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

Lin Mu nodded, put the waist token and horn into the deepest part of his Qiankun bag, and although he didn't quite understand, he still clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I understand."

The Empress's voice came again: "There is one more thing. Gu An is not her real name. Her name is Gu Qingyi, the daughter of Prince An, and my cousin. But Qingyi has not written to me for a long time."

Lin Mu was stunned for a moment, and the string that had been hanging in his heart suddenly relaxed, but then tightened even more.

So that's how it is. He had always thought Gu An was Prince An himself, but he never expected her to be the prince's daughter, a princess.

The Empress's voice softened, as if she were speaking to Lin Mu, yet also to herself, "I'm sending you to Mengzhong, not just to investigate Jiangfu and Shabak. You also need to check on Qingyi. She's a woman, and the daughter of Prince An; if anything changes, she's the easiest target to be used as a bargaining chip." She finished speaking with a sigh.

Lin Mu steadied himself, suppressing the turbulent thoughts in his mind, and asked again, "The princess has been kind to me, and I will certainly do my best to investigate. However, this is the first time I have seen this telepathic communication feature, and I don't know how to use it."

The Empress said, "This is already paired with my horn. Hold it, concentrate, and speak directly."

Lin Mu nodded. The Empress leaned back in her chair, her tone returning to its usual calm: "Qin Zhengchuan's family is doing very well in Fengmo. I will arrange for them to return to Bichon later."

Lin Mu was about to nod when a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

These words, on the surface, are meant to comfort, but in reality, they are also a reminder.

Your father-in-law's family is still under my control. Even if you go to Mengzhong, you must remember where you came from.

He didn't dislike this kind of restraint; anyone in that position would have done the same. Rather than having the Empress secretly on guard, it was better to proactively hand over a harmless handle, making her feel that this person was controllable and usable.

So he continued, "There's a female Taoist priest in Fengmo named Jingqiu who has been quite helpful to me. She's also a member of the Jinwu Guard and has always wanted to be transferred back to Bich."

After Lin Mu finished speaking, he waited, thinking that this way he would repay the female Taoist's favor.

The Empress glanced at him, her lips twitching slightly, as if she saw through his little scheme but was too lazy to expose him: "You really are a sentimental person."

Lin Mu chuckled, neither denying nor explaining.

The Empress did not pursue the matter further, but added, "As for the Demon Sealing team, let them hold on a little longer. If things really get too difficult, we will arrange for them to retreat to Bichon."

Lin Mu was taken aback. Although a great calamity was imminent, how could the empire's situation have suddenly deteriorated to this extent? Had the demon-sealing monsters become so difficult to deal with? He didn't press further, but clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I understand."

The Empress waved her hand, indicating that he could leave.

Lin Mu turned and walked out of the palace gate, which closed gently behind him.

A night breeze blew in from under the eaves, ruffling the hem of his robe, making it feel chilly.

-

After leaving the palace, Lin Mu first took a detour to the Royal Martial Arts Academy.

When the people in charge saw him arrive, they didn't ask any questions and handed him the Spirit Gathering Pearls they had accumulated over this period. He used them on the spot, and his experience bar moved forward a little.

He thanked them, then turned and left the martial arts school, walked through several deserted streets, and returned to the Lin residence.

The courtyard was quiet. The branches of the pomegranate tree in the corner swayed gently in the night breeze, and the moonlight fell on the blue brick ground, giving it a thin layer of white.

Lin Mu didn't rush into the house. He first stood in the center of the courtyard and looked around. Then he took out a few protective talismans from his Qiankun bag and threw them into the four corners of the house and on both sides of the courtyard wall.

Then, with a thought, the amulet burst into flames, its orange-red light illuminating the entire courtyard and forcing the closing shadows back to the base of the wall.

He clapped his hands in satisfaction, then took the black car frame out of his storage bag and placed it on the ground.

The metal pipes gleamed coldly in the firelight, the runes on the front wheel flickered slightly, and the cover plate on the rear axle was perfectly sealed.

He then patted the brocade pouch and released a black maggot.

As soon as the black maggot landed, it rolled towards Lin Mu, its carapace scraping against the blue bricks with a piercing sound. Lin Mu reacted quickly, raising his hand to cast a binding spell. A blue-white beam of light rose from the ground, fixing it firmly in place, unable to move.

Then he aimed the rear axle of the frame at the hole in the middle of the black maggot and threw it with force. However, the frame was a bit heavy, and Lin Mu lost his balance and staggered forward. The frame flew out of his hand and hit the black maggot's carapace with a dull thud.

