Chapter 49 schadenfreude guy

"You actually rejoice in my misfortune. Don’t you have a shred of sympathy?" Han Yan said, annoyed. Was this how an item was supposed to behave towards its owner? To actually gloat over the misfortune of its master! "Besides, if I get beaten so badly that I vomit yesterday’s dinner, do you think you’ll be spared?" The Star Compass calmed down a bit.

Could it be that this thing had a guilty conscience, feeling it was wrong to mock its master? Han Yan was a bit puzzled. Right at that moment, the Star Compass she held in her arms suddenly became scorching hot.

Han Yan was startled and quickly took it out. She saw the mysterious, complex, and unfamiliar patterns of stars emitting a dim light, slowly moving to form a map.

This map was all too familiar to Han Yan; it depicted the surroundings of Heishi City for thousands of miles around, with Heishi City as its origin, extending westward. About several hundred miles away, atop the plains, a bright starlight twinkled like a beacon showing the way.

"Are you telling me to go there?" Han Yan, struck by inspiration, asked.

Of course, the Star Compass couldn’t answer her question. Instead, it vibrated violently a few times, sending a clear affirmative emotion into Han Yan’s heart.

"Are you saying that if I go there, my strength will increase?" Han Yan, uncertain, asked again.

The Star Compass vibrated even more vigorously, conveying even more eagerness and anticipation.

With a definite response, Han Yan’s restlessness vanished. She jumped to her feet, tucked the Star Compass into her bosom, and quickly left the City Lord’s Mansion.

It was now dusk, and Han Yan walked out of the city alone.

A few soldiers guarding the city were closing the gates. Once night fell, no one could enter Heishi City without a direct order from the City Lord.

However, these soldiers recognized the notorious wastrel of the Mu Family and didn’t bother to question him further. They just watched with puzzlement as he left the city, wondering: Why would Eldest Young Master Mu leave the city at such a late hour?

"It’s almost dark. What is that guy doing leaving the city?" Not only were the soldiers puzzled, but behind them, someone else muttered in confusion. It was Mu Cheng, who had always been at odds with Han Yan. The last time, Mu Han had tricked him, and his plan to improve his strength through elixirs had been put on hold. Lately, he had been considering other ways to increase his power.

He had been out on a training expedition for a few days with little to show for it. He had just returned to the city and saw Han Yan leaving.

"He’s probably trying to flee. A mere Second-Order Swordsman, who in reality is only of the First Rank but used his father’s status to pretend to be a Second Rank, dares to challenge a Fifth Rank Swordsman like Young Master Feng. If he doesn’t run now, isn’t he just waiting to die?" Mu Cheng’s lackey sneered.

"Run? You can run from a monk, but you can’t run from the temple. As a disciple of the Mu Family, even a death in battle isn’t shameful, but running away without fighting would mean never returning to the Mu Family for the rest of his life. It’s not just about him; even his father would be implicated, living with his head hung low for a lifetime," said Mu Cheng, looking disdainfully skyward.

"His dad being dragged down by him isn’t anything new, is it? I’ve heard that his father was once considered a cultivation prodigy in our Mu Family. It’s because this dear son’s talent is so mediocre that there’s no one to carry on the legacy, which is why he was demoted to Heishi City. In the end, this Han Yan is just a disgrace to his father," the lackey gloated.

"That’s also true, a pitfall once is a pitfall, twice is still a pitfall, a lifetime’s pitfall is still a pitfall, hahaha," Mu Cheng laughed heartily. The lackey’s words greatly pleased Mu Cheng, who felt some of the anger caused by Han Yan’s previous trickery finally dissipating a bit.