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

Is no one in the tent?

He sent the skeleton beast forward and into the tent.

The tent was empty, with a few sheets of straw paper and a few used torches scattered on the ground, and several empty wine flasks and leftover food bags piled in the corner.

The ground around the tent was covered with footprints and hoofprints, messy and disorderly, as if someone had hurriedly broken camp and left without even having time to pack up their belongings.

Lin Mu squatted down and touched the edge of a hoof print with his finger. The soil was still wet, indicating that the person had left not long ago.

He stood up and glanced around, but saw nothing. He frowned. Was someone following him?

I've been wearing a straw hat and face mask the whole time, so how did these annoying rats still notice me?

Lin Mu shook his head, mounted his horse, and continued forward.

Just as Lin Mu had ridden his horse for another ten kilometers, he suddenly saw dust billowing ahead, as if a large group of people were moving.

Lin Mu also pulled on the reins, raised the front hooves of his horse, snorted, and came to a steady stop.

The person opposite had obviously seen Lin Mu as well, and soon arrived in front of Lin Mu.

There were more than a dozen horses, each carrying a dozen people dressed in various heavy armors. There were warriors, mages, and Taoists, all well-equipped and looking nothing like ordinary adventurers.

Several people were being dragged behind the horses, tied to their saddles with ropes and trailing on the ground. Their clothes were torn to shreds, and they were covered in blood, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground. Some were still groaning, while others had already fallen silent.

Lin Mu frowned, his gaze sweeping over the people before settling on the face of the person at the very front of the line.

The man, dressed in a cloak of a mage and holding a bone jade scepter, sat on his horse with his chin held high, looking down at Lin Mu.

Lin Mu recognized him.

Isn't this the same idiot mage I met on Thunder Road who tried to use Holy Word on his skeleton?

Later, after trying for a long time without success, he was covered in dust and dirt from being tormented by Lin Mu's skeleton, which made him lose face.

However, the female mage he was holding in his arms had changed again. She had bigger breasts, a thinner waist, and was even more coquettish, which gave people goosebumps.

The mage stared at Lin Mu for a long while, then looked at the skeleton and divine beast beside Lin Mu. His gaze lingered on the skeleton for a moment, then on the divine beast, and his expression changed from arrogance to doubt.

He looked behind Lin Mu again, and searched again, but there was no one else there.

How can one person have two summoned creatures?

Furthermore, this person's mythical beast was carrying a skeleton.

The monk stared at Lin Mu again and again, but he still couldn't see through him.

Who exactly is this person? Could it be that his straw hat and mask are some kind of special equipment that allows him to summon two creatures?

He frowned, feeling somewhat irritated.

The grand mage behind him clearly also realized that Lin Mu was no ordinary person.

The Grand Master, with his white hair, wearing a cloak of divine power, and holding a bone and jade scepter, had a thin face and a steady gaze. He spurred his horse forward.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Lin Mu, his tone polite yet neither servile nor arrogant.

"Young man, did you come from the direction of the tree spirit? Do you know what happened there?"

Lin Mu glanced at him, then at the idiot mage behind him, and said coldly, "I don't know."

The archmage paused for a moment, wanting to ask more, but the young mage behind him was already impatient.

He pushed away the female mage in his arms, spurred his horse forward, pointed at Lin Mu, and said in a shrill voice, "What the hell are you pretending for? You came out of there, how could you not know?"

Lin Mu didn't move, he just raised his eyes.

His gaze peeked out from under the shadow of the straw hat.

At the same time, the skeleton beside Lin Mu slowly turned its head, and the flame in its eye sockets suddenly flared up.

It changed from that warm orange-red to a dark red, like burning blood, or like something awakening in the deepest part of the earth.

Chapter 205 I Want to Go Home

The way the tree spirit stared at Lin Mu was exactly the same as when it had just died.

The mythical beast raised its head, letting out a low, suppressed whimper, its four legs pressing down slightly, as if it were about to pounce at any moment.

Although the newly born divine beast's eyes didn't possess much power, and the two orange-red lights even looked somewhat clumsy, they still appeared quite extraordinary when sandwiched between the skull's two dark red flames and Lin Mu's cold eyes peeking out from under the shadow of his straw hat. It was like a small beast sandwiched between two ferocious beasts, baring its teeth in imitation of them, which was actually quite intimidating.

Thus, three gazes and three pressures simultaneously fell upon the young master mage.

A chill crept up the young master's spine, like a snake slowly slithering from his tailbone to the back of his neck.

He wanted to speak, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something; his lips trembled twice, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

He felt as if he was being watched by something, not by a person, but by something older and heavier.

He was riding his horse, but he felt the ground beneath his feet sinking. His back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, into the corners of his eyes, stinging him so much that he blinked, but he dared not raise his hand to wipe them away.

He felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, with nothing beneath his feet. If he took another step forward, he would fall and be smashed to pieces.

The Grand Master, standing nearby, also felt a faint pressure.

He had lived for so many years and had seen many desperate awakened individuals, but never had anyone been able to send chills down his spine with just a glance.

He raised his hand and patted the young master's shoulder, his voice low and urgent, pulling him back from the suffocating feeling of drowning: "Young master."

But the young master of the mage did not react. He seemed to be nailed to the ground by something. His body was stiff on the horse, his eyes were staring straight ahead, his breathing became shallow and rapid, his lips were white, and sweat was still dripping down his forehead.

Just as the Grand Master was about to take another shot, suddenly, billowing dust and the sound of horses' hooves came from the distant official road, growing closer and louder.

It wasn't just one horse, but a whole troop of horses, marching in an orderly, rhythmic formation, like an army on the march.

Meanwhile, a black car frame emerged from the dust and smoke.

