Chapter 293 292: Chu Chaoxiong

As soon as Mu Lin finished speaking, the Grandmaster suddenly erupted, launching a sharp palm strike at Cao Gong.

This man was a Peak Grandmaster, his cultivation far surpassing even Liu Yiming's.

Against someone like this, Liu Yiming wouldn't have stood a chance even if he tried to intervene.

But the Grandmaster had forgotten one thing: Mu Lin was standing right beside him.

Mu Lin shot out a kick, slamming it into the man's abdomen.

The man spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed against the door. His attack, which had been aimed at Cao Gong's head, went wide and struck Cao Gong's shoulder instead.

The bones in his shoulder instantly shattered, and Cao Gong let out a cry of pain.

"Ah!"

Mu Lin ignored him. 'If he can scream, at least he's alive.'

He had to focus on dealing with this Peak Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster opened the car door, about to flee.

But Mu Lin jabbed two silver needles into his back, forcibly locking his Qi and Blood. Not even a body of steel could have withstood that.

Mu Lin stepped forward and delivered four swift kicks, immobilizing the Peak Grandmaster's arms and legs.

As for what came next, Mu Lin left it to the Liu Family.

They were more familiar with interrogation, after all.

Mu Lin's methods worked, but they were exhausting. 'Why do it myself? Right?'

When there were others to do the work for him, there was no need to handle it personally.

Liu Qizhou dragged Cao Gong out and threw him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. "Cao Gong, we've been brothers for years! How dare you do something like this to me? Have you got a death wish?!"

Cao Gong's face paled. "They forced me! Look at that man—he's a Grandmaster! He usually looks like my driver, but he's actually my guard. If I didn't cooperate with their plan in the slightest, my entire family would have been ruined!"

Liu Qizhou sneered, "Ruined? From what I know, your family moved into a seaside villa. How impressive!"

Cao Gong said, "That's not a villa, it's a prison! They chose a place by the sea to make it easier to guard. Every single day, they're living in agony. I... I really had no other choice..."

As he spoke, Cao Gong started to cry.

Liu Qizhou remained completely unmoved. Regardless of the motive, his good brother had harmed Liu Yifang. That was an undeniable fact.

'If it were me,' he thought, 'if someone had threatened me to harm Cao Gong, I would have resisted to the death.'

Liu Yifang's eyes widened. She hadn't dared to believe Mu Lin's words before, remaining skeptical.

Now, the facts spoke for themselves. It was no longer easy for her to deny reality.

"Mr. Mu..." Liu Yifang no longer dared to act as if she were Mu Lin's girlfriend. "Thank you for saving me again."

Mu Lin smiled. "It was nothing. And your hospitality was excellent. I'll come again when I have the time."

"Of course. You're always welcome," she replied with a small smile.

Mu Lin looked at Liu Qizhou. "Patriarch Liu, the rest should be simple. I'm sure you can handle it with ease, right?"

Liu Qizhou laughed heartily. "Simple is an understatement! It's as good as done. Thank you, Grandmaster Mu, for your invaluable assistance. The entire Liu Family will never forget this."

Mu Lin thought they were being too polite, so much so that he felt a little uncomfortable. "Mm," he grunted.

He turned to find Xue Xi, who was in her room watching TV, completely unaware of what had just happened.

'That's for the best,' Mu Lin thought. 'Ignorance is bliss.'

Mu Lin waited for Xue Xi to finish the latest episode before saying, "Xue Xi, let's go."

Xue Xi said, "Okay, we should head back. We'll be bothering them if we stay any longer."

Mu Lin chuckled. "I'm afraid that according to them, you could live here year-round and they'd never ask you to leave."

"Why is that?" Xue Xi asked.

Mu Lin said, "Because you brought me here."

Xue Xi rolled her eyes. 'Mu Lin is great and all, but he's just so cocky.'

'What does this have to do with you!'

As the two of them walked outside, Liu Yiming approached Mu Lin. "Mr. Mu, could you come here for a moment? We've run into a bit of trouble."

"Is it the Grandmaster?" Mu Lin asked. "He won't talk?"

"That's right. We've tried almost everything. We put him through the wringer, and logically, he should be in enough agony to talk, but his lips are sealed. He won't say a thing."

"He also said that if you don't want to die, you have to let him go."

"In his dreams!" Mu Lin gave a cold laugh. "Did he really say that?"

