Chapter 73: It’s Blindingly Bright!

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Chapter 73: It’s Blindingly Bright!

Mu One was utterly speechless at the sight of his boss. Still, he felt somewhat reassured when Mu Yanxiao’s aura instantly sharpened the moment he entered the room. At least that proved the boss was still the same boss. He had only seemed somewhat unreliable earlier because he had been dealing with a different target. In reality, his boss was still extremely dependable.

“Mu One?” Mu Yanxiao called his name before Mu One could even speak. Mu One stepped forward, lowered his head slightly, and replied, “Boss, it’s me.”

After hearing the confirmation, Mu Yanxiao’s expression became somewhat complicated, carrying both anticipation and hesitation. In the end, he still asked, “Did you find anything on this trip?”

Mu One considered his words before answering, “I only found one lead. It still needs further investigation.”

Mu Yanxiao was slightly dissatisfied with the answer, but he didn’t press the matter. There were still outsiders present, so this wasn’t the right place to discuss it.

“Report to me privately tonight. Just now, Linlin said they ran into someone looking for trouble at the supermarket? Garfield said he tried to kick Linlin? What exactly happened?”

Mu One quickly recounted what had happened at the supermarket to his boss and Grandpa KFC sitting opposite him. After hearing the story, both men immediately wore vicious expressions that practically screamed, You dare lay a hand on my pet? You’re courting death!

Before Young Master Mu could even speak, Grandpa Albert waved one hand with a grim expression. The ghostlike old butler behind him immediately bowed and withdrew. Seeing the imposing way the old butler strode away, Young Master Lin You sincerely wanted to light a candle for the man who had attacked them earlier.

No matter how you looked at it, that old butler was definitely no pushover. This time, that man probably wouldn’t just be jealous that Lin You and Garfield were richer than him—he’d soon be jealous of everyone who still had a job.

“…I think I might end up on TV tomorrow. What do you think about that, Master?”

Lin You thought back to the supermarket and naturally remembered all the people filming with their phones. Such a huge incident had happened in the First Hospital’s supermarket; it would be stranger if nobody reported it. And knowing the media, Young Master Lin figured there was a ninety-percent chance they’d uncover his and Garfield’s identities, then get even more excited once they found out who their owners were and start writing about them as though they’d been injected with chicken blood. Better to give his master some advance warning.

Hearing the faint concern in his pet’s voice, Mu Yanxiao couldn’t help but soften. He rubbed the fluffy fur beneath his hand and said with absolute dominance, “Let them do whatever they want. In the end, they’ll discover there isn’t a single thing they can actually do.”

Husky Lin, “…”

#MyMasterIsABigShot#.

It was a little embarrassing, but somehow it also felt ridiculously satisfying~

After accompanying Mu Yanxiao and Lin You for a simple stir-fry meal at the hospital, Albert picked up his Garfield and headed home looking thoroughly disgusted with life. They were definitely going to have another feast once they got back. The hospital food was simply too horrifying. Even though it had been specially prepared by a professional chef, Grandpa KFC still couldn’t shake the feeling that everything tasted faintly of disinfectant.

That evening, while Mu Four took Husky Lin away for a bath, Mu One gave Mu Yanxiao a detailed report on his investigation in the Qinling Mountains. Mu One had chosen a small town deep within the mountain range. Since many parts of the Qinling Mountains had already been developed as tourist areas, even a town this far into the mountains didn’t seem particularly desolate.

“I spent three days investigating the Qinling Mountains, but all I found were some Daoist temples, Buddhist monasteries, and a few rather unreliable legends. I went to the temples and questioned the Daoist priests, but none of them claimed to know anything about powerful families or spirits deep in the Qinling Mountains…” Mu One’s expression became somewhat strange. “I don’t know if it was just my imagination, but whenever I mentioned the words ‘deep in the Qinling Mountains,’ the Daoist priests I questioned seemed to grow nervous. I thought they might know something, but in the end, every one of them claimed complete ignorance. It was rather discouraging.”

Mu Yanxiao raised an eyebrow. “They definitely know something. There are simply reasons why they can’t tell you.”

Mu One nodded in agreement. “That’s what I thought as well. Perhaps they have their own difficulties, or perhaps they simply have rules they must follow. Rather than waste time pressuring them, I thought it would be better to come back and find someone who actually knows about that side of things and is willing to talk. That’s still better than forcing those Daoist priests to give us vague or unreliable information.”

Only then did Mu Yanxiao look satisfied, a faint, almost-smile appearing on his face. “You’re right. No matter what place or world you’re talking about, there will always be people willing to take risks and ignore the rules for money and desire. Find those people, and we’ll be able to learn everything we want to know… Kun Yu may be dead, but following his trail should lead us to a few others who shared his ‘interests,’ shouldn’t it? Find them and make them talk.”

Mu One nodded. “Yes.”

Just as Mu Yanxiao and Mu One finished their conversation, Husky Lin returned from his bath smelling fresh and clean, his fur soft and fluffy as he excitedly launched himself toward his master’s bed. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that he was still only a puppy. Even though he looked slightly larger than an ordinary house cat, his control over his current body—and his estimation of its jumping ability—still left something to be desired.

And so, Young Master Husky Lin flew straight into the edge of the bed… then landed on the floor with a splat .

“Awooooooo!”

Young Master Lin You rolled miserably around on the floor.

The sound nearly made Young Master Mu’s heart leap out of his chest. He almost jumped off the bed himself and started groping around the floor, but before he could, Mu One swiftly scooped up Young Master Lin You’s chubby little body and stuffed him into his boss’s arms. Then the man and dog automatically shifted into their usual positions around each other before settling down peacefully in a comfortable cuddle.

