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

"Didn't you see that just now? That skeleton can teleport! It can even merge! Have you ever seen another person with a skeleton like that?"

The sounds of discussion, exclamations, and shouts mingled together, buzzing through the night sky.

The white-haired old soldier by the arena slammed his knife to the ground and shouted "Quiet!" several times. The Imperial Guards next to him also tried to maintain order, but no one paid any attention.

Lin Mu also gestured for the crowd to quiet down.

The veteran gave Lin Mu a meaningful look before picking up the contract from the table, unfolding it, clearing his throat, and loudly announcing, "I declare Lin Mu the winner of the duel. The contract is effective immediately, and Jiang Yanzhou must compensate Lin Mu with a teleportation ring."

He put down the contract, nodded to Lin Mu, and glanced at Jiang Yanzhou. His gaze was expressionless, as if he were looking at a completed official matter.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in chaos.

A teleportation ring! It's a teleportation ring!

Where can we get this Jiang Yanzhou?

Some people were worried for him, some were gloating, and some were laughing so hard they were doubled over, slapping their thighs and saying, "This time the Jiang family is going to suffer a huge loss."

Someone whispered, "What blood? Jiang Yanzhou probably never intended to bleed."

The person next to him scoffed, saying, "The contract is in black and white with a fingerprint on it. You think the Imperial Guards will let him off the hook?"

Someone else lowered their voice, their tone carrying the wisdom of someone with experience: "This matter is probably not going to end well. Lin Mu's identity is obviously mysterious, but the Jiang family of Biqi City is no ordinary family either. Unless someone of higher status than them steps in..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone next to him nudged him, and he quickly shut his mouth and stopped talking.

At this moment, the veteran handed the contract to Lin Mu, who took it, folded it casually, and stuffed it into his Qiankun bag.

Then, he walked to the edge of the arena, bent down to pick up the Infernal Blade, and weighed it in his hand.

The axe blade gleamed coldly in the firelight, and the handle was wrapped with non-slip hemp rope, making it feel heavy in the hand.

[Purgatory, Attack 0-32, Accuracy +1, Luck +2, Requires Level 26]

It's alright.

It's not as good as his 0-37 attack weapon, but it's still considered a rare gem on the market.

He put Purgatory into his Qiankun bag and clapped his hands.

Jiang Yanzhou finally snapped out of the humiliation of admitting defeat. His Purgatory, the top-grade Purgatory he had bought for countless gold coins, had been pocketed by Lin Mu.

He gritted his teeth, forcing the words out from his throat: "Lin Mu..."

Lin Mu turned around, glanced at him, and said casually, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today: "What? You have a problem with that? If you have a problem, then take out your teleportation ring."

Jiang Yanzhou's face turned a deep purplish-red, his lips trembled several times, and finally, like a deflated balloon, his voice lowered: "You...you can kill me. I can't produce it."

Oh, it's time to give up.

Lin Mu looked at him, smiled, and shook his head: "Is your life worth that much?"

He patted his Qiankun bag. "Consider this Purgatory Sword as interest. As for the teleportation ring, don't keep me waiting too long. Otherwise, it won't look good if it gets to the authorities."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the edge of the ring without looking back.

The guards quickly rushed up from both sides of the arena, using their bodies to create a narrow passage.

The crowd seemed to be cleaved apart by an invisible knife, retreating to both sides. Some people were jostled and stumbled, while others tiptoed forward to try and see Lin Mu's face clearly.

Sometime during the crowd, a number of young ladies appeared, dressed in various colored dresses, crowding at the front. Some held handkerchiefs in their hands, some held newspapers, and some simply held nothing at all, but stood on tiptoe, craning their necks, their faces flushed, calling out "Young Master Lin," "Young Master Lin," trying to hand over their handkerchiefs, but were stopped by the Imperial Guards.

Someone held up a tabloid and stretched out their arm, their fingertips almost poking Lin Mu's sleeve, but were pushed away by the Imperial Guards.

Lin Mu didn't stop; his pace was neither fast nor slow as he walked through the crowd, across the streets, and through the city gate.

