Wouldn't it be wonderful to part on good terms

Xu Mu followed Chen Xuan's pointing finger and saw a woman in a floral dress come into view.

She appeared to be around twenty years old, her hair tied up with a few strands of bangs framing her cheeks, her expression cold.

Judging by her looks and demeanor, she seemed the aloof type.

Yet, she had a pair of large, watery almond-shaped eyes—clear and innocent—that clashed completely with her icy aura.

The result was a strange mix: aloofness tinged with clarity, clarity tinged with a hint of foolishness.

Xu Mu froze when he saw her.

She looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place her.

Still, he was certain they’d met before, so he activated his Divine Eye to scan her.

Name: Xia Sihan

Identity: Daughter of the Demon Sword Sect, female lead of The Master Descends the Mountain, My Seven Senior Sisters Are Stunning

Favorability: 20

Fate Level: 8 (Max 10)

It’s her!

Xu Mu finally remembered—she was one of the members of his judo club.

The last time they met, she had been poisoned by Spring Night Grass, and Xu Mu had helped her resolve the situation.

Dai Xingluo had also been involved back then, making a move on her, but Xu Mu had intervened.

At the time, she’d been drenched in sweat, her hair messy and sticking to her face, looking rather disheveled.

But today, dressed neatly with her hair styled elegantly, she looked like a proper young lady, making her hard to recognize at first glance.

"Old Chen, wait—I don’t remember her being in the photos you showed me earlier?" Xu Mu asked curiously.

"She was there, hold on."

Chen Xuan unbuckled his seatbelt, turned around, and reached into the backseat to grab his woven urea bag.

After rummaging through it, he pulled out a photo.

"See? Isn’t this her?"

He handed the photo to Xu Mu.

Xu Mu took it and examined it closely. The Xia Sihan in the photo looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, without any trace of her current aloof demeanor.

But the resemblance was undeniable, especially those big, expressive eyes.

Xu Mu had only met Xia Sihan once before, and at the time, her appearance had been compromised by the poison.

So it was understandable that he hadn’t recognized her immediately.

"Yeah, looking at the photo, it’s definitely her."

Xu Mu returned the photo to Chen Xuan and smiled. "Old Chen, I’ll be honest—I know her."

He recalled using an illusionary sword technique back then, a skill native to her sect. Xia Sihan had mistaken him for her junior brother.

That was also when her favorability toward him had first appeared.

"What? That’s perfect! Brother Mu, how about we stage a hero-saves-the-damsel scenario? I’ll play the villain, and you swoop in to win her over."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan pulled out Xia Sihan’s betrothal letter from the bag.

Xu Mu felt awkward. "I think it’s better to talk things out properly first. If anything goes wrong, we can always resort to that later."

Chen Xuan hesitated, then nodded. "You’re right, Brother Mu. After all, her father and our master are on good terms."

Xu Mu parked the car beside a brick house. The rusted padlock on the gate suggested the place had been abandoned for years.

After getting out, the two walked toward Xia Sihan.

She was standing near the village’s small convenience store while her companion shopped inside.

Seeing this, Xu Mu made a mental note to stock up on supplies in his storage space once they found the entrance to the ruins.

"Long time no see."

Xu Mu stopped a few meters away from Xia Sihan and greeted her with a smile.

Xia Sihan turned her indifferent face toward him, but the moment she recognized Xu Mu, her expression brightened.

"Junior Brother!"

[Favorability +5]

She hadn’t expected to run into him here.

The illusionary sword technique he’d demonstrated last time had left her in awe, humbled by his skill.

"Sihan, what brings you here?"

Xu Mu approached her with Chen Xuan in tow.

Xia Sihan hesitated, then pulled Xu Mu aside to the edge of the road.

"Rumors say there’s an ancient ruin here—a really powerful one."

"What? How did you find out?" Xu Mu asked, intrigued.

"Someone leaked the information. As soon as we heard, we rushed over. Now we’re heading up the mountain to find the entrance."

Remembering Xu Mu’s strength, she extended an invitation. "Why don’t you come with us?"

"Before that, let me introduce someone—my friend, Chen Xuan."

Xu Mu gestured to the man beside him.

"Chen Xuan?"

Xia Sihan narrowed her eyes slightly—the name sounded familiar.

"Hello, Xia Sihan. I don’t know if you’ve heard of me, but I have our betrothal letter here."

Chen Xuan handed her the red marriage contract.

At the mention of the betrothal, Xia Sihan’s memory clicked.

She opened the letter, saw her father’s signature, and her expression turned frosty.

"Why are you looking for me? If you’re here to get married, I’ll make it clear right now—forget it!"

Her voice was icy.

"Perfect! I’m here to call it off."

Chen Xuan grinned. "Don’t you think this whole arrangement is ridiculous?"

Xia Sihan’s expression softened slightly. "You feel the same way?"

"Exactly. Since you’re against it too, let’s just nullify the engagement."

Chen Xuan glanced at Xu Mu triumphantly. "Brother Mu, another marriage settled."

"Don’t celebrate too soon."

Xu Mu turned to Xia Sihan. "Can you actually decide this on your own?"

He knew how these things worked—if they just settled it verbally between the two of them, it wouldn’t hold.

There’d be complications later.

Xia Sihan relaxed. "I couldn’t before, but now I can."

When she’d first learned about the betrothal, she’d argued fiercely with her father.

Eventually, he’d compromised: if Chen Xuan agreed to cancel it, he would too.

Otherwise, no deal.

But now, Chen Xuan had already called it off, hadn’t he?

She took out her phone and dialed a video call—better to prove it directly than let her father think she’d grabbed some random person off the street.

Soon, the call connected.

On the screen appeared a middle-aged man with long hair, clad in black armor.

Xu Mu couldn’t help but find the sight a little jarring.

Anyone else might’ve mistaken him for an actor filming a period drama.

"Father! Look at this!"

Xia Sihan held up the betrothal letter first.

Xia Chuan frowned slightly. "Your engagement letter with Chen Xuan?"

"Right. And do you recognize this person?"

She turned the phone toward Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan cupped his hands in greeting. "Uncle Xia."

"Chen Xuan, it’s been three years since you went into seclusion. Now that you’ve left the mountain, are you here to marry my daughter?" Xia Chuan asked.

"No, I’m here to cancel it. Uncle Xia, I already have someone I like. This engagement was decided by our master without my consent—it shouldn’t count."

Chen Xuan spoke firmly into the phone. "Your daughter feels the same way. Why don’t we just end this cleanly?"