"What do you think, how did Yu An get into the Mu family?" I asked, a leading question.
"Huh? Why are you remembering this now?" Mu Bai asked, his face suddenly changed, filling with anger and dislike. From this, I could immediately tell that Mu Bai would definitely not join or be part of the black church; playing like this, perhaps even I couldn't.
"The black church is a terrible organization that brings immense suffering and causes many tragedies around the world," I calmly began to explain, not paying much attention to Mu Bai's anger. "They are strong, but not omnipotent, so it's likely that someone helped Yu An get into the Mu family. If there is a traitor left in the Mu family, it could be very dangerous in the future."
"I understand. But as far as I remember, Yu An was brought into the Mu family by Uncle Mu He, and only then did Uncle Mu Zhou Yun take him under his wing and make him an adopted son," Mu Bai replied, lost in thought. "You're not trying to say that Mu He is the traitor. He helped me and Mom when Father died, and then he helped after Mom's death. He's definitely a good person," Mu Bai argued with me with fervor, but alas, I knew the truth, so forgive me, but he is the traitor, and also your sister. A rather amusing combination, but because of it, I need to be careful with Mu Bai himself; if he is also part of the black church, it will be very unpleasant. However, judging by the original, he was never part of it, but who knows what might be.
"I'm not saying that, I'm just warning you. So to speak, I'm conveying to you the thoughts that have matured in me over this year. When I tried to figure out how to avoid the catastrophe," I answered calmly. "We were friends since childhood, despite the fact that you and Mo Fan constantly argued, so I hope you won't dismiss my words."
"Okay, this is very important for the family. If there is another traitor, then our Mu family may not be reborn," he said confidently, and how right he was. After the betrayal of Mu He was exposed, the Mu family suffered huge losses; even Mu Ning Xue was almost kicked out of the national team. Strangely enough, it was Mo Fan who helped revive the family under the new name Fan-Xue.
"Thank you, but be careful, don't dig too deep. I think when the time comes, everything will work out, just be ready for it," I said, deciding to warn him, because if he digs too deep and gets too close, he could be eliminated or made a puppet, both options are not suitable. "The black church has ways and means to break even a steel man. I don't want to lose a friend like you."
"I understand, I won't dig too deep, but I'll do a couple of checks," Mu Bai nodded confidently. "I'll become much stronger, and they simply won't be able to do anything to me."
"Good luck, I definitely won't lag behind you in development," I chuckled, quickening my pace. "Next time, become strong enough for me to use everything I have."
After quickly showering and changing into clean clothes, we left the arena and finally headed outside, where the refugees of the city of Bo lived. On the way, Mu Bai called Zhao Kunsan and Wang Pan, inviting them to sit with us and eat at a cafe. When we got there, they were already waiting for us, and from their happy faces, it was clear that they had ordered quite a lot. I said I would pay for everything, so they clearly decided to bankrupt me; I don't think I'll tell them that I don't know what to do with over eighty million yuan, or they won't recover from the shock.
"Hello, Jiaxing Yun, where are Mo Fan and Xu Zhaoting? Weren't they with you?" Wang Pan asked as we sat down.
"I don't know exactly where they are; we separated in early February, I needed to isolate myself for training," I replied calmly, picking up the menu.
"Ah, then what's your level now?" Wang Pan asked with interest, clasping his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, he's definitely not stronger than Mu Bai, nowhere near," Zhao Kunsan chuckled, but then quickly looked at me with caution. Does he really think I'll argue with him again?
"You're right, Kunsan, strangely enough, my cultivation is slightly behind Mu Bai's," I replied with a smile, although in reality it surpasses it, or if lightning and wind are considered one, then it's equal, but they don't need to know that.
"Hahaha, I knew it. You only know how to argue, but you're a complete novice in development," Kunsan chuckled, smiling smugly. What can you do if this person can only hide behind others' successes to raise his status?
"Actually, we were in the arena before this meeting, and Jiaxing Yun defeated me, while holding back his strength," Mu Bai said calmly, taking a sip of green tea.
"Really?" Wang Pan was surprised. "I fought with you, Mu Bai, and you are very strong, especially your unique style of using the ice prison. If you had entered the university, you would definitely have become one of the best."
"I saw it with my own eyes," Zhou Ming said calmly. "Jiaxing Yun's strength and experience far surpass mine and Mu Bai's combined."
"That can't be, where did he gain such experience? You go on duty every week, fighting monsters, and he disappeared who knows where during the catastrophe!" Zhao Kunsan objected, with clear displeasure.
"I'm a hunter, so I gained experience during missions," I shrugged. "Mu Bai, why didn't you go to university? With your strength, it's quite easy, and you can get a lot of resources that will advance your development. Perhaps you'll even be given an ice spiritual seed," I said, still wanting to send him to university.
From the canon, I knew that he would not enter it, working with Mu He on the family business to restore the Mu family's trust. Even so, he achieved great success, motivated by the Xi'an catastrophe, he made a great leap forward. Now his motivation is also strong, so if he has more resources, he can reach incredible heights. I need all of them to become much stronger, then the trials that await them will be much easier.
