Chapter 475 474: Expanding Manpower

He had learned from Elder Deng that a very powerful faction in Di Yang was targeting the Lin Family, preventing them from expanding beyond Anhua.

To this day, Mu Lin still had no clue about the specifics of this faction.

But once Li Xue arrived in Di Yang for the bidding, this faction was sure to make a move.

The situation had suddenly become incredibly tense.

Mu Lin found himself needing to confront several factions at once, both in the open and in the shadows, and his time and energy were stretched too thin to cope.

It was an incredibly difficult situation.

'Maybe if I gather a group of experts in Di Yang, I can solve this problem,' he mused.

Upon returning to the Lin Family's estate, Mu Lin got a few unused sachets from a servant and placed a piece of talisman paper in each.

"Grandmaster Lin, Uncle Lin, Miss Lin, please take these sachets, one for each of you. The extras can be given to other important members of the family."

Lin Shishi took a sachet. "What's this?!"

Mu Lin said, "Inside is a Protective Talisman. Its primary function is to ward off evil, but it also defends against spiritual attacks and curses."

Lin Shishi pouted.

"Does this thing even work? Why don't you just protect us yourself?"

"Shishi!" Lin Jin said hurriedly. "Mu Lin has no obligation to protect us. He's doing it out of kindness, so we can't be too demanding of him."

Mu Lin said, "I'm so glad you understand, Uncle Lin! It's not that I don't want to personally guard all of you, but I can't be in multiple places at once. There are too many people I need to protect."

"These sachets will help you withstand the initial attack. After all, when physical defenses are tight, spiritual attacks and curses are the most common methods."

"I see!"

'If they can't even block the first wave of attacks, the problems that follow will be even bigger. I'm genuinely worried I won't be able to protect all of them.'

With these fail-safes in place, Mu Lin would have an opportunity to react and counter any threats.

"Grandmaster Lin, does the Lin Family have any masters in its employ?"

Lin Tian replied, "We employ a few, but they're only good for handling petty thieves. Against anyone at or above the Innate Divine Realm, they're useless."

"There are also some assigned by the authorities to protect me in secret, but they generally won't fight to the death. If I were killed before they could even react, they'd just conduct an investigation to catch the culprit afterward, but by then it would obviously be too late."

"I see," Mu Lin nodded. "I understand."

Mu Lin scanned the area. He'd already sensed a few experts within the Lin Family estate, but they were all relatively weak. Though they had developed Inner Strength, they hadn't progressed any further.

'Perhaps they feel that with a secure job in hand, they've already achieved their life's ambition.'

'People like that can't possibly handle what's coming!'

'How frustrating.'

Suddenly, Mu Lin's eyes lit up. Among this group of experts, there was one who had, to his surprise, reached the threshold of the Peak of Internal Strength.

He was just a single step away from the Grandmaster Realm.

But that one step was not an easy one to take. Many experts failed to cross that threshold in their entire lifetime.

The most crucial aspect of a Grandmaster's power is the ability to project True Qi externally. They can also imbue soft objects with their True Qi and use them as weapons.

Things like leaves or silk ribbons, for example.

Lin Shishi said, "My dad is an important figure in Di Yang. Who would dare try to harm him? Do they have a death wish?"

Mu Lin replied, "There are plenty of people who wish Uncle Lin dead. If they conspire together, you won't even find a trace of who did it!"

Lin Shishi pressed her lips together, speechless. It was hard for a girl like her to imagine the world could be so cruel.

Mu Lin didn't blame her. Having grown up in such a privileged environment, she had never experienced things like this. Her shock was only natural.

"Wouldn't it be better to be able to overcome a crisis with your own strength?" Mu Lin said earnestly.

"That..." Lin Shishi seemed lost in thought for a moment. "You're right."

Lin Jin said, "Mu Lin is right, but my own abilities are lacking. I've pushed myself to my limit, and this is as far as I can go. The experts assigned to me are naturally of a limited level, but I don't blame them. After all, this kind of cultivation depends on fate."

'Lin Jin is rather philosophical,' Mu Lin thought. 'He's not even angry about it.'

'I might as well help that expert at the Peak of Internal Strength break through the threshold,' Mu Lin thought. 'I can worry about everything else later.'

So, he gathered his inner breath and, using a Secret Sound Transmission technique, spoke to the expert who was at the Peak of Internal Strength:

"Friend, please come out to the courtyard for a moment."

