Chapter 44: The Triangle is the Most Stable
The next morning.
Early in the morning, Mu Zhi’an came to Bai Ruoxi’s room and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” From inside came the slightly tired voice of the sickly beauty. Mu Zhi’an pushed open the door and saw the girl sitting on the bed.
She was wearing a fluttering white dress, her hair cascading down to her slender waist, her cherry lips slightly pursed.
After Mu Zhi’an walked over and sat down opposite her, Bai Ruoxi raised her head to look at him and asked in a clear and pleasant voice, “Young Master Mu, is there any news from my father’s side?”
Ever since returning to the Mu residence yesterday, Bai Ruoxi had been worried about her father’s situation. Although she knew that Gongsun Xiong was in a poor state at that time in the Dragon Head Forest, she couldn’t help but still feel some concern.
“Gongsun Xiong was seriously injured in an attack yesterday and is still lying in bed. What do you think your father’s condition is now?” Mu Zhi’an smiled.
Hearing this, Bai Ruoxi finally let out a sigh of relief.
Then, a hint of coldness quickly appeared in her eyes, “It’s a pity he still safely returned to the Gongsun family.”
Mu Zhi’an shook his head, “Your father let him go.”
“If your father hadn’t held back, Gongsun Xiong would probably be dead now.”
Bai Ruoxi’s father and Gongsun Xiong’s strength should be evenly matched. Yesterday, Gongsun Xiong suffered heavy losses in the battle with the black-robed man. With Bai Ruoxi’s father being such a brute, if he really went all out, Gongsun Xiong most likely wouldn’t survive.
Bai Ruoxi slightly raised her head, her brows slightly furrowed, “So my father let him go?”
“Why…?”
“It shows that your father is quite smart, with finesse in his roughness.”
Mu Zhi’an picked up the teacup on the table and poured himself a cup of tea, saying, “Even if Gongsun Xiong died, the Gongsun family would still have a second Gongsun Xiong, or even a third one come out. It’s useless for him to die.”
How could an ancient family that had existed in Tianxuan City for so long decline because the patriarch died?
If Gongsun Xiong died, someone would immediately replace him, and they might even do better than him.
The current situation was already the best outcome.
Gongsun Xiong had an inexplicable obsession with power. Even if he was seriously injured now, he couldn’t possibly completely delegate power to others. In this way, at least the development progress of the Gongsun family could be delayed.
A seriously injured Gongsun Xiong was more useful than a dead or fully recovered Gongsun Xiong.
“How is your physical condition?” Mu Zhi’an asked.
Bai Ruoxi smiled faintly, “I’m fine now. The Heavenly Dao Aura purified the poison left on my shoulder last night.”
With that said, she raised her right hand.
In her palm, a milky white orb the size of a teacup quietly appeared.
It was the Heavenly Dao Aura.
Mu Zhi’an lightly touched it with his fingertips and felt a warm and comfortable sensation, making him squint his eyes in comfort.
Then, with a tone of praise, he sighed, “It truly lives up to being an ancient sacred object. With this thing, even a pig could probably enter the Reversion stage in the future.”
Bai Ruoxi’s brows furrowed slightly, feeling like she was being mocked.
She gave Mu Zhi’an a deep look, then lightly “hmm”ed.
Then, after hesitating for a moment, she said, “If you don’t mind, Young Master Mu, please take it. You need it more than me.”
In the past, Mu Zhi’an had wasted too much time on cultivation. But if he could use the Heavenly Dao Aura’s cultivation effect now, he might be able to catch up with his peers’ progress.
Mu Zhi’an’s eyes moved slightly. To be honest, he was indeed a bit interested in the Heavenly Dao Aura.
This thing could make an ordinary person directly leap from a carp to a dragon and enter the ranks of geniuses, which was truly tempting.
He wanted to grab the Heavenly Dao Aura, but he only grabbed empty air.
Looking down, the Heavenly Dao Aura had already disappeared from his palm and then entered Bai Ruoxi’s body at an extremely fast speed.
