Chapter 77: When Enemies Meet?

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Chapter 77: When Enemies Meet?

Mu Yanxiao sat on the soft, comfortable sofa with his face set in an unusually solemn expression. The look practically screamed, I’m contemplating a major life decision right now. Don’t bother me unless it’s important. Mu One immediately had a very bad feeling.

Sure enough, only a few minutes later, Young Master Mu said in a tone that allowed no argument, “Find someone and ask how to get to the Lin Family of Qinling.”

Mu One instantly felt miserable. Sure enough, the moment anything involved Little Six, his boss stopped behaving normally.

“Boss, this is already Lin Family territory. I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to find anyone willing to lead us there.”

Mu Yanxiao didn’t seem concerned. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Go find a Daoist temple. Just tell them we’re relatives of the Lin Family. I don’t need to teach you what to say after that, do I?”

Mu One’s mouth twitched, but before he could complain, Mu Two pulled him aside. “Boss, don’t worry. We know exactly what to say. We’ll find out where the Lin Family is and how to get there as quickly as possible.”

Young Master Mu nodded in satisfaction. “One-percent annual raise.”

Mu Three, Mu Four, and Mu Five instantly stared wide-eyed. Even Mu One couldn’t take it anymore and rubbed his forehead.

The moment the Number Squad left their boss’s room, Mu Three pointed at Mu Two and howled, “You’re too sneaky! This is completely unfair! Didn’t the five of us swear we’d live and die together?! If we’re brothers, hand over that one percent! How can you be the only one out of five to get a raise?!”

Mu Two pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and gave them a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Whose fault is it that none of you know how to seize an opportunity? You should’ve figured out long ago exactly where Little Six stands in Boss’s heart. I was merely going with the flow. And allow me to remind you that although all five of us are orphans who grew up sleeping on the same big bed at the orphanage, unfortunately, that still doesn’t make us blood brothers. Don’t expect me to spit out money that’s already reached my mouth.”

Mu Four clicked his tongue. “You can’t put it like that. Even if you aren’t going to split the money with us, you should at least spend some of it on our annual vacations and meals. Otherwise, I think the rest of us may have to suppress you by force. Second, you’d better think this through.”

Mu Two shot Mu Four a vicious glare, then snorted and kicked Mu One. “Fine, fine. That’s what I was planning anyway. You guys are still my little brothers, after all. But for now, my dear brothers, we’d better hurry up and find some Daoist priests around here. I’m sure I don’t need to teach you how to bluff them, right? We may not technically be family with Linlin yet, but judging from Boss’s attitude, we’ll become relatives sooner or later. So when you talk to them, don’t feel guilty in the slightest.”

This time, the other four, Mu Five included, exchanged knowing smiles. Exactly. They were practically relatives already. What was wrong with visiting family? And so, driven by their fanatical passion for salary increases and a certain strange sense of anticipation, the Mu Family’s Number Squad rapidly swept through one Daoist temple after another around Mount Taibai, searching for someone who knew how to enter the Lin Family’s territory.

Once the Number Squad truly went all-out, their efficiency was terrifying. Information that an ordinary person might fail to uncover even after a month took them only two days to track down—and they found three people who knew the way.

When the Mu Numbers brought those three people before Mu Yanxiao, Young Master Mu was feeling slightly excited and rather pleased. What none of the Mu Family knew was that the three “guides” standing opposite them were experiencing emotions far stranger and more complicated than their own.

This was Qinling, which naturally meant Lin Family territory. And when something as bizarre as “five men leading a huge group around frantically searching for the entrance to the Lin ancestral residence” happened right under their noses, even a family as lazy and uninterested in worldly affairs as the Lins was bound to notice.

Thus, one of the three guides was actually a legitimate son of one of the Lin Family’s collateral branches. Lin Fengdi was, strictly speaking, a distant older paternal cousin of Young Master Lin You. He was one of the more outstanding members of the collateral branches, with a steady, mild temperament. Wherever he went, he gave off an unmistakable I’m a good person; I’m completely harmless aura.

Heaven knew it was all fake. Lin Fengdi had originally been one of the countless relatives eagerly waiting to watch Lin You’s misfortune unfold. Unfortunately, before he got the chance, word arrived from one of the Lin Family’s shops at the foot of the mountain. His particular branch happened to be responsible for matters involving ordinary people, so this cousin had no choice but to head down the mountain with some reluctance.

