Reasons for anger

Having finally sent those two groups away, Mù Qīngyǔ confirmed they wouldn’t suddenly return, then let out a slight sigh of relief.

“They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

Confronted with his master’s sudden concern, Xǔ Tiānlí grinned. “No, they just said some unpleasant things.”

Even though he was smiling, Mù Qīngyǔ could sense something hidden beneath that smile, so she asked again:

“Is it about your ex-fiancée?”

“Ah, yeah.” Caught out, Xǔ Tiānlí’s expression turned a bit slack. “Since Mù Qīngyǔ herself is so nasty, her lackeys can’t be any better.”

“…”

“But Master, don’t worry. I definitely won’t let their words affect me.”

If anything, with Qín Yuè backing him, Xǔ Tiānlí had become even more motivated, more determined than ever to beat his ex-fiancée to a pulp three years from now.

Mù Qīngyǔ knew what he was thinking, but could only shiver inwardly, not daring to speak.

“By the way, Master, even though they’re gone, I still have one question.”

Xǔ Tiānlí spoke up suddenly, his face full of confusion.

“Is Mù Qīngyǔ really in Wufeng City?”

He was so caught up recalling his master’s cool stance when teaching the Four Sacred Courts elders a lesson that he completely missed her body trembling slightly at his words.

For a moment, Mù Qīngyǔ thought she was about to be exposed, but her mental fortitude held. She quickly realized Xǔ Tiānlí was just asking out of simple doubt.

She couldn’t be careless—even the faintest seed of suspicion had to be crushed.

“You seem to care quite a bit about her?” Mù Qīngyǔ turned to look at him, deliberately adding a hint of irritation to her tone.

“Ah, I…”

Since he had made a three-year pact, he should adopt the right attitude, do what he ought to do, not worry about others.

Do what he ought to do, not worry about others.

Mù Qīngyǔ wanted him to think that way, but when Xǔ Tiānlí heard her words, he completely misinterpreted the anger as a different emotion.

Master seemed a bit angry, and her tone had turned sarcastic. Why?

Xǔ Tiānlí was baffled. His brain spun rapidly, trying to figure out what he had done to upset his master.

Could it be because I focused on Mù Qīngyǔ? How did that touch a nerve?

Just because I cared about another woman, Master got upset?

!

Xǔ Tiānlí found it bizarre, but couldn’t find a reasonable explanation.

When had Master started meddling in such trivial matters? It made her seem less like a teacher and more like Xǔ Tiānlí’s little girlfriend, jealous because he paid attention to another girl.

Hiss, better stop that thought.

Xǔ Tiānlí quickly banished that blasphemous idea from his mind and then explained:

“Master, I didn’t mean anything else. Besides, she’s my enemy. I’m worried she might not play fair and come to cause trouble deliberately.”

“Don’t worry. She’s not here…”

“Ah?” Xǔ Tiānlí was stunned again. “But Master, didn’t you say earlier that you could predict Mù Qīngyǔ’s location…”

“I lied to them. How else could I make them leave without a fight?”

Mù Qīngyǔ paused there.

“But rest assured, I’ve arranged everything else. Even if they can’t find Mù Qīngyǔ in this city, they won’t come back to bother you.”

“That’s great.”

Xǔ Tiānlí had been worried the two elders would return in fury and take it out on the orphanage. With Master shielding him, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

Having an expert backing you was wonderful.

Just having Master alone was so reassuring. If he had a major force behind him… no wonder Mù Qīngyǔ’s personality was so arrogant and nasty.

Xǔ Tiānlí only sighed briefly before dismissing the thought. Just hearing that name made him sick, so he went back to the kitchen to continue working on today’s new dish.

Lunch ended, and until that evening, Xǔ Tiānlí stayed in the yard.

Just as Master had said, there were no more signs of anyone from the Four Sacred Courts. Qín Yuè had indeed delivered.

That made him curious—what exactly had Master done to keep them from coming back?

He wanted to ask about her clever method, but since afternoon, Qín Yuè had disappeared. Xǔ Tiānlí had some guesses about where she went, but he wasn’t worried.

The sun was about to sink between the mountains, and the orange fire of the sky was being overtaken by night.

“Time to prepare dinner. Can’t let Master come back and waste time waiting.”

Just as Xǔ Tiānlí turned to go inside, on the roof of a building far from the orphanage, the two elders of the Four Sacred Courts watched the sky nearing full darkness and exchanged glances.

“We were really tricked, weren’t we?”

“That Qín Yuè said to wait here, and we’d definitely see the young lady before dark… I knew she was lying.”

Furious, they decided that once it was completely dark, they would go back and vent on Xǔ Tiānlí.

Though they didn’t dare to physically strike, they could still scold him, cut him down to size, and make him understand his place.

“Let’s go.”

“Mm.”

Just as they turned, their figures suddenly froze. They both looked back.

On a water tower not far away, a slender figure had appeared without them noticing. A white-haired girl dangled her fair, bare legs, her crimson eyes fixed on them.

“It’s the young lady!”

“Miss, is it really you?!”

Amid their exclamations, Mù Qīngyǔ jumped down from the water tower, then swept aside a lock of white hair that had mischievously fallen onto her shoulder.

“Could I be a fake?”

Mù Qīngyǔ’s mood was clearly not good, making the two elders’ smiles stiffen.

“Miss, could it be that Qín Yuè gave you trouble?”

“No.” Mù Qīngyǔ waved her hand. “I just received a notice that you were looking for me. That’s all.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

If anything had happened to Mù Qīngyǔ, they would have to answer to the Court Lord when they returned.

“Miss, why did you come here?”

“If you want to teach that brat Xǔ Tiānlí a lesson, just say the word. We’ll take care of it for you.”

With the power of the Four Sacred Courts, even without a branch in Wufeng City, they could cover up any commotion.

No one would notice when Xǔ Tiānlí disappeared, and no one would care.

They expected Mù Qīngyǔ to be pleased, but she frowned, her pretty face showing clear displeasure.

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“Ahem, I mean, don’t meddle. If I’m going to teach Xǔ Tiānlí a lesson, I’ll do it myself.”

“But…”

“No buts. He dared to provoke me, so he’s asking for death. If I don’t personally eliminate someone like him, wouldn’t I lose all face?”

“Alright, Miss, whatever you say.”

The two elders knew their young lady’s temper best. Better not to provoke her.

Seeing them so obedient, Mù Qīngyǔ let out a small breath. Suddenly a question occurred to her:

“How did you know I was in Wufeng City?”