Mu Hanyan’s departure from and return to the city were personally witnessed by Mu Cheng. When he pondered over his demeanor at that time, there wasn’t the slightest hint of fright; rather, he exuded sheer confidence.
He didn’t know what had exactly happened to Mu Hanyan, but when he miraculously escaped from under the Meteor Shower and appeared before him again, the dignity and pride that seemed to emanate from his very bones instinctively made him feel reverence, a sensation he had never even felt in the presence of several elders.
In this competition, would Mu Hanyan really be like a fish on the chopping block, as others assumed, to be slaughtered at will? Mu Cheng shook his head, for although reason told him how vast the gap between a First-level Swordsman and a Fifth Rank Swordsman was, he still felt that things wouldn’t be that simple. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel fire.net
Therefore, Mu Cheng merely went along with others’ forced, dry laughter, not daring to let out even a chuckle.
"When it comes to running away, I remember someone who was chased down several streets, frightened to the point of not daring to go home for an entire night, hiding under a bridge like a stray dog, and wasn’t found by servants until daylight. How is it that just a few years have passed, and you’ve already forgotten?" Mu Hanyan said tauntingly.
She was referring to an incident from seven or eight years ago. At that time, she and Mu Feng were about seven or eight years old, without much time spent in cultivation or any significant strength. Squabbles among children were inevitable. Taking advantage of being a few years older, Mu Feng bullied the then younger Mu Hanfeng, leading to a physical altercation after a few words of disagreement. This angered Mu Hanyan greatly—for daring to bully her brother, he deserved a beating!
Mu Hanyan was raised by her parents more like a son and wasn’t much disciplined. Minor brawls were a common occurrence for her, whereas Mu Feng, as the Great Elder’s eldest grandson, received much stricter upbringing and had far less actual combat experience than her. After a few exchanges, he was beaten up so badly that he couldn’t fight back, so he turned tail and ran, chased down several streets by Mu Hanyan.
Children fighting was not usually a big deal, and the matter should have ended there. But who knew that the incident would scare Mu Feng so much that he hid under a bridge and didn’t dare to come home all night? It took the whole family all night to find Mu Feng, half-frozen.
For this incident, Mu Hanyan was severely scolded by Mu Rui’an. Her reputation as a playboy actually began to spread from that time. A seven-year-old child was able to beat a relative to the point where he did not dare to return home all night— if she wasn’t a playboy, who would be?
As for Mu Feng, after that incident, Mu Hanyan didn’t see him much anymore, and of course, she didn’t get to see any friendly expression from him either. All she knew was that he diligently cultivated, and within a few years, he had reached the Fifth Rank Swordsman, acclaimed as another genius of the younger generation in Heishi City’s Mu Family, aside from Mu Hanfeng.
Upon hearing Mu Hanyan’s words, Mu Feng’s face changed instantly. The incident from those years might seem like nothing more than a childish play to others, but for him, it was a shameful blot, a disgrace that could never be erased.
The achievements he had made today were also directly related to that humiliation.
Even in his dreams, he had imagined countless times knocking Mu Hanyan to the ground to wipe out his own shame in front of everyone and regain the dignity he had lost.
Sadly, although Mu Hanyan might be untalented in cultivation, remaining at the First Rank Swordman status after so many years, he was still the son of the Branch Family Head and son of the City Lord of Heishi City. So even with the strength of a Fifth Rank Swordsman, it was difficult to find an opportunity to avenge the blood feud, at most, he could mock in words.
And today was the perfect opportunity for him to wash away the disgrace.