Xu Mu Admits Defeat

Xu Mu was so shocked that his jaw nearly dropped. Had Hat Bro gone insane?

He wouldn’t even let a woman like this off the hook?

Moreover, judging from her Destiny level, she was Level Eight, which proved that she wasn’t the kind of heroine who only appeared in a single arc.

She might even stay with Hat Bro until the very end.

Xu Mu now admired Hat Bro from the bottom of his heart. He never would have expected Hat Bro’s tastes to be so broad.

Although the woman had a beautiful face and an exceptionally graceful bearing, she was far too old. She looked at least sixty.

“Greetings, Senior. I’m Xu Mu, and this is my good friend, Chen Xuan.”

Xu Mu put an arm around Chen Xuan’s shoulder and introduced him with a smile.

“I know who you are. The two of you are currently high-priority individuals under our protection.”

Li Hongdou smiled kindly, the wrinkles on her face deepening as she did so.

Seeing this, Xu Mu once again admired Hat Bro’s boldness.

Ever since arriving in this world, he had encountered a great many heroines.

And he had never made exceptions. He dared to pursue every one of them.

But today, he had finally met his match. He had to admit that he didn’t dare touch Hat Bro’s heroine.

He conceded.

Any opportunity to be gained from this woman belonged to Hat Bro.

“All right, you should get going,” Ji Liang said to the people before him. “The car to the airport is ready. The longer we delay, the greater the danger Lin Ruoshi will be in.”

Li Hongdou nodded slightly. “Let’s go.”

After bidding farewell to Ji Liang, Xu Mu and Chen Xuan followed behind Li Hongdou.

The three of them got into the Red Flag Guoyao parked in the distance. Li Hongdou took the front passenger seat, while Xu Mu and Chen Xuan sat in the back.

“Why do you think we’re taking a commercial flight this time?” Li Hongdou asked from the front.

“We don’t want to alert the island nation, right?” Chen Xuan replied from the back seat.

“That’s right. The island nation’s higher-ups completely follow the orders of that race. If the people there discover us in advance, the news will reach the Tianyu Clan very quickly.”

Li Hongdou paused before continuing, “That’s why Elder Ji chose the two of you.”

“Because we’ve never carried out a mission in the island nation before, so they don’t know us?” Xu Mu asked doubtfully.

“Exactly. Of course, that’s only one reason. The most important reason is your strength.”

Li Hongdou turned to look at Xu Mu. “Besides, you’re quite famous now.”

“That won’t be a problem. I know a few simple formations that can alter my appearance.”

Xu Mu waved his hand with a smile.

“You only need to make a slight change. You’re famous among martial artists, but most ordinary people in this world don’t even know you exist.”

Li Hongdou smiled as she explained.

When they arrived at the airport, the three of them collected their boarding passes. All three seats were in first class.

They had timed everything perfectly. They barely had to wait before going through security and preparing to board.

Xu Mu and Li Hongdou passed through without a hitch, but Chen Xuan took out his woven bag again.

To keep it from looking suspicious, he had stuffed a few pots, bowls, and other kitchen utensils inside.

When the contents were taken out for inspection, the people waiting in the neighboring security line burst into laughter.

A young man with dyed blond hair grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and muttered, “Times really have changed. Now anyone can get on a plane.”

His girlfriend looked uncomfortable. “Keep your voice down. What if he hears you?”

“What are you afraid of?” the blond-haired young man said carelessly.

A short-haired man standing in front of him gave him a disdainful smile. “Buddy, didn’t you notice that no one is lining up over there? They’re using the VIP channel for first class.”

Only then did the blond-haired young man realize that everyone had been laughing because they found the scene amusing, not because they were mocking Chen Xuan.

He wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

His girlfriend immediately pulled her hand away as well, embarrassed by his behavior.

Xu Mu shook his head slightly. As expected of the male lead—he had a natural aura that attracted ridicule, only to be slapped in the face moments later.

Chen Xuan picked up his woven bag again and came over to Xu Mu. “This spatial ring really is convenient. I used to have to go through quite a bit of trouble at security.”

“Putting weapons in the ring does save us a lot of hassle,” Xu Mu agreed.

The three of them boarded the plane smoothly through the special passage.

…

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Xu Mu and the others landed safely in Kyoto Prefecture.

After leaving the plane, the three of them first went to the restroom.

When he came out, Xu Mu slightly altered his appearance.

Li Hongdou took out her phone and glanced at a message. “Let’s head outside. The people coming to pick us up have arrived.”

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan followed closely behind Li Hongdou the entire way.

After they left the airport, a middle-aged man in a suit hurried toward Li Hongdou.

He was thin, with somewhat curly hair.

“Greetings, Senior Li. I’ve already found a place for you.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Li Hongdou looked at Xu Mu and Chen Xuan before they all got into a Toyota Alphard.

Once inside the vehicle, Li Hongdou explained with a smile, “This is Zhang Wei, a member of our Sanitation Department. He’s been living here for more than twenty years.”

“Hello, I’m Xu Mu.”

“I’m Chen Xuan.”

“Hahaha! I know who you are.”

Zhang Wei glanced at the two of them through the rearview mirror. “This mission is fairly dangerous, so you must be extremely careful.”

“What exactly is the mission?” Xu Mu asked doubtfully.

“To put it simply, the Inner Realm fragment here is insignificant compared with those large Inner Realms. Its total area is roughly the same as that of the island nation. Six major races live here, but the remaining five are all vassals of the Tianyu Clan.”

Zhang Wei continued driving as he explained, “Within two of those five vassal races, there are people who resent the Tianyu Clan. This time, Lin Ruoshi went to help one of those races.”

“There are people within the race who are dissatisfied? In other words, only one faction supports the Tianyu Clan, while the others are loyal to it?”

Xu Mu picked up on the distinction in Zhang Wei’s words.

“That’s right. You listen carefully. Both races are divided into two factions. One naturally wants to maintain the status quo, while the other wants to rebel.”

Zhang Wei smiled as he explained. “The rebellious faction is weaker by comparison, which is why they sought our help.”

Xu Mu nodded slightly. “Got it. Which two races are they?”

“The Ghost Clan and the Snow Woman Clan.”

Zhang Wei continued, “Lin Ruoshi went to help the Snow Woman Clan this time, and then she disappeared without a trace.”

Xu Mu nodded inwardly.

The vehicle stopped at a village outside the city. There stood a two-story house.

Zhang Wei led them inside.

“I had the place cleaned in advance. As for the entrance to the Inner Realm, it’s at a small shrine not far from here.”

Zhang Wei looked at them and asked, “Do you want to rest for a while, or should we head over directly?”

“Let’s go directly,” Xu Mu said.

“All right. We’ll walk there.”

Zhang Wei led them toward the small mountain behind the village, where a flight of stone steps stretched upward.

From a distance, they could already see a small shrine. They passed through a weathered torii gate and entered the grounds.

Directly ahead of them stood a building resembling a small temple, with a wooden house beside it.

Using his perception to investigate, Xu Mu discovered that a young woman lived inside.