It turns out, they were the main characters.

"Uncle Gongsun, I'm sorry to disturb your rest so late," Mu Zhian said respectfully, adopting the posture of a junior.

Gongsun Xiong smiled gently and said, "Nephew Mu, you must have something to say to me so late at night?"

No matter what Mu Zhi'an says next, he will definitely make the Mu family give something back...

Whether Mu Zhi'an actually attacked Gongsun Zan or not is not important. What is important is that public opinion is currently focused on Mu Zhi'an, and that is enough.

Mu Zhian nodded slightly, glanced at the maids on both sides, and said, "I do have something important to discuss with you, Uncle, but... please dismiss the others first."

Gongsun Xiong raised an eyebrow slightly and gestured for everyone else to leave.

"You may go down as well," he said, looking at the beautiful woman.

After everyone had left, Gongsun Xiong looked up at Mu Zhian and said, "Nephew Mu, please sit down."

His tone sounded so natural and casual, as if he were unaware of what was happening in the outside world.

Mu Zhian took a sip of hot tea and said, "Uncle should already know about those rumors circulating outside, right?"

Gongsun Xiong nodded, his face filled with grief and heaviness, and said, "I just received the news. I never imagined that my good-for-nothing son would die in the Chen family mansion."

As he spoke, he sighed softly, looked up at Mu Zhi'an, and said seriously, "I believe in Nephew Mu. Although you and Zan'er don't have much interaction, our Gongsun and Mu families have always been on good terms. Nephew Mu is not the kind of person who would act recklessly."

That gesture, that sorrowful expression—in modern times, that would be a sure-fire movie star performance, enough to crush a whole bunch of young heartthrobs… Mu Zhian couldn’t help but mentally mutter a complaint.

He sighed in perfect unison and said, "I've always felt that I met Young Master Gongsun Zan too late, it's a pity that I didn't have the chance to become his friend before I died."

After a few more casual words, Gongsun Xiong thought it was about time to get down to business and ask for some benefits.

At this moment, Mu Zhian suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Uncle, there are external forces that have infiltrated Tianxuan City."

Gongsun Xiong was taken aback.

Mu Zhian continued, "Actually, I did see Young Master Gongsun Zan today, but I didn't kill him. It was a cultivator who came in from outside who did."

Gongsun Xiong shook his head and said, "Nephew Mu, even a three-year-old wouldn't believe such a thing."

Mu Zhian smiled faintly: "I know your uncle doesn't believe what I'm saying, but I think you'll believe it once you see him with your own eyes."

Gongsun Xiong frowned slightly and said, "You mean, there was an external force that infiltrated and killed Zan'er?"

Mu Zhian nodded firmly.

Gongsun Xiong stared into Mu Zhian's eyes, pondered for a long time, and then asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

“I would like to invite you to my residence this evening, Uncle. Of course, you will need to conceal your presence,” Mu Zhian said.

"That way, you'll believe what I'm saying."

Chapter 17 The Mindset of Bystanders

Shepherd family.

After returning to the Mu residence, Mu Zhi'an sat in his study, holding a book in his hands, lit a candle on the table, and read it attentively.

After an unknown amount of time, the candle beside me suddenly began to flicker, and a gust of cold wind blew in from the window, finally extinguishing the candle's flame.

It was pitch black. Mu Zhi'an put down the booklet, stretched, and said, "Coming to the Mu residence so late at night, that's not like you."

He calmly relit the candles, glanced sideways, and saw a man dressed all in black standing in the study, his gaze fixed on Mu Zhi'an, and said in a deep voice:

"Young Master Mu, what you did today was far too impulsive."

The whole city knows that Gongsun Zan was killed, and the government will increase its patrols during this period, which may affect the time it takes for Mu Zhian to bring Ye Yu out.

He no longer had much time to linger in Tianxuan City.

Mu Zhian sighed and said, "I know, but I was just too angry at the time... and I made a mistake. Sigh."

The man in black robes stared at Mu Zhi'an with a sinister look, noticing the regretful expression on the useless young master's face, and said coldly, "Now that you've become like this, can that matter still be accomplished?"

This was what he truly cared about. He didn't care whether Gongsun Zan had humiliated women, Ye Yu had killed Gongsun Zan, or Bai Ruoxi would end up as someone else's woman.

The important thing is whether we can bring Ye Yu out for him.

Mu Zhian nodded and said, "Okay, but you need to give me two or three more days."

“It will take some time to deal with this,” Mu Zhian continued.

"Alright." The man in black nodded, then looked at Mu Zhian a few more times and said, "Young Master Mu seems quite confident. Are you really that confident that you can quell this storm within three days?"

Mu Zhian shook his head and smiled, "This is not something you need to worry about."

The man in black robes snorted coldly, extremely dissatisfied with Mu Zhian's actions this time.

"Then I hope that Young Master Mu can successfully quell this storm and win the heart of his beauty as soon as possible."

After speaking, the man in black turned around, waved his robe, and disappeared from the study.

Mu Zhian remained silent in the study for a long time, without making any move.

"he's gone."

Mu Zhian only breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Wei Mengrou's clear voice ring out in the darkness.

