Chapter 290 289: Curse Master

Mu Lin's expression shifted slightly; he couldn't quite grasp the situation.

All curses required a medium, and this cushion was clearly it.

The Curse Master clamped both hands around the doll's neck and gave it a vicious twist.

Seizing the moment, Mu Lin activated his Vajra Shield in a flash.

The Curse Master felt his wrists jam violently before he could even exert his full strength.

The doll's neck was supposed to be filled with nothing but cotton, yet now it felt as if it were reinforced with a steel bar.

The backlash made his own wrists throb with pain.

"You follow the Path of Body Tempering!"

Before the Curse Master could finish his sentence, Mu Lin was on him, his iron fist slamming into the man's stomach.

The man's abdomen burst open, spilling his intestines all over the floor.

The Curse Master thrashed about for a moment, but it did nothing to slow the inevitable drain of his life.

He was dead. As dead as could be.

It was a gruesome sight by any measure.

'How could this happen? How could he die here?!'

"Sir! Sir!"

Jiang Ting cried out desperately, but the Curse Master was already gone, unable to utter a single word in reply.

Terrified, Jiang Ting collapsed onto the bed, so limp with fear he didn't even notice the red wine spilling all over his lap.

With a cold expression, Mu Lin snatched the cloth doll. Flames erupted from his palm, incinerating it on the spot.

Now, there was one less cursed object in the world.

Jiang Ting stared at Mu Lin, his eyes filled with venom. "You killed him!"

"That's right. It's called punishing evil. Go on, report me to the officials. Who knows, they might even give me a reward!"

Mu Lin's expression was nonchalant; he wasn't the least bit afraid.

Jiang Ting gestured wildly. "Bullshit! He helped me build my company! His contributions are the reason I'm where I am today. How could he possibly be some evil charlatan!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "You moron."

"You dare insult me!"

"I am insulting you! Did you really think you could build a successful business through such crooked means and face no consequences? Don't you know that you always have to pay your dues?"

"You've certainly reaped a lot of rewards over the years, haven't you? Enjoyed all sorts of benefits. But let me ask you, did you never feel that something was off?"

Jiang Ting puffed out his chest. "What's off? Don't spout nonsense. I'm doing just fine!"

Mu Lin said slowly, "For instance... have your relatives suffered any calamities? Car accidents, sickness, kidnappings, things like that?"

Jiang Ting's face went pale. He was utterly stunned. "How do you know that? I've never told anyone about those things. Did you investigate me?"

Mu Lin chuckled. "Of course not. Even without an investigation, I knew you'd be experiencing things like this. It's really quite simple."

"It's the law of karma; retribution is never pleasant. Surely you know that? All of your so-called good fortune was bought with the misfortune of your loved ones."

"The closer someone is to you, the heavier their bad luck. Stop now, before you cause both your parents to die!"

Jiang Ting trembled, staring down at his hands. The lines on his palms were a chaotic, broken mess.

His palm lines hadn't looked like this before.

'God only knew what a wreck he had made of his own fate.'

"You're wrong! All of it! Get out! You're a damn liar!"

Mu Lin could see that Jiang Ting had descended into deep hysterics. Arguing with him further was pointless, so he simply turned and walked out of the room.

He crouched down and began searching the Curse Master's belongings, soon finding a yellowed, laminated card.

"Qiao Jinda, huh?" Mu Lin looked at the name and chuckled.

'With a name, everything else would be simple.'

He immediately contacted Wu Henghai. "Captain Wu, do you know a Qiao Jinda?"

Wu Henghai's tone grew tense. "Yes, of course. He's one of our wanted fugitives. I'll send you his detailed file right away!"

Mu Lin opened the file. "Yep, this is the guy. He looked just as sleazy when he was younger. That's a quality that never changes."

Wu Henghai asked urgently, "Mr. Mu, do you have a lead on his whereabouts?"

Mu Lin said, "He's dead. I just killed him. The corpse is still warm."

Silence on Wu Henghai's end. "Mr. Mu... do you have any idea what you've done? There's a massive organization behind this man... I'm afraid the consequences will be more than you can handle."

