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

Lin Mu glanced at him but didn't speak. The young master didn't seem to mind and asked again, "Did you see the tree demon when you went in?"

Lin Mu shook his head, his tone indifferent: "Tree demon? I'd rather die than see one. I did see some people sneaking over there, so I followed them. After a long time, I heard that sound and smell again, which scared me so much that I ran away. And that's when I ran into you guys."

The young master nodded, not asking any further questions, but his gaze lingered on Lin Mu's bamboo hat and face mask. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what's the story behind your bamboo hat and face mask? How come they're still intact in the Overlord's Realm..."

He paused, his tone slightly tentative, "Is it the legendary equipment?"

Lin Mu glanced at him, knowing that the man was trying to get information out of him, but he didn't want to have a conflict for the time being, so he shook his head: "It's not equipment, just an ordinary straw hat and face mask with a little magic added to it, nothing to mention."

He took out a spare one from his storage bag and handed it over, "Would you like to take a look?"

The young master took it and examined it from all angles. The material of the straw hat was indeed ordinary, and the face towel was also made of common fabric, but the blue and white sheen on the surface certainly didn't seem like an ordinary thing.

Lin Mu watched as the young master of the Lin family turned the straw hat over and over and continued, "But don't worry, that cracking sound was so loud, maybe... the tree spirit fell down."

Upon hearing this, the young master paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up as if he had grasped at some lifeline.

He nodded, his irritation largely dissipating, and even a slight smile appeared on his lips: "That makes sense."

He looked down at the bamboo hat in his hand, then looked up at Lin Mu, and suddenly took out a milky white bead from his Qiankun bag and handed it over: "Brother, I think you're a good person, here you go."

Lin Mu took it. The bead was small, warm to the touch, and had a smooth surface with a faint glow.

[Spirit Gathering Bead, 0/100000 experience, requires level 30].

The Spirit Pearl Gathers in the Void.

The young master raised his chin, his tone tinged with pride: "This is a secret unique to my Fengmo Lin family, and it's not to be passed on to outsiders. Such a Spirit Gathering Pearl only costs one-fifth of the cost of the Royal Manor's Spirit Gathering Pearl."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But this Spirit Gathering Orb is empty. Unlike the ones in the manor, which can be used directly, you need to fight monsters to fill the orb and then release it to gain the experience inside."

Lin Mu became interested and examined the Spirit Gathering Pearl from all angles. He then looked at the young master and thought to himself that this person was interesting.

Seeing that Lin Mu remained silent, the young master felt uneasy again and muttered, "Brother, something's not right. What if the tree demon isn't dead?"

Lin Mu put the Spirit Gathering Pearl into his Qiankun Bag, speaking casually as if he were saying that the weather was nice today: "Anyway, the book says that the tree demon's attack range is 50 meters, so you can just stand 50 meters away."

The young master frowned and shook his head: "Although the book says the attack range is 50 meters, I still feel there's something wrong with it."

Lin Mu's heart skipped a beat. Although this young master was a bit silly and naive, he wasn't too stupid. He still had some brains.

He thought for a moment, then deliberately said, "Don't you have a random teleportation scroll? You can just fly away if there's danger."

The young master's expression changed slightly. He turned around and glanced at the Imperial Guards behind him, then lowered his voice and said, "I also need to be able to fly."

He paused, "Don't you know the Iron Blood Alliance? It's said that the tree demon uses ground spikes to attack, specifically targeting the groin area. The attack power is extremely high, and many people die from just one ground spike attack. Even if you manage to take a hit there, you'll temporarily lose your mobility."

Lin Mu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that this was how it was. He had wondered how the Iron Blood Alliance could not have flown away randomly.

There were 3000 people. It wasn't that there was no randomness, but the tree spirit had to withstand the damage. However, after being hit by the ground spike once, it couldn't move or even fly. It could only watch helplessly as the next ground spike came.

Fortunately, he had protected himself well enough; the skeleton had taken all the damage, and he hadn't been stabbed in the body. Riding on his horse, Lin Mu subconsciously squeezed his legs together, as if his groin was still slightly sore.

Lin Mu nodded without saying anything.

