Da Xuan Martial Saint

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After a while.

Chen Mu walked out of the courtyard.

Little Lotus, who had been waiting outside the courtyard, saw Chen Mu emerge and quickly bowed to him, then said with a sneaky smile, "Maid Ning He pays respects to the young master."

Smack.

Chen Mu kept a straight face and gave Little Lotus a smack on the buttocks.

Little Lotus's pretty face immediately turned a shade of shy red. She hurriedly looked around, saw no one else, and then said with grievance, "Young master is bullying me; I'm going to tell Miss."

"How am I bullying you?"

Chen Mu looked at Little Lotus and teasingly asked in reply.

Little Lotus's face turned even redder, unable to utter a word. Seeing Chen Mu walking away, she quickly followed with small steps and said, "Miss should be back soon. I'll take you to wait at Miss's place."

"Alright."

Chen Mu nodded slightly.

What he needed most now was an Artistic Conception Map of higher quality, as well as Bone Tempering Pills. As soon as he got his hands on the Bone Tempering Pills, he would immediately start his Bone Tempering Realm cultivation.

With the system panel's rate of improvement, his Bone Tempering would most likely progress quickly as well, far surpassing ordinary people. As long as he reached the Perfection of the Bone Tempering Realm and practiced the Thunderclap Artistic Conception to the second step, even those in the Five Viscera Realm wouldn't be a match for his might.

Soon.

Little Lotus led Chen Mu eastward, along the main courtyard and through several other courtyards, finally arriving at a somewhat small but very exquisite courtyard with flowers, water, and a pavilion.

Inside was a boudoir built entirely of Zilin Wood. Although the Zilin Wood was not as valuable as golden-threaded wood, it was still top-grade material, impervious to water and fire, indestructible for a thousand years, and more suitable for a girl's boudoir than golden-threaded wood.

This was indeed Chen Mu's first visit to Xu Hongyu's residence.

Previously, he had stayed nearly half a year at the Yu Family residence, spending most of his time indoors, practicing martial arts and pondering techniques. On the rare occasions he went out, he had never visited Xu Hongyu's boudoir.

Mainly because this eastern section of the main courtyard generally wasn't accessible to just anyone and would be guarded by Protectors, especially the area towards the back, which was where the direct descendants of the younger generation of the Yu Family lived.

When Chen Mu previously came to see Xu Hongyu, it was the servants outside who would first go in to notify, and then the maids inside would find Little Lotus, who would finally report to her own Miss. It was a multi-tiered process, but now Chen Mu was allowed to come and go from here freely.

"Are you the one tending to the flowers and plants in this courtyard?"

Chen Mu observed the scenic courtyard and the pond dotted with lotus flowers, noticing the crystal-clear water that surely required regular maintenance, something only truly affluent families could afford.

Little Lotus covered her mouth and giggled lightly, shaking her head, "I only take care of them occasionally; there are people who specialize in maintaining them."

Of course, Xu Hongyu wouldn't have just one maid by her side. Other maids were there to serve daily needs and manage the courtyard, unlike her who could accompany her outside and assist like a lady's maid.

There was a difference between a maid and a lady's maid. In fact, after she entered the Tendon Changing Realm, she already had a certain status. Even if she left Xu Hongyu's side, she wouldn't be reduced to a common servant's position.

Chen Mu walked into the pavilion.

His gaze swept across the entire courtyard.

Whether in his previous life or this one, he didn't come from a wealthy family where he could live in such a scenic courtyard from birth, not worrying about clothing or food. But now, such wealth and glory didn't mean much to him.

The only slight regret was that, unlike in his previous life, there were no extraordinary artifacts to record the past, so he had little chance of seeing what Xu Hongyu looked like as a child. As Little Lotus said, before Xu Hongyu's father disappeared, she had also been a very lively and smiley little girl.

Only later did she gradually become as reserved as she is now, hardly ever showing any liveliness or smiles.

In the past, Xu Hongyu's cool demeanor gave off a sense of indifference and detachment, and Chen Mu simply felt appreciation for the beauty of the Ice Jade Fairy. But now, he felt a deeper sense of pity.

Such a person seemed unreachable and cold on the outside, but in reality, her heart longed for care and attention more than others. It was only due to fear and the necessity to appear strong that she had to maintain such an indifferent facade.

After all,

he would just have to sacrifice a bit.

While Chen Mu stood pondering in the pavilion, thinking about what Xu Hongyu might have looked like as a child, Little Lotus's voice suddenly sounded from the entrance of the courtyard, "Miss, you have returned. Chen... the young master is waiting for you inside the courtyard."

Chen Mu turned to look, just in time to see Xu Hongyu entering the courtyard. Upon hearing Little Lotus's words, she was momentarily disoriented, then glared at Little Lotus, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Little Lotus grinned and said, "Family head has decided; he has arranged the marriage between Miss and the young master. Congratulations, Miss! After all these years, finally... ouch."

A faint blush appeared on Xu Hongyu's cold, white-jade-like face as she lifted her hand to pinch Little Lotus's cheek.

