Chapter 113 – Just a Kind-Hearted Passerby

Just as Wan Yangyu and the others were left speechless by Mu Lin’s words, not knowing what to say,

Mu Lin’s voice rang out once more.

“Everything must be based on evidence. If you want to fight, I’m ready to oblige, but I won’t accept being wronged for no reason.”

“And, wasn’t it you who asked, ‘If not you, then who?'”

As he spoke, Mu Lin turned his gaze toward a young woman from Qianyang Dao Palace, who was also Wan Yangyu’s partner and had a decent Cultivation Level.

However, as Mu Lin’s eyes fell upon her, she shrank back behind Wan Yangyu as if she had been targeted by a venomous snake. This reaction left Mu Lin momentarily speechless.

‘Am I that terrifying?’

While Mu Lin was caught off guard by the young woman’s reaction, Wan Yangyu stepped forward.

“As Xiaolu said, if Cai Tian’s injuries weren’t caused by you, then who else could it be?”

Mu Lin: “There are plenty of possibilities. Don’t forget, Quanshi City is currently plagued by Evil Spirits. It could have been one of them. After all, you were all so close to me.”

“Or perhaps he injured himself to frame me. Or maybe a passing hero couldn’t stand his behavior and decided to teach him a lesson…”

At this point, Mu Lin’s gaze turned cold and distant:

“After all, as I said earlier, slandering others, harming people, and being glib with words—such behavior is truly detestable. Others might not be as kind-hearted as I am.”

“Agh…”

Mu Lin’s casual yet mocking words instantly infuriated Cai Tian. He was absolutely certain that Mu Lin was the one who had attacked him.

Thus, he tried desperately to speak, to defend himself.

Unfortunately, with his tongue torn out, he couldn’t utter a single word.

The pain of losing his tongue, combined with Mu Lin’s cutting remarks and the frustration of being unable to speak, made Cai Tian glare at Mu Lin with a ferocious, predatory intensity.

Mu Lin disliked those eyes intensely, and he said exactly what he was thinking.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t stare at others like that. It’s disgusting and irritating. Staring at me like that could easily provoke some well-meaning passerby to poke your eyes out.”

“Watch out!”

Upon hearing Mu Lin’s icy words, Wan Yangyu immediately sensed danger. Instinctively, he shouted a warning.

As he shouted, his eyes remained fixed on Mu Lin, watching for any sign of an attack.

At the same time, his teammates sprang into action—some protecting Cai Tian, others keeping a close watch on Mu Lin.

Their swift reactions demonstrated their excellent combat discipline.

Yet, despite their vigilant protection, with a “pop,” Cai Tian’s eyes burst open.

“Ah!!”

When this happened, no one immediately attacked. Instead… they felt a chill of fear.

They couldn’t help but feel terrified. After all, they had anticipated an attack on Cai Tian and had placed him at the center of their protection.

Despite their best efforts to defend him, Cai Tian’s eyes had still been destroyed.

This horrifying scene made them ponder one thing—Mu Lin had taken a dislike to Cai Tian, so his tongue had been torn out and his eyes had been gouged.

“If Mu Lin were to take a dislike to me, would I have the confidence to withstand his attack?”

The answer to this question came to Wan Yangyu and the others instantly, and it was—no.

Not a single one of them had the confidence to withstand Mu Lin’s attack.

What chilled Wan Yangyu and the others even more was that the attack was not only terrifying but also unpredictable and bizarre.

When Mu Lin spoke of his disgust for Cai Tian’s eyes, they had been watching him closely. Yet despite their intense scrutiny, they ultimately failed to discern how Mu Lin had launched the attack.

No one even detected any fluctuation in Mu Lin’s Mana.

Being unable to see, touch, or even sense any Mana fluctuation meant that if Mu Lin attacked, they would be unable to block or evade it.

“Damn it, what exactly is this?”

Just as Wan Yangyu and the others were shivering with fear and deep dread over Mu Lin’s attack, Mu Lin’s voice rang out once more.

“It actually exploded. Which kind soul made a move?”

After speaking, noticing everyone looking at him, Mu Lin spread his hands and said, “Hey, you don’t think I did it, do you? You all saw just now—I was sitting right here, perfectly fine, doing nothing.”

“…”

Mu Lin’s leisurely tone left Wan Yangyu fuming with frustration.

He was one hundred percent certain that the one who had just struck was Mu Lin.

Because of this, he very much wanted to take action immediately and capture Mu Lin.

But in the end, he refrained.

“I’m not confident I can withstand that earlier method. If I act now, I might not necessarily win.”

“More importantly, the person before us may not be Mu Lin’s Main Body!”

Although, no matter how he looked at it, Wan Yangyu felt the Mu Lin before him was real, the Main Body.

But he was no fool. He clearly understood that most Spells would produce Mana fluctuations.

When Cai Tian was attacked, he hadn’t sensed the slightest ripple of Mana. This either meant Mu Lin’s strength completely overwhelmed his own, or it indicated that the Mu Lin before him was merely an illusion or a decoy.

Considering Mu Lin’s Mana Cultivation was only at the Gushing Spring Early Stage, the latter possibility was extremely high.

Moreover, he recalled Mu Lin’s bewildering move of heading straight for the tavern as soon as he entered the Tower of Illusory Heavens.

“If this were Mu Lin’s Main Body, such an action would indeed be quite foolish. But if it’s a Clone, then it’s a case of the Clone luring while the Main Body lurks and acts—that makes sense.”

However, although Wan Yangyu had discerned that the person before him was Mu Lin’s Clone, merely guessing it didn’t tell him what to do.

