jtfc ktfc sbe ibbx ilxf atlr? Tbecu Zjrafg Ze Jtfc lr cbk mtjrlcu Tbecu Zjrafg Itejcu Te klat jii tlr wluta. Po sbe jgf rwjga, vbc¡¯a wjxf jcs agbeyif, batfgklrf, sbe¡¯ii yf lc obg j agfja.¡±

    Chen Da¡¯s face turned blue and then white ¡°You ¡­¡­ you ¡­¡­ you ¡­¡­¡±

    The servant laughed coldly and said, ¡°You, you¡­ what you? Be sensible and get out on your own, otherwise, you¡¯ll be driven out.¡±

    ¡°How can you talk like this?¡± Ye Shi said while his face darkened.

    ¡°This is what I have to say, if you don¡¯t want to listen, you can leave!¡± The servant said indifferently.

    Ye Shi¡¯s face turned red, ¡°You ¡­¡­ Uncle Chen, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Chen Da pulled Ye Shi, and said, ¡°But, young master ¡­¡­¡±

    The little servant swept the two men a cold glance, ¡°Get lost, the Mu family is not something you people can climb.¡±

    Ye Shi gnashed his teeth and led Chen Da away.

    ¡°Young master, don¡¯t be discouraged. That little servant looks down on people, but that doesn¡¯t mean young master Mu Chen is the same.¡± Chen Da comforted.

    Ye Shi said unconcernedly, ¡°If you look at that person¡¯s virtue, you will know what kind of person Mu Chen is.¡±

    Chen Da frowned and said, ¡°Young master, maybe it¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    Ye Shi puffed out his cheeks and said, ¡°Uncle Chen, you don¡¯t have to comfort me. The whole world knows that Mu Chen has his heart set on someone else, so we don¡¯t need to deceive ourselves. A twisted melon is not sweet. Since it¡¯s like this, let¡¯s not force it.¡±

    At that time, Mu Chen was in his cultivation room, concentrating on his training, not knowing anything about the arrival of Ye Shi.

    He was a little surprised to find that his learning ability from his previous life had also been brought to this world and that he could quickly comprehend the cultivation techniques of this world after reading them once or twice.

    ¡°Mu Chen, is he cultivating?¡± Mu Yuanhang walked over and asked.

    Ren San nodded and said, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mu Yuanhang showed a look of relief and said, ¡°Finally, Chen¡¯er, you¡¯ve grown up.¡±

    Ren San lowered his head and did not say a word.

    Mu Yuanhang took a deep look in the direction of Mu Chen¡¯s training room and turned away.

 CH 11

    ¡°Father, are you looking for me?¡± Mu Hong asked as he walked into the room.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mu Yuanhang nodded and looked at Mu Hong with a gentle smile on his face.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Mu Hong asked.

    ¡°Your cousin, Mu Chen, has changed quite a lot lately and I am a bit uneasy.¡± Mu Yuanhang frowned and said.

    Hearing Mu Chen¡¯s name, a hint of disgust passed through Mu Hong¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Father, what are you worried about? For the past ten years or so, Mu Chen has always behaved like a piece of mud that can¡¯t stick to a wall, and he is still only a seven-star martial apprentice. Does father think he will suddenly start working hard?¡± Mu Hong said in disbelief.

    Mu Yuanhang shook his head and said disapprovingly, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him. Mu Chen¡¯s qualifications were originally very good, but he just wasted them. If he had worked as hard as you, I¡¯m afraid he would already be ahead of you by now.¡±

    Mu Hong¡¯s eyes flashed a bit of gloom. ¡°I know, father.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Ze Jtfc rajsfv lc atf meialnjalbc gbbw, oiertlcu tlr wfglvljcr bnfg jcv bnfg jujlc klat rqlglaeji fcfgus.

    Ktlr ues, Ze Jtfc, cba bcis vlv cba atlcx jybea wjxlcu qgbugfrr yea jirb abrrfv tlr ybvs lcab j wfrr, kjralcu tlr ubbv dejilolmjalbcr.

    Pa abbx rfnfc vjsr obg Ze Jtfc ab bqfc eq jii atf yibmxjufr lc tlr ybvs, jcv jiatbeut tf kjr ralii j rfnfc-rajg wjgalji jqqgfcalmf, tlr ktbif ybvs ibbxfv wemt yfaafg.

    ¡°Brother Chen, I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± As soon as Mu Chen left the gate, Mu Hong appeared.

    Mu Chen looked at Mu Hong and couldn¡¯t help feeling a little wary in his heart. Although Mu Yuanfeng and Mu Yuanhang were brothers, there was a lot of secret infighting between them. Similarly, although Mu Hong was Mu Chen¡¯s cousin, he had always regarded Mu Chen as an enemy in his heart.

    All along, Mu Hong had been secretly jealous of Mu Chen¡¯s natural talent, but he also disdained Mu Chen¡¯s wasteful behavior.

    ¡°Cousin, were you looking for me?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. There is a new gambling house in town, would you like to go with me and try your luck?¡± Mu Hong asked, patting Mu Chen on the shoulder.

    Mu Chen shook his head and said, ¡°No need.¡±

    Mu Hong frowned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you short of money? No way.¡±

    He knew that Mu Chen had received more than 400 yuan stones after returning the sword. According to how much Mu Yuanfeng doted on his son, it was impossible for him not to give Mu Chen yuan stones after he came out of seclusion. So, Mu Chen should be very well-off at the moment.

    Mu Chen smiled lightly and said, ¡°My hands are a little tight indeed¡±

    Mu Hong looked at Mu Chen and said, ¡°Your hands are tight. Brother Chen, are you trying to save up yuan stones to buy a gift for Zhuang Yu so that you can give him a surprise?¡±

    ¡°Cousin, what are you thinking about? I¡¯m really short of money.¡± Mu Chen said coolly.

    Mu Hong said indifferently, ¡°Come on, do you think I don¡¯t know you? A man cannot waste his youth and Zhuang Yu is indeed a beautiful man.¡±

    Mu Chen sneered secretly, ¡°A beauty? Did you mean, homme fatale?

    ¡°By the way, the annual auction at the Clearing Moon Auction House is about to start. I heard that there will be a bottle of Ice Lotus Water for sale at this auction. If you buy it for Zhuang Yu, he will definitely like it. Maybe, if he is happy enough, he will throw himself at you.¡± Mu Hong showed an insinuating smile.

    Mu Chen¡¯s heart was cold. After the thousand-year-old snow lotus had withered, its medicinal properties were incorporated into the snow water, which then became the Ice Lotus Water. It was very precious and the price was naturally not low. In the original novel, Muchen threw a lot of money to win the favor of Zhuang Yu.

    Zhuang Yu accepted this generous gift because he felt that Mu Chen was sincere toward him, but he still did not accept Mu Chen¡¯s feelings.

    Mu Chen¡¯s eyelids jumped. In the original text, Mu Chen spent eight thousand yuan stones to buy the Ice Lotus Water. Where did Mu Chen get such a large amount of yuan stones?

    ¡°Cousin, you are joking. The reserve price for the Ice Lotus Water is two thousand yuan stones, how can I afford it?¡± Mu Chen shook his head and said.

    Mu Hong smiled mysteriously, ¡°If you can¡¯t afford it, you can think of a way!¡±

    ¡°Way? What way?¡± Mu Chen pretended to be curious.

    ¡°I heard that Uncle Yuanfeng has recently refined a good elixir. If you steal it and sell it, you will definitely have enough yuan stones.¡± Mu Hong said smugly.

    Mu Chen smiled, ¡°So father has recently refined a good elixir? I really didn¡¯t know about it.¡±

 CH 12

    ¡°Did you tell Mu Chen about the Spirit Breaking pill?¡± Mu Yuanhang asked Mu Hong with a cold face.

    ¡°Father, you know about it? Father, second uncle is now a nine-star martial master. If we let him advance to martial spirit, it would be detrimental to us, but father, if you could get that elixir, then the situation would be different.¡± Mu Hong said with a twinkle in his eye.

    Mu Yuanhang sighed, ¡°This is something that should be mentioned, but it should not be brought up by you. You¡¯ll scare the snake and make Mu Chen suspicious, it¡¯s not good.¡±

    Mu Hong said in disbelief, ¡°Father, you think too highly of Mu Chen. He has always been simple-minded, how could he be suspicious?¡±

    Mu Yuan glared at Mu Hong, ¡°If you are careful, you can steer your ship safely for a myriad of years. Never underestimate your opponent. Even if Mu Chen won¡¯t be suspicious, won¡¯t Mu Yuanfeng be suspicious?¡±

    Mu Hong pursed his lips. Although he was still a little unconvinced, he lowered his head and said, ¡°Son knows he was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Forget it this time, anyway, with that guy Mu Chen¡¯s nature, he shouldn¡¯t suspect you.¡± Mu Yuanhang said.

    Mu Hong nodded, ¡°I will be careful next time.¡±

    ¡°Yglulcjiis, atf wbra relajyif qfgrbc ab wfcalbc atlr wjaafg kjr Hl Vl, yea, ecobgaecjafis, Hl Vl kjr vlrwlrrfv ys Ze Jtfc.¡± Ze Tejctjcu rjlv klat gfugfa.

    ¡°Mjatfg, ktja kjr atf gfjrbc kts Hl Vl kjr rfca jkjs ys Ze Jtfc?¡± Ze Lbcu jrxfv lc mbcoerlbc.

    Hl Vl kjr atf yfra mtfrr qlfmf qijmfv ys Ze Tejctjcu ja Ze Jtfc¡¯r rlvf. Qlatbea tlw, atflg mbcagbi bnfg Ze Jtfc klii yf ugfjais gfvemfv.

    ¡°I heard that it was because Zhuang Yu returned Mu Chen¡¯s sword and Mu Chen dismissed him in a fit of anger.¡± Mu Yuanhang said.

    Mu Hong was puzzled, ¡°It¡¯s not like him!¡± Mu Chen had always been an indecisive person, so it was a bit strange for him to expel one of his close confidants so neatly!

    ¡°This kid, lately, seems to be different.¡± Mu Yuanhang said thoughtfully.

    Mu Chen walked out of the room. When Ren San saw Mu Chen, his face immediately brightened with joy, ¡°Young master, you have advanced to the rank of eight-star martial apprentice. Congratulations, congratulations young master!¡±

    Mu Chen rolled his eyes helplessly in his heart. Most people his age were already martial warriors. He is only an eight-star martial apprentice and his strength is simply not enough.

    ¡°Is there anything going on these days?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    ¡°Young master Mu Hong has sent a list saying that there will be a big auction soon and there will be many good things.¡± Ren San said.

    Mu Chen squinted his eyes and a cold light flashed through his eyes, ¡°Where is the list? Let me see.¡±

    Ren San nodded and handed the list in his hand to Mu Chen.

    Mu Chen opened the list. Skimming through, he noticed that Mu Hong had left a special mark on the Ice Lotus Water.

    Mu Chen smiled bitterly. The original text only stated that young master Mu Chen had thrown several thousand yuan stones for beauty, but not that there were so many pushers behind young master Mu¡¯s squandering!

    Looking at the alchemy furnace on the list, Mu Chen couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit moved.

    Mu Yuanfeng is an alchemist. He had once wanted to train Mu Chen into an alchemist, but the original Mu Chen was not interested. The original owner was not interested, but he was.

    ¡°Did you bring the alchemy book I asked you about?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    Ren San nodded, ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°You can go out.¡± Mu Chen said.

    Ren San nodded and retreated.

    Mu Chen opened the book, and after turning a few pages, a map fell out. The map was marked with the layout of the secret room in Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s bedroom. The drawing also showed a way to open the secret room.

 CH 13

    Ren San knocked on the door and walked into Mu Chen¡¯s study, ¡°Young master, there are guests outside.¡±

    ¡°Guests, who?¡± Mu Chen asked, cocking his head.

    ¡°Chen Moran, young master Chen, and young master Zhuang Yu.¡± said Ren San.

    Mu Chen raised his eyebrows, puzzled, ¡°It¡¯s them? What are they doing here?¡±

    Ren San shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Mu Chen rubbed his hands together for a moment, ¡°Since they are here, let¡¯s go and meet them.¡±

    Ren San nodded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    When Chen Moran saw Mu Chen come out, his face changed and he said sarcastically, ¡°Mu Chen, you look good! You don¡¯t have any missing arms or legs and you seem to have gained weight.¡±

    Chen Moran originally thought that since Mu Chen was rejected by Zhuang Yu, he would be devastated by the loss of face. Instead, Mu Chen looked so radiant and the whole person looked very different from before.

    Mu Chen looked at Chen Moran, ¡°If you wanted me to be missing an arm or a leg, then I¡¯m really going to let you down.¡±

    Itejcu Te rwlifv jkxkjgvis jr tf kjamtfv atf afcrlbc glrf yfakffc atf akb wfc, ¡°Ze Jtfc, Zbgjc vlvc¡¯a wfjc atja.¡±

    Ze Jtfc rtgeuufv tlr rtbeivfgr, ¡°Pa vbfrc¡¯a wjaafg.¡±

    Itejcu Te qegrfv tlr ilqr, ¡°P¡¯w rbggs obg ktja tjqqfcfv ijra alwf.¡±

    Ze Jtfc rtbbx tlr tfjv, ¡°Qtfc la mbwfr ab offilcur, sbe vb ktja sbe kjca. Po sbe vbc¡¯a ilxf wf, sbe jgf gluta ab gfoerf wf.¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at Mu Chen, a gloomy look in his eyes.

    Chen Moran frowned, ¡°Mu Chen, Zhuang Yu saw that you had not come to the Martial Arts Academy for so many days and was worried about you, so he came to see you. Don¡¯t be so cold and insensitive.¡±

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡± cold, did he speak coldly? At most, he was not as warm and fawning toward Zhuang Yu as he used to be.

    Zhuang Yu gave Chen Moran a helpless look and grabbed his hand, saying, ¡°Moran, don¡¯t be like this.¡±

    Chen Moran smiled at Zhuang Yu and then shot Mu Chen a warning look.

    Zhuang Yu¡¯s beautiful eyes looked towards Mu Chen, ¡°Young Chen, do you know about the auction hosted by the Clearing Moon Auction House?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes, Clearing Moon¡¯s annual auction! I heard that there will be a lot of good things at this auction, but I¡¯m short of money lately, so I can only take a look.¡±

    Zhuang Yu pursed his lips, smiled, and said, ¡°It¡¯s still good to take a look and gain some insight.¡±

    There was a bit of loss in Zhuang Yu¡¯s eyes. Mu Chen was really different from the past. If it had been before, this person would have chased him and asked if there was anything he liked in the auction house.

    Chen Moran looked at Mu Chen, ¡°Are you shy of money these days? No, your father is an alchemist and you still say you don¡¯t have spirit stones.¡±

    Mu Chen laughed bitterly, ¡°My father is my father and I am me? What¡¯s so strange about me lacking spirit stones?¡±

    Chen Moran snorted, ¡°You¡¯re really useless. If you don¡¯t have spirit stones, can¡¯t you think of something?¡±

    Mu Chen looked at Chen Moran, ¡°Young master Chen, do you have any suggestions?¡±

    Chen Moran smiled indifferently, ¡°Your father is an alchemist and he should have refined many pills. If you take two of them and sell them, you will naturally have enough spirit stones.¡±

    Zhuang Yu¡¯s face changed, ¡±Moran, what are you talking about? How can you sell pills at will?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Brother Chen, you must be joking. My father¡¯s pills, how can I just take it out and sell it casually!¡± Mu Chen said disapprovingly.

    Chen Moran laughed, ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡±

    Mu Chen lowered his head and a cold light passed through his eyes. For Chen Moran to say this, is it accidental or was it carefully arranged by someone? It really didn¡¯t seem like a coincidence.

    /petty¡¯s notes: I¡¯m going to use ¡®spirit stones¡¯ instead of ¡®yuan stones¡¯ in the future.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    Moran: ¡°Zhang Yu was so worried about you, that¡¯s why we came to see you!¡±

    Two seconds later¡­

    Zhang Yu: ¡°So¡­ Did you hear about the auction? ???¡±

 CH 14

    ¡°Young master, did you hear about the auction hosted by the Clearing Moon Auction House?¡± Chen Da asked.

    Ye Shi puffed out his cheeks, ¡°Uncle Chen, don¡¯t call me young master. I¡¯m just a slaughterer of pigs and goats now. Isn¡¯t it strange for you to call me young master?¡±

    Chen Da smiled awkwardly, ¡°Uncle Chen is used to it. If I don¡¯t call you young master, what should I call you?¡±

    Ye Shi shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Call me Shi Tou/Stone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not very nice.¡± Chen Da said with difficulty.

    Ye Shi said unconcernedly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with it! A phoenix without feathers is not as good as a chicken. I was never a phoenix in the first place. It¡¯s good to call me Shi Tou.¡±

    Chen Da shook his head helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±

    Tf Vtl rtgeuufv tlr rtbeivfgr klat vlrlcafgfra.

    ¡°Vtl Kbe, atf jemalbc klii rajga rbbc. P tfjgv atfgf klii yf wjcs ubbv atlcur lc la.¡± Jtfc Gj rjlv.

    Tf Vtl rcbgafv vlrjqqgbnlcuis, ¡°Qtja¡¯r atf erf bo rb wjcs ubbv atlcur? P mjc¡¯a joobgv jcsatlcu. Aera atf fcagjcmf almxfa mbrar afc rqlgla rabcfr. Ebyylcu wbcfs, atlr lr!¡±

    Ye Shi bit his lip with some dissatisfaction. Now, he was helping out in a restaurant for one spirit stone a day. Like this, he could only make thirty spirit stones a month. Simply not enough!

    Chen Da thought for a moment, ¡±Young master, in fact, it¡¯s good to spend a few spirit stones to gain some insight. Young master Mu Chen should also go to the auction. If we go, we might even be able to meet him¡­ ¡±

    Ye Shi rolled his eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll spend 10 spirit stones to see that loser. Shameful! I would be crazy to spend spirit stones to see him.¡±

    Chen Da: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Mu Chen was lying on his bed and a copy of the Bone Shrinking Technique was placed right in front of him.

    The Bone Shrinking Technique could make the body smaller. If one wanted to hide one¡¯s identity, the Bone Shrinking Technique could be used to shrink the body. Moreover, this technique could be used to change one¡¯s appearance by re-shaping the bones in your face.

    Inch by inch, Mu Chen¡¯s body became smaller, shrinking to the size of a six or seven-year-old.

    Afterward, Mu Chen¡¯s body slowly grew again and recovered to its original size.

    Mu Chen continued to shrink and grow in size with great interest.

    When Mu Chen came out of the room, Ren San was shocked, ¡°Young master, you have advanced to the nine-star martial apprentice.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded his head, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mu Chen originally had good qualifications. It was just that this guy, Mu Chen, had made a mess of his own body. Mu Chen had spent some time before, toning his body and solidifying his foundation. Now that his body had been toned and there were enough spirit stones, his strength rose naturally.

    ¡°Young master, the eldest young master came by again today. I told him that you were still resting and didn¡¯t want to be disturbed, so he left.¡± Ren San said.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°I know.¡± Mu Hong was getting more and more restless. Recently, one of the servants beside Mu Chen happened to casually mention the matter of the pill again, so he should have been bought off as well.

