"Chen, what have you been busy with lately? I haven't seen you around," Zhuang Yu asked with a blink of his eyes.

"I've been planning to learn alchemy with my father," Mu Chen replied indifferently after sipping his tea.

Zhuang Yu frowned, feeling a bit stifled inside. Before, when he would speak, Mu Chen would react with eager pleasure, trying his best to please him. Playing hard to get might be fresh once or twice, but overdoing it became repulsive.

Chen Moran scoffed, "Since when have you been interested in alchemy? Don't think that just because your father is an alchemist, you can be one too. Alchemy isn’t something ordinary people can handle."

Mu Chen smiled faintly, "I'm just giving it a try."

"Chen, you're now a nine-star martial apprentice," Sun Yu said to Mu Chen, somewhat astonished.

A glint of cold light flashed in Chen Moran's eyes. He had always been ahead of Mu Chen in martial cultivation, never expecting Mu Chen to suddenly overtake him. This threw Chen Moran into disarray.

"Mu Chen, have you been doping? We're still in the martial apprentice realm. Using those growth-accelerating drugs now will doom you later," Chen Moran said coldly.

A trace of killing intent flashed through Mu Chen's eyes, "Thanks for your concern. I know my limits."

Chen Moran shrugged, "Don't take that tone with me. I'm just looking out for you."

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Mu Chen merely smiled noncommittally.

"Mu Chen, how many yuan stones do you have on you?" Chen Moran asked.

Mu Chen looked up, "Not many."

Chen Moran glanced at Zhuang Yu, then said to Mu Chen, "Zhuang Yu wants Ice Lotus Water. How many yuan stones do you have? Lend them to me, and I'll pay you back with star crystals later."

Mu Chen gave Chen Moran a cool look, "Chen, you're really overestimating me. How many yuan stones do you think I have?"

Why should Zhuang Yu wanting Ice Lotus Water concern him? In the original story, Zhuang Yu despised Mu Chen's persistent advances, and Mu Chen's death was partly facilitated by Zhuang Yu's actions. Mu Chen had no intention of helping Zhuang Yu obtain the Ice Lotus Water. The farther Zhuang Yu stayed away, the greater his safety.

Chen Moran nonchalantly said, "Doesn't your father dote on you? Just ask him, and he'll give it to you."

Mu Chen, being Mu Yuanfeng's only son, received much better treatment than Chen Moran, who had several siblings and wasn't the most favored. Chen Moran had always been jealous of Mu Chen's privileged position.

"My father's yuan stones didn't come with the wind. I can't just ask him for them!" Mu Chen said dismissively.

"So, you're saying you don't want to help?" Chen Moran probed.

Mu Chen shrugged, "It's not that I don't want to help; I just can't."

Ye Shi, hidden in the shadows, listened intently to the conversation on Mu Chen's side.

When Mu Chen glanced in Ye Shi's direction, Ye Shi’s cheeks suddenly flushed.

Mu Chen couldn't help but smile upon seeing Ye Shi.

Ye Shi bit his lip, his face turning even redder.

Upon returning, Chen Da asked, "How did it go? Did you see Young Master Mu Chen? What's he like?"

"It's terrible," Ye Shi grumbled.

"How so?" Chen Da inquired.

Ye Shi pursed his lips, "He seems to have spent all his money, doesn't even have enough to woo his love interest anymore. With so many people around Zhuang Yu, Mu Chen's chances of winning him over without spending are slim."

Chen Da chuckled, "Looks like Mu Chen might have lost interest in Zhuang Yu."

Ye Shi puffed his cheeks, fidgeting with his fingers, "Even if he's lost interest in Zhuang Yu, there are others."