"Can you not talk nonsense? If you can't, then shut up."
Xu Mu gently pulled his arm free. Even if they were only pretending, Starfall's level of acting was far more refined.
"Fine, I'll shut up then," Jiang Huihui replied, pulling out her phone to message the sanitation bureau, telling them to come and pick up the captives.
Xu Mu turned his gaze toward Pan Shi. "Your Second Leader—where is she now?"
"You brat! Don't think I'm afraid of death. I won't say a word about my family," Pan Shi snarled, still clutching his knee in pain.
"You should have access to city surveillance, right?" Xu Mu asked, resting a hand on Jiang Huihui's shoulder.
"Of course. Who do you want to track?"
"I want to find a woman with silver hair—she appeared around twenty minutes ago at the Wuling Hongguang 4S dealership."
He needed to locate that woman. Besides the Fang Chu issue, he wanted to know why this assassin organization had come here in such force. Since the Xu family was also planning to expand into Yang City, he had to make sure everything was clear.
"Got it, I'll have them check right away."
Jiang Huihui nodded.
Xu Mu left and drove back to the Xu Group's Yang City branch. Before long, Huihui sent over several surveillance clips she'd retrieved.
The footage started with Miao He leaving the dealership. Soon after, over ten people with outlandish dyed hairstyles appeared—each driving a Wuling Hongguang van.
"She bought that many cars?" Xu Mu muttered as the first clip ended.
A top-ranking assassin organization buying five Wulings? Ridiculous. If they wanted vehicles, they'd buy performance cars, not budget vans—unless they were hauling something.
He opened the second clip, tracking Miao He's car until it pulled into a villa complex.
"Yangshan Villas."
Xu Mu recognized the place—he'd been there before. Now that he knew her location, it was time to pay a visit. He had a reason, after all—her subordinate had attacked him.
Yangshan Villa District
Xu Mu didn't drive in. He parked just outside and entered on foot.
Expanding his senses, every movement in the area appeared in his mind's eye.
He soon located Miao He—alone in one villa. But in the neighboring two houses were several people with multicolored hair, unmistakably more of her punk-styled underlings.
Circling to the rear, Xu Mu noted the fence was only about 1.5 meters high. He glanced up, unleashed a thread of Gang Qi, and silently shattered the surveillance cameras nearby without moving a muscle.
After confirming there were no witnesses, he leapt lightly—landing on the second-floor balcony.
He opened the door and strolled inside as casually as if it were his own home.
At that moment, Miao He was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.
As a seasoned fighter, she immediately caught the sound of the balcony door closing upstairs.
She shot to her feet, turning her head sharply.
There, descending the stairs one hand in his pocket, the other resting lazily on the railing, was Xu Mu—calm, unhurried, as though he were the villa's rightful owner.
"You!"
Her single visible eye went cold. "What are you doing in my house? Looking to die?"
"No, you're the one looking for death. Why did your men attack me?"
Xu Mu walked over to the sofa and sat down, his expression serene.
"I didn't give that order—"
She stopped mid-sentence as realization struck. "What happened to Pan Shi?"
"He raised his hand against me. What do you think?" Xu Mu leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. "I told you before—I only give one warning."
Miao He exhaled slowly. Judging by his tone, Pan Shi was already finished. She didn't intend to save him anyway.
"So, what do you want from me?" she asked, hands clasped behind her back, a faint smile curling her lips. "Here to kill me?"
"Second Leader of the Mourning Love Clan, Crying Rose—Miao He."
Xu Mu studied her calmly. "I'm right, aren't I?"
Her smile faded slightly. "Not many people know that name."
"Then let's skip the games," Xu Mu said coolly. "Why are you in Yang City? Tell me the truth, and I'll overlook what happened."
"Overlook it?" She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "So you took down one of my Hall Masters, and now your ego's inflating?"
As she spoke, a multicolored butterfly materialized behind her.
It wasn't large—only a quarter the size of Xu Mu's palm.
The butterfly circled briefly above her head before drifting silently toward Xu Mu's back.
Her single eye narrowed, predatory.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the butterfly accelerated, darting straight for Xu Mu.
Bang!
It hit an invisible barrier half a meter away from him—instantly shattering into black dust that vanished upon touching the floor.
"Gang Qi."
Miao He's face didn't change. If he'd defeated Pan Shi, that level of cultivation made sense.
"How fascinating," Xu Mu said evenly. "Didn't expect to meet a Gu master here."
In the story's world, there were many strange arts—and Gu (venom spirit insects) was one of the most dangerous.
He rose from the sofa, a dagger appearing in his hand.
Seeing that, Miao He's body flickered backward.
She spread her arms, and from her sleeves flew two golden butterflies.
"Overlord Butterflies!"
These were larger than before, their bodies shimmering gold, wings sharp as blades.
Swish!
They curved through the air, attacking from both sides.
Zzzzz—!
One butterfly grazed the wall, leaving a deep crack.
Xu Mu kept one hand in his pocket, idly twirling the dagger with the other.
When the butterflies closed in, he suddenly swung both arms.
Clang! Clang!
Two metallic impacts rang out.
The blades struck home—but the butterflies didn't die. They spun backward briefly, then lunged again.
Just then, Miao He's eyes widened in horror—Xu Mu had vanished.
One moment he was right in front of her; the next, gone without a trace.
Boom!
Only after he disappeared did the floor where he'd stood explode into fragments.
"Now tell me—should I stab you or not?"
His voice came from right behind her, low and cold as a nightmare.
Miao He froze, drenched in sweat.
Somehow, Xu Mu was already behind her, dagger pressed against the back of her neck.
Impossible.
Her cultivation was at late Gang Qi, strong enough to fight even early Mystic Art Realm opponents.
Yet against this man, she hadn't even had the chance to resist.
Who on earth… is he?