Daqian Martial Saint

"Young Master Chen, this way, please."

The Mu Family’s Steward respectfully welcomed Chen Ping’an in from the manor’s entrance. Leading the way were four maids carrying lanterns.

Chen Ping’an walked along the long corridor without saying much. With a saber at one hip and a sword at the other, he followed the Mu Family’s Steward deeper inside.

The path was lined with flowers, their faint fragrance refreshing the spirit.

At the end of the corridor was a magnificent main hall. As Chen Ping’an approached, he saw a woman standing there—it was Mu Wanjun.

"Ping’an," Mu Wanjun greeted with a smile.

"Wan Jun," Chen Ping’an replied with a slight smile of his own.

After a brief exchange, Mu Wanjun officially welcomed Chen Ping’an inside on behalf of the Mu Family. Within the main hall, a banquet had already been prepared.

A large group of people stood inside. Upon seeing Chen Ping’an enter, the man at their head smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Young Master Chen, I’ve long heard of your great name. Seeing you today, you are truly as remarkable as the rumors say."

Mu Wanjun had already given him a brief introduction on the way in. Chen Ping’an naturally knew who this man was: the Patriarch of the Mu Family, Mu Tianxiong.

"Patriarch Mu, you’re too kind," Chen Ping’an replied, returning the smile and the clasped-hand greeting.

"Hahaha, Young Master Chen, there’s no need for such formalities! You’re here now, so just make yourself at home and relax."

Mu Tianxiong didn’t put on any airs, appearing quite affable.

After some pleasantries, Chen Ping’an took his seat at the table. A maid beside him immediately filled his cup with wine.

Besides Mu Tianxiong, there were also seven or eight Mu Family Clan Elders at the table, along with a few young men and women, including Mu Wanjun.

Chen Ping’an noticed that from the moment he had entered, one particular young man’s gaze had been fixed on him.

It only took Chen Ping’an a moment to recognize him.

Mu Feiyu!

The only person of the Mu Family’s younger generation to have reached the Celestial Rain Falling Realm, the Third Stage of Inner Qi.

Back when Chen Ping’an was about to take up his post in White Stone City, the news of Mu Feiyu’s Breaking Realm had caused quite a stir in Weishui County City. At the time, everyone thought Mu Feiyu was a shoo-in for the Rising Star Chart.

Unexpectedly, Mu Feiyu’s name did not appear on the latest Rising Star Chart. Instead, he himself had claimed the 91st spot.

Besides Mu Feiyu, the other young people present were also key prospects being nurtured by the Mu Family. However, Chen Ping’an observed that, with the exception of Mu Wanjun, none of the others seemed to have a very favorable attitude towards him.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Ping’an understood why.

’It’s the pride of youth!’

’They probably think I stole Mu Feiyu’s spot on the Rising Star Chart. If I hadn’t made the list, perhaps the empty spot would have gone to Mu Feiyu.’

"Young Master Chen, speaking of which, the fate between our Mu Family and you runs truly deep."

Once the initial pleasantries were over, one of the Mu Family’s Clan Elders began to liven up the atmosphere. He spoke of their past connection with Chen Ping’an and even subtly implied that they had contributed significantly to his recent promotion.

However, he made no mention of how the Mu Family had simply stood by and watched when Chen Ping’an was being suppressed by the Fang Family.

Since they were acting this way, Chen Ping’an didn’t bother to expose them. The atmosphere at the banquet was actually quite enthusiastic.

From time to time, a Clan Elder would toast Chen Ping’an, their posture extremely humble. It had to be said, as one of the Four Great Noble Families, the Mu Family had a precise grasp of social etiquette.

When they genuinely wanted to flatter someone, they could make everything feel as pleasant as a spring breeze.

Even Mu Tianxiong, the Patriarch of the family, was exceptionally amiable towards Chen Ping’an, occasionally sharing amusing anecdotes to close the distance between them.

"Why are the Patriarch and the Clan Elders being so deferential!?"

