Legendary Son-in-Law: The Man with Poison Talismans

"Today is the annual Yaotai Poetry Festival. Various brothels are performing on the river. I wonder who will win this year," a fat man said, swaying as he held up a wine glass.

"Last year, Su Dajia won the championship. Her poem 'Linjiangxian' is still being quoted by people today," a thin man next to him chimed in.

"Is Ms. Su participating again this year?"

"Participate! Of course I'll participate! I heard she wrote a new song this year, and she's just waiting to make a splash tonight."

"This year's poetry gathering is going to be very lively."

The flower boats from each building will be out tonight; there's likely to be a traffic jam on the river.

The group burst into laughter.

Lin Mu listened and realized it was the biggest poetry gathering of the year; no wonder it was so grand. He finished his last glass of wine, paid the bill, and left the restaurant.

Pushing open the door, a gust of cold wind rushed in, and fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky, landing on my shoulders, in my hair, and on the cobblestone street, melting instantly.

There were even more people on the street than before.

The central square was already occupied by onlookers, and the stalls selling equipment had long since packed up, leaving the empty space filled with ordinary people's stalls.

Vendors selling lanterns, candied hawthorns, calligraphy and paintings, and snacks lined up one after another, their shouts rising and falling, making one's ears ring.

This also shows that the poetry gathering was indeed mainly aimed at ordinary people.

The area near the riverbank was completely packed with people, a sea of ​​heads piled high, all craning their necks to look out over the water, waiting for the flower boats to arrive.

There were too many people; it was impossible to move on horseback.

Lin Mu had no choice but to walk towards the martial arts school.

There were no acquaintances, no familiar faces, and I was crammed into a crowd to look at the lights. It was pointless except for making me feel more lonely.

So no matter how lively the poetry gathering was, he had no interest in joining in alone.

He walked west along the riverbank, and the number of people gradually decreased.

Snowflakes drifted gently down, and there were still many lights hanging in strings on the trees and under the eaves, swaying softly in the night breeze.

When we reached a pavilion by the river, we heard voices coming from inside.

"Come, come, take a look at this one."

"The red lantern light sways on the painted oars, a single boat crosses the star bridge on the spring waves."

The moon rises over the vast sea, filling it with pearls; the wind blows through the plum blossoms, melting half the snow.

Music and song filled the night, and countless houses and pavilions reached high into the clouds.

Who can understand the meaning of reunion? Alone, I lean on the railing, gazing at the Big Dipper.

A group of people sat in the pavilion. In the middle, a young man in a moon-white robe held up a piece of paper, swaying his head as he read aloud with a hint of pride, as if he had written the poem himself. Several people gathered around to watch; some nodded, some stroked their beards, and some clapped and cheered.

Lin Mu also felt it was a really good poem and nodded.

The pavilion was already bustling with activity.

"Brother Jiang is truly a man of great talent!"

A young man who looked like a scholar slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face flushed.

"Tonight's poem 'The Moon Shines Brightly at Night' will surely win the favor of the most beautiful courtesan on the river, and she may even become her patron!"

"Not at all, you are all too kind."

A familiar voice rang out from the crowd, tinged with feigned modesty, “Go to the central square and present this poem to Master Cen. Brother Jiang will surely win the championship tonight.”

Lin Mu frowned upon hearing the voice. He took two steps closer and looked carefully into the pavilion.

A young man in a moon-white robe sat in the middle of the pavilion, but Lin Mu's gaze only lingered on his face for a moment before being drawn to the woman beside him.

The woman, heavily made up, leaned on the young man's shoulder, laughing so hard her white breasts swayed so brightly they made one dizzy.

Lin Mu muttered to himself: "It's so cold, doesn't he feel cold?"

But he still took a second look; it was really big and really white.

As for who that young master was, he didn't bother to find out.

The young man held up a wine cup in his other hand, toasting everyone. His face was flushed from drinking, but his eyes shone like two lamps.

The crowd thronged around the young master as he left the pavilion, pushing and shoving, laughing and joking, as they surged out in a swarm.

The young man walked at the front, his arm around the woman. He seemed unsteady on his feet, but he was very stubborn, still bragging to the people next to him about how he had spent days and nights writing his poem, how many times he had revised it, and how difficult it had been.

Lin Mu was engrossed in watching when suddenly the young master stopped and looked at Lin Mu.

The woman the young master was embracing also looked over in his direction. When she realized that Lin Mu was staring at her, her face flushed red. She covered her white chest with her hands and shrank behind Jiang Yanzhou.

Lin Mu was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself: Why is he covering himself up? Is he afraid of the cold now?

Chapter 158 Duel

Yes, that white meat was a little red from the cold. If you're cold, I'll warm it up for you with my hands.

After thinking about all this, Lin Mu secretly regretted that there was no more white flesh to look at. He then came back to his senses, shifted his gaze from the woman, and returned it to the young master's face.

The young man's smile had long since vanished, his hand slid off the woman's shoulder, and his face turned ashen.

"Lin Mu?"

Lin Mu leaned against a tree by the roadside, arms crossed, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Jiang Yanzhou."

Enemies meeting are bound to be filled with hatred.

The crowd stopped and began whispering amongst themselves.

They had heard of Lin Mu before; he was the son-in-law of the Qin family and the author of "Spring River Flower Moon Night" and "Bring in the Wine".

But the man standing here tonight looked tired and travel-worn, his clothes stained with dirt, as if he had just returned from mining. He was completely unrelated to the legendary genius whose poem had astonished the world.

Of course, this was purely because Lin Mu was walking close to the wall in the mining area and bumped into it.

