Time flew by. Weeks passed without any incident. This did not bother Mu Chen, who spent his days cultivating, training his techniques and leisurely sipping tea in his garden. During this time, he had also broken through to the eighth level of the Mortal realm.

“About two more months remaining till the Annual Clan Meeting…they will likely act soon."

Mu Chen was sitting on a meditation mat inside his room, having just completed another cultivation session. Eight crystal clear spirit springs were gurgling vigorously within his body. They were ten times larger than a typical Mortal realm cultivator's spirit spring, and were also filled to the brim with supreme spirit qi.

At this time, someone knocked on his door. “Young Master, someone is here to see you.” Xiao Rou’s voice came from outside.

“Who is it?” Mu Chen asked.

“It is the Second Young Master.” Xiao Rou replied.

“Mu Heng? He actually came to me directly?” Mu Chen was mildly surprised, but also quite intrigued. Just what was Mu Heng planning?

“Alright, I’m coming.” Mu Chen made his way to the front yard with Xiao Rou.

A white robed, tall, handsome youth with looks that eclipsed even Mu Chen’s was standing there. He had a graceful and elegant bearing, with a gentle smile on his face. The youth looked so harmless it seemed like he could not even hurt a fly. This person was of course Mu Heng, his cousin.

“Big brother Mu Heng, what brings you here?” Mu Chen smiled warmly as he bowed in greeting.

“Haha, Little Brother Mu Chen, does your big brother need a reason to come and see how you are doing?”

“Of course not, big brother can come visit anytime, and this little brother shall always welcome you. Would you like to come in?”

“Perhaps next time, this time I am here to invite Little Brother Mu Chen over to my residence.” Mu Heng chuckled.

He then leaned over and spoke in a low voice. “Little Brother Mu Chen, I have recently come across a jar of premium Nine Fragrance Wine. I know you love wine very much, so I am inviting you over to have some with me. Don’t tell anyone else!”

“Quite intelligent. The previous Mu Chen had never had any direct conflict with Mu Heng, nor did he involve himself with clan affairs much, so he would never suspect that Mu Heng had malicious intent. Even offering free wine on top of that?”

“Of course I shall accept! Big brother really is a generous man. Come, let’s go right now!” Mu Chen said enthusiastically as he put his best acting skills on display.

Mu Chen instructed Xiao Rou to stay behind as he accompanied Mu Heng back to his residence.

Along the way, they strangely did not see even a shadow of anyone else. This was because Mu Heng had already tasked his followers in advance to clear the route that they would be taking of people, so that no one would see him together with Mu Chen. As Mu Heng walked together with Mu Chen, he chatted with him and made small talk, all while maintaining the kind, warm smile on his face.

Mu Chen also had a wide grin as he talked with Mu Heng, raving excitedly about the premium wine he was about to taste.

“This guy’s acting skills are pretty good. He’s also intelligent and talented.” Mu Heng was starting to remind Mu Chen of himself when he was younger. If he came across Mu Heng in his past life, he would definitely have taken him in as a disciple.

The pair soon arrived at Mu Heng's courtyard.

Mu Heng brought Mu Chen into a lavishly decorated side room. Inside was an ornate antique table and a few chairs. They sat down and Mu Heng ordered a servant to fetch the wine.

Soon, the servant returned, gingerly carrying a small jug of wine in his hand. He carefully placed it down on the table and proceeded to pour two cups of wine.

The moment the servant uncorked the jug of wine, an overwhelming alcoholic fragrance permeated the air, washing over everyone present.

"Sniff sniff. This...this really is Nine Fragrance Wine! Good!" Mu Chen sniffed the air like a dog, still caught up in his act.

Mu Heng also inhaled deeply, seemingly enjoying the exquisite fragrance. He let out a satisfied sigh.

"I'm glad little brother Mu Chen likes it! When I laid eyes upon this wine, I knew I had to get it for you to try!" He smiled warmly.

"Hahahah! big brother Mu Heng really treats me well! Anything you need, you can come and find me, I will help you!" Mu Chen roared with laughter.

"I will take you up on that offer!" Mu Heng also laughed.

