It turns out, they were the main characters.

At that moment, the black-robed man's peripheral vision suddenly fell on the back gate of a certain courtyard.

A voluptuous and beautiful woman quietly left through the back gate of the courtyard. Behind her, a man held her buttocks, and the two seemed to be whispering something to each other.

Bai Yuanfeng.

The man in black robes looked at this scene, hesitated briefly, and then suddenly revealed a strange smile on his face.

……

"Sigh, why is this young lady still agonizing over whether or not to run away from home?"

In the early morning, Mu Zhian leaned back in his chair, unfolded the paper crane that had just flown in from the window, and looked at the beautiful handwriting in the letter, but secretly shook his head and sighed.

Since replying to the paper crane's owner a few days ago, Mu Zhian has almost always received a reply from the paper crane on the same day or the following morning.

The messages in each letter were mostly the same, nothing more than things like "I've had enough of the family's constraints and I'm going to run away from home," or "I have no other choice. This time, no matter what the clan leader or elders say, I'm going to go out and clear my head."

However, whenever Mu Zhian asked the other person, "Where are you now?", the other person's answer was basically:

"We haven't set off yet."

Mu Zhian: "..."

In modern times, this would be considered being a dwarf in action.

But it doesn't really matter.

He realized that what he needed to do was play the role of a listener.

Mu Zhian didn't mind taking a little time to reply to the other party.

Anyway, it's fine as a way to kill some time.

Even now, he still doesn't know who the owner of the paper crane is or where he is.

After writing the letter, Mu Zhian folded the paper crane and threw it out the window.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he turned to look at Wei Mengrou and said, "Sister Mengrou, do you know where these paper cranes always fly to?"

A tall, aloof beauty stood quietly in the shadows of the corner of the study, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, a strand falling across her face, exuding a languid, down-to-earth charm.

She looked up in the direction the paper crane had gone, then gently shook her head.

"You can't tell where it flew off to just by looking at the direction."

"Then next time we have some free time, let's go for a walk together and follow the direction of the paper crane to investigate?" Mu Zhian said.

"Why don't you just say you want me to investigate the origin of the paper cranes? Why beat around the bush?" Wei Mengrou said coldly.

Mu Zhian shook his head and said, "That's still different. Investigating the origin of the paper cranes is just a side project. We can take a walk together, chat, and strengthen our bond as master and servant... How about that?"

Wei Mengrou remained silent for a while, and finally softly said, "Let's talk about it next time we have a chance."

She seemed unwilling to dwell on the topic and changed the subject, saying, "Your guess was correct; your reputation started to change this morning."

“Now many people look at you differently than before, thinking you’re just a lecherous person, but actually a righteous one,” Wei Mengrou said.

"Take this opportunity, and you might be able to do more to greatly change the people of Tianxuan City's perception of you."

She was somewhat moved, and even found it a bit unbelievable.

Mu Zhian has done so many bad things in the past... Although they weren't excessive, his reputation has always been extremely bad.

But this time, it only stopped Gongsun Zan from humiliating the eldest daughter of the Chen family. All the bad reputation that had been built up collapsed in an instant, and then a brand new high-rise was built up.

If people used to give way to Mu Zhi'an when he went out, now they whisper among themselves and praise his past behavior.

If we take this opportunity to do some good deeds, perhaps the label of "spoiled brat" can be redeemed.

Mu Zhian shook his head and said, "There's no need to do anything extra, nor is there any need to change anyone's impression of me."

Wei Mengrou raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and said, "Isn't it good to make people like you and improve your reputation?"

"Good, but not entirely good." This is a famous quote from Mu Zhian, winner of the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Wei Mengrou didn't speak, but just looked at Mu Zhian with a puzzled expression.

"People have always loved to create 'gods', regardless of the era."

Mu Zhian said, "But what kind of gods are there in this world? They may treat you as a god now, as a faith, and give you a thumbs up when they see you. But when they find out that you have done something wrong, even if it is just a trivial matter, they will tear off their hypocritical mask and collectively condemn you."

"Because from the moment you become a public figure in people's eyes, all your flaws will be magnified tenfold or even a hundredfold."

"Therefore, I hate being flattered, and I don't like people labeling me as a hero or someone who helps others in need."

He's just a simple pervert, a lecher, especially now that he's craving Wei Mengrou and Bai Ruoxi... As for cultivating a good image in other people's eyes, it's completely meaningless. He's cleared his name now, but who knows when he might turn back into a villain because of some trivial matter.

"Like Sister Mengrou, for example, if one day you are suddenly named the most beautiful woman in Tianxuan City and become a great beauty in the public eye, everyone will like you. Then one day, someone suddenly reveals that you are dating your master. Regardless of whether this is true or false, gossip will start to circulate."

Wei Mengrou lowered her eyes, seemingly pondering Mu Zhian's words.

"Is this what you said yesterday, that people just want to entertain themselves and don't care about the truth?"

