Chapter 141: Found an Expert

'How old is Mu Lin, anyway? Why should I have to call him "Uncle"?'

But Elder Zhou was still waiting.

"Zhou Ying, hurry up and apologize to your uncle!"

This was clearly a ploy by Elder Zhou, who intended to treat Mu Lin as his peer.

It just made Zhou Ying extremely awkward.

Mu Lin said, "Miss Zhou, don't worry about it. We can just treat each other as peers."

Zhou Ying's eyes lit up. Without that strange formality, she was more than happy to accept Mu Lin's greeting.

She walked up to Mu Lin and shook his hand.

"Brother Mu!"

Hearing that crisp, clear "Brother Mu," Mu Lin was reminded of Zhao Ling'Er in her little nurse's uniform.

"Good, good," Mu Lin nodded repeatedly. "When the enemy arrives, you hide upstairs. Try not to make a sound. Leave the rest to me."

Zhou Ying turned to her grandfather. "What about Grandpa?"

"Elder Zhou will stay downstairs alone. The guards and I will be with him."

"Why does Grandpa have to stay downstairs alone? That's too dangerous!" Zhou Ying said.

Mu Lin smiled. "It's precisely because it's dangerous that he needs to stay downstairs alone, isolated from you. You all usually do this, don't you?"

Zhou Ying was completely lost, not quite understanding what was going on.

Elder Zhou said, "Yingying usually lives at her school dorm, so she doesn't know much about this. Today is probably the first time she's experienced an attack, so she's a bit unclear."

'So that's how it is! No wonder I thought this girl was a bit dense.'

"Listen to me, and I'll keep your grandfather safe, okay?" Mu Lin's tone was like he was coaxing a child.

Zhou Ying said, "Not okay! I've found an expert for Grandpa too, and his advice was for all of us to go upstairs, with him guarding the place alone."

Mu Lin glanced at Zhou Qianfan, who also had a shocked expression on his face.

Elder Zhou said, "Yingying contacted him for me. I didn't expect her social circle to be so wide, to even have connections with the Xu Family of Di Yang City."

'Di Yang City,' Mu Lin thought. 'Lin Tian was from there.'

'Other than that, I don't seem to have any connection to the place.'

Zhou Qianfan grew excited. If it was an expert sent by a family like that, they might actually be able to repel the coming attack.

"So who did they send?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Me!"

Just as Zhou Qianfan was asking, a deep voice echoed from outside the fortified house.

Chen Jingyun went over, looked through the observation window, and blurted out in shock, "Grandmaster... Grandmaster Ye!"

Zhou Qianfan's expression changed, his excitement becoming even more obvious. "It's actually him!"

Mu Lin frowned. "Uncle Zhou, who is he?"

Zhou Qianfan was very surprised. "Mu Lin, you're this skilled and you still don't know Grandmaster Ye's name?"

Mu Lin shook his head. In his old master's eyes, he was the only hero in the world; the old man never held any other expert in particularly high regard.

"Well, you'll get to see for yourself today!" Zhou Qianfan said. "Grandmaster Ye's strength is no small matter. He's not any weaker than you!"

Mu Lin pursed his lips. 'Not weaker than me? You mean not weaker than my warm-up?'

After all, even now, he had never used more than thirty percent of his power.

'Could Grandmaster Ye even compare?'

Of course, Mu Lin wasn't one to compete for show. His priority was still Elder Zhou's safety.

Chen Jingyun opened the door, and an old man with a white beard and hair walked in. His back was stooped, making him look just like an ordinary little old man.

But no one dared to underestimate him. The title of Grandmaster alone was enough to command the respect of everyone present.

Hoping to make as many friends as possible, Elder Zhou cupped his fist toward Grandmaster Ye.

"Grandmaster Ye, I've heard so much about you. It's inconvenient for this old man to stand up; I hope the Grandmaster can forgive me."

Grandmaster Ye smiled magnanimously. "Of course. Please, stay seated, Brother Zhou."

Zhou Qianfan also bowed low. His daughter had truly done a great service this time. By establishing a connection with Grandmaster Ye, the Zhou Family's power could be greatly enhanced.

Grandmaster Ye returned the courtesy solemnly, without a hint of condescension. Zhou Qianfan held a government position and would certainly inherit all of Elder Zhou's power in the future. Grandmaster Ye also saw this as an opportunity for his own advancement.

Zhou Ying also called out sweetly, "Hello, Grandmaster Ye! Thank you for taking the trouble to come all this way!"

Grandmaster Ye knew this girl was his own young master's target, so he certainly wouldn't be dismissive.

