Chapter 112 – Mu Lin: I Am a Good Person

After taking on the task of subduing demons and vanquishing evil, Mu Lin led Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo toward Quanshi City.

Unfamiliar with the route, the trio passed through a deserted alley on their way to the city.

The alley was narrow, and their figures vanished from sight for only a few breaths before reappearing.

Then, under Mu Lin’s guidance, the three headed straight for—a restaurant in Quanshi City, where they proceeded to eat and drink in the most luxurious establishment.

Their relaxed, natural, and seemingly carefree attitude left the yamen constables and the city’s soldier commander somewhat bewildered.

“What’s going on with that lord? No instructions, no investigation—just feasting and drinking?”

“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask…”

Though he grumbled, the soldier commander Zhuang Zhan eventually spoke up: “Forget it, let’s not worry about him. We’ll continue investigating that Malevolent Ghost… That fellow is from elsewhere. If the Malevolent Ghost fully matures, he can just walk away, but our parents, families, and livelihoods are here—we can’t leave.”

This sentiment was echoed by the yamen constable Gu Quan.

“You’re right. We still need to investigate, but we can’t ignore that lord either… If he hasn’t acted, it might be because the price wasn’t agreed upon. I’ll gather some Spirit Stones…”

The two acted quickly. Before Mu Lin had been seated in the restaurant for long, a spread of luxurious Spiritual Meals was brought out.

Accompanying them were some beautiful young women and a tray of Spirit Stones, a sight that left Mu Lin quite exasperated.

While he was exasperated, Wan Yangyu and the others from Qianyang Dao Palace were utterly confused.

Mu Lin had entered the Tower of Illusory Heavens just moments before Wan Yangyu and his group followed. Due to the short interval and Mu Lin’s lack of concealment, they soon found him in the restaurant.

But this only deepened their bewilderment.

“What is that Mu Lin doing? After entering the Illusion Realm, isn’t he supposed to seek out the enemy? Instead, he’s feasting and drinking?”

“I’ve heard that some Feathered Scholars demand extra payment when subduing demons—refusing to act if not paid. But that’s in reality. Nothing from the Tower of Illusory Heavens can be taken out, so there’s no need for that, right?”

Mu Lin’s bewildering actions left Wan Yangyu and the others completely baffled.

Equally perplexed were those outside.

—When Disciples trained in the Tower of Illusory Heavens, instructors could use their authority to project the events inside for external viewing.

Previously, Dongfang Ya respected the Disciples and refrained from doing so, but Qi Qiu lacked such scruples.

After Wan Yangyu and the others entered the Tower of Illusory Heavens, he used his authority to project the internal situation onto a magical mirror suspended in mid-air—as an instructor of Qianyang Dao Palace, his projection was primarily focused on Wan Yangyu’s group.

However, as the two teams converged, Mu Lin’s figure naturally appeared in the mirror as well. Thus, those outside—Zhou Liang, Jing Yeming, Zong Xiu, and others—also witnessed Mu Lin’s leisurely demeanor.

Like Wan Yangyu and the others, Jing Yeming and Zong Xiu couldn’t make sense of Mu Lin’s puzzling actions.

“???”

“What is he doing?”

Jing Yeming, who had once attempted to challenge the fifth floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens, furrowed his brow deeply.

“If he doesn’t act soon, it’ll be too late!”

“Brother Jing, what do you mean? Is time on the fifth floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens very tight?”

“Of course, the Illusion Realms simulated by the Tower of Illusory Heavens are always at the peak of conflict. Once we enter the mission, if we act even slightly slower, many people will die tragically at the hands of Evil Spirits and demonic monsters. Their deaths not only weaken our side’s strength and lower our mission evaluation, but also empower the Demonic Fiends—most Demons and Monsters, as well as Evil Spirits, can rapidly increase their power by killing people.”

“So, once we enter the mission, we must race against time. A single moment’s delay, and everything will collapse.”

Hearing this, the Disciples of Anping Dao Palace grew tense.

Then, they saw that in the Illusion Realm, Mu Lin was still leisurely eating and drinking, showing no urgency at all.

“Brother, move! You can eat anytime you want—this is an assessment now!”

…

Emotions don’t disappear; they merely transfer.

Mu Lin’s actions made Zong Xiu and the others, who had been expecting him to turn the tide, grow anxious. In contrast, Wan Yangyu and his group from Qianyang Dao Palace, upon noticing Mu Lin’s behavior, instantly relaxed.

Not only did they relax, but they even felt inclined to eat and drink just like Mu Lin.

“Come on, let’s go get something to eat too.”

“Why not just take action directly?”

The speaker was Cai Tian. Although having his tongue torn out was a severe injury, the methods of a Qi Refiner were even more mysterious.

After receiving some healing, most of his injuries had already recovered, and he too had entered the Tower of Illusory Heavens.

However, while his injuries had healed, his previous actions had left him seething with hatred for Mu Lin.

At the sight of Mu Lin, Cai Tian wanted to attack, planning to kill him in the cruelest way possible.

The reason he asked instead of acting directly was—fear.

