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

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Lin Mu stood outside the hall, his smile fading. This old man was up to no good.

Just then, another person stepped out of the queue.

The man was in his forties, with a square face, wearing a dark purple official robe with silver cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, and a dark leather belt around his waist.

This is Han Zhao, the commander of the Bichon Golden Guard.

He walked to the center of the hall, stood beside Lord Jiang, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his voice not loud, but every word resounding: "Your Majesty, I believe Lord Jiang's words are inappropriate. So what if one comes from a humble background? Countless poor scholars have voluntarily joined the frontier, guarding the Demon Sealing Gate and the White Sun Gate. Especially those Demon Sealing Guards, who come from humble backgrounds and have been corrupted by demonic energy for years, growing horns on their heads and scales on their bodies, yet they have never complained or regretted it. Have they also become demons?"

He paused, straightened up, and looked at Lord Jiang's face. "Your subject requests that Lord Jiang retract what he just said."

Discussions arose again in the hall.

Some nodded, some stroked their beards, and some whispered, "Well said."

Several senior officials standing in the front row exchanged glances, said nothing, but their expressions clearly showed their approval.

Jiang Hetang's face turned even redder. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, as if he wanted to refute but didn't know where to begin.

At this moment, the Empress spoke. Her voice was not loud, but every word seemed to seep from beneath the golden bricks, cold, heavy, and oppressive, silencing the entire hall instantly.

"Lord Jiang, I have already heard about this matter. Lin Mu gambled with his life, and Jiang Yanzhou gambled with a teleportation ring. The contract was in black and white, and was witnessed by everyone. Lin Mu was the better player. Now that the outcome is decided and the contract is in effect, it must be fulfilled."

Jiang Hetang's face flushed red. He clasped his hands and bowed, his voice urgent and harsh: "Your Majesty, this is unfair! My Jiang family has no teleportation rings. This is outrageous. Besides, how can Lin Mu's life be worth a teleportation ring?"

A low murmur arose again in the hall. Some shook their heads, some sighed, and some stole glances at the Empress's expression.

Chapter 165 Bargaining

Han Zhao stood beside Jiang Hetang without turning around, his gaze fixed straight ahead. His voice was not loud, but every word was firm and resounding: "Your Majesty, as a high-ranking official of the court, how can Minister Jiang be so inconsistent? Where does this leave the dignity of the court? If even court officials cannot keep their promises, how can Your Majesty govern the people?"

Jiang Hetang suddenly turned his head, glared at Han Zhao, his lips trembled twice, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything.

The hall fell silent, and the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard outside.

The Empress sat on the steps, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest twice. Her gaze swept lightly over Jiang Hetang's face before she spoke slowly and deliberately: "Lord Jiang, the teleportation ring is indeed a national treasure, extraordinary in its own right. Lin Mu and your son are both rare young talents in our Mafa Empire. In the future, someone will always be needed to fight demons and protect the righteous path."

She paused, then shifted her gaze toward the palace gate. "As for how to handle this matter, I have ordered Lin Mu to wait outside the palace. Why not listen to what he has to say, so you can discuss it face to face?"

Jiang Hetang was stunned for a moment. When did Lin Mu enter the palace?

The Empress nodded slightly to the female official beside her, who then called out loudly towards the outside of the hall, "Summon! Lin Mu into the hall."

Under the eaves outside the hall, the female official who had been standing there with Lin Mu turned around, faced Lin Mu, and bowed slightly: "Young Master Lin, please."

Lin Mu nodded, and slowly stepped over the threshold into the hall.

Upon entering the hall, he glanced up at the Empress on the steps. She wore a dragon robe and a phoenix crown, exuding nobility and elegance. Her figure was full-figured but not bloated. Sitting there, she possessed an aura of authority that commanded respect without anger.

Although they were far away and the details of their faces were unclear, their aura was enough to make it impossible to look away.

Compared to Gu An's slender and thin figure, this voluptuous figure is Lin Mu's favorite.

