“Just a few brothers who wanted to make some quick cash,” the big brute stammered, clutching his bleeding wrist.
Li Muchen kicked him in the chest. A dull thud echoed through the air, and the big brute was sent flying over ten feet, crashing heavily to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out cold.
The remaining four men turned pale with fright. Without waiting for Li Muchen to ask, the one who had spoken earlier blurted out, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! It was Steward Luo! Steward Luo from the Lin Family gave us two hundred thousand and told us to get rid of you!”
“Steward Luo?” Li Muchen’s expression darkened.
So it was indeed that lackey.
The Lin Family really was something. First they tried to buy him off with money, and when that failed, they resorted to murder. If not for the old man fishing by the lake who happened to stop them, he might have actually had to waste time dealing with these thugs.
“Get lost,” Li Muchen said coldly.
The four men scrambled to their feet, dragging their unconscious boss, and fled in a panic, disappearing into the reeds in the blink of an eye.
Li Muchen turned back to his grandfather’s grave, bowed three more times, and then walked toward the lake.
By the lake, the middle-aged man who had been fishing had already put away his rod. He stood quietly by the water, looking at the distant mountains with his hands behind his back.
Li Muchen walked up to him and said calmly, “Thank you for your help, old man.”
The man turned around. He looked to be in his fifties, with a weathered face and sharp, piercing eyes that gleamed like lightning. He looked at Li Muchen with deep surprise.
“Young man, you knew I was helping you?”
“Of course.”
“And you aren’t afraid of me?”
“Why should I be afraid?” Li Muchen smiled faintly. “Your internal qi is chaotic, and your Dantian is injured. If I wanted to kill you, it would take no more effort than crushing an ant.”
The middle-aged man’s face changed dramatically. He took a sharp step back, his aura flaring as he glared at Li Muchen. “Who are you? What kind of sorcery is this?”
“Sorcery?” Li Muchen shook his head. “It’s just martial arts. Your Huajin cultivation is impressive for a mortal, but your internal organs are damaged by a strange, shadowy poison. If you keep using your qi to suppress it here, you’ll be dead within three days.”
The man was struck dumb. He had kept his injury a secret from everyone, yet this scruffily dressed young man had seen through it with a single glance.
“You… you can see my injury?” The man’s voice trembled slightly. His arrogance as a martial arts expert vanished completely. “Can you… can you cure it?”
“I can,” Li Muchen said casually. “But why should I?”
The man fell silent. He knew the world didn’t work on charity. After a long moment, he cupped his fists and bowed deeply. “If you can save my life, I, Feng Jiuyuan, am willing to serve you as my master for the rest of my days!”
“Serve me? No need. I’m just passing through Tiandu,” Li Muchen waved a hand. “Sit down.”
Feng Jiuyuan hesitated for a second, then sat down cross-legged on the grass.
Li Muchen stepped forward, raised two fingers, and tapped a series of acupoints along Feng Jiuyuan’s spine and chest with lightning speed.
*Buzz.*
A faint hum resonated through the air. Feng Jiuyuan felt a surge of warm, pure energy pour into his body, instantly sweeping away the icy, gnawing pain that had tortured him for months. A stream of black, foul-smelling blood spewed from his mouth.
Feng Jiuyuan took a deep breath. The stagnant qi in his chest was gone, and his meridians felt clearer and stronger than ever before. He had not only recovered from his injuries, but his cultivation had broken through the bottleneck, pushing him to the threshold of a Grandmaster!
He dropped to his knees and kowtowed heavily. “Thank you for saving my life, master! From this day on, my life belongs to you!”
“I said I don’t need servants,” Li Muchen turned to leave. “Get up. Since you called me master just now, consider this a meeting gift.”
Feng Jiuyuan watched Li Muchen’s retreating figure, awe and respect shining in his eyes.
***
Meanwhile, back in the city, inside a luxurious private club in Tiandu.
Madam Lin sat in a plush leather armchair, swirling a glass of red wine. Standing before her was a man dressed in black, with sharp, cold eyes.
“Have they taken care of it?” Madam Lin asked softly.
“We haven’t heard back from the big brute yet, but dealing with a country bumpkin shouldn’t take long,” Steward Luo replied respectfully from the side.
The man in black, however, frowned slightly. “Madam Lin, my people report that a foreign force has entered Tiandu recently. They are targeting people associated with prominent local families. You should be careful.”
“A foreign force?” Madam Lin scoffed. “In Tiandu, the Lin Family has enough police and political connections to crush any stray ants. What is there to fear?”
Before the man in black could respond, the heavy wooden door of the private room was kicked open with a deafening crash.
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
Madam Lin jumped to her feet in anger. “Who dares?!”
A figure walked slowly through the doorway.
It was a young man in a shabby, patched grey robe, his hair held together by a broken wooden hairpin.
It was Li Muchen.
Steward Luo’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He pointed a trembling finger at Li Muchen. “You… how are you still alive? Where are the others?!”
Li Muchen didn’t even look at Steward Luo. He walked straight toward Madam Lin, his gaze as cold as ice.
“Madam Lin, I gave you a chance,” Li Muchen said, his voice echoing in the quiet room. “But it seems you prefer the hard way.”
Madam Lin’s face turned pale, but she quickly regained her composure, sneering, “So you survived. You think coming here and acting tough will scare me? Guards!”
Several burly bodyguards rushed into the room from the outside, blocking Li Muchen’s path.
Li Muchen didn’t slow down. He raised his hand and flicked his sleeve.
A gust of invisible wind swept through the room. The bodyguards didn't even have time to throw a punch before they were blasted backward, crashing through the walls and landing unconscious in the hallway.
Madam Lin and Steward Luo turned pale with horror, their legs shaking uncontrollably.
“You… what kind of monster are you?!” Madam Lin screamed.
Li Muchen stepped past the wreckage and stopped right in front of Madam Lin. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the yellowed piece of paper with the marriage contract, and dropped it onto the table in front of her.
“The marriage contract stays,” Li Muchen said indifferently. “And as for the Lin Family, you’re going to apologize to my grandfather’s grave tomorrow morning. Otherwise, the Lin Family will cease to exist in Tiandu by tomorrow night.”