Chapter 316 315: Strengthening a Subordinate

Mu Lin felt the True Qi flow like water into parched sand. There was no resistance at all; it was all absorbed by Guo Lei's meridians.

He had no choice but to increase the force of the infusion. After a moment, he had ramped it up to a full seven or eight times the original amount before he felt even the slightest feedback.

Guo Lei's meridians were wide and elastic, with excellent potential. It was just that he had never received proper guidance from a good master and was completely clueless about how to use Qi Force.

Hearing the surprise and uncertainty in Mu Lin's voice, Guo Lei's heart suddenly filled with worry.

"Mr. Mu, what's wrong with me? Is my talent really that bad?"

Mu Lin burst out laughing. "No, no, no, it's quite good. You're a cut above the average person, I'd say."

Huh? Guo Lei was overjoyed. This was truly fantastic news.

Mr. Mu had such high standards; even being just a little better than an ordinary person was a reason for extreme happiness.

Guo Lei felt a fire blazing inside him, an exhilarating sensation.

It was almost...

Like he was about to burst.

SPURT.

A large amount of blood spurted from Guo Lei's nose, and he frantically covered it in alarm.

"Th-this... Mr. Mu, please, don't mind me..."

Mu Lin shook his head. "It's normal. I just helped you condense your Qi Force. A lack of control can lead to some... well, loss of control. Once I teach you how to manage it, you'll be fine."

Mu Lin taught Guo Lei a mantra. "Practice with this, and controlling your Qi Force will be a piece of cake."

Guo Lei was ecstatic. He kowtowed to Mu Lin repeatedly, and this time, Mu Lin didn't stop him. 'After spending so much True Qi to widen his meridians, what's a couple of kowtows in return?'

Mu Lin glanced over at Xie Chaoqun. A venomous look flashed in the young master's eyes.

'How dare you touch me? I'm going to kill you! I swear I will!'

Xie Chaoqun roared with hatred, his mouth still bloody, looking utterly savage.

"And that bitch's father—he can forget about ever having a career in office again! He can be a low-level clerk until the day he dies!"

Ye Chunshui's face instantly turned deathly pale. She could tell Xie Chaoqun was serious.

And his father really did have the power to destroy a person's entire life!

Seeing the look on Ye Chunshui's face, Mu Lin knew the kid's threats weren't just hot air. He pursed his lips. "Well, look at you. I didn't realize you were such a big shot, huh?"

Mu Lin didn't even hesitate, directly calling Lin Jin.

"Uncle Lin, is there a Xie Family in Di Yang?" Mu Lin asked.

"Yes, there is. They're backed by the Fang Family, so they live quite comfortably!"

Mu Lin said, "That's pretty impressive."

Lin Jin pursed his lips. Mu Lin's tone was full of sarcasm; where was the awe and reverence of someone who was truly impressed?

"Mu Lin, why are you asking about them? Did they do something to annoy you?"

Mu Lin replied, "Their family has a young master who's arrogant and lawless. He happened to cross me."

Lin Jin understood immediately. This sort of thing was quite common. Some second-generation kids had little ability but huge tempers, relying on their family's influence to commit countless atrocities.

Lin Jin despised people like that as well. He had raised his own daughter well—a fact that was his lifelong pride—and she would never do such trashy things.

But there would be plenty of other matters and opportunities down the line, so this was an easy favor to grant.

"Haha, so that's how it is. It's a small matter. I'll take care of it for you," Lin Jin laughed heartily.

This wasn't just to win Mu Lin's favor; more importantly, it was to prove that his own daughter would never be that kind of person.

So, for that reason alone, he had to make a good showing.

"So, what's the young lady's father's name? I'll look into it. Let's see what's causing such a serious mess; perhaps I can get the full picture," Lin Jin said.

Mu Lin said, "Thank you, Uncle Lin. Sorry to trouble you!"

He asked Ye Chunshui, and she told him her father's name.

She, however, didn't hold out much hope. 'Even if he found someone to help, what could really change?'

Mu Lin relayed the name, and Lin Jin laughed. "Alright, don't you worry. I'm confident I can handle this."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Seeing Mu Lin on the phone, Xie Chaoqun couldn't help but laugh. "Don't think making a phone call will scare me! Just give me back my phone, and I can make a call too. I'll have someone here to wipe you out in minutes!"

