Dragon King's Invitation

Chai Wang saw Xu Mu about to leave and quickly spoke up to stop him.

He knew all too well that with the current tension between the Chai and Xu Families, Xu Mu would undoubtedly go to the police.

With so many assets in his hands, if he died, he couldn’t take them with him.

He needed to spend money first to stall Xu Mu.

A man in his position would never allow anyone to hold leverage over him.

Otherwise, he’d be forever at their mercy.

Xu Mu had to die!

"With that assurance, I can rest easy. Wait a moment—let me see how much they’re asking for."

The reason Xu Mu hadn’t sought out Yun Wu of "Moonlit Solitude" was because this assassination target included Fang Chu.

Fang Chu was the male lead—Yun Wu would be no match for him.

Of course, this sixth-ranked "Black Robe" wouldn’t stand a chance either.

Xu Mu’s goal in hiring him was to witness Fang Chu’s strength firsthand.

If he wasn’t much, Xu Mu planned to find an opportunity later to send him straight to the grave.

There was a reason for choosing Black Robe. In the storyline, he was described in just one line:

"Ruthless and sadistic, reveling in torture."

So even if he died, Xu Mu wouldn’t care.

He had considered hiring someone higher-ranked, like one of the top four assassins on the Death List.

There were plenty of details about them.

But Xu Mu knew securing their services was nearly impossible.

Even if he somehow managed, the Chai Family couldn’t afford it.

At their level, money meant nothing—they only demanded specific items.

If someone could provide what they wanted, they’d owe a favor and be willing to kill.

"By the way, give me high-definition photos of Fang Chu and Dai Dongyang. Don’t tell me you don’t have them."

Xu Mu had already started contacting customer service.

Assassins on the Death List didn’t deal directly with employers—they had dedicated agents.

Chai Wang didn’t dare refuse and immediately handed over two photos.

Following the agent’s instructions, Xu Mu filled in their names, photos, and other details.

But when listing Fang Chu’s cultivation level, he only wrote "Mid-stage Dark Force."

If he set it too high, he feared the assassin might back out.

A few minutes later, the agent replied:

"Sir, after review by our 'Night Parade of a Hundred Demons,' Dai Dongyang is a genius from a hidden clan. The fee is 20 billion."

"As for Fang Chu, also a martial artist, Black Robe’s base rate is 5 billion."

Xu Mu glanced at the message and nodded to himself.

About what he expected.

He showed his phone to Chai Wang. "Two hundred and fifty billion."

Chai Wang cursed inwardly—Do I look like an idiot to you?

Two hundred and fifty billion—how many years would it take for his entertainment venues to earn that back?

How many gigs would his stable of celebrities need to book just to break even?

But he had no choice. If he didn’t silence Xu Mu now, he might be arrested any second.

Regret gnawed at him. If only he’d refused Fang Chu outright and never targeted the Xu Family.

Now, it was too late.

"Xu Mu, can you give me a few days? I can’t gather that much cash at once," Chai Wang pleaded.

"A few days? By then, the old master of the Nan Gong Family’s birthday would’ve passed," Xu Mu retorted. "Today. Weren’t you swimming in money when you waged business war against my family? Now you’re broke?"

Chai Wang had no rebuttal.

But he wasn’t stupid—dumping his assets en masse would only drive prices down.

The Chai Family couldn’t withstand that kind of blow.

He thought of a solution: a bank loan.

As a tycoon, securing 20 or 30 billion would be easy.

He immediately ordered his company’s CEO to arrange it.

"Xu Mu, how about leaving me your account details? The money will be in by the end of the banking day," Chai Wang said. "If it’s not, you’re free to call the police."

Xu Mu considered it, then gave a slight nod.

Chai Wang wouldn’t run—his crimes were too severe. Even fleeing abroad wouldn’t save him from extradition.

"I’m leaving. I’ll be waiting for the money."

Before departing, Xu Mu patted Chai Wang’s shoulder. "If you warn Fang Chu or Dai Dongyang in advance, you’re finished."

Chai Wang shuddered. Was Xu Mu reading his mind?

He’d just been thinking of tipping them off to strategize.

Watching Xu Mu’s retreating figure, Chai Wang’s eyes darkened with malice.

The Xu Family had to be destroyed—especially Xu Mu!

...

Having accomplished much that day, Xu Mu drove back to Jiangbei.

On the way, Li Yun called.

She said Zhao Yingying was already released.

With the new evidence, she’d been bailed out.

Their lawyer had shown Zhao Ping the video and explained the legal ramifications.

Just mentioning that they’d request the court to audit Zhao Ping’s and his family’s recent bank transactions was enough to make him drop the lawsuit in terror.

Li Yun ended by inviting Xu Mu over for dinner.

After some thought, he decided to go. He’d been too busy today—no justice points earned.

Arriving at Li Yun’s home, he found her in a dress, chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Tonight’s menu: hot pot.

"Brother Mu, thank you for clearing my name."

As soon as Xu Mu stepped into the house, Zhao Yingying rushed forward and grabbed his hand, tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes.

[Affection Points +30]

She was completely overwhelmed—if it weren’t for Xu Mu, she truly wouldn’t have known what to do.

"We’re all family here."

Xu Mu chuckled and ruffled Zhao Yingying’s hair.

Li Yun, who had just emerged from the kitchen, didn’t know where to look when she saw Xu Mu.

Her heart raced uncontrollably.

[Affection Points +30]

Especially when she saw how close Zhao Yingying and Xu Mu were, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

But what was done was done—there was no use regretting it now.

She had already adopted a carefree attitude; after all, she had no intention of finding another man.

"Xiao Mu, come sit down. Dinner’s ready," Li Yun said with a smile.

"Sure, Sister Yun."

Xu Mu nodded.

"Huh? Brother Mu? Why are you calling her ‘Sister Yun’? Doesn’t that make her a whole generation older than me?"

Zhao Yingying asked from the side.

"We’ll address each other however we like."

Xu Mu grinned at Zhao Yingying. "It’s mostly because when Sister Yun and I went out together before, people thought we were siblings."

Li Yun lowered her head, her cheeks tinged pink.

[Affection Points +10]

Zhao Yingying also broke into a silly smile. "That’s true. People often mistake us for sisters too."

As they were eating, Xu Mu noticed another message on his phone—it was from the customer service of "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."

He opened it and skimmed the content.

Customer Service: "Sir, have you decided not to kill them after all?"

Xu Mu thought for a moment before replying, "It’s too expensive. I’m still considering."

Customer Service: "Mr. Black Robe happens to be in Jiangbei these next two days. He’d like to take this opportunity to accept the mission."

Xu Mu: "I’m broke. How about knocking off a billion?"

Customer Service: "Deal."

"?"

Xu Mu cursed under his breath. He’d lowballed it—who knew you could haggle over something like this?

Still, it wasn’t his money to begin with, so he wasn’t too heartbroken. Having an extra billion left in his account was an unexpected windfall.

After dinner, Xu Mu was about to find a chance to discuss the Heavenly Thunder Technique with Li Yun when Ye Tong called.

He answered immediately. "What’s up?"

"Hubby, my brother’s back. He wants to treat us to dinner," Ye Tong said cheerfully on the other end.