Just as he hesitated and struggled, a voice wrapped in Mana transmitted into his ear.

“Senior Brother Wan, what should we do? Should we make a move?”

“Wait, don’t act.”

  ”Huh? Not act? Why?”

Sensing his teammate’s confusion, Wan Yangyu shared his speculation.

After some thought, everyone acknowledged Wan Yangyu’s conjecture, though a man named Fan Tie still didn’t quite understand.

“So it’s a Clone. Even if we can’t fight the Main Body, we can at least cut down the Clone first.”

Hearing this, Wan Yangyu sighed deeply.

“We haven’t torn off the pretense yet. He might not necessarily attack us, but if we strike first, he can act without restraint.”

“And then, he’ll be hidden in the shadows while we’re exposed in the light. That puts us at an extreme disadvantage.”

Truth be told, Wan Yangyu wouldn’t fear merely being in the light while the other was in the dark.

But Mu Lin had already displayed that elusive, unpredictable attack. With him lurking in the shadows, it would leave people restless and uneasy.

Fearful of that mysterious and unpredictable attack, even though Wan Yangyu clearly knew that the previous assault was Mu Lin’s doing, he gritted his teeth and acknowledged Mu Lin’s words.

“You’re right, we have no evidence to confirm that Cai Tian’s attack was your doing.”

This made Mu Lin smile.

“Heh, you do understand reason… but what if I admitted it?”

“…”

Those words immediately froze Wan Yangyu and the others in place. Seeing this, Mu Lin chuckled.

“Just joking. I’m a good person and have no interest in attacking others casually.”

After speaking, Mu Lin closed his eyes and began to rest.

His indifferent attitude also made Wan Yangyu and the others grit their teeth in frustration.

After exchanging glances, they communicated through voice transmission, pondering what to do next.

“Brother Wan, how should we deal with him? We can’t just sit here doing nothing, can we?”

“I’m thinking…”

…

Unable to locate Mu Lin’s Main Body and incapable of defending against that ghostly, unpredictable attack, Wan Yangyu and his companions dared not openly break with Mu Lin. They could only sit stiffly in the tavern.

This scene was also observed by the teachers and Students outside.

Like Wan Yangyu, they were witnessing Mu Lin’s abilities for the first time. His power, mystery, and terror left them equally shaken.

After the initial shock, what remained in their hearts was pleasant surprise.

“One word severs the tongue, another blinds the eyes. Cai Tian, in the Spirit Awakening Realm, was nothing but a plaything in Mu Lin’s hands.”

“I never expected Mu Lin to be this strong…”

“This time, it’s Stabilized.”

“Don’t get careless. While Wan Yangyu from the Qianyang Dao Palace is indeed no match for Mu Lin, the Evil Spirits in the Tower of Illusory Heavens are not easy to deal with. After all, they are Spirit Pool Realm Evil Spirits. If the two forces join, Mu Lin will still be in danger…”

Mu Lin paid no heed to Wan Yangyu’s apprehension or the discussions of those outside.

At this moment, Mu Lin was already in action—just as Wan Yangyu had suspected, the Mu Lin resting with closed eyes in the tavern was merely a false facade.

His Main Body had long since used the Nether Spirit Coffin to conceal itself underground.

Meanwhile, throughout the vast Quanshi City, Paper Cranes had quietly appeared.

Having absorbed and refined the Dawn Purple Qi, Mu Lin’s living energy now possessed some yang attributes. Thus, even during the day, these cranes folded from white paper could still move nimbly.

Now, these Paper Cranes acted as Mu Lin’s eyes, searching for any trace of Demonic Fiends.

Unfortunately, the demonic monsters in Quanshi City were deeply hidden, and Mu Lin’s Paper Cranes had yet to detect any sign of the enemy.

“Still, my Paper Cranes are not without purpose. At the very least, the enemy dares not kill under my watch…”

As Mu Lin murmured to himself, Gu Quan, the chief constable of Quanshi City’s yamen, and Commander Zhuang Zhan were also leading their men in a city-wide search.

During their operation, they too noticed the Paper Cranes fluttering everywhere.

The lifelike, agile Paper Cranes eased their minds.

“This must be that lord’s doing. Whew… it’s good that he hasn’t truly abandoned Quanshi City.”

The Paper Cranes, like heavenly eyes, greatly boosted the confidence of the constables and soldiers. They carried out their tasks with renewed determination.

However, Gu Quan soon frowned.

It wasn’t that he had discovered traces of the enemy, but rather: “Hey, where are you going? Get back here!”

“I’m talking to you, have you got a death wish? Didn’t you see the notices? Don’t go to remote places during this time!”

“And you, stop sneaking into those alleyways…”

What infuriated Gu Quan was that during the chaos caused by Demonic Fiends, there were still some hurried individuals who avoided the main roads and deliberately ducked into secluded alleyways.

These people included men and women, old and young, and there were quite a few of them.

Although they had various reasons for entering the alleyways—such as taking shortcuts home in a hurry, needing to relieve themselves urgently, or children chasing birds and accidentally wandering into the alleys—in Gu Quan’s eyes, it was all thoughtless behavior.

To pull these reckless fools back from the brink, Gu Quan expended considerable effort.

“Damn it, how many orders has the County Magistrate issued? And you lot don’t listen at all…”

“Urgent need to pee? Even if you wet your pants, don’t go into the alleyways!”

After dragging them back, Gu Quan gave them a stern scolding.

What made him and Zhuang Zhan grimace was that despite their efforts to save people, they were still a step too slow.

(End of Chapter)