    Mu Chen did not know that the Spirit Breaking Pill was worth at least 300,000 stones, but the original owner had sold it for only 20,000 stones.

    That Spirit Breaking pill, which was sold by the original owner, unsurprisingly fell into the hands of Mu Yuanhang, who was thus promoted to Martial Spirit, steadily suppressing Mu Yuanfeng.

    With Mu Chen¡¯s flapping his butterfly wings, Mu Yuanfeng was on the defensive and nothing was the same anymore.

 CH 15

    Mu Yuanhang looked at Mu Hong with a grim face, ¡°Mu Chen gave Mu Yuanfeng the map that we put in his book and now Mu Yuanfeng is already on guard against us.¡±

    Mu Hong¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°How could this happen?¡±

    Mu Yuanhang took a deep breath, ¡°Mu Yuanfeng is already on guard about the Spirit Breaking Pill, so I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to strike again.¡±

    Mu Hong gritted his teeth, ¡°This is impossible.¡± Mu Chen, who had never had any brains, had suddenly become smart.

    ¡°Mu Chen has advanced to a nine-star martial apprentice.¡± Mu Yuanhang said.

    Mu Hong¡¯s face suddenly changed, ¡°How is that possible?¡± Mu Chen had just been promoted to an eight-star martial apprentice and in just a few days, he had been promoted to nine-star.

    Mu Yuanhang held his forehead, ¡°This guy, Mu Chen, after being rejected by Zhuang Yu, his heart has changed drastically. Now he cannot be underestimated.¡±

    Mu Hong gnashed his teeth, ¡°Was being rejected by Zhuang Yu such a big stimulus to Mu Chen?¡±

    Mu Yuanhang shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Who knows, but Zhuang Yu is really a talented person and many people are fascinated by him.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Vtl Kbe, atfgf jgf rbwf rqfmlji uefrar lc atf ogbca tjii. Gb sbe kjca ab ub jcv ajxf j ibbx?¡± C¡¯Ze, atf gfrajegjca¡¯r yerybs, jrxfv.

    Tf Vtl ibbxfv ja atf nlrlabg jcv ogbkcfv, ¡°Qtja xlcv bo qfbqif jgf tfgf?¡±

    ¡°Itejcu Te tjr ygbeuta j ofk qfbqif tfgf, jii bo ktbw jgf ojwber sbecu ajifcar lc beg mlas. Tbecu wjrafg Itejcu Te lr gfjiis mjqjyif. Sjmt alwf, atf qfbqif tf yglcur bnfg jgf vloofgfca, yea atfs jii tjnf atf rjwf ubbv dejilalfr.¡± C¡¯Ze rjlv rbegis.

    Ye Shi¡¯s face changed, ¡°Is Zhuang Yu good-looking?¡±

    A¡¯Mu nodded, ¡°Naturally, he is. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be a succession of people around him.¡±

    Chen Da¡¯s face changed, ¡°Is Mu Chen, young master Mu, here?¡±

    A¡¯Mu shook his head, ¡°No, he¡¯s not here. It¡¯s strange, Young master Mu Chen hasn¡¯t shown up much lately. He used to be the most fun-loving person, but lately, he¡¯s like a different man.¡±

    Chen Da looked at A¡¯Mu, ¡°What¡¯s he been doing lately?¡±

    A¡¯Mu shook his head, ¡°Who knows?¡±

    Chen Da glanced at Ye Shi, ¡°Shi Tou, are you going?¡±

    Ye Shi shook his head decisively, ¡°No.¡± Sneaking to see Mu Chen¡¯s sweetheart, he wouldn¡¯t do such stupid things.

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi and shook his head helplessly.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Zhuang Yu sat at the table, surrounded by a circle of teenagers.

    ¡°Brother Chen, I haven¡¯t seen Brother Mu lately, what has he been up to?¡± Sun Yu asked curiously.

    Chen Moran laughed coldly, ¡°This guy has been hiding at home like a young maiden lately. Maybe he¡¯s hiding at home to give birth.¡±

    Sun Yu laughed, ¡°Brother Chen is really joking.¡±

    ¡°The auction is coming up soon and Mu Chen will be there.¡± Sun Yu said.

    Chen Moran nodded, ¡±I guess so.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many spirit stones Mu Chen has at the moment. If a few of us chip in, we might be able to buy the Ice Lotus Water.¡± Sun Yu thought for a moment.

    The Ice Lotus Water that Zhuang Yu wanted was really too expensive. They wanted to please the beauty, but the price was too high to afford!

    Zhuang Yu smiled awkwardly, ¡°Thank you all for taking care of me. The Ice Lotus Water is too expensive, so you should not break the bank.¡±

    Sun Yu disapproved, ¡°A¡¯Yu, don¡¯t say that. If we have the chance, let¡¯s fight for it.¡±

    Zhuang Yu bowed his head and smiled bashfully.

    ¡°In fact, Mu Yuanfeng is an alchemist, so Mu Chen can just sell two of his father¡¯s pills to get the spirit stones. Unfortunately, this guy is being stingy lately.¡± Chen Moran said without good grace.

 CH 16

    Zhuang Yu bowed his head and could not help but feel a little depressed.

    There were many people around him, all of whom were very attentive to him, but none of them were willing to be ruthless enough to throw a thousand spirit stones for him.

    Before, when he didn¡¯t need Mu Chen, he was around him all day long.

    Now, he needs him but Mu Chen is hiding away. Zhuang Yu felt a little aggrevied.

    Ye Shi hides to the side and secretly looks at Zhuang Yu.

    Originally, Ye Shi didn¡¯t want to come but he couldn¡¯t resist Chen Da, so he decided to come out and take a peek. Ye Shi was also curious about what kind of person Mu Chen liked.

    Ye Shi recognized Zhuang Yu at first glance.

    Zhuang Yu is also a shuang¡¯er. Although shuang¡¯er are also men, there is still a certain difference in their looks. Most of them look soft and beautiful.

    Tf Vtl ibbxfv ja Itejcu Te, ktb kjr reggbecvfv ys fnfgsbcf, atf rajgr, jcv atf wbbc, jcv mbeivc¡¯a tfiq offilcu j ilaaif ragjcuf. Lf kjr lcvffv j qfgrbc klat j mifjg uijrrs mbwqifzlbc, jcv klat remt j yfjealoei ojmf, la kjr cb kbcvfg atja Ze Jtfc kjr jaagjmafv ab tlw.

    ¡°Yuehe Restaurant.¡± Mu Chen looked at the name of the restaurant and said in a low, soft voice.

    This restaurant was the original owner¡¯s favorite. The food inside cost a lot of spirit stones but it was also very delicious. Moreover, many of the dishes in this restaurant were made from demon beasts¡¯ meat, eating it could also strengthen the body.

    ¡°Young master, do you want to go in for a meal?¡± Ren San asked.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Sure!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s here, isn¡¯t this young master Mu Chen? Finally, he¡¯s willing to show his face.¡± Chen Moran could not help but exclaim when he saw Mu Chen.

    When Mu Chen saw Zhuang Yu and Chen Moran, he couldn¡¯t help feeling disgusted inside.

    He had tried his best to avoid Zhuang Yu but he still couldn¡¯t avoid this thing called fate, so here he is.

    When Ye Shi saw Mu Chen enter the door, he froze for a moment.

    ¡°Huh, Young master Mu Chen has also appeared.¡± A¡¯Mu muttered.

    Ye Shi was taken aback by the sudden appearance of A¡¯Mu, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    A¡¯Mu shrugged, ¡°The back kitchen is fine, I came to check the situation. Young master Mu Chen has grown more handsome.¡±

    In the past, Mu Chen used to participate in cockfighting and horse racing, drinking and playing, the whole person looked sleazy. Now the inside has changed and the man has become sunny.

    ¡°Just like that, where¡¯s the handsome?¡± Ye Shi bit his lip and said.

    A¡¯Mu gave Ye Shi a look, beamed, and said, ¡°Shi Tou, you have a high vision!!¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s face blushed and he muttered in a small voice, ¡°He¡¯s not that good.¡±

    As soon as Mu Chen walked into the restaurant, he spotted Ye Shi and A¡¯Mu. After crossing over, Mu Chen¡¯s soul power fused with the original owner¡¯s. After the integration, Mu Chen¡¯s soul power became very strong, so much so that, the conversation between Ye Shi and A¡¯Mu, Mu Chen could hear it easily.

    ¡°Shi Tou, young Mu seems to be looking this way. Is he looking at us?¡± A¡¯Mu asked.

    ¡°He just casually glanced over here.¡± Ye Shi said unconcernedly.

    Ye Shi bit his lip. When Mu Chen looked at him just now, he was startled. However, Mu Chen only looked at him once and then turned his eyes away.

    Ye Shi cursed himself for being a coward, it¡¯s just a Mu Chen, right? There is nothing to be afraid of.

    Mu Chen slightly hooked the corner of his mouth and secretly said, ¡°There are so many beautiful men in this world, even a restaurant waiter has such outstanding beauty. Just to his taste!

 CH 17

    ¡°Young master Chen, what have you been up to lately? I haven¡¯t seen you go out at all.¡± Zhuang Yu asked, blinking his beautiful eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been planning to learn alchemy with my father.¡± Mu Chen answered casually after taking a sip of tea.

    Zhuang Yu frowned. He felt a surge of irritation in his heart. In the past, if he had asked something like this, Mu Chen would have been flattered and would have tried his best to please him.

    If you play hard to get once or twice, it¡¯s fine but if you keep acting coy, then it would become disgusting.

    Chen Moran sneered, ¡°When did you become interested in alchemy? Don¡¯t think that just because your father is an alchemist, you can become one too. Alchemy is not something ordinary people can do.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled faintly, ¡°I¡¯m just trying it out.¡±

    ¡°Young master Chen, you are a nine-star martial apprentice.¡± Sun Yu said in shock after looking at Mu Chen.

    A cold light flashed in Chen Moran¡¯s eyes. He was currently an eight-star martial apprentice. He had been steadily suppressing Mu Chen on the path of cultivation, but he did not expect Mu Chen to run ahead of him without saying anything. His mood was pervaded with gloom.

    ¡°Mu Chen, did you get addicted to taking pills? We are still in the Martial Apprentice realm. If we take pills to forcibly raise our cultivation, we will be finished in the future.¡± Chen Moran said coldly.

    Mu Chen glanced at him, a trace of anger showing in his eyes, ¡°Thank you for your concern but I have a sense of proportion.¡±

    Chen Moran shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t take such an attitude, I¡¯m saying this for your own good.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled noncommittally.

    ¡°Mu Chen, how many spirit stones do you have on hand now?¡± Chen Moran asked.

    Mu Chen lifted his eyebrows, ¡°Not much.¡±

    Chen Moran glanced at Zhuang Yu and then turned back to Mu Chen, saying, ¡°A¡¯Yu wants the Ice Lotus Water. How many spirit stones do you have? Lend it to me first and when I have enough spirit stones, I will return it to you.¡±

    Mu Chen gave Chen Moran a cool sweeping glance, ¡°Brother Chen, you think too highly of me. How many spirit stones can I have?.¡±

    Zhuang Yu wants the Ice Lotus Water. What does it have to do with him? In the original text, Zhuang Yu had always hated Mu Chen¡¯s pestering. Later on, Mu Chen was killed and Zhuang Yu definitely played a role in it. Honestly, he doesn¡¯t want Zhuang Yu to get the Ice Lotus Water at all. The stronger Zhuang Yu is, the greater the threat to his life.

    Chen Moran said indifferently, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your father love you? If you ask him for it, will he not give it to you?¡±

    Mu Chen is Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s only son while Chen Moran¡¯s father has several sons and daughters. Although Chen Moran has decent talent, he was not the most valued one among them. Chen Moran had always been jealous of Mu Chen because he was treated much better than he was.

    ¡°My father¡¯s spirit stones didn¡¯t come out of thin air. How can I ask for them at will?¡± Mu Chen said unconcernedly.

    ¡°Mu Chen, do you not want to help?¡± Chen Moran asked.

    Mu Chen shrugged his shoulders, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help, but I really can¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Ye Shi hid in the dark with his ears pricked up, quietly listening to Mu Chen¡¯s words.

    Mu Chen looked toward Ye Shi and when Ye Shi met Mu Chen¡¯s gaze, two blushes suddenly appeared on his face.

    Looking at Ye Shi¡¯s face, Mu Chen couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    Ye Shi bit his lip, the blush on his face turning a deeper red.

    When Chen Da saw Ye Shi enter the room, he asked, ¡°How is it? Have you seen Mu Chen?

    ¡°Terrible.¡± Ye Shi said with a grimace.

    ¡°Terrible? How bad is it?¡± Chen Da asked.

    Ye Shi pursed his lips, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know how to manage his money. It¡¯s all gone. He doesn¡¯t even have the money to please his friends. With so many people around Zhuang Yu, he wants to catch the white wolf empty-handed, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s impossible. ¡°

    Chen Da smiled, ¡°From the looks of it, Mu Chen should have no more feelings for Zhuang Yu.¡±

    Ye Shi puffed out his cheeks and twiddled his fingers, ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t feel anything for Zhuang Yu, there are still others.¡±

 CH 18

    Mu Chen and Zhuang Yu¡¯s entourage dispersed and as he stepped into the carriage, Mu Chen¡¯s face was cloudy.

    Zhuang Yu was indeed extraordinary. Just because he was not willing to pay the spirit stones, the others looked at him strangely. They were probably hating and cursing him in their hearts.

    Zhuang Yu¡¯s appeal is huge and if he really formed an enmity with Zhuang Yu, he might not have to wait three years before Zhuang Yu¡¯s protectors come to finish him off.

    Mu Chen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Strength! If he was strong enough, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about this.

    Mu Chen took out a copy of the << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>> from his spatial ring.

    Mu Chen¡¯s physical condition is not very good. Thus, Mu Yuanfeng tried to find this technique by all means, hoping that it would help Mu Chen train his body. Although this << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>> is very effective, it is also very painful. The original Mu Chen only practiced it once or twice before crying out in pain and putting it away.

    Mu Chen squinted his eyes. The original owner was too ignorant of Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s painstaking efforts. As far as he knew, Mu Yuanfeng had put a lot of effort to get this Body Tempering Technique. If not for this, Mu Yuanfeng might have already been promoted to Martial Spirit.

    Mu Chen fondled the Body Tempering Technique in his hand and a cold light crossed his eyes. This was only the first section of the << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>>. Although incomplete, it¡¯s still extraordinary and the history behind this technique shouldn¡¯t be simple either.

    Two years later, there will be an outstanding young man looking for this book, and, needless to say, this man will meet Zhuang Yu, who will fall in love with him at first sight. From there, it won¡¯t take long before the two hook up. This man is Lu Yao, one of Zhuang Yu¡¯s acknowledged true partners. Zhuang Yu will know about his beloved¡¯s search for the book and he will also find out by accident that the book is in Mu Chen¡¯s hands.

    Unwilling to let the pearl go unnoticed, Zhuang Yu will ask Mu Chen for the book in order to make the best use of it.

    In order to please Zhuang Yu, Mu Chen will hand over the copy of << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>> to make Zhuang Yu happy.

    Mu Chen closed the Body Tempering Technique in his hand, a cold light simmering at the bottom of his eyes. What a load of crap!

    ¡°Ren San.¡± Mu Chen lifted the carriage curtain and called out.

    Ren San turned his head to look at Mu Chen, ¡°Young master, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back, let¡¯s head to the demon trading market.¡± Mu Chen said. Practicing the << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>> required a large amount of beasts¡¯ blood, and Mu Chen had to go and purchase a batch first.

    Ren San nodded, ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Shi Tou, the chef is looking for you.¡± A¡¯Mu looked at Ye Shi with envy.

    Ye Shi skillfully sliced the meat in his hands into several pieces and the shape and size of each piece of meat was almost the same, comparable to a work of art.

    Ye Shi raised his head, ¡°The chef is looking for me, what does he want?¡±

    A¡¯Mu shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know! You go and see.¡±

    In this world, the status of a spiritual chef is very high. The energy contained in demon beasts¡¯ meat is a little violent and eating too much of it can easily damage the body. Spiritual chefs can not only make delicious dishes but also make the energy in the demon beasts¡¯ meat milder.

    The higher the level of the chef, the higher the level of the meat they can handle.

    ¡°Shi Tou.¡± Wang Lun turned his head and called out to Ye Shi.

    Ye Shi nervously rubbed his hands together, ¡°Chef, are you looking for me?¡±

    Wang Lun smiled, ¡°No need to be nervous. I heard that you can distinguish the quality of demon beasts¡¯ meat.¡±

    Ye Shi said awkwardly, ¡°I can only make some rough distinctions and I often get them wrong.¡±

    Wang Lun chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest, in my opinion, you still have a very good eye.¡±

    Ye Shi smiled shyly, ¡°Thank you, senior.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going out to purchase edible demon beasts, why don¡¯t you come along?¡±

    Ye Shi opened his eyes wide, ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Wang Lun answered with a faint smile.

 CH 19

    Mu Chen wandered through the demon trading market with great interest.

    ¡°Newly arrived, authentic, fresh, and fragrant mountain pigs! Look at how strong these pigs are! The meat is guaranteed to be delicious.¡±

    ¡°Sanhua chickens, a bargain, a bargain, the last ten for a single spirit stone!¡±

    ¡°A high-quality crane-beaked turtle! It nourishes the Yin and tonifies the Yang! Two spirit stones for one! Come and grab it, come and buy it!¡±

    Most of the demon beasts in the market are at the level of a human Martial Apprentice.

    Of course, as long as you have the money, it¡¯s not difficult to buy a second-grade demon beast. These demon beasts usually have a ring on one of their feet, restraining them from attacking.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°I heard that young master Mu Chen is also here. This young master has changed a lot recently, and his strength has advanced from seven-stars to nine-stars martial apprentice.¡± said Wang Lun with a smile.

    Ye Shi wasn¡¯t impressed, ¡°It''s just a nine-stars martial apprentice. If he had put in the effort, a young master of his age would have been a martial warrior already.¡±

    If he had been as lucky as Mu Chen, he would definitely be more than a two-stars martial warrior, he would have already advanced to five-stars, at least.

    Qjcu Oec uijcmfv ja Tf Vtl jcv rjlv klat j rwlif, ¡°Vtl Kbe, sbe rffw ab tjnf rbwf qgfpevlmf jujlcra sbecu wjrafg Ze Jtfc!¡±

    Tf Vtl rwlifv jkxkjgvis, ¡°P vbc¡¯a!¡±

    ¡°Vtl Kbe, sbe tjnf ubbv dejilolmjalbcr, tjnf sbe fnfg mbcrlvfgfv pblclcu j ojwlis?¡± Qjcu Oec jrxfv.

    Tf Vtl qegrfv tlr ilqr, ¡°P vbc¡¯a ilxf yflcu gfragjlcfv.¡±

    Ye Shi gritted his teeth. In the Ye family, Ye Shi was in a difficult situation and he had once considered leaving the Ye family to join another one, but no matter how unpopular he was in the Ye family, he still carried the Ye family label. The other families would not easily accept him, and even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t really trust him.

    Moreover, he is not only a member of the Ye family but also Mu Chen¡¯s fianc¨¦.

    Ye Shi lifted his head and looked in the direction of Mu Chen.

