Xu Mu suddenly shivered, unsure why.
Either way, he'd already given Dai Xingluo her technique and pills—no point thinking about it anymore.
At Yangshan Villa
Xu Mu walked up to the villa where Miao He lived.
Sensing her presence inside, he rang the doorbell.
Moments later, Miao He appeared in the yard.
She was still wearing denim shorts, though this time her long, white jade-like legs were covered—by black stockings.
Her appearance was the same as always: silver wavy hair covering one eye, a black teardrop mark under the other.
"Xu Mu, what do you want?"
Miao He asked coolly, opening the gate.
"How's your third boss from the Mourning Love Clan?"
Xu Mu stepped inside.
He wanted to settle this matter quickly, since their target had been Feng Yue.
"Missing. We can't reach him at all."
Miao He shook her head. "We've been looking for days."
Xu Mu nodded to himself—no wonder the punk-styled members from the nearby villas had vanished.
Just then, Miao He's phone vibrated.
She took a look and immediately answered, "What happened?"
"Second Boss! We found him—but he's dead!"
A voice came from the other end.
"Dead? Send me the location."
Miao He's expression darkened.
If he'd just told her where the Gu insects were before dying, it wouldn't have come to this.
"He's dead?" Xu Mu asked from the side.
"Yes," Miao He said, looking at him. "You coming?"
"Let's go see."
Xu Mu wanted to confirm it for himself—but in his gut, he already suspected Fang Chu.
He just didn't know what conflict had escalated between them.
Could it be that they both ingested Spring Night Grass and decided to "compare endurance"?
Miao He started her battered Wuling Hongguang minivan, and together they drove toward the mountain highway where the earlier accident had occurred.
Reaching the mountain base, several punk-styled men ran up.
"Second Boss!"
"Lead the way," Miao He ordered coldly.
"Yes!"
They led Xu Mu and Miao He deep into the forest, where a shallow pit had been dug beside a large tree.
Inside lay Zhao Pinglu, the third boss.
Miao He narrowed her eyes, and a butterfly appeared from her body—its colorful wings glowing faintly.
It landed on the corpse's arm and began to gnaw.
When she raised her hand, the butterfly fluttered back to her palm.
"He's been dead for several days. Everyone, head back. I'll inform the First Boss."
"Yes!"
The others bowed respectfully before leaving.
Once they were gone, Miao He looked to Xu Mu.
"Who do you think killed him?"
"When we left, only he and Fang Chu were together. It must've been him," Xu Mu replied. "It's a remote area—no one else around."
"Maybe. He did deserve to die, but we lost a strong fighter because of it."
Miao He snapped a few photos and sent them to her superior, Forgetting Love, the First Boss.
"What should we do with the body?" Xu Mu asked. "Bury him again?"
"You seem to know what I'm planning."
Miao He smiled faintly.
"You Gu cultivators always handle bodies that way, don't you?"
Xu Mu remembered from the original story that Gu masters often let their insects consume corpses until nothing remained.
Miao He walked to the body and pulled out a jade vial.
Uncorking it, she poured out a black, smoke-like substance that drifted down over the corpse.
The body began decomposing at a visible rate—even the bones dissolved.
"That's not one of your usual Gu insects, is it?" Xu Mu asked.
"You're right. The ones on me are picky eaters—they don't like corpses. But these flesh-eating Gu just had their meal, and now my butterflies get to enjoy their favorite dessert."
With a fluttering sound, dozens of butterflies burst from her body—each with unique colors and patterns.
They dove into the black smoke and devoured it completely before returning to her.
Xu Mu gave a thumbs-up.
"I've always thought Gu masters were gross, but at least you're not stomach-turning to watch."
"Gross? Insects are adorable."
Miao He rolled her eyes and turned to leave.
Xu Mu shoved his hands in his pockets and followed.
"So the Third Boss's mission can't be completed, right?"
"Correct. We'll report to the First Boss and cancel it."
Miao He glanced at him. "You're a mysterious man, Xu Mu. We don't want to mess with you."
"That's what makes us friends."
Xu Mu smiled.
With the Mourning Love Clan out of the picture, Feng Yue would be safe for now.
Xu Mu drove off. He had planned to check in on the Chai family, but on the way, he spotted a familiar figure—
Chen Xuan.
He was running down the street with a fertilizer sack slung over his shoulder.
Xu Mu rolled down the window and called out,
"Old Chen! What are you doing?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Xuan vaulted over the guardrail and ran up to the car.
Xu Mu unlocked the doors, and Chen Xuan climbed into the back seat, slamming the door shut.
"Brother Mu, drive! Now!"
Xu Mu hit the gas. "What happened?"
"I saw something I shouldn't have—someone's trying to kill me!"
As the car sped off, Chen Xuan exhaled shakily. "I was at a hotel rooftop last night. I opened the door just a crack and saw a woman… killing a man."
"Then?" Xu Mu pressed.
"She saw me—and chased me all night!"
Xu Mu frowned and pulled into a roadside parking space.
"Did she see your face?"
"Yeah."
"And you saw hers?"
"Also yeah."
"Pretty?"
"Long hair, beautiful as hell," Chen Xuan said after a pause.
"Oh, then it's fine."
Xu Mu waved dismissively.
If his instincts were right, that woman was probably part of Chen Xuan's future harem.
He'd gone to the rooftop for some air and ran into her—that was fate.
She was beautiful, so odds were good she'd end up on his side eventually.
With Chen Xuan's Fate Level, there was no way he'd die to a woman.
"Brother, what the hell do you mean by that? Just because she's pretty doesn't mean I'm safe! I don't wanna die under a peony! My heart already belongs to my senior sister!"
Chen Xuan looked at him, panicked.
"You misunderstood. What I mean is—" Xu Mu narrowed his eyes, voice low.
"I'll handle it."
He turned toward Chen Xuan.
"Where is she now?"
"Holy crap, bro—"
Chen Xuan's face turned white as he pointed out the window.
A woman was standing right there, watching them.