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

He stood on the city wall for a moment, confirming that their positions and coordination were all correct, then he jumped over the crenellations and, in a flash, landed on the open ground outside the city gate.

He didn't stop after landing. He raised his hand and threw out a handful of red poison. The dark red poison mist accurately covered a Woma warrior that was charging towards Qin Yumo. Then, he followed up with a handful of green poison, which also enveloped several Sky Wolf Spiders that were rushing up from the side.

As soon as the poisonous fog spread, numbers indicating poison damage immediately appeared above the monsters' heads.

The monster that used to require several blows to defeat now falls in just a few moves.

With a single slash, Gu Qingyi struck down the orc leader, who was originally only able to take away most of his health. The damage numbers that popped up above his head were significantly higher than before.

She glanced back briefly and saw Lin Mu standing in an open space not far away, holding a second handful of powder and sprinkling it on another group of monsters.

Her lips curled up suddenly, she pulled back the Dragon Slayer Blade, turned around and charged towards the next monster, even increasing the speed of her strikes by two points, as if she had suddenly gained extra strength.

Chunxing naturally saw it too.

She was concentrating on casting a lightning spell when she caught a glimpse of the figure out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes lit up instantly, like two small lamps that had been lit.

Her hands didn't stop moving, but she was noticeably lighter, even her steps carried a hint of joy, after all, it had been several months since they last met.

Chapter 299 The Unexpected Turn of Events in Mengzhong

Qin Yumo mechanically attacked the monster, swinging the Wuji Staff in her hand one strike after another. Firelight and poison mist alternated on the monster. Her movements were not chaotic, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

She knew the reason Lin Mu went to Mengzhong that time, and she also knew that the princess held a greater place in Lin Mu's heart than she, his wife. Perhaps, among these four people, she was the one with the least weight.

Her hands didn't stop moving, but something felt like it was pressing down on her heart, something she couldn't quite put her finger on—it was either sour or something else.

Cai Ling thought of something, and her heart started beating a little faster.

……

Before long, the monsters on the north side of Bichon City were almost completely cleared out. A few scattered monsters remained in the distance, posing no further threat. The Imperial Guards began to regroup, clean up the battlefield, and collect the scattered potions and supplies.

Before Lin Mu could even speak, Chunxing couldn't hold back any longer. She ran over, spread her arms, jumped forward, and wrapped her legs around Lin Mu.

She hugged Lin Mu tightly, nuzzling his neck with her head and muttering "son-in-law" softly, like a kitten that had suddenly found its owner and refused to let go.

Lin Mu was knocked back half a step by her before he regained his balance. He quickly raised his hand to steady her, but his own ears were already burning hot.

There were still many Imperial Guards around, collecting their spoils, and many people were looking in their direction.

He lowered his voice and gently patted Chunxing's leg: "Come down quickly, so many people are watching."

Chunxing didn't get down; instead, she buried her head even deeper, shaking her head and rubbing against his neck, humming "hmm hmm" as if she was determined to stay on him.

Seeing her like this, Lin Mu knew that he couldn't get through to her with words alone, so he added some force to his hand and slapped her again.

This slap was quite forceful; with a crisp "smack," Chunxing cried out "Ouch!" and rubbed her bottom before letting go and landing on the ground.

But even after she landed, she didn't move. She stood close to Lin Mu, her face flushed and her head down, looking like she had been hit, felt wronged, and didn't want to leave.

Several people nearby couldn't help but laugh. Chunxing herself knew she was embarrassed, her face turned bright red, but she just wouldn't budge, standing there with her neck stiff, as if to say, "I'm not leaving."

Gu Qingyi stood to the side with her arms crossed, watching the scene. A slight smirk appeared on her lips, and she said with a hint of mischief, "Oh, such a deep bond between master and servant."

Lin Mu wasn't going to back down either. He turned his head to look at her and quickly replied, "What, are you jealous? If you're jealous, my left side is still empty. Come over here."

Gu Qingyi was speechless at his words, snorted, turned her head and walked into the city, her pace much faster than usual, as if she couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.

Lin Mu watched her walk away, a slight smile playing on his lips. He looked down and patted Chunxing, who was still clinging to him, saying, "Alright, alright, let's go. She's gone."

Chunxing then giggled and let go of his hand, following beside him as they walked towards the city gate tower.

Qin Yumo stood there, watching the figure being pulled forward by Chunxing, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion. She recalled how much Lin Mu had helped her during the chaotic battle outside the city earlier, sighed, and followed after him.

The city gate tower was not large, but it was good for sheltering from the wind. A few oil lamps flickered with a dim yellow light on the table, casting long shadows of several people.