Lin Mu's attention was drawn to the bicycle frame, and he looked away from the young master.

The weight pressing on his chest vanished instantly, and the young mage snapped back to reality, gasping for breath as if he had been pulled from the water. His back was soaked with cold sweat.

He glanced at Lin Mu, then quickly looked away, not daring to look again, and with his neck hunched, turned his horse around and retreated back into the ranks.

At this moment, hundreds of Imperial Guards rushed out from the dust behind the carriage, dressed in neat standard armor, riding tall horses, and the swords at their waists gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

They soon spotted Lin Mu and his group and walked straight towards them.

The carriage came to a steady stop between Lin Mu and the group of people. The curtain was lifted slightly, and Yang Xiong peeked out from inside the carriage.

His gaze swept over the young mage and his men, then swept over Lin Mu, and lingered for a moment on Lin Mu's divine beast and skeleton.

The skeleton, however, had no horns or scales; it was smooth and shiny, no different from the skeletons of ordinary Taoist priests. Lin Mu was also wearing a bamboo hat and face mask.

Yang Xiong did not recognize Lin Mu. He was only interested in the group of people in front of him who seemed to be in a standoff. Instead, he lowered the carriage curtain, called over a guard, and whispered a few words to him.

The Imperial Guard spurred his horse forward, glanced at the bloodied figures being dragged behind the young mage's group, and frowned: "What's going on here? Awakened beings cannot bully mortals. If those being dragged are Awakened beings, it further damages the Empire's fighting strength."

The Grand Master paused for a moment, then spurred his horse forward, cupped his hands to the Imperial Guard, and said respectfully, "My lord, this is a family matter. Several disobedient servants in my household stole something and ran away. They need to be caught and dealt with."

In fact, the people being dragged were the male Taoist priest and others who were guarding Lin Mu at the edge of the tree demon's territory.

After hearing the deafening roar coming from the direction of the tree spirit, they were terrified and fled back as fast as they could, only to run into the young master mage's group on the way and be caught red-handed.

The Imperial Guard glanced at him, then at the bloodied figures, his brows furrowed. After a moment of silence, he said, "Now is the time when we need manpower, and Lord Yang is unwilling to make a fuss about it."

He then clasped his hands behind his back towards the vehicle frame, saying, "Now I'll give you a chance. Since you're also heading to the tree spirit's place, let's go investigate together."

This was said politely, but it was clear from both a public and private perspective that this group was to lead the charge.

The Imperial Guard's gaze swept across the Grand Mage's face, then glanced at the young mage behind him. Seeing that the group remained unmoved, he asked in a nonchalant tone, "What? You're unwilling?"

As he finished speaking, his voice suddenly rose, "To defy military orders?"

Upon hearing the words "defying military orders," the young mage's expression changed. His lips moved a few times, and his voice became shrill and urgent: "I am a member of the Fengmo Lin family! I... I want to go home!"

Lin Mu, who was watching the show from the sidelines, was stunned when he heard this, and then he was speechless. How come this idiot young master has the same surname as him?

When the Grand Master heard his young master say this, he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly stepped forward, grabbed his young master's sleeve, and whispered a few words to him.

He leaned close to the young master's ear and whispered, "Young master, we can't afford to offend the Imperial Guards. Let's go..."

The young master's expression changed several times; he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

He turned his horse around and walked to the back of the group, but his eyes remained fixed on Lin Mu. His gaze lingered on Lin Mu's bamboo hat and face mask for a while before moving to the mythical beast and skull behind Lin Mu, unable to look away.

The Grand Master cupped his hands in greeting to the Imperial Guards: "My lord, let's go."

The Imperial Guard nodded, turned his horse around, returned to the side of the caravan, and whispered a few words towards the carriages.

The carriage curtain moved slightly, but Yang Xiong remained silent. The carriage slowly started moving and headed towards the tree demon.

The members of the Fengmo Lin family quickly released the bloodied men they had been dragging and left them where they were, then rode forward to lead the charge. Lin Mu thus blended into the group.

The procession followed the official road toward the tree demon, the horses' hooves kicking up dust as they trod on the gray-white dirt road.

The young mage rode in the middle of the procession, with a heavily made-up female mage leaning on his shoulder beside him. She traced circles on his chest with her fingers and said in a sweet voice, "Brother, I want to go home. Something's happened at home..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young master slapped him across the face.

With a crisp, loud "snap," the sound was particularly jarring on the empty official road.

The female monk covered her face, tears welling in her eyes, her lips trembling, and dared not speak any more.

Chapter 206 Empty Spirit Gathering Pearl

The young master slapped her again, cursing "bitch" under his breath. His voice wasn't loud, but the people in front heard him, and no one dared to turn around.

The female monk lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly. One hand covered her face, while the other gripped the reins, her knuckles turning white. Tears fell silently onto the saddle.

The young master was very agitated. He pushed away the female mage who was leaning on his shoulder, no longer embracing the beauty. He gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white, his eyes fixed ahead, his teeth clenched, and his cheeks taut.

The few attendants behind him exchanged glances, then quickly looked away, none of them daring to speak.

The caravan continued on the official road, the sound of hooves clattering and dust billowing, with only the low sobs of the female sorceress drifting intermittently in the wind.

After walking for a while, the young master looked back and his gaze fell on Lin Mu, who had been following behind his group. A thought suddenly popped into his mind.

After that sound, something must have happened to the tree demon. The Imperial Guards forced them to lead the charge, and their chances of survival were slim.

This person managed to come out from the direction of the tree spirit alone, and is still alive.

I guess I know something about what's going on inside.

He slowed down, waited for Lin Mu to catch up, then leaned close to Lin Mu's ear and whispered, "Brother, I was very offensive before, please don't take it to heart."