Chapter 179: Stepping Forward

Elder Wei paused. 'What does he mean, "the exact opposite"?'

"Mu Xiaoyou, I don't understand. Can you be a little clearer? What do you mean by 'the exact opposite'?"

Mu Lin said, "They're going to make a move against the Anhua Li Family. I want to ask you to help me protect the Li Family."

Elder Wei was utterly baffled, his confusion only growing.

'Two Li families... Why are they turning on each other?'

"Elder Wei, have you not heard any rumors in Di Yang? About the succession struggle in the Di Yang Li Clan decades ago?" Mu Lin mentioned in passing.

Wei Jianjun's eyes lit up as he seemed to have a sudden realization.

"Ah, don't tell me you mean the Anhua Li Family is..."

"Then I understand. Since you've put it that way, Mu Xiaoyou, then of course I'll stand with you."

"Leave the Li Family's safety to me!"

Now it was Mu Lin's turn to be surprised. He blurted out without thinking.

"Elder Wei, I urge you to reconsider. The Di Yang Li Clan is not to be trifled with. If you suffer any losses because of this, I don't think I could bear the responsibility."

But Wei Jianjun was very calm. "It's not as dire as all that. I have some connections over there. I believe this matter can be resolved quietly."

Wei Jianjun had connections among the six great families and had a handle on such matters.

Even if he helped Mu Lin, no one would come looking for trouble with him.

Mu Lin's expression turned solemn, and he bowed to Wei Jianjun. "Thank you for your help, Elder Wei! I've sought help all over Anhua and was truly at my wits' end!"

Seeing Mu Lin speak this way, Wei Jianjun couldn't help but be moved.

'I can't believe these events have actually pushed Mu Lin to this point.'

'But it makes sense. The Di Yang Li Family is so high and mighty, even someone like Mu Lin would have to be wary of them.'

"Elder Wei, I suspect your power doesn't stop here," Mu Lin said suddenly.

Wei Jianjun subconsciously waved his hand dismissively. "What are you talking about? I'm old. What chance do I have for any more breakthroughs?"

Then he remembered—Mu Lin was a healer. 'Could his words be taken at face value? It's probably not that simple.'

"You... Are you saying...?" Wei Jianjun's eyes widened as he asked Mu Lin tentatively.

Mu Lin nodded slowly. "Precisely. But don't get too excited. Ultimately, your strength has already reached this point. I'm just giving you a gentle push."

Wei Jianjun was ecstatic, his breathing growing ragged. "Good! Good! This is wonderful!"

After a moment of excitement, a chill ran down his spine. 'Mu Lin is too strong, isn't he? I'm already a Grandmaster, yet I can't see through him at all. That means Mu Lin is far stronger than me.'

'So what realm could Mu Lin be in?'

'The Peak of Grandmaster?'

'But he doesn't have the oppressive aura of a typical practitioner at the Peak of Grandmaster. Could he... be even higher than the Peak of Grandmaster?'

Wei Jianjun didn't dare to think further. 'It's too outrageous!'

'If Mu Lin is this powerful, what is he doing messing around in a small place like Anhua? He could clearly go to a more powerful place to make a fortune.'

'How much do those Grandmasters out there make in a year? The numbers are staggering just to think about, aren't they?'

As mealtime approached, Zhao Yang told Zhao Ling'er to go cook.

Seeing that Mu Lin was there, and with the annoying Wei Nianru beside him, Zhao Ling'er felt a surge of determination to show Mu Lin her true skills.

"Brother Mu, you just wait! I'll definitely make this a meal to remember!"

Mu Lin just smiled when he heard this. 'It's easy to make an impression. It can be a good one, or it can be a bad one.'

'Whatever you say!'

Zhao Ling'er turned, shot a glance at Wei Nianru, huffed, and walked away.

Wei Nianru thought about it for a moment but decided not to follow.

At home, she was waited on hand and foot; when would she ever need to do anything herself? As a result, she had a strange fear of kitchens and didn't dare to follow.

But seeing Zhao Ling'er walk away so proudly, she inexplicably felt as if she had lost something.

What had she lost? Her twenty-some years of experience weren't enough for her to understand.

A little while later, dinner was served.

Mu Lin ate extremely quickly. Zhao Ling'er kept putting food on his plate, and he accepted it all, sweeping everything in like a black hole.

It got to the point where Zhao Ling'er was afraid Mu Lin would burst, so she didn't dare to keep piling food onto his plate.

Wei Nianru shrank to the side, feeling even more like she had lost miserably.