The two looked at each other.
“The Heavenly Dao Aura only chooses people with great destiny as its host. It seems that it thinks I’m an unlucky fellow and doesn’t want to follow me.” Mu Zhi’an couldn’t help but laugh, but he wasn’t angry.
Although he was indeed a bit moved by the Heavenly Dao Aura, he still had some understanding of his own luck. After all, his attribute as a “supporting role” was still there.
How could a “supporting role”, and an unlucky supporting role who was initially used as a stepping stone, attract the Heavenly Dao Aura?
But then again… the Heavenly Dao Aura would automatically be attracted by people with great destiny. In other words, in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao Aura, Bai Ruoxi’s destiny was actually higher than Ye Yu, the so-called “protagonist”?
No… According to the previous guess, it should be simply attracted by that bronze sword.
The more Mu Zhi’an thought about it, the more fortunate he felt. His own luck might not be very good, but fortunately, he was a paying player.
Back then at the auction house, stopping Ye Yu and forcefully buying the bronze piece was the most correct thing to do.
“Young Master Mu, what do you plan to do next?” At this moment, Bai Ruoxi suddenly asked in a low voice.
After interacting with him these past few days, she had subconsciously started to rely on Mu Zhi’an a bit, or rather, unconditionally trust him.
Mu Zhi’an came back to his senses, thought for a moment, and said, “Senior Sister Lan helped a lot this time. I want to invite her to rest at the Mu residence for a few days, and then set off together for the Two Polarity Sect when it’s time for the sect entrance exam.”
Lan Mulian entered Tianxuan City yesterday and was still staying at the inn. Now, the forces from all sides hoped to receive her… The Mu family was naturally the same.
However, Mu Zhi’an didn’t have that many thoughts. He simply wanted to receive Lan Mulian. As for whether to give her special treatment or not, it made no difference to him. After all, he was already a “recommended student”.
The Spirit Transformation stage female cultivator he mentioned… Bai Ruoxi’s smile slowly faded a few degrees.
She lowered her eyes slightly, her long and curled eyelashes slightly covering her dim eyes.
For some reason, she inexplicably felt a very uncomfortable feeling.
After being silent for a long time, she suddenly asked softly, “What about my mother’s side?”
Actually, after discovering Bai Yuanfeng’s secret, she had been wanting to ask Mu Zhi’an how he viewed Bai Yuanfeng these past few days, but she never had the courage to ask.
Logically speaking, with the ambition to swallow the three major forces, the Mu family, being powerful, would pursue and kill once they found out.
She didn’t know if Mu Zhi’an was already considering taking action, or if he had other goals.
Mu Zhi’an obviously saw Bai Ruoxi’s concern and shook his head, “Don’t worry. Taking action requires evidence. Blindly speculating and then recklessly taking action, what if a good person is wronged?”
“Besides, there are still a lot of suspicions about her now.”
How could a mere Qi Condensation stage cultivator have the guts to swallow the three major families?
There were probably people behind Bai Yuanfeng.
Otherwise, this woman was too stupid.
When considering an enemy, one naturally couldn’t think of the other party as a fool.
Bai Ruoxi stared at Mu Zhi’an, her small mouth slightly open. She wanted to say that her mother had already slept with Gongsun Xiong, could there still be any reversal? But in the end, she held back.
After the two chatted for a while in the room, Bai Ruoxi left the Mu residence because she was worried about her parents.
Mu Zhi’an didn’t stop her and only ordered the servants to prepare a carriage to send her back.
He was also quite curious about what attitude Bai Ruoxi’s father would have towards his wife now… As an outsider, it was inconvenient for him to observe, but Bai Ruoxi could.
Watching Bai Ruoxi leave in the carriage, Mu Zhi’an withdrew his gaze, turned around and returned to the Mu residence.
“Is it really okay to let her go back like this? Aren’t you afraid that she will be implicated by the Bai family’s matters and be retaliated against by Gongsun Xiong?” A clear voice suddenly came from beside him.
