Seeing that the two women were safe and unharmed, Xu Mu finally let out a sigh of relief.
He immediately walked toward Dai Xingluo and Meng Wanyue, with Chen Xuan following close behind.
When Xu Mu reached them, he didn't fully remove his hood — only pulled it back enough to reveal part of his face.
He couldn't risk exposing himself completely. Liang Yi had already memorized his face; if she saw him, she'd recognize him instantly.
"I'm just glad you're both okay," Xu Mu said with a small smile.
"Manager Xu, I was so worried about you!"
Meng Wanyue rushed forward and grabbed his arm, her face full of concern.
Back on the grassy plain, she'd searched for a long time but hadn't found him — only that annoying Dai Xingluo.
"Brother, you scared me to death,"
Dai Xingluo cried out, clutching his other arm.
"Junior Sister Xingluo really is something else — deliberately finding a man just to provoke me? Well, congratulations, it worked."
The voice came from a man beside them — dressed in a long black trench coat, square-faced, with flowing hair and a longsword strapped to his back.
Drawing the sword, he pointed it coldly at Xu Mu.
"Dai Xingluo is the woman I, Zhao Gang, have chosen. If you don't want to die, stay away from her."
Meng Wanyue was about to intervene, but Xu Mu stopped her.
"Brother, forced love never turns sweet."
He didn't even need to think — this had to be the same "senior brother" Dai Xingluo had mentioned before.
"Zhao Gang, can you stop pestering me? I told you years ago, I'm not interested!"
Dai Xingluo's brows arched sharply, her eyes filled with killing intent.
Xu Mu was surprised — he hadn't expected her to be so cold and fierce toward other men.
He had always thought she acted that way toward everyone.
"Dai Xingluo, it doesn't matter whether you're interested — I am," Zhao Gang said with fiery eyes. "You have great talent. If you marry me, even as a concubine, I'll make sure your status is equal to that of my main wife."
He looked at her with open desire.
"Once you marry me, you'll no longer be an outer disciple — you'll be qualified to learn the sect's top-tier techniques."
"I'm not interested. Come on, brother, let's go,"
Dai Xingluo said, tugging Xu Mu's arm to leave.
"Junior Sister!" Zhao Gang's tone darkened. "My patience has limits. You should know that back in the Heavenly Sword Sect, I already had the ability to take you by force."
His face turned grim and predatory.
"I'm showing you respect — after all, in the future, you'll have to live with your six elder sisters."
"Six? Wait, brother…"
Xu Mu couldn't help blurting out.
Before he could finish, Dai Xingluo had already dragged him away.
"Junior Sister Xingluo! I'll give you one more hour. After that, I'll start using methods you don't like!"
Zhao Gang sheathed his sword and strode off into the distance.
"Damn, Master was right — beautiful women are walking disasters,"
Chen Xuan muttered under his breath.
Trouble always followed women like them, especially the pretty ones.
"What did you just say?"
Dai Xingluo turned, narrowing her eyes.
"Ah—uh… I said the weather's hot, better drink some herbal cooling water!"
Chen Xuan stammered, waving his hands nervously.
Meanwhile…
Fang Chu and Liang Yi were still locked in battle, their fight growing increasingly fierce.
But as it dragged on, Liang Yi began to sense something was off.
This man's fighting style was completely different from the "Fang Chu" she'd fought earlier.
She lunged again, but this time it was only a feint — her real target was his black robe.
She grabbed and tore.
The robe ripped apart, revealing Fang Chu's face.
"You're not Fang Chu," Liang Yi said, frowning.
"Of course I'm Fang Chu!" he snapped back. "What, there's another one with the same name?"
"Yes — a man called himself Fang Chu. He's the one I'm looking for, not you."
Liang Yi exhaled, finally realizing why everything felt off.
Their techniques and movements were entirely different.
"What are the odds…"
Fang Chu thought for a moment, then remembered the two people he'd met at the foot of the mountain earlier.
"What does this 'Fang Chu' you're looking for look like?" he asked.
"He's taller than you — about one meter eighty-five. And… well, kind of handsome,"
Liang Yi said reluctantly. The bastard was a bit good-looking.
"This him?"
Fang Chu pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of Xu Mu.
"Yes! That's him! You know him?"
Liang Yi's eyes flashed.
"Of course I do — he's my enemy! That bastard stole my name!"
Fang Chu cursed furiously.
"Damn it! Xu Mu, that shameless prick — even worse than me!"
"His name is Xu Mu?" Liang Yi asked.
"That's right. Where is he? I'll kill him myself — this place isn't like the outside world!"
Fang Chu trembled with rage.
"I don't know exactly where, but he's definitely still here. Let's find him together."
Liang Yi already had a way to identify him — Xu Mu's companion carried a woven bag on his back.
Even under a black robe, the bulging hump was obvious — like a hunchback. Easy to spot.
Back with Xu Mu's group — he'd just finished explaining everything that had happened to Dai Xingluo and Meng Wanyue.
He now had four formation bracelets. With the three people before him, that made seven total.
Add Miao He's, and they'd have eight.
If Miao He could find one more, they could finally leave the formation.
"Not good…"
Xu Mu froze. His senses picked up two incoming presences — Fang Chu and Liang Yi.
Since Fang Chu's face was now exposed, the misunderstanding between them was clearly over.
"Brother Mu, what's wrong?" Chen Xuan asked.
"Nothing. Old Chen, take care of these two. Don't let anything happen to them. Once I get one more bracelet, I'll come back to you."
Xu Mu pulled up his hood and walked out.
"President Xu!"
Meng Wanyue called after him, following instinctively.
"Wanyue, stay here and listen," Xu Mu said, smiling reassuringly.
"Brother! Once we get out of this ruin, let's get married!"
Dai Xingluo said seriously.
"Damn it! Don't say stuff like that — whenever people do, we never make it out alive!"
Xu Mu glared at her before heading out.
He had barely stepped outside when Fang Chu spotted him.
"You bastard! Xu Mu, today you die!"
Fang Chu roared, charging forward.
Liang Yi followed close behind — and the moment she saw Xu Mu, her rear began to ache faintly.
She was certain he was the one who had used the Thousand Years of Pain on her.
Xu Mu veered away from the Grandmaster-level aura nearby, running in the opposite direction.
But before he got far, another person blocked his path — Zhao Gang.
"Heavenly Sword Sect, huh?" Liang Yi said coldly, stopping. "You plan to protect him?"
Zhao Gang smirked.
"Of course not. I'd love to see him die. I'm just here to enjoy the show."
He looked at Xu Mu with open disdain — convinced the man would soon be dead without his interference.
Xu Mu's expression hardened.
He drew his dagger — the one he'd soaked earlier in the Spring Night Grass mixture.
Three enemies. All top-tier fighters.
He couldn't afford to underestimate them.
And in this case… Spring Night Grass was perfectly suitable.