The murmurs, exclamations, shouts, and screams of the girls behind me grew fainter and fainter, eventually being carried away by the night wind.

On the arena, Jiang Yanzhou watched this scene with a livid face and his lips pressed into a thin line.

The privileges that should have belonged to him, the young master of the Jiang family, were now being taken away by a son-in-law.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, unwilling to accept defeat.

Lin Mu did not stop along the way and went straight back to the Royal Martial Arts Academy.

The gatekeeper glanced at him, then at the tall skeleton behind him, and was about to speak when a cacophony of footsteps and shouts came from behind. The crowd broke through the Golden Guards' blockade and followed, a vast, swarming mass, the torchlight illuminating half the street.

Lin Mu took out the token from his Qiankun bag and flashed it at the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper glanced at it, said nothing more, and opened the gate.

As soon as Lin Mu and the skeleton slipped inside, the door slammed shut behind them with a loud "bang".

The hurried footsteps of the Imperial Guards and the clanging of their armor came from outside the door, followed by a loud shout: "Royal Martial Arts Hall, no unauthorized personnel allowed! Back off, back off!"

The crowd was kept outside the door, and the noise was still chaotic. The screams of the girls, the clatter of the tabloids, and the clatter of footsteps all blended together, but through the door, the sounds were muffled, as if through a thick cloth.

Lin Mu stood inside the door, letting out a long breath, finally finding some peace and quiet.

-

One afternoon three days later.

Lin Mu sat on the stone steps beside the training ground, resting his chin on his hand, watching with the skeleton as the students in the center of the training ground swung their swords and stabbed at the training poles from a distance.

The skeleton stood behind him, the flames in its eye sockets flickering, tracking every swing of the sword.

He figured it out over the past few days: the skeleton's teleportation could only reach him.

No matter where the skeleton is or how far away it is, as long as he has a thought, the skeleton can appear in front of him with a "whoosh".

But the reverse is not true. You can't let the skeletons teleport to other places, you can't use them to chase targets, you can't use them to scout, and you can't use them to ambush.

This is probably because the skeleton anchored the coordinates to him; it's unclear whether the light spot in his mind is the skeleton's coordinates.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly sensed someone walking towards him.

It wasn't the feeling of passing by; it was the feeling of walking straight towards him, with steps that were neither too light nor too heavy, neither too fast nor too slow, as if they had come specifically to find him.

Lin Mu was a bit strange. He carried a tall skeleton with two horns on its head, making him an oddity wherever he went in the martial arts school. The students looked at him with curiosity, awe, and fear, but never with affection.

Even the light that had been following him disappeared after he went to the mining area.

No one ever takes the initiative to approach him, and no one ever goes out of their way to find him.

Chapter 164 Entering the Palace

He turned his head and saw that it was the instructor.

He thought the martial arts school also had his fans.

Lin Mu stood up and bowed slightly: "Hello, teacher."

The instructor nodded, put his hands behind his back, and said in a calm tone, "Don't come to the morning class tomorrow. Someone from the palace has come to ask you to attend the morning court session tomorrow. Someone will come to pick you up tomorrow."

Lin Mu was taken aback. The morning court session? Wasn't that where ministers discussed matters? What was he going there for?

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask a question, but the instructor had already turned and left, his figure disappearing around the corner of the training ground, without even giving him a chance to ask a question.

The next day, Lin Mu woke up before dawn.

Then I got up, washed up, put on my freshly washed Soul Armor, and went out.

The skeleton was left in the room.

After all, it's inappropriate to bring a skeleton to a place like the morning court session.

When we arrived at the entrance of the martial arts school, it was just getting light, and there were hardly any people on the street.

A female official was already waiting there, dressed in a plain blue official robe. She had a thin face and stood straight. When she saw him, she bowed slightly and said, "Young Master Lin, this way please."

Lin Mu followed her through several streets and alleys, through several palace gates, and into the palace.

The main hall where he held the morning court session was much larger than he had imagined.

The dome was very high and bathed in the morning light.

The ground is paved with gold bricks, so shiny they reflect your image; stepping on them, you can see your blurry reflection.

