Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return

Throughout their conversation, neither of them mentioned the 200,000 taels of silver. In light of the grand plans of the Zhao Family, such a sum was not even worth mentioning.

...

At daybreak, Mu Hanyan and the others had finished packing and were ready to set out.

Mu Rui’an, the two elders, and other family members also came to see them off.

”Take care on your journey,” Mu Rui’an said to Mu Hanyan with his usual cold indifference, but only Mu Hanyan could detect the deep concern hidden in his words.

”Mhm, I know,” Mu Hanyan replied in a similarly detached tone, yet nodded emphatically.

”As you leave the confines of Heishi City, this trip will be different... you need to... never mind, I won’t say more, just take care of yourself,” the Third Elder struggled to say his farewell, intending to offer some advice, but with so many onlookers, he didn’t want to undermine Mu Hanyan’s face, especially since he was leading the team. It was important for the leader to maintain his authority, so the elder fumbled and concluded with a simple wish for self-care.

”Don’t worry, Third Elder, I will restrain myself and make sure to bring Fourth Uncle back to you safely,” Mu Hanyan assured with full confidence.

”Boasting shamelessly,” Mu Feng commented coldly from the back of the crowd.

”Seeing this confidence in you brings great comfort to your Grandpa,” said the Second Elder with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes.

It was clear to everyone that the Second Elder had no faith in Mu Hanyan and was merely waiting for him to return to be disciplined by the family law. For a moment, everyone looked at the chosen Mu Family’s younger members, who would be bearing the brunt of any potential failures along with Mu Hanyan, with eyes filled with sympathy.

Someone sighed, and the group, now spiritless, mounted their horses and followed Mu Hanyan as they galloped off towards the distant lands.

Xiuzhou City was nearly ten thousand miles away from Heishi City. Although the Mu Family had selected the finest horses, which were far superior to ordinary steeds and even bore a slight bump on their foreheads resembling the mythical Exotic Beasts, they were not true Exotic Beasts, and their pace was limited. At most, they could cover six to seven hundred miles a day, so it would take at least twenty days to reach Xiuzhou City.

Therefore, not long after leaving the city, Mu Hanyan and the others slowed their pace.

Mu Hanyan admired the passing scenery while pondering her thoughts. Ever since she had learned the Star Illusion Thousand Machine Technique from Qu Shanling, her cultivation speed had improved exponentially. As the Hand Formation became more proficient and better integrated with the Heavenly Heart Technique, her cultivation speed the previous night had increased by more than a hundredfold.

At this rate, she felt hopeful about reaching the Sword Master Realm before her sixteenth birthday. Then, she would be able to return to the Capital and personally ask her grandfather about the secrets of her origin.

The thought made Mu Hanyan happy, and her anticipation grew. A smile unwittingly spread across her face.

But to others, that smile appeared as if the Big Playboy Mu was plotting something nefarious. It was no wonder they thought so; in their eyes, Big Playboy Mu was a troublemaker, arrogant and unruly, with a lawless streak in Heishi City but still reined in by the family. Now that he had left Heishi City, with the Emperor far away, could it be that he was about to create big trouble?

The Mu Family’s Disciples pondered that while Mu Hanyan’s recent changes were truly significant, and perhaps to others he seemed the same playboy, they could clearly see that the current Mu Hanyan was entirely different from the legendary playboy of the past.

Such a transformation might be a sudden maturation of his wisdom and character, but it couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was pretending to be sensible to deceive the family. Once outside of Heishi City and free from the family’s constraints, it was feared he might revert to his old ways, more extreme than before.

Thus, when the Mu Family’s Disciples saw Mu Hanyan’s smile, they couldn’t help feeling worried. They pulled on the reins to slow their horses and fell behind, whispering amongst themselves.