Chapter 137: This Young Man Is Not Simple

Mu Lin was a pretty easy guy to deal with. As long as you were straight with him and didn't beat around the bush, he was very reasonable.

"Dad, Mu Lin came to ask for our help. He wants our Liu Family to send bodyguards to protect the Li Family and also to monitor the Yang Family's movements."

Liu Qizhou had just gotten off the phone when he saw his father return, looking travel-worn. He hurriedly reported the situation.

He was rather nervous. His father sometimes overthought things, and he was afraid he'd end up getting chewed out later.

After hearing Liu Qizhou's report, Liu Yiming patted him on the shoulder:

"Well done!"

"Huh?" Liu Qizhou was a little surprised. "Dad, are we really tying ourselves to the Li Family's ship just like that? What happens if this all goes south?"

"The Li Family is so small. We're putting in men and effort to protect them—it's a raw deal!"

Liu Yiming said, "You have a point. The Li Family's scale is indeed much smaller, and the return on investment is completely disproportionate. However, even if it's just to win over Mu Lin, this effort is worthwhile."

Liu Qizhou listened, feeling a bit numb. "Dad, that's an exaggeration. Mu Lin is a good kid, and he has a lot of potential, but to say he's someone we should rope in even at a loss... isn't that going too far?"

The incident at the hospital a couple of days ago was a trivial matter for the Liu Family, something they handled with little effort.

But this is different. It requires extra money and extra manpower.

"He's not that simple," Liu Yiming said, waving his hand. "A few days ago, I was out looking for the Celestial Sunflower for Yifang. Guess what I saw?"

Liu Qizhou was very confused. "What did you see?"

"I saw Mu Lin kill Chen Zhengyang."

Liu Qizhou thought, 'Hasn't Liu Yiming already mentioned this?'

"What's the big deal? It's just Chen Zhengyang. The Liu Family has masters at the same level, even stronger than him."

Liu Yiming said, "Then how much effort would it take for you to bring a master of Chen Zhengyang's caliber to Anhua?"

Liu Qizhou immediately fell silent.

To be honest, it was truly difficult.

First off, masters like that were all focused on their cultivation, seeking only to advance to the next realm.

Getting one to delay their training to do something for you required an incredibly high price.

Money was the least of it; it was more about things money couldn't buy.

Some prices even challenged the laws of nature and morality—things that couldn't be spoken of, let alone dwelt upon.

"That's true. A master like Mu Lin is quite reasonable," Liu Qizhou nodded.

"His list of accomplishments doesn't end there," Liu Yiming said calmly. "The reality is more incredible than you can imagine."

"For example, Song Qianli of the Yang Family, and Ye Si, both died by his hand."

Liu Qizhou's heart trembled. As a trained martial artist himself, he understood the implications far better.

Song Qianli was skilled in assassination, but once discovered, he was relatively easy to deal with.

But Ye Si was what truly shocked Liu Qizhou. Ye Si was a legendary figure who had mastered both the Yang Family's Tyrant Spear and the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons, allowing him to handle a lot of the Yang Family's dirty work.

Everyone in their circle knew that Ye Si was on track to become the head combat instructor for the Yang Family. Young Master Yang had high expectations for him.

For such a man to have died at Mu Lin's hands... it was like something out of a dream.

As if not wanting to let his son relax, Liu Yiming continued, "Dong Wu's younger brother, Dong Jia, is gone too. He died even before Ye Si."

Liu Qizhou was stunned, mulling it over and over. "How could he be so bold? Or did he just strike too hard and fail to hold back?"

Whenever possible, in a fight between Martial Artists, the first reaction upon encountering Dong Jia was to step aside or let him go.

It wasn't that Dong Jia himself was so powerful, but that his brother, Dong Wu, was formidable and notoriously vengeful. He wasn't someone you could afford to cross.

One wrong move, and someone could end up dead.

Therefore, when facing Dong Jia, everyone would stop at a light touch and not press the issue.

For Mu Lin to kill Dong Jia... where did he get the nerve?!

Even he, Liu Qizhou, had to be polite when he ran into Dong Jia.

"I don't know," the old man said, a thoughtful look on his face. "But I guess even if he knew who Dong Jia was, he would have killed him anyway. When has that kid ever been afraid of anything?"

Liu Qizhou was at a complete loss. "Dad, maybe we should reconsider this. Is it really a good idea to stand so close to Mu Lin? Provoking Dong Wu would have unimaginable consequences!"