The young master fell silent, his eyes fixed on the gray mist ahead, his hand gripping the reins tightly.

Lin Mu followed the crowd all the way to the tree demon.

At this moment, the mist surrounding the tree demon dissipated, revealing a striking dark red earth. In the distance, the tree demon's massive trunk lay on the ground, split in two, with grayish-white wood shavings exposed. Its roots had been uprooted from the pond, intertwined and gnarled, like dead giant pythons.

The black water from the pond splashed all over the ground, mixed with dark red mud and grayish-white sawdust, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of burning and decay.

The young master, mounted on his horse, stared at the towering tree that had fallen to the ground, remaining silent for a long time.

The Grand Master was also stunned, gripping the bone jade scepter tightly in his hand until his knuckles turned white.

Upon seeing this, the Imperial Guards spurred their horses forward and dispersed around the remains of the tree demon. Some dismounted, while others held torches and approached to examine the remains.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Yang Xiong stepped out of the carriage.

He walked up to the tree spirit, stopped, and stared at the tree trunk that had split in two, remaining silent for a long time.

He squatted down, reached out and touched the grayish-white wood shavings exposed at the broken end, then rubbed some dark red soil on the ground, put it under his nose and smelled it, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

He stood up and walked around the tree spirit's remains, examining each part from the cracks to the roots, and from the roots to the pond.

After a long silence, he whispered, "The tree spirit... is it dead?"

Chapter 207 Lin Yichen

Beech Palace.

Although it was already afternoon, the court officials were already standing in a dense, dark mass, stretching from the palace gate all the way down to the steps, as if they were attending an early morning court session.

The hall was brightly lit with candles and filled with the fragrance of incense, but the atmosphere was much more tense than during the morning court session.

The ministers below whispered amongst themselves, their voices buzzing like a pot of boiling porridge.

Some people frowned, some shook their heads, some stroked their beards, some sighed, and some whispered something, which was then listened to by those around them, and then passed on to the next person.

The news spread among the crowd: something terrible had happened in Fengmo Valley; the tree demon had fallen, and resentment filled the sky; chaos had also broken out at Bai Ri Men.

The Empress sat on the steps, adorned in a dragon robe and phoenix crown, exuding a noble and dignified air. She sat there with an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

But she didn't say anything, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, one tap at a time, slowly and deliberately.

The murmurs below grew louder and more chaotic, but she did not stop them.

A female official leaned close to the Empress's ear and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Jiang family says that Lord Jiang Hetang is still ill, and they have submitted a memorial."

The female official handed over a memorial with both hands.

The Empress did not accept it, nor did she even glance at it. Her gaze fell on the ministers whispering among themselves in the hall, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, it was unclear whether it was a smile or some other expression.

It was understandable that he was sick a few days ago, but now that such a big thing has happened, he is still claiming to be sick at home.

The Empress paused for a moment, then continued tapping.

Just then, in an open space outside the main gate of the palace, a flash of white light appeared, followed by a soft sound, and an old man in white robes appeared out of thin air.

After a short while, a loud shout came from outside the hall: "The Celestial Venerable has arrived..."

The palace doors swung open, and an elderly man in white robes stepped inside. His hair and beard were all white, his face was ruddy, his back was straight, and he was leaning on a Wuji staff, which looked like a cane.

He walked slowly, but each step was steady and firm, his robes motionless, as if he were walking on clouds. The murmurs in the hall ceased abruptly, and the ministers stepped aside to make way, bowing their heads in respect.

The Empress bowed slightly on the steps, her tone more polite than usual: "Grandpa Heavenly Venerable."

She waved to the lady-in-waiting beside her, "Quickly, arrange seats."

The Celestial Venerable did not sit. He walked to the center of the hall, raised his head, and looked past the candlelight and incense in the hall to land on the Empress's face. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "Your Majesty, has something happened with the Demon Sealing?"

The Empress nodded and briefly relayed the message from Yang Xiong: the tree demon had fallen, and its resentment filled the sky; everyone in Fengmo Valley felt it, and Bai Ri Men was also affected.

A low murmur arose again in the hall, and someone whispered.

"How could the tree spirit fall?"

"Who knows?"

