"Hmph!" Mu Nanxue snatched the sabre from a guard's waist. The gleaming blade, imbued with a chilling aura, lifted the young boy's delicate white chin.
"Ha! Do you take me for a three-year-old? Someone like you, who has no real skills and only relies on a pretty face to climb up, what kind of sordid thoughts you might have, do you think I wouldn't know? If you know what's good for you, scram! Otherwise, I'll kill you right here!"
As the Mu family and the eldest daughter of the Mu family gained renown, men looking to latch onto someone wealthy began to stir. Especially when they heard that the eldest Mu daughter was even more beautiful than the second Mu daughter. Such incidents had been happening frequently for the past year or two. With so many deliberately staged "romantic encounters," she had long ago developed a pair of "fiery eyes."
The young boy hadn't expected things to unfold so differently from his initial plan, and he began to panic. He dared not meet Mu Nanxue's fiery, imposing gaze, his expression a mix of embarrassment and shame.
"I, I didn't... You mustn't insult me."
Mu Nanxue's expression turned cold. Clad in a flowing black and crimson gauze dress, her voluptuous figure was alluring, her waist slender. As she retracted her sword and thrust it out again, her movements were as sharp and swift as the wind.
"Oh, you still dare to lie? I think you're just asking for death!"
Mu Nanxue's moniker of "Little Demoness" had indeed earned considerable notoriety in Shuofang City over the years.
Her fiery, quick-tempered nature, combined with the Demon Clan's inherent penchant for doing as they pleased, meant that countless individuals who had offended the Mu family or the sisters had been severely taught a lesson by her.
*Clink—*
A metal bead the size of a pomegranate struck the sword tip, deflecting Mu Nanxue's thrust. A calm yet authoritative female voice spoke from behind her.
"Xue'er."
Seeing her sister intervene, Mu Nanxue narrowed her eyes. She flung her sword to the ground and turned around, displeased. "Sister, this person clearly has ulterior motives. He's just trying to get your attention, playing the victim, pretending to be innocent. He just wants you to think he's different from those flashy, cheap women out there!"
The young boy, who had been too breathless to utter a word during the life-or-death moment and whose face had lost all color, now, having been saved, hurriedly spoke with reddened eyes, earnestly denying them. "No, no, it's not like that, I—"
At that moment, the female voice interrupted him. She breathed out softly, a smile in her tone. "It doesn't matter, your intentions or your purpose are of no consequence, because you have indeed captured my attention."
She moved past the frozen Mu Nanxue and extended a fair, slender hand from within the wide, elaborately embroidered sleeve of her robe, pulling the boy closer. Beneath the brim of her hat, her eyes, focused and intent, scrutinized him closely.
The boy, with his beautiful eyes, met her gaze, his excitement both concealed and uncontrollable. He deliberately lifted his small face a bit higher, wanting her to see him more clearly.
At the tender age of fifteen or sixteen, the boy was at his most verdant and delicate. His pair of resplendent, deer-like eyes blinked, moist with unshed tears. Though his demeanor was somewhat lacking, his face alone was enough to be considered of a "hall-of-fame" beauty.
*Hiss—*
The onlookers, who had been watching the scene, finally got a clear look at the young boy's face and collectively gasped.
On this city street, perpetually shrouded in dim light from intermittent illumination, he simply stood there, yet he seemed to emanate a glow.
The eldest Mu daughter mused, thinking that if she were to properly groom him, to transform that timid, shifty, and vain soul, he would likely taste even more exquisite.
The young boy felt the fervent gazes of admiration and awe directed his way. He tilted his head back, a smug smile playing on his lips. He bit his lower lip, trying his best to offer the eldest Mu daughter a shy smile that he had practiced for a long time.
"Miss Mu, eldest daughter."
Her black, patterned cloak was likely a magical artifact. Even up close, the young boy couldn't discern her true appearance.
"What is your name?"
The eldest daughter's voice was so gentle.
The young boy nervously fiddled with the worn, tattered corner of his clothes. "This humble one's name is Hua Jie."
While he was confident in his appearance, he was too destitute, lacking even a decent outfit. Standing before the impeccably aristocratic eldest daughter, he felt rather self-conscious.
"Hua? Are you from Hua City?"
The surname Hua was very common in Hua City. This was because the City Lord of Hua City was an intersex individual who was obsessed with their surname. Anyone wishing to settle or register in Hua City had to adopt the City Lord's unified surname—Hua.
"Yes, my younger brother and I are both from Hua City—"
The young boy suddenly remembered his brother. He turned to look, only to see the child who had been pulling at him moments ago, at some point, was now stealthily, furtively preparing to escape while they were preoccupied.
"Hua Lu!"
Upon hearing the name, the child shivered.
"Lu your head!"
The small child, who appeared to be only four or five years old, stood on tiptoe, stuck out his tongue at Hua Jie in a mocking gesture, and bolted.
The young boy Hua Jie's expression shifted. His perfectly sculpted eyes, as if drawn by an artist's meticulous brushstrokes, turned cold. He turned back, pleading with the eldest Mu daughter. "Eldest daughter."
The eldest Mu daughter, intrigued by his face, was naturally willing to help him with such a trivial matter.
