Chapter 177: Refining the Cold Marrow

Leaves slowly drifted down in the forest.

Before they had fallen far, they were frozen by a chilling aura, their surfaces covered in a thin layer of ice.

Mu Lin sat cross-legged amidst a five-meter-diameter circle of ice and snow, yet the surrounding area was still bathed in scorching sunlight.

It was a truly wondrous sight.

But Mu Lin wasn't satisfied. He prepared to push his power further.

After a while, a crack appeared on the surface of the cool jade.

The crack grew larger and larger, eventually spreading across the entire piece. The cool jade then turned to dust and scattered into the forest, lost from sight.

He had finished absorbing the cold marrow. Mu Lin raised a hand and wiped the frost from his face.

Bits of ice CLATTERED to the ground, melting into the frosty air.

Of course, the cold marrow from a single piece of cool jade couldn't create such a spectacular scene on its own. Mu Lin had used his own internal energy to generate new cold marrow, creating a self-sustaining cycle.

HISS HISS HISS...

A snake slithered past, flicking its tongue.

Mu Lin lunged and grabbed the snake.

The snake struggled for only a moment before it went still.

It had felt an intense cold and thought winter had arrived, time for hibernation.

"To think my chilling aura can even fool a snake. With a single move, my opponents will be frozen stiff!"

Mu Lin retracted his internal energy, and the frozen landscape around him vanished in an instant.

The chilling aura was quickly drawn back into his Dantian by Mu Lin, participating in the self-sustaining fusion of cold marrow.

This cold marrow helped him condense his aura, making his internal energy more solid and thus more powerfully increasing his strength.

In a duel between top-tier experts of equal strength, the one with the more condensed aura usually wins.

Why? Because their energy has greater density and is more stable.

That's the very definition of 'mighty and forceful'.

Mu Lin stretched his back and couldn't help but laugh when he thought about the origin of the cool jade. 'Come to think of it, Huang Fengnian was the one who won this raw stone for me at the auction. I really have to thank him!'

He hadn't spent a single penny!

'Is there anything in the world more delightful than getting something for free?'

'I should head home and check in first...'

Mu Lin returned to the Li Villa. Li Xue was with Li Yinhe, who was resting on the sofa. She was helping him change into a set of loose-fitting loungewear.

Li Yinhe's body was covered in scars, and any careless movement could pull at his wounds, so this was necessary.

When Mu Lin walked in, Li Xue glanced at him but said nothing.

'At least he knows how to come back.'

Mu Lin asked, "Uncle Li, how are you feeling?"

Hearing Mu Lin call him "Uncle" left a strange taste in Li Yinhe's mouth.

Before, when Mu Lin had called him "Dad," he had felt insulted.

He used to think a man like Mu Lin was unworthy of being his son-in-law, but now, it seemed he was the one who wasn't good enough.

How laughable and helpless the situation was.

He no longer had the face to ask Mu Lin to change how he addressed him. Let him call him whatever he wanted!

Li Yinhe forced a smile. "I'm doing alright! No problems so far. Thank you!"

Mu Lin replied, "Don't mention it! Uncle Li, if you need anything, just let me know. I'm heading back to the company first. I haven't been there in a while, so I'm not sure how the project team is doing."

Li Xue said, "That useless team? What do you expect? There are only three people right now, four including you. You still think you can handle a project?"

Mu Lin said, "Why not?"

With that, he turned and walked out.

Li Yinhe suddenly called out, "Mu Lin!"

Mu Lin turned back. "What is it? Does Uncle Li have a project for me?"

Li Yinhe sighed, then said, "That's not what I mean. I'm saying... you can call me Dad!"

"Okay, Dad!" Mu Lin said earnestly.

Hearing this, Li Yinhe felt incredibly pleased.

'Are people just inherently masochistic? Do they especially crave what they can't have?'

Before, the same "Dad" just didn't have the same effect.

But now that Mu Lin had said it, he actually felt moved.

"Then I'm off to the company!" Mu Lin said, turning to leave.

Li Xue watched Mu Lin's retreating back, her mouth slightly agape, a complex mix of emotions churning within her.

Li Yinhe could shamelessly ask Mu Lin to call him "Dad," but she couldn't bring herself to shamelessly ask Mu Lin to call her "Wife."

That marriage certificate was fake. That was the biggest issue weighing on her heart.

Mu Lin had never crossed that line.