Mu Lin just laughed. "Well, he's already dead, so what's to be done? I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I've never been afraid of anyone."

Wu Henghai said, "How about this? Our people will head over immediately to collect the body, and we'll claim we killed him. No matter how audacious his backers are, they wouldn't dare pick a fight with the Military Suppression Bureau."

The plan had its merits. While Mu Lin wasn't afraid of a challenge, endless harassment would be incredibly annoying.

Letting the Military Suppression Bureau take the fall would save him a world of trouble.

"That works. I'd be delighted if Captain Wu is willing to help."

Wu Henghai was pleased. It was clear Mu Lin was willing to accept this favor.

"So, as per the usual arrangement, the Military Suppression Bureau will take the credit, and the reward goes to you?"

Mu Lin laughed. "That reward is chump change. Useless to me."

Wu Henghai was speechless. Of course, he knew just how powerful Mu Lin was.

'But if that's the case, how can I repay such a huge favor…'

"Yes, yes, I know you're incredibly powerful, Mr. Mu, but please, let us help you in some way! Even if it's just a small thing!"

Mu Lin sighed. "Fine. I need a blade, a durable one."

'Wu Henghai thought Mu Lin had to be messing with him. 'A blade? You're a Grandmaster, and you can't get your hands on a simple blade?''

But since Mu Lin had given him an opportunity to repay the favor, he was determined to take it.

He quickly replied, "Of course, of course! Do you have any specific requirements for the blade?"

Mu Lin smiled. "Just as long as the edge doesn't dull after a hundred swings. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"Not at all! Not at all! It's perfectly reasonable!" Wu Henghai replied hastily. "I'll start looking for one. I'll let you know as soon as I have a lead."

Mu Lin added, "That Qiao Jinda was working for some rich kid. Is there anything you need to ask him?"

"Oh? Since there's a mastermind, he'll naturally be brought in for questioning! The team that's collecting the body will take him into custody at the same time. Rest assured!"

Mu Lin put his phone away and looked at Jiang Ting. "There, I've arranged the rest of your life for you, nice and neat. You can thank me later!"

Liu Yifang stared blankly at Jiang Ting. After hearing what Mu Lin said, it dawned on her: Jiang Ting was likely going to spend the rest of his life in prison.

"Jiang Ting, you're disgusting! Do you have any idea how much I used to admire you?" Liu Yifang said, enunciating every word. "But today... you've disappointed me more than I can say!"

Jiang Ting's face was a mask of savagery and madness. "Liu Yifang! How am I not good enough for you? Even when you were paralyzed, I never stopped trying to win you over."

"But you rejected me, time and time again! Do you have any idea the kind of pressure I was under to be with you? My family is on the verge of disowning me!"

Liu Yifang tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face. "But... I never asked you to do any of that. Could you please stop being so delusional?"

The frantic madness remained on Jiang Ting's face. "You don't really think that. You like me too, don't you? It must be this bastard Mu! He threatened you, didn't he?"

"If things had gone according to plan, we should have been baring our souls to each other tonight, wrapped in a passionate embrace!"

Liu Yifang's face went white with rage. She raised her hand and slapped Jiang Ting hard across the face. "You bastard! Get out!"

Liu Yifang was overcome with emotion. Mu Lin's judgment of character was much better than hers. He'd told her long ago that Jiang Ting was no good, and she had actually thought he was trying to deceive her.

Now, it was crystal clear who the real fool was.

"Liu Yifang, how dare you hit me?"

Jiang Ting bellowed, pointing a finger at Liu Yifang.

Liu Yifang said coolly, "And what if I did? A slap is nothing compared to what you were planning to do to me!"

Furious, Jiang Ting started spewing a torrent of curses.

Liu Yifang let out a long sigh. The man was a lost cause.

The Jiang Ting of today was as disgusting as the Jiang Ting of the past had been admirable.

Mu Lin sighed. He flicked a silver needle, and Jiang Ting collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

A short while later, the agents from the Military Suppression Bureau arrived.

Mu Lin explained the situation to them before leaving with the two women.