Chapter 334 333: On Pins and Needles

When Elder Li heard this, he was quite satisfied. "Yes, good. I think that's acceptable!"

Li Xue heaved a long sigh of relief. She had finally managed to fool her grandfather.

Elder Li was also quite pleased. 'It's only two months,' he thought. 'Nothing earth-shattering can happen in that time.'

Elder Li gazed out the window, lost in his own worries.

His concern over Mu Lin was precisely why he was trying to come up with a solution like this.

When Mu Lin killed Li Tianxiang, he had been certain the Di Yang Li Family would retaliate.

But to his surprise, the Di Yang Li Family's revenge never came.

This made him even more anxious, as he had no idea what would happen next.

He desperately wanted to lock in something predictable; only then could his heart rest a little easier.

How could the Di Yang Li Family possibly swallow this insult? It was simply unbelievable.

Elder Li guessed the most likely explanation was that Mu Lin's mysterious master had intervened and smoothed everything over.

He personally couldn't think of any other explanation.

Li Xue went upstairs and saw Mu Lin sitting on the bed, and she was instantly furious.

"What nonsense did you tell my grandpa! He brought that up completely out of the blue."

Mu Lin shook his head. "I didn't say a thing. You thought I was talking too much, didn't you? So I shut my mouth. It was Grandpa who brought it up on his own."

"Then you shouldn't have played along! You let Grandpa get a handle on the situation. He built the Li Group from the ground up. Don't underestimate him just because he's old. Deep down, he's still a master at running a company. He'll never be fooled by you!"

Mu Lin pressed his lips together. "Okay, I get it. I'm sorry."

Hearing Mu Lin's apology, Li Xue snorted coldly. "If you get it, then be more careful from now on. I won't give you a second chance."

Mu Lin said, "I... I get it."

Mu Lin stood up and started walking out. Li Xue snapped, "Where do you think you're going?"

Mu Lin said, "Back to my room to sleep."

Li Xue slapped the mattress. "Sleep here!"

Another night of tossing and turning...

The next day, Mu Lin went to work, then quickly made an excuse about a business meeting and left the company, rushing to the Holy Medicine Hall.

Zhou Changkong was already waiting at a tea table, accompanied by a young man.

The man's eyes held a palpable killing intent. His skin was dark and weathered, a clear sign of someone who had endured the elements and could take any hardship.

Divine Doctor Zhao, however, was busy attending to patients and had no time to greet them.

As Mu Lin approached, Zhou Changkong immediately stood up and greeted him warmly.

"Divine Doctor Mu!"

Mu Lin said, "Captain Zhou, let's go."

Zhou Changkong laughed heartily. "Alright, alright, let's go!"

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is my apprentice, Xu Tianming."

Xu Tianming sized up Mu Lin. He clearly found Mu Lin's appearance unimpressive and said indifferently,

"Hello."

A single, polite but cold word that kept others a thousand miles away.

Mu Lin didn't mind. 'He's just a young man,' he thought. 'It's normal to be hot-headed. If they weren't, would they even be young?'

Zhou Changkong shot Xu Tianming a look, clearly disapproving, but held his tongue given the circumstances.

"Let's take our car."

The car had a driver. Zhou Changkong took the front passenger seat, while Xu Tianming and Mu Lin sat in the back.

Xu Tianming's gaze was hostile. He shot a sideways glance at Mu Lin. "Which medical school did you graduate from? You're the one who treated my master yesterday?"

Mu Lin said, "Sorry, I never went to school."

Xu Tianming's eyes bulged. "You dare operate on my master without ever going to school? Are you insane?!"

Mu Lin replied, "Your master was the one begging for my help. I didn't take a single cent for it. It was a thankless job, and I won't be doing it again."

Zhou Changkong's ears practically burned hearing this. Mu Lin's background was mysterious and his abilities were extraordinary; he desperately wanted to curry favor with him and win him over.

But here was Xu Tianming, doing a great job of brazenly offending him, completely heedless of the consequences.

No matter how much he doted on this apprentice, Zhou Changkong was on the verge of losing it. "Xu Tianming, is that any way for a person to speak? Apologize to Mr. Mu right now!"

Xu Tianming was clearly unhappy, but he still gave Mu Lin a slight bow. A verbal apology, however, was out of the question.

Zhou Changkong was helpless. "Mr. Mu, my apologies. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about him."

Mu Lin smiled. "It's a small matter. Nothing to worry about."

