"What? You like someone from our organization? Who? Don't tell me it's Fan Shiyu?"
Yun Wu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I don't even know who it is," Xu Mu replied, shaking his head. "Forget it, I'll just tell you the truth."
Yun Wu took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down and listen seriously.
"I often donate to orphanages," Xu Mu said. "I know quite a few of the directors, and some of them told me that there's a group called Moonlight Dancer that's made large donations."
He looked at her. "Later, I realized that in many orphanages, I could find traces of this group's generosity."
Hearing that, Yun Wu suddenly understood.
She had specifically instructed her subordinates to donate anonymously—but apparently, someone had leaked the name.
Still, she could understand it. There were few people who truly did good deeds without leaving their name. Most preferred others to know about it.
"I don't know for sure if it was your organization, or who exactly made the donations," Xu Mu continued. "But because the name matched, I developed a natural sense of goodwill toward you all."
He smiled faintly. "I figured the person making those donations must be a kind and beautiful elder sister—a goddess in my heart. I've admired her ever since."
That was the real reason Xu Mu hadn't killed Yun Wu.
Her storyline was brief, but every detail fit his tastes perfectly—especially her principle of never killing the innocent.
Most of the money Yun Wu earned went not into luxury, but to maintaining her organization's basic needs and buying rare cultivation materials. The rest, she donated.
She herself was an orphan—she didn't even know who her parents were.
Perhaps because of that, she had always been sympathetic toward those who grew up the same way.
And that was why Xu Mu had shown her mercy again and again.
[Favorability +1]
Yun Wu's eyes flickered. She hadn't expected Xu Mu's restraint to be because of something like that.
"You… also donate to orphanages often?" she asked softly.
She was beginning to realize that the information about Xu Mu she'd received was far from accurate.
Those reports called him a good-for-nothing playboy.
But could a "good-for-nothing" really reach the Mystic Art Realm at his age?
Obviously, Xu Mu had been hiding his true strength all along.
"Yeah, I do what I can," Xu Mu said. "They're all pitiful people—they deserve kindness."
And he wasn't lying.
Back when he'd worked a miserable nine-to-five job, earning a pittance, he'd still donated twenty yuan a month. It wasn't much, but it was his way of building karma.
Ironically, since transmigrating into this wealthy world, he hadn't donated again.
[Favorability +5]
Yun Wu dabbed her eyes with her sleeve. Thinking back now, she realized she'd been in the wrong.
She had tried to kill him, yet he hadn't taken revenge—he'd only "checked for weapons," and that was it.
And he had given her a chance to walk away.
If she had done what Fan Shiyu did and simply left, nothing would have happened.
In the end, this was all her fault.
"Xu Mu," Yun Wu said after taking a deep breath, "delete that video, and we'll call it even."
"You delete it yourself, so you don't have to worry about whether I did."
Xu Mu unlocked his phone and handed it to her.
Yun Wu nodded slightly. When she saw the video on-screen, her cheeks flushed red.
Thank goodness it was dark outside—the night hid her embarrassment.
"Could you find out who made those donations?" Xu Mu asked with a smile.
Yun Wu froze. "W-why do you want to know?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"She's my goddess," Xu Mu said, raising his head with a faint smile. "I want to meet her."
"What if she's not pretty?"
"As long as her heart is beautiful, that's enough."
[Favorability +10]
Yun Wu lowered her head slightly, unsure of what she was feeling.
She had always hated men.
The director at her orphanage once told her that a woman had brought her there—and that her mother was from the Dragon Nation.
That meant her father had to be a foreigner who had abandoned her mother after getting her pregnant.
But that wasn't even the worst of it.
Her greatest trauma came from witnessing an old man—someone who came to "adopt" a child—touching one of the little girls inappropriately.
That disgusting grin on his face had scarred her for life.
Ever since then, even shaking hands with a man made her skin crawl.
But tonight… something was different.
For the first time, the man in front of her didn't seem disgusting at all.
When Xu Mu took back the phone, his fingers brushed the back of her hand.
A current ran through her body—not discomfort, but warmth.
She blinked, confused. Did I eat too much instant food? Am I hallucinating?
"How about we exchange contact info?" Xu Mu asked. "If you find out who she is, let me know."
Seeing her dazed, he added, "If you don't want to, that's fine too."
"I'll add you," Yun Wu said quickly. "I'll help investigate."
She didn't even know why she agreed—she'd wanted to kill him moments ago.
After exchanging contacts, Xu Mu took out Feng Kang's phone, preparing to mark the mission as completed.
"Wait," Yun Wu said. "Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts has a verification system—to prevent people from faking missions. Better do it properly."
Xu Mu thought for a second, then smiled. "Easy. Give me a minute."
He went back into the villa, and soon returned—with a deep, realistic cut painted on his neck, blood-red and convincing.
Being an artist, he'd made it look perfect.
He lay down on the grass. "Go on—take the photo and upload it."
Yun Wu hesitated. Seeing him like that, she suddenly felt she owed him a favor.
"I'm leaving. Contact me if you need me again."
After uploading the picture, Yun Wu turned and left quickly—as if escaping.
Xu Mu exhaled deeply. One problem solved.
Back inside, he washed up and headed to the living room.
"Brother-in-law, what's going on?" Ye Yu rushed over. "Was that a love feud? What did you do to her?"
"You know nothing," Xu Mu said, rubbing her head into a messy bird's nest.
He sat on the sofa and motioned for Ye Tong to come closer.
Ye Tong sat beside him, and Ye Yu squeezed in on his other side.
Xu Mu gave them a summarized version of the incident—carefully skipping the important details.
"So that's how it was! The Fengs are awful!" Ye Yu said angrily.
"But you two were smart," Xu Mu said with a grin. "Staying still was the right move. If you'd revealed your martial strength, it wouldn't have been just ropes holding you."
"That was Xiaoyu's idea," Ye Tong said with a smile. "She noticed how strong that woman was and told me to stay calm and wait."
"Clever girl," Xu Mu said, tapping Ye Yu's nose.
Ye Yu raised her chin proudly—then sniffed. "Brother-in-law, why does this sofa smell weird?"
Xu Mu tensed. Damn it, Feng Yue…
"It's like… another woman's perfume," Ye Yu said suspiciously. "No, wait—it's kind of a bad smell!"
"Probably that assassin," Xu Mu said calmly. "She sat there earlier."
"Yeah, she did," Ye Tong confirmed.
Ye Yu nodded, seemingly satisfied.
News of the Feng family scandal spread across Jiangbei like wildfire.
A top-tier conglomerate collapsing in disgrace sent shockwaves through the entire business world.
At the Guo family estate in Jiang City, Guo Xiao was discussing the next move with her mother.
Everyone could see it—since the Feng family had fallen, the Xu family would surely rise to take their place.
Given Guo Xiao's friendly relationship with Xu Mu, she planned to visit tomorrow to propose a partnership.
The Feng family's downfall had left a vacuum—and the Guos intended to claim their share.
Just then, a man in a casual suit walked into the villa's living room.
It was Fang Chu, the live-in son-in-law.
He opened a cabinet, grabbed a bottle of red wine, and poured himself a glass.
"Who let you in here?" Guo Xiao's mother, Zhao Ju, demanded coldly.
"You blind old hag," Fang Chu said lazily, crossing his legs on the sofa. "That's no way to talk to me."