The Missing Mu Qingyu

Upon hearing their words, Xǔ Tiānlí briefly wondered if he had stumbled into some prank reality show.

He suspected these two weren’t actually elders of the Four Sacred Courts, but rather staff members in disguise.

However, the unique aura of a Spirit Wielder was incredibly difficult to fake.

This became even more apparent to Xǔ Tiānlí after he advanced to the Tier-1.

Moreover, he didn’t spot any hidden cameras nearby.

Once he confirmed it wasn’t a reality show, a far more unpleasant thought bloomed in Xǔ Tiānlí’s mind: these two were clearly here to cause trouble.

“You’re looking for Mù Qīngyǔ, so why are you here bothering me?” Xǔ Tiānlí retorted, his tone sharp.

“Our young lady has been missing for some time now.”
“Based on the current clues, it’s highly probable she’s in this city.”
“Heh.”

Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“Mù Qīngyǔ in Wufeng City?”
“So you believe this matter concerns me, and that’s why you’ve specifically come to find me?”
“Indeed.”
“While we don’t believe you could ever best our young lady, we still felt it necessary to confirm.”

One of the elders stroked his small mustache, his voice dripping with arrogance.

“Though, truthfully, your performance has been somewhat beyond our expectations.”
“Ah?”
“The attack that occurred at the branch in this city about a month ago—you played a part in that, didn’t you?”
“You… you know the inside story of that incident?”
“Don’t underestimate the intelligence network of our Four Sacred Courts, young man.”

Xǔ Tiānlí was genuinely surprised, yet more than their knowledge of the incident, he was intrigued that the Four Sacred Courts would pay such close attention to him.

Could it be that the three-year agreement, after being proposed, had somehow instilled a sense of crisis in Mù Qīngyǔ, prompting her to send people to monitor him?

Or perhaps that damned Mù Qīngyǔ had truly run off to Wufeng City?

Just the thought of his former fiancée ruined Xǔ Tiānlí’s good mood for the day, and his tone became exceedingly impatient.

“I don’t know where Mù Qīngyǔ is, nor do I care to know.”
“Both of you should just head back.”
“If you truly believe I could kidnap her, you might as well go home and sleep; I wouldn’t even dirty my hands touching her.”

Not a single word of his statement was false, and the two elders merely curled their lips into a smirk upon hearing it.

“As expected.”
“You are merely a Tier-1.”
“Our young lady entered the Tier-2 two or three years ago, and she can now prepare to advance to the Tier-3 at any moment.”
“Ambition is commendable, young man, but provoking our young lady will lead to a lifetime of regret for you.”

The people from the Four Sacred Courts were always so insufferable.

In that moment, Xǔ Tiānlí felt as if he had been transported back to the day his engagement was broken.

It was the same arrogant attitude, with no intention of listening to a single word he said, merely unilaterally announcing their decision, completely disregarding his feelings.

If not for the clear disparity in strength, Xǔ Tiānlí would have forcibly kicked them out.

The elders of the Four Sacred Courts likely possessed Tier-4 strength; in front of them, he was nothing more than an ant.

However, Mù Qīngyǔ could command two elders to travel so far just to break an engagement, all because of her status as a young lady of a prominent family.

As one of the Four Great Clans of the Four Sacred Courts, the Mù family’s standing was akin to that of a princess in a television drama—her every command was met with a hundred responses, and people would rush to fulfill her every desire.

If just two elders were so arrogant, Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t even imagine how arrogant Mù Qīngyǔ herself must be.

He truly wondered how terrible Mù Qīngyǔ’s personality actually was.

“So what if I provoked her?”
“Am I supposed to be afraid of her?” Xǔ Tiānlí spoke again.
“When you find Mù Qīngyǔ, tell her for me: in three years, I will definitely beat her until she’s spitting teeth!”

At his words, the expressions of the two elders stiffened, and the oppressive aura around them gradually turned icy.

As Mù Qīngyǔ’s loyal subordinates, they naturally grew impatient with Xǔ Tiānlí’s defiant remarks.

The atmosphere between them instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Xǔ Tiānlí clenched his fists tightly, realizing he probably wouldn’t have time to retrieve his black longsword.

Fighting bare-handed would be quite troublesome.

The trembling children in the courtyard had already been led inside by Director Wang, who then closed the door, leaving only Xǔ Tiānlí and the two elders.

Just as one of the elders opened his mouth to speak, a series of urgent knocks suddenly echoed from behind them.

“Oh, it seems I’ve arrived quite opportunely.”

Hearing that voice, Xǔ Tiānlí’s face lit up with joy.

“Master!”

The two elders also turned to look.

Mù Qīngyǔ, who had disguised herself as an adult using a glamour spell, now stood at the entrance of the orphanage.

It was her hand that had just knocked on the courtyard gate.

Her golden eyes fixed on the two elders for a moment before she slowly walked towards them.

“You two, are you looking for the Mù family’s little girl?”
“You are… the legendary reclusive expert of Wufeng City?”
“If you’re referring to someone who lived in the mountains for a while and gained a bit of a reputation, then yes, that would be me.”

The two elders exchanged a glance, and the oppressive aura they had exuded immediately dissipated.

They bowed respectfully to her.

Mù Qīngyǔ’s expression stiffened, seemingly not expecting their sudden deference, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Are you also looking for me?”
“More or less, Senior.”

Even though Mù Qīngyǔ appeared twenty or thirty years younger than them, the two elders dared not refer to her as anything less than ‘Senior.’

Her flawless acting made even Xǔ Tiānlí feel disgusted.

They had thoroughly prepared for their journey to Wufeng City, which naturally included investigating matters concerning ‘Qín Yuè.’

Because it involved their young lady, the head of the Azure Dragon Court—Mù Qīngyǔ’s father—had specifically instructed them that if they encountered Qín Yuè, they were not to provoke her for the time being.

Despite the two elders being somewhat bewildered by their family head’s demand, they knew it was always best to follow orders.

However, she didn’t look like any kind of expert at all.

The greatest doubt in the elders’ minds at that moment was the strength of the black-haired woman before them.

She looked utterly weak, as if a single finger could knock her down.

“Mù Qīngyǔ is not here.”
“You won’t find her by continuing to trouble my student.”
“Although Senior says so, the Court Head specifically ordered us that we must see the young lady, or we will never be allowed to leave Wufeng City.”

‘What a troublesome command.’
‘What the hell is that bastard doing?’

Mù Qīngyǔ inwardly cursed her father, but it wasn’t long before she thought of a solution.

“Leave this place, if you still wish to see your young lady.”
“…Uh.”
“I possess some divination and fortune-telling abilities.”
“You must listen to me to truly find her, understand?”

Mù Qīngyǔ’s words carried an undeniable authority.

Even though the two elders were filled with reluctance and doubt, they could only nod in agreement.

In any case, staying here would not lead them to their young lady, so they might as well use this opportunity to test if Qín Yuè was truly a master.