"It seems someone has touched something they shouldn't have."

The sounds grew louder and more chaotic.

The lady-in-waiting frowned and shouted, "Silence..."

The hall fell silent.

The Celestial Venerable stood in the center of the hall, leaning on his Wuji Staff, his white beard trembling slightly, and remained silent for a long time.

He stroked his beard, his brow furrowed, and after a long pause, he finally spoke: "The tree spirit is dead?"

He shook his head, as if talking to himself, yet also as if addressing the Empress, “How could the tree demon die? It wasn’t just a tree; it was a reservoir of resentment from the Sealed Demon Valley accumulated over millennia. Countless miners who died from demonic energy, Imperial Guards who perished in battle, and adventurers who died unjustly—their resentment had nowhere to go, and it was all absorbed by the tree demon. It was the dumping ground for the Sealed Demon Valley, and also a tentacle for the Crimson Moon Demon to sense changes in the outside world. Once the tree demon died, the resentment had nowhere to go, so it spread everywhere, monsters rioted, and demonic energy proliferated. The Crimson Moon Demon sensed the danger and assumed that the outside world had undergone a drastic change, and that someone who could kill the tree demon could threaten it.”

He paused, his voice turning somber. "The monsters in the jungle maze have begun to riot, and the guards at Bai Ri Men have suffered heavy casualties. Before I arrived, three outposts had already lost contact. The great calamity... may be coming sooner than expected."

The hall was completely silent.

The Empress's fingers hovered on the armrest, but she did not tap down. The ministers exchanged glances; some turned pale, some clenched their fists, and some lowered their heads.

The sky outside the hall darkened, the clouds hung low, as if rain was imminent, or as if something heavier was pressing down on everyone's chest...

-

Fengmo Valley.

After Yang Xiong and the Golden Guards completed their reconnaissance, leaving one squad of Golden Guards to continue scouting near the Tree Demon, the main force set off immediately towards the Sealed Demon City.

The dust rising under the hazy sky resembled a long, yellow dragon.

No one paid any attention to Lin Mu anymore, nor did anyone from the Lin family.

The group that had just been acting as vanguards seemed like used garbage bags, rendered worthless.

Lin Mu and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

The young master, mounted on his horse, glanced at the departing Imperial Guards, then at Lin Mu, shrugged, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

He turned his horse around and headed towards Fengmo City, with Lin Mu following beside him.

On the way back, the young master's mood inexplicably improved a lot, the knot in his brows loosened, and there was even a slight smile on his lips.

The beautiful woman stopped hugging him and cursing him. Instead, she became friendly with Lin Mu, coming over to ask him questions every now and then while riding her horse.

If it weren't for the fact that he had been accompanied by beautiful women the whole time, Lin Mu would have thought that this guy was gay and had taken a liking to him.

"Brother, what's your surname?" The young master tilted his head and looked at Lin Mu.

Lin Mu thought for a moment and casually said, "My surname is Lin, Lin Yichen."

The young master's eyes lit up immediately: "Oh my, no wonder you look so familiar, brother! You're from the same clan!"

He patted Lin Mu on the shoulder, his tone carrying a familiar warmth, "That name is so elegant, it sounds like some kind of reclusive master, just like your outfit, brother. No wonder you dared to approach the tree demon and were able to determine that the tree demon was dead."

He paused, then puffed out his chest. "I am Lin Hao, the eldest son of the Fengmo Lin family. If you need anything, come to the Fengmo Lin family and find me. Just tell them my name."

Lin Mu nodded, thinking that it was Brother Ritian. No wonder he was so arrogant. He then casually replied, "Alright, I'll take you as my brother."

He casually added, "Actually, I was just guessing about the tree spirit. I was terrified when I heard that sound, so I just made a wild guess, and I didn't expect to be right. I'm not some kind of expert, I'm just a bit bold and lucky."

Lin Hao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, patting Lin Mu on the shoulder: "Brother, you're too modest! To come out of that place alive is no ordinary feat!"

Lin Mu smiled and didn't explain further.

Lin Hao continued to laugh, grinning from ear to ear, and patted Lin Mu's shoulder several times, almost knocking him off his horse.