Someone Wants to Kidnap Me

Mu Xiangli stood up. His intuition told him that someone had been spying on him just now, and with malicious intent.

He was about to inspect the surroundings when Bao'er arrived, leading a group of young maidens.

The maidens also had their own thoughts; they naturally preferred to serve fair-skinned, youthful gentlemen rather than old men. Hearing that a group of young lords was waiting for them, those maidens who had no guests in their rooms immediately flocked over.

Among this group, Mu Xiangli possessed an exceptionally outstanding appearance. The moment the maidens saw him, they swarmed around him.

Fortunately, Huanxiang Pavilion was unlike those cheap, vulgar establishments; its rules were highly strict. The maidens dared not be too insolent, refraining from pulling at Mu Xiangli, at most lightly supporting his shoulders, holding his hands, pressing their bodies close, and passionately inviting him.

"Young Master, come to my chamber to rest tonight. This servant will surely serve you with the utmost care."

"Young Master, allow this servant to warm your bed, won't you?"

The chirping of these songbirds and the various scents of their cosmetics left Mu Xiangli slightly lightheaded.

However, he was a man who trusted his intuition. The malice from earlier was absolutely no illusion. It seemed that staying out overnight was unwise today. The situation was unfavorable; slipping away was the best course of action!

"Brothers, I have suddenly remembered some urgent matters, so I shall not stay the night. Farewell," Mu Xiangli said to Lu Yuwen, Hou Yuhong, and the others, before squeezing out of the crowd of maidens surrounding him.

"Ah, why is he leaving already?"

"Could it be that Brother Mu is visiting for the first time and is thin-skinned?"

The others were somewhat bewildered.

Seeing him depart, the maidens stamped their feet in frustration, but their gazes quickly fell upon Lu Yuwen and the others, stepping forward to solicit their chosen targets. Seeing the maidens approach, the men promptly cast Mu Xiangli to the back of their minds.

Mu Xiangli slipped out of Huanxiang Pavilion, his movements entirely witnessed by Shen Hongyue from the shadows.

"Why did he leave? Were you discovered?" a person walked up to Shen Hongyue's side and asked.

"Impossible." Shen Hongyue was extremely confident in his disguise and stealth skills. But recalling the events at Yuehong Stockade, this fellow Mu Xiangli had also hidden himself very well, so they could not let their guard down. He said to the person beside him, "Find someone who has never shown his face to follow him and see."

"Very well, then I shall have Xiao Wu go."

Shen Hongyue reminded, "Only tail him. Tell Xiao Wu not to strike."

"Understood."

Not long after Mu Xiangli left, a thin-looking man followed him.

"What a pity. I wonder when the next time someone treats us to a feast will be," Mu Xiangli lamented.

By this time, night had fallen. Although Zhaoyang City had no curfew, there were far fewer pedestrians on the streets compared to the daytime, making it very easy to detect if one was being followed.

Mu Xiangli had not walked far when he sensed he was being tailed.

"Are they from Huanxiang Pavilion?" Mu Xiangli secretly guessed.

He valued his life highly and would not deliberately walk into a deserted alley just to lure the opponent out; he only walked along the crowded main avenues.

Regrettably, on his way home, there was eventually a deserted stretch of road. Just as Mu Xiangli silently gripped a signal arrow in his palm, the opponents could not wait to reveal themselves.

Two behind him, two in front. Mu Xiangli raised his brows as he clearly saw one of them holding a large sack.

Xiao Wu, hiding in the shadows, remained extremely quiet. If Mu Xiangli misunderstood that these people were from Huanxiang Pavilion, then their own exposure would be far too unjust.

"Who are you?" Mu Xiangli hid the arrow with his left hand and gripped his saber with his right.

The four men did not answer, nor did they stall. Seizing the right moment, they rushed forward together.

Among these four, only two had opened their Qi Mansion. Mu Xiangli's current vision was no longer what it used to be; while he might not see through top-tier experts, he could accurately gauge those weaker than him with a single glance. The two who had opened their Qi Mansion fought in a highly wild manner, their foundation and martial skills rather crude.

Initially, he had suspected they were spies from Youqiu seeking revenge, and had intended to launch the signal arrow into the sky. However, after confirming the opponents' strength, he quickly stayed his hand. If Zhou Yi knew he had called for aid over a few petty thieves, he would surely be reprimanded.

Mu Xiangli put away the signal arrow, unsheathed his saber, and engaged the opponents in battle.

As soon as they clashed, he became even more certain that the opponents were not Youqiu spies, because these two had clearly underestimated his strength, unable to hide their astonished expressions.

If they were truly spies, such preparation would be far too poor. But aside from Shen Hongyue's group, who else would strike at him?

These two martial artists who had opened their Qi Mansion were not of high caliber, and their coordination was mediocre, while the remaining two could only offer support. Mu Xiangli even had spare capacity to ponder. After a moment, he deduced a clue and suddenly asked, "Are you people from the Mu Clan?"

"We know not what you speak of!" Though they spoke thus, the fleeting panic upon being exposed was clearly seen by Mu Xiangli.

"Retreat!" These people had clearly studied the terrain. The patrolling guards would be moving throughout the city at night; if they did not leave quickly, things would become troublesome.

A cornered beast should not be pursued, so Mu Xiangli stood in place. His strength had not yet reached the level of crushing the opponents; if they still held some desperate trump card, he could easily suffer.

Seeing Mu Xiangli guess the identity of these people, Xiao Wu in the shadows breathed a sigh of relief. There was no need to take the blame for this, so he quietly withdrew.

Not long after these people left, the patrolling guards arrived. Mu Xiangli had no evidence in hand, so he did not alarm the guards, pretending as though nothing had happened.

Recalling the four who had attacked, they clearly wanted to knock him unconscious, stuff him into a sack, and carry him away. Vicious, truly vicious!

He was pondering when he almost bumped into someone upon reaching his doorstep. Looking up, he discovered it was Mu Wanqiu.

Mu Wanqiu was peering into his house with her little maidservant, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw him return.

Mu Xiangli was somewhat surprised: "Why are you here?"

Mu Wanqiu hastily explained, "I inquired with the instructor of the Longwu Academy to find out you were here."

"Do you need something from me?" Mu Xiangli asked.

"I only wished to remind you to be careful lately. My cousin, he..." Mu Wanqiu had carefully thought out her words before coming, but when facing him, she was still somewhat flustered. "My cousin is highly vindictive. Be careful. Rest assured, I did not tell him that you entered the Longwu Academy, nor did I tell him where you reside."

Mu Xiangli guessed that Mu Wanqiu must have known Mu Shijie wanted revenge on him, so she had quietly come to warn him. It seemed she had not failed his previous assistance.

"Are you not afraid your cousin will blame you if he finds out?"

"Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Even if we are family, we cannot..." Mu Wanqiu's voice grew somewhat soft. Clearly, no matter how she chose in this matter, she felt highly uncomfortable in her heart.

Mu Xiangli did not let her continue, nor did he mention that he had just been ambushed: "Many thanks, I shall pay attention. It is late; you should also return quickly. Be careful on the road."

Mu Wanqiu nodded, quickly departing with her little maidservant.

On the other side, Mu Shijie, whose back wound had finally eased slightly, was waiting in his room. He waited in vain, occasionally rubbing his hands like a fly, only waiting for his subordinates to bring Mu Xiangli back in a sack.

"Forcing me to endure twenty strokes of the cane, I shall surely repay you a hundredfold!"