Reality, however, handed him a pleasant surprise.

What had he just heard? These ordinary people seemed to be claiming they were relatives of the Lin Family! Oh my—how long had it been since anyone dared do that? A hundred years or so? These days, anyone bold enough to call themselves relatives of the Lin Family counted as a genuine hero in the Cultivation Realm!! And from all appearances, the “relative” they were talking about was very likely that troublesome little cousin whose drama Lin Fengdi had wanted to watch in the first place.

Naturally, Lin Fengdi came along quite happily. However, when he saw Young Master Mu’s I alone reign supreme beneath heaven and above earth expression, together with a strange smile that somehow reminded Lin Fengdi of the one he’d worn when he himself got married, Lin Fengdi suddenly had a bad feeling. Still, who cared? Whatever happened, he certainly wouldn’t be the unlucky one in the end.

Of the other two men, one had simply come along because he wanted to watch the Lin Family’s drama. But the instant he saw Lin Fengdi, he decisively clutched his stomach, announced that he suddenly felt unwell, turned around, and left. That left only one middle-aged Daoist, who stood there with his head drooping as though his parents had just died.

“Now there are only two of you left. Can you guarantee that you’ll get us safely to the Lin Family?”

At Mu Yanxiao’s question, the middle-aged Daoist immediately began shaking his head while trembling all over. He really must have been possessed to think he could earn money off the Lin Family while standing on Lin Family territory! Now he’d been caught red-handed. How miserable could one man get?

Lin Fengdi, meanwhile, nodded with a gentle smile. “The road to the Lin Family of Qinling passes through three illusion formations and one killing formation. That may be somewhat difficult for this Daoist priest. Since that’s the case, why don’t I lead you there instead? I happen to have some business with the Lin Family myself, so all of you can come with me.”

Instead of relaxing, Mu Yanxiao became slightly wary. “You’re going to the Lin Family too? I won’t ask what business you have there. I only want to know whether you have a grudge against them or old ties with them.”

Lin Fengdi asked with interest, “What if I have a grudge? And what if I have old ties?”

Mu Yanxiao raised his head, his dark eyes snapping open. “If it’s the latter, we can be friends. If it’s the former, I’ll kill you right here.”

Lin Fengdi stared blankly for several seconds before nearly bursting out laughing. He genuinely couldn’t understand how an ordinary human could stand there and threaten to kill him. It was like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree. Yet for some inexplicable reason, when Lin Fengdi raised his eyes and met those sightless black pupils, the laughter simply wouldn’t come.

Lin Fengdi: “…” This isn’t very scientific!

Before Lin Fengdi could explain his relationship with the Lin Family, Mu Yanxiao spoke again—and what he said made Lin Fengdi desperately want to slap a talisman onto him.

“Hehe. I was joking just now. Let’s go.”

Fuck! Were you screwing with me?!

Young Master Mu, meanwhile, was thinking that if this man truly had a grudge against the Lin Family, then after hearing that threat he should have flown into a rage—or at the very least leaked some murderous intent. Instead, Mu One had quietly informed him that the man had simply gone blank with shock. That probably meant he had friendly ties with the Lin Family.

Mm. Such was the social wisdom of ordinary mortals.

And so, thanks to this magnificent “social wisdom,” Lin Fengdi led the Mu Family toward his own ancestral residence with a constipated expression and gritted teeth. If he were traveling alone, he could make the trip in about an hour. But with several ordinary people in tow, he estimated it would already be dinnertime by the time they reached the residence.

Meanwhile, back at the Lin ancestral residence, Young Master Lin You the Husky impatiently slapped away the wandering paw of his Eldest Cousin as she tried to molest his fur yet again. Looking at Great-Grandpa, Grandpa, Big Uncle’s entire family, and his own parents sitting opposite him like a full judicial tribunal, he desperately wanted to throw back his head and howl at the heavens.

Fuck! He’d already been home for two whole days!! For those two days, if he wasn’t being interrogated by his parents, he was being interrogated by Grandpa and Big Uncle! This was nothing like the “tearful reunion filled with heartfelt embraces” he’d imagined, okay?!

What he found especially unacceptable was what had happened when he first came home. He’d seen his parents in the middle of a fight, become overwhelmingly emotional, and thrown himself toward them for a loving embrace—only for both parents to slap him away at the exact same time. That painfully traumatic scene was something Young Master Lin never wanted to remember again. His poor little heart had been deeply wounded.

