Chapter 198 – 167 Crisis
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“Very well, having you all, Ping’er, even in the underworld, would be comforted.”

Liu Rong’s withered hand held Chen Yue, and from those cloudy, sunken eyes, a few tears emerged, more relief was present than sadness. Although she had never seen her sister again in this lifetime, she had finally met Chen Yue and Chen Mu.

Her memory was fading, and she often became confused, but at that moment, she was surprisingly clear-headed, recalling the scene from several months before when she saw Chen Mu from a distance. Little did she know that Chen Mu was indeed Liu Ping’s son.

Beside the bed.

Song Qi and his children were all gathered there.

Chen Mu, however, stood at a distance. He didn’t have much reaction to Liu Rong, and even to the Liu Ping of his memories, his feelings were not strong. After all, the person standing here was no longer the same Chen Mu.

Even for Chen Yue, Chen Mu felt a bond because, during the first few days of illness upon arriving in this world, she had taken care of him busily, plus their subsequent time together, that he came to regard her as his sister.

Seeking out Liu Rong’s family was more about settling some matters of blood relations.

But ultimately, he did think of some of his own, more distant memories, only to shake his head in the end.

He turned and walked out of the room.

After a while.

Sounds of overlapping cries came from the room behind him.

“Brother…”

Chen Mu stood in the yard, feeling someone hug him from behind. It was Chen Yue, who wrapped her slender arms around him tightly, sobbing in bursts, then suddenly choked up, “Will we end up like this one day?”

Chen Mu’s mind cleared of distractions, turned around, and gently hugged the frail figure, not answering.

Time passed.

Chen Yue’s emotions gradually improved. She let go of Chen Mu, looked up, then suddenly turned her head and vigorously wiped her eyes and face. She had not cried in front of Chen Mu for a long time; she was supposed to have grown up.

Chen Mu watched Chen Yue and couldn’t help but smile for a moment. Then he saw Song Qi come out of the house. Your next chapter awaits on empire

Song Qi’s eyes also showed unrestrained sorrow; he looked at Chen Mu, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitated.

“Let’s discuss other matters later, and focus on sending the elder off for now.”

Chen Mu stopped Song Qi from speaking and said slowly.

Although he had arranged it, he did not cause a great fuss; things were still organized according to the usual customs for Liu Rong’s funeral. He did not invite all the government officers from the county government to come and pay respects, only inviting some relatives and friends from Song Qi’s side.

Relatives who came had heard more or less about Chen Mu’s reputation. When paying respects to Liu Rong, their gazes towards Chen Mu carried a mix of awe and eagerness. Many wanted to establish a connection, but Chen Mu’s response was so indifferent that it intimidated them, and none dared to approach him.

“I always said the wife that Brother Song Qi married must be someone destined for great fortune, but sadly, she did not enjoy such in her lifetime. Eh, have you heard? That Lord Chen’s rank is so high, even the county head has to bow and greet him.”

“Lord Chen became such a high-ranking official at such a young age, he must be an immortal descending from heaven. I just took a glance earlier and felt so nervous, I didn’t dare to speak.”

Some of the neighbors whispered among themselves.

Chen Mu could naturally hear these murmurs clearly, but he paid them no mind. At that time, he was more focused on awaiting intelligence from the Inspectorate and the Demon-Slaying Office, paying attention to Xu Hongyu’s situation.

Once all the funeral rites were completed, Chen Mu finally approached Song Qi.

“Song cousin, I won’t say much else. The elder is gone, and even though she didn’t ask me for anything in life, I should take care of my niece and nephew. I can arrange for Song cousin to work at the county government. Zhou’er and Miao’er can also train and practice martial arts there.

If they achieve something in martial arts in the future, they can also continue to develop at the prefectural government.”

Chen Mu briefly mentioned a few things.

In the past, he might have arranged for Song Zhou and Song Miao to study martial arts in Yu County, but the situation in Yu County is now more complicated and unstable than the county government, making it much safer to stay at the latter.

He had briefly explored the intrinsic qualities of the two, which were above average, stronger than ordinary people but not as good as Chen Yue. They had a fair chance of advancing to the Tendon Changing Realm, but the probability wasn’t very high. Staying at the county government, even if they achieved the Body Refinement Realm, they could still have a status and prosper for a generation.

“Alright, alright, we will follow your arrangements.”

Song Qi naturally had no reason to object to Chen Mu’s arrangements, feeling very content at the moment. To work at the county office, even as a low-level official, meant not worrying about food and clothing in the future. Moreover, with the children training at the county office, their prospects would be much broader–they might even become officials there.

Chen Mu looked at Song Qi, nodding slightly, approving of his lack of greed. Of course, it could also be due to limited insights and experiences, thinking that this was already a great favor. Nonetheless, he would only let Song Qi start from the bottom at the county office. If Song Qi proved capable of holding an official position, promotion over time wouldn’t be an issue.

After settling the matters for Song Qi’s family.

A scout from the Inspectorate soon came quietly to Chen Mu’s side and reported the situation to him.

“They went to Twin Dragon Mountain?”

After hearing the scout’s report, Chen Mu showed a brief contemplative expression.

Xu Hongyu, leading little He and a team from the Demon-Slaying Office, was still pursuing the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect and had reached the vicinity of Twin Dragon Mountain, which is more than a hundred miles from An Yu County’s government. This was rather close.

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