    As Ye Shi looked toward Mu Chen, Mu Chen seemed to feel something and turned his head back, coincidentally bumping into Ye Shi¡¯s line of sight.

    Seeing Ye Shi, Mu Chen could resist giving him a big smile.

    Ye Shi grimaced and shot Mu Chen a glare.

    Mu Chen frowned and squinted his eyes in confusion. As the saying goes, you shall not slap a person in the face when he is smiling at you. Is this principle of the previous world no longer valid here?

    ¡°Young master, did you offend that shuang¡¯er?¡± Ren San asked.

    Mu Chen raised his eyebrows, ¡°Is that a shuang¡¯er?¡±

    Ren San nodded, ¡°Yes! Although he is a bit more handsome, he is indeed a shuang¡¯er.¡±

    Mu Chen pondered a bit, ¡°Is that so? I really can¡¯t tell.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Mu Chen doing here? To pick a demon beast for his sweetheart?¡± Ye Shi said with a sideways glance.

    Wang Lun answered indifferently, ¡°I heard that he came to acquire demon beasts¡¯ blood.¡±

    ¡°Demon beasts¡¯ blood, does he want to make blood tofu?¡± Ye Shi muttered.

    Blood tofu is Ye Shi¡¯s favorite food. Since childhood, Ye Chi was allowed to eat a limited amount of demon beasts¡¯ meat. Fortunately, the chef of the Ye family had a good relationship with Ye Shi and he used to make a lot of blood tofu to add to Ye Shi¡¯s meals.

    Wang Lun shook his head, ¡°Unlikely, the amount is too much.¡±

    Ye Shi pursed his lips, ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Young master, you want ten catties of pig blood, ten catties of snake blood, ten catties of chicken blood, ten catties of sheep blood and ten catties of tiger blood, a total of two hundred spirit stones.¡± Ren San said to Mu Chen.

    Mu Chen frowned, ¡°Is it that expensive?¡±

    Ren San nodded, ¡°Tiger blood is more expensive.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°I see.¡± Cultivation burns money! To practice the << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>>, one needed to use the blood of demon beasts to forge the body, and tiger blood was a must.

 CH 20

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes shone brightly as he looked at the Sanhua chicken in the cage.

    Ye Shi loved to eat chicken. When Ye Shi¡¯s mother was still around, Ye Shi could eat a fresh and juicy chicken leg almost every day, and that time was the happiest for Ye Shi. Ye She couldn¡¯t help raising the corner of his mouth every time he recalled those memories.

    ¡°Do you like this Sanhua chicken? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± Mu Chen stood beside Ye Shi and said courteously.

    Ye Shi, who was caught up in his memories, was startled. Looking at him with a smile, Mu Chen repeated, ¡°Do you like it? I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±

    Hearing Mu Chen¡¯s words, Ye Shi¡¯s face was immediately tinged with signs of anger.

    ¡°Save your tricks for your sweetheart, I won¡¯t fall for it.¡± Ye Shi said to Mu Chen in a fierce manner.

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi helplessly. Ye Shi gave Mu Chen another fierce glare before turning around and walking away.

    Mu Chen had a headache and scratched his head. When he was on Earth, homosexuality was not accepted by most people, so Mu Chen could only fantasize about handsome men in magazines. When he arrived in the other world, he found out that the people of this world were open-minded and that relationships of the same sex were normal. He was overjoyed.

    In his previous life, poor Mu Chen had never been in love. In this life, he tried to get close to others following the original owner¡¯s example, but he was splashed with such a big basin of cold water.

    Muchen looked at the Sanhua chicken in the cage and rubbed his forehead. Falling in love is tough!

    Wang Lun looked at Ye Shi, ¡°Shi Tou, what did young master Mu Chen say to you?¡±

    Ye Shi puffed out his cheeks, ¡°Nothing.¡±

    This bastard Mu Chen, a Sanhua chicken only costs one spirit stone. Mu Chen spent thousands of spirit stones for others, but when it came to him, he only wanted to spend one spirit stone. You want to buy Ye Shi for one spirit stone. Dream on!

    Ren San looked at Ye Shi¡¯s back, ¡°Young master, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Mu Chen tilted his head, ¡°That shuang¡¯er is not bad, just a bit fierce. I wanted to give him a chicken just now but he refused. He obviously seemed to like it though.¡±

    Ren San looked at Mu Chen helplessly, ¡°Young master, I''ve never heard of anyone giving a chicken as a courting gift to the shuang¡¯er they like.¡±

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡± No experience!

    Ren San looked at Mu Chen, wondering when Mu Chen¡¯s taste changed.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Chendi, you¡¯re back!¡± Mu Hong came out to greet him.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Chendi, Big brother Hong is a little short of spirit stones lately, can you lend me some?¡± Mu Hong said.

    Mu Chen was unmoved ¡°Big brother must be joking, I don¡¯t have any spare spirit stones on hand!¡±

    Mu Hong said incredulously, ¡°You aren¡¯t being honest, brother Chen! If you don¡¯t have spare spirit stones, how can you buy as much as two hundred spirit stones worth of beasts¡¯ blood?¡±

    ¡°Big brother, how do you know that I spent two hundred spirit stones for the beasts¡¯ blood?¡± Mu Chen asked, pretending to be naive.

    Mu Hong laughed, ¡°I reckoned it was going to be around that much.¡±

    Mu Chen looked at Mu Hong with admiration, ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re really good at predicting things.¡±

    Mu Hong was a little embarrassed as he said, ¡°Brother Chen, lend me some money first and I will return it to you when I have made a profit.¡±

    Mu Chen didn¡¯t relent, ¡°Brother, nine out of ten bets are losses, you should be more careful..¡±

    Mu Hong loves gambling and often dragged Mu Chen to gamble with him, but Mu Chen lost many spirit stones this way and gradually lost interest in gambling.

    Mu Hong¡¯s face changed, ¡°Brother Chen, how can you say that?¡± ¡°Are you cursing your big brother?¡±

    ¡°Chen¡¯er.¡± Mu Yuanfeng came out and called out.

    When Mu Hong saw Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s face change, he made a few polite remarks and left.

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Hong¡¯s back and a bit of haze passed in his eyes. Mu Yuanhang¡¯s ways are getting more and more ridiculous. Fortunately, his prodigal son turned over a new leaf.

 CH 21

    ¡°Young master, did you meet young master Mu Chen today?¡± Chen Da couldn¡¯t wait to ask.

    Ye Shi knitted his brows, ¡°Uncle Chen, didn¡¯t I tell you? Don¡¯t call me young master, call me Shi Tou. Have you ever seen a young master working as a waiter? Don¡¯t make people laugh.¡±

    Chen Da said unhappily, ¡°Don¡¯t digress, have you met young master Mu Chen?¡±

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°What did young master Mu Chen say?¡± Chen Da asked eagerly.

    Ye Shi skimmed his lips, ¡°He said he wanted to give me a Sanhua chicken.¡±

    ¡°Did you accept it?¡± Chen Da asked.

    ¡°No! No merit, no reward. Why should I accept his chicken? Besides, he said he would only buy me one chicken. Such a cheap chicken, but he only wanted to give me one. So stingy! A chicken so small, I could eat three of them!¡± Ye Shi said angrily.

    Chen Da: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Father, are you looking for me?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded, ¡°Yes, your fianc¨¦, whom I mentioned before, has already reached Mo City.¡±

    Mu Chen frowned, his mood suddenly a bit complicated.

    ¡°He¡¯s here?¡± A fianc¨¦ he has never met before, Mu Chen felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, moreover, he¡¯s been here for quite a few days already.¡±

    ¡°Since he¡¯s arrived, why didn¡¯t he come to the Mu family?¡± Mu Chen asked puzzled.

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled bitterly, ¡°In fact, he had already come but an incompetent servant sent him away.¡±

    ¡°Where is he now?¡± Mu Chen froze for a moment and asked with a frown. In any case, the other party came to the door but they let their underlings drive them away, it was their family¡¯s fault.

    Mu Yuanfeng shook his head, ¡°He is now working at Yuehe Restaurant as a butcher, earning one spirit stone a day.¡±

    ¡°Yuehe Restaurant.¡± Mu Chen was surprised.

    Could it be him? Mu Chen shook his head in his heart. It couldn¡¯t be! It was written in the original text that Mu Chen¡¯s fianc¨¦ was an ugly shuang¡¯er, so much so that, the first time Mu Chen saw him, he almost fainted from fear. That shuang¡¯er was so handsome, it couldn¡¯t be him.

    Mu Chen frowned, ¡°Isn¡¯t he a shuang¡¯er? Why did he become a butcher?¡± The restaurant only paid one spirit stone a day, was the other side already so strapped for spirit stones?

    Mu Chen had already heard that his fianc¨¦ was not favored in the family, but to be so unloved that he had to work in a restaurant as a lowly butcher was something Mu Chen had not expected.

    As far as Mu Chen knew, in this world, shuang¡¯er don¡¯t like appearing in public. It¡¯s hard imagining a shuang¡¯er going to a restaurant to kill pigs and sheep.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    ¡°Whatever the case may be, find some time to get in touch with him.¡± Mu Yuanfeng continued.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes, father.¡±

    ¡°I saw that you have bought a lot of beasts¡¯ blood. Are you going to refine your body?¡± Mu Yuanfeng asked.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng patted Mu Chen¡¯s shoulder and said comfortingly, ¡°You¡¯ve grown up.¡±

    When Mu Yuanfeng saw that the body refining technique he had tried so hard to find for his son was disdained by his son, his heart was filled with disappointment. However, seeing how painful it was for him to practice this body refining technique, he had to turn a blind eye to it.

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m already so old, it¡¯s time to grow up.¡± Mu Chen smiled.

    Mu Yuanfeng couldn¡¯t help but pat Mu Chen¡¯s shoulder and praise him repeatedly.

 CH 22

    Mu Chen mixed the demon beasts¡¯ blood into a pot and poured it into a wooden barrel, then soaked his entire body in it.

    As soon as Mu Chen entered the barrel, a sharp wave of pain swept through him. Mu Chen gritted his teeth and secretly thought: he shouldn¡¯t have blamed the original owner for not persisting. It really hurts! It hurts so much that he wanted to end himself with a slap.

    Mu Chen jerked his eyes open and a few moments of desperation flashed across his eyes.

    Mu Chen gritted his teeth and forcefully tried to regain his composure. The original master¡¯s fianc¨¦ is a two-star martial warrior! If he wanted to meet him, he had to at least raise his strength to the level of a martial warrior. No matter what, he couldn¡¯t be too far behind the other!

    Mu Chen closed his eyes and started to move the spirit energy in his body according to the technique. Mu Chen¡¯s comprehension is very good and threading the path recorded in the <<A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>> with his spirit energy was not difficult for him.

    The essence of the animal¡¯s blood was gradually integrated into Mu Chen¡¯s body, and Mu Chen could feel that his body was becoming significantly stronger as the demon beasts¡¯ blood entered his body.

    As the essence of the beasts¡¯ blood was slowly being consumed in the barrel, the pain gradually faded.

    As Mu Chen continued to use his spirit energy, he gradually became engrossed in cultivation. Mu Chen¡¯s body emitted a series of crispy sounds and he successfully completed the first layer of the <<A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>>.

    After five hours, the essence of the beasts¡¯ blood in the barrel was fully absorbed and Mu Chen instantly had a feeling of being reborn.

    Mu Chen climbed out of the barrel and looked at the blood in the barrel with a sigh. Two hundred spirit stones!  So many spirit stones, gone in the blink of an eye.

    A strange feeling came over his chest and Mu Chen felt a burst of joy in his heart. This was a sign that he was going to be promoted. This <<A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>> was really worthy of being coveted by the male lead. It was really powerful!

    With a wave of his hand, five hundred spirit stones appeared around Mu Chen and he quickly absorbed the spirit energy in the stones.

    A stream of dense spirit energy swiftly poured into Mu Chen¡¯s body.

    The feeling of the spirit energy flooding into his body was so wonderful.  Mu Chen felt every pore of his body open up and he felt like he was floating in the air.

    Several spirit stones were absorbed and turned into dust.

    Mu Chen absorbed the energy from over 300 spirit stones to advance to the martial warrior level. Looking at the consumed spirit stones, Mu Chen frowned. Cultivation burns money! Just the first barrier from martial apprentice to martial warrior consumed so many spirit stones. No wonder the cultivation of the children of rich families progressed much faster than the disciples of poor families.

    ¡°Is it done?¡± Mu Yuanfeng pushed open the door, walked in, and asked.

    Mu Chen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Mu Yuanfeng should have been waiting outside for a long time. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t rest assured otherwise.

    ¡°Yes, father.¡± Mu Chen said.

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Chen and said with some relief, ¡°Finally, you¡¯ve entered the martial warrior rank!¡±

    Mu Chen smiled. It was not difficult for martial apprentices to become martial warriors. As long as the disciples of families like theirs had sufficient resources and their qualifications were not too bad, they could become martial warriors after a year or two of hard training. Some youngsters with excellent qualifications can even become martial warriors within ten years of age.

    Mu Chen smiled, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Chen, ¡°Take some time to meet with Ye Shi, after all, he is your nominal fianc¨¦. Killing pigs and sheep all day, it¡¯s not good to keep it up.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Mu Chen walked into Yuehe Restaurant just in time to see Ye Shi coming out carrying a few dishes.

    ¡°Little brother.¡± Mu Chen tugged at Ye Shi and called out with a smile.

    Ye Shi frowned and shook off his hand, saying, ¡°What for? What are you doing? Don¡¯t pull and tug.¡±

    Mu Chen laughed awkwardly and let go of his hand, ¡±Sorry! I wanted to ask you, do you know Ye Shi?¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s face darkened and he glared at Mu Chen angrily, saying coldly, ¡°No.¡±

    Mu Chen frowned and said in disbelief, ¡°No? How is it possible, I heard that he is here!¡±

    Ye Shi rolled his eyes and said with irritation, ¡°Heard? What else did you hear?¡±

    Muchen frowned and muttered, ¡°I also heard that he doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Is he using a pseudonym? Mu Chen thought to himself.

    Ye Shi¡¯s face turned even darker and he kicked Mu Chen.

    ¡°What are you doing¡­¡­ ¡° kicking me? Looking at Ye Shi¡¯s ugly face, Mu Chen felt a little faint in his heart and he couldn¡¯t utter another word of complaint.

    Ye Shi ground his teeth, his eyes red, looking as fierce as a tiger, ¡°Get out!¡±

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Shi Tou, what are you doing? The chef is looking for you.¡± A¡¯ Mu ran out and said.

    Mu Chen frowned and looked at Ye Shi, ¡°Your name is Shi Tou. Eh, you are a two-star martial warrior too.¡± His fianc¨¦, whom he had never met, was also a two-star martial warrior. Originally, Mu Chen couldn¡¯t see Ye Shi¡¯s rank, but after advancing to martial warrior, he was able to see it. ¡°Could you be¡­¡­¡±

    Ye Shi shot Mu Chen a deadly glare, ¡°Get lost!¡±

 CH 23

    Ye Shi stormed into the back kitchen. Chen Da, looking at Ye Shi¡¯s aggrieved and resentful appearance, asked in bewilderment, ¡°Shi Tou, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Ye Shi gnashed his teeth, ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Shi Tou, what did young master Mu Chen say to you just now?¡± A¡¯Mu asked, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Ye Shi said unhappily.

    ¡°Shi Tou, did Mu Chen come here? Why did he come? Did he say anything?¡± Chen Da froze for a moment, then asked excitedly.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Ye Shi bit his lip.

    ¡°Shi Tou ¡­¡­¡± Chen Da looked at Ye Shi with a bit of irritation.

    Ye Shi gritted his teeth and said sourly, ¡°He said that I¡¯m ugly.¡±

    Chen Da¡¯s face changed, sighed, and said, ¡°Okay, okay, then forget it, let¡¯s not think about him.¡±

    Mu Chen returned to the Mu family¡¯s mansion, deep in thought. Mu Yuanfeng looked at his absent-minded son and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like him?¡±

    ¡°No, no, he¡¯s very good. I think we¡¯re a good match.¡± Mu Chen answered hurriedly.

    Mu Yuanfeng was a little surprised, ¡°Is that so? Your face says otherwise.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Although he is very nice, it seems that I have messed things up.¡±

    What kind of aesthetics does that damned original owner have? Why would he faint at the sight of such a beautiful fianc¨¦?

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at the embarrassed smile on Mu Chen¡¯s face and said, ¡°You really like him. No pretending, no telling lies?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded and said seriously, ¡°I really like him! However, he seems to have a lot of prejudice against me.¡± Mu Chen scratched his head with a little headache. Ye Shi seemed to dislike him a lot.

    Mu Yuanfeng patted Mu Chen on the shoulder, ¡°If you really like him, go after him. Any prejudice can be changed.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled and said, ¡°Thank you father, I will try my best.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Shi Tou, young master Mu Chen is looking for you.¡± A¡¯Mu walked into the back kitchen.

    ¡°Tell him to get lost.¡± Ye Shi said angrily.

    A¡¯Mu blinked and said, ¡°Shi Tou, if I go and tell young master Mu Chen to get lost, the boss will tell me to get lost next. You¡¯d better go and see. Young master Mu Chen is a person even the boss can¡¯t afford to offend.¡±

    Ye Shi bit his lip and ground his teeth with some reluctance.

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi, ¡°Shi Tou, I think young master Mu Chen is quite sincere, you should go and meet him.¡±

    Ye Shi threw down the butcher¡¯s knife in his hand and said, ¡°Alright then.¡±

    ¡°Shi Tou, wash your hands!¡± Chen Da reminded urgently.

    Ignoring Chen Da¡¯s words, Ye Shi walked out with a handful of blood on his hands.

    ¡°Are you looking for me? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Shi came out in a fierce manner and looked at Mu Chen.

    When Mu Chen looked at the blood stains on Ye Shi¡¯s hands, he suddenly felt a little odd.

    ¡°The auction at the Clearing Moon Auction House is about to start. Would you like to go with me?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    ¡°What am I going for? I don¡¯t have a single spirit stone. I can¡¯t even get through the door of the auction house.¡± Ye Shi said.

    Mu Chen took out a VIP card and handed it to Ye Shi, saying, ¡°This is a VIP card for the auction. With this VIP card, you can enter and leave the auction at any time.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of going? I can¡¯t afford to buy anything even if I go.¡± Ye Shi said unpleasantly.

    ¡°Anything you like, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± Mu Chen said gallantly.

    Ye Shi glared at Mu Chen, ¡°Who are you to me? I like something, you buy it for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your fianc¨¦! We have a marriage contract.¡± Mu Chen said rightfully.

 CH 24

    Noticing the gazes of the few diners around him shifting to his face, Ye Shi¡¯s face instantly flushed red.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Ye Shi blustered and glared at Mu Chen.

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi and put on a dejected look, saying, ¡°Shi Tou, don¡¯t be so mean to me, I am at least your¡­¡­.¡±

    Ye Shi looked at the odd looks of the people around them and said, ¡°Shut up, leave quickly. If you don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll beat you up ¡­..¡±

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi¡¯s face, thought about it, and felt that there was no need to be too hasty, ¡°Then take this card and remember to go.¡±

    Ye Shi originally wanted to refuse but Mu Chen threw down the card and left, so Ye Shi had to resentfully put the VIP card away.

