Kicking a Downed Clan
“Feng Mu is missing?” Mu Rongxuan exclaimed, shocked. “Uncle Mu! Have you seen the young man who came back with me?”
“No, Young Master Rongxuan.”
“How do you not know? Didn’t I tell you to treat him as an honour guest?”
“I apologise, Young Master. I can say with my head held high that I did not slack off. I saw him yesterday evening, but he was gone this afternoon,” Uncle Mu bowed and explained.
“What happened? Why are you scolding Uncle Mu?” Mu Tianhe approached and asked, visibly stressed out.
“Dad… The young man I brought back with me did not just save us on the way back but also was the one who saved Hao from Mu Santu. He was the one who erased Mu Santu’s cultivation.”
“Feng Mu was?! He’s a Body Severing Realm cultivator? Why did you lie to me when I asked?!”
“He asked me to keep it a secret because he did not want more trouble for himself. Perhaps he is worried about Sikong Clan…”
“Why would you hide something so important?! Why would you blame Uncle Mu? He’s been toiling diligently for us for decades and never made a single error. You, on the other hand, just made a blunder!”
“I am to blame, Patriarch. Please do not blame Young Master,” Uncle Mu defended.
“It’s not your fault at all.” Mu Tianhe exhaled toward the sky. “Perhaps fate is insistent on wiping us out. I think our days are numbered. I guess we should let Feng Mu go, lest we drag him into our mess, too.”
Mu Mingda came jogging over and reported, “Dad, there are a group of businessman outside of Spirit Stone Bank. They are asking to withdraw all of their spirit stones at once, but we don’t have enough to repay them all of a sudden. We are on the cusp of bankruptcy now.”
“Follow me!”
Mu Tianhe rushed to Spirit Stone Bank, Mu Clan’s cornerstone business, at once with his son. The majority of the men crowding outside the bank were businessmen who did business with cultivators. Since Mu Clan was facing a financial crisis, they lost trust in Mu Clan and wanted to withdraw their savings. They were shouting and trying to force their way in until someone hollered, “Mu Clan’s patriarch has arrived.”
The group spun around and a bearded man started waving his savings sheet in Mu Tianhe’s face. “Patriarch Mu, are you planning to waltz off with all of our savings?”
“Please calm down first. I will not betray your trust. By the same account, I will not take a single spirit stone of yours.”
“Glad to hear that. I trusted you with ten thousand spirit stones. After accounting for interest, that should be 10,500 spirit stones. I want to withdraw it all now. Can you do it?”
“Gentlemen, rest assured we will not cost you a spirit stone. We are facing a bit of a problem at the moment, however, so I would like to ask for a few days’ time. I promise to give you everything we ought to give you.” Mu Tianhe forced a smile and bowed.
“Patriarch Mu, you can’t fool us. You can’t even give us a single spirit stone right now, can you? I heard your clan is done for.”
“That is a laughable unfounded claim. Our issue is merely transient,” denied Mu Tianhe.
“Really? Could you please pay us the 1,500,000 spirit stones you owe our herb store, then?”
Everyone made way for the person who demanded Mu Clan settle their tab.
Gu Hongyi flaunted his extravagant robe, Body Severing Realm Second Layer cultivation and ambled over. Mu Tianhe wasn’t happy to see the middle-aged Gu Hongyi whatsoever for he could tell the latter was trying to kick them while they were down.
“Patriarch Gu, did we not agree that we would settle it next year?”
Smirking, Gu Hongyi replied, “As a forthright man, I shall not beat around the bush. I doubt you even have ten thousand spirit stones for us. I do not want to be a victim of your problem. Everyone already knows Mu Clan is an empty shell. Either you settle your tab today, or you give us your bank as compensation.”
Mu Tianhe suppressed the fire he wanted to blow in Gu Hongyi’s face and politely requested, “Patriarch Gu, could you take into consideration our fathers’ friendship and be more lenient? We will find a way to pay you as long as y-”
“I almost forgot about their friendship, hahaha. I remember my father wanted to become in-laws with you, true?”
“Indeed. Mu Hao and your daughter Qiaowei are engaged. Could be give us some more time in consideration of their engagement?”
“You want me to marry into a bankrupt clan, old man?” Gu Qiaowei, who started developing physically despite being the same age as Mu Hao, scornfully mocked.
“Qiaowei, that’s no way to speak to your future grandpa-in-law.”
“You want me to join your broke clan? I came here to cancel our engagement,” Gu Qiaowei announced.
It was quite clear Gu Clan was deliberately adding insult to injury and wanted to do so publicly. Morally speaking, there was a case to be made about Gu Clan having an obligation to help Mu Clan in times of crisis. That being said, it was the same as asking someone to lie down with you just because you fell over and then calling them out for not suffering with you because they didn’t want to suffer with you. Needless to say, Mu Hao was going to really cop it out in public henceforth.
“Gu Hongyi, I do hope your daughter is only speaking in jest!”
Gu Hongyi cracked a smile, “But she is not. I stand by her. Cancel the marriage, and I shall pretend the tab never existed and cover your debts.”
If the businesses could get back their spirit stones, of course they’d side with Gu Hongyi. Unsurprisingly, someone suggested, “Just cancel it! It’s the best option for everyone!”
Standing in the crowd, Mu Yu asked himself, Do I really need to stick up for Mu Clan after all they did to my mother and I?
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