Mu Lin glanced at Xie Chaoqun. "It's better for people to have a little reverence. Your Xie Family is far from ruling all of Nanjiang. There are many people who can deal with you. In fact, a great many."

'Xie Chaoqun didn't believe a word of it. Did he not know that there were people who could deal with his Xie Family? Of course he knew. But had any of them ever shown up? His family had dominated this area for so long; if they could have been sanctioned, they would have been sanctioned long ago.'

'Why were they still doing just fine now? Nothing had ever happened. On what grounds could it?'

'It just proved that the Xie Family was blessed by the heavens. Anyone who dared to challenge them had been taught a lesson.'

It might sound like an unreasonable explanation, but Xie Chaoqun genuinely believed it.

"The Xie Family might not rule the entire sky, but heaven itself is naturally on our side! Go ahead, call for help! But in the end, whether they'll be helping you or harming you, well, I can't say for sure!"

Mu Lin couldn't be bothered to respond. 'The Lin Family doesn't waste time with talk; they act directly.'

'It probably wouldn't be long before Lin Jin himself showed up with good news.'

With time to spare, Mu Lin started contemplating more advanced techniques to teach Guo Lei.

In just a short while, Guo Lei felt like he had made lasting progress.

Ye Chunshui's face was pale, and she was frantic with worry. Mu Lin gently comforted her for a bit. When her eyes were red and she looked like she was about to say something, he asked:

"What exactly happened here?"

Ye Chunshui lowered her head. "It's a tearful story... My dad offended a superior in his early years, and he's been targeted ever since. It's been incredibly hard."

"His situation got even worse recently, and I was worried about him. So I asked around and heard that this Young Master Xie was reliable and could get things done, so I came to ask for his help. But I never, ever imagined he was this kind of person..."

Mu Lin almost had to laugh. 'Wasn't she a little too naive?'

'Even a common person on the street knows you don't act without seeing some benefit first, yet here was Ye Chunshui, naively running over to offer herself up on a platter.'

But Ye Chunshui was genuinely angry, and Mu Lin felt that she didn't fundamentally understand what she had just been through.

'Then there was no need to say anything more. After all, given her state, what else was there to say?'

「Meanwhile, in Di Yang」

Patriarch Xie, Xie Zhulu, had no sooner hung up the phone than he immediately called Patriarch Xie. He was in the middle of a very pleasant business meeting. Just as they reached a critical point, he saw his secretary rushing over with a phone in his hands.

"Patriarch, a call! A call!" the secretary cried out.

This greatly displeased Xie Zhulu. 'What on earth is he doing?'

His business discussion had reached a key moment—he was just negotiating with the client's female representative about which hotel they would be enjoying themselves at that evening—when his secretary had the nerve to run in and interrupt.

"Didn't I tell you not to disturb me unless the sky was falling?" Xie Zhulu said, clearly annoyed.

The secretary pointed at the phone. "This call is different! You'll know when you see it!"

Xie Zhulu frowned and glanced at the screen. His expression changed drastically. It was a call from Patriarch Lin!

'What had he, Xie Zhulu, ever done to deserve a call from Patriarch Lin?'

The difference in their status was like heaven and earth. Although they gave each other some face in the business world, this was on a completely different level!

'Why was this happening?'

He didn't dare delay, quickly putting on an apologetic smile. "Patriarch Lin! To what do I owe the pleasure? Whatever you need, this humble one will do everything in my power to accomplish it for you!"

Lin Jin said, "Your precious son has offended someone he can't afford to offend. You figure out what to do about it."

Lin Jin hung up as soon as he finished speaking, not even giving Xie Zhulu a moment to process what he'd heard.

Lin Jin felt the Xie Family was pretty much finished. 'It was better not to waste any more of his precious breath on them.'

Whether he said anything more or not, the Xie Family was doomed.

Xie Zhulu was completely baffled. 'What on earth had happened to warrant such a complete lack of face?'

He thought for a long time, running through everything from Xie Chaoqun's daily life to his circle of friends, but he still couldn't figure it out.

'Everything seemed fine. Who could my precious son have possibly offended?'

Suddenly, an old friend called. Xie Zhulu didn't dare ignore it. He shot an apologetic smile at the female client and answered the phone.

"Are you sick in the head, Xie Zhulu?"

Xie Zhulu was baffled. 'What's wrong?'

"Brother Duan, what's going on? What did I do to you?"

"Who's your brother? You're going to get me killed!"