As a howling fist wind arose, the small courtyard echoed with shrill screams. In moments, Mu Zian snapped the legs of the last thug. Looking at the burly men lying scattered across the courtyard in all sorts of grotesque positions, Mu Zian was quite satisfied.
Lu Ming was dumbfounded, his throat dry and itchy. At this point, he could barely feel the pain in his legs. Staring at Mu Zian, the only one still standing, his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, and he shrieked, “Mu Zian… you know martial arts?!”
Mu Zian smiled at Lu Ming. “Can’t you tell?”
To Lu Ming, Mu Zian’s smile was more terrifying than a demon crawling out of hell.
“Don’t… don’t come closer!” Lu Ming’s arrogance vanished; his voice trembled in fear. “If you dare touch me, I’ll tell my sister never to see you again! You’ll never marry my sister!”
Mu Zian, wearing a bright smile, took a step closer. “Oh, didn’t your sister tell you? Lu Yunxue and I have long since severed ties.”
“S-Severed ties? Impossible! You’re lying! You must be lying!”
Over the years, Mu Zian had given everything for Lu Yunxue—even giving up his position as the heir to the State-Stabilizing Duke’s title. If anyone knew how madly Mu Zian loved his sister, it was Lu Ming. Yet now, Mu Zian was smiling without the slightest trace of sorrow—how could this be the face of a man who had just lost his beloved?
Watching Mu Zian approach step by step, Lu Ming scrambled on all fours to crawl away. “Don’t think you can fool me! I’m going to tell my sister you’re a heartless, ungrateful scoundrel!”
As he muttered threats, he limped toward the gate and, before leaving, picked up the door and set it properly.
“Mu Zian, just you wait!” Lu Ming shouted as he and his cronies fled the courtyard in disgrace.
The cool breeze caressed Mu Zian’s face; he felt exhilarated. After being a bootlicker for so long, he had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be a real man. Now it was all coming back. As the number one Young Master of the Great Li Empire, being arrogant and unruly was exactly how he should act!
…
A miserable Lu Ming was carried back to the Lu residence. As soon as he got home, he rushed to his grandmother.
“Grandmother! You must seek justice for your grandson! Have Sister go teach that Mu Zian a lesson!”
“Oh my dear grandson, what happened to your leg?”
Lu Ming threw himself into her arms, sobbing bitterly. “Grandmother, has Sister really severed ties with Mu Zian?”
At the mere mention of Mu Zian, the matriarch felt uncomfortable all over. “Why are you asking that? And what happened to your leg? Shouldn’t you be training under Master Li right now?”
Hearing this, Lu Ming cried even harder. “I… I’m no longer Master Li’s disciple.”
The matriarch was shocked. “What! What happened?!”
Lu Ming exaggerated his story, explaining how he was expelled by Li Jiuxuan and beaten by Mu Zian, heavily embellishing his injuries.
When she heard that her precious grandson was not only expelled but had his leg broken by Mu Zian, the matriarch’s anger exploded.
“What! That Mu Zian is a bully! It’s bad enough he had Master Li expel you behind the scenes, but to beat you so viciously! How can such a vicious man exist!”
In her eyes, Lu Ming was the true heir of the Lu family. Although Lu Yunxue had achieved great things, she was a woman and unreliable for carrying on the family line. The Lu family’s future depended on Lu Ming.
The next martial examination was approaching, and now her most promising grandson was expelled and crippled—this was a death blow to the Lu family’s future!
The matriarch’s anger made her hair stand on end. She shouted at the butler, “Go fetch Lu Yunxue!”
The butler hesitated, “Madam, the young lady is at the military camp. It might be inconvenient…”
The butler had no choice but to obey.
Half an hour later, Lu Yunxue returned, clad in military armor and riding a horse. When she saw Lu Ming’s miserable state, she was stunned. “Big Brother, you’re saying Mu Zian did this?”
Lu Ming, lying on the bed, whimpered in pain. “Sister! My dear sister, you must avenge me! Mu Zian went too far! Look at my leg—if it doesn’t heal properly, I’ll be a cripple!”
Outside, Lu Ming was the notorious little overlord of the capital, but at home, he pretended to be a harmless innocent. His pitiful look was starkly different from his burly appearance.
But Lu Yunxue clearly didn’t believe him. Despite his poor martial talent, Lu Ming was from a military family and had the build of a third-rate martial artist. She doubted that Mu Zian—who had never trained in martial arts—could break Lu Ming’s leg.
Seeing her doubt, Lu Ming quickly grabbed her sleeve, crying, “Sister! You have to believe me! Mu Zian is a martial arts expert—I saw it with my own eyes! He broke the legs of all ten of my brothers; it was a bloodbath!”
Lu Yunxue raised her hand, cutting him off. Others might not know Mu Zian’s background, but she did. He wouldn’t even dare kill a chicken, let alone beat someone.
Besides, she didn’t care how Lu Ming got injured. What mattered was that he had been expelled by Li Jiuxuan.
Li Jiuxuan wasn’t just the First Sword of the Great Li Empire; he also headed the Royal City Division—the Emperor’s secret service, with privileges to act without prior approval.
Having connections with someone like Li Jiuxuan would be immensely beneficial to her and the Lu family. Though she had trained briefly under Li Jiuxuan, she couldn’t become his disciple due to her gender. Her brother had been their hope to maintain ties with the Royal City Division.
Now, with Lu Ming expelled, the Lu family lost their connection to this powerful agency—a huge loss.
“Did Master Li really expel you?” Lu Yunxue asked.
Lu Ming replied miserably, “Worse! He even threw my luggage out. I lost all my dignity!”
Lu Yunxue took a deep breath. She was speechless at her useless brother, but she couldn’t afford to lose Li Jiuxuan’s backing.
She turned to the butler, “Go bring Mu Zian here… no, I’ll go myself.”