    Chen Da saw Ye Shi walk in with a red face, looking like he had suffered a blow, so he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Shi Tou, what did young master Mu Chen say to you?¡±

    ¡°He invited me to the auction, and this is the VIP card he gave me.¡± Ye Shi blinked his eyes and said in a misty voice.

    Chen Da looked at the card in Ye Shi¡¯s hand and let out a soft gasp.

    ¡°Uncle Chen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Shi asked.

    ¡°This card doesn¡¯t seem simple!¡± Chen Da said.

    ¡°Of course, this card is a limited edition VIP card issued for the annual auction of the Clearing Moon and there should already be spirit stones inside.¡± Wang Lun pressed the card a few times, and the crystal card showed a value of one thousand. ¡°This card has a limit of a thousand spirit stones. You can use this card to buy anything you want at the auction up to this amount.¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°One thousand spirit stones.¡± He did not take a single day off for a month, but he could only earn thirty spirit stones.

    Wang Lun nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    A¡¯Mu looked at Ye Shi and said enviously, ¡°Shi Tou, what is your relationship with young master Mu Chen? He said that you are his fianc¨¦, is that true?¡±

    Ye Shi bit his lip, his face a little hot, and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know either!¡±

    ¡°No, how could you not know?¡± A¡¯Mu tilted his head in confusion.

    Ye Shi muttered quietly, ¡°I just don¡¯t know!¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Huh, Mu Chen.¡± When Zhuang Yu arrived, Mu Chen just happened to be leaving the restaurant and Zhuang Yu managed to see Mu Chen¡¯s back.

    Chen Moran looked at Zhuang Yu¡¯s expression, his mood worsening, ¡°Ah Yu, let¡¯s go in and have dinner.¡±

    Zhuang Yu nodded, ¡°Sure!¡±

    Zhuang Yu and Chen Moran walked into the restaurant and were immediately greeted by a waiter, ¡°What would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°We just saw young master Mu Chen leave. Was he here for dinner?¡± Zhuang Yu did not rush to order, but, full of curiosity, asked an irrelevant question.

    ¡°Young master Mu Chen did come here just now, but he didn¡¯t come to eat, he came to look for someone.¡± The little waiter said.

    ¡°Looking for someone? Who did he come to see?¡± Chen Moran asked.

    ¡°He was looking for Ye Shi from the back kitchen.¡± The waiter answered.

    ¡°Why? Are they related?¡± Zhuang Yu asked.

    ¡°According to young master Mu Chen, they have a marriage agreement. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true, but if it¡¯s true, then Shi Tou will rise to heaven in one step.¡± The little waiter¡¯s face looked a little envious.

    Zhuang Yu¡¯s face changed again and again, and he secretly thought to himself, ¡°Is it because of this Ye Shi guy that Mu Chen¡¯s attitude towards himself has suddenly changed?

    Looking at Zhuang Yu¡¯s face, Chen Moran smiled at the waiter and said, ¡°Could you please ask this Ye Shi to come out and meet us? I would like to know what kind of  deity this Ye Shi is.¡±

    ¡°This?¡± The waiter¡¯s face paled.

    Chen Moran smiled, ¡°Why? Is this Ye Shi so precious that I cannot see him?¡±

    The waiter looked at Chen Moran¡¯s face and knew that he could not afford to offend him, so he immediately put on a smile and said, ¡°I will go and invite him immediately.¡±

 CH 25

    ¡°You said that young master Chen wants to meet me?¡± Ye Shi frowned, full of impatience.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The waiter nodded.

    ¡°No, what am I, a monkey? Everyone can come to see and play.¡± Ye Shi wrinkled his brows and said angrily.

    ¡°Shi Tou, Chen Moran is the young master of the Chen family! We can¡¯t even afford to offend their butler. You should at least go and meet him, don¡¯t let him lose face.¡± The waiter looked at Ye Shi¡¯s ugly face and said carefully.

    Ye Shi pursed his lips. In the end, he was just a nobody. He had to give face to everyone he met, but no one had to give him face.

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi and said, ¡°Shi Tou, go out and take a look. Don¡¯t offend others.¡±

    Chen Da was also stifled. It was just that they were new to the city and could not understand the attitude of the Mu family, so it was not good to offend the local snakes in Mo City.

    Ye Shi bit his lip, full of reluctance, and said, ¡°Alright.¡±

    Chen Moran ordered a table of dishes and sat beside Zhuang Yu, an ingratiating smile on his face.

    Ye Shi looked at Chen Moran¡¯s flattering face and felt a little more disdain in his heart.

    ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Ye Shi looked at Chen Moran indifferently.

    Chen Moran was stunned for a moment, then looked Ye Shi up and down and asked in an odd tone, ¡°Are you Ye Shi?¡±

    Ye Shi nodded his head, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Chen Moran said with an odd expression, ¡°What is your relationship with Mu Chen?¡±

    Ye Shi was a little irritated by Chen Moran¡¯s attitude, as if he was interrogating a crime suspect, ¡°There is no relationship.¡±

    Chen Moran said in disbelief, ¡°No way. I heard that you and Mu Chen have a marriage contract and he has come to see you more than once.¡±

    ¡°This is Mu Chen¡¯s business. What does it matter to you?¡± Ye Shi wrinkled his brows and said.

    ¡°Of course, it matters. Mu Chen and I are good brothers, his business is my business.¡± Chen Moyan said righteously.

    Ye Shi laughed in his heart. Although he had not been in Mo City for a long time, he knew that Chen Moran and Mu Chen don¡¯t see eye to eye. Saying that they are good brothers, what a joke!

    Chen Moran looked at Ye Shi with a disgusted look on his face, ¡°No wonder Mu Chen has changed so much recently that he doesn¡¯t even leave his house anymore. Is it because of such an ugly fianc¨¦? If I had a fianc¨¦ like this, I would also have a change of heart.¡±

    Hearing Chen Moran¡¯s words, Ye Shi¡¯s face suddenly turned blue and white.

    ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you, young master Chen? If not, I¡¯ll go down first.¡± Ye Shi said with a cold face.

    Chen Moran sneered, ¡°You don¡¯t look good, but your temper is quite big!¡±

    Ye Shi felt the urge to slap Chen Moran in the face, but in the end, he endured it and retreated. Seeing Ye Shi leave, Chen Moran didn¡¯t try to stop him.

    ¡°Mu Chen has such a fianc¨¦, but he¡¯s hiding it so well.¡± Chen Moran was full of gloating.

    ¡°Mu Chen, he ¡­¡­ is quite pitiful.¡± Zhuang Yu sighed, full of sympathy.

    Ye Shi heard Zhuang Yu¡¯s compassionate sigh. For some reason, his chest tightened and his eyes started to sting a little. Ye Shi had a hard time holding back the tears from rolling down his eyes.

    Chen Moran laughed, ¡°From what I heard, Ye Shi is working as a butcher. Mu Chen is really too unkind. Although ugly, he is still his fianc¨¦. As a shuang¡¯er, he shouldn¡¯t be left to kill animals all day in a restaurant!¡±

    Zhuang Yu shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s just a fianc¨¦. It¡¯s hard to say whether he will marry Mu Chen in the end.¡±

 CH 26

    ¡°Shi Tou, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you look so pale? Did someone scold you?¡± Chen Da looked at Ye Shi and asked with uneasiness.

    Ye Shi shook his head and barely managed to squeeze out a smile, ¡°No.¡±

    Although Zhuang Yu didn¡¯t scold him, it made him feel much worse. Mu Chen was pitiful. If he married him, Mu Chen would be pitiful.

    He shouldn¡¯t be delusional and think about rising to the sky.

    Ye Shi gritted his teeth. He was still a teenager after all. Although he said he didn¡¯t care about him, in his heart, he still had some fantasies about his fianc¨¦, especially after making contact with Mu Chen a few times. Because Mu Chen didn¡¯t seem to be disgusted with him, Ye Shi couldn¡¯t help having some more expectations in his heart, but Zhuang Yu¡¯s words had broken Ye Shi¡¯s little fantasies into pieces.

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi¡¯s face and sighed lightly. On the surface, Ye Shi looked light-hearted, as if nothing weighed on his mind, but in reality, he was just a sensitive child with low self-esteem. Seeing Ye Shi¡¯s appearance, he knew that the child had suffered again.

    ¡°Shi Tou, don¡¯t think too much.¡± Chen Da said.

    Ye Shi bit his lip, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Mu Yuanfeng smiled when he saw Mu Chen enter through the door.

    ¡°Yes, father.¡± Mu Chen scratched his head and said.

    During this period of time, Mu Chen had turned over a new leaf and his relationship with Mu Yuanfeng eased up a lot. So, Mu Yuanfeng was not in a hurry to refine pills and enjoyed the rare moments of warmth between father and son.

    It was probably because he saw Mu Chen make progress that the knot in Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s heart dissipated, and his cultivation, which had been stagnant, actually began to rise rapidly.

    ¡°Have you sent the things out yet?¡± Mu Yuanfeng asked.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°If you really like him, you should have brought him home already. After all, he¡¯s a child and a shuang¡¯er, and it¡¯s not good for him to live outside.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said with worry.

    Mu Chen nodded, a little embarrassed, ¡°I want to, it¡¯s just that he ¡­¡­ may not listen to me.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng couldn¡¯t restrain himself from laughing at the lost and silly expression of a young boy in love on Mu Chen¡¯s face, ¡°It¡¯s okay, take your time. Ye Shi has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, if you put some effort into it, he will naturally listen to you.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded his head.

    ¡°Mu Chen is back!¡± A gentle voice came over.

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at the visitor and frowned.

    ¡°Good day, uncle.¡± Mu Chen said respectfully. Although he knew that Mu Yuanhang didn¡¯t have any good intentions toward him, he still had to do his best to appear respectful.

    Mu Yuanhang looked at Mu Chen and said with a smile, ¡°Chen¡¯er, recently, you¡¯ve been advancing without making a sound! You are now a martial warrior.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng patted Mu Chen¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°This little strength of Chen¡¯er can¡¯t compare to your Hong¡¯er! At his age, he is already a two-star martial warrior.¡±

    ¡°Seeing how fast Chen¡¯er is progressing, it won¡¯t take long for him to catch up.¡± Mu Yuanhang praised.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll borrow big brother¡¯s blessing.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Yuanhang looked at Mu Chen, although his face was full of love and affection, his heart was full of turbulent waves.

    ¡°Brother, I heard that Chen¡¯er¡¯s fianc¨¦ has arrived in Mo City, but I haven¡¯t seen anyone come to the door.¡± Mu Yuanhang said.

    Mu Yuanfeng frowned. The moment Ye Shi came to the door, he was driven away by a servant. That servant was from the Mu family and they couldn¡¯t shy away from the matter.

    ¡°Perhaps the other side has its own considerations. The younger generation should take care of their own affairs, there is no need for us to interfere.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Yuanhang nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, Chen¡¯er has grown up.¡±

    After giving a few perfunctory words to Mu Yuanhang, Mu Chen and Mu Yuanfeng left.

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Chen, who was following him, and felt a little happy inside. Mu Chen used to be very close to Mu Yuanhang, but he was not close to him, his biological father. He didn¡¯t say anything about it, but he still felt upset in his heart.

    Mu Yuanfeng was relieved to see Mu Chen take the initiative to distance himself from Mu Yuanhang.  Although he and Mu Yuanhang are brothers, a man''s heart is hidden from his belly, and there are many things happening between brothers in big families.

 CH 27

    ¡°Have you inquired about it? What does Ye Shi like?¡± Mu Chen walked in impatiently and asked Ren San.

    Ren San hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Ye Shi doesn¡¯t seem to like anything in particular, he just likes to eat.¡±

    ¡°Likes to eat?¡± Mu Chen frowned.

    Ren San nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Mu Chen held his chin and said thoughtfully, ¡°He¡¯s working in a restaurant now, so he shouldn¡¯t be lacking food.¡±

    Ren San glanced at Mu Chen, ¡°Young master, the meals in the restaurant are served to the customers. Young master Ye is working in the restaurant, but he may not be able to eat a mouthful of meat a day.¡±

    Mu Chen¡¯s face changed, he rolled his eyes, and said, ¡°So! I have to think about it.¡±

    Mu Yuanhang walked into the room with a gloomy face. Mu Hong¡¯s heartstrings tightened seeing his father¡¯s annoyed expression.

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Hong asked.

    Mu Yuanhang gnashed his teeth and said reluctantly, ¡°Mu Chen had a change of heart recently. From now on, we can¡¯t underestimate him anymore.¡±

    In the past, when Mu Yuanfeng and Mu Chen didn¡¯t get along, Mu Chen was very trusting of him. Now, Mu Chen and Mu Yuanfeng are much closer and they are on guard against him.

    Mu Hong¡¯s face was gloomy. Mu Chen¡¯s recent change made him feel a little uneasy, but what kind of stimulus did Mu Chen, the idiot, receive to become like this all of a sudden?

    ¡°Did you investigate what I asked you?¡± Mu Yuanyang asked Mu Hong.

    Mu Hong immediately nodded, ¡°I did. Mu Chen¡¯s fianc¨¦, Ye Shi, is the first legitimate son of the Ye family, but his status in the Ye family is very low. After Ye He died, Ye Shi had no one to rely on and was driven out of the family¡±.

    ¡°I went to see Ye Shi and he is really ugly. I thought Mu Chen would make a fuss once he saw such an ugly fianc¨¦, but I didn¡¯t expect that he would remain quite calm. I really admire him a bit.¡± Mu Hong said, gloating.

    Mu Yuanhang looked at Mu Hong and said with some surprise, ¡°Is Ye Shi really that ugly?¡±

    Mu Hong nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a bit strange, looking at Mu Chen, he seems to like this fianc¨¦ quite a lot.¡± Mu Yuanhang said.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    With all eyes on it, the auction at the Clearing Moon Auction House arrived as scheduled.

    Mu Chen went to wait at the door of the Auction House early on. Ye Shi hesitated but was still persuaded by Chen Da to go to the appointment.

    Many people were rushing to attend the auction, and Mu Chen noticed that many were not from Mo City.

    Mu Yuanfeng and Mu Yuanhang accompanied an old man to the auction. When Mu Chen saw the three men approaching, he immediately greeted them respectfully, ¡°Hello grandfather, hello uncle, hello father.¡±

    Mu Ke looked at Mu Chen and smiled in relief, saying, ¡°Not bad, not bad. I was in seclusion for many days and I didn¡¯t know that Chen¡¯er is now a new man. You have a bright future ahead of you!¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng laughed and said, ¡°Father, he was lucky to be promoted to a martial warrior. Don¡¯t praise him so much or you¡¯ll make him float up and he¡¯ll revert to old habits.¡±

    ¡°Good, very good.¡± Mu Ke said, patting Mu Chen¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re flattering me.¡± Mu Chen said with his head bowed.

    After sending off Mu Ke and the others, Mu Chen breathed a sigh of relief but before he could catch his breath, another group of acquaintances arrived.

    Zhuang Yu was flanked by several teenagers as he made his way over. Chen Moran was standing on the right-hand side, nearest to Zhuang Yu, as if defending his territory.

    Mu Chen was a little amused by this scene. No matter how hard Chen Moran works now, he would still have to step down when the true male lead arrived.

    ¡°Mu Chen, what are you doing standing at the door? Why don¡¯t you go in?¡± Zhuang Yu blinked his eyes and asked innocently.

    Mu Chen smiled and said perfunctorily, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone, so you can all go in first.¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at Mu Chen with a bit of pity and knitted his pretty eyebrows as if he was unsure about saying something.

    Mu Chen was creeped out by Zhuang Yu¡¯s sympathetic look.

 CH 28

    Chen Moran crossed his arms and looked at Mu Chen, gloating, ¡°Waiting for someone? Who are you waiting for? It¡¯s not your ugly fianc¨¦, is it?¡±

    Mu Chen frowned and said coldly, ¡°Did you meet Shi Tou?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so what? You still can¡¯t let people see him? Your fianc¨¦ is too ugly to look at but his temper is quite big!¡± Chen Moran shook his head and said with disdain.

    Mu Chen¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Chen Moran, don¡¯t talk nonsense, Shi Tou is very beautiful.¡±

    Chen Moran looked at Mu Chen incredulously, ¡°Mu Chen, you really know how to tell jokes, even that man can be called beautiful. Are you crazy?¡±

    Zhuang Yu opened his watery eyes wide, looked at Mu Chen, sighed lightly, full of sadness, and said, ¡°Mu Chen, Ye Shi is not suitable for you.¡±

    Mu Chen¡¯s heart churned and he couldn¡¯t wait to yell at Zhuang Yu, but in the end, he ground his teeth and endured, ¡°You guys go in.¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at Mu Chen and said, ¡°Mu Chen, don¡¯t worry, there will always be someone suitable for you.¡±

    Mu Chen gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°I know.¡±

    Mu Chen was a little impatient and only gave a perfunctory response to Zhuang Yu and the others when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

    Shaking off Zhuang Yu and the others, Mu Chen quickly stepped forward and grabbed Ye Shi who wanted to leave.

    ¡°Shi Tou, where are you going? The auction is about to start.¡± Mu Chen grabbed Ye Shi¡¯s hand with a firm grip.

    Ye Shi had finally managed to muster up the courage to attend the auction, but when he reached the door of the auction, he found Mu Chen and Zhuang Yu standing together, and immediately wanted to beat a hasty retreat.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Ye Shi said, shaking their hands.

    Mu Chen held onto Ye Shi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I won¡¯t let go. If I do, you¡¯ll run away.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to greet Zhuang Yu?¡± Ye Shi asked.

    Mu Chen said indifferently, ¡°There are so many people around him, I won¡¯t be missed.¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked in the direction Mu Chen had left and frowned.

    Chen Moran was shocked by Mu Chen¡¯s actions, ¡°When did Mu Chen¡¯s tastes become like this, it¡¯s unimaginable.¡±

    Ye Shi wrinkled his brows, ¡°Don¡¯t tug and pull at me, there are so many people looking at us.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled, ¡°Then don¡¯t run away! If you run, I¡¯ll naturally have to catch you.¡±

    Ye Shi listened to Mu Chen¡¯s words and sighed helplessly at his rogue-like behavior.

    ¡°Alright, just let go, I won¡¯t run.¡± Ye Shi said.

    Mu Chen didn¡¯t relent, ¡°I¡¯ll hold on to you, there are so many people now. If you get lost, it will be a problem.¡±

    Ye Shi blushed, ¡°Who would get lost? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to get lost.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°Yes! Yes! I don¡¯t have a good sense of direction and I get lost easily, so it¡¯s good that you¡¯re pulling me along.¡±

    Ye Shi gave him a quick glance but didn¡¯t let go of Mu Chen¡¯s hand after all.

    Mu Chen pulled Ye Shi and walked towards the entrance of the auction house.

    Mu Chen was a bit annoyed to find that Zhuang Yu and the others were still standing at the door and did not enter.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go in? The auction is about to start.¡± Mu Chen smiled reluctantly.

    Zhuang Yu frowned at Ye Shi. The look in his eyes was mild, but it still made Ye Shi feel a sense of shame.

    Mu Chen sensed Ye Shi¡¯s unease and his grip tightened.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go first.¡± Mu Chen said, pulling Ye Shi forward.

    Ye Shi was being dragged by Mu Chen and his mood was a bit odd.

