Chapter 306 305: Detained

Tao Xinxin violently flung her hand away, and Liu Wenchang scrambled back in alarm.

"Mu Lin is not a bad person!"

Before Liu Wenchang could reply, Tao Xinxin said to Liu Jinyang, "Goodbye, Uncle Liu!"

"Mom, Dad, let's go!"

Tao Xinxin got into the car with her parents and left.

An ugly expression twisted Liu Wenchang's face. He was utterly smitten with Tao Xinxin—she was just so beautiful.

With a wife like that, he could hold his head high in front of friends and family.

Su Mary thought the same as her son. She said sinisterly,

"A young girl with no manners. You'll end up an old maid that nobody wants."

Liu Jinyang consoled Liu Wenchang, "Don't worry, son. Xinxin will definitely become our family's daughter-in-law!"

Mu Lin and Jin Cheng arrived at a building. Looking at the dilapidated interior, Mu Lin's mind filled with doubt.

"Where is this? Why is it so run-down?"

Jin Cheng said, "The Military Suppression Bureau's budget is tight, so we operate out of a place like this. The specialist in charge of the investigation is on his way. We're hoping you can make do here for one night. Tomorrow, we'll formally begin the investigation. What do you think?"

Seeing that Jin Cheng's attitude was decent enough, Mu Lin was willing to cooperate. He smiled faintly. "Of course, that's no problem."

'After going through the procedures and clearing my name, everything will be fine.'

The conditions here seemed poor, but compared to his life on the mountain, it was actually quite good.

It wasn't so bad that Mu Lin couldn't bear it.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave. I hope you'll understand, Mr. Mu."

Mu Lin smiled faintly. "It's nothing. Thank you for your trouble, Captain Jin!"

"It's all for the peace of the Jianghu. A little hardship is worth it."

Mu Lin walked into the dilapidated room and suddenly felt that something was wrong.

'The walls of this room seem to have the power to block the spread of one's spiritual sense. If they were dead set on imprisoning someone here, even an Innate-level expert would be trapped.'

'The Military Suppression Bureau's methods are truly formidable. Using these tactics on anyone would likely have an extraordinary effect.'

"Yo, another unlucky bastard, huh? What'd you do?"

The voice came from the next room.

Mu Lin pursed his lips. "I didn't commit a crime. I'm here to cooperate with an investigation. I beat up a level-one member who was abusing his power."

"Hot damn, you've got some serious guts. That's a level-one member! You basically just picked a fight with a whole group of people!"

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you're probably never getting out of here."

Mu Lin found this strange. "You're an interesting one, old senior. Didn't I just say? I'm just cooperating with an investigation. I'll be out in no time."

The old man next door roared with laughter. "You're too naive, kid! This place is for death row inmates. They lock you up until you die. Some have been here for over a hundred years. Once that cell door closes, you're not getting out!"

"Old senior, please don't joke around, okay?"

"A joke? If you don't believe me, try breaking down this wall!"

'Will this work?' Mu Lin thought. He studied the wall and judged it wasn't a load-bearing one. Feeling a bit more at ease, he threw a punch at it.

RUMBLE! The wall immediately collapsed. He discovered that behind the bricks was a row of black rods. The moment his spiritual sense touched them, it was absorbed.

These rods connected the ceiling to the floor, arranged at equal intervals. It really did look like a prison cell.

In the cell next door was the old man who had just been speaking. He was filthy and disheveled, his hair in wild disarray, looking like a madman.

"Hahaha, young man, do you believe me now? Just you wait. You'll rot in here until you die!"

This dilapidated building in the middle of a bustling city was actually a Military Suppression Bureau prison.

Mu Lin was confused. "But Captain Jin clearly said it was just to cooperate with an investigation. How did it turn into such a huge mess?"

The old man chuckled. "The Captain Jin you're talking about... is it that hypocritical villain, Jin Cheng?"

Mu Lin nodded. The old man had a 'just as I expected' look on his face. "Ah, you were tricked by him! He was so polite to you just to lure you in here!"

Mu Lin had already guessed some of it, but he still asked cautiously, "Old sir, I don't quite understand the details. Could you explain it to me? I would be eternally grateful!"

