TRWSB – Chapter 109 Arriving At Li Country

Inside the carriage, Qi Shaorong wore a dark expression, brooding silently to himself.

Mu Tingxuan glanced at Qi Shaorong and asked, “Young Master, what’s wrong?”

Qi Shaorong let out a cold snort and replied, “That woman said I’m not good-looking enough. I’m in a bad mood.”

“Oh,” Mu Tingxuan responded briefly and said no more.

Seeing Mu Tingxuan respond with just an “oh” and then remain silent, Qi Shaorong thought to himself, How did I end up with such an oblivious subordinate? Shouldn’t he be comforting me right now?

“Don’t you have anything else to say?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Mu Tingxuan looked at him and said, “Young Master, appearance is just a facade. True strength lies within. So even if you aren’t as handsome as Zhuang Hao, you shouldn’t dwell on it too much.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

It was fortunate he only ever assigned Mu Tingxuan to handle logistics. If this guy were in charge of negotiations, he’d have gone bankrupt ages ago. Yi Fan’s taste in people was truly… peculiar.

Noticing Qi Shaorong’s expression, Mu Tingxuan asked, “Young Master, are you alright?”

Qi Shaorong quickly shook his head and said, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Mu Tingxuan added, “Young Master, even if Zhuang Hao is much more handsome than you, it’s really no big deal.”

Qi Shaorong stared at Mu Tingxuan, thinking, Why did I even complain about his silence earlier? A guy like him, who can’t say anything decent, is actually better off keeping quiet.

After traveling for a month and enduring countless difficulties, Qi Shaorong and his companions finally arrived in Li Kingdom.

Fanning himself as he stepped off the carriage, Qi Shaorong said, “We’ve finally arrived in Li Kingdom.”

Yi Fan helped him down and replied, “Yes, it wasn’t easy!”

The journey had been anything but peaceful. Although there weren’t any particularly strong adversaries among the robbers they encountered, the sheer number of nuisances made the trip exhausting. Some were hired by others, while others were local troublemakers.

Zhuang Hao walked over, pushed Yi Fan aside, and said, “Shaorong, let’s find a place to stay first.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Alright, I’ll book a room. This trip has worn me out.”

They found an inn and walked inside.

The innkeeper glanced at the group of five and asked disinterestedly, “Looking for a room?”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes, do you have any rooms left?”

The innkeeper checked his ledger and said, “Not many, just two rooms. Do you need them?”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Yes, we’ll take them.”

Shen Yuan leaned closer to Zhuang Hao and whispered, “Ah Hao, there are only two rooms. How are we supposed to split them?”

Without hesitation, Zhuang Hao said, “I’ll share a room with Shaorong. You three can squeeze into the other one.”

Shen Yuan frowned. “How is that fair? Three of us in one room is too cramped!”

Zhuang Hao glanced at him and said, “If you’re afraid of being cramped, you can sleep on the floor.”

Shen Yuan: “…” This bastard! Years of friendship, and now he expects me to sleep on the floor.

Zhuang Hao handed over a payment card and said, “Two standard rooms, please.”

The innkeeper took the card, processed the payment, and handed them keys to two ordinary rooms.

Moments later, a group of young men in white robes, embroidered with spiritual herbs on their sleeves, entered the inn.

“Do you have any rooms left?” one of them asked.

The innkeeper immediately perked up. “Yes, we have three premium rooms available.”

Shen Yuan’s eyes widened in outrage. “Didn’t you just say there were no rooms left?”

The innkeeper replied, “There are no more standard rooms, but we still have premium rooms.”

“Then why didn’t you mention that earlier?” Shen Yuan demanded.

The innkeeper smirked. “Because I didn’t think you could afford them.”

Shen Yuan: “…”

As a young master of the Shen family, he had been insulted like this? His family had even given him five million gold coins for this trip to ensure he wouldn’t embarrass himself. And yet, he was being looked down upon as if he couldn’t afford premium rooms. Truly, what a dog’s eyes that see people low.

Waving dismissively, the innkeeper said, “Alright, alright. Two standard rooms should be enough for you lot.”

Shen Yuan wanted to retort, but Yi Fan stopped him. “Keep a low profile while we’re traveling. Strong dragons can’t overpower local snakes.”

Gritting his teeth, Shen Yuan swallowed his anger.

As the white-robed youths ascended the stairs, one of them at the back turned around, smirked mockingly at Shen Yuan, and muttered, “Penniless fools, dreaming of premium rooms.”

Shen Yuan nearly choked in fury at the remark.

Mu Tingxuan watched the white-robed youths leave, his face grim and silent.

Yi Fan grabbed his hand and asked, “Are you alright?”

Mu Tingxuan glanced at Yi Fan and replied, “I’m fine.”

Yi Fan smiled gently and said, “If there’s anything bothering you, let me know.”

Mu Tingxuan nodded. “Alright.”

Unconsciously, Mu Tingxuan’s fingers dug into Yi Fan’s palm, leaving faint red marks.

