# Chapter 1621: I Came to Help You
"I came to borrow a guard from you." Mu Linxue's voice was crisp. Hearing her words, Mu Qingying rolled her eyes at her and said, "Linxue, you should have had the family recruit a group of guards for you long ago. You always rely on yourself for everything; you don't even have anyone to do the grunt work."
"I'm used to it." Mu Linxue said casually.
"But I also know that with your various talents, guards simply can't help you." Mu Qingying was not surprised by Mu Linxue's answer. The truth was exactly as she had said—those who could cooperate with Mu Linxue in artifact refining would never come to the Mu Mansion to serve as a guard. If it weren't for Mu Linxue wanting to make a push before the Artifact Refining Competition, she wouldn't have asked Mu Qingying for someone. She needed someone to help her manage the miscellaneous tasks.
"Let's go. But Linxue, I'm telling you now, you can't pick Mu Xiao. He just turned thirty this year, right at the age limit for the Artifact Refining Competition. He can help me make a push. As for the others, you can pick whoever you want." Mu Qingying said with a smile. She and Mu Linxue were about the same age, slightly younger, but her elder sister was better than her in every talent, more beautiful, and flawless. The person she admired most was Mu Linxue.
"I understand." Mu Linxue nodded. Since Mu Qingying wanted Mu Xiao to cooperate with her in the Artifact Refining Competition, she naturally wouldn't take what others cherished. Mu Xiao was lucky—if the Artifact Refining Competition were a year later, he wouldn't have a chance. The Artifact Refining Competition was held once every thirty years, and participants had to be under thirty years old. Otherwise, if a bunch of old-timers participated, it would be meaningless.
Mu Xiao quietly followed behind the two women, his gaze constantly lingering on Mu Linxue. Mu Qingying was already very beautiful, but standing next to Mu Linxue, she seemed somewhat overshadowed.
When they reached the outer courtyard, Mu Xiao called out all the guards, including Lin Feng. Mu Qingying smiled at Mu Linxue and said, "Linxue, almost all my guards are here."
"Mu Linxue!" Lin Feng's expression tightened when he heard Mu Qingying address the woman beside her. His eyes fell on Mu Linxue. She was very beautiful, with an exceptionally alluring figure—curvaceous in all the right places, yet without giving off a seductive vibe. She exuded only noble sensuality, untouchable. Even the guards, upon seeing her, averted their eyes, not daring to look directly at the most beautiful woman of the Mu family. If it were just her looks, that would be one thing, but her talent was also among the best of the younger generation of the Mu family.
Mu Linxue's gaze also fell on Lin Feng. His delicate features and seemingly clear eyes held a certain depth, as if weathered by storms. The reason she noticed Lin Feng was that everyone else dared not look her in the eye, but Lin Feng's gaze remained fixed on her without shifting even once—very bold. Even under her gaze, Lin Feng showed no sign of retreating, simply looking at her calmly, without the burning passion or self-deprecation seen in others' eyes.
This person was either confident or audacious.
"Mu Linxue's appearance can compare to Mu Yun's, each with their own charm." Lin Feng thought to himself. If Mu Linxue knew what he was thinking, who knew how she would feel.
"Linxue, whoever you want to pick as your guard, feel free." Mu Qingying said to the guards. Hearing that they could become Mu Linxue's guard, everyone's expressions tightened. Mu Linxue didn't have a single guard by her side. If they were chosen by Mu Linxue, they would undoubtedly become her personal guard. Thinking of this, their hearts burned with anticipation.
Lin Feng's heart also stirred slightly. Becoming Mu Linxue's guard—wasn't that exactly the same as his goal? To get close to Mu Linxue.
"Miss Linxue, I am willing to be your guard." Lin Feng spoke directly. If he didn't seize the opportunity at a time like this, his chances would be slim. So why not take the initiative?
Everyone's expressions tightened, and their gazes turned to Lin Feng. This guy was incredibly bold, actually volunteering to become Miss Linxue's guard.
Mu Qingying also looked at Lin Feng, a flash of anger in her eyes. She said coldly, "Hasn't Mu Xiao already warned you about being expelled from the Mu Mansion? You entered the Mu Mansion for me. Now that you hear you might be kicked out, you want to cling to Linxue? Are you dreaming? Anyone is fine, but not you. I told you long ago—the Mu Mansion doesn't want trash."
Seeing Mu Qingying's noble and cold face, Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly. Then he looked at Mu Xiao. Hearing Mu Qingying say this, he understood that Mu Xiao must have said something to her. Originally, the position of Mu Qingying's guard should have been his, but he hadn't bothered to compete for it because he had no interest in becoming Mu Qingying's guard.
