Chapter 294 293: No Mercy

"Yes, that's right, it's me!" Chu Chaoxiong said.

"Grandmaster Mu, I admire you more than I can say! I saw with my own eyes when you killed Vajra Zhenren at the Yang Family residence. Ever since witnessing that glorious achievement, I've been looking for a chance to get closer to you!"

They were empty words.

This wasn't the first time Mu Lin had heard such nonsense. He might have been fooled back when he first came down from the mountains, but now, that was absolutely impossible.

Before he killed Vajra Zhenren, everyone had said he was doomed to fail, that he was courting death.

But now they were all latching onto him. 'How amusing.'

Having been through so much, Mu Lin was no longer a naive rookie.

You could say he'd been pretty lucky; so far, no one had actually managed to trick him.

His background as a recluse from the mountain forests had helped him in that regard.

"Spit it out. What do you want?" Mu Lin asked.

"Look, our strength can guarantee you enormous benefits. For that reason alone, I hope we can join forces. I'll provide you with wealth and glory, and you'll help me take the top spot in Anhua. What do you say?"

Mu Lin chuckled. Hearing the sound, Chu Chaoxiong on the other end of the line grew delighted, assuming Mu Lin was interested.

"You must be dreaming. Have you stopped to think whether you're even worthy?"

"I can invest in the Li Group! And I can give you a massive stake in the Chu Group! You can make any other demands you want. I'm willing to do anything for you!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "No need. I've already picked my candidate for Anhua's number one family, and it's not you."

Chu Chaoxiong was speechless. After a long pause, he finally said, "Are you determined to oppose me? You won't show me even a sliver of respect?"

"Let me remind you, as long as I'm in Anhua, I have countless ways to make your life difficult. You'd be wise to accept my offer."

Mu Lin chuckled. "Suit yourself. If you insist on being blind to the reality of the situation, just think about what happened to my past opponents."

Zhao Ji screamed at the top of his lungs, "Mr. Chu! He's looked down on you from the start! You can't let him go! Show him what we're made of!"

"This guy is too close to the Liu Family. We should just get rid of them all at once!"

Chu Chaoxiong said, "Mu Lin, your judgment is a true disappointment. I hope you know what's good for you. Release Zhao Ji immediately, or else…"

Mu Lin hung up, then gave the phone a gentle squeeze. In an instant, it shattered into countless fragments.

Liu Yiming broke out in a cold sweat. 'So Mu Lin has just completely burned his bridges with Chu Chaoxiong...'

It was badass, no doubt about it.

"How dare you hang up on Mr. Chu! You've got some nerve!" Zhao Ji roared furiously.

Mu Lin chuckled. "If he doesn't know what's good for him, I'll kill him too!"

Mu Lin's foot struck Zhao Ji in the chest, and Zhao Ji coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Did I say you could speak?" Mu Lin said, his voice like ice. He strode over to Zhao Ji and demanded, "Why did you go after Liu Yifang? Where does Chu Chaoxiong get the nerve to make a move against the Liu Family? What's his endgame?"

Zhao Ji craned his neck defiantly. "I'll never tell you! Not even if you kill me!"

"Mr. Chu will definitely avenge me!"

Mu Lin smiled faintly. "I don't need you to tell me the truth."

He slapped a piece of talisman paper onto Zhao Ji's forehead. It was something he'd found in Qiao Jinda's bag.

Qiao Jinda might be short on many things, but he had talisman paper in spades, as if it were free.

Zhao Ji's eyes instantly went vacant, and he stared blankly at Mu Lin.

"Speak. What is Chu Chaoxiong's background?"

Zhao Ji spoke slowly. "Behind Chu Chaoxiong is an unknown, mysterious power. They are extremely strong, but I don't know their origins. He himself is a Grandmaster, and he has hinted at this backing before."

Mu Lin raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"One time, Chu Chaoxiong was out on business, and an arrogant, unruly Grandmaster started trouble with him. The very next day, that Grandmaster was dead."

"I asked Chu Chaoxiong about it, and his answer was cryptic. But the implication was clear: he had an incredibly powerful backer. I figured any backer capable of killing a Grandmaster had to be terrifyingly strong."

That made sense to Mu Lin. He continued his questioning, "Then why did Chu Chaoxiong target Liu Yifang?"