For a moment, Lin Mu's steps slowed down by half a beat.

As Lin Mu was thinking, a sharp and shrill voice suddenly rang out.

"presumptuous!"

Jiang Hetang stepped forward, his finger almost poking Lin Mu's face. "You don't even kneel before His Majesty, and you dare to look directly at the Emperor's face? What do you think this place is!"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Lin Mu withdrew his gaze, calmly straightened his robes, and bowed deeply, his movements unhurried and deliberate.

The Empress glanced at him; Lin Mu was truly audacious.

He was the first person to dare stare at her so directly since she ascended the throne.

However, she didn't mind and waved her hand, saying, "Get up."

Lin Mu stood up and stood with his hands at his sides.

The Empress then turned her gaze back to Jiang Hetang's face: "Alright. I'll act as a mediator. The teleportation ring is indeed valuable, Lin Mu is young and impetuous, and your son has also signed the contract. It's not good for anyone to look good now that things have come to this. Why don't we each take a step back, and Lin Mu can make some other demands, and this matter can be settled here. What does Lord Jiang think?"

Jiang Hetang's face was ashen, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

He glanced at the Empress, then at Lin Mu, and remained silent for a long while before finally squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth: "If Your Majesty guarantees peace, then that would naturally be the best outcome."

The Empress nodded and looked at Lin Mu: "Lin Mu, tell me, what do you want?"

Lin Mu thought for a moment and said, "Then I, a humble commoner, will reluctantly request a luxury car that can fit inside the brocade pouch, like the one that Commander Yang rides in."

Jiang Hetang's face darkened instantly, and his voice changed tone: "That's a privilege reserved for high-ranking officials! I'm not even at that level myself, yet you dare to ask for it!"

The Empress coughed lightly from above, her tone neither too loud nor too soft: "Change it."

Lin Mu thought for a moment, then said, "A top-grade Free and Easy Fan with +8 Luck and +17 Taoist Magic..."

Before Lin Mu could finish speaking, Jiang Hetang interrupted through gritted teeth, "No."

"Phoenix Heaven Demon Armor".

"No!" Jiang Hetang's voice rose a few decibels. "Even Crimson Moon equipment is hard to come by these days, so don't try to make an exorbitant demand!"

Lin Mu sighed, looked at him, and said with a hint of helplessness, "You don't have this or that. What exactly does your Jiang family have? Never mind, then just take some ordinary things."

Lin Mu frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "3 million gold coins, 100 random teleportation scrolls, 100,000 points of special repair water, 100,000 bottles of blessing oil, and ten well-trained horses. Plus, one top-grade magic blood stone, the kind that restores 1 point of health and 1 point of mana per second. Hmm... that's all."

Jiang Hetang's face flushed crimson, his lips trembled, and his voice was urgent and harsh: "Three million gold coins? 100 random teleportation scrolls? 10 bottles of blessing oil? Where did you get so much! What you've done is..."

Lin Mu interrupted him, his tone indifferent: "What? You can't give me what I want, and if you can't agree to these either, then I want the teleportation ring. We signed a contract in black and white, so you can decide what to do."

"Besides, the market price is higher for random items, but the blessing oil and special repair water won't cost much."

Jiang Hetang glared at him, his cheeks taut and the veins on his forehead throbbing.

He glanced at the Empress again, only to see her sitting on the steps, holding a teacup in her hand, taking a slow sip, her gaze lingering on the teacup, as if she had no intention of speaking.

The hall fell silent as everyone waited for Jiang Hetang to speak.

“…You win.” Jiang Hetang squeezed out these three words through gritted teeth, as if he had used up all his strength.

He took a breath, gritting his teeth, "Everything else is possible. But..." He paused, his voice hoarse and hard, "What you're talking about is the Supreme Demon Blood Stone, we don't have that!"

He took a breath and gritted his teeth, "Only the Demon Bloodstone (Large), restores 1 point of health and 1 point of mana every 6 seconds. Take it or leave it!"