    Chen Moran looked at Mu Chen¡¯s back and said incredulously, ¡°This guy Mu Chen, he can¡¯t be serious, right? When did his taste become like this?¡±

    Mu Chen dragged Ye Shi to a private room and sat down.

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen¡¯s hand and wanted to say something, but after opening his lips, he swallowed his words back.

    The private rooms at the auction house were divided into three, six, and nine classes, and the one Mu Chen was in was the worst class. Even so, the condition of the compartment is much better than the ordinary seats below.

    Those sitting in the private rooms could see outside, but nobody could see inside.

    Mu Chen was a little surprised to find that Zhuang Yu was actually sitting in the ordinary seats below the auction house.

    ¡°A¡¯Yu, I have a private room upstairs. Why don¡¯t you go to my private room? The environment there is better.¡±

    ¡°A¡¯Yu, why don¡¯t you go to my private room? Mine has a better location.¡±

    ¡°A¡¯Yu, let¡¯s go to my private room. The view is wider.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Mu Chen didn¡¯t know that the reason why Zhuang Yu was sitting in the general seating was that there were too many choices and he didn¡¯t know how to choose.

 CH 29

    ¡°Have you seen enough? Does it look good?¡± Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen who was poking his head out and asked in a cold voice, puffing out his cheeks.

    Mu Chen shrank back, looked at Ye Shi, and said with an apologetic smile, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see, I¡¯m just taking a casual look.¡±

    Ye Shi looked down from the window and gave Mu Chen a cross look, ¡°Zhuang Yu is down there. If you feel distressed, you can call him up.¡±

    Mu Chen laughed, ¡°What¡¯s there to be distressed about.¡±

    Ye Shi hummed softly, ¡°Empty words.¡±

    Ye Shi brooded over it a lot last night, tossing and turning, and finally decided that Mu Chen¡¯s gift of a VIP card to him was ill-intentioned. He wasn¡¯t sure what his ulterior motive was yet so he decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

    Looking at Ye Shi, Mu Chen said, ¡°By the way, I have something for you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ye Shi asked, looking askance at him.

    Mu Chen took out a cake from his spatial ring and handed it to Ye Shi, saying, ¡°Here you are.¡±

    As soon as the cake was taken out, a sweet fragrance wafted out. Ye Shi looked at the exquisitely shaped cake and blinked curiously, his eyes emitting a strange glow.

    ¡°This is a cake I made by chance after studying a few ancient books. I call it a ¡®cake¡¯. I made it especially for you to eat.¡± Mu Chen said to Ye Shi with an earnest expression.

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes looked straight at Mu Chen, full of longing and unclear meaning.

    Mu Chen looked at him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Ye Shi didn¡¯t say anything but just stared straight at him with his eyes wide open.

    Mu Chen suddenly realized something and frowned, saying, ¡°Are you worried that I put something in it?¡±

    Ye Shi tilted his head but remained silent. When Ye Shi was at home, several of his aunts had tried to frame him repeatedly, making him live in world of schemes and deceptions.

    When he was a child, Ye Shi accidentally ate a bowl of sweet soup that had been poisoned and, as a result, he almost didn¡¯t recover. Since then, Ye Shi has become more and more cautious. If not for this, Ye Shi would not be alive now.

    The corners of Mu Chen¡¯s mouth twitched and he secretly thought, ¡°How distrustful can you be?

    ¡°I¡¯ll check it for you.¡± Mu Chen dug a spoonful of cake into his mouth.

    Ye Shi watched Mu Chen take a bite, snatched the spoon, and took a big bite, ¡°Yummy, yummy, it¡¯s really good ¡­¡­¡±

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s two cheeks were bulging, looking like a chipmunk. Mu Chen raised his eyebrows as he looked at Ye Shi¡¯s eating face.

    As he did not believe that Mu Chen would really like him, Ye Shi simply smashed the broken jar and did not have any concern for his image.

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi with interest, resting his chin on his palm. He stretched out his hand to smooth Ye Shi¡¯s back and said, ¡°Slow down, don¡¯t choke.¡±

    Ye Shi choked. Mu Chen patted Ye Shi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Ye Shi lowered his head and thought, ¡°If Mu Chen had given him a disdainful and contemptuous look, he would have glared back at him fiercely. However, the way Mu Chen looked at him left Ye Shi at a loss.

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi¡¯s blushing face and felt deeply amused.

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen¡¯s smiling expression and shot him a fierce glare.

    Mu Chen smiled good-naturedly, with a tolerant look on his face, and Ye Shi was embarrassed to keep glaring at him.

    Knowing that Ye Shi had a good appetite, Mu Chen deliberately made the cake into a 12-inch one. Looking at Ye Shi¡¯s greedy face, it seems it was still not enough.

    ¡°Is it good?¡± Mu Chen asked.

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°Delicious.¡±

    ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll make it for you next time.¡± Mu Chen said earnestly.

    ¡°Did you really make it?¡± Ye Shi didn¡¯t believe he was saying the truth.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Of course, I learned how to handle the ingredients from my family¡¯s spiritual chef, and he praised me for being a quick learner and having the talent of a spiritual chef.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ye Shi said, incredulous.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Mu Chen said.

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen in confusion, ¡°But why do you treat me so well?¡±

    Mu Chen took it for granted, flashed a bright smile at Ye Shi, and said, ¡°Because I like you!¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s heart trembled, but he did not dare to believe Mu Chen¡¯s words.

 CH 30

    The ordinary seats under the stage were soon filled up. Mu Chen saw the doors of the auction being closed. From this moment onwards, the auction would only allow entry but not exit.

    ¡°Is it about to start?¡± Ye Shi muttered, holding his chin and darting his eyes around curiously.

    As a young boy, Ye Shi couldn¡¯t help feeling excited to see such a grand scene for the first time.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Thank you all for coming, I now announce the official opening of the auction. Let¡¯s call out the first item of this auction, a third-grade talisman, the Royal Wind Talisman!¡±

    ¡°This talisman was drawn by a third-level Talisman Master, and it can increase the speed of cultivators below Martial Spirit by twenty times.¡±

    ¡°What does twenty times the speed mean? I don¡¯t think I need to say more. Third-grade Royal Wind Talisman, the starting bid is 10,000 spirit stones!¡± The auctioneer on the stage said in a loud and clear voice.

    Twenty times the speed, what does that mean? It means that it¡¯s the best tool to escape after encountering a powerful enemy. It means that it¡¯s the best weapon to escape after killing or setting fire. It means that with this talisman you may have an extra life!

    Mu Chen narrowed his eyes. There was not even a single third-level Talisman Master in Mo City, so the preciousness of this talisman could be imagined.

    Ye Shi opened his mouth wide and said incredulously, ¡°10,000 spirit stones, the reserve price for the first auction item is 10,000 spirit stones!¡±

    Mu Chen smiled, ¡°This is the first item of the auction. It¡¯s more precious, so it¡¯s a little expensive.¡±

    Ye Shi bristled and glared at Mu Chen in disbelief, saying, ¡°Is this a little expensive? This is very expensive.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded and said, ¡°¡­¡­yes, very expensive, very expensive.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng was very willing to spend money on Mu Chen, especially after Mu Chen crossed over. Mu Yuanfeng felt that his son had turned over a new leaf and no longer spent money recklessly, so he was even more generous to Mu Chen, fearing that he would drag his son down in terms of resources. Even so, Mu Chen¡¯s available funds were only five thousand spirit stones.

    ¡°Eleven thousand.¡±

    ¡°Twelve thousand.¡±

    ¡°Fifteen thousand.¡±

    ¡°Twenty thousand.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Fifty-three thousand.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    After a brief silence, a series of bidding sounds were heard, and soon the price of the Royal Wind Talisman was pushed up to more than 50,000 spirit stones. Toward the end, biddings were mostly called from the first-class compartments, where the prominent figures of the big families in Mo City were sitting.

    Mu Chen found that there were also people bidding in the compartment where Mu Ke, Mu Yuanfeng, and Mu Yuanhang were sitting.

    Ye Shi stared wide-eyed and full of indignation as he grumbled, ¡°A bunch of cowards, they only know how to buy talismans to escape, so useless and lacking in ambition.¡±

    Mu Chen rubbed his nose and echoed, ¡°Yes! Yes! These guys are all worthless.¡±

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen coldly, ¡°Can you buy it?¡±

    Mu Chen hurriedly shook his head and said, ¡°Can¡¯t afford it.¡± Even at the reserve price, he could only afford to buy half the paper.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even afford it, and you dare to say that people are worthless.¡± Ye Shi said, looking at him with his eyes narrowed.

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was just going along with you, wasn¡¯t I?

    Ye Shi sighed and slumped over the table in frustration, ¡°I can¡¯t afford it. I can¡¯t even afford to eat meat.¡±

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi and took the opportunity to say, ¡°Why don¡¯t you come to live with the Mu family? I can¡¯t say about something else, but I can still afford a bowl of meat.¡±

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen with disgust and sneered, ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m disgracing you outside?¡±

    Mu Chen laughed dryly and said, ¡°How could that be? I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯re working too hard. I¡¯m heartbroken for you!¡±

    Ye Shi snorted and shot him a disapproving look, saying, ¡°I won¡¯t go to your house, I¡¯ll keep killing pigs at the restaurant.¡±

    Mu Chen glanced sideways, thought for a moment, and coaxed, ¡°You kill pigs at the restaurant every day, and they may not give you a single piece of pork to eat. Why don¡¯t you come and live with me, and I¡¯ll have the kitchen make you a pork knuckle every day?¡±

    Ye Shi swallowed his saliva, calmed down a bit, glared fiercely at Mu Chen, and said angrily, ¡°Who do you think I am? Am I so easy to buy? You think you can fool me with just a pork knuckle?¡±

    Mu Chen turned his eyes away and then put up two fingers, saying, ¡°Or else, two pork knuckles.¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s breathing became heavy, his eyes wavered, and his heart pounded. Ye Shi licked his lips and gritted his teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t try to tempt me, I won¡¯t be tempted by you, you bastard.¡±

    Muchen looked at Ye Shi without blinking, weighed his options for a long time, and said, ¡°Add a roast chicken.¡±

    Ye Shi cruelly stepped on Mu Chen¡¯s foot and Mu Chen jumped up, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Ye Shi stared at Mu Chen round-eyed. Under his gaze, Mu Chen finally shut up.

    Ye Shi was furious and clutched his shirt. Mu Chen had gone too far in seducing him, how could he resist the temptation! Ye Shi grunted coldly and turned his head away.

    The auction was proceeding in an orderly manner, and the Royal Wind Talisman was finally auctioned off at a price of 67,000 spirit stones.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    After the Royal Wind Talisman was sold, the second item in the auction was much more mundane, an exquisite talisman pen made with the hair of a blood-tailed deer and a precious golden silk wood shaft. It was auctioned off for 1500 spirit stones.

    Next, all kinds of weapons, pills, and talismans were brought up, and the auction carried on one round of climax after another.

    A dagger, about a foot long, was put up on stage.

    As soon as the dagger was brought out, Ye Shi¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°This dagger, named Longquan, was made by the Master Weapon Refiner, Wuya. It cuts iron like mud and seals the throat with blood. The starting price is 300 spirit stones.¡± The auctioneer said simply.

    ¡°Five hundred.¡± As soon as the auctioneer¡¯s voice fell, Mu Chen immediately made a bid for it.

    Zhuang Yu, who was sitting under the stage, frowned, ¡°That seems to be Mu Chen¡¯s voice.¡±

    Chen Moran nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, it should be him.¡±

    Zhuang Yu narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he use a sword? Why is he interested in daggers?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Chen Moran shook his head.

    The price was quickly pushed up to eight hundred, and the dagger was finally taken by Mu Chen for twelve hundred spirit stones.

    ¡°Mu Chen is quite rich.¡± Chen Moran said sourly. Previously, he had asked to borrow some spirit stones, but Mu Chen refused to lend them. Now he was spending so many spirit stones on a broken dagger.

    The auction house¡¯s staff brought the dagger to the private room and exchanged it with Mu Chen.

    Ye Shi sat on the side, trying to pretend not to care, but his eyes were still unconsciously fixed on the dagger, full of desire.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± Mu Chen handed the dagger to Ye Shi.

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen, ¡°Are you giving it to me? Why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like it? I¡¯ll give it to you if you like it!¡± Mu Chen said naturally.

    ¡°What the hell are you up to?¡± Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen with suspicion.

    Mu Chen laughed, tilted his head sideways, and said teasingly, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m up to no good.¡±

    Ye Shi glared at him, snatched the dagger from his hand, and said, ¡°You gave it to me yourself, I won¡¯t pay you back.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, If I say it¡¯s for you, then it¡¯s yours.¡±

    At his words, Ye Shi put the dagger away contentedly.

    ¡°Next, Ice Lotus Water. This bottle of Ice Lotus Water is made from the most precious of the ice lotuses, the Thousand Leaf Lotus, after it has withered, and is of great benefit to practitioners of water-based techniques. The starting price is 2000 spirit stones.¡± The auctioneer¡¯s voice was clearly heard in the box.

    Mu Chen¡¯s face changed. Ye Shi looked at him and felt a little strange inside.

    The fastest channels for news to spread, besides brothels, were restaurants, and Ye Shi, who worked in one, had known for a long time that Zhuang Yu wanted the Ice Lotus Water. He also knew that a few of the rich young masters around him were trying to help him.

    ¡°Three thousand.¡± As soon as the auctioneer¡¯s voice fell, a clear and beautiful voice sounded.

    It was the young lady of the Shui family, Shui Linglong, who practiced the Ice Heart Technique, and if she obtained the Ice Lotus Water, it would be of great benefit.

    ¡°Three thousand five hundred.¡± Chen Moran¡¯s voice rang out.

    ¡°Four thousand.¡± Shui Linglong frowned and countered immediately.

    ¡°Four thousand five hundred.¡± Chen Moran¡¯s voice rang out again, but it sounded a little weak.

    ¡°Five thousand.¡± Shui Linglong was determined to win.

    ¡°Five thousand one hundred.¡± Chen Moran gritted his teeth.

    The bidding paused for a moment, then resumed, ¡°Five thousand two hundred.¡± Shui Linglong said.

    Mu Chen¡¯s eyes narrowed. Shui Linglong should have reached her limit. The original text said that the person who fought with Shui Linglong for the Ice Lotus Water was Mu Chen and that Shui Linglong held a grudge against the original owner because of this incident.

    Mu Chen tilted his head. He was determined not to participate in the competition for the Ice Lotus Water. I wonder if Zhuang Yu will still be able to get the Ice Lotus Water without his help.

 CH 31

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen with his brows tightly knitted and asked uneasily: ¡°Do you want to help Zhuang Yu? If you want to, it¡¯s not too late.¡±

    Mu Chen hurriedly shook his head and said, ¡°No.¡± What a joke, even if he had a lot of money, he wouldn¡¯t spend it on Zhuang Yu! What¡¯s more, he doesn¡¯t have many spirit stones left.

    Hearing Mu Chen¡¯s reply, Ye Shi felt much more relaxed.

    ¡°Five thousand three hundred.¡± Chen Moran said in a rough voice, his face red.

    ¡°Five thousand five hundred.¡± Shui Linglong raised her voice and looked in Chen Moran¡¯s direction with her eyes ablaze with anger.

    ¡°Five thousand six hundred.¡± Chen Moran was not to be outdone.

    ¡°Five thousand seven hundred.¡±

    Zhuang Yu bit his lip, pulled Chen Moran¡¯s hand, and said softly, ¡°Moran, forget it. You still have to keep some spirit stones to buy pills, this price is too high.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve come this far, it¡¯s a pity to give up now.¡± Chen Moran shook his head firmly.

    Zhuang Yu bit his lip and said deeply touched, ¡°Moran, you are so kind to me.¡±

    Chen Moran looked at Zhuang Yu¡¯s trusting eyes, feeling as if he had been fed a bewitching soup, and shouted, ¡°Six thousand.¡±

    ¡°Bitch!¡± Shui Linglong scolded with a dark face, looking in Zhuang Yu¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Sister, six thousand spirit stones is already far beyond the value of the Ice Lotus Water itself.¡± Shui Qiancheng frowned.

    ¡°I know, but, after missing this opportunity, it will be difficult to come across this thing again. Little bitch, she just knows how to flirt and act coquettish. Chen Moran, this idiot!¡± Shui Linglong said through gritted teeth, her face taut.

    ¡°Moran, is it okay to spend six thousand spirit stones?¡± Zhuang Yu asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s only six thousand spirit stones.¡± Chen Moran smiled lightly and said comfortingly.

    Chen Moran¡¯s heart trembled. Although the others had also contributed, he had shouldered the lion¡¯s share. So that many spirit stones were actually a huge sum of money for Chen Moran.

    Shui Qiancheng sighed. He looked at his sister and said, ¡°Sister, seven thousand spirit stones is the limit, any higher is out of the question.¡±

    Shui Linglong ground her teeth, but, in the end, she could only comply, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Seven thousand.¡± Shui Linglong ruthlessly quoted this price.

    ¡°Seven thousand one hundred.¡± Chen Moran¡¯s voice was shaking.

    Mu Chen felt amused by Chen Moran¡¯s voice. For the sake of beauty, this guy was quite ruthless!

    ¡°Ten thousand.¡± A careless voice called out.

    Mu Chen looked towards the person shouting under the stage and his face changed dramatically.

    With blue hair and greenish eyes, the real young attacker, Lan Ruofeng. How could he possibly appear so soon?

    Zhuang Yu turned his head and glanced curiously in the direction of Lan Ruofeng, who raised his head and smiled at him gently.

    The eyes of the two destined lovers crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, and, at last, converged for a myriad of years.

    Mu Chen watched Lan Ruofeng and Zhuang Yu¡¯s heartfelt exchange and felt a little funny in his heart. The moment Lan Ruofeng appeared, Chen Moran and the others around Zhuang Yu would all be reduced to sidekicks.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that guy? He¡¯s so rich.¡± Ye Shi opened his eyes wide and looked at Lan Ruofeng with shock and curiosity.

    Mu Chen shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know him. He¡¯s probably an outsider.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s really rich!¡± Ye Shi looked at Lan Ruofeng with bright eyes.

    Looking at Ye Shi¡¯s admiring face, Mu Chen couldn¡¯t refrain from saying, ¡°He¡¯s just a rich kid who doesn¡¯t know the hardships of life.¡±

    Ye Shi glanced at him and said disdainfully, ¡°You say that as if you know the hardships of life.¡±

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Chen Moran frowned and glanced at Lan Ruofeng with hostile eyes.

    ¡°Moran, don¡¯t continue, 10,000 spirit stones is too high.¡± Zhuang Yu smiled faintly.

    Chen Moran secretly breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, A¡¯Yu, I even promised you that I would take the Ice Lotus Water.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, no one would have thought that things would turn out like this¡­¡± Zhuang Yu said somewhat sadly.

    Shui Qiancheng looked at Shui Linglong with concern, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t be impulsive.¡±

    Shui Linglong took a few deep breaths, closed her eyes, and said, ¡°I give up.¡±

    Shui Qiancheng patted Shui Linglong¡¯s back and said comfortingly, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯ll go to the surrounding towns and ask around, maybe they have Ice Lotus Water too.¡±

    Shui Linglong nodded and said with a downcast expression, ¡°I hope so.¡±

    ¡°Brother, did you see the way that man looked at Zhuang Yu? He¡¯s another lustful bastard. Zhuang Yu, what a bitch.¡± Shui Linglong cursed with disdain.