With a casual wave of her hand, a net of light spread out, blocking the child Hua Lu's escape path.
He puffed out his cheeks, his dark, lustrous eyes darting around. He swiftly changed his position. He moved like a nimble squirrel, squeezing through any available gap. But the net of light seemed to have a will of its own, growing larger and larger, its spread like a giant mouth gradually closing in.
Finally, it sealed off all possible escape routes for the child.
Seeing this, Hua Jie's face broke into a smile. "Brother, where are you going? Have you forgotten, in this world, besides me, you have no one else to rely on?"
The child gnashed his teeth in anger. He turned around, stomping his foot, and said in a clear, childish voice, "I'm not your brother, you liar! If you want to be someone's boy toy, then go ahead! I don't want to be with someone as shameful as you."
The eldest Mu daughter found the little fellow's spirited demeanor amusing and looked at him a few more times.
He wore a small felt cap adorned with a pom-pom. His clothing was a patchwork garment, with several tassels tied around his waist. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a long time, the various colored fabrics having all merged into a muddy brown.
His small face was partially obscured by the brim of his hat, revealing only his plump, round nose and his rosy, slightly upturned lips. When he spoke, he was like a fierce but adorable little beast, baring two small, white, glutinous rice-like fangs.
"Is this your brother?"
"Yes, this is my younger brother. He... he has a bit of a temper."
The two brothers actually looked quite alike, both possessing beautiful eyes. However, the elder brother's eyes had drooping corners, exuding pure innocence, while the younger brother's were dark and solemn, like twin pupils.
In fact, the innate aura emanating from the younger brother's small frame was stronger than that of his elder brother.
"Then I'll take you both back."
The eldest Mu daughter casually gave the order. The guards immediately surrounded them, preparing to apprehend them and end this street-side commotion.
Mu Nanxue stood with her arms crossed, glancing at her sister, then disdainfully at Hua Jie, and finally, indifferently watching the guards go after the child.
Seeing the dozen or so burly men approaching, Hua Lu became frantic. He desperately tried to find a way out, but the vast disparity in strength was something he couldn't overcome with his current wits.
Unable to help himself, his gaze fell upon the crowd of onlookers on the street. This was Ghost City, and these people were all cold-hearted ghost cultivators. They always adhered to the principles of minding their own business, not interfering in others' affairs, and avoiding danger whenever possible.
Therefore, no one would help him.
His deer-like eyes narrowed, his limbs flailed, and he ran back with a furious rush, charging into the crowd like a small firecracker. A peculiar green light flashed within his pupils, as vibrant and alive as blooming flowers filling his irises, but it vanished in an instant.
"Hua Lu!"
Hua Jie's angry shout came from behind him.
But Hua Lu was deafening to the call. Weaving through the dense crowd, the people he bumped and shoved aside did not assist the Mu mansion in capturing him; indifference and detachment were the customary behavior of ghost cultivators.
Until the child, as if having a target in mind, suddenly rushed forward and hugged a figure with their back to him.
"Father—"
The person was clearly stunned by this earth-shattering cry of "Father." To the point that, despite being capable of sensing and dodging beforehand, he was frozen by the forceful shout, allowing himself to be embraced fully.
Not only him, but everyone else, including the Mu mansion guards who had come to capture the child, were momentarily shocked.
He turned around, and instantly, a ghost face covered in scars was exposed to everyone. All of them were visually assaulted by his haggard and ugly appearance, and the child was also stunned.
He let out a low sob, his mouth downturned.
Accustomed to his and his "brother's" faces, upon suddenly seeing such a terrifying visage, the child was genuinely, just a little bit, frightened.
"Little one, who are you calling father? Aren't you afraid of being truly kidnapped and adopted?"
Compared to his face, the person's voice was not gruff or frighteningly unpleasant, but a magnetic tone that was neither distinctly male nor female, like the gentle radiance of melting snow.
Despite being terrifyingly ugly, his voice was quite pleasant.
"I, I'm not afraid."
For some reason, the child now felt that the person before him was not frightening at all.
He clenched his small fists and his expression firmed.
"You're not afraid? But I'm a bad person."
"Not afraid! You can help me drive away those bad guys!" Hua Lu nodded as if affirming himself.
The man paused in surprise. Perhaps it was true that the weather in May was as fickle as a child's mood; one moment he was reduced to a pout, and the next he was no longer afraid.
He pulled the child's hand away, knelt down to his level, deliberately allowing him to see his face clearly.
"But I'm just an ordinary ghost cultivator, I haven't even reached Foundation Establishment. You've mistaken me," he said indifferently.
But Hua Lu tugged at his felt hat, his large, watery eyes widening, and said in a milky, childlike voice, "No, I won't mistake you. From the day I was born until now, I've never mistaken anyone."
The man heard the oddity in the child's words and felt something was amiss, but before he could ask further, his peripheral vision caught sight of the Mu mansion guards approaching menacingly.
Even when facing potential trouble and overwhelming numbers, his expression remained unchanged.
However, when his gaze inadvertently swept past the young boy Hua Jie, who was trailing behind the guards, his expression suddenly froze.