Little Lotus shrunk her head back, slipping out from Xu Hongyu's fingers, then backed out of the courtyard, giggling, "I'm going to take care of some chores for Miss."

With that,

she disappeared from sight.

Xu Hongyu stood there, awkwardly turning back to face Chen Mu inside the pavilion, momentarily at a loss for words.

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Son-in-law…

Previously, when Yu Zuyi asked her about Chen Mu, she didn't mention anything else and simply recounted Chen Mu's deeds, praising what deserved praise. How could it suddenly…

"You're back?"

Chen Mu walked toward Xu Hongyu, his expression gentle as he spoke, "Everything went smoothly on your way back, right?"

Xu Hongyu slightly lowered her head, whispering, "When I left the Demon-Slaying Office, I ran into He Guangyi. He asked me if I knew about the disappearance of He Guangzong and He Mingzhen, but I ignored him, and he didn't dare to stop me."

He Guangyi.

The eldest legitimate heir of the third generation of the He Family, and also one of the Deputy Governors of the Demon-Slaying Office.

Xu Hongyu's explanation was simple, but Chen Mu could easily imagine the scene of He Guangyi encountering Xu Hongyu, questioning her with a stern face, only ultimately letting her go due to the changing situation in Yu County and the need to avoid excessive conflicts.

"I should have accompanied you to the Demon-Slaying Office."

Chen Mu shook his head.

He Guangyi…

A trace of cold light flashed in his eyes; his grudge with the He Family was only getting deeper. Now, it was not only a matter of the Yu Family and the He Family being incompatible like fire and water - sooner or later, he would have to settle all accounts with the He Family.

When Chen Mu spoke, Xu Hongyu felt a warm current surge into her heart. She raised her head to look at Chen Mu, then as if remembering something, she took out a bulging sachet from her bosom and handed it over, saying, "For you, these are sixty Bone Tempering Pills."

Chen Mu took the sachet, feeling a slight warmth in his fingertips, then glanced inside the sachet to see tiny silver-white pills within, heavy and substantial when gathered together.

It was twice the amount, Xu Hongyu had exchanged all her merits at once.

"You should keep some; I don't think I'll need this many," Chen Mu said after a moment's thought.

Xu Hongyu shook her head, "I still need to consolidate my Qi-Blood. I won't attempt Bone Tempering in the next few months. You take them all and use them; whatever is left can be kept for later."

Chen Mu knew that Xu Hongyu had absorbed quite a bit of Monster Blood Essence during the recent demonic upheaval. Although her Qi-Blood had greatly increased, she needed time to stabilize her condition and indeed would need about two or three months. However, to exchange all her merits and hand them all to him - it wasn't a question of his aptitude; she just wanted to help him as much as possible.

Looking into the clear, large eyes of the beauty in front of him, that seemed to have stars twinkling in them, Chen Mu's heart stirred gently. He suddenly moved closer to her ear and said softly, "Hongyu, I want to kiss you."

Swish.

The beauty's body trembled slightly, her crystalline earlobes silently blushed with redness.

"What… what are you saying…"

Xu Hongyu's voice was unsteady, her gaze shifting away.

They had already shared such an intimate moment by the Lin'an River, but her reaction back then wasn't even a fraction of what it was now, filling Chen Mu's eyes with tender warmth. Indeed, this piece of White Jade was clumsy in actions but words could bring out that touch of crimson within the White Jade.

Blushes of embarrassment spread down her crystal-clear earlobe, Chen Mu watched her pretty face from mere inches away, his mind slightly bewildered. She usually had a cool, unattainable aura, like the moon, but now, accompanied by that slight blush, it felt as if she had descended from Mortal Dust, like a blooming ice lotus, more beautiful than he had ever seen before.

Xu Hongyu's heart raced like a frightened deer, wanting to flee, yet her feet were rooted to the ground, unable to take a step. Her eyes wandered, unable to meet Chen Mu's, but the anticipated intimacy did not come.

When her panic-stricken gaze finally returned to Chen Mu, she saw he was still gazing at her intently.

For some reason,

Xu Hongyu suddenly felt a sense of peace, and her evasive eyes settled on him, her voice soft, "What are you looking at?"

Her voice seemed to regain its usual calm and coolness, though the blush on her cheeks remained.

Chen Mu snapped out of his daze.

Looking at the beauty so close at hand, he refrained from going any further and gently captured her delicately soft hands, holding them between his own in front of his body, "The situation in Yu County has changed, and the Yu Family won't make a big fuss about our wedding. I feel it's unfair to you. If you wish, we can wait another two years, and I'll lay out a ten-mile bridal procession for you."

Xu Hongyu was taken aback.

She looked intently at Chen Mu's earnest gaze.

For some reason, her heart felt overwhelmed with joy and happiness.

Chen Mu then saw the beauty's eyes gently curving upwards, like an explosion of hundreds of flowers amidst snow and ice, revealing a smile that might have not appeared for over a decade, indescribably beautiful at that moment.

"I don't want to."

She looked at Chen Mu, smiling brightly.