Chapter 431 430: Reconciliation

Shi Huiguang felt a wave of relief. Divine Doctor Zhao was finally letting the past go.

Divine Doctor Zhao said, "Let me be blunt. I don't know why Mu Lin took you in, but if you think you can use him to get the better of me, then don't even think about it!"

Shi Huiguang was practically spineless at this moment. He said, "Yes, yes! Brother Zhao, from now on, I'll do whatever you say!"

Hearing this, Divine Doctor Zhao felt a cringey shiver, as if his teeth were about to rot. 'How can Shi Huiguang be so shameless?'

'He was even more curious how Mu Lin had subdued Shi Huiguang. This wasn't a man who could be so easily dealt with.'

'It had to be Mu Lin. His strength was undeniable, allowing him to effortlessly control someone as troublesome as Shi Huiguang.'

The group stood in the courtyard.

"Come, come, let's talk inside. Don't just stand there!"

The moment he stepped inside, Divine Doctor Zhao looked up and saw a large pile of Cyan Jade Boxes.

"What are these boxes for?"

"They're all boxes for Spirit Medicines," Zhao Ling'Er replied.

"All… all of them?!" Divine Doctor Zhao's eyes went wide when he heard that.

He knew the value of a single Spirit Medicine; you couldn't get one for less than eight figures.

And now there were so many, just piled up on the empty floor.

The total value had to be in the tens of billions.

The sheer number was staggering, almost terrifying.

Mu Lin, however, seemed unfazed as he walked inside with them.

They all sat down together in the tea room. Luo Wanqing seemed a bit lost in thought, completely exhausted.

Divine Doctor Zhao was also feeling quite tired. He plopped down into a seat and let out a long sigh. "I can't believe Hidden Sword Manor was destroyed just like that. What a terrible shame!"

Luo Wanqing said, "Since it's already happened, there's no use regretting it. I actually think things are pretty good now."

She looked at Mu Lin with a meaningful gaze, her eyes full of emotion.

Zhao Ling'Er was not happy to see this and let out a cold snort.

But before Zhao Ling'Er could say anything, Mu Lin's phone rang.

Mu Lin looked at the screen. It was a landline number from the Military Suppression Bureau. He wondered what was going on.

He answered the call.

It was Jiang Long.

"Mr. Mu, are you doing alright in Anhua?"

"I'm doing great. Thanks for calling to check up on me, I appreciate it!"

Jiang Long said, "Mr. Mu, please don't let your guard down. Things aren't that simple!"

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"A lot of things are coming your way!" Jiang Long said.

"Mayor Hu has been transferred to Di Yang. It looks like a promotion, but it's actually a demotion."

"Then, the provincial government formed an investigation team. They claim it's to investigate all of Anhua, but it's actually targeting the Zhou Family!"

Mu Lin felt a deep sense of unease.

He and the Zhou Family were as thick as thieves, so this was basically a direct attack on him.

"Who's behind this?" Mu Lin asked.

Jiang Long replied, "The Feng Family, obviously!"

Mu Lin said, "When I left, a Demi-Immortal from the Feng Family personally saw me off. What trouble could I possibly be in?"

Jiang Long said, "That's where you're wrong! Times have changed. The Feng Family would love nothing more than to take your life! Let me put it this way: of all the major families in Di Yang, only the Ning and Feng Families have an Immortal backing them. The rest have nothing."

"The main reason I'm calling today is to warn you. Someone wants to reshape the power structure in Di Yang and carve everything up. The families without an Immortal's backing are all going to be swallowed."

Hearing this, Mu Lin began to ponder. "Really? Then how many Land Immortals are there in Nanjiang Province? With so much happening in Di Yang, won't they get involved?"

Jiang Long was silent for a long time before he spoke. "There are four. The situation with one of them is unclear, but he is the most dangerous."

"Dong Wu is probably on the verge of a breakthrough to become a Martial Arts Celestial Being, which is nearly on par with a Land Immortal."

"And the first thing he'll do when he comes out of seclusion will probably be to kill you to avenge his younger brother."

Mu Lin said, "Team Leader Jiang, can you do me a favor?"

"As long as it doesn't violate the code of our world, I'll do it for you."