    Shui Qiancheng reassured Shui Linglong helplessly, ¡°Alright, alright, sister, don¡¯t say more.¡±

    Noticing the eyes around her, Shui Linglong gnashed her teeth reluctantly and withdrew her expression.

    Shui Linglong looked at Lan Ruofeng, her eyes showing a bit of disgust, ¡°A good young talent, why does he have to be entangled with Zhuang Yu?¡±

    Shui Qiancheng looked at Lan Ruofeng, ¡°Sister, looking at this man¡¯s demeanour. He is probably from an extraordinary background and should not be easily offended.¡±

    Shui Linglong nodded and inwardly shifted her hatred for the loss of the Ice Lotus Water to Chen Moran, and this way, Shui Linglong¡¯s object of hatred changed from Mu Chen to Chen Moran.

 CH 32

    Inside the private room, Mu Yuanfeng leisurely sipped his tea, ¡°The one who competed with that little girl from the Shui family for the Ice Lotus Water before seems to be Chen Moran from the Chen family.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± Mu Yuanhang said with a light smile.

    ¡±There is little joy but ever more regrets in life, who would in order to save a thousand pounds of gold forsake a lady''s smile? Chen Moran is quite the gentleman!¡± Mu Yuanfeng slightly teased.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± echoed Mu Yuanhang.

    ¡°Gentleman? To be so extravagant and generous for a shuang¡¯er, it¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Mu Ke said with a sullen look.

    Mu Yuanfeng lowered his head and sighed with relief. His son used to be even more wilful than Chen Moran. Just now, Mu Yuanfeng had been worried that Mu Chen would jump out to bid. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t.

    Mu Yuanhang looked at Mu Yuanfeng with his brows slightly knitted. Mu Chen used to be quite unbridled, but now his attitude has changed.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Inside the Chen family¡¯s private room.

    Chen Hansheng said coldly, ¡°Chaohe, how do you discipline your son? You let your son fight with the little princess of the Shui family to please a shuang¡¯er, what a joke!¡±

    Seeing the gloating eyes of his brothers, Chen Chaohe turned red with shame, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not disciplining him properly, I will definitely educate him adequately in the future.¡±

    Chen Hansheng nodded and said in a cold voice: ¡°He is not young anymore. Mu Chen of the Mu family knows how to improve and stop fooling around, but he is still like this.¡±

    ¡°Moran is just a child at heart. Even that Mu Chen can change, he will change too.¡± Chen Chaohe said.

    Chen Hansheng looked at him sullenly, ¡°I hope so.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Next it¡¯s a second-grade alchemy furnace, the Purple Cloud Furnace, with a starting price of five hundred spirit stones.¡± A purple alchemy furnace was placed on the stage, the surface was decorated with a pattern of clouds, making it look quite lavish.

    As soon as the auctioneer¡¯s voice fell, someone raised the price to one thousand.

    Mu Chen¡¯s face instantly tensed up and he shouted directly, ¡°Two thousand.¡±

    The price of two thousand spirit stones didn¡¯t deter the crowd, and the price quickly rose to three thousand spirit stones.

    Mu Ke raised an eyebrow, ¡°Chen¡¯er seems to be calling for a price. What does he want to do with the alchemy furnace?¡°

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled, ¡°He seems to have recently become interested in alchemy and he is clamoring for an alchemy furnace.¡±

    Mu Ke was surprised, ¡°Oh, he¡¯s interested in alchemy?¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to refine pills! Many people have poured out their families¡¯ fortune, but they have not come up with any results.¡± Mu Yuanhang said coolly.

    ¡°Chen¡¯er is Yuanfeng¡¯s son. With the help of his hands-on teaching, it will be easier for him to become an alchemist than ordinary people. When the time comes, we will have two alchemists in the family. That¡¯ll be quite enviable.¡± Muke touched his beard, full of anticipation.

    ¡°Father is right.¡± Mu Yuanhang echoed.

    ¡°It is still too early to say. Perhaps Chen¡¯er interest will be short-lived.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Alchemy requires absolute patience. Mu Yuanfeng was not too confident that Mu Chen would be able to persevere, but it was better for him to be interested in refining pills than in women.

    ¡°Three thousand four hundred.¡±

    At this point in the bidding, the callings gradually slowed down.

    ¡°Three thousand five hundred.¡± Mu Chen said.

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen¡¯s red face, took out the card in his hand, and handed it to him, saying, ¡°There¡¯s still a thousand here.¡±

    Mu Chen struggled for a moment and then pushed the card back to Ye Shi, ¡°That¡¯s for you to spend, I¡¯m not using it.¡±

    ¡°Three thousand six hundred.¡±

    ¡°Three thousand eight hundred.¡± Shouting out this price, Mu Chen¡¯s heart immediately rose to his throat.

    Fortunately, after he shouted out this price, no one called another bid.

    Mu Chen breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°That was close.¡± If the price went any higher, he would have had to give up or ask Ye Shi to borrow some.

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen, blinked, and said, ¡°You¡¯re sweating a lot.¡±

    Mu Chen raised his eyebrows and teased, ¡°Really? Just wipe it for me.¡±

    Ye Shi hesitated for a moment before stretching out his sleeve to wipe the sweat on his forehead. Mu Chen originally only wanted to tease him, so Ye Shi¡¯s action made him feel a bit at a loss.

    Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen¡¯s disorientated look, hooked the corner of his mouth, and secretly thought: Mu Chen, in fact, is not as nasty as the rumors say¡­.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Shui Linglong looked at the private room upstairs, tapped her finger on the table, and said, ¡°Is the one who just shouted the price, Mu Chen?¡±

    Shui Qiancheng nodded, ¡°It should be him.¡±

    Shui Linglong narrowed her eyes, ¡°That guy used to be around Zhuang Yu all the time, but lately, it seems that he can¡¯t even see him anymore.¡±

    Shui Qiancheng shrugged, ¡°I heard that he has changed a lot recently and he¡¯s progressing rapidly, so Zhuang Yu has been left behind.¡±

    Shui Linglong snorted, ¡°Changed his character? Advancing? A leopard cannot change its spots, he is just like that but he still wants to make progress?¡°

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that. I saw him on the street some time ago and found that he is already a martial warrior.¡± Shui Qiancheng said.

    Shui Linglong¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°A martial warrior?¡±

    Shui Qiancheng nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°I wonder if it was Mu Yuanfeng who used pills to boost Mu Chen¡¯s strength.¡± Shui Linglong didn¡¯t think much of it.

    Shui Qiancheng shook his head, ¡°No, Mu Yuanfeng is an alchemist, so he wouldn¡¯t be unaware of the dangers of abusing pills.¡±

    Shui Linglong tilted her head, ¡°In that case, Mu Chen really knows how to improve.¡±

    Shui Qiancheng nodded, ¡°It seems so.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really surprising.¡± Shui Linglong couldn¡¯t help but say.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°The person who bought the alchemy furnace just now seems to be Mu Chen!¡± Zhuang Yu said.

    Chen Moran nodded, ¡°It should be him.¡±

    ¡°Is he interested in alchemy?¡± Zhuang Yu muttered.

    Chen Moran smiled forcedly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know him yet? He always has three minutes'' short-lived zeal in everything he does.¡°

    Zhuang Yu laughed, ¡°He used to be like this, but recently he doesn¡¯t seem to be the same.¡±

    When Chen Moran heard this, he felt a little bit more hatred for Mu Chen in his heart.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Mu Chen held the alchemy furnace and observed it carefully. Just this broken furnace had emptied his entire fortune!

    No wonder people say that alchemy is a money-burning activity! He hadn¡¯t even started yet, and his pockets were already empty.

    ¡°Do you want to learn alchemy?¡± Ye Shi asked, holding his chin.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s lucrative, but it¡¯s not clear whether you¡¯ll have any money in the future.¡± Ye Shi couldn¡¯t help but say.

    Muchen tilted his head, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    Ye Shi shrugged, ¡°Everyone says that alchemy is a job for rich people and that ¡°poor ten rich one¡±.  Meaning that eleven rich people refine pills, ten of them become poor, and only one gets richer.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled and said confidently, ¡°I will become that rich one¡­¡±

    Ye Shi wasn¡¯t impressed, ¡°Those ten soon-to-be poor people thought the same thing before they started refining pills.¡°

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    The auction gradually came to an end, and soon the first of the three treasures in the finale came out. The Rejuvenation Pill, a third-grade pill that could instantly replenish the vital energy of a martial spirit to 70% of their original level. It was a very precious pill and it was sold for 100,000 spirit stones.

    After the Rejuvenation Pill was sold, a third-grade demon core of the Green Underworld Snake was auctioned off for 150,000 spirit stones.

    The final item up for auction was a lower Xuan-grade Fighting Technique, which was sold for 300,000 spirit stones.

    Ye Shi stared blankly, stunned by the sky-high auction prices.

    Seeing that the auction was over, Mu Chen took Ye Shi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    It took Ye Shi a long time to recover from the shock, but when he saw that Mu Chen was holding his hand, he didn¡¯t struggle and followed him out.

    When Mu Ke came out of the private room, he saw Mu Chen and Ye Shi walking out of the auction house, hand in hand.

    ¡°Who is that man beside Chen¡¯er? That dagger was bought for him, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Mu Ke said frowning, his face a little gloomy.

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled and said, ¡°Father, you have forgotten that you once arranged a child marriage for Chen¡¯er, and that was that boy from the Ye family.¡±

    Mu Ke was stunned for a moment, ¡°That was the Ye family¡¯s shuang¡¯er? He looks a bit like Ye He. Since he¡¯s here, why hasn¡¯t he come to the mansion?¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled, ¡°That boy is high-minded, he should have his own considerations.¡±

    ¡°Looking at Mu Chen¡¯s appearance, he seems to like that child very much!¡± Mu Ke said with a somewhat complicated look on his face.

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded, ¡°Yes! Chen¡¯er is very satisfied with him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that Chen¡¯er likes him.¡± Mu Ke said with a sigh of relief.

 CH 33

    Mu Chen held Ye Shi¡¯s hand as they walked out of the auction house.

    ¡±Mu Chen.¡± A familiar call rang out in Mu Chen¡¯s ears.

    Seeing Zhuang Yu, Mu Chen frowned. There he goes again. How could he be so persistent?

    When Ye Shi saw Zhuang Yu, he tried to free his hand from Mu Chen¡¯s hold, but Mu Chen held on to his hand tightly and didn¡¯t let go. Ye Shi blushed and stopped struggling.

    Zhuang Yu¡¯s face changed slightly at the sight of the two men holding hands, but quickly regained his composure.

    ¡°Mu Chen, who is this?¡± Zhuang Yu asked.

    ¡°My fianc¨¦.¡± Mu Chen said graciously.

    Ye Shi turned his head and looked at Mu Chen, a hazy feeling arising in his heart.

    Zhuang Yu looked at the dagger in Ye Shi¡¯s hand and recognized it as the one Mu Chen had just bought.

    ¡°Nice dagger ah!¡± Zhuang Yu said to Ye Shi with a smile.

    Facing Zhuang Yu, Ye Shi always felt ashamed of himself. Now that he was staring at him, Ye Shi just smiled and retracted his hand.

    ¡°Is there anything else, Young Zhuang? If not, we¡¯ll leave first.¡± Mu Chen said embracing Ye Shi¡¯s waist.

    Ye Sh¡¯s waist was held by Mu Chen and he suddenly felt a little nervous. He squirmed uncomfortably under his hand, but, in the end, he did not leave Mu Chen¡¯s arms.

    Zhuang Yu smiled reluctantly, ¡°Sure.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled at Zhuang Yu and left with Ye Shi.

    Chen Moran looked in the direction they left and said, ¡°How in the world did Mu Chen¡¯s eyes grow, he can even look at someone like that.¡±

    ¡°By the looks of it, he is taking it seriously.¡± Sun Yu said.

    ¡°I think he¡¯s just putting on a show.¡± Chen Moran said with his arms crossed.

    ¡°Pretending? What for?¡± Sun Yu said in disbelief.

    ¡°The marriage between Mu Chen and Ye Shi was arranged by his grandfather, Mu Ke. The old man and Ye Shi¡¯s grandfather were sworn brothers, Ye Shi is Ye He¡¯s grandson. Mu Ke loves the house and its crow, and should have much regard for Ye Shi. I think it¡¯s possible that Mu Chen is doing this to please that old man of the Mu family.¡± Chen Moran complacently stated his suspicions.

    Sun Yu raised his eyebrows, ¡°No way, when did Mu Chen¡¯s brain become so complicated? Besides, it¡¯s too big a sacrifice for him to do this.¡±

    Chen Moran said indifferently, ¡°To get something, you have to give something, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Why does Mu Chen¡­have to be so calculating? In order to please the old master of the Mu family, he has to please such a shuang¡¯er, it¡¯s too distressing!¡± Zhuang Yu sighed emotionally.

    Chen Moran didn¡¯t care at all, ¡°A¡¯Yu, this is Mu Chen¡¯s own choice.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Are you really not coming home with me?¡± Mu Chen asked with a frown.

    Ye Shi shook his head, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Mu Chen sighed softly.

    When Ye Shi looked at Mu Chen¡¯s downcast expression, his heart softened and he wanted to say yes, but in the end, he held back.

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi and said regretfully, ¡°Next, I may go into seclusion for a while to refine pills, so I won¡¯t be able to visit you.¡±

    Ye Shi snorted coldly, ¡°Who wants to see you?¡±

    Mu Chen looked at him, ¡°Take care of yourself and eat more.¡±

    Ye Shi grabbed the dagger and said, ¡°I always eat a lot, I don¡¯t need you to be nosy.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ¡°Go on, go.¡± Ye Shi said impatiently, as Mu Chen left looking back three times at every step. Seeing Mu Chen¡¯s figure gradually disappear, Ye Shi¡¯s eyes showed some unwillingness to part.

    ¡°Shi Tou, you are back?¡± Chen Da came out.

    Ye Shi nodded his head, his face tinged with a slight blush.

    ¡°Young master Mu Chen has already left?¡± Chen Da asked.

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Young master Mu Chen, he¡¯s not bad, is he?¡± Chen Da asked.

    Ye Shi blinked, ¡°A little better than I thought, but not that much better.¡±

    As Chen Da listened to Ye Shi¡¯s slightly angry words, he knew that the latter half of Ye Shi¡¯s words were obviously untrue.

    Seeing the smile from the corner of Ye Shi¡¯s mouth, Chen Da felt relieved. He had not expected Mu Chen to like Ye Shi, he had only hoped that Mu Chen would look at the friendship between Mu Ke and Ye He and honour the marriage contract, giving Ye Shi a home. Now it seems that the situation is much better than expected.

    ¡°Mu Chen didn¡¯t ask you to go to the Mu family?¡± Chen Da suddenly thought of something.

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°He mentioned it, but I¡¯m not happy to go.¡±

    Chen Da frowned and looked at Ye Shi helplessly, saying, ¡°You child, how can you be so stubborn!¡±

 CH 34

    Ye Shi absent-mindedly sliced the meat, his eyes ceaselessly falling on the dagger at his waist.

    ¡°Shi Tou, what¡¯s wrong? You are distracted. Are you thinking of young master Mu Chen?¡± Chen Da asked with amusement.

    Ye Shi bristled at once, ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about him, what¡¯s there to think about him, besides¡­he said he was going to refine pills in seclusion and wouldn¡¯t have any free time these days.¡°

    Chen Da looked at Ye Shi¡¯s face and laughed, ¡°Yes, yes, who¡¯s thinking of young master Mu Chen eh.¡±

    Ye Shi frowned and glared at him unhappily.

    Ye Shi lowered his head. Although he knew Mu Chen was busy these days, he still had some expectations in his heart. What he was looking forward to, he didn¡¯t know himself.

    ¡°Shi Tou, this is for you.¡± A¡¯Mu came over and handed him two pork knuckles.

    Ye Shi blinked, a little puzzled, ¡°For me? Is the restaurant giving out incentives?¡±

    ¡°Incentive? It¡¯s for you alone. Young master Mu Chen ordered a month¡¯s worth of pork knuckles so that you can eat two pork knuckles a day for a month.¡± A¡¯Mu said with envy.

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Ah! How can this be?¡±

    A¡¯Mu shrugged, ¡°Who knows? Go ask young master Mu Chen! Shi Tou, why is young master Mu Chen treating you so well?¡±

    Ye Shi lowered his head, blushed, and said grumbly, ¡°He¡¯s not that good! Two pork knuckles for one spirit stone, if he was really nice to me, he would have given me the spirit stones.¡±

    A¡¯Mu shook his head, ¡°Young master Mu Chen has already placed an order, the restaurant will not give a refund.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t get it, so be it.¡± Ye Shi said, unconcerned. Anyway, the pork knuckles made by the restaurant were delicious and he wouldn¡¯t get tired of eating them. He had always wanted to eat them, but he was reluctant to spend the spirit stones.

    ¡°Shi Tou, young master Mu Chen is quite considerate!¡± Chen Da said.

    Martial arts cultivators need spirit stones or meat containing spirit energy to supplement their cultivation. If you don¡¯t replenish your energy for a long time, your strength may regress. Chen Da has always wanted to find a backer for Ye Shi because he was afraid that he would lack resources causing his cultivation to stagnate or even regress.

    Ye Shi said in disbelief: ¡°As if! He is very bad.¡±

    ¡°Why is he bad?¡± Chen Da asked, puzzled.

    ¡°He only gave me two pork knuckles, not even a roast chicken.¡± Ye Shi muttered discontentedly.

    Chen Da looked at him with disapproval and said helplessly, ¡°Shi Tou, when did you learn to be so greedy?¡±

    Ye Shi lowered his head, aggrieved, ¡°Just that he¡­¡± is no good ah!

    A¡¯Mu looked at Ye Shi, ¡°Shi Tou, young master Mu Chen asked me to tell you something, that the Mu family has more delicious food.¡±

    Ye Shi bit his lip and said indignantly, ¡°He is so mean.¡±

    Chen Da looked at him, ¡°What now?¡±

    Ye Shi said insistently, ¡°He is an asshole.¡±

    This guy, Mu Chen, is clearly trying to lure him. However, the cake that he brought last time, it was really delicious! Mu Chen actually said that he made it but he didn¡¯t believe that he, this second generation, would also enter the kitchen.

    Mu family.

    Mu Chen, who was cultivating in a bathtub full of demon beasts¡¯ blood, suddenly sneezed. ¡°Young master, are you all right?¡± Ren San asked.

    ¡°Nothing, Shi Tou must be missing me.¡± Mu Chen¡¯s face was distorted by the animal blood, but now there was a faint smile on his lips.

    Knowing that Mu Chen has made up his mind to cultivate << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>>, Mu Yuanfeng no longer let him personally collect the beasts¡¯ blood.

    The kitchen will collect all kinds of beasts¡¯ blood every day, and then ask his subordinates to buy the missing kinds.

    With the tempering of the  << A Hundred Refinements: Body Tempering Technique>>, Mu Chen¡¯s body is becoming more and more sturdy and he has now completely consolidated his cultivation as a one-star martial warrior.

