Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Who Sent the Assassin?

At the time, he thought his little brother must have sent the message by mistake. He was about to make a call and ask about the situation, but before he could even send it, his Contractor, Hua Guying, suddenly appeared. She dragged him here to attend to her, then found an excuse to give him a harsh punishment. He was only just now able to catch his breath.

Chen Hui opened the communication from his father and asked in as steady a voice as he could manage, "Father, is something wrong?"

The moment Wang Mu heard Chen Hui’s voice, he knew he was injured, though it didn’t sound too serious. "Did your brother reveal any information to you? About that Contractor of his?" Wang Mu asked, lowering his voice.

"He did mention it yesterday," Chen Hui also said in a low voice. "He said his Contractor’s Spiritual Power Level has advanced to B-rank, and she passed the Advanced Alchemist exam. She’s going to Central Star to participate in the alchemy competition first, and after that, she’ll enroll in the Central Star Military Academy."

When Wang Mu heard this, his heart hammered in his chest. He let out a long breath and mechanically forced a smile onto his face. Then, thinking the stiff expression might be frightening, he let it drop. He didn’t dare look in Ning Xuan’s direction and quietly began to back away. Regardless of whether the information from his eldest son was true, Lin Mo’s attitude toward Ning Xuan was clear for all to see. It was not wise for him to linger and cause trouble here today.

He had heard from Bai Xiuying that Chen Nan had appeared and had immediately rushed over to show his support for the Bai Family. ’Thinking about it now, my actions today were a bit rash!’

’Even if I was going to take Chen Nan away, I shouldn’t have done it in such a public place—let alone right in front of Ning Xuan!’

"Since you got the news yesterday, why didn’t you tell me?" Wang Mu complained.

"Father, I would’ve told you if I could have found the time!" Chen Hui shifted, aggravating the wounds on his back. He let out a sharp hiss, sucking in a breath of cold air from the pain.

Wang Mu quietly left with his men. Chen Nan breathed a sigh of relief. The City Guard had already cleared away the surrounding crowd, but many of the shops along the street had a clear view of their location. Figures bustled behind several windows, obviously watching them.

"Miss Ning, this child, Lin Mo, is completely devoted to you. Perhaps there have been some misunderstandings before. Shall we find a place to sit down and have a proper chat?" A figure in red, Zhu Hongying, approached from the distance. Her form flickered, and in just a few steps, she was before Ning Xuan. This movement technique left Ning Xuan stunned.

Ning Xuan gazed at the woman in red before her. This was the most stunning woman she had seen since arriving in this world. She wore a long, red dress that couldn’t conceal her slender, graceful figure. Her skin was as fair as jade, her eyes almond-shaped, and her lips the color of cherries. Her features were delicate and gentle. Her hair was the color of fire, and a brilliant, gorgeous flame-shaped mark was dotted on her forehead. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Beautiful things were meant to be admired. The sudden appearance of this beauty calmed Ning Xuan’s agitated mood slightly. She smiled faintly. ’It would be good to find a place and clear things up.’

So, Ning Xuan nodded. At Zhu Hongying’s suggestion, the group went to an elegant tea house located nearby. Ning Xuan had never seen a tea house on D618 Star; she hadn’t expected to encounter one so soon after arriving on Central Star.

The tea house wasn’t crowded. It was composed of small, soundproofed private rooms, which made it exceptionally quiet. They chose a room deeper inside. Zhu Hongying and Ning Xuan sat on a sofa, while Chen Nan and Lin Mo stood beside them.

"Do you have any flavor preferences, Miss Ning?" Zhu Hongying asked.

"I haven’t had any before, but I can pick a flavor? I’d like one with a clear, jade-green liquor that’s fragrant, has a sweet aftertaste, and isn’t astringent." Ning Xuan had drunk many types of tea before—green, white, red, and black tea, she’d tried them all. However, her favorite was still the Cloud and Mist tea grown in the Lu Mountain region after the resurgence of Spiritual Energy.

But she truly had never experienced the tea here. Judging from the photos hanging in the tea house, though, it seemed they had green tea.

Zhu Hongying nodded and tapped a few times on her Light Computer. Soon, a server brought the tea.

Chen Nan and Lin Mo poured tea for the two women.

"Miss Ning, allow me to introduce myself. I am the mother of your other Contractor, Yun Han. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak with you privately," Zhu Hongying said to Ning Xuan, her tone sincere.

Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Lin Mo beside her. Zhu Hongying had just appeared to help Lin Mo out of his predicament; she had assumed Zhu Hongying was one of Lin Mo’s elders.

Zhu Hongying saw Ning Xuan’s confusion and smiled lightly. "Little Mo calls me ’Auntie.’ He’s my younger brother’s son."

Ning Xuan’s hand trembled as she held her tea, and she looked at Zhu Hongying with some suspicion. ’No wonder their Companion Spirits are both White Tigers. So they’re related by blood! Lin Mo and Yun Han are actually cousins!’

"If you’re all one family, then... Sister, you must know who sent the assassins from the Slaughter Pavilion to kill me, right?" Ning Xuan’s expression remained impassive, but inwardly she was growing nervous.

’I shouldn’t have been so charmed by her beauty and followed her to a private space like this. The combined Combat Power of Zhu Hongying and Lin Mo would absolutely crush me and Chen Nan. If those two decided to make a move, we would be no match for them!’

"I know. The matter of the assassins has nothing to do with the two brothers, Little Mo and Little Han. It was me. I was momentarily possessed and made a terrible mistake," Zhu Hongying said, full of shame.

’The first time I saw Ning Xuan, I liked her very much. I could also vaguely sense that her bloodline level was very high. If only I hadn’t sent people to assassinate her, how wonderful that would have been!’

Ning Xuan looked at her skeptically. Although this was her first time meeting Zhu Hongying, she didn’t feel like she was the type of person to resort to underhanded schemes. Ning Xuan used to be a cultivator, and her intuition about people was very sharp.

"Miss Ning, I am willing to pay any price to compensate for your emotional distress. You may choose anything from the treasury on Seven Star Divine Mountain. I know that mere material possessions cannot make up for the harm this has caused you, so I can also promise you three things in the name of the Zhu Family and the Yun Family. If you ever run into trouble, come to me, and I will use the full power of both our clans to solve your problems. If you have any other requests, please don’t hesitate to name them!" Zhu Hongying said to Ning Xuan with utmost sincerity.

Ning Xuan was tempted by the offer. The Zhu Family and the Yun Family were both counted among the Four Great Divine Clans, so Zhu Hongying’s promise carried significant weight. However, she still didn’t believe that Zhu Hongying was the one who had sent the assassins to kill her.

"To be honest, Sister, I don’t think you were the one who sent the assassins. I believe it was someone else. However, as long as the compensation is sufficient, this matter isn’t something I can’t let go of. But regarding my request to terminate the contract, my mind is made up. Please, Sister, don’t try to persuade me otherwise." Ning Xuan’s meaning was clear: compensation was compensation, and terminating the contract was terminating the contract. The two were separate issues and should not be conflated.

The moment Ning Xuan finished speaking, Lin Mo could no longer hold back. He stiffened his neck, a defiant light flashing in his eyes, and said firmly, "Lord Contract Master, I refuse to accept this!"