I am not as handsome as other sisters.

"What are you doing here?"

Du Yan first glanced at the people nearby before taking a drag from his cigarette and asking.

"Huihui and I are friends. She brought us here to register," Xu Mu explained with a smile.

"That's good. Go ahead then."

Du Yan nodded, then walked out with the cigarette still between his lips.

"Xu Mu, let's go!"

Jiang Huihui shot Xu Mu a look before heading toward the administrative building of the Sanitation Department.

Lv Pinlong stood silently the entire time, not uttering a word.

Only after Du Yan's figure disappeared through the main gate did Lv Pinlong's expression darken.

"Who is that guy? He actually knows Du Yan?"

"No idea, but they're here to register. We’ll check their records later."

The middle-aged man beside him watched Xu Mu and the others walk away.

Lv Pinlong gave a slight nod.

......

"Xu Mu, you know Du Yan?"

Jiang Huihui stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, staring at Xu Mu in disbelief.

"What? Is knowing him that unusual?"

Though Xu Mu said this, he had already pieced together the situation from their earlier exchange.

Both Jiang Huihui and Lv Pinlong were Intermediate Sanitation Workers, yet in front of Du Yan—also an Intermediate Sanitation Worker—they had noticeably less presence.

"Very unusual."

Jiang Huihui shot him a sidelong glance.

This guy was becoming more and more mysterious. Lin Yang, the prodigy, wanted him dead.

And now he was acquainted with someone like Du Yan.

Was Xu Mu really the good-for-nothing wastrel the records made him out to be?

"By the way, why does that Lv Pinlong have a white armband on his left sleeve? What’s that about?"

Xu Mu asked curiously.

In the original storyline, there wasn’t much detail about Sanitation Workers—only later were the powerful Senior Sanitation Workers described in depth.

"The numbers on it represent his ranking. Those who wear armbands are Sanitation Captains."

As she spoke, a trace of envy flashed in Jiang Huihui’s eyes. She, too, was striving to become a captain.

"Ranking?"

Xu Mu frowned slightly.

"Exactly. It’s simple—among all Intermediate Sanitation Workers below the Senior level, Lv Pinlong is ranked tenth overall."

Jiang Huihui explained, "Their status is second only to Senior Sanitation Workers. The Seniors usually stay out of worldly affairs, so the Captains are the face of the Sanitation Workers."

"How many are there in total?" Xu Mu asked.

"Only ten. The rankings are reassessed every year, and the tenth spot changes the most."

Jiang Huihui replied, "The top three have remained unchanged for over a decade."

Meng Wanyue was inwardly shocked. No wonder he was a Captain.

Her earlier Mountain-Splitting Palm had been crushed effortlessly by his grip.

Xu Mu looked at Jiang Huihui. "Are you a Sanitation Captain?"

"If I were, would he dare talk to me like that?"

Jiang Huihui scoffed. "Why do you think I begged you to register? It’s because I don’t have enough merit points to go around."

"That just means our society is stable."

Xu Mu grinned.

"You’re not wrong. But sometimes, I wouldn’t mind running into a few troublemakers from the Ancient Martial World."

As she spoke, Jiang Huihui led them into the administrative building.

With her help, Meng Wanyue had full-body photos taken, fingerprints recorded from all ten fingers, a blood sample collected, and a strand of hair kept for records.

Finally, her cultivation level was documented: Peak Early-Stage Gang Qi.

After recording everything, Jiang Huihui reported her ID number. Seeing the few hundred credits deposited into her account, she finally allowed a faint smile to appear.

"Here, a reward for you."

Jiang Huihui pulled a piece of bubblegum from her pocket and handed it to Xu Mu.

Xu Mu didn’t decline, accepting the bubblegum. "Everything settled now?"

"Yeah, thanks, Xu Mu."

Black text floated above Jiang Huihui’s head.

[Affection +5]

"We’re all on the same team."

Xu Mu waved with a grin.

Before parting ways, Jiang Huihui also exchanged contact information with Meng Wanyue.

She made a point to emphasize that if they encountered any matters related to the ancient martial world—especially involving villains—they should save them for her.

Xu Mu listened in mild astonishment. He hadn’t expected the competition among cleaners to be so fierce.

After saying goodbye to Jiang Huihui, Xu Mu and Meng Wanyue drove off together.

"Boss Xu, where to next?" Meng Wanyue asked from the driver’s seat.

"Back to the branch office," Xu Mu replied after a moment’s thought. The production line for the company’s weight-loss pills had recently been relocated there, and he wanted to check on its progress.

...

Once they passed through the city center, Meng Wanyue glanced into the rearview mirror.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Boss Xu, it seems like someone’s following us."

"Really?"

Xu Mu had been resting his eyes but immediately sharpened his senses upon hearing her words.

Then his expression darkened. Damn it—it was Dai Xingluo.

He had no idea how she’d found him. After a brief hesitation, he said, "Wanyue, don’t head to the company yet. There’s a park up ahead—let’s go there instead."

He didn’t want Dai Xingluo knowing the company’s location, much less following him back to Jiang City.

"Got it."

Meng Wanyue nodded, turning right toward a park in Yang City.

After parking the car, Xu Mu and Meng Wanyue stepped out and walked into the park.

Along the roadside outside, several vendors had set up stalls.

Just then, Dai Xingluo—dressed in a flowing hanfu—approached.

Her graceful figure and delicate, classical beauty instantly drew the attention of everyone nearby.

"Brother, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?"

Dai Xingluo looked at Xu Mu with feigned surprise.

Meng Wanyue relaxed slightly upon realizing the person tailing Xu Mu was a woman.

No surprise there. Boss Xu was just too exceptional.

He always seemed to attract women’s attention.

"I noticed someone following me, so I deliberately stopped here," Xu Mu replied coolly.

Now that he no longer intended to rely on Dai Xingluo, there was no need for politeness. His tone had turned noticeably colder.

He’d initially assumed she was just a typical villainess—like in the original plot, where she hadn’t immediately acted against Shen Wanning.

Instead, she’d first competed with Shen Wanning for the Dragon King’s affection, only resorting to violence after realizing she couldn’t win.

If that were the case, Xu Mu believed he could still guide her toward redemption.

His personality was nothing like the Dragon King’s.

Many women could be won over with just a little effort.

But that day in the woods outside the city, she’d attacked without hesitation, killing without a second thought.

That had caught him completely off guard.

What if, in the future, she saw him getting close to Ye Tong and decided to strike again?

He needed to take precautions.

Dai Xingluo caught the chill in Xu Mu’s voice, her face flickering with resentment.

"Seems I’ve been cast aside after all. I suppose I’m not as pretty as those other sisters."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Meng Wanyue.

Meng Wanyue initially wanted to explain, to clarify that Dai Xingluo had misunderstood her relationship with Xu Mu.

But the murderous glint in the other woman’s eyes made her think—this person was no good.

They say even heroes falter before beauty, and admittedly, Dai Xingluo was stunning.

Meng Wanyue wasn’t sure if Xu Mu could resist her.

"It’s not about looks. I don’t judge people by their appearance," Xu Mu said coolly, glancing at Dai Xingluo.

"Oh? I didn’t expect you to be such a gentleman, Brother Xu. More interested in the heart, then?" Dai Xingluo covered her mouth with a light laugh.

"No. I care more about the figure," Xu Mu replied, giving her a sidelong look.

Dai Xingluo paused slightly. Something felt off—his attitude toward her was completely different from before.

Could it be…

Had he already figured out that she was the one from last time?

After a moment of thought, she realized it was entirely possible.