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

As for Lin Mu...

Qin Yumo put down her teacup, walked to the window, and looked at the empty room in the courtyard.

As long as he's not dead. At least I can give my father some closure.

-

Meanwhile, Lin Mu had rested and was riding his horse toward the dock. He finally had some free time, and thoughts began to pop into his mind one by one.

He recalled the female Taoist robber with an amazing figure, whose poison damage was only 1 point, and the Taoist priest wearing the Soul Armor he encountered at the Woma Temple, whose poison damage was still 1 point every 3 seconds.

The female robber could be blamed on her low level and underdeveloped skills. But surely the Taoist priest in the Soul Armor must have been at a higher level? Could his poisoning technique still be level 0? Impossible.

There's only one explanation. In this world, the Taoist's green poison deals a fixed 1 point of damage. Increasing the level of the Poisoning Technique only prolongs the poison's duration, not the damage.

Once I thought about it that way, everything made sense.

No wonder those Taoist priests had such a hard time fighting monsters, no wonder they looked at their poisoned wounds like they'd seen a ghost.

Having figured this out, Lin Mu thought of another question. Teleportation scrolls were so valuable; one could make Old Master Qin remember the favor for a lifetime. What about the mage's Instant Teleportation? Logically speaking, Instant Teleportation was also a teleportation skill, but none of the mages he had seen before seemed to have used it.

It seems there are still many secrets in this world.

As he thought about this, he rode his horse toward the dock. By the time he arrived, it was already dark.

Lin Mu put the horse back into the brocade pouch and boarded the ship. The ship hadn't set sail yet, and the lights on the dock were twinkling. He leaned against the ship's railing, observing the sea and land. The land route at the dock was a narrow entrance from Beech City to the Woma Forest. But from the sea, it was actually the mouth of the Beech River where it flowed into the ocean.

Looking at the vast, dark sea in the distance, Lin Mu's mood was completely different from when he arrived.

When he first arrived, he was a disheveled son-in-law, carrying a few bottles of medicine and hardly any money in his pocket. He was filled with anxiety, wondering what the Woma Forest was like.

What now?

He touched the Qiankun bag at his waist.

He recalled Qin Yumo's words from that day.

"I'm level 18 now. With my talent, I'll be able to train to summon skeletons next year."

"Someone like you is only a first-level minor Taoist priest."

Humph.

Lin Mu snorted smugly to himself. "Little brat, I've only been here a month, and you've already caught up with over a decade of your arduous cultivation."

When you get back, you must be punished according to family rules.

Thinking of this, he felt something bursting forth from his chest, a surge of energy rising from his dantian, an urge that he couldn't suppress. He stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of grandeur, tilted his head back, took out a flask of wine, and took a swig towards the moon.

"Enjoy life while you can, for tomorrow you may die... Hahahaha..."

Then the boat set sail and entered the river mouth. The lights on both banks gradually faded into the distance, leaving only a full moon in the sky, shining on the sea and shattering into countless silver scales.

Lin Mu stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the distant dock and the bright moon. The smugness in his heart slowly faded away, replaced by another emotion.

(The following story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is purely coincidental.)

home.

He recalled his childhood when he was a renowned good student in the village, always ranking first in exams. Villagers would tell his parents, "Your son is destined for greatness." His parents would beam with joy, their eyes shining brightly.

He was proud of himself. At that time, he thought he would grow up to be a great hero, leading the whole village to prosperity, building bridges and roads, constructing modern houses, and enabling everyone to live a good life. After his death, his memorial tablet would be enshrined in the ancestral hall, receiving incense offerings from future generations, with inscriptions carved on his tombstone, so that the villagers would remember his name for generations to come.

At that time, he was the hope of the whole village.

Later, he was admitted to a prestigious university as he wished. On the day of his departure, the whole village came to the village entrance to see him off. His second aunt gave him a bag of boiled eggs, his third uncle stuffed a few crumpled coins into his pocket, and the village chief patted him on the shoulder and said, "Study hard, our village is counting on you in the future." He boarded the bus and looked back to see his parents standing at the front of the crowd. His mother was wiping away tears, and his father, though not crying, had red eyes and waved vigorously at him.

He waved vigorously through the car window, secretly vowing to make something of himself and not let these people down.

But in university, nobody cared about him anymore. There was no class advisor watching him from outside the window, no weekly or monthly exams or rankings, and no one whispering in his ear, "You're the hope of the whole village." He started going to class, but later realized no one would know if he skipped. His roommate was playing a game called "Legend of Mir" and asked him to join. He said he didn't want to play, he needed to study. His roommate said it would only be for a little while, it wouldn't interfere with his studies. He sat down to try it out, and then never got up again.