Mu One and Mu Four, who had witnessed the entire process: “…”

Was this inexplicably blinding interaction really okay?! Aren’t you two a little too practiced at this?! Does a human and a dog really need to have this much chemistry?! This is straight-up old-married-couple behavior, okay?!

The corner of Mu One’s mouth twitched. He grabbed Mu Four, who was still rolling his eyes, backed away several steps, and quickly made his escape. “Good night, Boss, Linlin.”

“Mm.”

“Wuu~”

Mu Four: “…” Even their replies match!

Sure enough, the next day’s major newspapers all carried stories about the “Cat-and-Dog Battle Against a Human” that had taken place in the First Hospital’s supermarket.

And just as Lin You had expected, several newspapers that dug a little deeper managed to uncover the identities of his and Garfield’s owners. Every one of those papers put the story right on the front page.

Lin You looked at the newspaper photo showing him calmly facing a human’s flying kick without so much as blinking, utterly unflinching even if Mount Tai were to collapse in front of him, and felt quite satisfied with the paper’s choice of photograph.

[Pets Take After Their Owners! Like Owner, Like Pet!]

[The Beloved Pets of the Ten Richest Tycoons.]

[A Rambling Discussion on the Relationship Between Pet Intelligence and Their Owners.]

In short, Young Master Lin You had genuinely become famous, and the fat cat Garfield, who had leaped onto a store shelf, became famous right along with him.

Garfield had already appeared in European newspapers countless times, but Young Master Lin You’s heroic performance caused an enormous sensation back home. The hospital incident wasn’t only reported in newspapers; by noon that same day, local television news and Weibo were practically flooded with reports and posts about him.

Before long, Husky Lin You’s incredibly calm demeanor and adorably goofy appearance earned him the title of the “Unflappable Pet Emperor.” As a result, the First Hospital soon attracted hordes of fanatical dog lovers who staked out the supermarket and various spots around the hospital, all for the chance to snap a photo of the Unflappable Dog Emperor.

And as luck would have it, someone really did run into Young Master Lin You while he was out strolling around by himself. The Unflappable Emperor certainly lived up to his title. Faced with the wildly excited fan, Young Master Lin struck several cool, domineering poses, patiently let the person finish taking photos, then casually strolled back to his hospital room.

That set of photos taken by the lucky fan sent Young Master Lin’s popularity through the roof. Countless dog lovers, animal-cuteness fanatics, and fluff enthusiasts stared at the husky whose face was absurdly adorable while his eyes and every movement radiated an arrogant I am number one under heaven aura. One after another, they screamed that they were being blinded by his brilliance and wished they could grab the Dog Emperor and smother him in kisses.

A week later, Young Master Mu even received invitations from several major magazines. They wanted to shoot an entire photo book featuring Young Master Lin—or, failing that, at least put him on a magazine cover! Naturally, Young Master Mu rejected every request without the slightest hesitation. A bunch of pests daring to covet my Linlin! You want to take pictures of my Linlin?! Pah! I won’t even let you look at him!!

But no matter how firmly Young Master Mu refused, invitations kept pouring in. Even film and television directors joined the commotion, hoping to cast Lin You in a role, which annoyed Young Master Mu to no end. It’s not like I’m short on money! Keep pissing me off and I’ll smash your newspaper offices and movie theaters, you hear me?!

As a result, Young Master Mu had been rather irritable lately. That irritation finally found a new target when Mu One brought in a shifty-eyed young man who looked remarkably unlike a decent person. This happened while Young Master Lin You was out browsing street stalls with Mu Five.

With his eyes closed, Mu Yanxiao suddenly broke the silence. “Are you a member of the Daoist world?”

The shifty-eyed young man shuddered at the sound of his voice and hurriedly nodded. “President Mu, I’ve learned a little Daoist arts, but it’s all unorthodox stuff from side paths. I’m not a disciple of any legitimate Daoist lineage.”

Mu Yanxiao nodded indifferently. “That’s not the important part. What I want to know is whether you’re familiar with the current power structure of the Cultivation Realm, and where the boundary lies between that side and this one. If you can answer those two questions, I’ll give you an ocean-view villa.”

The shifty-eyed young man’s eyes instantly lit up. He could hardly believe such an incredible opportunity had fallen straight into his lap. Although he was about as low-ranking as a person could possibly be in the Cultivation Realm, he had managed to live fairly well in ordinary society by relying on the little unorthodox tricks he’d learned.

But “fairly well” only meant he had enough food and clothing. Even now, he still hadn’t saved enough money to buy a home. If he could get that ocean-view villa this time, his future life would practically be as carefree as an immortal’s!! Who cared about the rules of the Cultivation Realm? He’d never been someone who followed rules in the first place! Besides, even if breaking those rules brought some punishment, he’d never committed any truly heinous crimes. Minor consequences like getting sick or catching a cold didn’t bother him in the slightest!

Thinking this over, Sun Zhengqi took a deep breath and began.

“Besides the ordinary world people see on the surface, there is another side to this world.”

“That other side is collectively known as the ‘Dark Realm.’ Here in China, it’s more commonly called the ‘Cultivation Realm.’”

Mu Yanxiao’s eyes snapped open at that moment. Within those deep black pupils gleamed a brilliant light, like a hunter who had finally found the greatest prey of all.

“Go on.”

“There is no clearly defined boundary between the Cultivation Realm and the ordinary world. The reason ordinary people can’t enter the Cultivation Realm is because they cannot pass through its barriers.”

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