Chapter 317 316: The Backer Has Fallen

'Huh?!' Xie Zhulu was utterly confused.

"How could this be? And what does it have to do with me?"

The person on the other end of the line shouted frantically, "Xie Zhulu, you must have done something to the Lin Family! Why else would Lin Jin suddenly want to remove me?!"

Xie Zhulu was completely bewildered. 'What does one thing have to do with the other?'

"Brother, are you sure you're not mistaken? I really didn't do anything!"

"I don't care! Let me tell you, Xie Zhulu, if I get removed from my post tomorrow, you will be held fully responsible! I'll spend the rest of my life getting back at you!"

Xie Zhulu was utterly dejected. Even the beautiful, flower-like client in front of him had lost all her appeal.

He hurriedly apologized to his client, painfully saw her off, and quickly called Mr. Fang.

But the line was constantly busy.

Mr. Fang was even busier than he was!

'Heavens, what is going on?'

'It's a mess. A complete mess…'

Large beads of sweat seeped from Xie Zhulu's forehead.

'Is the sky about to fall in Nanjiang Province? How did things get so chaotic?'

「At the Lin residence.」

Fang Longzhi called Lin Jin directly and raged, "Lin Jin, what's wrong with you? Why are you removing my people? We may not get along, but do you really have to resort to these kinds of tactics against me?"

Lin Jin said coldly, "Brother Fang, don't say that. I'm doing this for your own good!"

This only made Fang Longzhi angrier. 'How could this possibly be for his own good?'

"Bullshit!"

Lin Jin replied simply, "How is it bullshit?"

"Everyone in Nanjiang knows the Fang Family's status! And it's an open secret that we're the ones backing those people. To make a move against them right under my nose… I see the Lin Family thinks its wings have grown strong. Planning to go solo, are you?"

Lin Jin said, "Of course not. The person you've provoked this time is someone you truly can't afford to offend!"

"Listen to me. Don't push it. Take this small loss now to avoid a bigger one later. You might even thank me for this down the line!"

"Screw you! That's bullshit!"

"Then you can just wait for Mu Lin to show up at your door and settle the score personally!"

Fang Longzhi was struck speechless.

"What?! Mu Lin? How is he involved in this?"

Lin Jin chuckled. "I've said my piece. I'll be waiting for you to come and thank me."

Just like that…

Fang Longzhi was completely baffled. 'It can't be that serious, can it?' He truly had no idea how this situation would unfold.

This was a top-tier Grandmaster who could slay even Vajra Zhenren. Fang Longzhi would go out of his way to avoid him, so how could he have offended him?

'What in the world just happened?'

Lin Jin hung up the phone and laughed triumphantly.

'Fang Longzhi, oh, Fang Longzhi, don't you always brag to me about how big your business is? Well, your business is big now, but do you even know which of your ventures offended Mu Lin? Dumbfounded, aren't you?'

He remembered the first time he met Mu Lin; he had also underestimated him.

Thankfully, his father had been there and, with his peerless wisdom, forced him to make amends with Mu Lin.

Otherwise, his situation today would likely be even worse than Fang Longzhi's.

Fang Longzhi, who had just been hung up on, was too preoccupied to be angry. He immediately ordered his subordinates to find out which of his people were currently in Anhua.

The search quickly yielded a result. There was only one person in Anhua at the moment: Xie Chaoqun.

'Xie Zhulu's idiot son, right?'

Fang Longzhi immediately called Xie Zhulu. "Xie Zhulu, did a pig eat your brain? Fuck you! Can't you control your own son? You're going to be the death of me!"

"Your son can go wherever the hell he wants, but can't he keep a low profile? Can't he act like a decent human being? He just had to cause a scene like this! If I don't screw you over for this, who else is there to blame?"

Xie Zhulu had been completely bewildered before. After the call, he'd made some inquiries and felt that what his son had done wasn't that big of a deal, not really excessive.

But after being chewed out by Fang Longzhi, he finally came to his senses.

It seemed he had truly gotten himself into major trouble.

"Mr. Fang, I'm sorry. I really had no idea it would turn out like this..."

"My son... he just has bad luck..."

Fang Longzhi roared, "Are you going to die if you don't act tough? Bad luck? So what if his luck was good? With your lax parenting, he was bound to bite off more than he could chew sooner or later!"

"Well, now he has! Let's see what you're going to do about it!"