Mu Lin said, "Protect the Zhou Family for me."

Jiang Long was silent for a moment. "I'm afraid I can't. My injuries haven't fully healed, so the power I can wield is limited. It's not enough to make the Ning and Feng Families hesitate."

"If I were fully healed, I believe I could put up a fight. But this is an injury I've had for years. Who knows if healing is even possible?"

Mu Lin said, "Within a few days, I will do my best to heal you completely."

Jiang Long shuddered. 'Mu Lin really has some nerve. To be completely healed within a few days... he didn't even dare to imagine what would happen after that!'

"If I can return to my peak, then not only the Zhou Family, but any other family connected to you can be safely protected. They wouldn't even dare to make a move on us."

"People always bully the weak and fear the strong, even Land Immortals are the same. You can never escape these cycles of gratitude and grudges."

Mu Lin smiled slightly. "Team Leader Jiang, since that's the case, I'll be counting on you!"

Jiang Long felt resigned. 'Mu Lin is acting as if he has me completely cornered. Right now, isn't Mu Lin the only person willing and able to heal me?'

'That means I can only be controlled and manipulated by him. Although, the kid's temperament is decent enough that he probably won't use this advantage to completely control me.'

"Don't you act recklessly! This involves the future of the Military Suppression Bureau. If the entire organization is destroyed because of your foolishness, even taking my own life to atone wouldn't be enough to make up for my mistake."

Mu Lin sighed. "How could that happen? We're all in the same boat. We can discuss things as we go."

Jiang Long nodded. "You're right. Let's stay in communication. I have a meeting to get to, so I'm hanging up now."

With that, Jiang Long hung up the phone.

Mu Lin looked up. Everyone around him was staring at him as if he were a monster.

Mu Lin hadn't tried to hide his phone call at all, speaking nonchalantly and letting them hear every single word.

Zhao Ling'Er was extremely worried. She hadn't realized Mu Lin was facing such powerful enemies.

"Brother Mu, you…"

Mu Lin asked, "Is something wrong, Ling'Er?"

"No…" Zhao Ling'Er didn't dare to say what she was thinking, afraid that voicing her fears would make them come true.

Mu Lin said, "Don't worry, Ling'Er. It's not that difficult."

'Although it seemed complicated, and in fact was quite complicated, it wasn't too difficult.'

To cure Jiang Long's ailment, he needed a Thunder Fruit.

It was a top-tier Spirit Medicine with astonishing effects.

But it was incredibly difficult to grow. It required a harsh environment, and the fruiting window was extremely short; the fruit had to be picked within half a day of appearing.

One could say it was difficult to the extreme.

Nearly every Thunder Fruit Tree in the world was being watched by a major power.

Even the recipients for the medicine were already lined up in a queue.

The Military Suppression Bureau headquarters had some in stock, but given Jiang Long's cultivation level and importance, it wasn't nearly enough to justify them allocating such a precious item to him.

Mu Lin turned his gaze to Luo Wanqing. "Miss Luo, in your time running Hidden Sword Manor and collecting treasures from all over the world, have you ever come across top-grade thunder-wood? The kind of wood that has been struck by lightning?"

Luo Wanqing replied, "More than just come across it. Ordinary thunder-wood is actually everywhere. You can find thousands of pieces after a single thunderstorm. It's just a matter of whether you have the ability to go out and collect it. For practitioners of the Martial Dao like us, that part isn't difficult."

Mu Lin nodded slowly, agreeing with Luo Wanqing's answer.

"However, if you need to specify the type of tree, the time it was struck, or even the location where the tree grew, then thunder-wood with such special properties becomes very rare."

"And if you add requirements like the number of lightning strikes, the intensity of the strikes, and so on, there really aren't many places like that."

Mu Lin nodded. "So, where are the places with the highest probability?"

"The high-probability locations are all monopolized by major powers. Some forces have taken control of entire forests to mass-produce thunder-wood."

"Hidden Sword Manor, on the other hand, was obviously too weak to do that, so we had to find alternative ways to collect it."

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. This was what he wanted to hear.

"How did you collect it? I'm very curious."

Luo Wanqing said, "The Thunder Marsh. It's an ocean where thunderclouds gather all year round, and countless lightning bolts strike down every day."