Chapter 129 Planning

Her beautiful willow-leaf brows furrowed slightly. Her younger brother today gave her a feeling... that seemed somewhat different.

She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different—he was still that same arrogant, impatient, and haughty person, yet there seemed to be a bit more of an... inexplicable, indescribable quality. Was it her imagination?

Mu Wanning shook her head gently, casting aside that sliver of doubt. Perhaps she was just overthinking it.

For this younger brother of hers, who had snatched away more attention and resources since childhood due to his status as the legitimate son, she had little desire to probe. As long as he didn't provoke her, it was fine to live in mutual indifference.

She stopped thinking about it, regained her usual cold and detached expression, and turned to walk gracefully toward her own courtyard, which was situated on the east side of the mansion and was quieter and more elegant.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Ming, who was heading toward the Mu Family main hall, was far less composed inwardly than he appeared on the surface.

The bluestone path beneath his feet led to the most solemn and dignified area deep within the mansion, lined with towering ancient trees, the atmosphere heavy and stagnant.

The closer he got, the more obvious the invisible pressure emanating from the ancient Family became.

Xiao Ming maintained the gait and expression expected of Mu Changge, but the string in his heart tightened quietly.

"Although the [Phantom Face Pill] from the System claims to be impenetrable below the Body Integration Stage and even perfectly simulates Soul Aura," he pondered inwardly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing together inside his wide sleeves, "but the one I am about to see is Mu Changge's biological father, the pillar of the Mu Family. His familiarity and intuition regarding his own flesh and blood probably cannot be judged by conventional logic. Loved ones who see each other every day can always detect the slightest differences."

A rare, almost nervous emotion quietly swept through his heart. This was not fear, but an instinctive vigilance against the possibility of flaws in his plan.

He repeatedly rehearsed the minute details of Mu Changge's interactions with this father from his memory, from his demeanor and tone to his subtle habits, ensuring he had fully adopted the persona.

Finally, a magnificent, towering hall that appeared to be built entirely of some kind of grey-white megalith appeared before his eyes.

Above the hall doors, the three large characters "Sword Heart Hall," written with iron-like strokes and silver hooks, exuded a chilling Sword Qi that made one feel awestruck just looking at them.

There were no guards at the entrance, but an invisible solemnity and pressure permeated the air.

Xiao Ming paused slightly in front of the hall door, took a deep breath, suppressed all distracting thoughts, and quickly switched his expression to the reverence and compliance Mu Changge should show when facing his strict father, before stepping inside.

The interior of the hall was spacious, with simple and grand furnishings, lacking excessive luxury, yet possessing an inherent, settled majesty.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, Xiao Ming's gaze was drawn to the figure standing with hands behind his back in front of a huge stone carving of the Dao of the Sword, with his back to the door.

That person stood as straight as a pine, dressed in a profound cyan-colored everyday outfit embroidered with sword patterns. Just a back view gave one a sense of steadiness and invisible pressure like a mountain.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, he did not turn around immediately.

Xiao Ming dared not be negligent. Following the etiquette in his memory, he quickly stepped forward a few paces, stopped about three zhang away from the figure, bowed, and adjusted his voice to carry just the right amount of respect: "Father, you summoned me."

As the words fell, the figure standing with hands behind his back slowly turned around.

What met Xiao Ming's eyes was a face that resembled Mu Changge's by five or six parts but was much more mature and majestic.

With sword-like eyebrows reaching his temples, eyes like bright stars, a high nose bridge, and a firm jawline, he must have been an extremely handsome Young Master in his youth.

Although the years had left some lines at the corners of his eyes, they only added to his steady demeanor.

His face was calm, revealing no joy or anger, but the deep eyes, as they opened and closed, had rays of light faintly appearing.

Although the Aura around him was not deliberately unleashed, it was as steady as an abyss or a mountain—the majestic Aura that only a Soul Transformation Late Stage Cultivator could possess.

Mu Yuntian (Mu Family Head)'s gaze, the moment Xiao Ming finished bowing and stood up, had already fallen upon him.

That gaze was not sharp or aggressive, but as calm as a deep pool, carrying a power that could see through people's hearts, slowly sweeping over Xiao Ming's entire body, from the tips of his hair to his fingertips, as if wanting to see through him inside and out.

Xiao Ming maintained a slightly bowed posture, his eyes lowered respectfully, clearly feeling that gaze moving inch by inch across his body as if it were substantial.

The muscles all over his body tightened silently beneath his robes, his mind was crystal clear, and he was fully simulating everything about Mu Changge, even adjusting the subtle frequency of his breathing to match his memories.

Time seemed to have been stretched at this moment. A mere few dozen breaths felt incomparably long to Xiao Ming.

He could feel a fine layer of cold sweat seeping from his back, only to be quietly evaporated by the spiritual energy within his body.

The pressure brought by Mu Yuntian's gaze far exceeded that of facing a Cultivator of the same rank. It was not just the suppression of cultivation, but the deep-seated scrutiny of a father and a Family head toward his offspring.

There were a couple of moments when Mu Yuntian's gaze seemed to linger slightly in the depths of his eyes, and Xiao Ming almost thought his disguise had shown a flaw.

His heart shrank violently, and he almost couldn't resist communicating with the soul-containing jade to summon You Li, intending to use thunderous means to suppress this Mu Family Head first!