With his Dao heart shattered, he had already developed a deep-seated fear of Mu Lin and dared not face him alone.

Although he lacked the courage to confront Mu Lin one-on-one, he still had the audacity to challenge him with the advantage of numbers.

Unfortunately, Wan Yangyu, as the team leader, didn’t listen to him.

“Shut up. We came to Anping Dao Palace to cooperate, not to make enemies. Because of you, we already have a rift with Anping Dao Palace. If you keep talking nonsense, don’t blame me for kicking you out of the team.”

After reprimanding him, Wan Yangyu waved his hand and headed toward Mu Lin’s direction.

“Let’s go. We’ll head to the tavern too. If Mu Lin doesn’t move, neither will we.”

“After all, this is Mu Lin’s assessment. It’s not us who should be worried.”

Leading his team, Wan Yangyu quickly arrived at the tavern where Mu Lin was. After a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth and simply sat at the same table as Mu Lin.

Seeing this, Mu Lin raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, Wan Yangyu clasped his hands in a polite gesture and said, “Brother Mu, we’ve come to help you.”

This remark drew a cold laugh from Yan Yunyu, who was sitting nearby.

“Help? It looks to me like you’re here to sabotage.”

“Haha, Miss Yan, you jest. We are genuinely here to help. But Brother Mu, aren’t you going to act? Sitting idly here won’t get you through the Tower of Illusory Heavens. Moreover, most Evil Spirits and demonic monsters can increase their power by killing people. Sitting around like this will only allow the demonic monsters to grow stronger.”

Hearing this, Mu Lin glanced at Wan Yangyu and said calmly, “Isn’t that exactly what you’re hoping for?”

“Ah, I…”

Before Wan Yangyu could finish speaking, Mu Lin said indifferently, “By the way, I’ll let you know something—I’ve already taken action.”

“Hmm?!”

These words made Wan Yangyu narrow his eyes. He glanced around and stared at Mu Lin for a long while, but in the end, he still couldn’t figure out how Mu Lin had acted.

Just as he was deep in thought, a murmur sounded beside him.

“Bluffing.”

The speaker was Cai Tian. Although he had been warned by Wan Yangyu, the anger and hatred in his heart still compelled him to speak up.

Of course, Wan Yangyu’s warning still had some effect—he only dared to mock with ordinary words, not utter any insults.

In fact, the phrase “bluffing” could hardly even be considered mockery. If Mu Lin were to take offense and start a fight over it, it would seem rather petty.

Especially since, right after Cai Tian spoke, Wan Yangyu immediately reprimanded him.

“Cai Tian, shut up!”

After scolding him, Wan Yangyu even apologized to Mu Lin, saying, “Sorry, it’s my fault for not disciplining my subordinate properly.”

With Wan Yangyu taking the initiative to apologize, Mu Lin indeed found it difficult to press the matter further.

Thinking this, Mu Lin said casually, “It’s fine. I’m not that petty. However, it seems your teammate didn’t appreciate my good intentions just now.”

“Stirring up trouble, slandering others, smooth-talking, clever arguments… these aren’t good habits. If I were you, I’d try to change them. Otherwise, you might offend people with your words at any moment, and others might not be as kind-hearted as I am.”

“Crack, crack…”

Stared at by Mu Lin’s half-smiling expression and listening to his cutting words, Cai Tian clenched his fists, his expression twisted.

At that moment, he really wanted to take action directly.

Unfortunately, Wan Yangyu’s earlier warning made him afraid to strike first.

In the end, he could only grit his teeth and say, “How I am is none of your concern. You should worry about yourself… Ah!!”

The hatred and anger in his heart made his words sharp, but as soon as he uttered them, he couldn’t help but let out a scream.

His tongue, which had just healed, was torn out again.

“Ah, mmm…”

Experiencing the same pain once more twisted Cai Tian’s expression and filled him with panic.

Instinctively, he flew away from Mu Lin’s side.

After putting some distance between them, his expression shifted from panic to anger. Pointing at Mu Lin, he kept shouting, “Ah, woof, woof…”

Clearly, he was accusing Mu Lin of striking first and urging his teammates to join him in capturing Mu Lin.

Wan Yangyu also stood up, his expression icy.

“Mu Lin, you’ve gone too far. We came here with the intention of cooperating…”

He wanted to say something righteous and high-minded—after all, even hypocrites like to put up a facade.

Especially since he knew that everything that happened in the Tower of Illusory Heavens would be seen by outsiders. To justify their actions, he naturally had to say something.

However, before he could finish, Mu Lin shrugged and said, “Why are you calling me? It wasn’t me who did it.”

“If it wasn’t you, then who? Cai Tian only provoked you!”

“Oh, so you admit he provoked me first.”

Smiling slightly, Mu Lin said calmly, “But I really didn’t do it just now. Or rather, did any of you see me take action?”

“…”

These words left Wan Yangyu and the others in silence, their hearts trembling with fear.

Sitting nearby, not a single one of them had seen Mu Lin make a move, nor had anyone sensed any fluctuation of Mana.

(End of Chapter)