The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

The seaside courtyard is indeed a bit cramped.

In the courtyard, Mu family disciples kept coming and going, each with hurried steps and solemn expressions.

Mu Fangxu stood in front of the stone table in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by four or five people.

"How many antidotes are left in the storehouse?"

"Reporting to Senior Brother, it's less than three hundred."

"Transfer them all over," Mu Fangxu said quickly. "Also, give the Evil-Breaking Talismans and Vajra Talismans to the disciples at the front lines first."

"By the way, don't keep those high-grade magic artifacts in the storeroom. Clear them out all at once, lest you run out of time."

The disciple accepted the order and turned to run.

Mu Fangxu then looked at the other one: "Have the sentries on the west side been withdrawn?"

"They've been removed. As you instructed, they've all been replaced with warning rune arrays."

"Okay." Mu Fangxu nodded, and was about to say something when he caught a glimpse of Li Ping standing at the courtyard gate.

He glanced at the three or four people still lined up at the table, then waved to Li Ping: "Wait a minute, I have something to do right now."

After saying that, ignoring the surprised looks of the disciples, he walked up to Li Ping and grabbed his arm.

"Come on, let's talk inside."

Li Ping was dragged into the inner room by him.

Mu Fangxu closed the door, and the noise outside immediately subsided by more than half.

The two sat facing each other.

Before Mu Fangxu could speak, Li Ping said directly, "The skeletons are heading towards the market."

Upon hearing this, Mu Fangxu's tired expression was instantly replaced by astonishment.

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, "Really?"

Li Ping nodded.

Mu Fangxu immediately fell silent.

He didn't sigh or slam his fist on the table; he just pinched his brow hard, as if he were forcing the news down his throat.

After a few breaths, he raised his head.

"Since it's here, let's deal with it properly." Mu Fangxu said calmly. "I don't believe a mere skeleton can cause any trouble."

"It's gained weight," Li Ping interrupted him.

Mu Fangxu's expression shifted, and he asked疑惑地问道, "What do you mean?"

Li Ping pondered for a moment, going over Tie Fuhai's words in his mind again, and then slowly said, "That skeleton, below the waist, is no longer just bones."

"What is it?"

"Flesh and blood," Li Ping said, emphasizing each word. "Dark red flesh and blood, covered with blood vessels."

He ignored Mu Fangxu's surprise and repeated his judgment.

Upon hearing this, Mu Fangxu's mind went blank, and his calm and composed demeanor vanished completely.

Purple Mansion.

These two words were like a massive boulder, crushing him and making it hard for him to breathe.

Mu Fangxu plopped back into his chair, scratched his head vigorously, and a few stray hairs fell out, completely unaware of it.

"How did it suddenly become the Purple Mansion again..." he murmured, a hint of confusion in his voice.

After a long silence, suddenly, an old but powerful voice came from outside the door.

"What are you afraid of? I'm still here."

Li Ping and Mu Fangxu turned their heads at the same time.

An elderly man with white hair and beard entered, his figure slender but his back ramrod straight.

Mu Fangxu abruptly stood up and rushed forward, somewhat surprised, saying, "Elder, what brings you here?"

Mu Zhihe glanced at him and said unhurriedly, "What time is it? If you don't come soon, can you hold on?"

Mu Fangxu was speechless after hearing this, and could only lower his head.

Mu Zhihe ignored him and turned his gaze to Li Ping.

"Are you sure that skeleton has flesh and blood?"

Li Ping stood up and nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Before I came back, its lower body was completely restored. After so long, I don't know if its upper body has recovered."

Mu Zhihe listened expressionlessly, and after a long while, he slowly uttered a few words: "His lower body is complete with flesh and blood..."

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Li Ping: "You did a great job. Being able to detect its changes in advance is already incredibly lucky."

After saying that, he looked at Mu Fangxu and said, "I'll be sitting next door. You can do whatever you want without worry."

Upon hearing this, Mu Fangxu nodded emphatically.

Then he took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Mu Zhihe.

"Thank you, Elder."

Mu Zhihe waved his hand, turned around and left the house.

The curtain fell, but the atmosphere inside the room was completely different.

Mu Fangxu sat back down at the table, his earlier confusion and helplessness seemingly blown away by a gust of wind.

