Chapter 297 296: I'm Actually Very Strong

But Mu Lin's performance just now had shown her that he wasn't some worthless fool; he actually had some real ability.

He'd made short work of those men. His strength was simply incredible.

Mu Lin asked, "Your parents are still in their hands, right?"

"Yes..." Tao Xinxin lowered her head, her expression growing even more gaunt. "You saved me, but they're still..."

"Xue Xi, you have to run! I'm not going. If I do, they'll hurt my parents!"

Xue Xi said in all seriousness, "Are you kidding me? How could I just stand by and do nothing? Why would you even think that?"

Tao Xinxin's expression was grim. "It's not what you think. There's a massive power behind them. They're not people that ordinary folks like us can fight!"

Xue Xi couldn't help but glance at Mu Lin. He wasn't an ordinary person either.

'Does this mean I'll owe Mu Lin another favor?'

'To be honest, I really don't want to be in his debt again.'

'But given the situation, it looks like I have no choice.'

'Worst case, I'll just have to treat him to a few more meals!'

"Xinxin, Mu Lin is really strong, too!"

"It's different. Brother Mu is a great fighter, but the person behind Sun Teng is on another level," Tao Xinxin said, her face filled with terror. It was clear that just recalling the scene had drained all her courage.

"You mean like this?" Mu Lin raised a fist and punched the wall. Instantly, a crack shot up and down the wall from the point of impact.

Though Xue Xi's expression changed, she was at least somewhat prepared. She had some idea of Mu Lin's strength.

But Tao Xinxin's eyes went wide, and she began to tremble.

"Just like that, but... but how did you do that?"

She walked over and traced the crack in the wall. "This..."

"How is this possible?"

"I told you I'm strong," Mu Lin said.

Tao Xinxin's eyes reddened, and she looked ready to lunge at Mu Lin.

With a quick move, Mu Lin stopped her. "There's no need for that. We don't do that sort of thing."

Tao Xinxin nodded, her eyes red.

"Then my..."

Mu Lin smiled. "It's a small matter. You're a good friend of Miss Xue's, so of course I'll help you."

"Then I'll entrust my parents' safety to you!" Tao Xinxin said with utmost sincerity, her eyes bloodshot.

"If you can save them, my life is yours from now on. I'll do anything you ask."

Mu Lin said, "That's a bit much, but fine."

He really disliked this kind of talk, people casually gambling away the rest of their lives. Ordinarily, he would have just said something perfunctory to brush it off.

But for Xue Xi's sake, not helping was not an option.

Besides, these people were truly inhuman.

Treating women like objects to be delivered to the beds of powerful men was clearly going too far.

And that Guo Long was disgusting, too. She was a woman herself, yet she aided the villains in their evil deeds.

'They're all despicable.'

Mu Lin planted his foot on Sun Teng's back and pressed down hard.

Sun Teng jolted and tried to scramble to his feet.

But with Mu Lin's foot on his back, it was nearly impossible for him to stand.

"Do you have a death wish? Why don't you go ask around about my reputation? About Sun Teng's reputation! Now get your foot off me, or I'll make you regret the day you were born."

Mu Lin immediately slammed a fist into Sun Teng's back. Sun Teng cried out, "WAAH," and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You're in no position to bargain with me," Mu Lin said coldly.

Sun Teng knew he couldn't afford to provoke Mu Lin. The venom in his eyes didn't lessen, but he stopped baring his fangs so readily.

Mu Lin asked, "Where are Tao Xinxin's parents?"

Sun Teng immediately blurted out the location. After he did, he felt not a shred of regret, but a wave of ecstasy.

'This was the perfect way to lure Mu Lin into a trap.'

'With that Grandmaster present, how could Mu Lin possibly survive?'

'Besides, with a Grandmaster guarding the place, a rescue is impossible. And by holding her parents, Tao Xinxin will have no choice but to do as she's told.'

Mu Lin called Long Qingshan. "Uncle Long, there's a couple being held at this address. Please rescue them. Thanks."

"Miss Tao, your parents' names?"

Tao Xinxin quickly rattled them off, and Mu Lin relayed the names to Long Qingshan.

After hanging up, Mu Lin hauled Sun Teng up from the floor. Sun Teng's internal organs were injured, and he was coughing up blood nonstop.

Mu Lin knew this wouldn't kill him. But if they tried to pull any more tricks, they would die.

'It's not really up to me to decide. The most important thing is the situation over there.'

