Chapter 961 - 927: Poisonous Fish

Xiahou Mulan stared in disbelief at the man before her, hearing the sound of joints moving like firecrackers in her ears. The man was like a flower that had absorbed enough water, unfolding from near wilting to full bloom, returning to his original appearance in just a minute.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Xiahou Mulan would never have believed that the man imitating Cao Xinwei so perfectly turned out to be Xu Chunliang.

After demonstrating the powerful technique of his Thousand Muscle Transformations, Xu Chunliang cheerfully walked toward Xiahou Mulan. She pointed a stun baton at him and said, "Don’t come over!"

Xu Chunliang’s seemingly real performance had truly frightened her, and Xiahou Mulan’s voice trembled slightly: "Who are you really?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "Me? You don’t even recognize me? I’m Xu Chunliang!" The delight turning into fright was evident, showing the deep shadow Cao Xinwei had left on Xiahou Mulan.

"How do you prove it?"

Xiahou Mulan had Xu Chunliang stumped. How could he prove he was himself? Xu Chunliang said, "I have my ID card."

"That’s not enough."

Xu Chunliang thought for a moment: "How about I take off my clothes and let you inspect?" Body and appearance might change, but some things don’t.

"Scoundrel!" Xiahou Mulan scolded, and with that, she believed him. When Xu Chunliang proposed this plan, she thought it had no feasibility. After seeing Xu Chunliang’s performance just now, Xiahou Mulan believed it should be fine. Xu Chunliang could mimic Cao Xinwei’s appearance so closely, even the voice was almost indistinguishable.

During Cao Xinwei’s years in seclusion, the person who saw him the most was herself. If even she could be fooled by Xu Chunliang, let alone those four elders.

Xiahou Mulan initially intended to inform everyone about the Sect Leader’s disappearance and was prepared to face the ensuing storm. However, Xu Chunliang’s plan was more suitable. He would impersonate the Sect Leader, pass the leadership to her under Xiahou Zun’s guise. As long as she legitimately inherited the position and gained the support of the four elders, if characters like Wu Yuanyi or Yuanrong wanted to stir trouble and openly challenge her, it would mean opposing the entire Weary Sect.

Xu Chunliang went behind the screen, changed back into his original clothes, and returned to sit beside Xiahou Mulan, laughing: "I wanted to give you a surprise, but ended up scaring you instead."

Xiahou Mulan sighed and said: "Please, don’t give me such surprises in the future. I know you’re thinking of me, but at least let me be mentally prepared first."

Xu Chunliang put his arm around her fragrant shoulder. Xiahou Mulan leaned into his embrace, snuggling together like this.

Xiahou Mulan said: "I really can’t understand how you can turn into someone else."

Xu Chunliang gave a brief explanation, and Xiahou Mulan then learned that Xu Chunliang had learned this skill from the book Cao Xinwei left behind. While marveling at Xu Chunliang’s exceptional aptitude, she also felt that karma was inevitable. Cao Xinwei never imagined that the book he left behind would be the key to resolving the situation for Xiahou Mulan, providing a fitting end to his downfall.

"Do you think my performance just now was convincing?"

Xiahou Mulan sat upright, staring at Xu Chunliang’s face and said: "You captured both form and spirit, truly frightened me."

Xu Chunliang laughed: "Point out any shortcomings, I can still make improvements."

Xiahou Mulan said: "The only shortcoming is his hair, his hair and beard are almost all white."

Xu Chunliang said: "Before his seclusion?"

Xiahou Mulan said: "Back then, it was basically black. It should be fine, since he’s been in seclusion for these years, the four elders haven’t seen him. I guess they still remember his appearance from a few years ago."

The two of them redesigned the plan, striving for perfection.

That night, Xu Chunliang didn’t return to the hotel. He stayed at Xiahou Mulan’s courtyard for the night and took the opportunity to observe some of Xiahou Zun’s personal letters and document signatures.

This matter made Xiahou Mulan realize that Cao Xinwei had practically stopped writing over the years. Cao Xinwei himself was also an impersonator. Although he used the Thousand Muscle Transformations to mimic Xiahou Zun’s appearance and voice, some skills he couldn’t imitate, like calligraphy.

Xiahou Zun’s handwriting was exceptionally good. His beautiful calligraphy was very professional, which was why Cao Xinwei avoided writing, fearing his handwriting would give him away.

Cao Xinwei’s weakness was precisely Xu Chunliang’s strength. Xu Chunliang was skilled at imitating others’ notes, able to mimic Xiahou Zun’s handwriting to perfection. That night, he wrote a transfer document in Xiahou Zun’s handwriting, passing the leadership to his daughter, Xiahou Mulan.

Once the transfer of leadership was settled, they would still need to hire a lawyer to transfer Xiahou Zun’s assets to Xiahou Mulan. After all, these assets originally belonged to the Xiahou family. Xu Chunliang used this ploy to return the assets to their rightful owner.

Xiahou Mulan raised a question. Even if Xiahou Zun personally passed on the leadership and changed the rule from male inheritance, by the past Sect Leader’s standards, she must also pass the six martial arts skills assessment. In other words, Xiahou Mulan cannot be officially recognized as the Sect Leader until she masters the six skills of the Weary Sect, only serving as Acting Sect Leader.

Hearing her question, Xu Chunliang laughed: "That’s simple, I can teach you."