He glanced to the side and saw Wei Mengrou, dressed in a pale yellow dress, standing quietly in the corner, as if hidden in the darkness.

The candles lit up the dark room, illuminating Wei Mengrou's delicate, expressionless face. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her lips were cherry-like, and her skin was snow-white and smooth. A thin ribbon outlined her slender waist and full breasts, and her long, snow-white legs were perfectly proportioned. She wore a pair of plain-colored ankle boots.

It perfectly fulfills the various fantasies that men have about women.

Unfortunately, she was a master of the Refining Spirit Realm, and even Wei Mengrou's master was temporarily helpless against her.

If only Sister Mengrou wasn't at the Refining Spirit Realm... Mu Zhian couldn't help but sigh.

Of course, despite his thoughts, Mu Zhian was still very grateful to have a powerful maidservant by his side.

The pressure from the man in black robes, being a cultivator at the Refining Spirit Realm, was immense, but because Wei Mengrou was also at the Refining Spirit Realm, his pressure was less.

after all……

In terms of size, Mengrou is still the biggest.

Mu Zhian secretly glanced down at Wei Mengrou, whose figure was alluring and graceful, and thought to himself.

"Have you seen enough?" As if noticing Mu Zhian's gaze, Wei Mengrou glanced at him coldly.

"If that's not enough, can I continue watching..." Mu Zhian thought to himself, then coughed lightly and changed the subject, "Where's Gongsun Xiong?"

"Old Ren took him to the side hall next door for tea, and he should have gone back by now," Wei Mengrou said.

The man in black made a fatal mistake from the very beginning.

The intelligence was wrong; he didn't know that the Mu family had two cultivators at the Refining Spirit Realm.

From the moment he rashly went to the Mu family that day, the man in black robes acted as if he were walking naked in the street, and Mu Zhian saw and played with him at will.

"Gongsun Xiong probably couldn't have heard our conversation just now, right?" Mu Zhian asked.

“Of course, setting up a barrier in advance will block out sounds from the study,” Wei Mengrou nodded.

She paused, then continued, "However, he has already sensed the presence of the man in black."

Mu Zhian softly hummed in agreement: "That's enough."

There are no more than ten experts at the Refining Spirit Realm in Tianxuan City, and the three major families all know about these ten.

The fact that a powerful cultivator from outside the Refining God Realm had secretly infiltrated Tianxuan City was enough to make all the families feel a sense of crisis.

From this moment on, it no longer matters who killed Gongsun Zan.

The most important thing is to drive the man in black robes out of Tianxuan City first.

“The Gongsun family might temporarily put aside the matter of Gongsun Zan because of the man in black robes… but what about the people of Tianxuan City?” Wei Mengrou suddenly asked.

"As long as the Gongsun family doesn't care, that's fine."

Mu Zhian put down his teacup, smiled, and said, "As for public opinion... it doesn't matter."

"Are we just going to leave it alone?" Wei Mengrou asked, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

Rumors are rampant in Tianxuan City. Some are cursing Gongsun Zan as a scoundrel, while others are praising Mu Zhi'an. Some are questioning Mu Zhi'an's motives for killing Gongsun Zan, while still others hope that the two of them will die together.

If these rumors are allowed to fester, Mu Zhian will probably end up being labeled as "not a good person".

But this time Mu Zhian didn't do anything wrong... at least that's what Wei Mengrou thinks.

"Public opinion should be managed, but we don't need to do too much, since the tide will turn soon anyway," Mu Zhian said.

Wei Mengrou understood the implication in his words and said, "You want to change the public opinion...? The people of Tianxuan City are not so foolish as to fall for it."

Mu Zhian nodded matter-of-factly and smiled, "Of course I know, none of us are fools."

"However, whether they are idiots or not, they don't care about the truth of the matter at all."

Wei Mengrou clearly didn't believe her and questioned, "Are you really that sure?"

"of course."

Mu Zhian fiddled with a paper crane on the table and said:

"What they care about is whether the news is sensational enough, whether they can gossip about it, and whether it can entertain them. As for the truth or how the parties involved feel, few people care. In the end, this is just human nature's weakness."

Wei Mengrou was stunned.

After a long while, looking at Mu Zhian's profile, she said softly, "You really understand people's hearts."

Actually, I'd rather understand Mengrou's heart than the general public... Looking at Wei Mengrou, who has a stunning appearance and a captivating figure, Mu Zhian thought to himself with a mischievous grin.

"What else do you want me to do?" Wei Mengrou asked.

Mu Zhian shook his head and said, "Sister Mengrou just needs to sit down, have some tea, and chat with me."

"As for Gongsun Zan's matter... the tide will soon turn." Mu Zhian said with certainty.

"How do we reverse it?" Wei Mengrou asked instinctively.

Under Wei Mengrou's suspicious gaze, Mu Zhian deliberately kept her in suspense, and said with a smile, "It will be as exciting as possible, with any twists and turns."

Chapter 18 The Man in Black Robes: NMSL 3K

The next morning.

In a side hall of the Bai family residence, Bai Ruoxi, dressed in a white dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure, sat on a chair drinking morning tea, exuding a noble and elegant air.