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

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin. In the end, he just scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting back and forth between Lin Mu and the picture several times.

Lin Mu was completely unaware that there were two people standing behind him. He was still drawing with charcoal pencils and muttering to himself, "Add another strap here, and make sure the stitching is double-layered... Yes, that's the idea."

He drew for a while, then finally put down his pen, picked up the scrap paper, shook off the charcoal powder, and pointed to the drawing from beginning to end for the boss: "First here... then, like this... finally, here... do you understand?"

The shopkeeper frowned, staring at the piece of scrap paper for a long while. Then he looked up at the Heavenly Demon Armor on the counter, his expression changing from strange to serious. Finally, he let out a long breath and said in a heavy tone, "I understand."

He reached out and put the toilet paper and the Heavenly Demon Armor under the counter, then calculated the timeline: "But sir, your modifications are too extensive; you've practically recut the entire armor. Three days. Come pick it up in three days. There's no rush."

Lin Mu nodded. Three days, about the same timeframe as the weapons project, just right.

Tieshan led the way. After leaving the weapon shop and walking a few steps south, just as they were about to turn towards the jewelry shop, Lin Mu suddenly stopped: "Brother Tieshan, I need to use the restroom. Please wait a moment."

Before Tieshan could respond, Lin Mu had already turned around and gone around to the back of the clothing store.

He walked around the base of the wall, his eyes scanning every tile and corner, even crouching down to touch the edges of a few loose tiles. There were no hidden doors, no tunnels, and no entrances leading underground.

He remembered in the game that there was a hidden passage behind the clothing store in Shabak, which was the way everyone used to launch surprise attacks on Shabak, but it wasn't there here.

The alley in front of us was bare, with nothing but a few clumps of withered grass and a pile of broken tiles at the base of the wall.

He stood there for a while, then looked up at the mortar joints in the wall; it was still just an ordinary gray brick wall.

He shook his head, abandoned his unrealistic expectations, and turned to walk back.

The layout of Shabak is exactly the same as in the game.

The weapon shop, clothing shop, and jewelry shop are each located in a separate area, and each shop only deals in its own specialty.

He browsed around the jewelry store and discovered that it wasn't because the city was so big and he had nothing to do, but because each craftsman specialized in only one thing: blacksmiths only forged iron, tailors only made clothes, and jewelers only worked on jewelry.

Lin Mu nodded inwardly. Shabak's current status was indeed not achieved by simply hammering.

Unfortunately, this place also disappointed Lin Mu.

The master craftsman behind the counter took the damaged pieces of Holy War jewelry, examined them for a while, then picked one up and held it up to the light. He put it down, shook his head, and said, "These are too badly damaged. The spiritual energy in the material has dissipated completely, leaving no attribute value. They can't be repaired. Even if you manage to melt them down and recast them, the result will be scrap metal, no different from ordinary jewelry."

Lin Mu nodded, asked no further questions, put the jewelry back into his Qiankun bag, and turned to leave the jewelry store.

The banquet was a grand affair with many distinguished guests. The news of Huo Lie's most beloved youngest daughter's awakening spread like wildfire. Before the banquet had even ended, the news had already reached the ears of the major guilds in Mengzhong from Shabak to Tucheng.

Looking at this scene, Lin Mu sighed inwardly.

People with money and power tend to be high-profile in their actions. If it were me, I would prefer to keep quiet and develop my business in seclusion.

That night, Lin Mu was seated in the first seat on the left, at the same table as Tie Shan.

Huo Lie and Huo Tang sat at the main table in the center, which was half a step higher than the guest tables. It was set with exquisite dishes and wine and silver wine pots. The guest tables on both sides were arranged in order, with two people at each table, just like the layout of an ancient banquet.

At the banquet, Huo Lie made no attempt to hide his admiration for Lin Mu. Raising his wine glass, he praised the acorn from beginning to end, saying that his daughter had been unable to awaken, but Lin Gongzi's acorn had worked immediately, and such a rare treasure was extremely rare in the world.

Immediately, someone put down their wine glass, turned their gaze intently to Lin Mu, and asked with a smile, "Young Master Lin, do you have any more of these fine things?"

Lin Mu picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle, put it in his mouth, chewed it, took a sip of wine, and then slowly put down his chopsticks: "That's all, just that one."

The man's smile froze for a moment, then returned to its usual cheerful expression: "Young Master Lin is too kind. Such a rare item could not possibly exist in isolation."