"Mu Lin is a ruthless character who can even kill Vajra Zhenren! If he wanted to kill your son, it would take no more than a passing thought!"

Xie Zhulu trembled. If he didn't handle this situation correctly, his family line might be wiped out.

"Mr. Fang, I'm begging you, save him! Please, save him! He's my only son! Without him, what's the point of all the money I've earned?!"

"Save him?" Fang Longzhi sneered. "I can't save him. Right now, only he can save himself! Tell him to apologize. His attitude must be sincere, and he absolutely has to kneel. Beg for Mu Lin's forgiveness. If he can't do that, then it means your son has given up on his own worthless life, and it will have nothing to do with me!"

Fang Longzhi's tone was incredibly cold, startling Xie Zhulu.

"Yes, your lesson is well-taught, Mr. Fang! I'll have my son go beg for forgiveness immediately!"

「Inside Qingyuan Bar.」

Mu Lin's phone suddenly rang.

The call was from Di Yang.

'Do I have any friends in Di Yang besides the Lin Family?' Mu Lin thought for a moment but couldn't quite figure it out.

It clearly wasn't any of the numbers from the Li Family either.

'What's going on?'

Still, Mu Lin answered the call.

"Who is this?"

"Mr. Mu, I am Fang Longzhi of the Fang Family."

Mu Lin pursed his lips. The name Fang Longzhi didn't ring a bell, but he was aware of the relationship between the Fang Family and the Zhou Family.

The Zhou and Fang families had been allies for generations, but then the Fang Family had blocked the Zhou Family from advancing further.

They had even broken ties with the Zhou Family completely when Vajra Zhenren arrived.

Mu Lin thought, 'Since you've already broken with the Zhou Family, you have nothing to do with me. What else is there to say?'

'Aren't you just a stranger?'

"Fang Longzhi, is it? Alright. Does your word carry any weight?"

A vein throbbed on Fang Longzhi's forehead in anger, but he could only reply, "I am the Patriarch of the Fang Family. As long as it's a matter the Fang Family can decide, I can make the final call."

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. "Oh, the Patriarch of the Fang Family. I see."

His tone was still nonchalant, devoid of any emotion.

"It's nothing major. I just heard that some blind fool from the Xie Family has offended you, Mr. Mu. I'm not asking for much, only that you spare his life. Given your standing in our world, why lower yourself to the level of a mere boy?"

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. "Lower myself? Are you saying I should just let him go? Did he let me go? He's still over there shouting about killing me. If I let him go, he'll just send people to kill me the next second, is that it?"

Fang Longzhi's forehead broke out in a sweat as he listened. 'This little bastard is just…'

"Alright, alright! I'll keep him in line and make sure he doesn't retaliate. Absolutely not. You can trust my word!"

Mu Lin's eyes narrowed. "No need. I prefer to trust my own judgment."

"Are you really choosing to do this the hard way? The Fang Family isn't without its foundations. If you don't know what's good for you, you'll have to face the consequences!"

Mu Lin said, "Is that so? Then bring it on. You were even afraid of Vajra Zhenren. How exactly do you plan to 'bring it'?"

Fang Longzhi was so angry he was speechless. He slammed his phone down on the table.

Mu Lin calmly put his phone away. Xie Chaoqun had overheard the phone call but was inwardly dismissive. He just assumed Mu Lin was putting on an act, that there was no one on the other end, and that he was just talking to himself.

But just as he was looking down on Mu Lin and gearing up for another round of curses, a call came from his father.

Xie Chaoqun scrambled to answer it, his heart pounding. 'Dad is finally here to save me!'

'As long as my father steps in, things will get much simpler from here on out.'

The moment the call connected, Xie Chaoqun said, "Dad, hurry and save me!"

"Save your ass! Who told you to provoke him? Get on your knees and apologize right now! Without his approval, it won't matter even if the Heavenly King himself shows up!"

Xie Chaoqun felt like his lungs were about to explode with rage. "Dad, on what grounds? He hit me, and yet I'm the one who has to apologize? Where's the justice in that?"

"It makes sense because I say it does! If you can't do it, then you can just get lost!"

"Your Uncle Duan is about to become a nobody! If we lose him, how are we supposed to keep calling the shots in Di Yang?"

Xie Chaoqun shuddered. He was very familiar with this person; he had relied on Uncle Duan's connections to threaten Ye Chunshui into submission.

If he were to lose his power, it would be a devastating disaster for both father and son.