'She hadn't cooked the meal, so what right did she have to put food on Mu Lin's plate?'

'At the very least, she didn't want to be the one giving Mu Lin the food Zhao Ling'er had cooked.'

She silently made a fierce resolution: she swore she would learn how to cook too, so she would never have to face such an awkward situation again!

Mu Lin ate until he was about eighty percent full and put down his bowl.

"I'm done!"

Elder Wei had finished eating long ago and had been waiting for Mu Lin.

"Since you're finished eating, let's set off! I've already promised you, Mu Xiaoyou, that I would protect the Li Family. You have to tell me where I'm supposed to protect them!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "Of course. I'll take you there."

With that, they headed outside, one after the other.

It wasn't long before they reached the vicinity of the villa complex.

Mu Lin subconsciously glanced at the guard booth for Phase One. Chen Jingyun was usually on duty and would have saluted him.

It would be rude not to return the salute, so he always made a point to look.

But Chen Jingyun wasn't there. The guard booth was silent, making Mu Lin feel uneasy.

After a few more steps, Mu Lin's phone rang.

He grabbed it and saw it was Chen Jingyun. He answered immediately.

"Mr. Mu, the blockhouse! Quick!"

Chen Jingyun's voice was extremely weak, as if he were squeezing out his last ounce of life force.

Suddenly, a CRACK sounded through the receiver, and the call disconnected.

Mu Lin's expression instantly turned ice-cold, and the very air around him seemed to freeze.

A summer day had, in an instant, turned to bitter frost.

Wei Jianjun was secretly shocked. 'He can even do this?'

'Just what level has Mu Lin's power reached?'

Mu Lin pointed toward the gate of Phase Three. "Elder Wei, the Li Villa is over there. Just ask the security guards! I imagine with your strength, they won't dare to play any tricks."

Wei Jianjun acknowledged. He was also afraid of causing a delay, so he didn't ask Mu Lin what had happened.

'He could ask Mu Lin later.'

He could only sense that the situation was extremely urgent and that Mu Lin had to go somewhere.

At the same time, the responsibility of protecting the Li Family became all the more important.

"I know, I know! You go on, Mu Xiaoyou. I'll watch over the Li Family!"

Mu Lin nodded, pressed his feet down lightly, and slid away as if riding a gust of wind.

Wei Jianjun felt a bone-chilling cold lingering in the air. 'What on earth just happened?' he wondered.

He crouched down to take a look.

There was actually a thin layer of incredibly smooth ice covering the ground.

Wei Jianjun reached out to touch it, and the ice melted instantly. The melted water touched the ground but left no trace of moisture.

"To condense microscopic water droplets into a sheet of ice for acceleration... what a magnificent display of power!"

Wei Jianjun shook his head.

It sounded easy—it was only ice, after all—but Wei Jianjun thought that if he tried to do the same, his internal energy would be completely drained in an instant.

Only an expert whose internal energy was as vast as the ocean would have the right to do such a thing.

"Mu Xiaoyou... truly extraordinary!"

Outside the blockhouse, numerous guards lay scattered on the ground, covered in blood. All their wounds were on their chests. There were no injuries on their backs, save for the exit wounds of strikes that had pierced straight through them.

They had fought to the very last moment, never giving up hope of counterattacking even at the end.

A withered old man stood with a grim, expressionless face.

At his feet lay Chen Jingyun, bleeding from the mouth and lying in a pool of blood.

His gaze was already growing unfocused. He had been defeated and brutally beaten by the old man. The meridians throughout his body were severely damaged, and he had almost no strength left.

Zhou Qianfan, Elder Zhou, and the rest of the family were huddled on the sofa, trembling as if they were witnessing the descent of a god.

Someone as strong as Chen Jingyun hadn't even lasted two moves against the old man.

He was defeated in just two moves.

And the old man's first move had just been a feint, merely toying with Chen Jingyun.

The real killing blow was the second move, which had slammed Chen Jingyun to the ground in a single strike.

The old man finally broke the silence, his words coming out slowly:

"By the order of Tian, the Zhou Family is guilty and shall be punished!"

And "Tian" was the Patriarch of the Di Yang Li Clan, Li Tian!

The old man spoke slowly, his tone like that of a Judge delivering a verdict.

As a superior clan, the Di Yang Li Clan held the authority to slaughter the lesser families at will.

No one had said they could do this, but no one dared to stop them either.

And the Zhou Family could only tremble like ants, waiting to be slaughtered.