But in the end, that substantial gaze slowly moved away.

Mu Yuntian withdrew his gaze, his face still devoid of expression, and he just said indifferently, his voice steady and devoid of emotion: "Mm, you've returned. Was this trip smooth?"

The string in Xiao Ming's heart, which had been stretched to the limit, loosened slightly, knowing that this first hurdle had been passed for now.

Relying on Mu Changge's memories, he slowly recited the excuse he had already prepared.

Half an hour later, when Xiao Ming stepped out of the heavy doors of "Sword Heart Hall" with steady strides, far away from that pervasive Aura of majesty, his tense back relaxed by an almost imperceptible margin.

Not until he had rounded the corridor and ensured no one was watching did he stop, and under the cover of the shadows of the pillars, he let out a very light, very slow breath of stagnant air that had been pressing on his chest.

He raised his hand and touched his forehead; sure enough, there was a fine, cold layer of sweat. He wiped it away with his sleeve without changing his expression, a glimmer of relief flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Finally... managed to muddle through it." He thought to himself, feeling no lingering fear, but rather the relief of a highly skilled actor who could finally remove part of his mask after perfectly performing a difficult scene.

The pressure in the hall just now did not stem from fear of Mu Yuntian's strength—if he were truly exposed, he had his own thunderous means to deal with it—but the subtle tension of "acting" as someone's close relative, constantly under the scrutiny of the person who knew him best.

It was like walking on thin ice, testing his Heart-Nature, details, and improvisation. Fortunately, the [Phantom Face Pill] and his digestion and absorption of Mu Changge's memories were seamless.

He stopped lingering and, maintaining the gait that a "Young Lord" should have, returned all the way to the luxurious courtyard in his memory that belonged to him.

He waved away the maidservants who wanted to come forward to serve him and sat alone on the jade couch in the quiet room.

Only then did the restlessness and arrogance that belonged to "Mu Changge" slowly fade from Xiao Ming's face, changing back to the depth and calmness that belonged to himself.

It was time to carefully sort out the current situation and plan the next step.

First, it was about the Wandao Sword Sect. From Mu Changge's memory, he learned that in a few more days, an Elder from the Wandao Sword Sect would personally visit the Mu Family to escort "him" to officially join the Sect.

This was not a regular recruitment of Disciples, but because of the Mu Family's status and background, the old friendship of that Elder, and Mu Changge's recent "rapid progress in cultivation" (which was actually the work of the System's sign-in), that he was able to be accepted into the Sect as an exception.

The Wandao Sword Sect, as one of the four top Sects in this region, had an unfathomable foundation. There were countless Elders in the Sect, and among them, the three core Elders ordered by "Heaven, Earth, and Human" held the most respected status and strongest strength.

The Heaven Sword Elder's cultivation had already reached the Peak of Soul Transformation, and it was said he was a half-step away from Void Refining, with a transcendent status.

His direct Disciple was the current Saint of the Wandao Sword Sect, brilliant and talented, a leader of his generation.

The Earth Sword Elder and the Human Sword Elder were both in the Late Stage of Soul Transformation and were also pivotal figures in the Sect.

And the one "Mu Changge" was about to apprentice under was none other than Elder Di Jian.

In his memory, this Elder Di Jian's temperament seemed quite... well, unique.

But regardless, being able to enter such a Sect and come into contact with a broader world and more "Child of Fortune" was exactly what Xiao Ming sought.

A cold smile hung on the corner of his mouth; the Opportunity Mu Changge obtained through the System had now become a stepping stone for him, Xiao Ming, and even this Opportunity to enter a top Sect was no exception.

"Elder Di Jian... Heaven Sword Saint..." He chewed on these titles in a low voice, eyes flashing with calculating light.

The deeper this pool, the more interesting it would be.

As his thoughts flowed, another cold and peerless figure unexpectedly intruded into his mind—Mu Wanning.

That light blue gauze dress, the unmasked alienation and arrogance in those pale golden eyes, and that disdainful attitude that kept people at a distance, all were attracting and tempting him.

Xiao Ming's gaze deepened, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the armrest of the jade couch.

In his memory, Mu Wanning, due to the injustice of the Family and her own pride, despised this younger brother "Mu Changge" to the extreme, and their relationship had plummeted to the freezing point.

"Heh..." A low chuckle echoed in the quiet room, carrying unmasked interest and aggression.

Mu Wanning's arrogant posture did not displease him; instead, it was like a catalyst, completely igniting a certain secret desire for conquest in his heart.

The harder she was to approach, the colder and more frost-like she was, the more worth she had in being pulled down from the altar and stained with his own colors.

He could almost imagine how moving the scene would be when those indifferent eyes, always filled with arrogance and disdain, were finally replaced by other emotions.

Was it astonishment? Was it anger? Was it unwillingness? Or... the blurred confusion after completely melting?

"I wonder if, by that time, my 'good sister' will still be able to maintain this high and mighty appearance?" Xiao Ming muttered to himself, dark light flickering in his eyes, as if he had already seen that cold and lonely blue figure through the layers of walls.

This was not just coveting beauty, but a provocation and plunder against "Heaven's Mandate" and a "Proud Daughter," which had the same stimulating feeling as devouring a Child of Fortune.