"Now, you have five minutes to hand him over!"

With her throat in Lin Mu's grasp, Hua Meiniang's face twisted with shock and rage. She snarled, a mixture of shame and fury in her voice, "Are you even a man?!"

"You have four minutes."

Hua Meiniang was furious. "I don't know who you're looking for!"

"Three minutes!"

Her eyes looked like they could devour him whole as she bellowed, "Is your timer on fast-forward?! Why are you counting down so fast?"

"Two minutes!"

As his grip tightened, Hua Meiniang struggled to breathe, her face turning crimson.

"I…"

Lin Mu cut her off, his tone laced with scorn. "Don't bother playing mind games. The men in the other room can no longer move."

"What?"

This time, genuine panic seized Hua Meiniang. Her four strongest subordinates still hadn't appeared. Is he telling the truth?

"You have one minute left," Lin Mu said indifferently. "If you think I don't kill women, feel free to keep testing me."

"Then just kill me!" Hua Meiniang shot back, a defiant look on her face as if daring him to do it.

SPLASH!

With a faint chuckle, Lin Mu shoved her head underwater, holding it there for a good ten seconds before yanking her back up.

GASP! GASP! GASP!

Completely naked, Hua Meiniang gasped for air, her chest heaving violently. She had barely taken two breaths when Lin Mu plunged her head back into the water.

"You son of a—"

She was so enraged that she started to curse, but a mouthful of water cut her off as soon as she opened her mouth. Another ten seconds passed before Lin Mu pulled her up again.

He grinned at her. "Want to try again?"

"You bastard, I'll bite you to death!"

Like a frenzied beast, Hua Meiniang grabbed Lin Mu's hand and bit down hard.

"AH!"

The moment her teeth made contact with his skin, she cried out, clutching her jaw. "How is your skin so hard?! You're killing me!"

She rubbed her aching face, sucking in a sharp breath. It was like biting down on solid steel; she had nearly broken her teeth.

Lin Mu remained impassive. "Time's up."

With that, he lifted her out of the swimming pool and carried her to the window.

"Bastard, what do you think you're doing?!" Hua Meiniang shrieked. She was completely exposed to the air, her face burning an even deeper shade of red. To make matters worse, Lin Mu slid the window open in one swift motion. A gust of night wind swept in, making her cry out in alarm.

"Asshole, let go of me! Hurry up!"

A flicker of shame and panic entered her eyes. She knew that people in Jiangbei were aware she lived here. Some perverts had even set up telescopes on the opposite rooftop just to catch a glimpse of her. Although her windows were bulletproof and opaque from the outside, with the window open, she was completely vulnerable.

"What's wrong? Scared now?" Lin Mu said coldly. "Tell me, what would the people of Jiangbei think if they saw their goddess, Hua Meiniang of the Five Phoenixes, falling naked from this building? Splattered on the pavement for all to see, a mangled corpse."

"You…" Hua Meiniang's body trembled, her eyes wide with terror.

No woman alive didn't cherish her beauty. Even in death, she wanted to be beautiful. This was especially true for someone like Hua Meiniang.

And besides that, she was terrified of dying.

"No! I'll release him! I'll let him go!" she shouted, struggling violently in his grip.

"I need to see him first."

Gritting her teeth, Hua Meiniang conceded. "Fine, I'll release him now!" Turning her head, she yelled at a surveillance screen, "Let him go!"

Soon, Lin Mu saw Liu Zijian being brought out to stand beside Liu Xiaolin. He didn't appear to have been tortured.

"You should have just done this from the start. Why make yourself suffer?" Seeing Liu Zijian was safe, Lin Mu finally relaxed and tossed Hua Meiniang onto the sofa.

She cried out as she landed, cursing Lin Mu for being a bastard who had no idea how to treat a lady. "I really don't see how a man like you could possibly have a wife!"

As she pulled on her clothes, she glared at him with pure hatred. This bastard was no man at all! He was viciously cruel even to a woman, without a single gentle bone in his body. Hua Meiniang slipped on her nightgown, making no effort to hide from his gaze, and began dabbing medicinal liquor on her bruises. That bastard was so strong; his grip had left her swollen.

"That's none of your business," Lin Mu stated calmly, watching her. "Now talk. Why did you kidnap my brother?"

"Kidnap him?" Hua Meiniang scoffed. "This lady has no interest in a man like that. Someone simply paid me to hold him for a few days. They were supposed to send someone to pick him up."

"Who?" Lin Mu's eyes narrowed, seeming to have already guessed. "Someone from the Jiangling Fang Family?"

"No." Hua Meiniang's eyes suddenly widened. "You said he's your brother. Don't tell me you're the Lin Mu the Fang Family is looking for? Did you really kill all those people from the Fang Family and blow up their building?"

"That doesn't concern you," Lin Mu said coldly. "Tell me, who wants to harm my brother?"

"Long Ao!" she blurted out. "The leader of the Six Dragons of Jiangbei, Long Ao himself!"

"Long Ao?" A smile touched Lin Mu's lips. "Call him. Tell him to get over here and kowtow to my brother as an apology."

Hua Meiniang's eyes flew open in disbelief. "Are you insane? You want Long Ao to come and kowtow to your brother? In your dreams!"

This man was unbelievably arrogant. Long Ao was the head of the Six Dragons of Jiangbei. His power was terrifying; even she wouldn't dare to provoke him. And this Lin Mu wants him to come here and kowtow? Did he get his head caught in a door?

"Just do as I say," Lin Mu said flatly. "If you don't want to die."

Hua Meiniang was about to refuse, but a cunning smile replaced her scowl. "Alright, I'll call Long Ao right now."

Hmph, you brat. Just you wait. I can't beat you, but let's see how Long Ao deals with you when he gets here!

A moment later, Hua Meiniang finished the call and turned to Lin Mu with a saccharine smile. "If I were you, I'd start running."

"Because Long Ao said he's going to personally break your arms and legs, then throw you into the Bolan River."

Lin Mu stood by the window, gazing down at the Jiangbei cityscape. "Is that so? Then I'll wait for him right here."

Hua Meiniang felt like she had misheard him. "Hey, are you actually crazy?" she exclaimed. "Long Ao is ruthless and vicious! He hates it when people look down on him more than anything. It's one thing to run your mouth, but are you really going to wait for him to come here?"

"What? Are you worried about me?" Lin Mu glanced at the woman, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Who the hell would be worried about you?!" Hua Meiniang roared, her face flushing with embarrassed anger. "I'd rather kill you with my own hands! I'm just worried you'll die here and dirty my floors!"

"Rest assured, I won't be the one dying." Lin Mu stretched lazily and sat down on the sofa. "Come here. Give me a shoulder rub."

"In your dreams!" Hua Meiniang fumed. This bastard was really pushing his luck. What did he take her for?

"Hm?"

Lin Mu merely glanced at her, a sharp glint in his eyes. The look shook Hua Meiniang to her core, and a flicker of terror surfaced in her gaze.

Such terrifying eyes... such chilling killing intent.

Taking a deep breath, Hua Meiniang forced a charming smile onto her face and said obediently, "Of course. Your humble servant will be right there."

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