Looking at Mu Jinyu with his disapproving yet earnest demeanor, Xiang Mantang felt a bit like laughing, but it wasn't appropriate to laugh out loud, lest it angered his senior brother.
Suppressing the desire to laugh, Xiang Mantang then relayed the past events he had investigated yesterday to Mu Jinyu.
It was almost no different from what Su Zijin had told Gu Xiyan the day before.
After listening, Mu Jinyu's expression was silent and contemplative for a long time without saying anything.
Xiang Mantang also didn't say much, nor did he offer any advice, simply waving over Liu Mei to clean up the table and remove the unfinished breakfast, then sitting in silence with Mu Jinyu.
After a while, Mu Jinyu's vacant and lifeless eyes regained some luster. Blinking a few times, he looked at Xiang Mantang and managed a weak smile, "Well, that story is quite interesting."
Xiang Mantang rose from the stone stool, stretching his limbs and suggested casually, "Why not go out for a walk to digest a bit?"
"Alright." Mu Jinyu also stood up, following Xiang Mantang out of the pavilion, strolling along the pebbled path in the backyard.
As they walked, Xiang Mantang spoke in an even tone, "Actually, I sometimes wish that the departure of my parents was not death, but a temporary leave.
Then one day, after I get home, they would suddenly jump out and give me a scare.
Afterward, they would tell me that the tragedy more than a decade ago was actually just a fake death they staged with the organization, and they had been secretly undertaking a mission somewhere, until today when their mission was finally complete and they could come back to see me, along with my sister who had gone with them.
That the incidents of those years were just an April Fools' joke they played on me, even if the joke lasted for more than a decade, even if the joke wasn't funny at all..."
As Xiang Mantang spoke, he turned to look at the visibly moved Mu Jinyu, his voice growing hoarse, "I really hope there was such a joke in my bleak life, I would definitely play along with them, hahaha..."
Laughing, Xiang Mantang suddenly burst into unrestrained and hearty laughter, tears streaming down as he laughed, then while laughing he said, "I would definitely play along with them, hahaha nonstop, and once the laughter ended, I'd sulk with them for a while, for not taking me with them back then. After getting over the anger, I'd sit at their knees, being filial and taking good care of them..."
Xiang Mantang felt that Su Zijin indeed had his difficulties and that the incidents of those years were a twist of fate, but he did not directly advise Mu Jinyu. Instead, he shared his own longing and helplessness.
He did not directly speak the words of a son wanting to support his parents but no longer having them around, but he believed Mu Jinyu would understand on his own.
Mu Jinyu remained silent for a long time, his expression changing unpredictably, his gaze shifting uncertainly between struggle and hatred, but in the end, he only let out a light sigh and said nothing.
At this moment.
"Dinglingling."
Mu Jinyu's cellphone ringtone sounded.
Mu Jinyu shook his head slightly, rubbing his somewhat sore eyes before taking out his phone to answer the call.
"Hello, Jinyu, it's bad news, the Beauty Pill prescription has been stolen!"
Gu Xiyan's anxious and frustrated voice came from the other end of the line.
"Hm?" Mu Jinyu's eyes focused upon hearing this, but then he relaxed again and said, "If it's stolen, it's stolen, it doesn't matter. Without the specialized equipment, it's just an ordinary beauty medicine."
"Ah?" Gu Xiyan was taken aback and somewhat surprised to hear Mu Jinyu's response.
She had thought that giving him this news over the phone would enrage Mu Jinyu, but unexpectedly, he didn't scold her.
Then, Gu Xiyan also recalled the scene when they had gone to the pharmaceutical factory together.
The actions of burying jade stones around the factory grounds...
At the time, she did not take seriously the elaborate scheme that Mu Jinyu spoke of as he arranged what he called the "Spirit Gathering Array."
Could it be... without those jade stones and the "Spirit Gathering Array," the Beauty Pills made with that prescription are really ineffective?
If that was indeed the case, wasn't Gu Xiyan's initial fear of the stolen prescription an unnecessary scare?
Mu Jinyu then said, "Although I don't care about the theft of the prescription, since they can't produce the real Beauty Pill anyway, anyone who dares to steal from me still has to pay a price. Let's leave it at that for now. I'm going to find someone to investigate who dared to steal from me!"
Having said that, Mu Jinyu immediately hung up the phone and called Mei Yinxue, the Xu Family, the Jiang Family, and Du Xiangcheng, asking them to help investigate who had stolen her Beauty Pill prescription.
If she were to simply report the theft to the police, finding the thief would undoubtedly take a lot of time, and it might not even be successful.
With the help of Mei Yinxue and Du Xiangcheng, if both the martial arts community and the government took action, unless the thief had significant backing, they would certainly be able to root them out!
Upon receiving Mu Jinyu's request, Mei Yinxue and the others promptly agreed to help.
After all, they had all entered into partnerships with Mu Jinyu, with their focus set on the sales of the Beauty Pill. If anything untoward happened to the Beauty Pill, it would affect their interests, and they naturally couldn't tolerate that!
As for Du Xiangcheng, although he had little partnership with Mu Jinyu, he owed her a favor. Moreover, Mu Jinyu's company was in the area he oversaw. The better the Jinyu Group performed, the higher his achievements would be, so naturally, he wouldn't stand idly by!
Xiang Mantang, seeing that Mu Jinyu had finally ended the call, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's up? Was the prescription stolen?"
Although he had not intended to eavesdrop, with his skills, since Mu Jinyu hadn't distanced herself or avoided him, he naturally could hear her conversation with everyone quite clearly.
"Yes, they've got a lot of nerve, just wait till I find them and see how I'll deal with them!"
Mu Jinyu put away her phone, laughing coldly.
Xiang Mantang said, "I can help you look into it too."
With that, he took out his phone and sent a brief text, explaining the situation.
Mu Jinyu wasn't sure how capable Xiang Mantang was now, but seeing his eagerness, she didn't reject his offer.
Soon, twenty minutes passed.
There was no news from Mei Yingxue and the others yet.
But Xiang Mantang's phone rang with a message notification.
"Ding!!"
Xiang Mantang took out his phone, his expression slightly solemn, with a glimmer of cold light flashing in his eyes, and then passed the phone to Mu Jinyu.
"Found the person, take a look."
"That was fast?" Mu Jinyu raised an eyebrow, surprised at Xiang Mantang's efficiency.
Xiang Mantang spoke with a hint of pride, "Of course, Dragon King Hall is not to be underestimated."
Mu Jinyu chuckled softly, said nothing, and focused on the screen of the phone, carefully examining the information just uncovered by Xiang Mantang's subordinates.
"Jiangnan's Ancient Martial Arts Chen Family, the side branch, Chen Xuyang..."
Having read the information, Mu Jinyu muttered a few words, then a flash of cold light swept across her eyes, and she murmured, "Foolishness!"
After speaking, her expression returned to calm, and she handed the phone back to Xiang Mantang, saying, "All right, I won't keep you any longer, my fellow apprentice brother must get back to his duties."
Xiang Mantang pocketed his phone and said, "Hey, it's been a while since our Jinyu Mantang acted together, why not join me?"
Mu Jinyu's face also showed a smile, and she nodded, "Then let's do it together."