Qi Shaorong's courtyard in Li Country.
"Who is it? Coming." Mu Tingxuan opened the door and saw Mu Huai standing there with a gloomy expression.
"It's you?" Mu Huai couldn't help but feel a little surprised when he saw Mu Tingxuan.
The first time he saw Mu Tingxuan, Mu Huai had a feeling of deja vu. Now that he's suddenly met him again, Mu Huai's mood was a little strange.
Mu Tingxuan looked at Mu Huai and frowned slightly, "Young Master Mu, do you need something?"
Mu Huai pushed Mu Tingxuan aside and rushed through the door, saying, "Qi Shaorong, you come out, Qi Shaorong…"
Mu Tingxuan reached out his arm to stop Mu Huai, "Young Master went out, if you need something, you can talk about it with me instead."
Mu Huai looked at Mu Tingxuan, and said somewhat doubtfully, "You?"
Mu Tingxuan nodded and said, "Yes."
"I want to discuss something with Qi Shaorong. There is no enmity between the Mu Family and him, why is he targeting our Mu Family like this?" Mu Huai said angrily. .
"You don't need to talk to the Young Master about this matter. The person whom the Mu Family offended isn't him, but me." Mu Tingxuan said lightly.
Mu Huai stared at Mu Tingxuan and said, "You? Why?"
"There is no reason why, it's a thing of the past. It's unnecessary for Young Master Mu to investigate it any further." Mu Tingxuan said coldly.
"You bastard." Mu Huai furiously aimed his sword at Mu Tingxuan.
Mu Tingxuan dodged, and at the same time, took out a spirit sword from his storage ring and met Mu Huai's attack head-on.
Mu Huai also cast out his magic at the same time, and Mu Tingxuan did the same.
Both of them had a cultivation base of level seven, and they both used the Mu Family's fighting technique that was handed down for generations in the family, the Xuanmu fighting method [1]. Soon the fight was well underway and the two were inseparable [2].
The cyan-coloured magic clashed against each other, in the twinkling of an eye, the two exchanged dozens of moves.
"Who are you? You actually stole the Mu Family's secret fighting techniques and learned it." Mu Huai said in shock and anger.
Mu Tingxuan looked at Mu Huai coldly, and said calmly, "You can think whatever you want."
Cyan-coloured magic flew everywhere, and Mu Tingxuan and Mu Huai continued fighting for more than two hours. They were both worn out and exhausted, but the outcome of the battle was still unclear.
Mu Huai looked at Mu Tingxuan, his eyes filled with a deep doubt. The Mu Family's Xuanmu fighting technique wasn't something that just anyone could learn. This technique was a type of blood succession technique, it was created by the Mu Family's ancestors, and only those with the blood of the Mu Family could use the power of this fighting method to the fullest extent.
Mu Huai squeezed the sword in his hand tightly, the spiritual qi surrounding his body quivering in agitation.
Seeing Mu Huai's state, Mu Tingxuan narrowed his eyes and thought: Mu Huai was going to make a big move.
A series of swords condensed from divine light erupted like fireworks, flying towards Mu Tingxuan. It was the sword skill―Ten Thousand Swords Cage.
Mu Tingxuan was prepared for this, and raised his sword. With a heavy wave, a giant sword fell from the sky, intercepting and breaking the spiritual swords that were flying towards Mu Tingxuan. The Mu Family's sword skill, Ten Thousand Swords Cage, was evenly matched against this other sword technique of the Mu Family that Mu Tingxuan used.
"How do you know our Mu Family's sword techniques?" Mu Huai said in surprise.
Mu Huai was already surprised that Mu Tingxuan knew the Mu Family's fighting techniques, but the fact that Mu Tinxuan even knew the Mu Family's sword skills made Mu Huai feel a little frightened.
The Mu Family fighting techniques could be learned by both the direct descendants of the main bloodline and descendants from the side families [3]. However, the family's sword techniques were only known by a small number of direct descendants. These sword skills were very difficult to master, and among the Mu Family's younger generation, Mu Huai was the only one who knew these sword skills. Mu Huai never would've thought that when he came here to look for Qi Shaorong, he'd encounter a youth who wasn't in the least inferior to him, and this person even used the same fighting techniques as him.
"You should go, if you continue making such a ruckus, Zhuang Hao will come out. Zhuang Hao is much stronger than I am, if you can't even win against me, you'll definitely get beaten up by him!" Mu Tingxuan said.
"What's so great about Zhuang Hao, I'm not afraid of him, tell him to come out here if he dares." Mu Huai said.
Zhuang Hao sauntered out with his arms crossed and said, "I'm here."
