Chapter 463 462: Getting What One Deserves

Mu Lin glanced at the man and said coolly, "He brought it on himself. Since you people from the Jade Pavilion District shielded him, suffering this loss is perfectly normal. Is there anything else you wanted to say?"

Ran Quan said, "What did he do wrong to deserve a beating like that from you?"

Mu Lin said, "He used some trick to hypnotize my friend. If I hadn't been there to alert her, he would have succeeded. Are you his boss? You're the one who owes me an explanation."

Ran Quan looked toward Ji Fan, who quickly said, "Brother Ran, don't listen to his lies! There was no hypnotism! I was just greeting an old high school classmate! He's obviously just jealous of me!"

"When he was beating me, I told him you were with the Jade Pavilion District, but he wasn't afraid in the slightest! He has no respect for you at all!"

Ran Quan said, "I understand. Leave this to me. The Jade Pavilion District doesn't mistreat its own people. I'll definitely find a way to get your injuries treated. Just relax and trust me!"

With that, Ran Quan carefully sized up Mu Lin before turning his gaze to Lin Shishi.

"She must be your friend, right? Truly beautiful. I've never seen such a gorgeous woman."

"How about you give her to me?" Ran Quan asked, his eyes narrowing.

Mu Lin's expression turned grim. "Are you out of your mind? To think you could say something so despicable."

Ran Quan said, "So that's a no? I'm not negotiating with you; I'm informing you of the result. She's my woman now. And as for you, you're about to be beaten to death by my men and dumped in the river."

"Don't you worry, I'll treat her real good. I'll even take care of her for you!"

Lin Shishi was utterly disgusted by his words. 'Who would ever want to be with a person like that?'

Ran Quan made a hand gesture, and one of the men behind him shot up, lunging directly at Mu Lin.

Lin Shishi's face went pale with fright, and she scurried to Mu Lin's side for protection.

The Grandmaster who had leaped into the air shot toward Mu Lin, his attack filled with killing intent.

Mu Lin, however, was in no hurry as he launched a deceptively simple counterattack.

The aftermath would be messy, as his opponent didn't even know what he was getting into.

For that reason, Mu Lin had to consider a more severe outcome.

In a situation like this, he had to think more of his own advantage.

CRACK!

The Grandmaster's hand and Mu Lin's head collided.

A sharp crack echoed through the room. Lin Shishi was terrified. 'Don't tell me Mu Lin's skull just cracked open!'

But Mu Lin's expression was serene. He was completely unfazed.

The Grandmaster's face, on the other hand, contorted in pain.

The bones in his palm had shattered.

A fierce light flashed from Mu Lin, shooting toward the Grandmaster.

The ray of light sliced cleanly through the Grandmaster's arm at the elbow.

The severed limb fell straight to the ground.

Blood pooled on the floor.

The Grandmaster frantically grabbed his belt and tied it around his upper arm, then pressed two acupoints on his body to stanch the bleeding from his stump.

He was in too much shock to even register the pain.

The bleeding stopped.

He desperately stumbled toward the exit.

"Where do you think you're going? Did I say you could leave?"

Mu Lin stomped his foot. Two cracks instantly shot across the floor, racing straight toward the fleeing Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster didn't sense anyone pursuing him, but he felt danger closing in fast. Puzzled, he glanced down, and his entire being was consumed by terror.

'Is this even possible?'

The two cracks had reached his feet.

Suddenly, they erupted. The force of the explosion sent a numbing jolt through his legs, causing him to stagger even more severely.

Mu Lin caught up to him. He raised his hand high and brought his palm down hard. The Grandmaster's entire body convulsed.

He was instantly in excruciating pain.

Heaven only knew what would become of him now.

He spat out a mouthful of blood as large, purplish-red bruises bloomed all over his skin.

The impact had ruptured the blood vessels throughout his body, causing massive internal bleeding.

Mu Lin walked up and grabbed the Grandmaster by the hair, forcing his head up.

"Decades of bitter cultivation, and it all comes to this? Why help a villain commit evil? Couldn't you have just cultivated peacefully and found a simple security job?"

The Grandmaster smiled bleakly. "How could I? My clan supported my cultivation for decades. Now that I've achieved something, I have to repay them. The Jade Pavilion District offers the most generous rewards, so of course I would work for them."

