Teng Liu was not surprised by the news that Jing Xunce and the others had stayed. Anyway, whether they stayed or not didn't make much difference to him.
Meanwhile, in the Qin Dynasty, some things were starting to get out of control.
One day, taking advantage of the inattentiveness of his guards, Mu Rendong managed to escape. Looking around at this unfamiliar place, he couldn't help but shiver. No matter what, he had to get away.
The people who had kidnapped him were truly terrifying. They tortured him mentally every day. If he stayed any longer, he would go crazy. Mu Rendong walked along a small path for half a day and finally saw a house. After asking for directions and making sure there was no one around, greed took hold of him.
Since there were only two old people in the house, living was just a burden for them. It would be better if he gave them a helping hand. Mu Rendong picked up a handy stick from the side and without hesitation, struck the old man on the head. The old woman who came out after hearing the noise also couldn't escape this misfortune.
Mu Rendong rummaged through their house, took all the valuable things, and set the house on fire. He thought these two were lonely old people, but he didn't know that what he had done today would bring about his own doom.
Mu Rendong walked aimlessly on the road. He didn't plan to return to the palace. He used to be in awe and longing for a place like the palace, thinking that as long as he was in the palace, he could be superior to others. But that wasn't the case.
He had to be extremely cautious there, yet he was still easily plotted against. And Mu Xingrou was a useless person. Staying there, he had to be on tenterhooks every day and hide in the shadows, unable to show his face. How could a dignified man like him spend his whole life in such a place?
Anyway, he couldn't go back. It would be better to find a place to enjoy himself.
As Mu Rendong walked, he came across a man lying on the ground. He thought the man was dead and wanted to search him for any valuable things, but the man on the ground suddenly grabbed his wrist.
"Save... save me." Actually, it wasn't a serious problem. It was just an old ailment that had flared up, leaving him unable to move. "The medicine... the medicine is on me..."
Seeing that the man was wearing expensive clothes, Mu Rendong assumed he was a wealthy man, so he kindly saved him.
"Thank you, young master, for saving my life. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid..." As he said this, he looked terrified. "May I ask where your home is? I'd like to repay you."
"I'm all alone. If you want to repay me, just do it now to save the trouble." Mu Rendong looked at him greedily.
"May I ask if you're married?" The man suddenly remembered that he had an unmarried daughter of a certain age. Seeing that this man was also alone, he thought they would be a good match. "If you don't mind, you can come home with me to meet my daughter. If you're willing, I'd like to marry her to you."
Mu Rendong didn't expect such good luck. As long as he married this man's daughter, would he have nothing to worry about for the rest of his life? Mu Rendong looked a bit conflicted, but he quickly agreed.
"In that case, it's okay for this young master to go and take a look." Mu Rendong looked at him haughtily.
As they walked on the road, the man asked about Mu Rendong's background. Mu Rendong rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not the son of a wealthy family. I was originally going to the capital to seek refuge with my elder sister, who is a concubine in the palace. But then I met you."
As he said this, Mu Rendong pretended to look helpless at the man beside him. After seeing the surprise and flattery on the man's face, he felt even more satisfied.
"Actually, I might as well tell you. I'm the mayor of this town. If you're willing, you can stay at my place for as long as you like." The mayor had a good idea. Although this man didn't look very good, his background was powerful.
"Actually, I'm ashamed to say. I'm going to the capital this time because my elder sister is worried about my marriage. If the mayor can help me solve this problem, my elder sister will have one less worry." Mu Rendong's mind seemed to have become sharper, perhaps due to the torture by Jing Xunce's people. His mind was working very fast.
If he just stayed in the town, it would surely arouse people's suspicion soon. But if he married the mayor's daughter, it would be different. He could stay there openly and be served by others.
"Don't worry, young master. I will never let you down." The mayor originally planned to marry his ugly eldest daughter to this man, but now it seemed he had to let his second daughter do it.
As long as they could get involved with this man, wouldn't their prosperity be just around the corner?
The mayor had high hopes. Before long, he led Mu Rendong to the mayor's mansion. The mayor's wife, who had already received the news, had brought her daughters to wait outside the mansion early. When she saw the mayor and the others, she immediately welcomed them.
"Husband, you're finally back. I presume this is Young Master Mu? He's really a handsome and elegant man." The mayor's wife looked at Mu Rendong seriously.
Mu Rendong squinted his eyes and said with a smile, "You're too kind, madam." After saying that, he stood aside and became cold - spoken, thinking that half of his face looked very handsome for them to admire.
Little did he know that the girls beside him were almost bursting with complaints in their hearts. Was this man really their father's honored guest? He was so ugly.
"Please come in, Young Master Mu. These are my daughters. I wonder if there's any one you like?" The mayor pushed his daughters forward. Fortunately, his eldest daughter didn't come out. Otherwise, what if she scared the honored guest?
The mayor's favorite was his second daughter. She was the most obedient and the prettiest among his daughters. And Mu Rendong didn't disappoint him. He really took a fancy to his second daughter.
"I think this young lady is very nice. May I ask if she's married?" Mu Rendong didn't learn much else in the capital, but he could still say a few elegant words off the top of his head.
"What are you saying, Young Master Mu? My daughters are all unmarried." The mayor replied with a forced smile.
"Then I wonder..." Before Mu Rendong could finish his sentence, the mayor took over and agreed to the marriage.
"When do you think we should prepare for the wedding, Young Master Mu?" The mayor asked carefully.
"Mayor, you don't need to be so cautious. I'm going to be your worthy son - in - law soon. If you're like this, people might think you don't agree to this marriage." Mu Rendong looked at the mayor dissatisfiedly.
"How could that be? Rendong, would this wedding date work?" The mayor was even more satisfied seeing that Mu Rendong was so easy to talk to.