I don't know if it's made of real gold, but it doesn't look extravagant at all; instead, it looks even more solemn.

The hall was filled with civil and military officials on both sides, dressed in official robes of various colors, arranged according to rank, stretching from the entrance of the hall all the way to the foot of the steps.

Some stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, some turned slightly to the side, some closed their eyes to rest, and some whispered among themselves.

In the center of the hall, there was a large empty space where a person was standing and talking.

Lin Mu was led outside the palace by the female official and stood under the corridor.

The palace doors were wide open, and the sounds from inside came out clearly, without missing a single word.

"...My son Jiang Yanzhou was humiliated by Lin Mu several times. A few days ago at the Yaotai Poetry Gathering, he was defeated in public on the stage, his weapon was taken away, and he lost all face. He was also tricked into signing a contract to compensate Lin Mu with a teleportation ring."

The man paused, as if choosing his words carefully, "Even earlier, this boy, in front of everyone, struck Yanzhou in a vital spot with a single sword strike."

At this point, his voice suddenly rose a few decibels, trembling slightly, as if he had truly suffered a great injustice: "That brat Lin Mu has insulted Yan Zhou to this extent! Your Majesty, please do justice for this old minister!"

Lin Mu stood outside the hall, listening to those words drifting from the center of the hall: "Vital injury."

His lips twitched slightly, but he held back his laughter.

Several minor officials inside the hall couldn't hold back any longer; their shoulders trembled, they covered their mouths with their sleeves, and their faces turned bright red.

People nearby couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The person in the center of the hall turned around and glared at the person who had laughed. The person quickly stopped laughing, lowered their head, but the corners of their mouth were still turned up.

Master Cen then stepped forward, stroked his beard, and spoke in a calm and unhurried tone, as if chatting with an old friend, or as if he were genuinely thinking of someone's best interests.

"Lord Jiang, the whole city knows about this matter, so you don't need to rush to wrongly accuse Lin Mu."

He paused, his gaze falling on Jiang Hetang's face, now with a touch more sincerity, "I do think that Young Master Jiang's literary talent is truly extraordinary. I read the poem he wrote at the Yaotai Poetry Gathering several times, and it was indeed excellent. It's just that my skills are inferior to others, so there's nothing more to say."

He took half a step forward, lowering his voice as if speaking privately: "Perhaps Young Master Jiang is not suited for the fierce and combative world of martial arts. His current role as a trainee in the Imperial Guard is a waste of his talents. Wouldn't it be better for him to join the Hanlin Academy and establish himself through literary talent?" After he finished speaking, he nodded slightly to Jiang Hetang, as if waiting for Jiang Hetang to seriously consider this suggestion.

A low murmur arose in the hall; some nodded, some stroked their beards, and some whispered among themselves.

The minister who had been in the hall turned around, his face flushed, his voice urgent and loud: "Master Cen, what are you saying? The Mafa Empire is surrounded by monsters and has established itself through military might. This is our ancestral teaching. Although literary talent may be excellent, it is of no use to the country. Besides, Yanzhou is a member of my Jiang family. How he is arranged is none of your concern!"

Master Cen stroked his beard, seemingly oblivious to Jiang Hetang's sarcasm, and said unhurriedly, "Lord Jiang, I am merely stating the facts. I have read Young Master Jiang's poem at the Yaotai Poetry Gathering, and it is indeed quite good. What future can he have in the Imperial Guard's reserve force? Come to the Hanlin Academy, and I will personally mentor him."

Jiang Yanzhou's father, Jiang Hetang, stood in the center of the hall, his face ashen.

Ignoring Master Cen, he turned to face the Empress on the steps, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said in a hurried and deep voice, "Your Majesty, Lin Mu is a remnant of the Qin family. I don't know how he escaped exile, but now he has even infiltrated the Royal Martial Arts Academy. This is simply outrageous! Moreover, he comes from a humble background, a commoner, and the skeleton he summons has two horns on its head. He is clearly a demonic creature. All signs indicate that this boy must not be allowed to live!"