Black maggots emerged from the top of its head.

-2.

Chapter 218 Cycling and the Valley of Vipers

The black maggot staggered from the impact, its body suddenly shrinking back, its carapace cracking twice. Its round body rolled half a circle in the pillar of light of the binding spell, as if it had been awakened by the impact, and began to struggle violently.

Lin Mu quickly cast another binding spell, and the blue and white light pillar stabilized again, pressing the black maggot firmly to the ground.

He coughed lightly and glanced at the skeletons who had been watching the whole thing.

The skeleton, half a head shorter than him, was tilting its head, the flames in its eye sockets flickering, as if waiting to see how he would end up.

Lin Mu dusted off his hands and said, "My mistake, my mistake."

He thought about it and realized that confronting them head-on wasn't the solution.

As Lin Mu approached the black maggot, just as it was about to regain its mobility, he used an invisibility spell on himself.

The black maggot's initial surge of power vanished instantly. It stood frozen in place, its round body motionless, as if wondering, "Where did they go? Weren't they just in front of me?"

The skeleton was standing far away, clearly not arousing the maggots' hatred.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Mu bent down, picked up the bicycle frame, aimed it at the hole in the middle of the black maggot, and stabbed it hard.

The black axle slid precisely into the hole, fitting perfectly.

He then fastened the cover plate, and with a click, it was done.

The black maggot shook its body, its carapace making two clicking sounds, as if wondering why it was covered by something strange. A bad feeling rose in its tiny insect brain.

Lin Mu jumped onto the seat, planted his feet firmly on the pedals, and gripped the handlebars tightly.

The black maggot sensed someone ahead and thought, "So it was you who was up to something. No wonder something was wrong."

Then it mustered all its strength and rolled forward with all its might.

The rear wheels of the car began to roll, and the frame moved along with them.

Lin Mu quickly gripped the handlebars, steadied the direction, felt the rolling sensation from the rear wheel, and nodded slightly.

The skeleton stood to one side, the flames in its two eye sockets flickering, watching him quietly.

Lin Mu drove the new maggot car around the yard several times, wobbling and twisting. Lin Mu wanted to stop, but the black maggot kept pushing him forward like a stubborn animal, so he didn't dare to let go.

But the car sped up and faster, and the yard, which wasn't very spacious to begin with, started to collapse backwards from the base of the walls on both sides, which looked a bit scary.

"We can't wait any longer, or the speed will only increase." Thinking this, Lin Mu raised his hand and used stealth to strike himself. The black maggots instantly lost their target and came to a standstill. The rear wheel of the vehicle suddenly locked up, but the inertia of the vehicle still carried the maggots forward a short distance, leaving two shallow scratches on the blue brick ground.

Then, due to his own inertia, Lin Mu was thrown out, flying a short distance in the air before crashing solidly to the ground.

He scrambled to his feet, spat a few times, rubbed his aching teeth, wiped the dirt off his face, and glanced back at the distance he'd thrown—a good two or three zhang (approximately 6-9 meters) away, almost sending him flying into the wall.

Lin Mu felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about it. His first thought was: wear a helmet and seatbelt for safe travel.

He stood up, dusted himself off, turned around, cast a spell to immobilize the black maggot, and then put the carriage and the still bewildered black maggot back into his mount pouch.

He straightened up, exhaled, as if expelling the embarrassment he had just suffered.

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Mu rode his horse towards the teleportation array. As for his new maggot chariot, there were too many people in the city; it wasn't safe.

The teleportation array in the central square of Bich City was still the same as before. The old mage was sitting in the doorway of his hut, basking in the sun. When he saw him arrive, he raised his eyelids slightly, then closed them again.

Lin Mu walked to the window of the hut, took out fifteen gold coins and placed them on the windowsill, and said, "Snake Valley."

The old mage then slowly stood up, leaning on his wand as he walked into the teleportation array. He touched the teleportation ring at the array's core with the tip of his wand, and a blue light shone forth, with runes spreading out in concentric circles.

Then, with a "whoosh" in Lin Mu's ear, the street in front of him transformed into a gray, misty entrance to a valley.

We've arrived at Snake Valley.

Lin Mu didn't look at it for long. He found a flat spot on the road and released the black, maggot-like carriage from his mount pouch.

Then he stepped onto it, and the black maggot looked at the hateful human sitting in front of it, rolled its body and scratched the ground, and then rushed forward. The axle then transmitted the black maggot's forward momentum to the entire vehicle, and the vehicle smoothly sped off.