Lin Mu picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "I really only have one. I got this fruit by chance, and it's the only one I have. I couldn't bear to use it myself, so I used it to take pictures. I don't have any more."

The man opened his mouth as if to say something, but his companion gently nudged his arm, stopping him from speaking.

The group exchanged glances, and no one pressed for further questions. They each raised their glasses and took a sip, but Lin Mu could tell that not everyone believed him.

Chapter 253 A Visitor in the Night

Halfway through the banquet, a figure dressed in a dark gray robe stood up from the right-hand side of the table, holding a wine glass.

Lin Mu was looking down at the food on his plate when he caught a glimpse of the person out of the corner of his eye, and his chopsticks paused for a moment.

It is Jiang Hetang.

He was dressed in a brand-new long robe with a jade belt around his waist. With a perfectly measured smile on his face, he walked to the bottom of the main table with a wine glass in hand and first raised his glass to Huo Lie: "Congratulations, Lord Huo. Your daughter's awakening is truly a great joy for Mengzhong."

Huo Lie nodded slightly, picked up his wine glass in response, and didn't say anything more.

Jiang Hetang then turned to Huo Tang, his tone softening slightly: "Miss Huo is just beginning her journey of awakening. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. Although my Jiang family is not as deeply rooted in Mengzhong as Shabak, we still have some manpower and connections."

He paused, then added casually, "When the Jiang family left Bichon, they smelted a lot of Spirit Gathering Pearls at the manor, and some are still left. If Miss Huo is interested, she can come to the Jiang residence in Tucheng anytime. Just let me know if you need anything."

Huo Tang glanced at him, her face expressionless, and simply nodded slightly before lowering her head to drink her tea, as if those words had already been blown away by the wind.

Jiang Hetang stood still, his hand holding the wine glass paused for a moment, the smile on his face still there, but it was obviously a bit more stiff than before.

He waited for a couple of moments, and when no one responded, he picked up his wine glass and returned to his seat.

After Jiang Hetang left, Tieshan turned to the side, his voice extremely low, only audible to Lin Mu: "A stray dog ​​who escaped from Bichon, bullied to the point of losing his mansion by a live-in son-in-law. If it weren't for the Jiang family's main branch in Mengzhong taking him in, he wouldn't even have made it into Tucheng. Yet he dared to spout nonsense at the banquet in Shabak, talking about the Jiang family's foundation and the Gathering Spirit Pearl..."

Tieshan snorted coldly, picked up his wine glass and took a swig. "It's only because the city lord has a good temper. If it were me, I would have told him to get lost long ago."

Lin Mu listened, glancing at Jiang Hetang's back out of the corner of his eye, but didn't reply. He lowered his head, picked up a piece of steamed fish, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.

Huo Tang looked up at Lin Mu's direction with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, as if she had thought of something, but she didn't ask.

The banquet continued, with toasts being exchanged and the lights shining brightly. Lin Mu kept his head down and ate his food, not glancing in Jiang Hetang's direction again.

After the banquet, Tieshan led Lin Mu through several corridors and stopped in front of a secluded side room.

Pushing open the door, the room was simply yet elegantly furnished, with a mahogany canopy bed, a plain blue silk curtain hanging above it, and a copper lamp standing at the head of the bed, the flame flickering in the frosted lampshade, casting a soft light.

A low table sat by the window, on which lay a set of celadon teaware. Next to it was a small bronze stove, the embers of which still glowed warm, emitting a faint scent of sandalwood.

A black lacquered screen stood in the corner, painted with a landscape scene. Amidst the distant mountains and nearby waters, a few ink lines outlined the silhouette of a lone fisherman in a small boat.

Lin Mu glanced around and nodded inwardly.

Huo Lie didn't just give him a perfunctory answer when arranging his accommodations.

Tieshan said, "Young Master Lin, please rest early. If you need anything, just tell the guards on duty," and then closed the door and left.

Lin Mu sat by the window for a while, drank a cup of tea, then got up, blew out the candle, and lay down on the bed.

The bedding was soft and had a light scent of soapberry juice. He closed his eyes, ready to drift off to sleep, when there was a knock at the door.

The knocking was soft but clear, standing out starkly in the quiet night.

Lin Mu's heart tightened. He sat up abruptly and asked in a low voice, "Who?"

No one answered from outside the door. He asked again, "Tieshan?"

Still, no one answered. He frowned, and a thought struck him.

