Self-conquest is the most fatal.

Fang Chu rushed outside the hot pot restaurant and saw Li Yun and the others waiting there.

"We need to leave now. Those people are chasing us," Fang Chu immediately urged the group.

"What about Brother Mu?" Zhao Yingying asked anxiously.

She had seen clearly earlier that Xu Mu had confronted someone to let them escape.

Lu Xueyao didn’t say a word. She glanced around and spotted a shovel by the roadside. Grabbing it, she charged back into the hot pot restaurant.

But the moment she entered, Xu Mu pushed her back out.

"What are you doing with that?" Xu Mu asked with a faint smile.

"Brother Xu Mu, are you okay?"

Lu Xueyao sighed in relief when she saw Xu Mu unharmed.

"You’re underestimating me. Let’s go before they catch up."

Though Xu Mu said this, the pursuers wouldn’t be catching up anytime soon—they were all lying on the ground.

Fang Chu’s face was bruised, and while he resented Xu Mu, he hated himself even more.

If only his body had fully recovered—those people would’ve been nothing to him.

What right did Xu Mu have to steal his woman?

"Fang Chu, are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?"

Li Yun approached him with concern.

After all, his injuries were because of them.

"Brother Fang Chu, I’m sorry for causing you trouble," Zhao Yingying added.

"No need, it’s just a minor injury. I’ll grab some medicine later."

Fang Chu had been seething with anger, but their concern made him feel slightly better.

......

Xu Mu had offered to take Fang Chu home, but he refused, saying he had his own car and left first.

So Xu Mu drove the remaining three.

Lately, Xu Mu had been driving the Cadillac Escalade to work, while Ye Tong temporarily used the Porsche 911.

"Brother Xu Mu, did you help Fang Chu earlier?"

Lu Xueyao, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly spoke up.

In the back, Li Yun and Zhao Yingying perked up their ears.

"What do you mean?" Xu Mu asked, confused.

"When we were coming downstairs earlier, Fang Chu was clearly pinned down and couldn’t move. You had plenty of time to escape, yet he came out first."

Lu Xueyao pouted slightly. "You didn’t have to help him. Look how he just ran off without caring about you."

Xu Mu looked at Lu Xueyao, recalling how she’d rushed into the restaurant with a shovel.

He felt a flicker of warmth—she really had changed.

Meanwhile, Li Yun and Zhao Yingying’s heads practically radiated rising affection.

Xu Mu was truly a good person. Despite Fang Chu’s hostility, he’d selflessly helped him.

Fang Chu, on the other hand, was despicable—running away first and leaving Xu Mu behind.

Worse, his first words after escaping were telling them to leave, completely disregarding Xu Mu’s safety.

Li Yun shook her head lightly. She’d felt grateful to Fang Chu earlier, but now she saw his true colors.

Xu Mu was baffled. Self-delusion was truly dangerous.

He hadn’t helped Fang Chu at all.

After dropping off Li Yun and Zhao Yingying, Xu Mu drove Lu Xueyao home.

"Be more careful in the future. Don’t let yourself be fooled so easily," Xu Mu said, glancing at her.

"I understand. Next time, I’ll call you first," Lu Xueyao replied, lowering her head. "Brother Xu Mu, you’re so kind."

"Go on inside."

Xu Mu patted the back of her head with a smile.

"Brother Xu Mu, you’re married… but I don’t care!"

Mwah.

Lu Xueyao pecked his cheek, then blushed furiously, flung the car door open, and dashed away.

Xu Mu watched the surge of affection above her head, touched his cheek, and shook his head lightly.

......

Back home, Ye Tong had already returned.

Entering the yard, Xu Mu noticed an electric scooter parked nearby. Sensing its presence, he realized Ye Yu was also home.

In the living room, Ye Yu greeted him first. "Brother-in-law, you’re back!"

"Yeah."

Xu Mu nodded.

Ye Yu’s relaxed demeanor was a far cry from when they’d first met.

A quick check showed her affection was just twenty-something points away from turning positive.

As a Level 9 Destiny holder, she’d be a huge asset for gaining Justice Points.

Ye Tong peeked out from the kitchen. "You’re back? Have you eaten?"

"I have, but I’ll eat some more if you’re cooking," Xu Mu replied, sitting on the sofa.

[Affection +10]

"It’ll be ready soon."

Ye Tong’s cheeks flushed as she ducked back into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Ye Yu crossed her arms like a little adult and gave Xu Mu a sidelong glance. "Brother-in-law, have you talked to Lu Xueyao yet?"

"No, I haven’t seen her lately."

Xu Mu smiled and shook his head. He couldn’t possibly tell Ye Yu the truth—especially since Lu Xueyao was now a steady source of Justice Points.

"Seems like I’ll have to arrange a meeting between you two soon."

Ye Yu tapped her chin thoughtfully.

Soon after, Ye Tong brought out the dishes with a smile. "Dinner’s ready."

Ye Yu followed, helping carry the food from the kitchen.

Over dinner, they chatted about recent events.

Ye Tong had started working at the company, assisting Wang Weiliang in experiments.

Since it was their own company, and Wang Weiliang had once been part of the Ye family, she had plenty of freedom and ease.

Xu Mu mentioned the company’s weight-loss pills, which were set to launch that very night.

Ye Yu stayed mostly silent, worried for her sister.

It was obvious now—Ye Tong’s eyes were full of Xu Mu.

She knew her sister’s nature: non-confrontational, never fighting for anything.

So, securing her sister’s happiness fell to her.

Ye Yu didn’t understand why, but ever since Xu Mu started treating her well, her mindset had shifted.

Before, she’d been desperate to take Ye Tong and escape Xu Mu’s grasp.

Now, she no longer wanted to leave. If it came to it, she’d sacrifice herself too.

Could she and Ye Tong really lose to Lu Xueyao?

That night, Xu Mu and Ye Tong continued their "grand mission." With over a thousand Justice Points, he wanted to gather a few more to reach two thousand for tomorrow’s lottery.

As a virtuoso pianist, Xu Mu excelled at duets.

After the first round, he was just shy of two thousand.

So, he began the second, effortlessly hitting his target.

......

Early the next morning, Xu Mu woke up to find Ye Tong still asleep beside him, tear stains lingering at the corners of her eyes.

Ye Tong had actually woken up earlier but didn’t dare open her eyes.

She was afraid…

She even considered calling Meng Wanyue for help—after all, she lived nearby.

As usual, Xu Mu started his lottery.

He’d save the high-tier draws for later. Right now, boosting his cultivation was the priority.

The ten-draw began, the wheel spinning rapidly.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Heaven-tier cultivation manual: Spirit Vein Armament.]

Xu Mu was stunned. What just happened?

A normal draw, and you start off with a heaven-tier cultivation technique right from the beginning? Then wasn't the previous 10,000 points just a total waste?