Just as he was making their way to the Silver Lillies Courtyard, which had become Wuzhi’s official residence within the Inner Residence of the Mu Household, Wuzhi ran into a rather unexpected person.
“Descendent Wuzhi greets Second Mother.” Holding his crutches straight, Wuzhi performed a neat bow.
The azure-haired celestial-looking fairy, Su Li, who was the Golden Sovereign’s second wife and also the Mu Family’s Number 1 [Wisdom Path] expert, politely nodded in reply to his greeting.
“I hope you have been well?” she asked, perfunctorily.
Straightening his back, Wuzhi chastely replied, “I have.” His face continued to wear its usual mask of indifference.
Seeing Wuzhi like this was a first for the Second Madame. This was her first time seeing him since the last time they spoke before the ‘Paying Respects to the Ancestors’ ceremony. Still, as off-putting as she found his new face, the Second Madame held off on commenting on it.
Instead, she asked, “I heard that you recently helped the Household catch a rather insidious rat. The whole of the Disciplinary Hall is full of praise for you. You have done well.”
“Wuzhi’s contributions are meagre and not worth mentioning before the eternal light of Second Mother’s wisdom,” replied Wuzhi.
“A commendable deed must be commended. Do not cheapen your efforts, Wuzhi,” Su Li advised.
“Second Mother’s advice is noted. Wuzhi will do well to remember these words in the future,” he noncommittally replied.
Hearing his words and observing his reaction, Su Li felt a strange feeling within her heart. She felt as if this Wuzhi in front of her was… different from the one before. That said, Su Li wasn’t bothered by his change. That was not the reason for her seeking him out here today.
Without beating around the bush any longer, she said, “It has come to my attention that you seek to become an Inspector of the Mu Household. Is this true?”
Not having anything to hide, Wuzhi nodded his head. “It is, Second Mother. Recent events have made me realise that my talents would best be utilized in eliminating the filths and parasites festering on the underbelly of the Household. It is in this department that I will be able to truly contribute to the family.”
“Wasn’t your request to me in the past to award you with the post of a Shopkeeper and transfer one of the businesses of the Household into your hands for you to manage?”
“Yes. Such was my request in the past. But I have since changed my mind,” replied Wuzhi. Lowering his head as a bow, he requested, “I request Second Mother to acquiesce to this new request.”
Managing a shop, negotiating deals, and growing a business, such tasks would have suited the Wuzhi of before; however, to the him of now, such actions were unsuitable.
Besides, Wuzhi’s new plan to gather wealth and authority hinged on him being an Inspector of the Mu Household and gaining the powers that came with that position.
The azure-haired fairy quietly listened to his expression while reading his face. Her eyes flashed with imperceptible internal energy as she employed a technique to accelerate her thoughts and deductions.
‘The Heir Candidates of the family are allowed to engage and compete for recognition in almost all spheres and industries of the Household except for three; the Banks, the Press, and Law-Enforcement. While no concrete rules are warding their involvement in these departments, all seniors and elders of the family have an unspoken tacit agreement to softly discourage the youths from meddling in these areas.’
‘Such was the case for all these years… until now!’
‘I don’t know how this kid managed to do it but all the elders of the Disciplinary Hall, even the Grand Elder, are gushing over him. Not even the ‘Son of the Heavens’ Yuelong was able to garner such vocal support from those old-fashioned, hard-lined fogeys!’
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‘Mu Wuzhi,’ Su Li’s gaze sharpened for an instant as she stared at the back of the crippled scholar’s lowered head. ‘You… are good!’
There used to be a saying in this world -now almost forgotten due to the tides of time- and it went as follows; ‘What the Devil seeks to know, not even the Heavens can hide.’
The saying referred to the Heaven Scheming Devil’s fearsome information-gathering capability going as far as to suggest that not even the omniscient Heavens could hide its secrets from the Devil.
While it was true that this saying was wildly exaggerated, there was still an inkling of fact within those words. And it was this fact that terrorized the Heaven Scheming Devil’s enemies for years.
As the student of such an accomplished teacher, Wuzhi was naturally taught a multitude of ways to extract information and favourability from his targets. That said, however, the reason why the Disciplinary Hall and its throng of elders held such a favourable view of the youth was not due to his teacher’s lesson but instead due to his new personality.
