Miao He's face went pale as paper. She could already tell the gap between them — if Xu Mu had thrust his dagger into the back of her neck just now, she'd already be dead.
The outcome was obvious: she'd lost completely.
"Who exactly are you?" Miao He asked grimly.
"I'm the one asking the questions!"
Xu Mu kicked her squarely on the rear. She stumbled forward and fell face-first onto the sofa.
"You—!"
Her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. Above her head, the two golden butterflies circled menacingly.
"Answer my question, or I'll make sure you bleed rivers!" Xu Mu said coldly, twirling his dagger in his hand.
Miao He clenched her fists, then finally spoke. "We came here on a mission."
"What kind of mission?" Xu Mu frowned.
"We're assassins. What kind of mission do you think?" she said, sitting up straight. The two golden butterflies slipped down her collar and disappeared beneath her clothes.
"Who's the target?"
Xu Mu stepped forward, grabbed her by the collar, and glared. "If you dare lie to me, dying will be the least of your problems."
"I don't know. We haven't received the details yet," Miao He replied, mind racing for a way out. This man clearly wasn't someone easy to fool.
"Then who's your employer? Someone powerful enough to hire the Second Leader of the Mourning Love Clan can't be after ordinary people."
Xu Mu pressed further.
Miao He suddenly gave a sultry smile, her slender fingers brushing the back of Xu Mu's hand holding the dagger.
"Big brother, you…"
"Cut the act!"
Xu Mu's palm snapped across her cheek.
[Favorability +5]
"…?"
Xu Mu blinked. Had he misread that? For a second he thought the text above her head said "+," not "–."
"You bastard! You hit me? No one's ever hit me before—not even my father!" Miao He shouted, clutching her face in fury.
Xu Mu watched her reaction and exhaled slightly in relief. Good — that was normal.
"Say one more word, and I'll slap you again!" he warned coldly. "Now talk! Who hired you?"
"I'm mad now! I won't say it — kill me if you dare!"
Miao He glared fiercely.
"You really think I'm some lovestruck idiot who can't move when he sees a pretty face?"
Xu Mu smacked her again.
[Favorability +6]
This time he saw it clearly — a plus sign.
What the hell?
"You call that a slap? No strength at all! Are you even a man?"
Xu Mu's forehead darkened. Is this woman… enjoying it?
Swish!
His dagger flashed — stopping a mere centimeter from her eye.
Miao He instinctively flinched, her long silver lashes brushing against the blade's tip.
Xu Mu was momentarily distracted. Damn, even her eyelashes are dyed silver… does she color everything to match?
"Miao He, I don't feel like hitting you anymore. But if you keep your mouth shut, I'll ruin that face of yours — see how you like being ugly."
He tapped her cheek lightly with the flat of his blade. "You wouldn't want to destroy such a beautiful face, would you?"
"This 'beautiful face,' yet no one seems to appreciate it," Miao He said coolly, regaining her composure as she met his gaze again.
"Stop flirting with me! Don't think I don't know your kind — bug users like you can make contact to release parasitic Gu into someone's body. I'm not falling for that trick!" Xu Mu snapped.
"You think too much," Miao He sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you."
She found this man oddly respectable — not disgusting like most men, and he hadn't actually harmed her.
"The employer didn't hire me personally, but one of our subordinates in the Mourning Love Clan," she said. "As for who the client is — it's the Chai family of Yang City."
Xu Mu lowered his dagger.
The Chai family again. Were they planning to do what the Feng family once did — eliminate their rivals through bloodshed?
"If they hired ordinary assassins, why are you, the Second Leader, here?"
Miao He folded her arms, replying calmly, "Only a few people know the details. Rumor has it that the Yang City Sanitation Bureau recently discovered an ancient ruin."
Xu Mu sank into thought.
Ancient ruins were on a different level from ordinary ones — remnants of powerful factions from ages past. Inside could lie heavenly treasures… and top-tier martial techniques.
And Xu Mu knew better than anyone: one good technique could change a person's fate overnight.
But rewards and risks always came hand in hand — the stronger the treasure, the deadlier the danger.
His last ruin expedition had been relatively harmless — the only risk was dehydration. But this time… it could be far worse.
"So only the Sanitation Bureau knows the location?" Xu Mu asked.
"That's right," Miao He nodded. "I came to verify it. I'll be honest — I admire your strength. Why don't we work together?"
Xu Mu didn't answer immediately, stroking his chin in thought.
No wonder Zhang Que had hidden himself in Feng Yue's company — from there, he could watch the Sanitation Bureau's every move. He must also be after the ruin.
"You're stronger than I am," Miao He continued. "I won't shortchange you — we'll split any finds sixty-forty."
"I'll think about it," Xu Mu said, standing and heading for the door.
"I still don't know your name," she called after him.
"Xu Mu."
And with that, he left.
If an ancient ruin was involved, he needed to start preparing immediately.
Chai Family Manor
That day, three punk-styled figures with brightly dyed hair arrived.
Facing them were three others — one of them Fang Chu, dressed casually in a suit, legs crossed.
Beside him stood a crew-cut man in his mid-thirties — Chai Xiongtao, who'd previously met with Feng Yue before fleeing when Xu Mu exposed her "illness."
The third was a plump, cigar-smoking elder in his sixties, with heavy jowls — Chai Wang, a famous entertainment mogul known nationwide.
His tabloid scandals with actresses were countless.
Now, as he looked at the three punk-styled assassins before him, he was utterly dumbfounded.
Chai Xiongtao, on the other hand, felt oddly nostalgic — ten years ago, he'd dressed exactly like that.
It almost felt like a trip back in time.
"Mr. Fang… these are the assassins?" Chai Wang asked, puzzled.