Lin Mu sat down on a low stool, and Chunxing stood next to him, refusing to sit on the opposite side no matter what, as if she was afraid that if she let go, she would disappear again.

Lin Mu spoke first: "I just came from the west city wall. Tell me, what's been going on in Bichon lately? They say the seal on the border village has loosened, and an ancient beast king has broken in. They also say the Woma leader suddenly appeared and disrupted the front lines. Is there any other news?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several people started talking all at once.

Gu Qingyi sat down opposite her, leaned the Dragon Slayer Sword against the table leg, raised her hand to tidy up her loose hair, and spoke first: "There's something you probably don't know yet, something happened in Mengzhong. Those people who fled from Bich are now flowing back in large numbers, even the locals of Mengzhong are running away together."

She paused, her voice deepening, "I heard from those who escaped that the city of Mengzhong has been taken over by the monsters from the Stone Tomb. It all happened in just one night. The seal on the Stone Tomb somehow broke, and the monsters surged onto the surface through the tomb passage. By daybreak, the Stone Tomb Corpse King was already sitting in the very center of the city. That's where I grew up, the core city of Mengzhong, and it's gone just like that."

As she spoke, she tapped her fingertip on the table, as if pressing down on something to prevent it from flipping over. "Now only Shabak is still holding on. That city was built to military standards, and the Huo family has reinforced and heightened it several times over generations. The walls are so thick they can't be breached. The monsters have been attacking for so many days but haven't been able to break through. But the people inside can't get out either. They can only hide behind the walls and live off their savings. Nobody knows how much longer they can hold out."

Lin Mu didn't interrupt, listening quietly.

Gu Qingyi lowered her eyelids and paused for a moment. When she raised them again, her voice was much softer, with a slight tremor at the end: "But my parents are still trapped over there...they..."

The words caught in her throat for a moment, as if something was stuck there. She closed her eyes, swallowed hard, and continued, "After Tucheng was gone, most of the awakened ones didn't leave. They hid around Mengzhong, playing guerrilla warfare with the monsters. The ordinary people suffered the most. Without cultivation, they couldn't outrun those tireless monsters... In the end, they were either tortured to death by the monsters or eaten by them."

Everyone's faces fell, and the dim light of the oil lamp danced on their faces, illuminating their heavy emotions clearly.

Gu Qingyi raised her eyes, her gaze burning with something, and her voice hardened: "If Father had been in charge of Mengzhong, things would never have turned out like this, and Bich would not have been forced into this situation."

She paused, her fingers gripping the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. "But that idiot Gu Changfeng, Father taught him for so many years, and he hasn't learned a thing. Instead, he's pushing Mengzhong into a fire pit. If he had even a shred of responsibility and vigilance, would Tucheng have fallen overnight? Would those people be trapped inside and unable to get out? He himself is doing just that, running off to Shabak overnight and cowering, and now he can't even utter a sound."

She grew angrier as she spoke, her voice rising: "Once things are settled in Bichon, I'm going to march back to Mengzhong and take back everything that's rightfully mine. Those two, Huo Lie and his son, are wolves in sheep's clothing. They tricked Gu Changfeng into usurping the throne and now they want to use me as a bargaining chip to force me to marry Huo Yan... Do they even deserve to be called that?"

Chapter 300 Sacrificing to Heaven, Level

She sneered, released her grip on the table, and leaned back in her chair. "Shabak has been living too comfortably these past few years; he's forgotten who he is. There are so many Zuma statues in the palace that there's nowhere to put them. I've been wanting to take one out for a sacrificial ceremony for a long time. Perfect timing; we can settle the score when we get back from this Biqi incident."

Lin Mu listened without responding.

He thought of Huo Lie, who had treated him fairly well in Shabak, especially Huo Tang. If it weren't for her help, he wouldn't have been able to rescue Gu Qingyi so easily.

But after hearing about the tragic situation in Mengzhong, the anger in his heart also rose up.

If Gu Changfeng hadn't usurped the throne, and Mengzhong and Bich had joined forces to fight the enemy, the situation would probably have been different; at least the civilians wouldn't have suffered so many casualties.

However, things have come to this point, and the most important thing right now is to fight the battle in front of us well.

Lin Mu picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and gestured to Gu Qingyi: "Alright, alright, calm down. We'll settle the score sooner or later. Let's get through this first."

Gu Qingyi's lips moved, clearly still seething with anger, but she swallowed it back, picked up her water glass and took a big gulp to quell her anger.

Qin Yumo stood by the window and suddenly spoke. Her voice was soft, but her tone was unusually gentle: "The princess is right, but the defense of Bichon is the most important thing right now. We can discuss the matter of Mengzhong after things are stabilized here."