    Seeing Mu Chen finish his training session, Ren San had to ask, ¡°Young master, do you really like Ye Shi?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Young master, forgive me for meddling, although young master Ye Shi looks strong on the surface, he has not been appreciated for a long time and he has a sensitive mind. If, young master, you are not sincere, he will collapse.¡± Ren San said.

    Mu Chen smiled, ¡°I know.¡± It¡¯s because he knows, that he doesn¡¯t dare to be too hasty ah!

    Ren San looked at Mu Chen, feeling a little strange. Since he came back, the young master seemed to have changed entirely. Fortunately, this change is developing in a good direction.

 CH 35

    ¡°Father, I¡¯ve finished reading all the books you gave me. Can I start learning alchemy?¡± Mu Chen asked as he walked through the door.

    Mu Yuanfeng glanced at him helplessly, ¡°Chen¡¯er, you can¡¯t take the matter of refining pills too lightly. You¡¯ve already read all the books I gave you, just remember that the slightest error in alchemy can lead to a loss of a thousand miles, nothing should be done carelessly.¡±

    ¡°Father, I¡¯ve really finished reading them all, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can test me!¡± Mu Chen said indifferently.

    On Earth, Mu Chen was considered a study god, with the ability to never forget anything. After coming to this world, this learning ability had not deteriorated at all. He had only spent a day and a night reading all the books Mu Yuanfeng gave him.

    Looking at his confident look, Mu Yuanfeng didn¡¯t splash cold water on him, but said indifferently, ¡°Purple Lingzhi!

    Mu Chen interlaced his fingers and said lightly, ¡°Purple Lingzhi, biannual or perennial basidiocarp; the cap of the purple lingzhi is mostly purplish-black or brownish-black and its flesh is uniformly brown, from dark brown to chestnut brown; the mycelium is trimorphic; the generative hypha is transparent and thin-walled; the skeletal hypha is yellowish-brown, thick-walled and almost solid; the binding hypha is colorless, thick-walled and curved, all evenly branched. Purple Lingzhi can be taken raw to increase spiritual energy, and it can be used as medicine to make the Purple Spirit Pill. Purple Lingzhi cannot be used in combination with Purple Clover¡­¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng was stunned for a moment and continued, ¡°Liquidamber Styrax¡±

    Mu Chen calmly said, ¡°Liquidamber Styrax, purple-red, similar to rosewood, solid, extremely fragrant, but it¡¯s as heavy as a stone, so it¡¯s better to burn it into ash. It can be refined into fragrance-containing pills. After a woman takes it, her body will be fragrant and she will look better than before ¡­¡­¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng asked Mu Chen a dozen questions in a row and he answered them all correctly.

    Mu Yuanfeng stared at him for a long time, ¡°Chen¡¯er, did you really read everything?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes, father! Is there a problem?¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng shook his head and smiled reluctantly, ¡°No, there is no problem. Chen¡¯er, you should know that to become an excellent alchemist, there are high requirements for soul power, the sensitivity of perception, and mentality. A strong memory won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Thank you father for your guidance, I understand.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded in approval at Mu Chen¡¯s appearance of being taught. Not being proud and not being impatient were necessary conditions to become an excellent alchemist.

    Mu Yuanfeng didn¡¯t tell him that it had taken him more than half a month to familiarise himself with the complete list of spiritual herbs and pills, but even so, his teacher had praised him for his good memory.

    Looking at his son, Mu Yuanfeng felt a surge of guilt in his heart. He thought, ¡°If he had cared more about Mu Chen in the past, perhaps he might have mended his ways much earlier.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen followed Mu Yuanfeng into the alchemy room. The temperature inside was so high that Mu Chen felt like he was going to faint as soon as he walked in.

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at him and reached out with his hand, nudging him on the forehead. Mu Chen immediately felt several points cooler.

    ¡°Alchemy requires fire. Once you become a martial spirit, a heart fire seed will form in your body and you will be able to use it to refine pills, but now, you¡¯ll have to make do.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°I know, the book says that before an alchemist advances to martial spirit, he can refine pills with the help of the earth fire, or he can collect foreign fires originating from heaven and earth and incorporate them into the body, so he can also use them to refine pills.¡±

    ¡°It seems that you have put in a lot of work.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen smiled bashfully.

    ¡°It is every alchemist¡¯s dream to find a foreign fire seed for his own use, but it¡¯s almost impossible. I once spent more than eight years searching for a foreign fire, but to no avail. Fortunately, thanks to a chance meeting, we found a fire vein of earth fire.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said with some pride.

    ¡°Father is mighty.¡± Mu Chen said.

    The value of an earth fire vein is very high. With this fire vein, Mu Yuanfeng can refine pills at home, otherwise, he would have to rent an alchemy room, and the price to rent such a room is excessive.

    ¡°Your strength is still too low to withstand the fiery power of the fire vein under this alchemy room. The ice spirit energy I input into your body can only last for two hours, so you can only stay inside for a maximum of two hours a day, understand?¡± Mu Yuanfeng reminded.

    Mu Chen nodded his head, ¡°I understand.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled, ¡°In the future, as your strength improves, you will be able to stay in this alchemy room for longer and longer.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded and asked curiously, ¡°Father, when you first learned how to refine pills, how did you solve the problem with the fire?¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng rubbed his head, saying, ¡° Your father was not as lucky as you are. I had to rent an alchemy room to refine pills and the price wasn¡¯t cheap. When I first started refining pills, the failure rate was high and I was always left with no money.¡± Back then, he had to borrow money to get by, and he had to give up several times.

    Mu Chen looked at him with a complicated expression. Mu Yuanfeng knocked him on the forehead, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking that it¡¯s not easy for father.¡± Mu Chen said.

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled and said solemnly, ¡°Therefore, you should cherish the good conditions given to you.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°I understand.¡±

 CH 36

    ¡°Controlling the fire is an extremely important step in refining pills. The flame is divided into micro, small, medium, and large. Still, this is only a preliminary classification. The higher the level of alchemy, the higher the requirements for fire. Some pills even require a continuous transformation of the flame.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen nodded his head to show his understanding.

    ¡°This is a micro flame.¡± Mu Yuanfeng drew out a small cluster of flame from the earth fire vein.

    ¡°This is a small flame¡­¡± The flame in Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s hand abruptly became several times bigger.

    ¡°This is a medium flame¡­¡± Mu Yuanfeng gave a demonstration for each one of the four flames.

    Mu Chen watched him with rapt attention. The shape of the four flames, their strengths, and their weaknesses are also recorded in books, but, after all, records are just ink on paper, far less real than what you can see with your own eyes and feel for yourself.

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at him and asked, ¡°Have you seen it clearly?¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng froze for a moment. He thought that Mu Chen would say that he didn¡¯t see clearly and so he would demonstrate once again. Back then, his teacher had to show him a full five times before he could tentatively grasp the diverse intensity of the flame.

    ¡°Then you try.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen nodded and drew out a small flame from the earth fire vein, with exactly the same intensity as the one Mu Yuanfeng had demonstrated at the beginning. He, then, showed the other flames one by one.

    Mu Yuanfeng swallowed, a genius! Why didn¡¯t he know before that his son was such a talent? Feeling that he had delayed his son once more, the guilt in Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s heart deepened.

    ¡°Father, is this right?¡± Mu Chen turned his head and looked at Mu Yuanfeng.

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded, tried to maintain his composure, and said calmly, ¡°Yes, you have a good grasp of it.¡±

    Mu Chen let out a sigh of relief, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°You are just starting out, so let¡¯s first try making the spiritual liquid.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said after thinking for a moment.

    Mu Chen nodded his head, ¡°Okay.¡±

    The spiritual liquid is made for external use and doesn¡¯t have to be condensed into a pill, so it¡¯s usually easier to make. The spiritual liquid is slow to kick in and the effect is milder than pills. However, there are few after-effects and it doesn¡¯t leave as much residual waste in the body.

    Mu Yuanfeng waved his hand, and ten pairs of spiritual herbs appeared in front of him, ¡°These are the spiritual herbs needed to refine the Body Tempering Spiritual Liquid. Now, I will show you how it¡¯s refined.¡±

    Mu Chen stepped back a little to allow Mu Yuanfeng to demonstrate.

    ¡°Did you see clearly?¡± Mu Yuanfeng asked Mu Chen as he finished concocting the spiritual liquid.

    Mu Chen nodded his head and said confidently, ¡°I saw it clearly¡­¡±

    Two hours later, Mu Yuanfeng led Mu Chen out of the alchemy room. Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s footsteps drifted slightly.

    While in the alchemy room, Mu Yuanfeng showed Mu Chen the refining methods of two first-grade spiritual liquids and three first-grade pills, each of which Mu Chen grasped immediately after only one demonstration. Even when he accidentally failed to make a first-grade meditation pill, Mu Chen succeeded in one go.

    Mu Chen¡¯s face was a little shriveled, but his eyes were shining brightly.

    ¡°Second brother, what¡¯s wrong with Mu Chen?¡± Mu Yuanhang asked.

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled, ¡°Smoked by the fire.¡±

    Mu Yuanhang looked at Mu Chen and said, ¡°Second brother, in fact, Chen¡¯er is still young. There is no need to learn alchemy so early, look at his appearance, he is about to pass out from the heat.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled lightly, ¡°I was around the same age.¡±

    ¡°What about Chen¡¯er¡¯s talent for alchemy?¡± Mu Yuanhang asked.

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled bitterly, ¡°He is just starting out, how can I tell how talented he is so soon?¡±

    Mu Chen smiled bashfully, ¡°I think refining pills is interesting, it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t do it well.¡±

    Mu Yuanhang smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said comfortingly, ¡°Chen¡¯er, alchemy is not something that can be mastered overnight, you have to take your time.¡±

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°I understand.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Yuanhang¡¯s back as he left, a cold smile spreading across his heart.

    After discussing it with Mu Chen, he decided to conceal Mu Chen¡¯s talent. There are several big families in Mo City and if they knew of his talent, his safety would be at risk.

    Inside, he felt quite stifled. Having such an outstanding son, you can¡¯t show it off to the public, but for Mu Chen¡¯s safety, Mu Yuanfeng had to endure it.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Shi Tou, your pork knuckles.¡± A¡¯Mu handed him the pork knuckles with envy.

    Ye Shi looked at the pork knuckles feeling a little uncomfortable. Mu Chen is not even coming to see him, what¡¯s the point of giving him pork knuckles? What is he, a pig?

    Ye Shi bit into the pork knuckle viciously, as if he was holding a grudge.

    ¡°Shi Tou, do you miss young master Mu?¡± Chen Da asked, leaning forward.

    Ye Shi gnashed his teeth, ¡°Why should I miss him? He is so bad.¡±

    ¡°Shi Tou, if you really miss young master Mu Chen, you can go and see him, you don¡¯t have to wait for him to come and see you!¡± Chen Da said disappointedly.

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes flickered, he pondered thoughtfully for a while and said with a tense face, ¡°He has to make pills, so if I go, he won¡¯t have time to see me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll only know if he¡¯s free to see you when you go!¡± Chen Da advised.

    Ye Shi thought about it and felt a bit moved.

    ¡°Shi Tou, someone is looking for you.¡± A waiter said walking in.

    Ye Shi¡¯s heart skipped a beat and asked nervously, ¡°Who is looking for me?¡±

    ¡°It seems to be the attendant beside young master Mu Chen.¡± The boy said.

    Ye Shi¡¯s mood was a bit complicated, ¡°Just the attendant, did he not come?¡±

    The boy shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t see him.¡±

    Ye Shi calmed down, washed his hands, and walked out.

    ¡°Young master Ye Shi.¡± Seeing Ye Shi come out, Ren San called out respectfully.

    Ye Shi blinked his eyes and looked at him, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±

    Ren San handed him the food box in his hand, ¡°This is for you, from young master Mu Chen.¡±

    Ye Shi took the food box, his heart stirring for a moment. Finally, he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°How is he doing?¡±

    ¡°Young master Mu Chen has been working hard refining pills recently and he is very tired, so he¡¯s now resting.¡± Ren San said.

    ¡°Has he refined a pill yet?¡± Ye Shi asked gently.

    Ren San smiled bitterly, ¡°Refining pills, it¡¯s not that easy.¡±

    Ye Shi skimmed his lips, ¡°I thought so.¡±

    Ren San: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Young master Ye Shi, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Ren San said.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Ye Shi hesitantly called out to him.

    Ren San looked at him, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You tell him not to be too hasty, take his time, don¡¯t work too hard, anyway¡­anyway¡­he is so stupid, even if he wastes his sleep and forgets to eat, he may not be able to refine a pill.¡± Ye Shi looked at Ren San fiercely.

    Ren San shrugged, ¡°I will convey your message.¡±

    Ye Shi hesitated for a moment, then called out to him again, blushing, ¡°Otherwise, don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Ren San looked at his expression, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Ye Shi looked at Ren San¡¯s back depressingly.

    As Zhuang Yu walked down the street, he saw the scene of Ye Shi sending Ren San away.

    ¡°Young Ye Shi.¡± Zhuang Yu called out to Ye Shi, who was about to get back inside.

    Ye Shi looked over at Zhuang Yu and found that today his usual entourage was replaced by a Lan Ruofeng, whom he had seen at the auction.

    ¡°This is Ruofeng.¡± Zhuang Yu introduced him to Ye Shi.

    Ye Shi nodded at Lan Ruofeng, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Ye Shi pursed his lips, thinking, ¡°Zhuang Yu is quite good, he has hooked up so quickly. It seems that the Ice Lotus Water has fallen into his hands at last.

    ¡°Ruofeng is a level two alchemist.¡± Zhuang Yu said to him.

    Ye Shi froze for a moment, ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡± It was rare to find such a young level two alchemist.

    Lan Ruofeng looked at Ye Shi and felt a little strange inside. He was clearly a bit ugly, but he felt as if he had seen this man before and that they should be very close.

    ¡°Where. Have we met before?¡± Lan Ruofeng asked.

    Ye Shi shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± He saw him at the auction, but Lan Ruofeng shouldn¡¯t have seen him before.

    Looking at Ye Shi, Zhuang Yu felt a little uncomfortable, for Ye Shi was so unattractive, yet Mu Chen seemed to have been charmed by him, and now even Lan Ruofeng seemed to be treating him differently.

    Zhuang Yu turned his head to Lan Ruofeng and said, ¡°Ruofeng, I have something to say to Ye Shi alone.¡±

    Lan Ruofeng nodded, ¡°Then, I will go to the Spiritual Herbs Shop first and come to pick you up later.¡±

    Zhuang Yu nodded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    As Ye Shi looked at Lan Ruofeng¡¯s back, a strange feeling welled up in his heart. His intuition told him that he would be deeply involved with this person, to the point of being desperate for him.

    Ye Shi shook his head and thought, ¡°Why should I risk everything for such a person? It¡¯s too unlikely.

 CH 37

    Zhuang Yu walked into the restaurant and graciously said to Ye Shi, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Ye Shi was a little uncomfortable by Zhuang Yu¡¯s self-effacing manner, ¡°What do you want, just say it, I have work to do.¡± He was an employee of the restaurant, how strange it was to sit with a customer during working hours!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about work, there¡¯s no rush. I want to talk about something that¡¯s more important than your work.¡± Zhuang Yu said unconcernedly.

    Zhuang Yu secretly thought: Ye Shi now has Mu Chen to cover for him, the owner of this restaurant simply doesn¡¯t dare offend him.

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes flickered and he looked at him suspiciously.

    Zhuang Yu looked at the food box in Ye Shi¡¯s hand and asked curiously, ¡°Is there food inside?¡±

    Ye Shi shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, there should be.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to open it and take a look?¡± Zhuang Yu asked.

    Ye Shi nodded and opened the box. Inside there was a cake similar to the one Mu Chen had given him at the auction. This time, a lot of spiritual fruits were added and it looked better than the last one.

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes shone brightly, he couldn¡¯t forget the taste of this cake after eating it once.

    ¡°Can I have a taste?¡± Zhuang Yu looked at the cake in Ye Shi¡¯s box and realized it was something he had never seen before.

    Ye Shi looked at him, and although he was reluctant, he nodded and took the knife in the box to cut a small piece.

    After cutting a small piece for Zhuang Yu, Ye Shi then took the knife and cut a large piece of cake for himself.

    Zhuang Yu looked at his ¡°small¡± slice and then at the ¡°large¡± slice in front of Ye Shi, and frowned. Zhuang Yu, who was always cradled in the hands of others, had never been disliked like this.

    Ye Shi had always been very protective of his food and it was not easy for him to give Zhuang Yu a ¡°small¡± piece of cake.

    As Zhuang Yu took a bite of the cake, an unprecedented sensation spread in his mouth, and he couldn¡¯t help squinting his eyes.

    It¡¯s really delicious. Zhuang Yu¡¯s heart felt a little uncomfortable. When Mu Chen was chasing him, he didn¡¯t invite him to eat this kind of cake!

    Ye Shi gobbled up the cake, and in a short while, almost all of it was eaten up. Zhuang Yu looked at Ye Shi¡¯s eating manners, and a bit of contempt swept through his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to eat? If not, I¡¯ll eat it for you!¡± Ye Shi said staring at the small piece of cake in Zhuang Yu¡¯s hand.

    Zhuang Yu smiled, ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m eating it? It tastes very good.¡±

    Ye Shi bit his spoon, and curled his mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t believe Mu Chen when he says he made it himself, it must have been made by his chef.¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at Ye Shi¡¯s angry face that couldn¡¯t conceal the sweetness he was feeling, and the strange feeling in his heart became even stronger.

    ¡°What I¡¯m going to say may hurt you, but I think I have to say it anyway.¡± Zhuang Yu looked at him seriously.

    Ye Shi looked at him, puzzled, ¡°What exactly do you want to say?¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at him with some pity, ¡°Mu Chen¡¯s grandfather, Mu Ke, and your grandfather were sworn brothers, so Mu Ke likes you and loves you very much. The competition among the youngest generation of the Mu family is very fierce, and in order to please Mu Ke, it¡¯s inevitable for Mu Chen to think of some special methods.¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°What do I mean, do you really not understand?¡± Zhuang Yu looked at him and said in disbelief.

    Ye Shi clutched his palm so hard that he almost made it bleed.

    ¡°What¡¯s your purpose in doing this?¡± Ye Shi asked, gritting his teeth.

    Zhuang Yu looked at him, ¡°I don¡¯t want Mu Chen to sink deeper into this kind of intrigue and trickery. This kind of scheming is not right at all, and I don¡¯t want you to fall for it either.¡±

    Ye Shi clenched his fist and said through clenched teeth, ¡°Thank you for your kindness.¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at his expression and sighed softly, ¡°I know you¡¯re having a hard time right now, but it¡¯s better to just get it over with, rather than prolong the agony, so you should face it earlier, and in the future, also¡­¡±

    Ye Shi looked at Zhuang Yu, his eyes a little sharp, ¡°How can you be sure, that Mu Chen doesn¡¯t like me.¡±

    Zhuang Yu looked at Ye Shi, his heart depressed. He had good intentions, but Ye Shi was being so ungrateful.

    ¡°You know that yourself, don¡¯t you? If there wasn¡¯t some special reason, why would Mu Chen be so nice to you?¡± Zhuang Yu said indifferently.

    Ye Shi¡¯s heart trembled, and he felt a little suffocated.

