Chapter 35: An Unspoken Understanding

Mo Yu smiled thinly, setting his teacup down. "What do you mean by that, Prefect Lin?"

"I mean nothing by it, other than to hope that you will not make things difficult for my daughter."

"Prefect Lin, you jest. How could I possibly make things difficult for Miss Lin? If I intended to harm her, why would I have saved her?"

Lin Zhixiang’s expression darkened slightly. "Master Mo, I am afraid that is not a very becoming attitude."

Mo Yu stared at him steadily for a long moment before suddenly laughing. "How so?"

"That you saved my daughter—I fear that is a groundless claim. As for her saving you, I am inclined to believe that," Lin Zhixiang said, frowning.

Mo Yu smiled without a word, his slender fingers tapping against the tabletop. An immense, subtle pressure began to radiate from him.

Lin Zhixiang felt a chill run through him, and a layer of cold sweat broke out across his back—a sensation he had never experienced in all his years.

This man was no ordinary person!

Seeming to perceive Lin Zhixiang’s tension, Mo Yu curled his lips into a light smile. "Prefect Lin, you speak in jest. Miss Lin did indeed save me, and I did indeed save Miss Lin."

The suffocating pressure vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, yet Lin Zhixiang was forced to treat him with even greater caution, fearing that a single misstep could cost his entire family their lives.

Although the man before him was severely wounded, he was certain that he possessed the capability to do exactly as he implied.

"I know my daughter well. The little tells she reveals when lying cannot escape my notice. But putting that aside, your wounds, Master Mo, are not so simple. If you claim they were caused by a leopard, I find that utterly impossible to believe."

Following Lin Zhixiang’s gaze, one could see that the bandages on Mo Yu’s arm had loosened, revealing wounds that were clearly inflicted by blades.

Mo Yu shook his arm, his smile remaining calm and composed. "Prefect Lin, you are being overly presumptuous. If I were to fight a leopard, I certainly could not kill it with my bare hands. In such a struggle, weapons are a necessity. How can you be so sure I did not wound myself in the chaos?"

Lin Zhixiang shook his head. "The leopard was caught in a trap and then finished off by a butcher with a single blow. How much longer do you intend to keep up this charade?"

Mo Yu’s expression gradually turned cold. "You have a sharp eye and a fine memory, Prefect Lin."

Lin Zhixiang could not help but frown. "What is it you truly want? I am merely a minor prefect, and my influence is negligible. If you intend to use me to achieve some end, I fear you will be disappointed."

"And yet, your wife’s background is quite entangled with much more."

Lin Zhixiang’s face shifted. He stood up, speaking with indignation, "Who exactly are you?"

Mo Yu said coldly, "Does the name 'Zhan Tian' mean anything to you, Prefect Lin?"

"I do not know what you are talking about," Lin Zhixiang retorted with a huff, his face flushed with anger.

However, in his heart, he could not help but ponder the words: *Zhan Tian*, "Slaying Heaven." It was a name so audacious he dared not even contemplate it. Did the name of the current Emperor not contain the character for "Heaven"?

Observing the subtle shifts in Lin Zhixiang’s expression, Mo Yu finally smiled.

"Please, look."

He withdrew a letter from his sleeve and offered it. Despite his lingering resentment, Lin Zhixiang took it.

As he read the contents, his eyes widened, and he found himself struggling to believe what he was seeing.

"You—you are—" Lin Zhixiang looked at Mo Yu, his shock rendering him speechless.

"Let us leave it unspoken," Mo Yu said, gesturing to the letter in his hand.

Lin Zhixiang paused, then immediately understood. "Yes, I understand."

With that, he folded the letter neatly and tucked it away into his robes.