From then on, he spent all his time in internet cafes, skipping classes and exams. The world of Legend was too captivating. Bichon City, Woma Forest, Pig Cave, Zuma Temple—slaying monsters one by one, his experience bar slowly rising, equipment dropping piece by piece. The instant gratification was far more exhilarating than studying.

He started failing his courses. One, two, three. His counselor talked to him, and he readily agreed, but after leaving the office, he went straight to an internet cafe. When the notice of repeating the year came down, he was stunned for a long time, but the next day he still sat in front of the computer.

Chapter 46 Gu An

At first, he could lie to his family, saying he was busy with schoolwork and that everything was fine. But the truth eventually came out, and he was exposed.

The dismissal notice arrived home. He remembered his father being silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, followed by a long sigh. That sigh was more painful than being scolded or beaten.

But the game's clutches clung to him like a demon, and the next day he forgot everything and plunged back into the internet cafe. He had even thought that if he could get a teleportation ring and sell it, he could return home with some dignity. But that was just a dream; it seemed that apart from studying, his luck was terrible in every other aspect of life.

Sometimes he would think of his childhood playmate, the one named Erdan. Erdan was a terrible student, always causing trouble; his teachers said he was hopeless. But after dropping out of school, Erdan learned to operate an excavator, earning a good income, and settled down early with a son and a daughter. He would post on social media during holidays, his family of four laughing and joking. He didn't even dare to like his posts, afraid people would ask where he was or what he was doing.

He was too ashamed to go back after that.

The family told everyone that he had graduated, gone abroad to work, and settled overseas. The father used this lie to give the villagers an explanation and to preserve a shred of dignity for himself.

And he continued to drift aimlessly through his time in the game.

After being expelled from school, he used the little money he earned in the game to rent a room, buy a computer, and started grinding monsters and fighting bosses day and night.

He ate instant noodles when he was hungry, and slept on the table when he was sleepy. His only connection to the real world was the occasional question from the convenience store owner downstairs: "Haven't seen you out in a while." He didn't care about the Diaoyu Islands incident or the 08 Olympics. The outside world was in turmoil, but his world consisted only of that one screen.

And so it went, day after day, year after year. The game that once thrilled and delighted him slowly turned into a chore, a habit, a proof that he was still alive. He logged on every day, slaying monsters and farming for equipment, not for pleasure, but simply to prove that he was still alive, still doing something, that his body hadn't completely decayed.

Perhaps he's waiting for something. A teleportation ring? A summoning skill book for a divine beast? A chance to start anew? Or perhaps, he's waiting to die?!

What now?

Lin Mu looked down at himself. His Qiankun bag contained dozens of gold coins, and his belt held a bottle of Sun Water and a random teleportation scroll. In just one month, he had leveled up from level one to level eighteen, his Daoist skills had increased to twenty-five, he had single-handedly killed a half-orc warrior, and even wiped out a Woma Guardian, earning him the reputation of a "master in plain clothes" in the Woma Forest.

Go abroad?

He really did go abroad. But it was to the Marfa Empire.

To stand out from the crowd?

I suppose so. Although nobody knows him, nobody recognizes him. But at least he's no longer wasting his days aimlessly. Here, he's no longer that good-for-nothing holed up in his rented room waiting to die.

Lin Mu looked at the moon, the wine in his mouth was bitter and astringent, with a taste that was hard to describe.

"The spring river rises with the tide, reaching the sea; the bright moon rises with the tide."

His voice was soft, almost like he was talking to himself; it was his favorite poem.

"The shimmering waves stretch for thousands of miles; where on the spring river is there no moon shining bright?"

The moon shines on the sea, shimmering and sparkling, probably just like the hazy moon in the streams of my hometown. Equally round, equally bright, shining on those hurrying on their journeys.

"The slanting moon sinks deep into the sea mist, the road to Jieshi and Xiaoxiang stretches endlessly."

He remembered the river at the village entrance, the memory of sitting by the river reciting lessons as a child, and his mother calling him home for dinner from the yard. He had walked that road for over a decade, and now he feared he could never go back.

"I wonder how many will return by moonlight; the setting moon stirs emotions among the trees along the river."

He remained silent for a long time, then took another swig of wine. The wine burned his throat, scalded his chest, and finally turned into a long sigh, which dissipated in the sea breeze.