Liu Yiming replied, "There's no need for that. The Liu Family is not to be trifled with, either. Besides, Dong Wu might not even be able to defeat Mu Lin..."

"How could that be... Dong Wu usually kills people in two moves. That's even more impressive than Cheng Yaojin."

"Mu Lin usually kills with a single, fatal blow, clean and decisive," Liu Yiming said. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

An eyewitness account held much more weight than Liu Qizhou's speculation.

"Dad, I don't believe it!"

"Believe it or not!"

Liu Yiming paused, then placed a hand on Liu Qizhou's shoulder. "Son, this is a huge gamble. If we win, our Liu Family will be able to take another great leap forward."

Seeing his father's insistence, Liu Qizhou had no choice but to agree to think it over.

Back at the Li Group headquarters, Li Xue went to the chairman's office after lunch.

"Dad!"

"Mm," Li Yinhe replied. He sat behind his desk, his expression grave.

With Elder Li in a coma, his heart was constantly heavy, and he truly couldn't focus on his work.

"Dad, if you don't have the heart for work, why don't you go to the hospital and stay with him? I can watch over things here."

Li Yinhe pursed his lips. "How could I? If your grandpa found out, he'd yell my head off."

Li Xue pressed her lips together. 'That's true...'

After a moment of silence, Li Xue suddenly had a thought. "Dad, have you noticed that Wu Long has been unusually quiet lately? He hasn't made a move."

Li Yinhe hadn't expected Li Xue to bring this up. After a moment's thought, he said:

"You're right! We haven't heard a peep out of him for quite a while."

Li Yinhe had been on high alert for a move from Wu Long, so he had hired some private contacts to investigate.

They discovered that Wu Long hadn't shown up to work at the Yuelong Group for several days in a row.

But the Yuelong Group's operations were still relatively normal, with no signs of a major shutdown.

Meanwhile, the local financial news had started digging up old dirt, bringing up some of their past scandals.

Things like the Yuelong Group refusing to pay compensation after a migrant worker was disabled, or their construction projects failing to meet quality standards.

And the subject, without exception, was the Yuelong Group.

This seemed to be a signal. After all, in the past, negative news about the Yuelong Group would never have appeared in the financial news.

But now it was appearing. What did that mean? It meant Wu Long no longer had the power to manage his relationship with the financial media.

Li Yinhe had a faint feeling that the Yuelong Group's good days were probably numbered.

"Maybe Wu Long has run into some insurmountable trouble?"

Li Xue's expression changed again and again. 'So what could it be?'

Li Yinhe shook his head, his mood lifting slightly. "If your grandpa knew about this, who knows how happy he'd be! To think Wu Long would see a day like this!"

"The Yuelong Group's stagnation is our opportunity! We've been number two for long enough. It's time to make a concerted push and take the top spot in Anhua!"

The door suddenly burst open. Mu Lin walked in, with the young secretary chasing after him:

"President Li, I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him!"

Li Xue shot Mu Lin a glare, said a few reassuring words to the young secretary, and sent her out.

"Mu Lin, do you not know how to knock?" Li Xue demanded, her voice full of authority.

Mu Lin smiled faintly. "I manage."

"Next time you don't knock, you can get out and do it again."

Mu Lin mumbled an agreement but didn't take it to heart at all.

Li Xue knew what his attitude was like and sighed.

"Was there something you couldn't have said at home? Did you have to barge into my office?"

Mu Lin said, "I need to take some time off. I have to personally search for the medicine to wake up Elder Li."

Li Xue's eyes lit up. Mu Lin might be a jerk, but he still had a conscience; his first thought was for her grandfather.

"Can you go alone? Should you take Captain Kong with you?"

Mu Lin waved his hand. "It's more like I'd be protecting him. He's better off staying by your side. I'll be fine alone."

Li Xue pouted. Mu Lin's attitude really annoyed her.

"Let me help pay for your travel expenses," Li Xue said. "After all, you're looking for the medicine for my grandfather."

Mu Lin gave a simple nod, though he really didn't want to spend Li Xue's money.

He had his own money, and besides, the Liu Family had paid him a considerable sum for treating Liu Yifang.

It was enough to travel the world hundreds of times over.

Having settled things, Mu Lin immediately turned and left.

Watching Mu Lin's departing figure, Li Yinhe suddenly asked, "Xue'Er, how are you and Mu Lin getting along? What do you think of him as a person?"

Li Xue's scalp prickled. 'Why is Dad starting to act weird now too?!'