"Yeah, what’s going on? He’s just a boy. Even if his talent is decent, he’s still just an ordinary person! On what grounds?"

"Exactly! And look at him, he’s still acting all high and mighty!"

"If you ask me, if it weren’t for Wan Jun, he wouldn’t be where he is today!"

"That’s right! Without Wan Jun, without our Mu Family, who knows where he’d be? Forget the distant past, just look at recent events. If our Mu Family hadn’t protected him, the Fang Family would have probably targeted him to death by now!"

"..."

Watching the deferential attitude of the Patriarch and Clan Elders, the young men and women at the table whispered amongst themselves.

They were still young, after all, and their perspective differed from that of their elders. They already held ill will toward Chen Ping’an because of the Rising Star Chart. Now, seeing their family’s usually revered elders act this way toward him only made them more resentful.

"What are you all talking about!? Shut your mouths!"

At first, their words were tolerable, and though Mu Wanjun felt a little uncomfortable listening, she didn’t intervene. But as they continued, their words became more and more outrageous, until Mu Wanjun could no longer bear to listen.

’If our Mu Family hadn’t protected him, the Fang Family would have targeted him to death by now!’

Just hearing those words made her flush with shame.

’Back then, the Mu Family did nothing! Not only did they do nothing, they even halted the marriage negotiations that were underway.’

’If not for that, none of this fuss would be necessary. Ping’an... he might have already been a part of the Mu Family by now.’

"What? Is Sister Wan Jun siding with an outsider now?" a slightly younger boy named Mu Haorong, a loyal follower of Mu Feiyu, asked with a disdainful look on his face.

"You!" Mu Wanjun wanted to lash out, but considering the occasion, she didn’t want to cause a scene. If Chen Ping’an heard what these younger brothers of hers were saying, any chance of winning him over would be completely gone.

"What? Did I strike a nerve?" Mu Haorong continued. "Back then, if you hadn’t insisted on transferring him to White Stone City so he could avoid the Fang Family’s retaliation, the person on the Rising Star Chart right now would probably be Brother Feiyu!"

"Yeah, Haorong is right," someone else chimed in.

Mu Wanjun was furious. She really wanted to give them a piece of her mind.

’These idiots!’

’They can’t even read the room! Do they have any idea of the painstaking efforts the Patriarch and Clan Elders are making? Though she was angry that the Clan Elders had ignored her advice and cast Chen Ping’an aside like a pawn, from the perspective of a Mu Family descendant, she still sincerely hoped to recruit him to their side.’

’If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.’

’But as a result, these younger brothers of hers...’

’They’re more of a hindrance than a help!’

"Can you keep your voices down!" Mu Wanjun said, exasperated as their voices grew louder. ’I don’t know how the family raises them. They’re a bunch of hothouse flowers who don’t understand a thing!’

The boys were about to say more, but when they saw Mu Feiyu raise a hand, their voices died down immediately. As he was home year-round, Mu Feiyu held great authority among them.

Just as Mu Wanjun was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Mu Feiyu suddenly stand up.

Huh?

A bad feeling crept into Mu Wanjun’s heart.

Mu Feiyu’s sudden movement drew the attention of everyone present.

Mu Tianxiong frowned slightly. "Feiyu, what is it?"

"Third Grand-uncle, Feiyu has long heard of Young Master Chen’s great name. Now that I’ve had the fortune to meet him today, I find the anticipation unbearable." Mu Feiyu gave a slight bow, then walked out from his seat and slowly approached Chen Ping’an.

"Young Master Chen, I hear your Sword Skill is astonishing and that you’ve also cultivated Outer Sect Hard Skills, making your combat prowess formidable. The latest update to the Rising Star Chart has placed you at number 91. This unworthy Feiyu would like to ask for your guidance. I want to see just where I fall short of a prodigy on the Rising Star Chart."

As Mu Feiyu’s voice fell, the hall became utterly silent.

Chen Ping’an remained seated, the very picture of composure, acting as if he hadn’t heard a word Mu Feiyu said.

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