The expert was startled. He had been standing guard dutifully just a moment ago. How could a voice suddenly explode right next to his ear?

'How terrifying!'

He looked up to see Mu Lin smiling at him.

His mind in turmoil, he walked into the garden. Mu Lin spoke to the expert:

"You certainly don't flaunt your abilities, sir. If I hadn't been deliberately investigating things, I'm afraid I would have missed you entirely!"

"May I ask your name, sir?"

"I don't dare use my real name while on assignment. My codename is Dark Falcon."

Mu Lin said, "Dark Falcon, I'd like to help you break through and reach the Grandmaster Realm. What do you think?"

"Truly?" Dark Falcon's eyes lit up. "My cultivation has been stagnant for many years. I've tried countless times but have never been able to project my True Qi, so I've been stuck at this level. Do you really have a way to help me break through?" He had long ago learned that there's always someone better out there. Having accepted his own limitations, his heart was surprisingly calm.

Mu Lin smiled. "Of course. You can be completely at ease."

"Dark Falcon, you specialize in hand-to-hand combat, don't you? You have old injuries all over your body. Not just on your shoulders, back, waist, and abdomen, but even on your legs. There are countless tiny blood clots. You must have undertaken some extremely dangerous missions when you were younger, right?"

Dark Falcon stared, wide-eyed. His training uniform covered his body completely, revealing nothing. Yet somehow, Mu Lin could see his injuries?

'How is this possible?'

Lin Jin walked out and said with a smile, "Dark Falcon, you can relax. Mu Lin is a Divine Doctor, you know. He's healed countless masters from grievous injuries. To him, seeing your old wounds is a simple matter."

'It's unimaginable,' Dark Falcon thought. 'Just how powerful must Mu Lin be to do something like this!'

The difference in their abilities was almost enough to drive one to despair.

However, since Mu Lin was capable of this, Dark Falcon could only pin all of his hopes on him.

"Mr. Mu, if you can help me break through to the Grandmaster Realm, I will be indebted to you for the rest of my life."

Mu Lin waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need for that. Just focus on protecting the Lin Family, and that will be enough."

"Yes, sir! In that case, I will serve the Lin Family for the rest of my life!"

"Then it's a deal! You must uphold your end without fail. Otherwise, I will personally find a way to take back everything you've gained."

Dark Falcon replied, "If I ever go back on my word, you can kill me without a second thought!"

Mu Lin nodded, satisfied. "As long as you serve the Lin Family faithfully, why would I have any reason to kill you?"

"Uncle Lin, I need an empty room to use as a treatment room," Mu Lin said.

Lin Jin immediately had the butler find one, and then led Mu Lin and Dark Falcon inside.

Mu Lin began the treatment. To him, Dark Falcon's injuries weren't difficult to treat at all. They were merely strains on his meridians caused by external trauma, which prevented his True Qi from flowing smoothly.

Once this problem was solved, projecting his True Qi would become much smoother.

This was Mu Lin's solution.

Coupled with using Fang Qing's True Qi to soothe the old injuries and make his own True Qi flow with incredible smoothness, the rest of the process became simple and straightforward.

Before long, Dark Falcon felt like a completely new man. In an instant, an incredible sense of ease spread through his body.

The power of his True Qi flowed through his meridians without obstruction, like a herd of wild horses set free.

With a casual wave of his hand, he felt a formless burst of power shoot outward.

It struck a floor tile, which immediately shot into the air, leaving a shallow pit behind.

Mu Lin plucked a leaf from a nearby plant and handed it to Dark Falcon. "Here, try this."

Dark Falcon flicked it forward. In the blink of an eye, the leaf shot into a nearby tree like a bullet.

THUD!

A moment later, the leaf exited the other side, having pierced through the thick trunk like a bullet and leaving a deep hole in its wake.

That was... terrifying.

'Not even a real bullet has that kind of power!'

Everyone looked on in utter astonishment. For many of them, it was the first time they had ever witnessed a Martial Arts Grandmaster project their True Qi.

They had never imagined it could be so powerful.

Many of the other guards who witnessed this were filled with indescribable envy. They bitterly regretted not having trained harder; otherwise, they might have been the one receiving this incredible boost in cultivation.

Their guts twisted with regret.