Chapter 31: Unavoidable Tribulation

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Chapter 31: Unavoidable Tribulation

The weather was fine. It was almost time to eat zongzi .

Young Master Lin You nestled in his blind master’s arms, sticking his head out the window to feel the oncoming… gale. Even though the feathers on his head had already been blown into a mess, nothing could dampen Young Master Lin You’s excitement at going to inspect his own property.

“Mumu~ Are we almost there?!” Lin You asked again cheerfully.

Hearing this for the twentieth time in just one hour, even Mu Yanxiao’s usually calm face showed a few dark lines.

“Say less and take a short nap. You’ll be there when you wake up.”

Lin You immediately shook his head. “How can I sleep at a time like this?! Even just looking at the scenery along the way would be fine, squawk!”

“Hmm, but why does that black crow keep following us?”

“What?” Mu Yanxiao lowered his head in confusion. Had his Linlin just been muttering something? A crow? Was he planning to compete with a crow in beauty?

Lin You quickly shook his head. “Nothing, squawk~ I just saw a really awesome bird. Tsk tsk, it’s just like my Little Uncle, hehehe.”

Mu Yanxiao was completely bewildered, but in the end, he didn’t force himself to understand what this often-crazy fellow was saying.

After saying this, Lin You fell silent. He had finally managed to calm down a little. For the next hour and a half, he tried his best to keep an eye on the particularly majestic and imposing black crow that followed them with its wings spread wide. His mood gradually grew heavier.

“…” Wherever the black crow appeared, someone always died. And the souls worthy of being personally captured by the black crow were either great saints or great sinners.

The black crow had been following their car the entire time. Could it be that his blind master was going to encounter some major trouble at the amusement park?!

Thinking this, Lin You suddenly remembered the words about physiognomy that he had casually said to Mu Yanxiao three days ago. He abruptly sat upright.

“Linlin?” Mu Yanxiao sensed Lin You’s agitation and was somewhat puzzled.

“…Um, Master, how about we don’t go to the amusement park today? We can go tomorrow instead?” After struggling for a long time, Lin You finally said this.

Mu Yanxiao was quite surprised. He remained silent for a moment before saying, “You were excited about seeing the amusement park from the moment you woke up until an hour ago. Why?”

Lin You also felt a little embarrassed, so he could only scratch at Mu Yanxiao’s pants with his claws. “Well, didn’t I tell you before? I calculated that you’d have a bloodshed calamity today! For your safety and your life, why don’t we go home? The amusement park is right here anyway. It isn’t going anywhere!”

Mu Yanxiao chuckled upon hearing this.

“I’ve never believed in ghosts or gods. Of course, some extraordinary spirits might exist. But fortune-telling and physiognomy are all just the work of charlatans.” As he spoke, Mu Yanxiao gave an example. “Five years ago, I met an old man who told me I would die in a car accident at thirty. But look, I’m still alive and well. I just need surgery for my eyes.”

Mu Yanxiao had meant to comfort his parrot, but it had the opposite effect.

“You said someone told you that you wouldn’t live past thirty?!” Lin You’s voice suddenly rose.

Mu Yanxiao was somewhat surprised by Lin You’s agitation and nodded. “Yes. But it didn’t come true, did it?”

Lin You rolled his eyes hard. How could that be considered inaccurate?! It was practically as accurate as his mystic grandfather’s predictions! Although Lin You himself had also been predicted by his family to die before twenty-five, he was still alive. But he knew that this change was an opportunity his parents had earned through twenty years of doing good deeds and accumulating merit!

He had originally hoped that his blind master wasn’t destined to face this tribulation. But now, after hearing that someone had predicted Mu Yanxiao wouldn’t live past thirty, he could be certain that Mu Yanxiao’s situation was the same as his own. It must have been some great act of kindness performed by Grandfather Mu or Mu Yanxiao’s parents that had given Mu Yanxiao’s death tribulation a glimmer of hope. But even so, Mu Yanxiao, like him, had only been given an opportunity to overcome his tribulation. What happened in the end would depend on themselves!

Thinking about this, many things Lin You had been unable to understand before suddenly became clear!

Lin You had never been able to understand why, even after he’d been a parrot for more than a month, his family still hadn’t sent him any news. Logically speaking, both his unreliable father and his fierce mother should have been capable of divining his current situation. Yet so much time had passed, and not only had he failed to see his parents come looking for him, he hadn’t even seen his father’s old-fashioned paper crane for transmitting messages. This was very unreasonable.

But if he understood his current tribulation as something he could only overcome on his own, it became much easier to understand why his parents and family hadn’t done anything about it. The chance at life obtained from a death tribulation was already extremely difficult to come by, and there were many variables involved. Anyone other than the person facing the tribulation who rashly intervened would only make things worse!