Jiang Yanzhou quickly regained his composure, raised his chin even higher, and wore a cold smile. His voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for everyone present to hear.

"Lin Mu, Master Qin has treated you well, hasn't he? He didn't mind your humble origins and betrothed Yu Mo to you. Now that the Qin family is in trouble, what have you done? You've been hiding for months. Are you hiding in some brothel and too afraid to come out?"

He looked Lin Mu up and down, then sneered, "That's right, a live-in son-in-law. When he marries into the family, he's the son-in-law, but if something happens, it has nothing to do with the Qin family. You've got a really shrewd plan."

The people around him laughed, not loudly, but jarringly.

Lin Mu didn't move, the smile on his lips remained unchanged: "Oh, how did you know I didn't help them? But you, calling her 'Yu Mo' so affectionately. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was your wife."

He tilted his head, his gaze shifting from Jiang Yanzhou's face to the heavily made-up woman. Her fair, fleshy body was still hidden by Jiang Yanzhou, with only half of her shoulder showing.

He shifted his gaze back, "You two are such good friends, how come I've never heard of you going to the Demon Sealing Gang? Oh, busy writing poems, busy flirting with courtesans, busy becoming their lover?"

“You…” Jiang Yanzhou’s expression changed.

"You can have your fun here, and I can't even pass by?" Lin Mu laughed. "Even His Majesty doesn't care as much as you do. Do you own Bichon City?"

Jiang Yanzhou gritted his teeth, ignoring his words, and instead turned to the crowd, raising his voice: "Everyone, look at this! This is the shameless scoundrel I told you about! He eats the Qin family's food, lives in the Qin family's house, uses the Qin family's things, but when the Qin family gets into trouble, he runs away faster than anyone else. And now he still has the nerve to stand here..."

Many pedestrians on the roadside gathered around after hearing the commotion.

Some people stood on tiptoe to look inside, some squeezed into the crowd to ask, "What's going on? What's going on?", and some crossed their arms to watch the commotion.

The light from the lanterns shone on the curious faces, creating a play of light and shadow.

Lin Mu interrupted him, his voice not loud, but every word clear, "What? Is your ass itchy again? Do you want me to unclog it for you again?"

Jiang Yanzhou instinctively covered his crotch, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

Everyone inside and outside the pavilion fell silent, their gazes shifting back and forth between Lin Mu and Jiang Yanzhou.

Some people, unaware of what was happening, frowned and whispered among themselves, "What's the relationship between these two? This sounds so... homosexual? Judging from Jiang Yanzhou's appearance, is he the one on the bottom? Could he be a comrade-in-arms with Miss Qin?"

People nearby covered their mouths and chuckled, some coughed, and others turned their faces away, too embarrassed to look any longer.

Jiang Yanzhou's face darkened further, his lips trembled, and he wanted to say, "It's not what you think," but he swallowed the words back. The more he tried to explain, the worse it would get; whatever he said would be wrong.

He could tolerate the misunderstanding just now, but the truth that followed made Jiang Yanzhou turn pale.

A person nearby who knew the inside story whispered, "Have you heard? Jiang Yanzhou was injured in that area before, and it was completely cut off. Not only that, but someone also stabbed him with a sword. I don't know if it was stabbed in the front or the back after it was cut off, but judging from the current appearance, it's most likely the back. I heard that it took a lot of healing medicine to heal and reattach the cut-off part."

The sound wasn't loud, but the people gathered around it were very close.

Even the woman hiding behind Jiang Yanzhou couldn't help but peek out, looking at him with suspicion.

Jiang Yanzhou's face turned from liver-colored to deathly pale, and his lips trembled.

He always thought no one knew this secret. He spent a lot of money to keep quiet, bribing everyone he could and threatening everyone he could.

But now, right here by the river, right under everyone's noses, it's been brought up like a storyteller.

The murmurs gradually subsided, and some people's gazes towards him changed, from watching the spectacle to mocking him.

Jiang Yanzhou stood there, his hand still covering his crotch, as if he were nailed to the ground, not daring to move or speak, for fear that any action or word would attract more discussion.

No, we need to distract these people.

If Lin Mu is killed, all the discussions will be suppressed.

The dead cannot speak, and no one dares to mention the dead anymore.

"A duel!" Jiang Yanzhou suddenly raised his head, his voice sharp and shrill, "Lin Mu, I challenge you to a duel!"

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips: "A duel? Sure. A duel always has to have some kind of prize. I want the teleportation ring."

He did want to kill Jiang Yanzhou, but killing him would definitely cause trouble. It would be better to extort a large sum of money first, making the most of available resources.

Jiang Yanzhou's expression changed, and the people around him gasped.

The teleportation ring is a legendary item; there are only a handful in the entire Marfa Empire. Among the common people, only the Lord of Shabak City has one, and even then, he can't complete the memory set, so its usefulness is greatly reduced.

Some people muttered under their breath, "That's too ruthless," some shook their heads, and some waited to see how Jiang Yanzhou would handle the situation.

Jiang Yanzhou stared at Lin Mu, his gaze sweeping from his tired face to his stained clothes, and then back to his face.

Even if a poor, penniless son-in-law who has just crawled out of a mine manages to beat me once, it's just luck.

I've leveled up quite a bit, upgraded my equipment quite a bit, and practiced my skills quite a bit during this period.

Even if you want the throne, you still need to live. I will kill you tonight. No, I will make him my slave, humiliate him mercilessly, and then kill him.

He took a deep breath and raised his voice a few decibels: "I agree. If you win, the teleportation ring is yours. If I win, I'll give you my life."