Xu Mu frowned. "What happened?"
"The Chai family came knocking," Feng Yue said. "They said they liked my Beauty Pill and wanted to 'cooperate,' but their terms are a trap."
She suddenly chuckled. "Know how they threatened me? They said I wouldn't want people to find out I've got some… contagious disease, right?"
Xu Mu could tell she wasn't particularly worried. After all, the Chai were just a normal business clan, while Feng Yue was now an ancient martial artist.
But she was still too naïve—behind the Chai family stood Fang Chu. As the story's male lead, he was no pushover.
"I'm coming over now."
Xu Mu immediately drove to meet Feng Yue. With the Feng family gone, Jiangbei's business landscape was about to be reshuffled. Things wouldn't be peaceful for a while.
Muyue Group
On the outskirts of Yang City, right next door to the Sanitation Bureau.
Having already received the funds Chen Cai liquidated, Feng Yue had just negotiated for another parcel of land nearby to build a new complex—planning to move both her company and factory here.
Wearing a black long dress in the morning sun, Feng Yue was stunning—so much so that nearby staff were left staring. Beauty isn't scary; allure is—and Feng Yue had it in spades.
Leaving the factory, she headed back toward her office. Everything was going according to plan. Slick ads were nothing compared to real efficacy, and her Beauty Pill had the endorsements of wealthy society ladies—many of whom were promoting her for free.
A message lit up her phone; she smiled, turned around, and went to the company gate.
Xu Mu pulled his Escalade into a space inside the factory lot. Before he could get out, Feng Yue opened the passenger door and slipped in.
"The Chai people left?" Xu Mu asked.
"They just did. When I refused, they tried to threaten me," she said with a smile.
"Keep a low profile. The Chai have recently connected with an ancient martial artist," Xu Mu said, face serious. "He's not easy to deal with. Be careful."
As he spoke, he took out a Qi Sea Pill and handed it to her.
"Judging by the luster and color, this isn't ordinary, is it?" Feng Yue asked, eyes fixed on the pill.
"Smart. Take it."
On the way over, Xu Mu had made up his mind. Feng Yue was basically one of his people now—she needed to level up.
[Favorability +20]
"Thank you, Brother Xu," Feng Yue's peach-blossom eyes curved like crescent moons.
"Don't call me 'Brother Xu'—too distant."
"Then how about I call you Boss?" she said, popping the pill into her mouth without ceremony.
"Works for me."
As he spoke, Xu Mu noticed a gaunt middle-aged man at the front gate. Wearing a black security uniform, cigarette in mouth, he walked out of the guard room.
What caught Xu Mu's eye was how a light breeze could lift the man's right sleeve—
he had no right arm.
"What's his deal? A one-armed man as your security guard?" Xu Mu asked, nodding toward the gate.
"Oh—I forgot to tell you. He only interviewed yesterday. He's an ancient martial artist," Feng Yue said, looking toward the man.
"What? An ancient martial artist?" Xu Mu frowned. "Feng Yue, you're not that foolish, are you? An ancient martial artist applying to be a guard—does that sound logical to you?"
"I had no choice. He said if I didn't agree, he'd kill me," Feng Yue said, shaking her head. "He also said he'd only stay for a while, wouldn't harm the company, and would even protect me during that time."
Hearing that, Xu Mu got out and walked toward the gate.
If he was hiding inside Feng Yue's company, there were two possibilities:
He was here for Feng Yue—either interested in the Beauty Pill or in Feng Yue herself.
He was here for the Sanitation Bureau next door—using Feng Yue's company as cover to monitor them.
Xu Mu activated the Divine Eye on the man.
Name: Zhang Que
Role: Security Guard at Muyue Group; Farmer
Favorability: 0
Fate Level: 6 (Max 10)
The name—and the missing arm—made Xu Mu's heart jolt.
Duplicate names were common. But the same name and the same lost limb?
This was very likely one of the two "cripples" ranked among the secular world's top combatants.
One Mad, Two Cripples; Three Killers, Four Great Clans; Janitors outside the Five Elements.
The "Two Cripples" were notorious—one missing an arm, the other a leg.
The one missing an arm was called Zhang Que.
According to the plot, Zhang Que was violent and bloodthirsty, once part of a heinous, wicked organization—its members were villains without precedent or equal.
Details about that organization weren't recorded; it was said to have been annihilated, leaving only Zhang Que, who still appeared from time to time.
Almost no one knew of his past. Xu Mu only knew because of the story. The janitors next door likely had no idea who he really was.
Zhang Que noticed Xu Mu approaching and looked back, momentarily dazed.
Gaunt cheeks, beady predator's eyes—Xu Mu grew certain: this had to be the rumored Zhang Que. From his aura and face alone, you could feel the weight of many lives on his hands.
Which meant Xu Mu also understood why he was here. Neither the Beauty Pill nor Feng Yue herself would draw a figure of his caliber.
He was here because of the janitors.
"What's your name?" Zhang Que asked, cigarette clamped in his left hand.
"Xu Mu," he answered honestly.
"I think I've heard it," Zhang Que grinned, then took another drag and looked off into the distance.
"Xu… Boss," Feng Yue caught up and smiled. "This is Zhang Que, an ancient martial artist—the new guard I hired."
"You call him 'Boss'?" Zhang Que turned back to her. "So this is Xu family property?"
"No. This is Feng Yue's company. I'm her boss. Nothing to do with the Xu Corporation," Xu Mu replied with a smile.
"Heh. Interesting," Zhang Que arched a brow in mild surprise, chain-smoking before flicking the butt away.
"Senior, since you're an ancient martial artist, why take a job as a guard?" Xu Mu asked casually—though his muscles were already coiled, ready to pull Feng Yue back at the slightest sign.
"One Mad, Two Cripples" stood shoulder to shoulder with the killer guilds and great clans—
well beyond the Grandmaster threshold.