Zhou Changkong breathed a silent sigh of relief. He was lucky Mu Lin was so magnanimous; otherwise, he had no idea how he would have salvaged the situation.

Xu Tianming was very displeased, and the look he gave Mu Lin grew even more hostile.

As a Patrol Officer, Zhou Changkong was constantly rushed off his feet. Before coming to the Holy Medicine Hall, he had just pulled an all-nighter and only managed to rest in the car for half an hour before meeting Mu Lin.

'And all for what?' he thought. 'To take Mu Lin to see a little stinking ditch. It was ridiculous.'

'If they find nothing in that ditch,' he vowed, 'I'll make Mu Lin kneel and apologize to Master.'

After a short while, Zhou Changkong directed the driver to a location.

This was the location of the stinking ditch.

Mu Lin leaned against the window, took a careful look, and chuckled. "Well now, what do we have here..."

Zhou Changkong asked Mu Lin, "Mr. Mu, do you see something?"

Mu Lin tilted his head. "This configuration... it's extremely Yin. Certain heretical practitioners love setting up their wicked Arrays in places like this."

The moment he said this, Xu Tianming's face filled with disdain.

'What is this nonsense?' he thought. 'Patrol Officers deal with evidence, not this hocus-pocus from guys like him.'

"Kid, don't try to trick us! We're not that gullible!" Xu Tianming snapped.

Furious, Zhou Changkong raised his hand and smacked Xu Tianming on the back of the head.

"Would it kill you to keep your mouth shut?"

Feeling wronged, Xu Tianming lowered his head and said nothing more.

Mu Lin chuckled. "Captain Zhou, why bother? I'm guessing you don't really believe me either. This does all sound a bit outrageous, after all."

This statement made Zhou Changkong feel a little awkward.

Because, in truth, he didn't believe it.

After being a Patrol Officer for so long, he naturally put his faith in evidence, not in tales of supernatural forces and spirits.

"Mr. Mu, is there anything I can do to help? Just say the word."

Mu Lin waved his hand. "No need. I know what I'm doing. Just stand aside."

Xu Tianming's expression turned sour. No one had ever spoken to his master that way.

But Zhou Changkong immediately shot him a glare, and he didn't dare utter another word.

"I see it now, I see it," Mu Lin said. He scanned the area with his divine sense, and the situation beneath the stinking ditch became crystal clear.

"How pitiful..." Mu Lin sighed deeply. "Captain Zhou, can you contact the Military Suppression Bureau for me?"

For a moment, countless thoughts raced through Zhou Changkong's mind.

He knew perfectly well what the Military Suppression Bureau was: an organization that specialized in cases involving conflicts between Martial Artists, or between Martial Artists and ordinary citizens. They weren't an organization one could call upon lightly.

'Mu Lin is asking me to call them so casually. Does he really understand the power the Military Suppression Bureau wields?'

But since Mu Lin had asked, he would do it for him.

"Alright. I have a direct line to the Military Suppression Bureau. I can make the call right away."

Mu Lin said, "Hurry. Tell the Military Suppression Bureau to send Martial Artists over immediately. Also, you should prepare to hand over the case. This is no longer something you Patrol Officers can handle."

A case?!

What case?

A sense of dread filled Zhou Changkong. With just a few words, Mu Lin had elevated the severity of the situation by several degrees.

According to Mu Lin, this was now a case...

It was unbelievable.

"Mr. Mu, this ditch stinks, I'll give you that, but is it necessary to escalate this into a formal case?"

Mu Lin replied gravely, "And yet, it is a case. Someone has died. By the way, can you call over a few nearby villagers? Have them..."

Mu Lin picked up a twig and drew a line on the ground. "From here... to..."

He drew another line. "Here. Dam up these two spots with mud, then pump out the water in between."

Mu Lin's instructions left Zhou Changkong deeply conflicted. 'What in the world is going on?'

'Since Mu Lin said someone died, does that mean there's a body hidden at the bottom of this ditch?'

Xu Tianming said, "Master, don't listen to him. There are no strange tracks or signs around this ditch. Who knows what's at the bottom? He just flaps his gums and says there's a body. How stupid is that?"

"Stop talking nonsense! How could Mr. Mu possibly be mistaken!" Zhou Changkong retorted angrily.

Mu Lin said, "Captain Zhou, I am capable of making mistakes. But on this matter, I am one hundred percent certain. Just go ahead and make the call."