Lin Mu glanced at him and made a mental calculation.

It restores one point every six seconds, which is much better than his current Phantom Stone Fragment (large), which only restores 1 point of mana every 15 seconds.

"Okay, this is it." Lin Mu nodded.

Jiang Hetang's face was ashen, and his lips trembled as if he were doing accounting. The hall was silent for a moment before he spoke, his voice hoarse and hard: "The amount is too large; I'll give it to you in a month."

Lin Mu shook his head: "A month is too late, seven days."

Jiang Hetang glared at him, his cheeks taut.

The Empress coughed again from above, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two men before finally settling on Jiang Hetang's face. She said in a calm tone, "Seven days is indeed too short. Let's compromise and make it half a month. Lord Jiang, Lin Mu, it's settled then."

Jiang Hetang opened his mouth as if to say something, but after glancing at the Empress's expression, he swallowed his words back.

He gritted his teeth and squeezed out, "...As Your Majesty says."

Lin Mu glanced at Jiang Hetang, then at the Empress, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said nothing more.

Half a month is fine, it can't be avoided anyway.

After the court session ended, Jiang Hetang walked past Lin Mu, paused for a moment, turned his head, glared at him fiercely, snorted heavily through his nose, and then turned and walked away.

Chapter 166 The Empress's Question

Several ministers who were on good terms with him followed behind, whispering among themselves, glancing back at Lin Mu from time to time with expressions of sympathy, schadenfreude, and indifference that indicated they were too lazy to meddle.

Master Cen and Han Zhao then walked over. Master Cen stroked his beard, looked Lin Mu up and down, nodded, and spoke with genuine appreciation in his tone.

"Young friend Lin has achieved so much at such a young age. I have read your poems and they are indeed excellent. I did not expect your performance in the Demon Sealing event to be even more outstanding."

Han Zhao stood to the side without speaking, but nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Lin Mu for a moment, as if he were getting to know this person anew.

"Shall we go to my residence for a chat?" Master Cen stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.

Lin Mu was a little confused looking at the two overly familiar old men.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, when a female official walked out from the side door with light steps, stopped in front of Lin Mu, and bowed slightly: "Young Master Lin, His Majesty summons you."

Lin Mu paused for a moment, then glanced at Master Cen and Han Zhao.

The two wisely refrained from asking further questions. Master Cen stroked his beard and smiled, "Go on, we'll talk another day."

Lin Mu clasped his hands in a fist salute and followed the female official.

-

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The Empress leaned back on the soft couch, holding a teacup in her hand. When Lin Mu entered, she pointed to the chair next to her and said in a casual tone that was unlike the person who had just silenced all the officials in the court: "Sit down."

Lin Mu glanced at her, then sat down without being polite.

"Are you settling in well at the Royal Martial Arts Academy?" The Empress picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Lin Mu thought to himself, "This empress is quite nice. She's even more considerate than my mother-in-law. She even called me over specifically to ask about these trivial matters."

He nodded, his tone sincere: "It's great, the food and lodging are good, and they even give us two Spirit Gathering Pearls every day."

He paused, then changed the subject, "The problem is that we're not allowed to leave this Royal Martial Arts Academy on weekdays, which is very inconvenient. Our vacations are too short, and it's not easy to go out and level up."

The Empress glanced at him but didn't reply. She turned to the female official beside her and said, "Go and give them a heads-up later."

The female official bowed her head in response.

The Empress turned her gaze back, put down her teacup, tapped her fingers lightly on the table, and asked again, "Tell me in detail about your experiences in the Demon-Sealing Path and the secret passage. I also want to know about your fusion with the skeleton."

Lin Mu's mind raced for a few moments.

Tell the whole truth? Impossible. But we can't say nothing either.

He thought for a moment and picked out some things he could say.

It can fly in and randomly avoid monsters blocking the door, and after combining, it has powerful attributes that make it immune to attacks from small monsters. It can use a flying axe to block the boss and even grow horns from absorbing demonic energy.