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

The instructor nodded and stood in the courtyard waiting.

Qin Yumo and Madam Qin also heard the commotion and came out of the house, standing on the porch, their eyes fixed on Chunxing.

Qin Yumo didn't speak. She placed her hands together in front of her, her knuckles slightly tightening and loosening, as if she were looking at something she once thought she had possessed, but later realized that she had never truly held it in her hands.

That look was complex, containing surprise, disappointment, and a hint of something that was hard to describe—a mixture of bitterness and resentment.

She knew that when Chunxing followed her, she was just a kitchen maid, but now she was standing at the courtyard gate, carrying a bundle, heading to the Royal Martial Arts School. She couldn't even compare to Chunxing.

Chunxing hurried back to the house, packed a few clothes, folded them neatly, put them into a small bundle, and carried them out.

She stopped in the courtyard, turned around, glanced at Madam Qin under the eaves, then at Lin Mu, and spoke, her voice soft but steady: "Young Master, I'm leaving. Mother, take care of yourself. Sister..."

She looked at Qin Yumo, paused, and said, "Take care of yourself."

Qin Yumo stood under the corridor, her eyes filled with complex emotions. In the end, she simply nodded without saying a word.

She knew that once Chunxing left, she would no longer be the same little girl she used to be.

Then Chunxing followed the instructor into the carriage parked at the alley entrance.

The sound of wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement faded into the distance and soon disappeared.

Lin Mu stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching the carriage turn the corner at the alley and disappear before turning his gaze away.

He turned to go back to the courtyard and closed the gate, when he heard footsteps again from the alleyway behind him.

He stopped and turned to look. A female official in a dark blue robe was walking along the alley, followed by two attendants, each carrying a heavy Qiankun bag.

She stopped at the courtyard gate, not entering, her gaze fixed on Lin Mu, her tone respectful yet weighty: "Young Master Lin, His Majesty has issued a decree."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. Qin Yumo and Madam Qin turned around and stood under the eaves, staring intently.

The female official handed the Qiankun bag to Lin Mu with both hands: "His Majesty said that the matter in Mengzhong was handled well, and this is what you deserve."

She paused, then added, "In addition, His Majesty has decreed that Lin Mu will be appointed as the commander of the Flying Eagle Guard once the aircraft is completed."

After she finished speaking, she handed the Qiankun bag to Lin Mu, nodded slightly, and without lingering, turned and left the courtyard.

After the lady-in-waiting and her entourage disappeared into the alley, the quiet in the courtyard lingered for a while.

Qin Yumo and Madam Qin stood there, looking at Lin Mu, but they didn't know how to start the conversation.

They only knew that the Flying Eagle Guard Commander was not an honorary title.

Lin Mu remained calm, weighed the bag in his hand, put it in his pocket, glanced at the corridor, and said, "I have something to do, don't bother me."

After saying that, he turned and went into the secret room.

-

The contents of this Qiankun bag were something he personally requested at the Hall of Mental Cultivation that day.

After he finished explaining the structure of the aircraft that day, the Empress told him to leave, but he didn't. He stood there for a while longer before saying, "Your Majesty, this trip to Mengzhong has cost me a great deal..."

The Empress looked up at him, her gaze calm, but her tone carried a hint of understanding: "Alright, alright, what do you want?"

Lin Mu didn't mince words: "Spirit Gathering Pearls. A lot of them, preferably the kind that can instantly level you up to 50 levels."

Chapter 268, Level 41

The Empress was silent for a moment, then said, "The battle at the front is intense, and the national treasury isn't inexhaustible. At most, I'll give you 3500 million experience-gathering spirit orbs, plus some empty spirit orbs produced by the Demon Sealing Sect. That's all."

She paused, then added, "Once the aircraft is successfully developed, you will be allowed to establish the Flying Eagle Guard, and you will become its commander."

Lin Mu nodded and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

-

The Qiankun bag was now in his hand, heavy with weight. The Spirit Gathering Pearl inside was enough for him to cross the threshold of level 40 and go a little further.

He closed the door to the secret chamber, took out the spirit-gathering beads one by one, and activated them in his palm.

A white light flashed on his fingertip a dozen times in a row, the experience bar jumped repeatedly, and a golden light flashed three times. Lin Mu went from level 37 to level 40.

The last golden light spread from his brow to his limbs and bones. He exhaled a long breath, stood up, and took out the Heavenly Venerable Daoist robe he had won at the auction house from his Qiankun bag.