Mu Zhian smiled and nodded.

"The Gongsun family has confirmed for you today that Gongsun Zan was not killed by you, but by the man in black robes," Wei Mengrou suddenly said.

“I know,” Mu Zhian nodded.

Wei Mengrou's mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something, but she was too embarrassed to speak.

Mu Zhian looked up at the sexy and aloof beauty and smiled, "Sister Mengrou, you want to ask me why the Gongsun family helped me, right?"

Wei Mengrou hesitated for a moment, then finally gave a soft "Mmm".

“Actually, Gongsun Xiong was helping himself,” Mu Zhian said.

"Gongsun Xiong deserves much credit for the Gongsun family's success in Tianxuan City."

"Gongsun Xiong is a clever man, and clever men know how to play dumb."

Gongsun Xiong may have suspected that his third son was killed by Mu Zhian. No... he should have known it all along.

But he pretended not to know what was going on.

After all, money is nothing compared to the future interests of the Gongsun family.

The man in black robes is the real enemy.

At this moment, Wei Mengrou suddenly stopped talking. She concealed her presence and quietly hid in the corner of the bookcase by the window.

Before Mu Zhian could even ask a question, he immediately felt an astonishing killing intent coming from outside the window.

The next moment, a man dressed in a plain robe and wearing a straw hat walked into the study.

Judging from his height, physique, and even the chilling aura emanating from him, it was easy to tell that this was the black-robed man who wanted Ye Yu.

He's not even wearing a black robe anymore... After looking the man in front of him up and down a few times, Mu Zhian almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He coughed lightly, his expression serious, and said, "Why did you come to see me so early in the morning? Didn't we agree that you would give me three days to deal with the Gongsun family's affairs?"

"Young Master Mu, you really know how to pass the buck. You've dumped all the responsibility on me, leaving yourself all free."

The man in black robes suddenly looked up, his cold eyes flashing with murderous intent beneath his bamboo hat.

Mu Zhian remained expressionless, simply staring calmly at the man in black robes.

It was clear that the man in black was genuinely angry, but the fact that he hadn't made a move meant that he still understood the importance of the matter. It seemed that Ye Yu was truly important to him... Mu Zhi'an understood this in her heart.

He quickly gave a gentle smile and said, "Calm down first. I also hope there is a better solution, but for now, this is the only way to resolve this problem in a short time."

"You call it a solution to dump all the dirty water on me?" The man in black robes stared coldly at Mu Zhi'an.

If Mu Zhian fails to provide a reasonable explanation, it's not hard for him to guarantee what he might do.

“Since you’re an outsider, you shouldn’t care about what the people of Tianxuan City think, right?” Mu Zhian said with a smile.

"We're in a business relationship. Since I'm going to give Ye Yu to you, it's not a problem for you to help me take on some responsibility, is it?"

The man in black robes snorted coldly, his eyes flickering slightly, and then fell silent.

Mu Zhian is right; he doesn't care about this mudslinging.

Even so, he was still very unhappy. However, he needed Mu Zhian's help and had no choice but to take on this huge and unpleasant burden.

"When do you plan to take Ye Yu to the Dragon Head Forest?" the man in black robes asked in a deep voice.

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment and said, "The city will increase patrols in the next two days, let's set the time for two days from now."

The man in black robes softened his expression slightly and suddenly said, "Considering my cooperation with Young Master Mu, I'll give Young Master Mu another piece of information."

How do you have so much information...? Also, how did those supporting villains, who had so much information, get crushed by the 'protagonist' in the past...? Mu Zhian thought to himself, looking at the man in black robes, waiting for him to continue.

“The Bai family and the Gongsun family are not enemies,” the man in black robes said.

Mu Zhian was stunned for a moment, and for the first time, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

The Bai family was almost driven to despair by the Gongsun family and the Chenxi Chamber of Commerce, and now you're telling me these two families aren't enemies?

"The Bai family patriarch's wife just went to the Gongsun family," the man in black said.

The simple sentence contained a huge amount of information, leaving Mu Zhian stunned for a while before he came to his senses.

Then, a strange look appeared on his face.

A bold guess suddenly came to his mind.

Chapter 20 Never underestimate a young person's potential!

An extremely bold idea flashed through Mu Zhian's mind.

Although he felt it was unlikely, for some reason he had a vague feeling about it.

If we assume the man in black robes wasn't lying, then why did Bai Yuanfeng appear at the Gongsun family's residence?

There are only two possibilities.

One possibility is that Bai Yuanfeng went to the Gongsun family to plead for mercy, requesting that the Bai family be spared.

But the possibility of this is extremely low.

Another kind...

Bai Ruoxi's biological father was attacked on his way back to the city a few days ago. Logically speaking, without prior ambush, it would have been impossible to severely injure a Refining Spirit Realm expert.

So here's the question... Who leaked the location of Bai's father when he returned to the city?