"I had to help Uncle Mu He build the family business, and now I'm spending a lot of energy to maintain it," he said with a slightly sad voice. I looked at Zhou Ming, trying to convey to her that she should say something in support of my idea. After all, when two or more people negotiate, it is much more effective.
"Mu Bai, your business is developing steadily now, why don't you try to enter this year? With your talents, you can combine both activities," Zhou Ming said, not immediately, but understanding my plan. "In the institute, the issuance of resources depends on the rating, which in turn depends on how many monsters you can kill during duty. With your strength, you will quickly rise to the top, and the first fifty are given pieces of the spiritual seed."
"Yes, Master Mu Bai, why don't you go to university? Show everyone who is truly talented and earn a good reputation for the Mu family," Zhao Kunsan intervened in the negotiation, caught up in the general flow of conversation.
"This will be a good way for you to become stronger," Wang Pan also added his two cents. "We are too weak; our development is not enough to enter the university, so quite a few students from there mock us, saying that the refugees of the city of Bo are incapable of anything. If you enter there, everyone will immediately shut up when they see your strength."
"Yes, that's the absolute truth; they even constantly laugh at me, saying I'm useless and should just stay home. Although I've already reached the intermediate level!" Zhou Ming slammed the table. Apparently, my intervention was not particularly needed; one push and so many words followed, supporting my aspiration, simply wonderful.
"Okay, I'll try, but if something goes wrong with the family business, I'll drop out of university immediately," Mu Bai surrendered under such pressure. "By the way, Jiaxing Yun, you said you're a hunter, what's your rank?"
"Huh?" I was surprised by the abrupt change of topic. "I'm a high-ranking hunter, why?" I answered calmly, as there was no point in hiding it.
"What!?" everyone shouted in unison, staring at me.
"By the way, Xu Zhaoting has the same rank," I added, looking at their faces.
"How did you manage to achieve this in just a year! I communicate with many hunters, and they say that reaching the highest rank is incredibly difficult!" Zhao Kunsan said, in complete shock.
"Well, he and I worked hard," I shrugged. At that moment, Mu Bai's phone rang; he apologized and stepped aside. I strained all my hearing to hear what and with whom he was talking.
"Hello, tea boy, we're with the monkey, He Yu, and Xu Zhaoting in Xi'an, can you give us a tour?" a cheerful voice came from the phone. It was Mo Fan. What a coincidence, they also arrived, but why?
"Huh? You're here too? What happened?" Mu Bai asked, slightly confused, glancing at me. "And don't call me tea boy!"
"The monkey and He Yu, on the recommendation of Elder Zhang Kong, came to enter Xi'an Military University," Mo Fan answered cheerfully. I quickly remembered that the enrollment for military universities takes place a month earlier than for regular ones. So yesterday I was worried about Xiao Hou being in Xi'an at the right time, and today everything is decided, simply wonderful. "Ah, did someone else arrive?" Mo Fan added in surprise.
"Jiaxing Yun also arrived; we are sitting in a cafe with Zhou Ming, Wang Pan, and Kunsan," Mu Bai said, regaining his composure.
"What? So he's here; it took him a long time to get to Xi'an. Tell him to come up with a decent excuse, or I won't be responsible," Mo Fan laughed.
"Maybe we should meet at the city arena and you can settle it all?" Mu Bai replied with a slight smile. He clearly intended to show them all his skills.
"Okay, we'll find the place, wait for us there," Mo Fan said, hanging up the phone.
"Guys, Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, He Yu, and Xu Zhaoting have also arrived. I arranged to meet them at the city arena; are you coming?" Mu Bai asked, returning to us. "Jiaxing Yun, Mo Fan insisted that you bring him," he added with a smile.
"What? The arena again?" Zhou Ming asked in surprise, then looked at me. "If everyone is going, then I will too," she said with a hint of helplessness.
"I want to see how Jiaxing Yun proves that he can indeed defeat Mu Bai. I'm going," Zhao Kunsan said cheerfully.
"I also wouldn't refuse to meet Xu Zhaoting and see how strong he has become. I'm going," Wang Pan added. Everyone looked at me, so even if I didn't want to, I would have had to go.
"Alright, alright. I'm going too, what else can I do?" I said, raising my hands up as if surrendering.
"Great, then I'll order a taxi, otherwise they'll have to wait too long for us," Mu Bai said cheerfully. It seemed to me that he wanted to show off his skills in front of everyone, so he got the idea of bringing everyone to the arena. Although, to be honest, the fact that Xu Zhaoting, Mo Fan, and Xiao Hou have become so strong even at the time of the Gong family tournament indicates that they can all fight and even defeat Mu Bai. I wonder how strong they have become by now? And I'll probably be dragged into fighting again, possibly even against all of them in turn. Now I don't have the excuse of an injury. It's a shame they didn't bring Jiaxing Xia with them; a healing mage is very useful at such a classmate gathering.
"This looks funny, everyone gathered in Xi'an, just as they will gather a little over two years from now," Asura's thoughtful voice sounded in my head.
"Perhaps so, let's see how strong they become in two years," I replied, getting into the taxi.