He picked up his pen, paused for a moment on the paper, and then slammed it down heavily.

A moment later, Mu Fangxu summoned a disciple and said, "Pass it down and have the Mu family disciples spread the word to everyone in the neighborhood about the white bone skeleton."

No hiding anything, no exaggeration, tell the truth.

The disciple received the order, then hesitated for a moment: "Senior brother, tell the truth?"

"Keeping things under wraps will only make people uneasy. Besides, if a real fight breaks out, they will find out sooner or later. The sooner they find out, the better prepared they will be."

After Mu Fangxu finished speaking, he added, "People in the neighborhood are free to leave or stay, and the Mu family will not stop them. However, if they stay, they must obey the unified command of the Mu family."

"Those rogue cultivators outside can also be let in, under the same conditions: they must obey orders. Anyone who disagrees can go and argue with that skeleton himself."

There are three things, but the core message is that the Mu family will not give up the market.

Then, Mu Fangxu stood up, took the sea map off the wall, and spread it on the table.

"The market town is too large; we cannot disperse our troops there."

"Divide the market into ten areas, and set up a small team to guard each area, with a captain in charge."

Mu Fangxu muttered to himself, his finger tracing the map, stopping at each spot and uttering a name.

"The East Gate is entrusted to Mu Jizhou; he's reliable."

"Ximen is handed over to Mu Guang..."

"..."

He made arrangements one by one, speaking very quickly but clearly and logically.

Each time a name was mentioned, a disciple would immediately follow and go to carry out the order.

In a short while, he summoned five Mu family disciples, each of whom received a stack of tokens and went off to notify their respective team leaders.

Li Ping stood aside, not interrupting at all.

After waiting a moment, he approached the table and scanned the sea map.

There are ten areas, and the name of the person in charge of each area is marked.

East Gate, West Gate, South Wall, North Sentinel Post, Dock, Warehouse, Array Core, Medical Hall, Reserve Team, Mobile Team.

Ten names, not one missing.

Li Ping was the only one missing.

Li Ping frowned slightly and pointed to the blank space on the map: "What about me? Which part am I responsible for?"

Mu Fangxu shook his head: "I have other plans for you."

"What arrangements?" Li Ping pressed.

You'll find out then.

Li Ping didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly.

The gaze wasn't oppressive, but it felt like a needle, making Mu Fangxu feel uneasy all over.

The two stared at each other for a few breaths before Mu Fangxu finally gave in and sighed helplessly.

"The skeleton is too powerful; I have to prepare for the worst."

Li Ping's mind raced, and he immediately guessed what he meant: "You're planning to send me away?"

Mu Fangxu did not deny it, and said calmly, "There are over a hundred Mu family disciples in the area; we can't let them all perish here."

"And you?" Li Ping asked.

Mu Fangxu gave a wry laugh and said, "If I leave, people's hearts will fall apart. Without a pillar of support, how can we face those skeletons?"

Knowing his temperament, Li Ping didn't try to persuade him, but simply asked, "Could I bring two people with me?"

Mu Fangxu was taken aback, then realized what he meant, and his expression immediately turned strange. "You mean Mu Ming and Mu Junyi?"

Li Ping nodded: "If it really comes to that, I want to take them with me."

Mu Fangxu sighed, somewhat helplessly: "How are you going to leave with two patients?"

Li Ping opened his mouth.

But Mu Fangxu didn't give him a chance to speak: "I've already spoken to He Jiu and asked him to prioritize the patients. If we really can't hold them off, He Jiu will move them into the secret passage."

Li Ping fell silent upon hearing this.

After a moment, he suddenly smiled and said, "Forget it, I'm not leaving. You can give the spot to someone else."

Mu Fangxu was taken aback, then became furious, slamming his hand on the table: "Why are you so stubborn? Do you want to die?"

"Don't worry, I won't go looking for trouble." Li Ping waved his hand, his tone calm. "I know my own limitations. If I really went up against that skeleton, ten of me wouldn't be enough for it to slap me."

But if things don't work out, I have my own ways of taking my people away.

Mu Fangxu glanced at him but didn't ask anything.

He sighed inwardly as he watched Li Ping's figure disappear.

"You stubborn coward."