Xiahou Mulan said, "In that case, I might as well take you as my master."

Xu Chunliang said, "To truly learn, you must first sleep with the master."

Xiahou Mulan playfully punched his shoulder, "You never spit out ivory from a dog’s mouth."

Xu Chunliang said, "I think you misunderstood. What that means is, to learn skills, you need to stay close to the master day and night, learning every aspect earnestly. Back in the day, apprentices had it tough. It was customary for them to eat and sleep with their master as part of their apprenticeship. At night, the master would sleep on the bed while the apprentice slept on the floor. Besides making the master’s bed, if he was thirsty in the middle of the night, you had to serve tea. In the morning, you had to tidy up the bed and empty the chamber pot. Only when you showed sincerity would the master teach you. The ’sleep’ I mentioned isn’t what you were thinking of."

Xiahou Mulan knew he was back to his usual nonsense, "Alright, then you can sleep on the bed tonight and I’ll sleep on the floor." She was just joking; in such a large courtyard with many bedrooms, it was impossible for her to really sleep on the floor. Besides, sleeping on the floor would mean sharing the same room with the master, which essentially meant sleeping with him.

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Of course, I’ve felt your sincerity. Given your intelligence, there’s no problem learning. But learning doesn’t mean learning well."

Xiahou Mulan said, "What? You don’t plan to teach me well?"

Xu Chunliang said, "They say, to learn quickly and well, you should help the master scrub in the bath often."

Xiahou Mulan’s face turned red, she reached out and twisted Xu Chunliang’s ear, "You really have a thick skin, saying things like that out loud."

Xu Chunliang said, "I wasn’t talking about today, since I know you’re not feeling well. We can do it another day, another day, after you’ve recovered, it won’t be too late to help me with a bath."

Xiahou Mulan thought to herself, you really are my destined nemesis. No matter what Xu Chunliang said, she couldn’t get angry; instead, she felt very happy. You’ve already slept, so what’s wrong with helping with a bath? She thought, her heart pounding and face blushing, realizing she had fallen for his tricks. She got up, yawned and said, "I’m tired, I’m going to bed."

Xu Chunliang said, "I’ll study a bit more, I’ll come over shortly."

Xiahou Mulan bit her cherry lips; she decided not to lock the bedroom door after all. With his skills, even a lock wouldn’t keep him out. Only she didn’t feel well these days and suddenly realized she felt regret about it, which was quite scary. In just a few days, Xu Chunliang had turned her from an ice-pure girl into a charming woman, and the worst part was, she enjoyed it without complaint. Well, what can she do, she’s addicted to it.

At 9 a.m., an elderly man slowly approached the courtyard in Nanluo Lane, paused at the entrance, looked at the door plaque, and was about to walk in when he saw a tricycle heading his way. The old man squinted and recognized the middle-aged man on the tricycle, smiling, "Pingqing!"

The middle-aged man hurriedly got off the tricycle and greeted the elderly man, "Hello, Uncle Meng."

The elder was Meng Huaiyi, one of the elders of the Weary Sect, and the middle-aged man was Zhai Pingqing, the fourth elder of the Weary Sect. While Meng Huaiyi might be unknown, Zhai Pingqing was quite famous in the domestic elder care industry and was the president of the Kangjian Elder Care Group, which had the most powerful elder care institutions in the country.

In this new era, although the Weary Sect became increasingly loose-knit, its roots remained. Whenever there was a significant issue, key members of the sect would gather together, putting everything else aside.

This time, Xiahou Mulan urgently summoned everyone. After receiving the notification, all four elders agreed to come.

When Zhai Pingqing paid the fare, Meng Huaiyi looked at the tricycle, which was a typical vehicle for taking people through the narrow alleys of the city, and couldn’t help but laugh, "You’re such a big boss and didn’t have a car sent for you?"

Zhai Pingqing laughed, "It’s been ages since I’ve been to Capital City. Riding a tricycle through the alleys has its own charm."

Meng Huaiyi said, "I really don’t understand the world of the wealthy."

The two of them laughed together. Zhai Pingqing pressed the doorbell, and after a short wait, the gate opened, having been unlocked by someone inside with a remote control.

They walked in, and Meng Huaiyi said, "The last time I came here was five years ago, and the layout inside has completely changed."

Zhai Pingqing said, "Same here, but I like the current style more. I heard Miss Mulan designed it herself."

Meng Huaiyi said, "I remember she didn’t attend college."

Zhai Pingqing said, "A degree doesn’t determine everything. With the Sect Leader in retreat all these years, Miss Mulan has managed such a large group quite successfully, which proves her capability."

Meng Huaiyi sighed, "Like father, like daughter."

Wearing a simply colored cheongsam, with long braided hair, Xiahou Mulan came out to greet them. Although she had managed the affairs of the Weary Sect in recent years, she hadn’t interacted much with the four elders; everyone had their own businesses. Although they could look out for each other in business, they normally had no deep connections unless there was an extremely serious issue at hand to call all four elders simultaneously.

Relatively speaking, Xiahou Mulan was more familiar with Zhai Pingqing, as Mulan Group and Kangjian Elder Care Group had more business dealings. She greeted, "Hello, Elder Meng, Uncle Zhai."

Meng Huaiyi nodded with a smile, and Zhai Pingqing said, "Miss Mulan, you’ve become more and more beautiful. Have they all arrived?"