Chapter 190: To Think It Was Him

The old man said, "That young man's methods were nothing short of miraculous. With the force I used, if he had tried to simply counter it, I'm afraid I would have been severely injured... But I wasn't... Not only that, I didn't even feel any pain when I fell to the ground."

"This person has achieved the pinnacle of power control..." the old man said slowly, breaking out in a cold sweat as he spoke. "I fear he is more than just a Grandmaster."

"If not a Grandmaster, what else could he be?" Shopkeeper Su asked, his face turning extremely pale with shock.

"I don't know," the old man said.

But Shopkeeper Su argued, "He's so young. How could he have reached such a level... Are you sure you didn't misjudge him?"

The old man shook his head grimly. "My eyes might deceive me, but my body definitely doesn't lie. That move was absolutely the work of a Grandmaster! And one far superior to me!"

Shopkeeper Su's expression shifted several times before he let out a long sigh. "Forget it. Never mind that. Hurry and take Young Master Xu back to the Xu Family. Tell them exactly what happened and let them decide what to do."

This small clinic couldn't afford to be caught in such a major storm.

"I understand!" the old man said. "I will give them a firsthand account and explain the situation. Rest assured, Shopkeeper Su, I will make sure your shop is protected."

Watching the old man scoop up Young Master Xu and Elder Yun and then dash away, Shopkeeper Su's expression grew even more grave. His face was now so dark it looked like ink could drip from it.

"What have I done to deserve this!"

Ye Chunshui followed Mu Lin, her mind racing. 'How can I ever repay him?'

'He was a Grandmaster-level expert, the kind her father had only heard of in legends.'

'And to think he's so young and handsome...'

Mu Lin's looks were debatable, but in Ye Chunshui's eyes, he was now a first-class heartthrob.

It was a perfect case of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

After they had walked about five hundred meters, Ye Chunshui reached out and tugged on the hem of Mu Lin's clothes.

"Thank you! My name is Ye Chunshui!"

Mu Lin replied, "I'm Mu Lin. No need to thank me, it was nothing."

'Mu Lin?!'

Ye Chunshui was stunned. She clearly remembered that her best friend Li Xue's fake husband had that name.

She had actually met him once before, but she hadn't paid him much mind, so it was just a fleeting impression.

'I can't quite remember what he looked like!'

'What do I do now?'

"Your name is Mu Lin?!" Ye Chunshui asked.

"Yes," Mu Lin said.

"From Anhua?"

"Not exactly. I came down from the mountains to take care of some things and am just staying in Anhua temporarily."

'He's so honest... and his story matches what Li Xue said.'

In the past, Ye Chunshui might have tried to tease Mu Lin, but after seeing his incredible display of power, her mischievous mood had faded considerably.

'Li Xue had unknowingly let a huge prize slip by. I have to snatch it up,' Ye Chunshui thought.

She immediately became meek and demure, sidling up to Mu Lin and asking, "Brother Mu, where are we going?"

Mu Lin said, "Let's go to a hotel first. I need to take care of things for you."

Ye Chunshui's imagination immediately ran wild. 'Take care of things? What things?'

'How is he going to... take care of me?'

Remembering the jokes she usually shared with Li Xue, she couldn't help but wonder, 'Is there really nothing going on between Mu Lin and Li Xue?'

Mu Lin walked in front while Ye Chunshui trailed behind. 'This is so awkward!'

Mu Lin walked very slowly, pausing for a moment at every corner.

Ye Chunshui wasn't tired, so she followed Mu Lin closely. 'He's being a little overly cautious,' she thought, but her heart felt warm. 'He's so considerate.'

'That Li Xue, really... She has such a great man by her side and doesn't even cherish him.'

As they walked, she took out her phone and saw that Li Xue had sent her a lot of complaints the previous night.

She'd said something about Mu Lin not coming home.

'Of course he didn't come home. He came to Di Yang City!'

Ye Chunshui replied: "A man has his own business to attend to. He can't always revolve around you, can he?"

After a moment, Li Xue wrote back: "Why are you replying so late?"

Ye Chunshui: "I left my phone at the office."

Li Xue: "You're so careless. What's next, you'll lose yourself?"

Ye Chunshui pouted. 'Being controlled by Young Master Xu, wasn't that the same as losing myself?'

The whole situation was so ridiculous, she felt aggrieved enough to cry.

Ye Chunshui: "Do you know where your Mu Lin went? Be careful you don't lose him."

