After hanging up Li Xiaotian's call, Lin Mu smiled with relief.

Ever since Li Xiaotian had become his disciple, his training pace had never slowed; he was incredibly diligent.

But he was already a Half-step Grandmaster. To take that final step, both opportunity and perseverance were essential.

If he stayed by Lin Mu's side, he could probably ascend to Grandmaster in the shortest time possible.

But ultimately, that was not a path Li Xiaotian could call his own.

So, Lin Mu was very supportive and pleased with Li Xiaotian's decision to stay and train overseas.

He believed that with Li Xiaotian's current Cultivation Level, while he wouldn't be invincible overseas, he was more than capable of protecting himself.

Moreover, the lands overseas were full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, with countless experts.

Only in a life-or-death struggle could Li Xiaotian push his Martial Way to the next level.

With such a hardworking disciple, Lin Mu certainly couldn't slack off himself.

He had already decided to enter seclusion but hadn't come up with a suitable location. However, Li Xiaotian had just given him a hint.

I was about to look far and wide when the answer was right in front of me.

Lin Mu smiled faintly. When he thought about a place suitable for seclusion, the first location that came to mind was Southern Sky Thunder Mountain.

That was his territory.

The greatest taboo during seclusion was being disturbed. A minor interruption would render all previous efforts useless. A major one could cause him to suffer a qi deviation, severing his path to the Great Dao and leading to madness.

But in Southern Sky, with millions from the Li Clan standing guard, he believed no one would dare disturb his seclusion.

Once he made up his mind, he spent the next two days at home with Qin Luoli, making it up to her.

In the business world, Qin Luoli now controlled half of River City's industries, including Boheng Pharma. It could be said that no other company dared to contend with her.

In terms of security, with Cheng Bugui, the Liang Family, and others guarding River City, he didn't have to worry about Qin Luoli's safety.

Moreover, before leaving, Lin Mu also took the time to craft several protective talismans for Qin Luoli, Su Ke'er, and others close to him to wear. These talismans would allow them to survive several crises.

And with Elder Guan around, he believed no one would dare to harm Qin Luoli.

With all his arrangements made, Lin Mu prepared to depart for Southern Sky early on the morning of the third day.

***

On the night before his departure, Lin Mu suddenly received a call from Su Ke'er.

"Lin Mu, do you have time now?"

Lin Mu frowned slightly.

Su Ke'er rarely calls me by my name. She must have run into some kind of trouble.

"What's wrong? Tell me," he said.

I'm free right now anyway, and Qin Luoli has gone to work, he thought. It'd be good to see Su Ke'er and discuss some company matters at the same time.

"Clear Lotus Bar. I'm here... AHH!"

Before Su Ke'er could finish, a scream came through the phone, as if she had run into trouble.

Lin Mu frowned, hung up, and rushed toward Clear Lotus Bar.

Clear Lotus Bar used to be one of Dao Wuming's properties. After Lin Mu eliminated him, all of his forces had been absorbed by Cheng Bugui. Now, Cheng Bugui was the undisputed strongest boss in River City's underworld.

Of course, all of this was thanks to Lin Mu.

Because the bar's decor was upscale and its prices were high, it was generally frequented by a high-income clientele. At the moment, soothing music was playing, making the atmosphere not just quiet, but pleasant.

Because of his connection to Lin Mu, Cheng Bugui had even issued a standing order forbidding anyone from causing trouble in the bar. And with his current status, no one dared to do so.

But tonight, it seemed there was an exception.

In a corner, a woman with a top-notch figure and looks was drinking while on the phone. But before she could finish her call, her phone was snatched away.

***

"Xue Lang, what do you think you're doing?" Su Ke'er glared angrily at the man who had snatched her phone—it was Xue Lang.

Xue Lang chuckled, waving the phone in his hand. "Not much. Just wanted to buy you a drink."

He laughed lightly. "Ke'er, you're not going to refuse me, are you?"

"Give my phone back!"

