"Zishan, where have you been these past few days?" Fang Ting hurried over, embracing Qiao Zishan firmly as tears streamed down her face.

The last two days had been the most agonizing Fang Ting had ever endured. The destruction of the Fang Family, the battle between Grandmasters... The gruesome and bloody scenes haunted her, jolting her awake from nightmares. It was terrifying. As the wife of the city's wealthiest man, she had never experienced anything like it. The fact that she hadn't died of fright on the spot was a testament to her mental fortitude. What frightened her most, however, were Lin Mu's words: he had declared he would come to their door in three days and that Qiao Zishan should be prepared.

In these past two days, the Qiao Family had nearly turned River City upside down searching for Qiao Zishan. They needed to ask when he had offended such a powerful figure, but in the end, they couldn't find him. Thus, Qiao Tianhao decided to use his connections to hire several experts to protect not only Qiao Zishan but the entire Qiao Family. As River City's wealthiest man, Qiao Tianhao certainly had his own influence. To help the Qiao Family navigate this crisis, he even put up a reward of one billion yuan. For the average person, one billion was an astronomical sum, but to the city's wealthiest man, it was nothing.

Indeed, just two days after the news was released, numerous experts arrived at their door. In the end, however, Qiao Tianhao only kept two of them: a monk and a Taoist priest. With a single move each, the pair had defeated all the other candidates.

With these two men by his side, Qiao Tianhao felt greatly relieved. Even if they couldn't kill this Lin Mu, their presence would serve as a deterrent, making it much easier to resolve the situation. Moreover, both had assured him that with them present, they could hold their ground even if the opponent was a true Martial Arts Grandmaster.

"Mom, what on earth happened?" Qiao Zishan asked, still completely baffled.

At his words, Fang Ting's face filled with grief. "Your uncle and his family... they're all dead," she said, bursting into tears again.

"What?" Although he had already heard rumors, hearing it confirmed by his own mother made it difficult for Qiao Zishan to accept. "Who was it?! I'll slaughter him with my own hands!" he raged. Although the Fang and Qiao families didn't interact much, Qiao Zishan had been on quite good terms with his cousin. Hearing that he had been murdered, his first instinct was revenge.

"Slaughter him with what?" Qiao Tianhao snorted coldly. "With your title as Young Master Qiao of River City? You'd better explain to me right now when you provoked such a person!"

"Dad, what are you talking about? I don't even know him!" Qiao Zishan hurriedly explained.

"What?" Qiao Tianhao exclaimed in shock. "You don't know him? Then why did he specifically ask for you?" Could it be that Lin Wudi and Lin Mu aren't the same person? Qiao Tianhao realized the situation was becoming increasingly complicated.

"Master Qiao, there is no need to panic. We'll find out whether they are the same person or not when he arrives," said a monk standing behind Qiao Tianhao. The monk, who appeared to be over forty, had a kind, benevolent face and a constant smile.

"Indeed. Mr. Qiao, you can rest easy," the other Taoist priest said, not to be outdone. "With me here, even if Lin Wudi himself were to show up, I could slay him with a single sword strike."

"Thank you, Master Chixiao and Daoist Buji!" Qiao Tianhao was overjoyed. He quickly added, "Right, it's almost time. Please, go and rest to gather your strength."

"Very well." Both the monk and the Taoist priest left with smiles, exchanging meaningful glances.

"Dad, are you sure these two aren't charlatans?" Qiao Zishan asked, skeptical of their abilities.

"Watch your tongue!" Qiao Tianhao's face paled as he tried to stop him, but it was too late.

"Hahaha, it seems Young Master Qiao doubts our abilities." Having only just started to leave, the monk and the Taoist priest paused, glanced at each other, and chuckled softly.

"Please," the monk said, reciting a Buddhist mantra before closing his eyes.

The Taoist, meanwhile, just smiled faintly and brushed his fingers across the longsword on his back.

CLANG!

The sword shot from its sheath, soaring straight into the sky. At the same time, golden characters flew from the monk's mouth, dancing in midair. In an instant, the brilliant golden light overshadowed every lamp in the Qiao Mansion. Everyone stared, dumbfounded at the scene, too astonished to speak.

The Taoist then made a few light gestures with his fingers. The longsword transformed into a writhing dragon, flying through the air. In the blink of an eye, it carved several large characters into the sky.

The Buddhist chant stopped. The longsword returned to its sheath. All the extraordinary phenomena vanished without a trace.

The Taoist laughed heartily. "Haha, pardon the humble display."

Qiao Zishan finally snapped back to reality, exclaiming in awe. As for Qiao Tianhao and his wife, they apologized profusely. The Taoist just laughed again, then turned and walked away. The monk bowed and followed him.

Once the two had left, Qiao Tianhao's expression darkened. He turned to Qiao Zishan and said, "I don't care what your relationship is with this Lin Wudi, but for the next few days, you are not to step one foot outside this house!"

"Dad..." Qiao Zishan started to protest, but Qiao Tianhao cut him off. "If you want to live, you'll do as I say!"

Fang Ting also chimed in, "Zishan, listen to your father. Don't go anywhere for the next few days. With Master Chixiao and Daoist Buji here, the house is the safest place you can be!"

"Alright, alright. I get it." Qiao Zishan relented, feeling helpless. His mind, however, was racing, trying to figure out if the person trying to cause trouble for him was the same person as Lin Mu.

Master Lin's real name is Lin Mu, but there must be plenty of people with the same name in the world. It can't be such a coincidence, he mused. Besides, Master Lin gave me his phone number. If he really wanted trouble, he could have just called me. Why go through all this hassle?

Qiao Zishan chuckled to himself and started to head back to his room to sleep.

"Lin Mu? Lin Mu?" Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, muttering to himself, "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

「Qin Zhu Courtyard.」

"Master!" Li Xiaotian stood respectfully at the door, the Heavenly Punishment Blade strapped to his back.

"Have the affairs in the Miao Territory been settled?" Lin Mu asked with a slight nod, seeing Li Xiaotian had returned. He hadn't brought Li Xiaotian with him when he came back, instead leaving him to handle matters there first.

"Yes, everything is mostly taken care of. With Junior Sister overseeing things, there won't be any trouble," Li Xiaotian said with a smile. The more time he spent with his master, the more he understood how formidable the man was. His junior sister, Li Lai, had been an ordinary person just a short while ago. Yet, after his master's guidance, her cultivation level had skyrocketed in just a few days, nearly catching up to his own. During their occasional sparring sessions, Li Xiaotian found it difficult to keep her suppressed.

"That's good," Lin Mu said, then added, "Right, since you're here, there are a few things I need you to do for me."

"I would not dare to refuse, Master!"

After Li Xiaotian left, Lin Mu gazed toward the horizon and murmured to himself, "After I deal with the Qiao Family, it will be time to enter seclusion." His cultivation had already broken through to the Qi Training Tenth Level. It wouldn't be long before he could achieve Foundation Establishment. He had to succeed before his scheduled duel with Zhang Daoyun.

They say that above a Grandmaster, one can achieve a state of Reaching the Divine? Zhang Daoyun, I hope we can have a battle where we both give it our all!

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