As for why he had been dragged along after Mu Yanxiao hit him and killed him, it was because Mu Yanxiao, like him, had a tribulation, and their tribulations happened to correspond with each other. This was what his great-grandfather had once called a “double tribulation.” He and Mu Yanxiao were each other’s opportunity to overcome their tribulations! Since that was the case, if he and Mu Yanxiao wanted to overcome their tribulations better, they had to stay together as much as possible. That was why he could only stay within fifty meters of Mu Yanxiao.

“Ah…” Thinking about this, Lin You became even more certain that his family knew about this. He had seen this kind of “distance restriction” before with his Little Uncle and great-grandfather. What had the situation been back then? Right, he had watched his Little Uncle tie a cat and a rat spirit together, and he’d been so happy about it at the time.

“Linlin?”

“Linlin!”

Mu Yanxiao called Lin You twice before finally bringing him back to reality.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Mu Yanxiao frowned. “We’re here.”

Lin You’s feelings were incredibly complicated. He was both touched and annoyed by his family’s thoughtfulness and concealment. And when he looked at the man he had already come to regard as his own, then thought about how he might have to face another threat to his life today, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“Mm-hmm, I’m not feeling well! I’m really not feeling well! Let’s go home! Hurry, let’s go home!”

Mu Yanxiao listened speechlessly to his parrot’s loud, energetic voice. Although this fellow’s attitude had changed so quickly and he was making such a fuss, Mu Yanxiao couldn’t bring himself to be angry when he thought that Linlin was acting this way because he was worried about him.

So Mu Yanxiao could only say soothingly, “Alright, we’ll just take a look. We’ll look at the entrance without going inside, and then we’ll go home, okay?”

Lin You still felt uneasy, but when he saw Mu Yanxiao’s expression and remembered that he had specifically brought him here to see the amusement park, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to refuse. After hesitating for a long time, he could only emphasize repeatedly:

“Just the entrance! We’ll look at the entrance and then go home!”

Mu Yanxiao smiled, “Of course.”

Then they all got out of the car.

Amusement parks were always among the busiest places in a city during the day, and naturally, they attracted huge crowds. Although it wasn’t the weekend, this large amusement park, famous throughout City A and even across the country, was packed with people eager to have fun, filling the entrance so completely that not even water could pass through.

Mu Yanxiao and the others stood not far from the main entrance. Since they were the owners of the amusement park, their car could also be parked directly in front of the gate. Lin You was already excitedly perched on his master’s head, looking at the fantastical entrance and the giant Ferris wheel and roller coaster visible through it. He practically wanted to fly straight over and experience them all!

This huge amusement park is mine! Just thinking about it is so exciting! So, so exciting!!

Mu Yanxiao could naturally feel his parrot’s excitement and couldn’t help smiling as well. Even he was somewhat surprised by his own actions. Putting off an entire day’s work and planning a surprise for this little fellow was really unlike his usual way of doing things. And he had actually gone to such lengths for a parrot, almost like the little attentions someone would give a lover… Mu Yanxiao shook his head. Could he really be waiting for this parrot spirit to turn into a human?

“How about it? Want to go inside and play? Just one attraction. We don’t need to queue.” Boss Mu tempted him with ill intent. In his mind, there was no way this parrot could resist.

But Lin You was surprisingly resolute.

“No! Go home! Squawk! Go home!!”

Mu Yanxiao sighed helplessly. He had turned down a whole day of work to keep his parrot company. Next time, things might not be so relaxed.

“…Alright. Then let’s go home.”

Before Mu Yanxiao could finish speaking, Lin You hurriedly flew toward the car. Just then, something unexpected happened!!

Ding!

The sharp sound of a bullet striking the car’s bulletproof glass rang out. Lin You stared blankly at the bullet mark less than a centimeter from his wing before suddenly screaming, “Mu Yanxiao! Get back in the car! Someone’s trying to kill you!!”

In an instant, not only did Mu Yanxiao’s expression become extremely sharp, but Mu One, Mu Four, and Mu Five also became extremely alert. After confirming that there were at least four people nearby radiating killing intent, the three of them immediately surrounded Mu Yanxiao and escorted him into the car.

Thud, thud, clang!

The soundless sniper shots continued one after another, each landing not far from Mu Yanxiao’s feet. Mu One glanced back at the bullet marks on the ground, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes, but when he saw two people running toward them from the left and right, he quickly turned his attention back to them.

“Idiots! These pieces of trash actually dare to mess with Boss? Fourth Brother, Big Brother, you two protect Boss. I can handle the two of them myself!”

Mu Four thought about it for only a moment before nodding. “We’ll wait for you in the car. Finish this quickly.”

After all, the sniper’s target was Mu Yanxiao, so they couldn’t let him stand somewhere without cover.

What happened next was something Mu Four could never forget, even long afterward. During the days after losing Linlin, Mu Four couldn’t help thinking about it again and again. If he had been able to throw out one more throwing knife back then, would what came afterward have been different? Would Boss have been spared that heart-wrenching, gloomy, despairing expression?

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