Longevity starts from having a daughter in old age

Chapter 526: Chapter 482 Traitor_1

“Friend Xu? Is that really you?”

Looking at the figure before her, Li Youlan still struggled to believe it.

This figure closely resembled the Xu Mu that she knew, but appeared much younger.

“Darling!”

“Husband!”

“Friend Xu!”

Ye Yingying and the others recognized him at first glance. They had spent so much time with Xu Mu over the ages that there was no way they could fail to recognize him.

“I was gone a bit longer this time, I hope you weren’t too worried!”

Xu Mu, hugging Ye Yingying, laughed.

The other two, due to their status and restraint, did not show excessive affection, especially with so many people watching.

“Father!”

Aside from Xu Xia, the others approached somewhat bashfully to pay their respects.

Xu Mu simply nodded, without saying much.

There were too many people around, it was not the time for casual conversation.

Seeing the reaction of the Xu Family members, Li Youlan finally believed that the person before her was indeed Xu Mu, who had left for over a hundred years.

“Elder Xu! Long time no see!”

People like Xu Yuling, who once had a good relationship with him, also came forward to pay their respects.

They would not dare to call him as they used to, given the power Xu Mu had displayed. Not only had he reached the Nascent Soul Stage, but it wasn’t an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage.

“Good to see you all.”

Xu Mu responded with a smile, not showing any pretentiousness.

However, he gave Qiao Qianqian a thought-provoking look.

“You guys start arranging to clean up the aftermath.” Li Youlan then gestured saying, “Elder Xu, let’s go inside to talk!”

“We need not be so formal, just call me Xu Mu! Please follow me inside!”

Xu Mu followed Li Youlan inside. As for the Xu Family members, Xu Mu asked them to wait outside for the time being.

The two met privately and briefly reminisced about the old days before Xu Mu asked about the current situation.

He had initially returned to the DaYuan Dynasty, then when he heard that Ye Yingying and the others had arrived at the front lines, he hurried over to ensure their safety.

“The Cultivator’s Alliance has always had the upper hand, but I don’t know why, this time…” Li Youlan said helplessly, shaking her head.

“Actually, I do know a bit about that!”

Xu Mu smiled and pulled out a body, dumping it in front of Li Youlan.

The corpse appeared to be in its fifties or sixties, dressed in a soft green robe, with a large hole in its chest. Blood and flesh were blurred inside the hole, as if pierced by something hard.

His eyes were wide open in shock, as if he couldn’t rest in peace even in death.

“Master Greenwave!”

Li Youlan recognized the corpse at a glance and was completely shocked.

“How did he… How did you…?”

For a moment, Li Youlan didn’t know what to ask.

“The old fellow tried to ambush me on the way, so I took care of him,” Xu Mu said calmly.

“…..”

Li Youlan didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Though Master Greenwave was not a top-tier Nascent Soul expert, he was still a Nascent Soul cultivator, capable of establishing a sect that could last for a thousand years. Even she would have to treat him with respect and courtesy if she met him.

Yet, in Xu Mu’s words, he seemed like an insignificant ant, crushed with a casual swat.

“The Soul Search did delay me a bit, but I managed to obtain some valuable information.”

“What sort of information?”

Li Youlan hadn’t yet understood what performing a Soul Search on a Nascent Soul-level cultivator implied. Her attention had already been drawn to the information itself.

“Princess, would you like to know who’s really pulling the strings?” Xu Mu laughed.

“Huh?”

She had long since had a suspicion of who it could be, but she dared not confirm it.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Is it really my seventh sister?”

“Your Highness is indeed astute,” Xu Mu replied with a smile.

“Ah!”

Although she had anticipated this, Li Youlan could not help but sigh.

“There’s another person whom you might find interesting, Your Highness,” Xu Mu added.

“Who?”

…

Back in the camp, Qiao Qianqian found herself feeling unsettled after returning to her quarters.

She remembered the meaningful look Xu Mu had given her and could not shake off a sense of foreboding.

I’ve been so careful; it’s impossible that I’ve been discovered.

But why did he look at me like that? We’ve always got along well in the past. At the very least, he should have greeted me.

Could he have discovered some shred of evidence?

Impossible! Impossible!

Qiao Qianqian repeatedly reassured herself.

Reviewing her actions over the years, she was confident she hadn’t made any mistakes.

Just then, a message from Li Youlan came through the jade communication token in her pocket, asking her to come over.

There it was – something was definitely wrong!!

Her heart pounded wildly.

Xu Mu’s display of overwhelming strength upon his return had left her uneasy. His inscrutable gaze made her feel like her cover had been blown.

After all, she had recently relayed a message to the outside world.

She couldn’t go. Going would certainly mean death!

A sense of warning echoed in Qiao Qianqian’s mind, alarming her.

“I’ll be right there!”

Qiao Qianqian first sent a message to Li Youlan. Then, without packing any of her belongings, she stealthily slipped away from the camp and took out a tier ten teleportation talisman, making a swift escape towards the Alliance headquarters.

But scarcely had she flown any distance, she abruptly rebounded as if hitting a wall.

“Friend Qiao, why the rush to leave after so many years?”

The figures of Xu Mu and Li Youlan appeared before Qiao Qianqian. The impact made Qiao Qianqian dazed, and her face paled.

Suppressing her fear, she laughed nervously and said, “I just received an urgent message from the Alliance. I forgot to reply to you and the princess, I am truly sorry.”

Li Youlan, with a grim face, cut straight to the chase, “Have you been the one passing messages to my seventh sister all these years?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Qiao Qianqian feigned cluelessness.

“Consider this a favor for our many years of friendship. I assure you, I’ll leave your body intact.” Xu Mu stated placidly.

He had no interest in exchanging pleasantries either.

“Xu Mu! What do you mean by that? I don’t understand.” Qiao Qianqian, looking anxious, turned to Li Youlan, “Wait, I’m innocent. Don’t listen to his baseless accusations. After all the things I’ve done for you over the years, how can I be a spy!”

Li Youlan faltered, but Xu Mu was relentless. His eyes shimmered and immobilized Qiao Qianqian on the spot. In the blink of an eye, her expression turned vacant, and she confessed mechanically, “I pledged my allegiance to the Seventh Princess a long time ago. All my earlier identities were forged by her…”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

In simpler terms, she was a spy, albeit one with sophisticated disguise techniques, leaving Li Youlan completely unsuspecting.

When Xu Mu was ambushed by Nascent Soul cultivators upon his return from the Imperial Capital, Qiao Qianqian leaked his itinerary after receiving a tip.

“It seems my seventh sister is not as innocuous as she appears,” mused Li Youlan.

“Appearances can be deceiving. Even I was unable to discern her true intent initially,” Xu Mu sighed.

Qiao Qianqian had always been very supportive of him and even offered him significant help. Indeed, if he hadn’t used Soul Search to retrieve the information directly, he wouldn’t have suspected that Qiao Qianqian was the culprit.

“Your Highness, please look after my family. I need to step out for a bit,” Xu Mu said.

“You’re not thinking of…?” Li Youlan’s heart pounded anxiously, “No, it’s too dangerous! If you’re found out, you…”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness! I’ll be back soon!”

Without giving Li Youlan an opportunity to dissuade him, Xu Mu disappeared into thin air.

“Just how strong has he become?”

Unable to sense any movement with her Divine Intent, Li Youlan was taken aback.