Xu Mu was still standing some distance away, watching the chaos unfold when he heard that line — and was stunned.
So that great villain… had once been a Cleaner himself?
"The first step is always to seal the relic's entrance to prevent enemy formation masters from escaping."
Wei Jingzhi's voice was grave.
"Exactly," Jiang Mingzhuo said with a smile. "But today's my niece's Marriage Tournament, not a battle. You didn't seal the entrance, did you?"
As he spoke, Jiang Mingzhuo took out a palm-sized disk. "Unfortunately for you, our Eternal Life Research Institute has a very capable formation master. He carved a Transfer Array onto this."
"With two Senior Cleaners inside, we'd have a death wish to come here without insurance."
A black-robed man stepped up behind him.
"I wouldn't have dared come alone even with the array disk. But with Brother Jiang leading, who's afraid?" another black-robed man said with a grin.
"Old Lu, stop flattering me."
Jiang Mingzhuo shot him a look—
Whoosh!
In a blink, Wei Jingzhi vanished.
Three seconds later, the ground beneath them erupted, collapsing two meters deep and ten meters wide.
"Not good! Run!"
Jiang Mingzhuo instantly crushed the disk.
Buzz!
An array pattern enveloped him, and his figure disappeared.
The other two black-robed men did the same, vanishing from sight.
A heartbeat later, a thunderous quake came from the relic's entrance.
The passage had completely caved in, sealed by tons of rubble.
Xu Mu watched in awe — no wonder Wei Jingzhi was called a monster. He was fast enough to cross that distance in seconds.
Had he been even a few moments slower, none of those men would've escaped alive.
Transfer Arrays generally came in two types.
The first were basic arrays, limited to short-range teleportation — useful in open areas to travel between two disks, but incapable of passing through solid walls.
To escape from inside a relic, the route had to be open; as long as a person could walk through, the formation could function.
Wei Jingzhi's intent had been clear: block the exit so they couldn't teleport out.
The second type were advanced arrays, capable of passing through walls — even from a sealed chamber to the outside world.
But only high-level formation masters could inscribe those.
And if one could engrave such an array onto a portable disk, that person was top-tier.
"Damn it!" Jiang Sheng roared. "That bastard!"
Wei Jingzhi returned, thermos in hand, and went to check on Lü Pinlong.
Competition for the Tenth Cleaner Seat was fierce. By strength alone, dozens within the Sanitation Bureau could rival Lü Pinlong.
But Cleaner rankings weren't decided by power — they were decided by mission points.
Many were stronger than Lü Pinlong but too soft-hearted, letting enemies go and failing missions as a result.
Wei Jingzhi knew Lü Pinlong's character left much to be desired, but his success rate was undeniably high.
He crouched beside him — Lü Pinlong's face and even his arm had turned black-purple.
"Old Wei, send them to the Bureau's infirmary at once," Guo Wenmo said.
"Alright." Wei Jingzhi nodded.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault for raising him poorly," Jiang Sheng sighed heavily.
Every time he saw Jiang Mingzhuo, rage welled within him. Once his pride and joy, now his greatest disgrace.
"This isn't your fault," Wei Jingzhi said. "This is between us and the Eternal Life Research Institute. Your son was just their pawn."
He turned to the crowd. "Everyone, disperse."
Xu Mu, Chen Xuan, and the others left the relic together.
He had wanted to chat more with Zhang Que, but the man said he had business and left early.
Jiang Sheng led his family over to Xu Mu's group.
Jiang Huihui held Zhou Shui's hand, pretending to look indifferent, though floating text above her head read:
[Favorability +10]
"Greetings, Senior," Xu Mu said with a polite nod.
"Xu Mu, from this day forward, you're my granddaughter's fiancé. When shall the wedding be held?"
Jiang Sheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
"No rush, let's take things slow," Xu Mu said with a smile.
"Very well." Jiang Sheng turned to Jiang Huihui. "You now have a fiancé in name. Handle things yourselves — I won't pressure you."
"Grandpa! You finally sound human!"
Jiang Huihui grabbed his arm and shook it playfully.
"Xu Mu," Zhou Shui stepped forward, gazing at him earnestly, "it's too soon to say this, but… treat Huihui well."
"Auntie, don't worry," Xu Mu said, patting his chest confidently.
Jiang Xingjun merely cast him a glance without speaking.
After the Jiang family left, only Jiang Huihui remained.
"Phew! The weight on my chest is finally gone."
She took out some chewing gum and offered it to Xu Mu and Chen Xuan. "You two really worked hard this time."
Xu Mu caught the gum. "You'd better treat us to a feast later."
But Chen Xuan didn't take his share; his gaze was fixed elsewhere.
Xu Mu and Jiang Huihui followed his eyes—
A woman in a long dress, holding a sword, with a bit of baby-fat on her cute face, was walking calmly toward them. Behind her came a black-robed man.
"Fang Kui, here again? Heard I lost and want to marry me to fill the void in my heart?" Chen Xuan said with a grin, slinging his woven bag over his shoulder.
Xu Mu couldn't help glancing at him. The guy learned fast.
"I'm not here for you," Fang Kui said coldly, glaring at him before stopping in front of Xu Mu. "Xu Mu, interested in joining our Kunlun Mountain?"
At the mention of that sect, Jiang Huihui's heart skipped. Kunlun Mountain — one of the top-tier sects.
Most martial artists would never refuse such an offer.
"Sorry, I'm doing quite well in the Righteous Demon Sect." Xu Mu shook his head lightly.
"Are you sure? What can your sect offer you? Kunlun Mountain has an Alchemy Pavilion — your refining skill would improve tremendously there."
Fang Kui was genuinely surprised. Few ever rejected Kunlun's invitation.
"My sect keeps me entertained — handsome men, gorgeous women.
For example, my senior brother Hu Yanzu — even I have to step aside when he shows up."
"Handsome faces can't feed you," Fang Kui replied sharply. "If you come with me, I'll be your girlfriend."
"Huh?"
Xu Mu froze, utterly dumbfounded. What kind of situation was this?
Jiang Huihui wanted to say something, but then stopped.
After all, she and Xu Mu weren't officially together yet — she had no right to interfere.
Xu Mu noticed her silence and sighed inwardly.
If Dai Xingluo were here, she'd already be throwing sarcastic barbs by now.
Well, no choice — he'd have to handle this himself.
He wasn't about to fall for Fang Kui's little act.
She was clearly trying to provoke Chen Xuan with that line.
So he needed a response that would send her packing.
"Be your boyfriend, huh? Am I even worthy of catching your eye?" he asked with a teasing smile.
"Of course. You caught my eye, so I want to be your girlfriend," she said innocently, completely missing his innuendo.
Xu Mu sighed inwardly. She really didn't get it.
Fine — time for another line.
"I'm a man who loves reading the news," he said with mock seriousness. "My daily hobby is staying updated with the headlines.
Can you satisfy that?"