Mu Lin paused. 'He actually has a point,' he thought.

"The Jade Pavilion District may have done many bad things, but are other rich people any better? You might as well work for the richest one! I've lost to you, so I accept my fate. Kill me or torture me, do as you wish!"

Mu Lin was silent for a moment. "Get out of here. Your cultivation is completely destroyed. The source of all your troubles is gone. You can finally live a quiet life now, can't you?"

The Grandmaster was speechless for a moment before finally forcing out a few words:

"Thank you for sparing my life, sir!"

With that, he limped out of the restaurant.

No one would bother stopping a man who was now completely useless.

Lin Shishi was still stunned by the scene. She knew Mu Lin was powerful, but the methods he had just employed had genuinely terrified her.

The vast restaurant was now deathly silent. No one dared to speak, let alone whisper.

Ran Quan was utterly shocked. The corpse on the ground already terrified him, and he had no way left to retaliate against Mu Lin.

Ji Fan was also scared out of his wits. A Martial Arts Grandmaster had been killed by Mu Lin, and while this Grandmaster's life had been spared, it was clear Mu Lin was the real deal.

'He's just too strong,' Ji Fan thought. 'He has us completely in the palm of his hand. My life is now his to take at a whim. Even Ran Quan can't protect me.'

Ran Quan plastered a smile on his face and said to Mu Lin, "Brother, you're incredible! If I'd known how formidable you were, I would've made sure to get on your good side. Look at this whole mess... it's just a big misunderstanding between friends."

Mu Lin chuckled. "Who's friends with you?"

'This Ran Quan is really something else,' Mu Lin thought. 'He changes his tune in the blink of an eye.'

But Mu Lin wasn't so easily fooled.

"Come on now, no need to be a stranger. May I ask your name, brother?"

"Mu Lin."

"Brother Mu, I am so sorry. I truly didn't expect things to escalate like this. I apologize on Ji Fan's behalf! Your meal today is on the house, for both of you."

Mu Lin said, "I don't need the money."

He placed a jade token on the table and stared coldly at Ran Quan. "Tell me who made this. Otherwise, this isn't over."

Ran Quan's heart lurched when he saw the jade token, but his expression shifted so fast it was almost imperceptible. He quickly said:

"Brother Mu, asking me won't do you any good. A down-on-his-luck master left that with our Jade Pavilion District years ago to settle a debt. Even if you asked me to find him, I couldn't! He's probably dead by now."

"It's impossible for me to find him for you!"

Ran Quan's words made Mu Lin's face darken. He clenched the jade token in his palm, and with a slight squeeze, a fine plaster powder trickled onto the floor.

Mu Lin said, "I've already stated my condition. Whether you agree or not doesn't really affect me."

Ran Quan was getting truly desperate. "Brother Mu, please, I honestly don't know where he is! Have mercy and spare me!"

Mu Lin said, "I don't know how I can spare you. The Military Suppression Bureau is already here."

The words had barely left his mouth when Gu Wu arrived with a team from the Military Suppression Bureau.

Gu Wu bowed to Mu Lin. Since Mu Lin had saved his life, the gesture was entirely appropriate.

Mu Lin nodded in return, then pointed at the panic-stricken Ji Fan. "He used a technique to control a woman. This is a case for the Military Suppression Bureau. I'll have to trouble you with him."

Ji Fan, trembling from head to toe, lunged toward Ran Quan and pleaded, "Young Master Ran, you can't just stand by and watch me die! I've done so much for you! Even if I have no great merits, I've worked hard!"

Ran Quan was truly at a loss. 'What can I do? Mu Lin has already called in the Military Suppression Bureau.'

'He'd never imagined Mu Lin would have so much influence. People from the Military Suppression Bureau practically bowed and scraped before him.'

'This is a huge problem.'

All he could do was try his best to plead Ji Fan's case.

"Captain Gu, you're making a mountain out of a molehill. Mr. Mu claims Ji Fan used an Illusion Technique to control someone's mind... that's just absurd! There must be a misunderstanding here!"

Gu Wu, however, trusted Mu Lin completely. It wasn't just because Mu Lin had saved his life, but also because Mu Lin was an honored guest of Group Leader Jiang Long.

'Even if Mu Lin is lying, Jiang Long would take the heat with me,' Gu Wu thought. 'In that case, there's nothing to be afraid of.'