Resolving Sixteen Nights

Xue Yingsi recalled the young man who had previously stayed by Xu Mu’s side. He looked rather refined and handsome. Sachiko Izayoi would probably like him.

“Do you have a specific plan? My buddy is only in the early Transcendent stage. I don’t want him to end up in danger.”

Although Xu Mu trusted that Chen Xuan would certainly emerge from any crisis unscathed, he wasn’t about to knowingly push him into a pit of fire.

“Then I’ll be honest with you. Her ordinary illusions can’t affect me, but she possesses an Earth-grade illusion technique.”

Xue Yingsi raised one finger. “According to the information I’ve gathered, that illusion can only control one person at a time.”

“You were caught by it before?”

Xu Mu asked with a smile.

“That’s right. That time, I pretended to be curious and let her use the illusion on me. Although she dispelled it almost immediately, I could still sense that I wouldn’t have been able to break free in a short period of time.”

Xue Yingsi placed his hand on the stone table. “As long as I strike quickly while she’s controlling one person, I should be able to kill her in the shortest possible time.”

“That sounds too dangerous. I’ll do it.”

Xu Mu pondered for a moment before speaking.

What if Chen Xuan was controlled and the other side immediately killed him?

It would be safer if Xu Mu went himself.

Hearing this, both Xue Yingsi and Yukiyama Ken raised their opinion of Xu Mu.

If Chen Xuan had been standing in front of them, they would have considered such a statement perfectly normal. To put it bluntly, Xu Mu would simply have wanted Chen Xuan to know that he was concerned about his safety.

But Chen Xuan wasn’t there, and Xu Mu still dared to put himself in danger. That kind of courage was possessed by very few people.

…

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Xuan and the head of the Hanyu family returned together.

Xue Yingsi had the Hanyu family return to the formation.

He then looked at Chen Xuan with a smile. “Did they agree?”

“They agreed, but there are conditions. After all, I’m helping you resolve a major problem this time. You have to offer something in return, right?”

Chen Xuan opened the woven urea sack and returned the Flame of Boundaries inside it to Xu Mu.

“Hahaha! That’s only natural. We merely share a common enemy; this isn’t an alliance.”

Xue Yingsi thought for a moment. “If Sachiko Izayoi dies, I won’t take a single thing from the treasures in her spatial ring. They’ll all belong to you.”

“You really are stingy.”

Xu Mu let out a bitter laugh.

“You can’t put it that way. I’ll be the one doing most of the work to deal with Sachiko Izayoi this time.”

Xue Yingsi smiled.

“You have a point. Then it’s settled.”

Xu Mu rose to his feet. “There’s no time to waste. Let’s set out now. This time, I’ll just have to sacrifice my good looks.”

“Brother Mu, what are you talking about?”

Chen Xuan asked in confusion from the side.

Xu Mu gave him a brief explanation. After hearing it, Chen Xuan felt sick to his stomach.

…

The three of them all wore black robes as they departed from the main branch and headed toward the branch family where Sachiko Izayoi was located.

Along the way, they discussed their strategy. In the end, they decided that Xu Mu would pretend to be injured and flee to the ruins of the Izayoi family.

Xue Yingsi was certain that Sachiko Izayoi would secretly hide Xu Mu.

Compared with a handsome man, she would choose a young prodigy with extraordinary talent, even if his appearance was merely average.

What was more, Xu Mu’s height and looks were at least above average, even if they weren’t outstanding.

Sachiko Izayoi would definitely take a liking to him.

Once Xu Mu entered, Xue Yingsi would notify the undercover agent within the Izayoi family to come out and lead him and Chen Xuan into the ruins.

Xu Mu carved a sound-transmission formation onto the backs of their hands so that he could notify them to make their move at any time.

However, Xu Mu felt there was a good chance he could deal with the old woman by himself.

After all, he had items from the Immortality Research Institute on him.

Once everything was ready, the group arrived outside the small city where the Izayoi family was based.

Xu Mu said to Xue Yingsi, “We’ll fight in the air above the city. Don’t hold back—use your full strength.”

“Are you sure?”

Xue Yingsi asked.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

Xu Mu patted his chest.

“Good! Then let’s begin!”

Xue Yingsi suddenly unleashed his power.

The earth around them began to shake violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

Xu Mu used Cloud Step and soared into the air.

Xue Yingsi pursued him closely from behind.

Boom!

The two forces collided in the sky with a thunderous roar.

Xu Mu’s body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

Bang!

His body smashed through the tall wall beside the city gates, and he crashed into the city.

The violent impact immediately mobilized all the guards of the Izayoi family.

Some rushed toward the battlefield, while others headed to the ruins to notify Sachiko Izayoi.

Xu Mu immediately followed the panicked crowd toward the ruins.

The guards were already in complete disarray. After all, the force unleashed just now had been terrifyingly powerful.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Xu Mu slipped into the ruins.

The interior of the ruins was surrounded by mountains as well. He deliberately headed toward the deepest region, intending to make sure the enemy noticed him.

At last, using his senses, he spotted an old woman in an ornate kimono flying toward the entrance of the ruins.

Her hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on her face were deep as knife scars.

Xu Mu deliberately changed direction and fled toward her, revealing a trace of qi in the process.

Sure enough, Sachiko Izayoi, who was high in the air, saw someone fleeing deeper into the ruins. She descended from the sky and blocked Xu Mu’s path.

The moment Xu Mu saw the old woman, he immediately fled in the opposite direction.

But Sachiko Izayoi merely stomped her foot, and the ground transformed into ice that rapidly spread toward Xu Mu. In the end, it froze both of his feet to the ground.

She slowly walked over and carefully appraised Xu Mu.

“You’re quite handsome. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to play with you right now.”

As she spoke, she grabbed Xu Mu by the shoulder and returned to her palace, dragging him along.

Once they arrived, Sachiko Izayoi used ice once again, freezing Xu Mu’s entire body. Only his head remained exposed.

“Handsome boy, wait here for a while.”

After saying that, Sachiko Izayoi left once more.

She hurried all the way to the entrance of the ruins. When she arrived nearby, she saw an old acquaintance—Xue Yingsi.

Her subordinates had reported that experts were fighting outside and that someone had been blasted from the sky into their city. She hadn’t expected the person to be the family patriarch himself.

“Patriarch, what brings you here? You should have let me know.”

Sachiko Izayoi landed on the ground, a smile on her face. This only made the wrinkles on her features even more pronounced.

Especially the wrinkles around her eyes—they looked like cracks in porcelain.

“I ran into Xu Mu. You should know who he is, right? He was the one who performed exceptionally well when he won the championship at the Long Nation Martial Arts Tournament.”

Xue Yingsi looked at Sachiko Izayoi as he spoke.

“Xu Mu…”

Sachiko Izayoi recalled the young man she had encountered earlier. No wonder he had seemed somewhat familiar.

She hadn’t expected him to be that genius.

A smile slowly spread across Sachiko Izayoi’s lips. It seemed she had truly found a treasure this time.

If she could clash head-on with such a vigorous young man, what an unforgettable scene that would be.

At that thought, rain gradually began to fall over the parched land in the distance.

Sachiko Izayoi herself was stunned. How long had it been since it last rained?

This Xu Mu truly was the hero of her dreams.

“Have you seen him? He appeared in the Hanyu family’s territory earlier and happened to be spotted by me. He fled all the way here.”

Xue Yingsi asked.

“No. No one has broken into our ruins. Otherwise, our guards would have reported it.”

Sachiko Izayoi turned to the guards. “What are you standing around for? Get out there and search!”