She had left the door unlocked for him every night, and on a few nights, she hadn't worn anything at all.

She didn't know what was wrong with her, why she was so desperate for Mu Lin to act like a beast toward her.

But Mu Lin was worse than a beast—he pretended not to notice and would even quietly close the door for her.

She felt that Mu Lin's heart wasn't here at all, but in some unknown, distant place.

Sigh.

After leaving, Mu Lin didn't go directly to the company. Instead, he went to the Liu Family estate.

"Please announce my arrival. Just say that Mu Lin is here to see Patriarch Liu."

Mu Lin spoke with utmost politeness, as he was, after all, seeking help from the Liu Family.

A servant went in to pass on the message, startling Liu Yiming.

"What is he doing here?!"

Liu Qizhou was alarmed by his father's expression. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"That kid has been getting more and more lawless lately... The rumor outside is that Qiu Qianhe is dead. I bet he's the one who killed him!"

"I called Divine Doctor Zhao. He admitted that he and Mu Lin went to Hidden Sword Manor to buy medicine, but he didn't admit to any killing."

"But not admitting it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Mu Lin has stirred up a huge mess!"

"And then there's the Di Yang Li Family, who are coming on strong. You're in charge of liaising with Zhou Qianfan, so you must know how critical this situation is, right?"

Liu Qizhou pressed his lips together.

He was, of course, constantly monitoring the situation, so he naturally knew what this meant.

It meant the annihilation of the Anhua Li Family...

"But Dad, we can't just refuse to see him over this, can we? That's something a family like the Yang Family, who just go with the flow, would do. We're better than that."

Liu Yiming said, "But if we get involved, the Liu Family might be finished!"

"We are a Martial Arts Family. Even if we face difficulties, we must inform him honorably and explain things clearly. We can't be sneaky like the Yang Family. That's not how men should act!"

Liu Yiming said, "The reasoning is sound..."

Liu Qizhou raised a hand and said to the servant, "Bring Mu Xiaoyou in!"

Mu Lin waited for nearly ten minutes before the servant came back out.

"The Patriarch and the Old Master request your presence!" the servant said respectfully.

Mu Lin smiled at the servant and followed him inside.

"Mu Xiaoyou, I've been telling you to come visit. Yifang misses you dearly!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "That's a minor matter. Right now, the Li Family is facing a grave threat. I came here specifically to ask the Liu Family for help."

Liu Qizhou and his father exchanged a look. They hadn't expected Mu Lin to be so blunt and direct.

Mu Lin said, "When I came to Patriarch Liu for a discussion before, you said you could dispatch experts to protect the members of the Li Family. Does that promise still stand?"

Liu Qizhou sighed. The old saying goes that a martial artist's word is his bond; they cannot go back on it.

But the disaster before them was unlike anything they had ever seen.

A behemoth like the Di Yang Li Clan was actually extending its reach to a small place like Anhua.

This was a devastating blow from out of nowhere, one they truly couldn't bear.

If the Liu Family helped Mu Lin protect the Li Family, they would likely be uprooted as well, with no chance of survival.

"A promise is a promise, of course," Liu Qizhou said, wiping his sweat and bracing himself.

Mu Lin said, "Then things will be simple!"

Mu Lin was about to say more, but he heard Liu Qizhou continue, "But this time, it's not possible!"

"The opponent the Li Family is about to face is one that even the entire Liu Family combined cannot stand against."

"Mu Xiaoyou, under normal circumstances, I would definitely do everything in my power to help you. But you should never, ever have killed that Li Tianxiang and incurred the wrath of the Di Yang Li Clan."

"They are a behemoth. As Patriarch, I must bear the responsibilities of a Patriarch and not let my entire family be destroyed along with you."

He had made himself perfectly clear.

Mu Lin silently stood up.

Liu Yiming said, "Mu Lin, if you and the Li Family can survive this catastrophe, I will naturally welcome you back with open arms, but... I am truly sorry!"

Mu Lin smiled. "It's alright. Things aren't as bad as Elder Liu thinks. It's just that with President Li by my side, I feel I can't let loose. I was just looking for a place to leave her for a bit... Worst case, I'll just keep her with me. It'll just take a bit more effort, that's all."

"Once I get through this crisis, I'll come find you for a drink!"

With that, Mu Lin strode away.

This, in turn, left Liu Yiming and Liu Qizhou feeling uncertain.

Did Mu Lin truly know what he was up against?