Liu Yiming nodded. "I'm not embellishing a thing. Those were his exact words."

Mu Lin sighed. "If that's the case, then it means things are a little different than I thought."

'To be so defiant after I beat him this badly... that's a statement in itself. This man genuinely isn't afraid of me.'

'What the hell is this?'

'The force behind the scenes probably thinks they still have a chance to make a comeback.'

At least, that's what this captured Grandmaster seemed to think.

Liu Yiming asked, "Mr. Mu, what should we do now?"

If the man's cultivation were any lower, they wouldn't have bothered with him.

But this was a Grandmaster!

How could they take him lightly?

Thus, the discussion was incredibly fervent. Everyone in the Liu Family, from the high-ranking butlers and servants to the disciples of the branch families, was intensely interested in the matter.

"Please take me to him. I'll see him myself."

Liu Yiming led Mu Lin into the basement. After several turns through the corridors, they arrived at the interrogation chamber.

Mu Lin saw the man. There wasn't an inch of unharmed flesh on his body, and his arms and legs were broken.

'It's hard to imagine anything more gruesome than this.'

Mu Lin walked toward the Grandmaster. "What's your name?"

The Grandmaster answered, "Zhao Ji! Don't get cocky. I have ways of getting out of this!"

Mu Lin turned a deaf ear and continued, "I heard you said I'll lose my life if I don't let you go. Why? What power is backing you?"

Zhao Ji laughed maniacally. "I work for Master Chu!"

Mu Lin gave a cold smile. "Who is Master Chu?"

"Chu Chaoxiong!"

Mu Lin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Never heard of him."

Zhao Ji's gaze turned impossibly sinister as he said directly:

"You don't even know who Master Chu is? How have you even survived this long?"

Mu Lin retorted, "It's perfectly normal not to know him. Do you know who I am? If you did, you wouldn't have gotten beaten up like this."

Mu Lin could only turn to ask Liu Yiming.

Liu Yiming came over, holding a teacup. Mu Lin asked, "Grandmaster Liu, who is this Chu Chaoxiong?"

Liu Yiming said, "Him?"

Mu Lin saw the look of gravity and despair on Liu Yiming's face and thought, 'This must be serious.'

"Grandmaster Liu, don't worry. Take your time. What's going on?"

Liu Yiming said, "Chu Chaoxiong is one of the top entrepreneurs in Anhua. He has countless companies under him, all of a staggering scale."

"He's involved in so many industries, and he makes an incredible amount of money."

"Wang Zuguang is the richest man, but Chu Chaoxiong is just as formidable."

"In fact, in some areas, Chu Chaoxiong has already surpassed the Xiang Family."

Mu Lin nodded, indicating he understood, and turned back toward the dungeon cell.

Zhao Ji laughed loudly. "Kid, stay out of the Liu Family's business! Don't think you're invincible just because you've reached the Innate realm. It doesn't work like that."

"If you anger Mr. Chu, forget being Innate—even far more powerful masters would have to kneel and beg for mercy."

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. 'This Zhao Ji knows a lot. Could it be he knows even more?'

Above the Innate realm, the difficulty of cultivation increases exponentially.

That's why many masters choose to cultivate in seclusion, seeking better opportunities for a breakthrough.

Some even enter reclusion until death because their lifespans are nearing their end.

'These people no longer care for fame or fortune. Could this Chu guy actually command them?'

Mu Lin didn't believe it.

Unless he had something they absolutely could not refuse.

'But what could that reason be?'

Mu Lin pondered for a while but couldn't come up with any clues.

As he was thinking, the phone in Zhao Ji's pocket rang. Mu Lin took it out and glanced at it.

"Haha, that must be Mr. Chu's call! If I don't answer, he'll immediately send more people. That's the arrangement we made!"

"You'd better be shaking in your boots! Everyone in the Liu Family will die because of your arrogance!"

Hearing this, Liu Yiming felt his confidence waver and couldn't help but look to Mu Lin for an answer.

Mu Lin just smiled. "Answer it. This is a perfect chance to see what this Chu fellow has up his sleeve."

Liu Yiming glanced at Liu Qizhou, who swiftly answered the call.

"Is that Liu Yiming or Grandmaster Mu Lin on the other end of the line?"

Mu Lin said, "Both of us are here. You must be that Chu Chaoxiong guy?"