"Come, let's drink!" He raised his cup.

"Drink, drink!" Mu Chen laughed and did the same.

Both of them gulped down the wine in unison.

"Ah, magnificent wine!" Mu Chen praised.

"Indeed, indeed!" Mu Heng nodded.

Suddenly, Mu Chen started to feel a little dizzy.

"Huh? Am I drunk already?" He mumbled while massaging his temples. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton and his head was spinning.

"What's wrong little brother? Is your alcohol tolerance so low?" Mu Heng asked in a concerned tone.

Mu Chen slumped onto the table, knocking over the empty wine cup. He had fallen unconscious.

Mu Heng poked him a few times, then smiled evilly. He snapped his fingers and the servant from before ran over. He grabbed Mu Chen by the legs and dragged him into another room, out of sight. There were some rustling noises after.

The servant ran back to Mu Heng after finishing his task and knelt down.

"Everything has been done as the Young Master has instructed." The servant said.

"Good. As promised, this is your reward." Mu Heng tossed the servant a small pouch.

The servant could see through the top that it was filled with gold coins. He estimated that there were around fifteen to twenty coins inside.

Gold was currency that was used by mortals, but cultivators also sometimes used it as well. For a mere servant, this amount of gold coins could last him for decades. The servant's pay was calculated in bronze coins after all. A hundred bronze coins made up a silver coin, and ten silver coins made up a gold coin.

"Thank you young master, thank you!" The servant knelt down and kowtowed.

"Now take your family and leave this city. I don't want to see your face ever again for the rest of my life."

"I understand! I shall leave right away!"

"Remember, if you tell anyone about this, I will kill your entire family, and then you. Understood?" Mu Heng's voice dripped with malice as he slowly said each word.

"Yes, young master! This servant's lips are sealed!" The servant shivered as he nearly soiled himself from fear.

"Leave." Mu Heng waved his hand.

The servant heaved a sigh of relief and turned to leave. Just as he was about to step through the door, a hand clamped onto the top of his head.

"W-what are you-" The servant started.

The claw-like hand started emitting a dark, evil aura. Its grip tightened like a steel vice.

Crack! A sickening crunch echoed through the room. The servant's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground with his eyes wide open in shock and blood trickling out from his nose. He was dead.

Mu Heng's handsome face was devoid of emotion as he bent down and picked up the pouch of gold coins and weighed it in his hand. He acted like he had just squashed a bug, rather than taken a human life.

He stepped over the servant's lifeless body and entered the side room, looking down at the unconscious Mu Chen lying at his feet.

"Little brother Mu Chen, for my father to become patriarch, you must die."

At this time, there were three sharp knocks at the door. Mu Heng tidied his robes and walked out.

Waiting outside the door was a tall woman. Although her looks were only average, she had the perfect body. Long legs, slim waist, wide hips, a plump behind and a bountiful chest.

This woman was named Mu Lanyue, and she was one of the guard captains in charge of security within the Mu residence. Although she was already twenty seven years old, she was still at the ninth level of the Mortal realm.

Despite her poor talent, the higher ups of the Mu Clan decided to keep her around thanks to her leadership skills, so she still had her uses.

"Lanyue, you're finally here. Please, come in." Mu Heng gestured for her to enter.

He waited for Mu Lanyue to walk in before shutting the door.

"Is everything ready?" He asked in a low voice.

"Yes, Young Master. I have already arranged it so that there will be a short delay in the change of shifts at midnight tonight at the south gate." Mu Lanyue nodded.

"Good…" Mu Heng let out a deep breath.

Mu Lanyue swayed her hips as she walked over to Mu Heng and held his arm, putting it against her bountiful chest. The collar of her robes shifted a little, showing off her deep valley.

Mu Heng glanced down at them. Although he maintained a straight face, his eyes blazed with lust.

"Young Master, there are still six hours to go until then. For now...why don't you relax a little?" She said in a coquettish tone as she held his arm even tighter and stroked his chest with one finger.

Mu Heng wordlessly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Loud, seductive moans could be heard coming from the room a few minutes later.