A wave of disgust washed over Su Ke'er at the sight of Xue Lang. This guy had constantly visited the hospital while she was admitted, showering her with zealous attention. If Su Ke'er had been an ordinary woman, she would have been moved beyond words by now.

But she didn't fall for such tactics. In fact, she felt no affection for Xue Lang; on the contrary, she was utterly repulsed by him.

"Ke'er, what's that supposed to mean?" Rejected, Xue Lang grew displeased. "I kindly invited you for a drink, and you refuse me like this? What? In your eyes, am I so contemptible?"

Su Ke'er's expression turned frosty. She stared coldly at Xue Lang and said, "I'll say this one last time. Give me back my phone!"

Xue Lang seethed with annoyance and glanced at the number she had just been calling.

Lin Mu! It was Lin Mu again!

A flash of rage crossed Xue Lang's eyes as he slammed the phone on the ground. SMASH!

"Su Ke'er, I'm trying to be polite, so don't be shameless!"

The shattering phone startled the other patrons. A security guard came over and asked in a stern voice, "What's going on here?"

Xue Lang forced a smile. "It's nothing, just a little argument with my girlfriend."

"Xue Lang, what nonsense are you talking about? Who's your girlfriend?" Su Ke'er was furious and wanted to lash out, but she felt it wasn't worth arguing with someone like him, so she decided to stand up and leave.

Xue Lang sneered, "Su Ke'er, if you leave now, I guarantee you'll regret it."

"What do you mean?" Su Ke'er spun around, staring at him.

Xue Lang sat on the sofa, swirling a glass of wine. He said to the guard, "We're fine here, officer. You can get back to it."

Seeing that Su Ke'er didn't say anything, the security guard decided not to meddle. As long as no real trouble broke out, it wasn't his business what guests got up to.

After the guard left, Xue Lang put down his glass and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Take a look."

With a confident smile, he said, "This is the money your mother borrowed from me. All told, it adds up to several million."

Looking at the IOU on the table, Su Ke'er's expression changed.

My own mother borrowed this much money from Xue Lang?

After scrutinizing it, she had to accept that it was real.

"Xue Lang, I never thought you could be so despicable! To use such a vile trick to make my mom borrow money from you!" Su Ke'er felt a mix of anger and sorrow. She was angry that Xue Lang was using this to threaten her, and heartbroken that her own mother would trap her daughter like this.

"Now, that's not exactly how it was," Xue Lang said nonchalantly. "Your mother likes to play cards. She lost all her money and wanted to win it back, so I just helped out a little."

He did more than "help." This was a trap he had laid for Su Ke'er's mother from the very beginning. It started with a few thousand, then tens of thousands, and finally hundreds of thousands, even millions. It was all part of his plan. His goal was to get leverage over Su Ke'er's mother so he could threaten Su Ke'er.

"Your mother promised me she would pay back the money by an agreed-upon date," Xue Lang sighed. "But it's been so long, and now I can't even find her. Ke'er, if I don't come to you, who else can I go to?"

"I'll pay you back the money!" Su Ke'er took a deep breath, suppressing the grief in her heart. "But I don't have that much right now. You need to give me some time."

Although she was the general manager of Boheng Pharma, she hadn't saved much money over the years.

Besides, the money Xue Lang lent her mom was over three million!

A faint smile touched Xue Lang's lips. "Of course you can. However, the longer you take, the higher the interest will be."

Su Ke'er looked at the IOU again, and her face went pale.

It's a loan shark's IOU! The interest doubles every day it's late!

"You... This is extortion!" Su Ke'er raged. "I can sue you!"

"Go ahead," Xue Lang said, seeming completely unafraid. "Besides, your mother also signed another agreement with me. If she couldn't repay the debt, she would use you to settle it."

"Shameless!"

Su Ke'er shot to her feet, her body trembling. "Xue Lang, I will never agree to your shameless demand!"

Xue Lang smiled confidently. "It's in black and white. You don't have a choice."

Just then, an indifferent voice suddenly cut in.

"What if I don't agree?"

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