Cruel Wuzhi’s thoughts and opinions on a few subject matters, primarily on the topics of ‘Enemies of the Mu Household’ and ‘How they should be dealt with,’ coincided intimately with more than a few heads within the Disciplinary Hall; especially its Grand Elder!
Being one of the oldest factions within the Mu Household, the Disciplinary Hall had played its fair share in the rise of the Household to its current position today as the Hegemon of the continent.
As a primarily combat-focused faction, the Disciplinary Hall was the frontrunner in most of the wars and battles that occurred during this era. As such, most of its elders -including the Grand Elder- continued to be warlike in their approach and mindset even during this era of peace. Some of them were still unsatisfied with their domination over an entire continent and wanted to extend their grasp over the other continents too.
It was, in fact, the Disciplinary Hall that spearheaded the Mu Household’s strategies in the contest for dominance in the South Aislu Continent!
Being warmongers and radicals, the elders of the Disciplinary Hall disliked most of the Heirs competing for the gilded throne of the Mu Household. Almost all the Heir candidates were either seen as pansies or pacifists. Even Mu Yuelong, the universally loved golden child, was appraised to be ‘too soft’ by the Grand Elder of the Disciplinary Hall.
All that being said, however, the Disciplinary Hall still needed to choose a horse to back in this race for the throne. Staying out of it would only result in an inevitable weakening of their faction by the new ruler in the future. And just as they were about to settle for an ‘okay’ candidate, a new champion entered the ring.
A champion who perfectly understood their thoughts and cause. A champion who was not the least bit inferior to the favoured winner of this race; Mu Yuelong.
Wuzhi’s brutal handling of the Iron Judge Tie Zheng was no secret to those in the know amongst the Mu Household. And while some criticized him for being too harsh and heartless, the members of the radical faction found their poster child.
After a few sit-down meetings and behind-the-door discussions, the newly returned Second Son of the Mu Family, Mu Wuzhi, was backed by the Radical Faction and was directly chosen by the Disciplinary Hall as its representative in the race for the gilded throne.
As much as this was a blessing to some; to others, Wuzhi’s admission was a great threat. A threat that was most keenly felt by the Second Madame Su Li, who was one of the leaders of the Household’s Liberal Faction. Regrettably, it was already too late for her to do anything about it.
‘Had I only been aware of these happenings sooner, this situation would not have come to pass.’ Su Li sighed to herself. ‘Alas, there is no point in crying over spilt milk.’
“Raise your head, child. May you bring honour both upon this family and yourself.” She then reached into her pocket and retrieved an item. “Here. This item is for you.”
“This is?” Wuzhi carefully received the item. It was an oval-shaped stone, blackish-green in colour. Etched on the surface of the stone was an unfamiliar pattern and a few characters that read, ‘Snatching Life from the Heavens. Even Death can be Reversed.’
“That item is a keepsake. It represents a promise from the Silver-Needle Medicine Sage to save a person’s life once,” Su Li explained with a smile.
Hearing her explanation, Wuzhi unconsciously sucked in a mouthful of air in surprise. He gazed at the jade stone with narrowed eyes and felt at a loss for words.
The Silver-Needle Medicine Sage was a name that was familiar to everyone under the heavens. If the Medicine Sage claimed to be second in the world in terms of his ability as a healer, then none would claim first! It is said that his art of healing was so profound that he could even snatch life from the Heavens and resurrect a dead person!
Adored by the common people for his worldly compassion and kindness, and desired by all forces and organisations across the world for his godly ability, the Silver-Needle Medicine Sage was a Rogue Cultivator. He preferred to freely travel the world by his lonesome and possessed no known ties to any sect or power. That said, many organizations still tried their very best to recruit him.
After all, to have such a person as your ally was equal to owning a second life. It was a trump card that was beyond all other trump cards.
It took a moment for Wuzhi to overcome his shock. “This jade represents a promise from the Silver-Needle Medicine Sage?” he repeated, still scarcely believing the fact.
“Indeed,” Su Li nodded her head with a smile on her face. “And it is now yours to do with as you wish. A gift from the family welcoming you into our fold.”
“Welcome to the Mu Family, Wuzhi.”