Shen Yuan, observing Mu Tingxuan’s reaction, felt something was amiss. He speculated, Those white-robed people with spiritual herbs on their sleeves must have some connection to Mu Tingxuan. Otherwise, why would his reaction be so intense?

Yi Fan clasped Mu Tingxuan’s hand and said, “Let’s head to our rooms first.”

Mu Tingxuan nodded. “Alright.”

Shen Yuan eagerly went out to gather information and quickly uncovered the background of those white-clad individuals.

Zhuang Hao watched Shen Yuan rush back inside and asked, “What’s going on?”

Shen Yuan looked at Zhuang Hao and replied, “Nothing much, I just found out who those white-clad people are.”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Oh? And who are they?”

“Those guys are from the Mu family, a prominent family in the Li Kingdom. The Mu family is quite special—they frequently produce prodigies in wood-element magic. The most famous genius of their current generation is someone named Mu Huai. He’s already a Level Seven wood mage, and rumor has it that he possesses two Wood Spirit Hearts.”

Zhuang Hao frowned slightly. “How can someone have two Wood Spirit Hearts? Usually, having even one signifies an extraordinary talent in wood magic.”

Shen Yuan shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe he’s just exceptionally gifted.”

Zhuang Hao furrowed his brows. “I doubt it’s that simple.”

Shen Yuan chuckled. “Even if Mu Huai is amazing, he’s still no match for you, Ah Hao. Let’s not talk about him anymore. By the way, the Sovereign sent Qi Shaorong here to treat the Alliance’s Saint-tier expert Feng Yuan. However, it seems that Feng Yuan has invited several other people besides Qi Shaorong.”

“So, there’s competition for the job?” Qi Shaorong asked as he pushed the door open and walked in.

Shen Yuan immediately tensed up. “Young Master Qi, you’re back!”

Qi Shaorong looked at Shen Yuan. “Yes, I’m back. Keep talking. Why’d you suddenly clam up? Are you afraid of me? Do you think, like Zhuang Qian does, that I’m scary?”

Shen Yuan awkwardly scratched his head. “Young Master Qi, you’re not scary at all. Not one bit.”

Qi Shaorong waved dismissively. “You don’t sound sincere at all. It’s better if you don’t say anything.”

Shen Yuan: “… Young Master Qi, don’t worry. Even though many people are here to treat Feng Yuan, those useless fools won’t solve anything. In the end, only you can.”

Qi Shaorong waved his hand indifferently. “That remains to be seen.”

At that moment, Mu Tingxuan walked in and said, “Young Master, let’s go eat. I’ve already arranged for the meal.”

Shen Yuan exclaimed happily, “Food? Great! I’m starving!”

The group headed downstairs and gathered around a table to eat.

The white-clad members of the Mu family finished their meal and left their private room.

“Those white-clad guys are leaving. I wonder where they’re off to,” Shen Yuan muttered.

Qi Shaorong shot Shen Yuan a glance. “Why do you care where they’re going? Don’t tell me you’re planning to follow them?”

Shen Yuan quickly waved his hands. “Of course not.”

“Then hurry up and eat,” Qi Shaorong said.

Mu Tingxuan glanced in the direction the white-clad individuals had gone, his expression complex.

The conversation from a nearby table drifted into their ears.

“The Mu family from Tianhu Lake sure acts high and mighty!” someone commented. The Mu family resided by Tianhu Lake, a mystical lake imbued with spiritual energy that nurtured plant growth. It was a symbol of the Mu family, and the family was often referred to as the Tianhu Mu family.

“The Mu family is on its last legs, yet they’re still putting on airs. I wonder how much longer they can keep it up.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Don’t you know? All the Blood Flame Spirit Flowers and other rare spiritual plants the Mu family cultivated have withered. Word is that there’s something wrong with Tianhu Lake itself—the spiritual water has been polluted. The Mu family has tens of thousands of acres of Blood Flame Spirit Flowers! The loss must be astronomical.”

“That can’t be true. If it were, why do those Mu family members seem so unbothered? They’re still eating and drinking as usual.”

“That’s just a bunch of spoiled heirs. They don’t care about the family’s affairs.”

“Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. The Mu family’s wealth could still support those good-for-nothings for quite some time.”

“Maybe, but ever since Mu Xingzhi defected from the Mu family eight years ago, their influence has been waning. With this setback, they might fall from being a top-tier family to a second-tier one.”

“I never thought Mu Xingzhi would betray the Mu family.”

“If Mu Yueshan hadn’t acted so unfairly, that wouldn’t have happened.”

Mu Tingxuan’s eyes widened suddenly. Qi Shaorong noticed and asked, “Tingxuan, are you okay?”

Mu Tingxuan shook his head. “I’m fine, Young Master. I’m full. I’ll head back to rest.”

Yi Fan stood up as well. “Young Master, I’m full too. I’ll check on Tingxuan.”

Qi Shaorong frowned. “You’re all full already? You hardly ate anything!”