"It's no trouble, just a small effort. The Young Master is very concerned about Miss Zhou Ying's safety!"

'Really? My senior is still thinking of me?' Zhou Ying's pretty face immediately flushed red.

Zhou Qianfan could see what was happening, of course, but he chose not to point it out. The Xu Family was a major power, and having Zhou Ying maintain that relationship wasn't a bad thing.

As long as that kid didn't take advantage of her, Zhou Qianfan could accept it.

'That will require a few reminders from my wife.'

After the greetings were made one by one, it was time for those outside the Zhou Family.

Zhou Qianfan walked to stand behind Mu Lin and said with great sincerity, "Grandmaster Ye, this is a junior I hold in high regard. He's also extremely strong. During the last assassination attempt, we were saved thanks to his efforts."

Grandmaster Ye looked Mu Lin up and down. He saw that Mu Lin was plain and unremarkable, with nothing particularly special about him, so he paid him no mind.

Mu Lin was also sizing up Grandmaster Ye. 'This man has sunk most of his life's energy into cultivation. Though he's gained some power and a bit of a reputation by picking on weaklings...'

'...my intuition tells me he wouldn't last three moves against me.'

Elder Zhou smiled at Mu Lin. "Mu Xiaoyou, thank you for coming all this way. But with Grandmaster Ye here, it's unlikely there will be any danger."

But Zhou Qianfan felt it wouldn't be right to just send Mu Lin home.

"Dad, this is an excellent learning opportunity. I think it could help Mu Lin improve his skills. Why not let him stay and observe? I've prepared plenty of good food in the storeroom. We can all eat while we wait for the assassins. Wouldn't that be great?"

Hearing there was good food, Zhou Ying jumped for joy. "Yay! Food and fun, this is awesome!"

Most importantly, she had used her own connections to find an expert who could protect her grandfather, which made her feel especially proud.

Mu Lin thought their attitude was pretty terrible, but since even Elder Zhou seemed to think the same way and was quite happy about it, he didn't say anything.

'Zhou Ying is right. With food and fun, what more could you ask for?'

"Then it's settled. Captain Chen, seal the door to the house. No one else will be coming in."

Then Zhou Qianfan personally went to the storeroom, brought out a lot of ready-to-cook ingredients, set up a large pot, and actually started making hotpot.

"Come, come, everyone eat! You too, Grandmaster Ye. You need to eat your fill to have the strength to fight the assassins!"

For a moment, the atmosphere was joyous and harmonious, like it was New Year's. They almost forgot about the impending assassination.

Chen Jingyun and the guard team, however, remained on high alert.

No matter what, they were sworn to give everything for Elder Zhou.

Last time, their losses were huge, but not only were they not punished, Elder Zhou had even given them money to rebuild the security team. That was already extremely generous.

Whatever happened, they could not let a mistake like that happen again.

BOOM!

A muffled sound echoed.

It was as if a stone had fallen from the sky and crashed to the ground.

Even inside the fortified house, the ground shook, and scalding hotpot broth splashed out of the pot.

"What's happening?!" Zhou Ying was terrified.

She had never felt anything so terrifying.

Grandmaster Ye stood up, his white hair and beard fluttering around him without any wind.

"The assassins are here," Grandmaster Ye said calmly.

Ah?!

Zhou Ying couldn't help but hide in her mother's arms. She knew Grandmaster Ye could win, but she was still terrified, trembling from head to toe.

"Miss Zhou, there's no need to be afraid. I am here, so you have nothing to fear!" Grandmaster Ye walked toward the door.

But Mu Lin took two steps forward, blocking Grandmaster Ye's path. "Wait a moment."

Grandmaster Ye frowned. "Do you have something to say?"

Mu Lin said, "The person outside is exceptionally strong. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle them. Leave it to me."

Grandmaster Ye was so angered by Mu Lin's words that his hair practically stood on end. "Are you humiliating me, boy? An enemy you can defeat is one I can't? What kind of joke is that?"

Zhou Qianfan also felt this was inappropriate. Mu Lin was coming off as being deliberately difficult.

Grandmaster Ye was a revered Grandmaster; his strength was surely guaranteed.

"Mu Lin, don't be like this. If you feel you've been ignored, then I apologize!"

Mu Lin waved his hand. "That's not what I mean! I'm just worried about Grandmaster Ye's safety."

Zhou Ying couldn't hold back anymore. She slammed the table and shouted, "That's enough out of you! You think you're the most reckless person in the world, is that it?"

Grandmaster Ye clasped his hands behind his back and said:

"Boy, I could kill you with a single palm strike. But considering you have a long road ahead of you, I'll deign to argue with you first."