When Mu Xiao saw Lin Feng looking at him, his expression clearly wavered. He had originally wanted to directly expel Lin Feng from the Mu Mansion, but he hadn't expected Mu Qingying to come with him at the same time, and Lin Feng to be so bold, leading Mu Qingying to tell Lin Feng this.
"Lin Feng, your array dao skills are decent, but you lack ambition. Miss Qingying and I have decided to let you leave the Mu Mansion. Do as you please." Mu Xiao said to Lin Feng, trying to force him out.
A cold light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes, but he wasn't concerned about them. What mattered was Mu Linxue. Slowly turning his gaze, Lin Feng looked at Mu Linxue again and said, "Miss Linxue, I am willing to become your guard."
"How dare you..." Mu Qingying scolded coldly, "Before, you begged me to let you into the Mu Mansion, and I gave you a chance. Now, you still dare to cling to Linxue?"
"Qingying, I just need someone to help with the grunt work, not to assist with artifact refining. Since you're discarding him, it's perfect to hand him over to me." Mu Linxue didn't mind. She just needed someone to assist her, not to cooperate in artifact refining. Since Qingying was going to expel Lin Feng from the Mu Mansion anyway, she might as well let Lin Feng follow her.
"Linxue." Mu Qingying didn't expect Mu Linxue to want Lin Feng. She said, "This person is no good. He might be a lecher. When he saw me before, he begged me to let him into the Mu Mansion."
"Could he possibly do anything to me?" Mu Linxue said casually. "Let's leave it at that. I won't take any of your other guards."
"Fine." Mu Qingying nodded and didn't insist, only coldly glancing at Lin Feng. "Overestimating yourself. You're on your own."
"I'll be going now." Mu Linxue nodded slightly to Mu Qingying, then gestured to Lin Feng. "Let's go."
Lin Feng lifted his steps and followed Mu Linxue as they slowly walked away. When he passed by Mu Qingying, his steps paused slightly, and he said in a low voice, "I never entered the Mu Mansion for you."
With that, Lin Feng lifted his steps and continued to follow Mu Linxue.
Mu Qingying's expression froze. She stared at Lin Feng's back, a cold light flickering in her eyes. "Not for me? A toad lusting after swan meat!"
Lin Feng didn't care about Mu Qingying's thoughts. In any case, half of his goal was already accomplished. Now he just needed to do his best to stay by Mu Linxue's side.
Mu Linxue led Lin Feng to her inner courtyard. In the Mu Mansion, every younger generation disciple's inner courtyard had its own artifact refining room. Mu Linxue was no exception. Now, Lin Feng had arrived at Mu Linxue's artifact refining room.
The space was very large, with a huge artifact refining furnace. Unlike an alchemy furnace, which was sealed to prevent the medicinal effects from dissipating, the artifact refining furnace resembled a large cauldron stove from a previous life, but it was far from ordinary. On it were clear patterns of flames, very distinct, which could definitely amplify the power of flames, making them stronger. The artifact refining furnace itself might be an extremely valuable item, a royal artifact specifically crafted for artifact refining.
Above the artifact refining furnace were many artifact refining tools: giant hammers, fire tongs. Lin Feng had a basic understanding of artifact refining and knew these were used for polishing, rough shaping, and final shaping—all indispensable.
This artifact refining room was very well-ventilated, not sealed. During the refining process, one had to face terrifyingly high temperatures, which was far from pleasant.
"Why do you want to be my guard?" Mu Linxue turned her gaze and asked Lin Feng. She had a faint feeling that Lin Feng was not as simple as he seemed—at least, not as worthless as Mu Qingying thought.
"I don't want to be your guard. I came to help you." Lin Feng looked directly at Mu Linxue. His words made Mu Linxue's expression freeze. Even though she thought Lin Feng wasn't as simple as he seemed, she never expected him to dare speak like this. In the entire Mu Mansion, among the younger generation, those who could cooperate with her in artifact refining could be counted on one hand, and those people were all busy preparing for the Artifact Refining Competition themselves, so they naturally couldn't help her.
"How can you help me?" Mu Linxue asked curiously.
"I understand formations." Lin Feng's voice remained very calm, but Mu Linxue showed a slightly displeased expression. "I am also a proud person, just like you. But I have never dared to say that I understand formations."
"Perhaps I chose my words poorly. But at least, the formations I understand should be able to help you." Lin Feng had also heard from Mu Yi that Mu Linxue was a proud person. He thought that when facing a proud person, he had to be the same to earn their respect. Of course, you had to have enough capital to be proud, or else you would just be arrogant.
Mu Linxue's face showed no major reaction to Lin Feng's words. She simply said, "Alright, in that case, I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. First, go out and help me prepare these materials. This storage ring contains what you need to purchase the materials. When you come back, we'll start artifact refining."