    Ye Shi frowned, ¡°How do you know this? Did Mu Chen himself tell you?¡±

    Zhuang Yu froze for a moment, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear it from Mu Chen, then why did you say it so confidently?¡± Ye Shi gnashed his teeth and looked at Zhuang Yu with dissatisfaction.

    Zhuang Yu looked at him with some annoyance, ¡°It¡¯s obvious! After all, who in their right mind would¡­¡° like you!

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from you, whether Mu Chen likes me or not, why he is being nice to me, I will only believe it if he says it himself.¡± Ye Shi stood up and said angrily.

    Seeing that Ye Shi didn¡¯t appreciate his good intentions, Zhuang Yu sighed, ¡°Then do as you please.¡±

 CH 38

    ¡°A¡¯Yu, are you done?¡± Lan Ruofeng asked as he walked in.

    Zhuang Yu nodded and glanced at Ye Shi, ¡°We¡¯re done talking.¡±

    Ye Shi looked at the two of them as they walked away together and gnashed his teeth.

    As soon as Zhuang Yu left, Ye Shi¡¯s previous feigned toughness collapsed and his face turned ashen.

    ¡°A¡¯Yu, what did you say to that man?¡± Lan Ruofeng asked.

    Zhuang Yu sighed lightly, ¡°I advised him to return to where he came from and not to fall into an illusion that doesn¡¯t belong to him, but clearly, he didn¡¯t appreciate my good intentions.¡±

    Lan Ruofeng shrugged, ¡°A¡¯Yu, you are too kind. There are many people in the world who don¡¯t know any better. You are good to them but they think you are trying to harm them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what he thinks, I just want to have a clear conscience.¡± Zhuang Yu said indifferently.

    Back in the kitchen, Chen Da looked at the dejected back of Ye Shi, and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Shi Tou, what¡¯s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s face was so ugly that Chen Da felt quite worried. The boy had always been strong, and to look like this, something really unpleasant must have happened.

    ¡°Did the servant of young master Mu Chen say something to you?¡± Chen Da asked with a frown.

    Ye Shi shook his head and answered with a downcast look on his face, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    If not him, then who?

    ¡°What is that?¡± Chen Da asked, looking at the food box in his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s a cake sent by Mu Chen.¡± Ye Shi said.

    Chen Da froze for a moment, ¡°Young master Mu Chen is quite thoughtful.¡±

    Ye Shi bit his lip, ¡°He is, but why?¡±

    Chen Da looked at him, puzzled, ¡°Shi Tou, what are you thinking about? Is it bad that young master Mu Chen is good to you?¡±

    Ye Shi took a deep breath, ¡°No, it¡¯s just that he¡¯s too good.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Did you give it?¡± Mu Chen asked as he came out of his meditative state.

    Ren San nodded, ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Did he say anything?¡± Mu Chen asked, raising his eyebrows.

    Ren San nodded, clasped his hands behind his back, and said, ¡°Young master Ye Shi said: ¡®don¡¯t be too hasty, take your time, don¡¯t work too hard, anyway¡­anyway¡­you are so stupid, even if you forget to eat and sleep, you may not be able to refine pills.¡¯¡±

    Mu Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡± his family¡¯s Shi Tou is so twisted. Obviously, he¡¯s worried about him, but he doesn¡¯t say it.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    At night, Ye Shi hugged the quilt and bit the corner of it, his eyes glowing with a ghostly light.

    Chen Da, who had woken up in the middle of the night, was startled by Ye Shi¡¯s appearance. He thought, ¡°Ye Shi¡¯s state is really not right. Usually, he is very protective of his food and rarely shares it. Yet, tonight he said he didn¡¯t want to eat and shared the rest of the cake with the others.

    The cake that young master Mu Chen sent over was so delicious that even the chef who specializes in making pastries in the restaurant couldn¡¯t stop praising it.

    Chen Da remembered that Ye Shi had once said that the cake made by Mu Chen was delicious, but it was a bit small and it was gone in a few bites.

    ¡°Shi Tou, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Da looked at him.

    Ye Shi raised his head and looked over, ¡°Zhuang Yu said that Mu Chen is being so nice to me because his grandfather, Mu Ke, was on good terms with grandpa, and he wants to please him.¡±

    Chen Da frowned and said helplessly, ¡°Shi Tou, can you trust Zhuang Yu¡¯s words? I can see that guy has so many flower escorts already, but he still doesn¡¯t turn away from other rich young men. Young master Mu Chen ignored him but Zhuang Yu is attracted to him. Isn¡¯t the same for everyone? Zhuang Yu didn¡¯t like Mu Chen before, but now that Mu Chen is ignoring him, he¡¯s unbalanced.¡±

    Ye Shi looked up, ¡°Uncle Chen, do you mean that Zhuang Yu lied to me?¡±

    ¡°Young master Mu Chen is Mu Ke¡¯s grandson, indeed. Although your grandfather and Mu Ke were on good terms, it¡¯s no more than that. In the end, to Mu Ke, you are just an outsider. If young master Mu Chen wants to please Mu Ke, he doesn¡¯t have to go to such lengths.¡± Chen Da coaxed.

    Ye Shi gnashed his teeth, ¡°Uncle Chen, you are right. Zhuang Yu must be lying to me.¡±

    ¡°Young master, if you like young master Mu Chen, you can''t always let him do all the work, you have to show it!¡± Chen Da said.

    Ye Shi bit his lips quietly pondering, his eyes flickering.

 CH 39

    ¡°Shi Tou, here are the two roast chickens you asked for.¡± The chef of the restaurant said to Ye Shi.

    Ye Shi nodded his head and said with satisfaction, ¡°Good.¡±

    Ye Shi put the two lotus leaf chickens into the food box, the aroma drifting out non-stop. Ye Shi had to put in a lot of effort to restrain himself from devouring it already.

    Chen Da watched Ye Shi carry the box out and frowned, ¡°Shi Tou, you are bringing two roast chickens to see young master Mu Chen?¡±

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Chen Da looked at him helplessly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too shabby?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not! Two roast chickens for a total of six spirit stones cost me six days¡¯ salary. I hope Mu Chen doesn¡¯t have much appetite and leaves one for me to eat.¡± Ye Shi muttered, his eyes shining.

    Chen Da looked at him with a green face.

    Ye Shi looked back at him and asked confused, ¡°Uncle Chen, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Chen Da shook his head, ¡°Nothing. Don¡¯t talk nonsense when you meet young master Mu Chen.¡±

    Ye Shi blinked, ¡°When did I talk nonsense?¡±

    Chen Da looked at him with a defeated look.

    Ye Shi rolled his eyes and said in a small voice, ¡°Uncle Chen, the cake from yesterday was all divided.¡±

    Chen Da nodded, ¡°Yes! You said you couldn¡¯t eat it, so I shared it all.¡± He originally wanted to keep some of it, but everyone liked it so much that he couldn¡¯t even keep it if he wanted to.

    Ye Shi bit his lip, ¡°What a pity.¡±

    The spirit fruits on that cake were all second-grade spirit fruits; to buy them, they would cost five or six spirit stones each!

    The ingredients used in that cake should also be second-grade ingredients and when you bite it you can feel the rich spiritual energy. I was really too impulsive yesterday. I blame that Zhuang Yu, if he hadn¡¯t come here to say all that nonsense, how could I have given it away.

    Ye Shi took the food box and left. Chen Da looked at Ye Shi¡¯s distant back and frowned worriedly.

    Ye Shi walked to the door of the Mu¡¯s mansion with the food box and knocked on the door.

    Thinking of the past experience, Ye Shi frowned.

    A young servant came out, saw Ye Shi, and froze for a moment, ¡°You are young master Ye Shi.¡±

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°Yes! Do you know me? Are you new here?¡± Ye Shi remembered the servant of that day, his eyes were on top of his head, and he looked at him with an expression full of disgust.

    The boy nodded, ¡°Yes! I¡¯m new here, my name is Wang Da. The servant from last time was dismissed by the second master because he was disrespectful to you, young master Ye.¡±

    Ye Shi was stunned by the servant¡¯s words. Dismissed? ¡°The second master is¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s second master, Mu Yuanfeng!¡± The boy said.

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡±Oh¡±. Ye Shi rolled his eyes, never expecting that Mu Yuanfeng would dismiss a servant for him.

    ¡°You¡¯re here to see young master Mu Chen, right? Come in first.¡± Wang Da made way and said attentively.

    Ye Shi was a little baffled by the respectful attitude of the young servant, but still followed Wang Da in.

    When Ren San saw Ye Shi being led in by Wang Da, his face instantly brightened a little, ¡°Young Ye, you¡¯re here. Are you looking for young Mu?¡±

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°Yes! Is he here?¡±

    ¡°Young master is refining pills with the second master. He¡¯ll come later. Let me take you to the young master¡¯s study first. He¡¯ll be very happy once he knows you¡¯re here.¡± Ren San said.

    Ye Shi¡¯s gaze flickered, ¡°How is Mu Chen¡¯s alchemy going?¡±

    Ren San smiled bitterly, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure about that. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going particularly well, but it¡¯s impossible to learn alchemy smoothly. He has just started learning after all.¡±

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, everything is difficult at the beginning. Has he been working very hard recently?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Young master has changed for the better, he¡¯s not the same as before.¡± Ren San said.

    In the past, Mu Chen was busy with cock-fighting and horse racing, spending his days drinking and playing. Now, Mu Chen spends his days either studying alchemy books and learning alchemy from Mu Yuanfeng, or cultivating and refining his body, all day long.

    ¡°When will he come out?¡± Ye Shi asked.

    ¡°Young master Mu Chen¡¯s cultivation is too low and he can only stay in the alchemy room for two hours at a time. He should be coming out soon.¡± Ren San replied respectfully.

    ¡°Why can he only stay inside for two hours?¡± Ye Shi asked puzzled.

    ¡°Because there is fire poison in the fire veins of the earth fire, staying there for a long time will affect the cultivator. Young master Mu Chen¡¯s cultivation allows him to stay inside for two hours only.¡± Ren San said.

    ¡°Is there any way to solve the fire poison?¡± Ye Shi asked with a frown.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that if you can find a foreign fire and take it for your own use, you don¡¯t have to fear the fire poison. However, foreign fires are rare and unattainable.¡° Ren San shook his head and said with some regret.

    Ye Shi nodded thoughtfully, ¡°I see.¡±

    Mu Chen was in the alchemy room, with many first-grade spiritual herbs lying beside him.

    Mu Chen was concentrating on refining his pills, and now he no longer needed Mu Yuanfeng¡¯s demonstration.

    He has already learned all three first-grade spiritual fluids and fifteen first-grade pills that Mu Yuanfeng has mastered. As for the second-grade pills, Mu Chen was not strong enough to refine them yet.

    Mu Chen controlled his soul power and condensed the liquid in the furnace into pills.

    ¡°Good.¡± Mu Yuanfeng watched as Mu Chen finished refining the pills and clapped his hands, ¡°Chen¡¯er, the quality of the pills you have refined has risen again.¡±

    Mu Chen smiled and said modestly, ¡°It¡¯s all because of father¡¯s good teaching.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng smiled bitterly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to take credit for it, it¡¯s all your own merit.¡±

    Mu Chen¡¯s alchemy talent is too high. He can learn how to refine the pills just by seeing the demonstration once, and after learning, he is able to make constant adjustments and gradually improve the quality of the pills he makes, reaching the high grade or even the top grade. Mu Yuanfeng has never seen or heard of anyone with such talent.

    On the one hand, Mu Yuanfeng was pleased with Mu Chen¡¯s achievement, but on the other hand, he felt a little like a hero in his twilight years.

    ¡°Chen¡¯er, your talent for alchemy must not be revealed to the outside world, do you understand?¡± Mu Yuanfeng said in a solemn manner.

    Mu Chen nodded his head, ¡°Father, I understand.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng nodded. Mu Chen¡¯s talent was too heaven-defying. If exposed, not only the other clans in Mo City wouldn¡¯t be able to tolerate it, but also those great alchemy clans in the imperial capital.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time, let¡¯s go out.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Good. By the way, father, what about the pills I have refined?¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng clasped his hands behind his back and said, ¡°I will ask someone to sell them in batches, and tell the public that I made them.¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng, as a third-level alchemist, was able to make first-grade pills in bulk, so it was not unusual to come up with so many first-grade pills at once.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, all the spirit stones made from the pills will be credited to your account.¡± Mu Yuanfeng said with a smile, patting Mu Chen¡¯s shoulder.

    Mu Chen smiled bashfully, ¡°With you protecting me, father, I have nothing to worry about.¡±

    Mu Chen followed Mu Yuanfeng out. When Ren San saw Mu Chen walking out, he immediately stepped forward, ¡°Greetings, second master, young master Chen.¡±

    Looking at the animated Ren San, Mu Yuanfeng raised his eyebrows, ¡°Is there something you want from your young master?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, young master Ye Shi is here.¡± Ren San said respectfully.

    Mu Chen¡¯s face suddenly brightened with joy, ¡°What are you talking about, Shi Tou is here, when did this happen, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? Where is he now?¡±

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Chen¡¯s enthusiastic look and said helplessly, ¡°Take it easy.¡±

    ¡°Young master was refining pills and I didn¡¯t dare to disturb you. I have arranged for young master Ye to wait for you in the study, and I have told the kitchen to bring young master Ye Shi some pastries.¡± Ren San immediately replied.

    ¡°Father, I will go first.¡± Mu Chen greeted Mu Yuanfeng and hurriedly ran away.

    Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Chen¡¯s back and shook his head helplessly, ¡°What a rash and impetuous young man, having a wife and forgetting his father.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    In the study.

    ¡°Young master Ye, do you need any more pastries?¡± A maid asked respectfully, her eyes peeking at him from time to time.

    Ye Shi blinked, ¡°Do you have the cake?¡±

    The maid frowned, ¡°Cake?¡±

    Ye Shi nodded, ¡°Yes! Mu Chen brought it to me to eat.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the young master¡¯s unique craft, none of the chefs in the kitchen know how to make it.¡± The maid shook her head.

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°It¡¯s really made by Mu Chen!¡±

    The maid nodded, ¡°Yes! The master chef said that young master Mu Chen has the talent to become a senior spiritual chef, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be very interested in becoming one.¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s eyes flickered, ¡°I really misunderstood Mu Chen. That guy can really make cakes.

 CH 40

    Mu Chen stumbled through the door, full of excitement, ¡°Shi Tou, are you looking for me?¡±

    Looking at Mu Chen¡¯s reckless appearance, Ye Shi secretly smiled in his heart, and nodded, ¡±Yes!¡±

    ¡°What are you looking for me for?¡± Mu Chen asked, looking at him eagerly.

    ¡°I came to see you!¡± Ye Shi said with his big eyes wide open.

    Mu Chen¡¯s mood immediately soared. He shamelessly leaned toward him, ¡°Shi Tou, did you miss me?

    Ye Shi looked at him and nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mu Chen froze for a moment and looked at Ye Shi at a loss.

    The corners of Ye Shi¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help but lift up as he looked at his appearance.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look too good!¡± Ye Shi said as he surveyed Mu Chen¡¯s face.

    Mu Chen rubbed his face, ¡°I was smothered by the fire in the alchemy room. It¡¯s too hot.¡± He said shaking his head.

    Ye Shi looked at him and hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Your strength is still low. If you go to the alchemy room often, will there be problems?¡± As far as Ye Shi knew, if an alchemist was not careful with the fire poison, it would be very troublesome.

    Mu Chen said indifferently, ¡°I only spend two hours a day in the alchemy room, and I have my father watching over me, so there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Ye Shi said as he took out the food box, ¡°I¡¯ve brought you something to eat.¡±

    Mu Chen was full of joy, ¡°Tha¡¯s great, I¡¯m really hungry.¡±

    ¡°Oh, two roast chickens.¡± Mu Chen muttered with delight, secretly thinking, ¡°Is Ye Shi giving himself two chickens a reminder that he should go and order an extra chicken for him every day?

    ¡°It¡¯s a lotus leaf chicken, more expensive than roast chicken.¡± Ye Shi frowned and retorted.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Oh, is it a lotus leaf chicken? Shi Tou, you are so kind to me.¡±

    ¡°Come on, eat.¡± Ye Shi said.

    Mu Chen nodded and started eating in front of Ye Shi. After coming to this world, Mu Chen¡¯s appetite increased day by day. Two hours of pills refining had consumed a lot of Mu Chen¡¯s vital energy. Two roast chickens weren¡¯t much for him and soon after, he gobbled up everything.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished them all, Shi Tou.¡± Mu Chen smiled at Ye Shi.

    Ye Shi looked at him with a grim smile, ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve finished it all, there¡¯s not even a chicken leg left.¡±

    Mu Chen looked at Ye Shi¡¯s depressed expression and felt embarrassed for a moment.

    Mu Chen slapped himself in his heart. He seemed to have done something stupid and he had eaten his wife¡¯s share.

    ¡°Did you eat the cake I asked someone to bring you? I heard that you like sweet things and I added a lot of honey to it.¡± Mu Chen changed the topic.

    Thinking about that cake, Ye Shi felt even more dejected, ¡°That cake, I shared it.¡±

    Mu Chen froze for a moment. Looking at his sad look, he felt a little uncomfortable, ¡°Just split it, I¡¯ll make you another one some other time.¡±

    ¡°Why are you¡­being so nice to me?¡± Ye Shi raised his head and looked at him nervously.

    ¡°Because I like you! So, naturally, I have to treat you well.¡± Mu Chen said rightfully.

    ¡°Why do you like me?¡± Ye Shi looked straight at him.

    Mu Chen shrugged, ¡°I liked you the moment I saw you, there is no reason!¡±

    Ye Shi frowned and looked at him suspiciously.

    When Mu Chen saw Ye Shi¡¯s look, he couldn¡¯t resist leaning over and giving him a kiss on the forehead.

    Ye Shi was a little embarrassed and backed away, ¡°You¡­ Where¡¯s your grandfather?¡± Ye Shi couldn¡¯t help probing a little.

    Mu Chen didn¡¯t think much of it and said indifferently: ¡°Grandfather, he is in seclusion.¡±

    ¡°Seclusion?¡± Ye Shi froze.

    Mu Chen nodded, ¡°Yes! Grandpa is often in seclusion, and only when there is a big event in the family, or when there is a huge auction, will he come out.¡±

    ¡°How long will he be in seclusion?¡± Ye Shi asked, tilting his head sideways.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! A few months, a few years, a few decades.¡± Mu Chen shrugged his shoulders.

    Ye Shi nodded thoughtfully, ¡°I see.¡±

    Ye Shi lowered his head and thought, ¡°Zhuang Yu really lied to him. If Mu Chen¡¯s grandfather went into seclusion for decades and Mu Chen really didn¡¯t like him, then everything he did would be for nothing.

    Looking at the absent-minded Ye Shi, Mu Chen asked, ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about grandpa?¡±

    Ye Shi lowered his head, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just a little curious. I heard that your grandfather and my grandfather were on good terms.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mu Chen leaned close to Ye Shi¡¯s ear and said, ¡°It was my grandfather who decided to betroth me to you.¡±

    Ye Shi¡¯s face heated up violently.

    ¡°Young master, there is a guest outside.¡± Ren San said walking in.

    Mu Chen frowned, ¡°Guest, who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Lan Ruofeng who appeared at the auction.¡± Ren San said.