Damn it! There’s nothing good about being here!! No blind master fussing over whether I’m warm or cold! No blind master petting and hugging me! Not even my favorite little steaks and giant pork ribs!! What the hell did Young Master Lin come home for?! This is obviously just volunteering to be abused!!

After fully recognizing this tragic reality, Young Master Lin You made up his mind on the morning of his third day home: he was going back today. His blind master must already be waiting so desperately that his eyes were practically worn out from staring into the distance~

Unfortunately, before he could finish secretly preparing his escape, half the direct-line relatives in the family had shown up, starting with Great-Grandpa! Every last one of them looked determined not to let him leave under any circumstances. And apparently, they meant it. After walking out the door three separate times only to somehow end up back inside the room, Young Master Lin angrily jumped onto a chair, flopped down, and declared his commitment to nonviolent noncooperation.

Fuck! They actually set up a Bagua Formation inside the house just to stop Young Master Lin from leaving!!

“Big Uncle! Aren’t you putting in way too much effort here?! One of your Bagua Formations normally sells for ten high-grade spirit stones outside, okay? You’re really wasting one just to trap me in this room? How about we negotiate: you give me ten high-grade spirit stones, and I’ll stay inside voluntarily?”

Big Uncle Lin Xuantian gave his only nephew an ethereal, almost otherworldly smile. “Big Uncle can give you one hundred high-grade spirit stones, as long as you honestly tell us exactly what’s going on between you and that boy from the Mu Family.”

Lin You irritably shook his head. “I’ve told you this several times already! We’re purely master and pet, okay?! He feeds me, and I work as his guide dog. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement! Why won’t any of you believe me?”

Father Lin slammed a hand onto the table and roared, “I’d have to be a ghost to believe you! Look at you! You’ve only been back for two days and you’re already desperate to run off again! Your mother and I wasted all these years raising you! Most importantly, I told you to find a chance to bite that brat good and hard for me, and you weren’t even willing to do that! Do you still want to survive in this family or not?!”

Lin You’s doggy mouth twitched. Why the hell was he supposed to bite Mu Yanxiao for no reason?! At least his blind master didn’t randomly beat him when there was nothing going on.

“Xuandi! You’re bullying my precious great-grandson again!!” Just as Father Lin’s hand was about to land on the dog’s head, another palm suddenly appeared and smacked Father Lin on the back of his head instead. The Lin Family’s old patriarch glared at his second grandson, then turned to Lin You with a beaming smile.

“Little Linzi, Great-Grandpa is right here! It’s fine. Whatever you want to say, there’s no need to be afraid! Actually, Great-Grandpa already knows a little about what’s going on between you and that Mu Family boy. Otherwise, why would he have spent the last two days desperately searching for a way into the Lin Family? Tsk, tsk. I hear he’s coming today. That youngster certainly is putting in a lot of effort!”

“But that aside, Little Linzi, it’s not as though you don’t understand the difference between Daoist cultivators and ordinary people. You were born with spiritual power and are the kind of rare genius who appears perhaps once in a hundred years. Even though you stubbornly refuse to cultivate, your lifespan will still be far longer than that boy’s. If that’s the case, how are you going to face him in the future? The gulf between the two of you is enormous. You need to think about this carefully.”

After hearing Great-Grandpa’s words, Lin You was instantly horrified. His doggy eyes widened until they were round, and he nearly toppled straight off the chair. Then he let out a miserable howl and covered his head with both paws.

“Holy shit!! Blind master, what the hell did you do while Young Master Lin wasn’t around this time?! You’re so damn stupid, okay!!”

The entire Lin Family fell silent.

So after everything the old patriarch had just said, this infuriating brat had only heard the part about that Mu Family boy?!

No. This was simply too much! Let that brat surnamed Mu hurry up and get here! Just look at what he’d done to their Little Linzi!! He needed a beating! They were absolutely going to beat him half to death!!

Young Master Mu, who had just emerged from the first illusion formation, suddenly shuddered. When Lin Fengdi asked what was wrong, he calmly shook his head.

“Nothing… It’s just that, uh… I think I just saw myself getting beaten up by a whole crowd… and I wasn’t allowed to fight back.”

Lin Fengdi patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “Don’t think too much about it. It’s definitely just an aftereffect of that illusion.”

Young Master Mu frowned and nodded.

Hopefully that was all it was. For some reason, he had an exceptionally ominous feeling. QAQ

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