Chapter 189: Evil Arts

"Shopkeeper!" an employee ran into the office.

"Get out!" the shopkeeper behind the desk roared.

He had been in a terrible mood lately. Everyone, from his superiors to his subordinates, was pressuring him to get things done. He had suddenly become the center of a storm in all of Di Yang City.

His nerves were shot, and the sight of the employee bursting in without knocking struck his most fragile one.

The employee nodded repeatedly, hastily backed out, knocked, and came back in.

"What's the big rush?"

"Someone from the Xu Family is in trouble in the shop! He's in a tense standoff with someone, and it's scared away all the customers!"

The shopkeeper rubbed his temples, forcing himself to rally.

"I know. I'll go take a look!"

Mu Lin stared intently at the man calling himself Young Master Xu, wary of his methods.

This man was skilled in mental control. This lineage of techniques was extremely subtle; one could fall victim to them without even realizing it.

This was why Mu Lin was paying such close attention to him. If those skilled in mental control had malicious intentions, the threat they posed was far greater than that of an ordinary expert.

They could even potentially cause turmoil throughout the Divine Land. Back on the mountain, the old codger had always reminded Mu Lin that if he ever saw a mental controller with such wicked intentions, he was to eliminate them directly, without hesitation.

Besides, he felt like he had heard the name "Xu Family" somewhere before.

Suddenly, he remembered. It was from his first visit to the Zhou Family's fortress.

There was a Grandmaster Ye, sent by a young master of the Xu Family, who ended up getting killed.

"Does your family have a Grandmaster with the surname Ye?" Mu Lin asked.

Young Master Xu narrowed his eyes. "Oh? You knew him? If you knew him, how dare you act so brazenly before me? How many heads do you have? Get out of my sight, now! Don't force me to get rough!"

Mu Lin tilted his head. "You make it sound like I'm a dead man if I don't leave."

"But of course! Out of respect for Grandmaster Ye, I'll give you one chance. Kneel, kowtow, accept my control, and serve the Xu Family as a slave for ten years. Do that, and I'll spare your life!"

Such an attitude—arrogant and condescending, as if looking down on all creation.

Too bad people like him usually ended up hitting a steel plate. Mu Lin pursed his lips.

"And if I refuse?"

"Elder Yun! Kill him!" Young Master Xu roared. A figure shot out from the shadows of the pharmacy.

He had snuck in when Young Master Xu first entered and had been lying in wait, completely hidden.

Mu Lin gave a cold smile. "Are we really doing this?"

This Elder Yun wasn't very strong, merely a Master. Mu Lin didn't even consider him a threat.

But Elder Yun was already lunging at Mu Lin, his killing intent overflowing. "Boy, you've tarnished the Xu Family's name! Hand over your life!"

Mu Lin couldn't be bothered to waste time on such an idiot. He aimed a swift kick right at Elder Yun's most solid part.

Elder Yun's forward momentum was brutally halted. On the contrary, his entire body shot backward like a cannonball and slammed into a wall.

He knocked over a pile of medicinal herbs.

Mu Lin shook his head. 'What a shame.' He had tried to avoid the pile of herbs. After all, an employee had painstakingly arranged them, and now they'd have to be restacked.

Mu Lin still had respect for such a conscientious shop.

"Elder Yun!" Young Master Xu hadn't expected this to happen. His mind was in chaos.

This was his personal bodyguard. Without Elder Yun, his surroundings were suddenly filled with danger.

"Young Master... be careful... this man... is a Grandmaster..." With that said, Elder Yun collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Young Master Xu's eyes turned red. Elder Yun had been with him since he was young; there was some affection between them.

"You're actually a Grandmaster?"

Mu Lin chuckled. "Don't I look the part?"

When these words reached Ye Chunshui's ears, they stirred a completely different feeling.

'Such a young Grandmaster!' She couldn't help but feel a profound sense of security. Even Mu Lin's lean frame now seemed to exude strength.

Young Master Xu said coldly, "So what if you're a Grandmaster? Interfere in the Xu Family's affairs, and you won't get off easy!"

Mu Lin laughed. "Do you think I'm going to let you go back and call for reinforcements?"

If they were in Anhua, Mu Lin might have let Young Master Xu go, just to see what kind of small-fry cronies were backing him.

But he was a guest here in Di Yang. He had to cut the Gordian knot quickly, or getting bogged down here would be very troublesome.