The skeleton who was fighting monsters in the Demon Sealing Hall was teleported to the corner of the room with a "whoosh". Lin Mu closed his eyes and glanced at the mini-map. There was indeed a person standing at the door. The dot of light was quietly stopped there, neither moving nor leaving.

Meanwhile, the divine beast left in the Demon Sealing Hall was stunned for a moment after the skeleton suddenly teleported away, as if it hadn't realized that its partner was suddenly gone. It stood alone in the monster pile, looking somewhat bewildered.

Lin Mu didn't care about the divine beast's feelings. He had the skeleton guard the door, got out of bed, walked to the door, and unlatched it.

The person standing outside the door made him pause for a moment.

Huo Tang.

She changed into a dark dress, stood in the moonlight, and looked directly at him with an unsettling scrutiny in her eyes, as if she had been standing outside the door for a long time and finally decided to knock.

Lin Mu subconsciously shrank back, his arms unconsciously crossing over his chest: "Miss Huo, what brings you here?"

He wouldn't flinch at the arrival of a burly man, an assassin, or even a thousand-year-old tree demon, but the sudden knocking on the door by Huo Lie's daughter at night was more unsettling than any assassin.

Huo Tang did not answer his question, but merely raised his chin slightly, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable force: "Get out of the way."

Lin Mu hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to let the door open.

Huo Tang stepped inside without pausing, walked straight to the table and sat down, then turned her head and looked back at him.

Lin Mu glanced outside the door. There were no extra dots on the mini-map, only people patrolling in the distance, but they didn't seem to be moving any closer.

He closed the door, turned around and went back to the table. As soon as he sat down, he met Huo Tang's eyes, which were still scrutinizing him.

Just as he was about to ask something, Huo Tang suddenly opened his mouth and uttered two words: "Lin Mu?"

Lin Mu froze.

Before he could even process the expression on his face, Huo Tang had already curled the corners of his mouth into a smug "I knew it" smile: "I'm so smart, I really guessed right."

Lin Mu's eyes changed, his body leaned forward slightly, and his fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the table.

He had already quickly gone through several possible solutions in his mind.

This silly girl came over in the middle of the night to guess his identity, whether he had already revealed it, and whether he should kill him to silence him and dump the body in the wilderness.

Just as his thoughts were churning, Huo Tang spoke again, her tone carrying a hint of casual disdain: "Strange, how could Sister Gu have taken a liking to you? You seem quite ordinary to me."

Lin Mu was stunned for a moment, his mind racing.

Sister Gu? Gu Qingyi?

He had just been thinking about how to handle the situation when he heard this, and most of his tension dissipated instantly, but then he frowned again. He asked, "Do you know Qingyi?"

After asking the question, he realized he had asked it for nothing. Huo Yan was about to marry Gu Qingyi; how could there be no contact between Shabak and the Prince An's Mansion?

Huo Tang looked at him without answering, but the smile on her lips deepened.

Huo Tang looked down at Lin Mu with his nose in the air. After hearing his question, he shook his head in disgust as if there was an idiot standing next to him: "Not only is he ordinary, but he's also stupid and boring."

Chapter 254 Gu Qingyi's Whereabouts

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the door, her movements swift and decisive, as if the trip had been boring enough and staying any longer would be a waste of time.

Lin Mu reached out and grabbed her wrist, not with much force, but without letting go.

At the same time, the skeleton that had been standing quietly at the door silently moved a step to the side, blocking the way.

Huo Tang stopped in her tracks, glanced back at the skeleton at the door, then looked down at Lin Mu's hand holding her wrist, and looked up at him with a frown. She didn't pull away or call for help, but her tone was impatient: "What do you mean by this?"

Lin Mu lowered his voice and looked directly at her: "You know who I am now, how can you just leave like this?"

Huo Tang struggled for a moment but couldn't break free. His brows furrowed even more: "Let go."

Lin Mu didn't relax. He stared into her eyes and asked again, "Where is Qingyi?"

Huo Tang snorted, raised his chin, and swept his gaze across his face with undisguised criticism: "I thought you were a capable person when you brought out the acorn. But you ate in big mouthfuls at both banquets without any manners, and now you ask such stupid questions. You're not even as good as my brother."

She paused, her tone laced with provocation, "I think I should persuade Sister Gu to agree to marry my brother and forget about you."

Lin Mu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a calm tone, "I'm telling you, you little brat, barging into my room in the middle of the night, yelling at people and then trying to leave, and you even said you'd advise your brother on his marriage. Do you really think I wouldn't dare do anything to you?"