"Who are you working for?"

Sun Teng sneered, "I'm not afraid to tell you, because you definitely can't afford to mess with him! My boss is Young Master Han! If Young Master Han finds out about this, he'll skin you alive! Let me go before he finds out, and you might still have a chance to live."

Mu Lin chuckled. Countless people had said those exact words to him. And shortly after, they died. It was practically a required pre-death monologue.

'What's there to be afraid of?'

'To be honest, the closest I've come to a real death threat since leaving the mountain was probably Vajra Zhenren.'

'If my True Qi hadn't been so abundant, Vajra Zhenren's self-detonation might have actually taken me out with him.'

"So, who is this Young Master Han? Be specific."

Sun Teng looked Mu Lin up and down. "You bumpkin, you don't even know who Young Master Han is?"

Mu Lin lifted Sun Teng and shook him back and forth, making his whole body sway and blood stream from his mouth.

"Get to the point. Who is he!"

Sun Teng knew he couldn't afford to provoke him any further, so he said directly, "Young Master Han's name is Han Longguo. He's the son of the president of the Anhua Martial Arts Association."

"The Martial Arts Association is filled with powerhouses! There are as many as forty Inner Strength Powerhouses! If you're smart, you'll let us go now!"

'As many as forty, huh? Tsk, tsk. Just listen to him.'

Mu Lin almost laughed out loud.

'It's doubtful those forty could even last thirty seconds against me!'

Mu Lin turned, walked out, and called Zhou Qianfan. "Uncle Zhou, I have a question for you. Is there a Martial Arts Association in Anhua? How come I've never heard of it?"

Zhou Qianfan seemed to mull it over. "Oh, you mean Han Qinglong's association? They have a good number of Martial Artists, but overall, their influence doesn't compare to the Liu Family. It's mostly just them entertaining themselves. I don't bother with them. Aside from exchanging holiday greetings, there's no contact. In any case, my Zhou Family doesn't think much of them."

Hearing this made Mu Lin feel uneasy. "The association has several Grandmaster Powerhouses, isn't the Zhou Family afraid? The Zhou Family doesn't have a single Grandmaster, do they?"

Zhou Qianfan roared with laughter. "The Zhou Family has served as officials for generations. We represent the face of the Court itself. Who would dare to make a move against us?"

"You've seen it yourself. Think of all the effort those scoundrels have spent trying to kill the Old Master. If they dared to act openly, who knows how many times he would have died already."

Mu Lin sighed and said a temporary goodbye to Zhou Qianfan.

'Zhou Qianfan's understanding of the Martial Arts Association is clearly too shallow.'

「In a villa on the outskirts of the city.」

In the grand hall, a man and a woman were tied up on the floor.

On the sofa, an old man who had been meditating cross-legged suddenly snapped his eyes wide open, staring at the entrance.

The aura around him flared instantly.

"Come out! Skulking around in the shadows isn't fitting for someone of the Martial Dao."

The villa's large, vermilion-lacquered doors swung open. Long Qingshan stood there, his voice incomparably cold.

"These two people are coming with me."

A sharp glint flashed in the guarding old man's eyes. With a wave of his hand, a volley of tiny hidden weapons shot toward Long Qingshan.

They were thrown with such force that they were no different from bullets fired from a pistol.

Long Qingshan paid them no mind. With a heavy wave of his hand, a violent gust of wind swept out.

The hidden weapons were caught in the gale, losing all their momentum and falling harmlessly to the ground.

The old man was shocked and uncertain. 'That was an incredible move. There's no one like this among the powerhouses I know of. Who is he?'

"Who are you? State your name!"

"Long Qingshan!"

The old man's shock and anger gave way to wild joy.

"So it's you! I was just wondering who I should kill to make a name for myself! The once-rising genius, Long Qingshan, is the perfect choice!"

"You'll have to be capable enough first!" Long Qingshan sneered.

Long Qingshan's fists flew like a blur, and he began to fight fiercely with the old man.

The old man hoped to play for time, find an opening, and kill Long Qingshan.

That would only be possible if their strengths were evenly matched.

But what the old man never, ever expected was that the Long Qingshan of today was not the same man he once was.

He had long since become a Grandmaster, possessing a strength that was utterly overwhelming!

The old man, who had hoped to bide his time, had only exchanged a few blows when he felt an unstoppable power that forced him into a constant retreat.

"A Grandmaster! You actually broke through!"