Unbeknownst to Mu Heng, the servant's actions did not go unnoticed by his target Mu Chen. In his past life, Mu Chen was an apex cultivator who had climbed his way up from the very bottom to the absolute peak of the world. Although he had lost the entirety of his strength, he had retained the most precious thing of all. His memories! Strength could be regained, but time and experience could not.

Plots and schemes, backstabbing, all sorts of heinous acts, he had seen it all. He had even participated in many of them. Countless years of watching his own back all the time had made it into second nature for him. This was one of his most important life saving tools.

"If the culprit is really Mu Heng, then he really is not bad. He is easily suspicious, but this is not a bad thing. Being overly cautious could save your life, and being overly confident could end it early." Mu Chen applauded.

He had seen many overconfident idiots end up causing their own deaths. They acted lawlessly, doing whatever they wanted because of their powerful backing or their superior talent, but one day they kicked a steel plate, offended the wrong guy and got killed as a result. Some even had their entire clan annihilated when they called for help. It really was not worth it, losing their lives and even causing the death of their entire family, all because of one stupid act.

Mu Chen would not complain though, in fact, he looked forward to more of such happenings. Whenever a clan got exterminated, there would definitely be benefits. He was one of those scavengers who would quickly swoop in and grab what loot he could find from the fallen clan's residence. Fishing in troubled waters was something he was an expert in.

He made his way toward his father's mansion to pay his respects as well as advise him to be careful. Even though he did not know what the enemy was planning, it was best to be wary. Although he understood this man was not really his father, Mu Chen did feel some obligation to ensure he was safe for the sake of the previous owner of his body. He was a good father who genuinely cared for his son and did not deserve to die early. At the very least, he should live a good life.

Today Mu Lin happened to be cultivating in his private chambers and was unavailable, so Mu Chen waited in the back garden for him. This garden was much larger and grander than his own, and was also filled with many colorful flora. There was a large pond filled with koi fish, as well a small pavilion.

Mu Chen went ahead and sat down inside the pavilion, then instructed a servant to serve him some tea. He sat in the pavilion, leisurely sipping his tea while enjoying the scenic view. Now that he thought about it, he had not relaxed like this in a long time. It was nice to do so once in a while. Closing his eyes, Mu Chen sipped his tea and sighed in satisfaction.

“Hahahah! Chen’er, you’re finally back! I apologize for making you wait.” A loud voice suddenly came from behind, jolting him out of his blissful relaxation.

“Looks like I’ll need to find some other time to relax. Maybe after I finish dealing with the situation here, I’ll take a short vacation.” Mu Chen sighed inwardly as he turned to greet the newcomer.

“Greetings father, your son has returned safely.” Mu Chen bowed in greeting.

“Good, very good.” Mu Lin laughed heartily as he patted Mu Chen on the shoulder. “So, how was the trip? Did you encounter any demonic beasts?”

“Yes, I came across a few, but they were quite weak. I was only at the outer edges after all. There are no strong demonic beasts there.”

“There is no rush. When you get stronger, you can go further in. Maybe I should go with you next time.” Mu Lin stroked his beard.

“Father, I think that won’t be necessary, I do not wish to trouble you. As a patriarch, you must be very busy, I’m sure you have more important things to attend to.” Mu Chen politely declined.

“Hahah! You’re right. I see your cultivation has improved a little, and your foundation is solid. That’s good! My son is finally starting to show his talents!” Mu Lin praised.

“Yes, the training in Thousand Beast Forest really helped.”

“Speaking of which, the time for the Annual Clan Meeting will soon be upon us.”

“Annual Clan Meeting?” Mu Chen frowned as he tried to recall. The Annual Clan Meeting was, as its name suggested, a yearly gathering of all the members of the Mu Clan, including those from the branch families, who would send their representatives over. During the meeting, the higher ups would discuss the clan’s current state of affairs, things such as finances, manpower and so forth. It was very mundane, so the previous Mu Chen didn’t really care for it.

However, there was also a special component that involved combat. The younger generations from the branch and main families would spar with each other, and those who were deemed talented could come over to the main family.

“It's quite likely that Mu Wang or Mu Heng will try something during the meeting, or maybe even before that.” Mu Chen rubbed his chin as he quickly calculated the possibilities.

“Chen’er, maybe you can participate this year and show them your strength!” Mu Lin said in an encouraging tone.

Truthfully, he wasn’t expecting Mu Chen to agree. His son had never been fond of things like these after all. However he knew that his son had changed recently and started to work hard, so perhaps he would be open to the idea.

“Participate? Of course I’ll participate.” Mu Chen smiled.

“That’s great! We shall see if those old coots will still dare to look down on my son!” Mu Lin laughed.

“Oh, the meeting will take place at the Grand Hall in three months. Train hard! If you need anything, father will try to get it for you. Aside from cultivation resources of course…I am a little short of those at the moment.” He added sheepishly.

A moment of silence followed.

“Father. You must be careful of Uncle.” Mu Chen suddenly said.

Mu Lin’s expression turned solemn. “Chen’er, just focus on your training, let me worry about everything else. As your father, I will ensure you are safe no matter what.”

“Truly a great father. Such people are rare, especially among cultivators.”

Afterward, Mu Chen and Mu Lin talked a little more about his trip to Thousand Beast Forest, after which Mu Chen took his leave and returned to his residence, where he was greeted by Xiao Rou, his maidservant.

He sat at the stone table in his garden and got Xiao Rou to serve him some tea.

“I need to get one of those pavilions…and a koi pond. Perhaps a wooden arch bridge would also be nice.” Mu Chen made a mental note of it as he sipped his tea while admiring the scenery in his garden.

“Now, Mu Wang and Mu Heng, this father and son pair…just what are you planning?” Mu Chen’s eyes narrowed.

Whoever had poisoned him, they wanted to get rid of him quickly. This meant that they were short on time, possibly due to the upcoming meeting. That would mean that during this Annual Clan Meeting, it was highly likely Mu Wang’s side would try something.

However, Mu Chen’s sudden increase in cultivation had curbed Mu Wang’s spread of influence, so it was much too soon. Mu Wang’s side did not have enough influence to take over the position of patriarch. Unless…Mu Chen was somehow once again involved in an unfortunate accident and lost his life.

The corner of Mu Chen’s lips curled up. “Want to kill me? I’ll wait right here for you!”

Meanwhile, back in Mu Heng’s mansion, Senior Brother Feng had just left for god knows where, leaving Mu Heng alone. He let out a small sigh of relief as he leaned back in his chair. That person really made him feel uncomfortable.

After thinking for a few moments, he called his servant over. “Go and get Mu Mantian, tell him I want to see him.” Mu Heng ordered.

“Yes, Young Master. This servant shall go right away.” The servant scurried off and came back ten minutes later, accompanied by Mu Mantian. The round-faced youth stepped into the room with a smile and shut the door behind him.

“Greetings, Young Master.” Mu Mantian clasped his hands and bowed respectfully, a flattering smile plastered onto his face.

“Mantian, I need your help with obtaining some things. Remember, they must be done discreetly, no one can find out about this.” Mu Heng spoke in a low voice.

“Of course, young master. You can count on me…”