Mu Tingxuan looked at Zhuang Hao and said, "Young Master Zhuang, why'd you come out?"
Zhuang Hao glanced at Mu Huai, sighed, and said, ��He's too noisy!"
"I tried to drive him away but he won't leave!" Mu Ting Xuan said unhappily.
Mu Huai flushed, looked at Zhuang Hao, and said, "Who are you?"
Zhuang Hao ignored Mu Huai's question, looked at Mu Tingxuan, and said, "You can't beat him?"
Mu Tingxuan clenched his fists and said, "I'm just a little worse than him."
Zhuang Hao looked at Mu Tingxuan and said, "Don't be discouraged, you're younger than he is, after all. In the future, he won't be your opponent anymore! This time, do you want me to help you throw him out?"
Mu Tingxuan nodded, "Sorry to trouble you!"
Mu Huai's face turned red and he looked at Zhuang Hao angrily. This was the first time since the start of his career that Mu Huai had been so looked down on, and he was looked down on by someone who didn't even seem to be any older than him.
Zhuang Hao turned around, looked at Mu Huai, and said, "What does this brother think?"
Mu Huai stared at Zhuang Hao, and said, "I've long heard your well-known name, Young Master Zhuang, and today I've finally met you in person. Young Master Zhuang, please condescend to teach me this time [4]."
Zhuang Hao's reputation in Yuan Country was widespread, but Li Country was different. Li Country also had many talents, and naturally they wouldn't want to give much publicity to the talented people from other countries. However, as the young master of the Mu Family, Mu Huai was very well-informed and did have some understanding of the talents from various other countries.
At first, when he heard Mu Tingxuan mention Zhuang Hao, Mu Huai didn't have much of an impression of him, but he reacted pretty quickly.
Mu Huai looked guardedly at Zhuang Hao.
Zhuang Hao opened his hand, and the five different-coloured magic elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth condensed in his palm. A ball of five different colours of magic condensed in Zhuang Hao's palm, Zhuang Hao waved his hand and the five-coloured magic ball flew towards Mu Huai. When it fell onto Mu Huai's body, it abruptly exploded.
Mu Huai was sent flying by this curse-like attack. If it weren't for Zhuang Hao showing some mercy, perhaps Mu Huai might have been instantly killed by Zhuang Hao.
Mu Tingxuan looked at Zhuang Hao, and said in surprise, "Young Master Zhuang, what was that move?"
Zhuang Hao shook his wrist, smiled, and said, "Shaorong gave me this idea to combine the five elemental magic together [5], and then use the power of wind and thunder to make it explode."
Mu Tingxuan: "…" The power generated from the explosion of two mutually destructive magics was already amazing enough. The power created by five types of elemental magic exploding was even more horrifying.
Mu Huai had fallen to the ground and couldn't get up until a while later.
Mu Tingxuan looked at Mu Huai and said, "Young Master Mu, please leave."
"Just who are you? What kind of relationship do you have with our Mu Family…"
Mu Tingxuan looked at Mu Huai and said, "I don't have a relationship with the Mu Family."
"Impossible, if you really have nothing to do with the Mu Family, then there's know way you'd know the Mu Family's fighting techniques!" Mu Huai shook his head.
"Young Master Mu, you're really so annoying! Fine, there's no harm in telling you. When I was born, a fortune-teller said that in this life, I'd bring ill fortune upon father, my brothers, my family… I've always thought, what if the sole reason for my existence was this fate of mine, and because of this fate, I've almost died so many times. So I thought, if I just gave up and never accepted my fate, then wouldn't I have suffered all these hardships for nothing?" Mu Tingxuan said lightly.
"What do you mean?" Mu Huai stared at Mu Tingxuan.
Mu Tingxuan looked at Mu Huai, smiled, and said, "Everyone says that Young Master Mu Huai is extremely clever, I think that you already know in your heart, so why are you confused? Or are you only pretending to be confused."
"Tingxuan, who came? It's so noisy." Qi Shaorong stretched, and walked out wrapped in a robe.
The robe hung loosely on Qi Shaorong's body, and his long hair was draped over his shoulders, exuding an air of laziness.
"Just an irrelevant person." Mu Tingxuan said.
Qi Shaorong walked over to Mu Huai, reached out his hand and lifted Mu Huai's chin, saying, "The Tianhu Mu Family's Young Master! I heard that you're one of the top ten most handsome men in Li Country! Your looks are only so-so."
Zhuang Hao stepped forward and said, "Shaorong, aren't I a lot more handsome than he is."