He didn't know if he could ever go back, or if anyone in that world would remember him. But at least here, in this strange, dangerous world full of monsters, he was no longer a useless person.

But the tears still kept falling.

There was no sound; the water just streamed down his cheeks, one drop, two drops, hitting the gunwale and breaking into smaller droplets that mingled with the sea breeze. He raised his hand to wipe it, then wiped it again, his hand becoming soaked, and he couldn't get it clean no matter how hard he tried.

Lin Mu tilted his head back, trying to hold back his tears. The moon was blurred into a blur, and so was the shimmering silver on the sea. The wind rushed into his throat, dry and astringent, like swallowing a handful of sand.

Forget it. Let me cry, no one will see.

He leaned against the ship's railing, letting tears stream into his mouth; they were salty, like the taste of seawater.

He seemed to feel much better afterward; the stone that had been pressing on his chest for who knows how many years seemed to have loosened a little. It wasn't exactly relief, but it just didn't feel as heavy anymore.

After an unknown amount of time, his tears finally dried, leaving only two faint tear tracks, chilled by the sea breeze. He raised his hand to wipe his face, stuffed the wine flask back into his storage bag, and turned to leave.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind me, very light, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"Brother, you have excellent writing skills."

The man didn't mention Lin Mu's earlier embarrassment.

Lin Mu turned around and saw a young man standing a few steps away, dressed in a moon-white long robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist. He was quite handsome, with gentle features, and was smiling at him. He was also carrying a wine pot, so he seemed to be a fellow passenger on the same ship.

Under the moonlight, the person's face was almost translucent white, with a slender neck. Every gesture exuded an indescribable air of refinement, not the deliberate arrogance of a scion of a noble family, but rather an innate quality, requiring no proof; simply standing there was enough.

"My name is Gu An. I couldn't resist coming to bother you after hearing your recitation. Those lines, 'The spring river rises with the tide, level with the sea; the bright moon rises with the tide,' are truly magnificent and profound, rare and exquisite lines." Gu An raised his wine pot. "May I ask your honorable surname, brother?"

"No need for formalities, my surname is Lin and my given name is Mu."

"Brother Lin." Gu An leaned over and rested against the gunwale. His gaze lingered on Lin Mu's face for a moment, noticing the two tear tracks that hadn't quite dried. He wisely refrained from asking, "Brother Lin, do you have the complete poem?"

Lin Mu shook his head: "Just a few casual words."

Gu An sighed, his tone tinged with regret: "What a pity. Such a fine line, if presented, might have won Her Majesty the Empress's favor."

Lin Mu was taken aback: "The Empress likes poetry?"

Gu An nodded, perking up: "Brother Lin, do you know? Her Majesty the Empress has loved poetry and songs since childhood, and has been promoting them even more since ascending the throne. Nowadays, there are poetry gatherings every month in Bichon City, and there are also poetry competitions during festivals. The winner will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and will be able to serve in the Hanlin Academy."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "To be honest, Brother Lin, this is also Her Majesty the Empress's strategy of governing the people. The world of the Awakened is based on strength, but there are still more ordinary people in this world. We must leave a path for ordinary people to rise up, and not block all the roads. In the art of poetry, whether you are an Awakened or an ordinary person, it all depends on your talent. As long as you write well, you will have your day."

Chapter 47 Spring River Flower Moon Night

Lin Mu nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Gu An glanced at him again, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Brother Lin, with your literary talent, you must already have a position in the court?"

Lin Mu smiled and said, "No."

"Why?" Gu An was taken aback. "With Brother Lin's talent, it wouldn't be difficult for him to enter the Hanlin Academy just by participating in a poetry gathering..."

Lin Mu shook his head and didn't say anything.

Seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, Gu An didn't press him further, but just sighed, "What a pity. Someone like Brother Lin, if he had been born into a prominent family, would have had a limitless future with his literary talent."

Lin Mu took a sip of wine, gazing at the dark sea in the distance, his voice as calm as if he were talking about someone else's business: "There's no need for so many formalities. I lost both my parents at a young age, and now I'm living under someone else's roof as a live-in son-in-law. What future can I have?"

Gu An was stunned for a moment, and the wine pot in his hand stopped in mid-air.

"A son-in-law?" He looked Lin Mu up and down, his expression becoming complicated. "Brother Lin... is he a son-in-law?"

Lin Mu nodded, not taking it seriously. The moonlight shone on his face, and the two tear tracks had been dried by the wind, leaving only his eyes slightly red, as if they had been stung by the sea breeze.

Gu An was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Brother Lin, what I am about to say may be offensive..."