The old man laughed heartily. "Of course I can tell you! We've got nothing but time from now on!"

"Once you're locked in here, the next time you get out, you'll be an old man yourself. So what's there not to say?"

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. 'This old man has probably been driven mad by confinement.'

"Old senior, may I ask your esteemed name?" Mu Lin asked.

"Me? My name is Meng Jing'an. I was quite famous in my early years. I wonder if a young kid like you has heard of me."

Mu Lin shook his head. It was a name that no one really mentioned anymore. He had never heard of it, though it was possible that Martial Artists from Elder Bai's generation might have.

"Are you someone special? There are so many Martial Artists in the world, why should I know you?" Mu Lin asked.

Meng Jing'an said, "I am a Peak Martial Arts Grandmaster. I caused a huge sensation back in the day. You tell me, should I be known?"

Mu Lin was momentarily speechless.

A Peak Martial Arts Grandmaster was a rare sight, so causing a sensation was perfectly normal.

'If even someone this strong is trapped here until death, what does that mean? It means the defenses here are truly incredible.'

'This old man has no reason to lie,' Mu Lin thought. 'There's nothing to be gained from it.'

"So, old senior, how did you end up in here? You're so powerful, who could possibly get the better of you?"

Meng Jing'an said, "Just like you, I was tricked into coming here by that Jin Cheng!"

"He's all polite and courteous to you on the outside, but once he tricks you into the room, he shows his true colors and tortures you endlessly."

"He's tortured me to within an inch of my life, and he'll probably keep torturing me forever..."

Mu Lin's brow furrowed slightly. "Senior, what crime did you actually commit to get thrown in here?"

"Crime? My greatest sin was committing no sin at all! My greatest sin was failing to recognize his wicked ambition and not killing him with a single palm strike!"

"These guys from the Military Suppression Bureau, not a single one of them is any good!"

Mu Lin nodded slowly. 'Thinking about it, it seems I fell for the same trick. This Jin Cheng is the absolute pinnacle of hypocrisy.'

Mu Lin had never met such a hypocritical person.

A person like him would do well even outside the Military Suppression Bureau. He was born to be a con artist.

"This Jin Cheng is a man of savage ambition. Heaven knows what he's capable of."

"To make me cripple my own cultivation, he threatened me with my granddaughter's life. I had no choice, so I dissipated my cultivation."

"Kid, you be careful. You must have done something to offend Jin Cheng. He'll find every possible way to torture you. If you don't obey, your family and friends might die. The Military Suppression Bureau handles these kinds of things themselves. They can easily frame someone, shifting the blame from one case to another. No one would ever be able to investigate it."

Mu Lin shook his head. "I don't plan on staying here for long."

He raised his hand and struck the iron bars fiercely, but astonishingly, it didn't even leave a mark.

Meng Jing'an laughed. "Go on, be stubborn. I already told you not to waste your energy. The setup here is terrifyingly powerful. It's not as simple as you think."

Mu Lin's face was stern. "How will I know if I don't try?"

"Haha, go ahead and try. Try until you're as old as me, then you'll know! But you won't have to wait that long. Sooner or later—tomorrow, probably—Jin Cheng will come to you with photos of your beloved family and friends and make you cripple your own martial arts. Let's see what you do then."

Mu Lin ignored him, sat down cross-legged on the floor, and began to cultivate single-mindedly.

"You don't need to worry about me. I know what I have to do."

He paid the old man no mind and focused on his own cultivation.

"Hmph, hmph. Such a stubborn kid. Well, I'll be waiting for you to give up. When that time comes, we two can have a good chat. We can talk about anything and everything, and by the time we've talked our fill, I'll probably be ready to die."

Mu Lin said, "Elder Meng, rest assured, I won't let you die of old age in here. We'll find a chance to escape!"

"Fine, fine, it's nice of you to have the sentiment. But I'm not going to be blind enough to believe your nonsense!"

After speaking, Elder Meng rolled over and went to sleep.

Mu Lin cultivated on his own, practicing with both ice and fire. Flashes of electricity occasionally arced around his body, illuminating the dark prison cell.