Li Xue: "If he's lost, he's lost. It's not like I'm desperate to have him."

Ye Chunshui: "Gotta go, work is starting."

Sigh.

'What a waste!' Ye Chunshui thought. 'Maybe I should just take Mu Lin for myself. I'd love to see your face then.'

'After all, we're on our way to a hotel, and he said with his own mouth that he was going to "take care" of me!'

As they neared the hotel, Mu Lin's pace finally returned to normal, his speed picking up noticeably.

In Ye Chunshui's eyes, he just looked eager.

But then she heard Mu Lin say, "The Xu Family's spies should have reported back by now. It won't be long before they come to the hotel."

Ye Chunshui froze. 'What is Mu Lin planning to do?'

'He wasn't walking slowly for my sake, but for the Xu Family's spies?'

'What the hell!'

"I have to deal with the Xu Family before I can return to Anhua City with peace of mind."

The Xu Family had gone too far. Mu Lin couldn't just let it go.

This was true whether from the perspective of his own conscience or his master's orders.

Walking into the hotel, Mu Lin went straight to the front desk.

"Hello, could you please get her a single room?"

Ye Chunshui's mouth fell open. 'Didn't Mu Lin say this was his hotel? Then why isn't he taking me to his room?'

'Isn't he supposed to "take care" of me?'

'Could it be that I misunderstood everything from the very beginning?'

Mu Lin held out his hand to Ye Chunshui for her ID, and she gave it to him without a second thought.

A moment later, Mu Lin handed her back the ID and a room key card.

"Let's go. To your room. I'll help you undo the malicious trick Young Master Xu played on you."

'Young Master Xu's malicious trick?'

Ye Chunshui was shocked again. 'He left behind a hidden trap?'

"What kind of trap is it? It sounds so powerful," Ye Chunshui exclaimed.

Mu Lin answered simply, "He left a layer of toxin in the depths of your mind. As time goes on, you'll gradually start thinking of him, and eventually, you'll miss him uncontrollably... becoming willing to be manipulated by him..."

"It's a nasty fate."

Ye Chunshui was shocked over and over again. She had never imagined such a bizarre technique existed.

If Mu Lin hadn't told her himself, Ye Chunshui would have never believed it.

"So, how are you going to cure me?"

Mu Lin smiled. "Just a moment!"

He turned and went somewhere, returning a moment later to hand Ye Chunshui a small vial. "I won't go to your room. After you get inside, just drink the water in this vial and get some sleep. Everything will be fine."

Ye Chunshui was disappointed yet again. 'Mu Lin isn't even going to stay in my room?'

'This is so heartbreaking!'

'Even if you don't do anything, you could at least come in and sit for a while!'

"Hurry up. I'm very busy. I don't have time to waste with you," Mu Lin said in a blunt tone, leaving Ye Chunshui's heart filled with sorrow.

'I offer my heart to the bright moon, but the moon shines on the gutter.'

It was all just too difficult.

「Meanwhile, at the Xu Family Manor in Di Yang.」

"Something's happened! This is bad!"

A butler rushed in, shouting frantically.

"Silence! You've been with the Xu Family for so long, and you still haven't learned any self-control?"

"No, it's not that! The young master and Elder Yun were carried back! They were beaten up, and it's horrible!"

The old man's expression turned grim, his aura becoming imposing without any show of anger. "How outrageous! Let's go! Take me to them!"

This old man was none other than the Xu Family Patriarch, Xu Jishan.

In the main hall, a crowd had gathered around Young Master Xu. They were doctors and servants from the manor, all bustling around him.

"Tianyi... Oh, Tianyi!" Xu Jishan cried out, rushing toward his grandson.

"Grandpa! It hurts so much!" A black aura emanated from Young Master Xu's whole body, spreading from the base of his neck down his back.

Xu Jishan recognized it as an extremely vicious technique, but his knowledge was too limited to identify it.

"How could this happen! Who brought Tianyi back? Did they say anything?"

"No!" the servants all answered decisively.

In truth, the person who brought him back had said a lot, but the servants were afraid of angering Xu Jishan, so they chose to hide that information.

"Find out for me! Who did this!"

"I know!" one of the subordinates spoke up. "I was on watch across the street when it happened. I wasn't able to rescue the young master in time... but I tracked the culprit to where he's staying!"

Xu Jishan was about to fly into a rage upon hearing the first half of the sentence, but he became excited after hearing the second half. "Good! Excellent! Well done! Lead the way! I'll find that man and tear him limb from limb!"