The wind rushed towards him, filling Lin Mu's robe collar and cuffs, making the hem of his robe flutter loudly.

This is a completely different feeling from horseback riding. When riding a horse, the wind that comes into your face is relatively gentle, and it carries the scent of grass and soil.

But when he got on the bike, the wind rushed in, fast and hard, slapping his face so hard that he couldn't open his eyes. He had to squint and turn his head to the side to barely see the road ahead.

As Lin Mu ran, he thought about what he had seen on the map last night.

[Snake Valley lies between Bichon and Mengzhong, its two sides sheer cliffs overgrown with thorns. The wind, blowing from the Mengzhong desert, carries sand and dust, filling the valley with the stench of earth and decaying grass, and the faint scent of snake scales.]

At the valley entrance, the ground cracks and sand floats, vegetation gradually thickens, low trees grow in clusters, and snake-heart wood is interspersed among them. Snakes lurk in the crevices of the rocks, where the grass bends.

[Ahead of the road lies a village, surrounded by wooden fences, with low-lying houses, a pharmacy, and a general store, serving as the only place for travelers to rest and replenish their lodgings. The valley is teeming with snakes; red snakes lurk in the grass, while tiger snakes hide among the rocks, occasionally surfacing and disappearing.]

[Deep in the valley, a fork in the road leads to the mining area. The entrance is dark, with discarded pickaxes lying around, and a chilling wind blows from time to time. The light is dim and damp, unlike the lushness of Woma or the scorching heat of Mengzhong. In this desolate landscape, subtle dangers lurk.]

……

He squinted, braving the wind, thinking about these things, as he headed north along the winding dirt road.

The car sped up, the wind whistling past his ears, causing the edge of his straw hat to flip up slightly. He raised his hand to press down the brim of his hat, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up slightly.

This feels so good.

In the narrow, winding valley, there was a right turn ahead. At the point of entry into the turn, Lin Mu activated his mental combat technique, focused his attention, and leaned his body to the right. The center of gravity of the entire vehicle also shifted to the right, and the vehicle body formed a 45-degree angle with the ground.

However, it was his first time riding this high-performance motorcycle, and he wasn't quite used to it. He leaned too much into the corners, and with a lot of gravel on the road, the wheels suddenly slipped on the gravel, the motorcycle twisted dramatically twice, the frame swayed violently, and the front wheel almost went off track.

He quickly shifted his weight back, and the rear wheel rolled over a protruding rock, bounced, and landed steadily. The frame swayed two or three times before regaining its balance.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief, but the maggots didn't give him much of a chance to catch his breath.

Chapter 219 Attack Movement Speed ​​Bonus

The next left turn is fast approaching.

The black car sped along the dirt road, the withered grass and gravel at the bend entrance rushing past in his peripheral vision. He didn't have time to think, his waist slumped, and he leaned to the left.

This time he didn't dare to press too hard, only pressing down to a 60-degree angle with the ground, allowing the car to steadily slide along the inside of the curve. However, the rear wheels still slipped slightly when they ran over the loose soil on the shoulder, but fortunately they quickly regained traction and made the turn relatively smoothly overall.

After turning a few more bends, at the end, the narrow, winding valley suddenly opened up, and the gray-white dirt road stretched forward in the morning light, with the mountain rocks on both sides receding into the distance, and the world opening up.

Lin Mu became more and more skilled at riding, and got more and more into it. Even when there were no curves ahead, he didn't ride steadily on the wide straight road, but swayed left and right, drawing irregular serpentine tracks on the gray dirt road, as if the road were his living room.

The wind blew even harder, so he lowered his body, pressed himself against the frame, and listened to the wind and the sound of the wheels rolling over gravel. Facing the brightening horizon, he continued on a winding road until the village of Viper Valley came into view.

The village was very simple, with a few crooked, low wooden houses crammed together, surrounded by a wooden fence. At the entrance of the village stood two crooked wooden stakes with two oil lamps hanging on them, their flames flickering in the morning breeze.

Several guards in tattered leather armor stood at the village entrance, holding crescent-shaped broadswords to prevent the wandering red snakes and tiger snakes from entering the village.

Several elderly people, who need little sleep, sat hunched over on the stones at the village entrance early in the morning, waiting to bask in the sun. Their eyes were squinted as they looked into the distance, as if counting how many people would pass by this road that day.

Lin Mu glanced at the village from afar; it was still the same as the original owner's memories.