Xiang Liu's Coercion

"I spoke first. You'll have to wait in line behind me."

Ji Qingge grabbed Xu Mu's hand and pulled him toward the exit in the distance.

A faint smile appeared on An Linghui's face as she followed closely behind the two.

"What's wrong? Is something important going on?"

Xu Mu asked in front of Ji Qingge.

He was a man who had some sense of propriety. His contact with Ji Liang was limited, but he could roughly understand the man's character.

For someone so righteous, Xu Mu always felt he shouldn't get too close to these two women.

It felt like he was poaching on someone else's turf.

"We'll talk once we're outside."

Ji Qingge glanced back and noticed An Linghui trailing behind.

So she quickened her pace.

The two soon left the ruins, and walking out from the brigade headquarters, they continued along the street.

"Boss, what's going on with you?"

In front of a brick-and-tile house, two young men were smoking by the door.

One of them, seeing Ji Qingge dragging a man along, wore a look of confusion.

"None of your business."

Ji Qingge walked a few more houses down and finally arrived at a home with a red iron gate.

As soon as she got inside, she hurriedly led Xu Mu to the living room and locked the door behind them.

She didn't lock the main gate because An Linghui could easily leap into the courtyard.

But the living room was fully enclosed, so An Linghui couldn't get in.

Xu Mu looked around and noticed the place was decently furnished, with all the home appliances you'd expect.

A robot vacuum was even moving across the floor.

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to barge into someone's home uninvited?"

"This isn't someone else's home—it's my home. Young people these days prefer to live outside with electricity and internet."

As she spoke, Ji Qingge plopped down onto the sofa.

The moment she sat, her upper body gave a noticeable bounce.

One look told you it ran in the family.

Both she and An Linghui had excellent figures, though they were still a few notches below the level of someone like Xu Ningbing or Fu Jinyu.

"I see. I saw you lying in the ruins and thought you were living there."

Xu Mu chuckled and sat down as well.

"I usually stay outside. I only headed to the ruins because I didn't want to see her."

Ji Qingge looked coldly toward the window. "I'm afraid we'll start arguing here and make a spectacle for the neighbors."

Xu Mu picked at his ear. He had no interest in the matters between those two women.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"I just want to warn you about one thing—stay away from her. Don't let her youthful looks fool you; she's an old woman. She could be your grandmother."

Ji Qingge glanced at the window again and saw An Linghui standing there.

Xu Mu smiled. "That's it?"

"This is serious. She's a wicked woman. After she gave birth to me, she kept running off. Who knows how many lovers she's had? If you fall for her tricks, your head's going to end up green with jealousy."

Ji Qingge said with a serious expression.

Xu Mu found her expression amusing. "Don't worry, I don't like old women."

He had initially planned to explain further, but after a moment's thought, he decided to answer bluntly.

[Affection +10]

Sure enough, Ji Qingge's expression softened a little upon hearing that.

She got up and unlocked the living room door.

An Linghui walked in immediately and asked with a smile, "Xu Mu, what did she tell you just now?"

"Nothing much, just something about cultivation."

Xu Mu didn't want to waste more time here, so he spoke up, "Qingge, sister, I'll be heading off now."

"I'll see you out and also give you a few more instructions."

An Linghui said this, then turned to stare at Ji Qingge. "Don't follow us. I already gave you your time a moment ago."

Ji Qingge didn't say a word. She just lay on the sofa and continued scrolling through her phone.

From Xu Mu's earlier answer, she could already tell he had no interest in that old woman.

Men liked younger women—like her, for instance. That had to be the case.

"Let's go."

An Linghui took Xu Mu's arm and led him out the front door.

Once they were on the street, she let go of his arm.

"What is it?"

Xu Mu asked with a smile.

"Nothing much, just that whatever happened between us in the inner realm, you can't tell her."

An Linghui looked at Xu Mu. "I'm talking about the part where I was controlled."

Xu Mu waved his hand dismissively. "Of course, I know that."

"Good. In the future, if I find any heavenly treasures, I'll get in touch with you. Don't worry, I won't let you work for nothing."

An Linghui patted Xu Mu on the shoulder. "You can head back now."

Xu Mu nodded and walked off down the street.

"You're going the wrong way. The brigade is that way—the helicopter is parked at the brigade headquarters."

An Linghui called out from behind.

"Let the helicopter go back. I need to take care of something in the Central Plains anyway."

Xu Mu didn't look back as he quickly left the village.

Since he was already here, he might as well drive straight over to Fu Jinyu's place and deliver the pill to her.

This place was in the central region, while Fu Jinyu was up north—not too far anyway.

Once outside the village, Xu Mu took out his car from his storage space, got in, and called Fu Jinyu.

About thirty seconds passed before she picked up.

"Xu Mu, what's up?"

"Are you home right now? I'm about an hour away from you. I want to bring you a pill."

Xu Mu said into the phone.

"I'm here, but... fine, just come over. I'll send you the address."

Fu Jinyu hesitated for a moment, then spoke quickly.

Xu Mu looked at the address she sent, started the navigation, and headed over. It seemed like Fu Jinyu had run into some kind of trouble again.

...

North Central Plains, Taihang Mountains.

Xu Mu drove the car halfway up the mountain road, then stowed it back in his storage space.

He jumped off the mountain path—taking this route would save him time.

Following the navigation, he eventually reached a small mountain village, contributing another path to the map.

In the distance, on a blue stone slab, he spotted a woman in her forties.

She was wearing casual clothes, her hair tied in a bun, with a rough face dotted with freckles.

Xu Mu remembered this woman. Her name was Hongyu. She had once been a follower of Fu Jinyu, and had also been a traitor, but Fu Jinyu hadn't killed her.

When Hongyu saw Xu Mu, she rushed over and stopped in front of him. "The Empress is in the courtyard over there."

Xu Mu gave a slight nod.

Following Hongyu into a courtyard, he saw Fu Jinyu playing on her phone in a chair.

She stood up unhurriedly when she saw Xu Mu approach. "If you had pills, you could have just told me to come over. No need to make the trip yourself."

[Affection +10]

"I happened to be nearby anyway."

Xu Mu walked up to Fu Jinyu and asked with a smile, "Ran into some trouble again?"

"Trouble? What kind of trouble could I possibly have?"

Fu Jinyu crossed her arms and said calmly.

"The Empress really is in a bind. We ran into trouble with Xiangliu's coercion."

Hongyu said from behind Xu Mu.

"Hongyu! Who told you to talk nonsense?"

Fu Jinyu snapped.