Playing Every Trick in the Book

"No need, no need — once you're off at university, who's going to live in that room anyway? Xinxia is better off staying with your aunt. We men aren't exactly cut out for looking after her, and I send your aunt money every month. Speaking of which, the card you gave me has about a hundred thousand on it, and I've saved up eighty thousand from years of driving — that's nearly two hundred thousand altogether. Enough to buy some Enchanted Gear, maybe. I hear that stuff is absolutely essential for Mages." Mo Jiaxing continued.

"I already have some!"

"Oh, right — I almost forgot, you got a piece from Zhankong. That really made your old man proud, let me tell you. I've heard the old hunters at the Waystation retell that story more times than I can count!" The memory lit up Mo Jiaxing's face, never mind that it had happened over a year ago.

"Tomorrow I'm going to the Mu Clan Estate to duel a mage called Yu'ang." Mo Fan held his father's gaze, his tone steady.

"I know, I know — I've already put in a word with some of the old-timers over at the Mu place, asked them to convince Yu'ang to go easy on you. You're really just there to add a bit of flair to his Coming-of-Age Ceremony, that's all. Getting to show yourself off in front of all those prominent figures in Bo City — that's a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Though I do have to ask: how on earth did you come up with such a clever way to make a name for yourself? Anyway, just make sure you don't go offending the Mu patriarch again. He's still sore about that business with you and Ningxue. You little rascal — you nearly ran off with their family's most precious jewel, and at your age!"

Mo Jiaxing had never actually blamed Mo Fan for that old affair.

Mo Fan had only been a kid back then. A bit of foolishness was entirely normal. And besides, the fault didn't lie entirely with his son — the other family simply wielded far too much power.

*What a shame Mu Ningxue isn't from an ordinary family,* Mo Jiaxing thought to himself. *I'd have had a lovely daughter-in-law. This rascal has no particular talents to speak of, yet when it comes to sweeping girls off their feet at his age, he's absolutely in a class of his own.*

As far as Mo Jiaxing was concerned, this magic duel was a genuine stroke of good fortune.

Plenty of well-connected young men from good families would have killed for an invitation to this grand ceremony — even serving as Yu'ang's backdrop would have been considered an honor. Mo Fan landing this opportunity was genuinely lucky. The one thing he mustn't do was let pride get the better of him and actually try to win. What resources did their family have compared to the Mu Clan? Playing the supporting role was more than acceptable. And if Yu'ang ever rose to become a major figure in Bo City, at least Mo Fan could boast that he'd once crossed swords with him.

"Dad, I can win."

"Don't aim too high, don't aim too high. I'm already more than satisfied with how far you've come." Mo Jiaxing chuckled and clapped Mo Fan on the shoulder.

Mo Fan stared at his father's expression, thoroughly baffled.

*Why does everyone seem to think I'm just going there as cannon fodder??*

The Mu Clan's invitations had gone out well in advance, and the Mu Clan Estate was brimming with distinguished guests and prominent figures. The staff who worked the grounds were run completely ragged — even a single weed spotted in a flower bed demanded an immediate response.

Mu Zhuoyun had poured extraordinary effort into this Coming-of-Age Ceremony, apparently determined to ensure no one in Bo City could claim ignorance of it.

Mo Fan had long wondered why Mu Zhuoyun had arranged this duel in the first place. Now he understood: the old fox had planned it from the start. Mo Fan was the entertainment — a dramatic flourish to spice up what would otherwise be an unremarkable banquet.

Just eating and drinking would have been dull. A fight between young mages, though? That was something worth watching. Not only would it publicly put Mo Fan — some gutter rat — in his place, but it would reflect glory on the Mu Clan in the same breath. Why on earth not?

Honestly, Mo Fan hadn't expected the old bastard to go to quite this scale.

It was shaping up to be exactly what Principal Zhu and Deng Kai had described: a showdown between clan disciples and school students, staged before the eyes of all Bo City.

By now, Mo Fan was well and truly Tianlan Magic High School's top-ranked student. Even if he had never provoked the Mu patriarch, the odds were that this fight would have found him eventually.

Fine. Old grudges, new scores — he would settle them all in one go.

"The bigger the stage you build, old bastard, the harder I'll make you fall." Mo Fan stood before his old home, gazing up at the Mu Clan Estate ablaze with lanterns and festive decorations. A cold smile crept across his face.

Up at the estate, Mu Zhuoyun sneezed out of nowhere.

He was sitting in the tea room, idly stroking his mustache with an air of quiet satisfaction, watching Mu Ningxue — who had returned home early for summer break — with a glowing expression.

"This Coming-of-Age Ceremony was originally planned for you, but your father hadn't anticipated just how far you'd surpass our expectations. Bo City is simply too small a stage for you now. Giving the ceremony to Yu'ang makes sense: he's completely devoted to our family, and in time he can stand as your right-hand ally when you compete against the disciples of the other great clans."

All this scheming, all for his daughter's sake.

"Why do you keep targeting him?" Mu Ningxue finally could not hold back. "Even if you need a legitimate pretext to give Yu'ang the chance at the Earth Sacred Spring, you could have chosen anyone else."

The "him" she meant was, of course, Mo Fan.

"That little brat insulted me in front of a crowd — did you think I'd let that go lightly? He acts as though he's above it all, thinks he's so impressive. What's wrong with handing him exactly this kind of 'golden opportunity'? Everything's already been arranged. You just sit beside me and watch." Mu Zhuoyun's expression shifted the moment the subject arose.

*Still defending that boy, even now?*

He genuinely could not fathom it. With so many outstanding young men from powerful clans around her, why did she refuse to spare any of them a second glance — yet somehow found it worth her while to care about a penniless nobody whose only talent was running his mouth?

"Then tell Yu'ang to know when to stop." Mu Ningxue understood that her father would never relent on this. She stated the only condition she had.

"Don't worry, I have everything under control. I simply want that insufferable brat to understand that what I did to his pride before was nothing — and tomorrow, he'll discover what true humiliation looks like: exposed and broken before the eyes of everyone watching." Mu Zhuoyun broke into laughter, unhurried and satisfied.

*Foolish boy. When I was already commanding the heights of this city, you hadn't even drawn your first breath.*

*I, Mu Zhuoyun, have tricks enough — and I intend to use every last one of them to make sure you never hold your head up in Bo City again.*