She paused for a moment, then added, "Both the prince and princess are awakened beings, so they might still be holding on. They won't fall so easily."

Gu Qingyi looked up at her, as if she hadn't expected her to offer advice, and nodded after a moment of surprise: "...Mm."

The tension inside the house finally eased a bit.

Chunxing immediately leaned closer, looking up at Lin Mu with bright, sparkling eyes: "Young Master, guess what level I am?"

Lin Mu was taken aback by her question and looked her up and down. She wasn't wearing the Rainbow Feather Robe, so he guessed she wasn't level 40 yet, and casually replied, "39?"

Chunxing shook her head, smugly tossing her head back.

"38?"

Chunxing continued to shake her head.

"Then 37?"

Her lips were already curled up to the sky, but she still shook her head.

Chunxing stopped keeping everyone in suspense, raised her chin, and said with barely suppressed pride, "I'm level 42! Back in the martial arts school, I used a lot of Spirit Gathering Beads, and my level skyrocketed. I even surprised myself!"

Lin Mu nearly dropped his water glass, put it down, and stared at her for a long while: "Level 42?"

He looked her up and down again, his gaze landing on the deep purple demon robe. "Then why aren't you wearing the Rainbow Feather Robe?"

Chunxing pouted and tugged at her robe: "What, has the young master also learned to judge by appearance? This is the demon robe that His Majesty wore back then, with magic power of 1-10. It's much better than those ordinary top-grade Rainbow Feather Robes."

She spoke with such confidence, as if she had been asked this question countless times before.

Gu Qingyi couldn't help but chuckle. Lin Mu was speechless for a moment, and could only cough and take another sip of water.

He quickly started calculating in his mind.

The batch of Spirit Gathering Pearls that the Empress bestowed upon him was only able to level up from level 37 to 41 because he had made contributions and shamelessly asked for more.

Chunxing went from level 20 to level 42. How many Spirit Gathering Pearls did His Majesty give her? He's so biased!

Gu Qingyi's smile hadn't faded as she continued, "Chunxing is indeed a talented girl; she seems to have almost no bottlenecks. Once a skill reaches level three, it quickly reaches level four. Lightning Bolt, Magic Shield, and Fire Wall are all at level four. Even if someone has similar talent to her, they wouldn't be able to level up their skills to level four so quickly."

She paused, her tone tinged with genuine emotion, "I've only just learned a level four Fiery Sword Technique."

Lin Mu secretly weighed the options in his mind.

After using the acorn, his talent was already far superior to that of ordinary people, but so far he has only mastered a level four Soul Fire Talisman.

Gu Qingyi was already exceptionally talented, and she had only just learned the fourth level of the Fiery Sword Technique.

Chunxing is indeed quite different.

He looked at Chunxing again. The girl was looking up at him, waiting for his praise. Her lips were upturned like a kitten that had stolen a fish, and her eyes were sparkling.

Lin Mu raised his hand and patted the top of her head, saying sincerely, "Amazing, truly amazing."

After speaking, Lin Mu turned his gaze to Gu Qingyi and casually asked, "Qingyi, what level are you?"

Gu Qingyi was drinking water when she heard his question. She put down the cup and replied, "Still level 40, [Experience: 28921474/36000000], I haven't broken through the bottleneck yet. His Majesty did give me a bunch of Spirit Gathering Pearls, but I saw that Chunxing has high talent, so I used them all on her."

She spoke casually, as if she were talking about something perfectly normal.

Lin Mu listened and thought about it silently for a moment.

This girl is quite generous; she gave all the Spirit Gathering Pearls to Chunxing, even though she didn't need them herself.

I left in a hurry last time and forgot to give her the acorns. This is perfect timing.

He took out three acorns from his storage bag, holding them in his palm; they gleamed faintly. "These things are called acorns. They can enhance talent and help you break through bottlenecks. I've used them myself, and the effects are quite good..."

He briefly explained the origin and function of the fruit, and the three of them listened with wide eyes, staring at the three fruits in his palm as if they were rare treasures. They also realized that Chunxing's awakening and her heaven-defying talent were largely due to these inconspicuous fruits.

Lin Mu distributed one fruit to each of them. When Gu Qingyi took the fruit, her fingers paused for a moment. She looked up at him, didn't say anything, closed her eyes, and with a thought, used it.

A moment later, Gu Qingyi suddenly raised her head, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy: "I've reached level 42! [Experience: 1021474/30000000]..."

Lin Mu listened, seemingly lost in thought.

He probably understood.

The acorn unleashed all the experience Gu Qingyi had accumulated while stuck at her bottleneck.

If she had used the Spirit Gathering Pearl herself, she probably would have wasted a lot of experience at the bottleneck.