It was Wei Mengrou, who was like a shadow. She had just been following behind the two, but no one had noticed her.
Mu Zhi’an glanced at Wei Mengrou, who was wearing a yellow dress and had a face like a flower under the moon. He shook his head and smiled, “Gongsun Xiong won’t do that… At least not in the short term.”
Seeing that Wei Mengrou seemed a bit puzzled, Mu Zhi’an asked, “Suppose something intimate happened between me and Sister Mengrou today, the kind that only happens between lovers. Would you carry a sword and chase after me all over Tianxuan City, making it known to everyone?”
Wei Mengrou said indifferently, “If you really did that, you wouldn’t even be able to run out of the Mu residence.”
She paused and continued, “But… you’re right.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t want this kind of thing to be known by others either.”
“This morning, people from the Gongsun family came, and people from the Ye family were also at the door, wanting to see you.” Wei Mengrou suddenly said again.
“Gongsun Xiong still suspects that the Heavenly Dao Aura is with you.”
“Don’t pay attention to them.” Mu Zhi’an waved his hand, “Let’s not say that the Heavenly Dao Aura is not with me now. Even if it was really with me, so what? Can they press my head and make me spit out the Heavenly Dao Aura?”
Even if Mu Zhi’an agreed, those old undying ones from the Mu family wouldn’t agree.
“And Sister Mengrou will also protect me, right?” Mu Zhi’an continued.
Wei Mengrou pouted and said, “It’s only because Madam specifically instructed me before leaving, not because I actively want to protect you.”
I understand, I understand. This is called being tsundere… Mu Zhi’an nodded and didn’t expose her. He changed the topic and said, “No one from the Morning Glory Chamber of Commerce came?”
“They came, but they didn’t ask about the Heavenly Dao Aura. They only sent two bottles of healing pills.”
When Wei Mengrou said this, her eyes showed a hint of puzzlement. She said softly, “They should also want the Heavenly Dao Aura… But they left without even asking. It’s a bit strange.”
“It’s not strange.” Mu Zhi’an walked with the maid along the small path in the courtyard.
The beauty in the ancient yellow dress walked beside him with graceful steps. The thin lapels could hardly cover her two lofty breasts, and her slender waist swayed left and right, looking graceful and beautiful.
While sighing at the maid’s large heart, Mu Zhi’an couldn’t help but take a few more glances. Then, he withdrew his gaze without leaving a trace and said,
“The Morning Glory Chamber of Commerce dared to strike at the Bai family’s business before because they knew that the Bai family’s patriarch was attacked and seriously injured, and the Gongsun family was suppressing them from the front. Now that they heard the Bai family’s patriarch has returned, they naturally want to trim their sails and add a layer of insurance for themselves.”
For a shrewd merchant like Old Master Huang of the Morning Glory Chamber of Commerce, what he feared the most was not competing on the same stage with enemies of the same intelligence, but brutes.
Bai Yuanfeng could tolerate the blows to the Bai family’s business.
But if they wanted the Bai family dead, with the crude and brutish personality of Bai Ruoxi’s father, he might dare to go all out and have an extreme one-for-one exchange with the Morning Glory Chamber of Commerce.
Merchants all cherish their lives, and what merchants fear the most are also such crude brutes.
“In the end, the Morning Glory Chamber of Commerce is betting on both sides. Whoever is stronger, they will side with them.”
“They’re just fence-sitters.” Wei Mengrou said indifferently.
Then she asked again, “Do you plan to accept their goodwill?”
Mu Zhi’an nodded with a smile and said, “Since others have come to the door with such sincerity and don’t even ask about the Heavenly Dao Aura, how can we refuse their goodwill?”
“So… we’re going to cooperate with the Morning Glory Chamber of Commerce?” Wei Mengrou asked.
“Sister Mengrou, you probably don’t know. A triangle is the most stable structure.” Mu Zhi’an shared a bit of knowledge with the maid.
He paused and continued,
“But a quadrilateral is not very stable.”