"It was at the request of a certain individual. As for who, I'm not sure. I only know that it's someone we can't afford to offend. This is happening because Liu Qizhou offended some big shot."

Listening from the side, Liu Qizhou's expression shifted drastically. 'How could I not know about this?'

Mu Lin sighed softly. "I see."

But Zhao Ji continued to speak, as if to himself.

"Mr. Chu's dream is to become the richest man in Anhua. To achieve that, he'll do anything…"

"At a trade fair a few years ago, he cut the main power to sabotage his competitors, leaving only his own booth lit up. It was a huge success."

"Three years ago, his son took a fancy to some woman, so he had her family's house burned down to force her to submit to his son…"

He listed one atrocity after another in great detail, and the more Mu Lin heard, the darker his expression became.

'This Chu Chaoxiong is a complete monster. Does having money mean you can stop treating people like human beings?'

It was beyond outrageous.

Liu Yiming and Liu Qizhou also had grim expressions on their faces. They exchanged a look.

To think he could do such things, so shamelessly… it was pure evil.

Seeing Mu Lin's vast and complex arsenal of abilities, Liu Yiming wanted to kick himself.

'I was so stupid. Why did I ever cut ties with Mu Lin?'

'It's simply incomprehensible.'

'If only I had stuck with Mu Lin from the beginning… Ah…'

This strengthened his resolve: from now on, he had to stick with Mu Lin and could no longer act on his own whims.

'There are no "what ifs" in life. I just have to be more careful from now on.'

When Liu Yifang saw Liu Yiming emerge with Mu Lin, she noticed her grandfather's face was filled with respect and humility. She knew at once that Mu Lin must have done something astonishing again.

'After a display like that, Grandfather must be regretting his past decisions again.'

She said nothing, simply walking forward and quietly taking her grandfather's arm.

Seeing Liu Yifang, Liu Yiming felt a measure of relief.

'After all, their connection is still there. As long as Liu Yifang maintains a good relationship with Mu Lin, even if she doesn't marry him… As the old saying goes, even if a business deal falls through, the goodwill remains. If something were to happen and they needed Mu Lin's help, it shouldn't be a major issue.'

Outside the door, Cao Gong knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

He was terrified. Liu Yifang was the apple of the Liu Family's eye; there was no way they would let him off for harming her.

Now that everyone knew he was the one behind the Cold Poison, how could he possibly escape his fate?

If Liu Yifang hadn't been living away from home, this Cold Poison might have infested the entire Liu Family.

Everyone in the Liu Family, from the highest to the lowest, might have suffered this disaster.

Thank goodness Mu Lin was here. Otherwise, heaven knows when the Cold Poison would have flared up again.

It was very likely that Liu Yifang could have died from it.

This was not impossible.

"Ah Zhou, I really had no choice… Please, I'm begging you, let me go! I'll treat Fangfang well, just like before!"

But Liu Qizhou was no fool, nor was he prone to foolish sentimentality. He knew with perfect clarity that Cao Gong would never have stopped if he hadn't been caught.

"Men!" Liu Qizhou yelled. Several large men appeared instantly. The Liu Family experts who knew the situation glared at Cao Gong as if they wanted to eat him alive.

Surrounded, Cao Gong shivered in terror, having no idea what fate awaited him.

"Sir!"

Liu Qizhou waved a hand.

"Drag him out, chop him to pieces, and feed him to the dogs!"

"Ah Zhou! Ah Zhou, you can't do this to me!" Cao Gong shrieked in despair.

But Liu Qizhou showed no mercy, watching impassively as Cao Gong was dragged away.

Finding his shouting annoying, one of the experts struck him hard on the head.

Cao Gong collapsed, silenced.

Liu Qizhou turned away. That chapter was now closed. From this day forward, no one would harm Liu Yifang again, and the pressure on him would be much less.

"Fangfang, it's not that I'm cruel, but what Cao Gong did to you is unforgivable. I could not possibly allow him to harm you."

"He has a history of such evil. The chance of him doing it again is far too high. I've navigated the Jianghu for many years, and I've seen very few people who truly repent…"

"For that reason alone, I had to have him put down."

Liu Yifang nodded silently. She was not some sheltered girl who hadn't seen the world; she knew her father's decision was absolutely correct and supported it without hesitation.

"Dad, you don't have to worry about me not understanding. I get it."