He wore a plain white robe with purple patterns and gold ornaments on the cuffs and lapels, and a long, light green cloak hung down his back, the hem of which reached his feet.

He put it on, fastened the belt, and straightened the collar. The fabric clung to his body, much lighter than he had imagined, without pressing on his shoulders or dragging his waist, as if it had been specially measured.

He glanced down at his status bar.

[Character Status]

[Level: 40]

Experience: 57160/84000000

HP: 384/384

[MP: 453/453]

Attack: 12-30

[Taoist Arts: 16-69]

[Defense: 8-36]

[Magic Control: 9-30]

……

[Celestial Venerable Robe, Defense 4-12, Magic Resistance 4-7, Taoist Magic 2-7, Attack 0-2, Requires Level 40.]

[Dragon Pattern Sword, Attack 8-20, Taoist Magic 3-19, Luck +7, Requires Level 35]

……

He glanced at it for a few moments, then his gaze fell on the experience bar.

8400 million.

He remembered Gu Qingyi saying back then that the bottleneck for other people at level 40 was 3600 million experience points.

The bottleneck for him to level up from level 40 to 41 was higher than he had imagined.

Without hesitation, he took out an acorn from the deepest part of his Qiankun bag.

The brown fruit lay in his palm, its surface textured with fine lines, just as unremarkable as when he first saw it.

He gripped the fruit tightly, stirring it, and golden light spilled out from between his fingers, spreading along his arm to his entire body, finally converging in his chest.

It felt as if warm water was pouring down from the top of his head, flowing slowly down his spine, washing away every bone and meridian, gradually removing impurities he had never noticed before, letting them flow away and return to nothingness.

That feeling lasted for a few breaths before receding like the tide.

But the feeling of lightness was still there, like a window that had been closed being pushed open a crack from the outside, and air was slowly flowing in through that crack, making the body feel more breathable.

He glanced down at the status bar again.

[Level: 40]

Experience: 157160/12000000

……

The bottleneck disappeared. The revenue dropped from 8400 million to 1200 million.

This fruit, on the surface, is only worth 10 experience points, but to him, it's equivalent to 6200 million experience points.

Besides rewriting the experience bar, it also directly raised the upper limit of his talent, like taking a brick that was originally only enough to pave halfway and laying it all the way to the end.

He now stands on the same level of talent as Chunxing.

Then he reopened the Qiankun bag and glanced at it.

There are still some Spirit Gathering Pearls left inside.

Without hesitation, he activated the Spirit Gathering Pearls. White light flashed several times at his fingertips, and a warm current surged into his body again, spreading along his meridians.

As another golden light emanated from between his brows, he glanced down at the status bar again.

[Level: 41]

Experience: 2477160/16000000

HP: 397/397

[MP: 475/475]

……

I crossed the threshold from level 40 to level 41 just like that.

Lin Mu pushed open the door to the secret room and walked out.

It was already dark in the courtyard, and the lanterns under the eaves were lit, casting long, thin shadows of the courtyard wall and the pomegranate tree.

Qin Yumo stood on the inside of the threshold, her hands folded in front of her. When she saw the Heavenly Venerable Daoist robe on Lin Mu, her lips parted slightly.

She took a step forward, her gaze falling on the Qiankun bag at Lin Mu's waist, then lifting it to his face, as if waiting for Lin Mu to say something about cultivation level, so that she could continue the conversation.

Lin Mu glanced at her but didn't speak first.

He could see it clearly on Qin Yumo's face: "I want to fulfill my responsibilities as a wife."

This feeling is genuine, but ultimately, what they want is to obtain the Spirit Gathering Pearl.

After all, leveling up in this world is much more difficult than leveling up in a game.

Qin Yumo did indeed think so. In the last few days in Fengmo Valley, even the daily Spirit Gathering Pearls for the Golden Guards and their subordinates were gone. When she arrived in Bichon, no one cared about her, a level 20 nobody.

Her skeletons aren't ready yet; without skeletons, clearing monsters is too inefficient.

Lin Mu glanced at her but didn't say anything.

The world is not at peace right now, and the Empress clearly intends to use him for important tasks, so leveling up is the best course of action for him.

Besides, we've already used up all the Spirit Gathering Pearls, but we have quite a few gold coins.

He then took out 50,000 gold coins from his sleeve and handed them to Qin Yumo.

Then he said, "I have things to do at the workshop, I'll be going now. Take care."

After saying that, Lin Mu left without looking back.