Qi Shaorong glanced at Zhuang Hao and said, "Yes! You're handsomer than he is, but is there anything to be proud of just because you're better-looking than him? This guy's looks aren't that good anyway!"
Zhuang Hao: "…"
The coroner of Mu Huai's mouth twitched, and he said, "Young Master Qi, I heard that you asked the Business Alliance to suppress our Mu Family?"
Qi Shaorong nodded and said, "Yes! Such a thing did happen."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to, there's really no reason why. Young Master Mu, I can see that you're hurt pretty badly, it's better if you speak less and just go home. I am a person of my word, since I've already asked the Business Alliance to deal with the Mu Family, I won't change my mind." Qi Shaorong said.
Mu Huai looked at Qi Shaorong and said, "Young Master Qi, you… Our Mu Family never offended you!"
"Young Master Mu, what does it feel like, having two wood spirit cores in your body? Going too far is just as bad as not going far enough, who knows if the person who put the wood spirit core in your body did it to love and protect you, or to harm you. The two wood spirit cores in your body are repulsive against each other, it's fine in the earlier stages, but after you've reached a higher level, it's starting to affect your cultivation now, isn't it." Qi Shaorong asked, interrupting Mu Huai.
Mu Huai stared at Qi Shaorong and said, "Young Master Qi, what do you mean, a person put the wood-spirit core in my body…"
"Young Master Mu, do you think you performed some great merits in your previous life? That your character quality is so good, you were blessed to be born with two wood spirit cores? There's naturally a reason for everything." Qi Shaorong said.
Mu Huai looked at Qi Shaorong and said, "I just have good luck…"
Qi Shaorong waved his hand and said, "Okay, okay, something like you having good luck, you don't need to use that to fool me. I see you're just an idiot, you don't even know what's going on, you should go back and ask your father about it."
Mu Huai: "…"
Qi Shaorong looked at Mu Huai's back as he left, squinted his eyes, and said, "This guy seems a little stupid!"
"He's been well-protected all his life, so naturally he's stupid." Mu Tingxuan said.
Qi Shaorong nodded and said, "That's true, those who've grown up more privileged, usually don't have much of a brain."
Zhuang Hao: "…"
"Young Master, I'm going out." Mu Tingxuan said .
Qi Shaorong looked at Mu Tingxuan and said, "You're going out at this time? Your Young Master just offended the Mu Family. I'm afraid it's not very safe for you to go out now."
"There's someone I must find to answer all my questions!" Mu Tingxuan said.
Qi Shaorong looked at Mu Tingxuan and said, "In that case, get Yi Fan to accompany you. Go now and return early."
Mu Tingxuan nodded and said, "Okay."
Zhuang Hao looked at Mu Tingxuan as he left, then looked at Qi Shaorong, and said, "The people around you all have very unusual origins!"
"Right! There's a saying that like calls to like. My origin is unusual, so the people around me are the same too." Qi Shaorong said.
Zhuang Hao: "…"
"You're really strong! That Mu Huai wasn't your match at all." Qi Shaorong said.
Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong and said, "Mu Huai had used up too much energy when he fought Mu Tingxuan earlier, I just got lucky this time!"
Qi Shaorong nodded and said, "So it was just luck. Makes sense, I didn't think you were that capable."
Zhuang Hao: "…"
Footnotes:
Xuanmu: The "xuan" here means deep, profound, or mysterious, and the "mu" is the one meaning tree/wood.
Inseparable: The idiom used here means "to loathe to part from each other" or "emotionally close and unwilling to separate". It's definitely not the latter, but I guess the author is trying to say that they couldn't stop fighting each other and separate. I couldn't come up with something more poetic to put here, so yeah lol.
Main bloodline… side families: Main bloodline means the direct line of descent, and "side families" is actually "collateral line", meaning relatives descended from a common ancestor but through different lines.
Condescend to teach (赐教): Don't how to translate this, also I'm not sure I even understand what this means in Chinese lol. Apparently it means "condescend to teach; grant instruction", and judging from the context, I'm guessing it's because ZH and Mu Huai were going to fight each other, they're treating it kind of like a learning experience?
Five elements: I just realized I never actually fully explained this concept before, basically the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) were believed by the ancients to make up the physical universe. All the five elements originate from each other and there's mutual enhancement and inhibition between the elements. I'm too lazy to search it up, but I think water feeds wood, wood feeds fire, fire creates earth, and I can't remember the rest (I could be wrong though). There's also the opposite where one of the elements destroys or inhibits the other, like metal destroys wood (ex. metal nails, screws), but I don't know the rest lol. I want to say that water destroys fire, but if Pokemon has taught me anything, it's that fire is also weak to earth (ground), so idk.