Several silver needles appeared in Mu Lin's hand, and he threw them out like lightning.

"Hold on!" A resonant voice called out from above. Mu Lin judged it to be the pharmacy's shopkeeper.

He had a good impression of this pharmacy. 'I should at least show the shopkeeper some respect,' he thought.

He made a grasping motion in the air, and the needles floated in place. With a gentle beckoning gesture, they flew back into his palm like obedient little children.

The shopkeeper scurried over to Mu Lin and bowed deeply. "Thank you for stopping in time and preventing things from getting uglier."

Following behind the shopkeeper was an old man in a long robe. He had an unkind expression, and his every move reeked of greed.

Mu Lin said, "This man was controlling this young lady. I was just righting a wrong I happened to see. Is there a problem? For an evil practitioner with a twisted mind, killing him with a single needle would be letting him off easy."

"How can you do that? Little brother, you're not from around here, are you?"

Mu Lin replied, "I'm from Anhua, here on business. I just couldn't stand by and watch an injustice."

"Heh, no wonder. Why are you meddling in other people's business? Do you think one more do-gooder in this world is going to make any less injustice?"

"Since you're a guest in a foreign land, why not just tuck your tail between your legs and cause less trouble for yourself!"

The shopkeeper spoke slowly. His words sounded polite, but they were actually laced with veiled threats, the menace in his tone perfectly clear.

Mu Lin said, "Are you saying I should hide from them because I'm afraid of trouble?"

"That I should pretend I didn't see anything, even when I did?"

"Of course. What else would you do?" The shopkeeper said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Mu Lin sighed deeply. "It seems I misjudged you. I saw how you ran this pharmacy in such an orderly fashion and thought you were a benevolent gentleman. But I was wrong. You're just a heartless sycophant. You just follow whoever is stronger."

The shopkeeper said, "No, no, no. This is just courtesy before force. Little brother, if you don't know what's good for you, I can easily ensure you never walk out of this pharmacy."

Mu Lin actually laughed. "Haha! To think someone actually dares to speak to me like this. Fine, then! Let's see who's stronger, you or me!"

Young Master Xu said with a pale face, "Shopkeeper Su, don't be careless! He's no ordinary Martial Artist! Elder Yun said he's a Grandmaster!"

A Grandmaster!

Shopkeeper Su suddenly became guarded. He turned to the old man beside him with a solemn expression and said:

"He's all yours!"

The old man agreed grimly, "As it should be!"

The old man looked at Mu Lin. "Young man, come! Let me test your skills!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "You think you're enough? This man uses evil arts. It's only right and proper that I kill him. If you insist on protecting him, then I'll have no choice but to get serious!"

As soon as the words fell, Mu Lin settled into a low stance, and a fist as powerful as a cannonball shot straight toward the old man.

The old man was unhurried, his movements soft and yielding. He intended to neutralize Mu Lin's impact and then redirect it as his own power.

But in the next moment, he was like a leaf in a gale, blown aside by the sheer force of the punch's wind. He rolled across the ground, knocking over a shelf. Dried earthworms rained down on his head, leaving him in a pathetic state.

"Seeing as you're old and I know making a living isn't easy, I won't kill you. But don't come up here just to get yourself killed!"

Mu Lin walked toward Young Master Xu step by step. No one dared to block his path now.

Shopkeeper Su suddenly rushed forward a couple of steps.

"Sir! Even if it's just for the sake of this shop, please don't kill Young Master Xu, I beg you!"

"If Young Master Xu dies in the shop, I'm afraid we'll never be able to stay open again."

Mu Lin paused, then said, "I understand!"

He raised his hand and lightly patted Young Master Xu's chest.

Young Master Xu let out a wretched cry, spat out a mouthful of blood, and passed out.

"I've embedded a trace of my energy in him. It'll be enough to make his entire body ache for a full ten days. Consider it a punishment. If he ever does something like this again, I won't be so lenient!"

After speaking, Mu Lin beckoned to Ye Chunshui. Her heart fluttered like a frightened deer as she followed him, her pretty face beet red.

Only after Mu Lin had left with the woman did Shopkeeper Su turn to the old man beside him and say:

"Thankfully, that gentleman wasn't an impulsive person. For the sake of the pharmacy, he spared Young Master Xu's life..."

"Otherwise... sigh..."

Such is life. There are always difficulties.