Chapter 39 earned today

"Han——Yan——!" Fourth Miss Zhao’s crazed, furious voice shot into the sky, shocking everyone on the street, her facial expression hideously contorted to the extreme. She wished she could kill Mu Hanyan right there and then, wished she could dismember him and feed him to the dogs.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that. At least, not now.

"Oh? Fourth Miss Zhao, your gentle and frail image, do be careful with it. Having put on the facade of a virtuous woman for so long, don’t let it all go to waste at this critical moment," Mu Hanyan quickly reminded her in a seemingly concerned manner.

The ferocious expression on Fourth Miss Zhao’s face suddenly froze. There were still quite a few people on the street, and her carefully cultivated image could not be ruined, absolutely not. Fourth Miss Zhao frantically thought of strategies to salvage the situation.

Mu Hanyan turned away from the petrified Fourth Miss Zhao and, with Zirong, strode off into the distance. Walking away, she overheard Fourth Miss Zhao’s heartbroken cries. Tsk, this woman really knew how to save face; look at her, scrambling to redeem herself so quickly. The question was how many people would buy into her act.

Nevermind, time was on her side. Today was a day to collect some interest, and she had also exposed the hidden strength of the Zhou Family. All things considered, today was a win!

Having returned to the City Lord’s Mansion with Zirong, Mu Hanyan had been waiting for over an hour without any sign of Huayue.

"He hasn’t gotten into any trouble, has he?" Zirong asked as the sky darkened, worry tingeing her voice.

"He shouldn’t have," Mu Hanyan replied. She had confidence in Huayue’s capabilities. Even without the recent enhancement of his strength, his innate talent would have been enough to deal with Fourth Miss Zhao’s guards.

Unless, of course, he had decided to go all out against them, in which case the outcome was uncertain.

Thinking this, Mu Hanyan felt a trace of concern.

Zirong, sensitive to her mood, narrowed her eyes slightly.

No sooner had she spoken than the figure of Huayue appeared at the entrance to the courtyard.

His body was stained with blood, under the torn fabric of his clothes were wounds both deep and shallow, and although his steps were unsteady, his back remained as straight as a spear.

"What took you so long?" Mu Hanyan asked, furrowing her brow.

"I got carried away and chatted with him for a while," Huayue said with a playful lilt, something Mu Hanyan had taught him, although his expression remained calm and indifferent, which felt odd.

"You don’t need to push yourself so hard next time," Mu Hanyan said with a frown.

"Understood, I’ll go treat my wounds now," Huayue replied indifferently, turning to leave.

"Remember one thing, I chose you all in hopes that one day you’ll become comrades I can rely on, not for you to throw your lives away meaninglessly," Mu Hanyan added.

Huayue paused briefly, then continued walking.

Mu Hanyan didn’t see it, but a faint smile had appeared on his expressionless face.

Zirong raised an eyebrow subtly, her expression unchanged as she said to Mu Hanyan, "I’ll go check on him."

"Yes, take a good rest today, there’s no need to come over. Check on his injuries, and if they are severe, let him rest for a few days," Mu Hanyan instructed.

"Yes," Zirong acknowledged, and turned towards the place where she and Huayue lived.

Unlike the other ordinary guards in the City Lord’s Mansion, Zirong and Huayue had their own separate living quarters, right next to Mu Hanyan’s small courtyard.