In the Crane Immortal Sect's assembly hall.

Liu Qingshan sat in the main seat, his complexion pale and his expression weary, a hint of regret and anger in his eyes.

"We wrongly blamed Master Lin." Liu Qingshan heaved a long sigh and painfully closed his eyes.

"Sect Leader…" Elder Cen and the others also wore pained and regretful expressions, laced with a trace of fear and trepidation.

Elder Cen immediately knelt. "If the Sect Leader must punish someone, then punish me!"

He was the disciplinary elder of the Crane Immortal Sect. With such a serious incident occurring in the sect, he was duty-bound to assume responsibility.

"Alas." Liu Qingshan shook his head and sighed. "As the Sect Leader, I ignored the sect's affairs and even wronged Master Lin. How could I possibly blame any of you?"

The crane had spread its wings, the ancestor had manifested, and the portrait had wept!

Even the portrait of Ancestor Mu Bai had disappeared!

All these signs told them one thing: they had made a grave mistake. Master Lin had come with that child to bring a great opportunity to the Crane Immortal Sect!

The Lotus Sword Technique was Ancestor Mu Bai's strongest secret art. Besides his direct disciple, who could possibly cultivate it?

Although the Crane Immortal Sect was established single-handedly by Ancestor Bai He, the entire lineage of the sect had been passed down through the Liu family for hundreds of years. The records stated that Ancestor Mu Bai had traveled the world and later disappeared without a trace, all his cultivation vanishing with him. From that generation's Sect Leader onward, the sect was resolved to find Ancestor Mu Bai's legacy to memorialize Ancestor Bai He.

But...

The one who carried it had clearly come, yet they had driven him away. When he left, he even left the legacy of Ancestor Mu Bai behind.

Thinking of this, Liu Qingshan's heart was filled with ever-deepening regret and guilt.

"Sect Leader, what should we do now?" Elder Cen asked anxiously. "The child has now delivered Ancestor Mu Bai's legacy to the Crane Immortal Sect, but in doing so, we have offended Lin Wudi. If this matter remains unresolved, it might not be a blessing for the sect, but a calamity!"

Liu Xiaolin's sword strike had caused the Crane Immortal Sect's white crane to cry out and the portrait of the founding ancestor to weep. Then, in the very spot where Ancestor Mu Bai's portrait had disappeared, a lotus flower appeared. Within that lotus flower was hidden the Sword Dao left by Ancestor Mu Bai.

However, neither Liu Qingshan nor any of the sect's elders could fathom the opportunity within, let alone grasp its profound Sword Dao. Although Ancestor Mu Bai's legacy had been recovered, no one in the sect could cultivate it, filling Liu Qingshan and the others with regret and deep lament.

"I will go and ask for Master Lin's forgiveness!" Liu Su suddenly spoke up. "I'll find Master Lin and beg for his pardon!"

Asking for forgiveness is the truth, but the real goal is to have Liu Xiaolin return to the Crane Immortal Sect.

"Ask Master Lin for forgiveness?" Liu Qingshan gave a bitter smile. "I wish to as well, but how could our Crane Immortal Sect possibly have the face to ask him?"

"There is one other possibility!" Liu Su said, looking at Qing Yan, who knelt on the ground with vacant eyes. "As long as Qing Yan apologizes to Master Lin and that child, I believe Master Lin will agree!"

The root cause of all this was the suspicion of Liu Qingshan and the elders, and Qing Yan's subsequent attack, which led to Lin Mu taking Liu Xiaolin away.

"But…" Liu Qingshan still hesitated. After all, Qing Yan was his disciple.

"Father, if you continue to be so indecisive, we'll lose our last shred of hope!" Liu Su said indignantly. "Do you want our Crane Immortal Sect's legacy to end here?"

"Fine!" Determination flashed in Liu Qingshan's eyes as he stood up. "But I will go personally to ask for Master Lin's forgiveness!"

「...」

"Do you have any regrets about leaving that item with the Crane Immortal Sect?" Lin Mu asked.

Liu Xiaolin scratched his head. "Didn't Godfather bring me here specifically to return it to them? After all, it's their property. When I saw that lotus pond, I already knew that Master hoped I would bring it back to the Crane Immortal Sect."

"Actually," Lin Mu said, "if you had kept those Sword Dao techniques, the Crane Immortal Sect couldn't have said anything."

Liu Xiaolin thought for a moment, then said, a little embarrassed, "To be honest, I wasn't thinking that much at the time."

Lin Mu was slightly taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter.

"Godfather, can I still follow you and cultivate in the future?"

Although Liu Xiaolin was only a child of four or five, he had been so deeply influenced by Liu Mubai that he was more mature than most adults. It was only because his mind was still that of a child, retaining an innocent heart, that his understanding of the Sword Dao was deeper than that of ordinary people. He knew what it meant to give away such an opportunity. Asking this question now, he was somewhat nervous.

Patting Liu Xiaolin's head, Lin Mu said, "Of course you can."

Liu Xiaolin immediately broke into a happy smile. At this moment, he truly looked like a child.

Taking Liu Xiaolin with him, Lin Mu returned to Jiangbei. After discussing his development plans for Jiangbei with Liu Zijian, Lin Mu did not go back to River City.

Because he still had many things to do. That was to go to Jiangling and annihilate the Fang Family.

「Jiangling. The Fang Family.」

Several figures knelt at the entrance to the Fang Family estate, their expressions desolate, not daring to raise their heads.

"Family Head, that Lin Mu has gone too far, torturing Shaoning to this extent!" a member of the Fang Family with bloodshot eyes loudly condemned Lin Mu.

"Exactly, Family Head! Look at what Shaoning has become! It's all Lin Mu's doing!" a woman sobbed, cradling Fang Shaoning's body.

At this moment, Fang Shaoning's hair was disheveled and his eyes were vacant. His entire body was twisted into an extremely grotesque arc, for every bone in his body had been shattered. In just a few days, he had lost all semblance of the young master of the Fang Family. His body was reduced to skin and bones, a terrifying sight, like neither human nor ghost. If not for the single thread of breath keeping him alive, he would have died long ago.

Fang Shaoning's lips trembled, repeating the same phrase over and over: "Don't kill me… don't kill me…"

Hearing these words, the Fang Family members seethed with rage.

"Lin Mu, you've gone too far!"

"This Lin Mu deserves to die!"

"Kill him! Kill Lin Mu and destroy the Qin Family!"

Hearing the angry shouts of his clansmen, Fang Tang roared, "All of you, shut up!"

He pointed to a clansman kneeling on the ground. "Have you investigated Lin Mu's identity? What is his relationship with Lin Wudi?"

The clansman trembled. "Reporting to the Family Head. I investigated in River City for three days and asked many people. This Lin Mu is just a live-in son-in-law of the Qin Family and has always been a good-for-nothing. He definitely can't be Lin Wudi!"

Fang Tang was slightly startled, clearly not expecting Lin Mu to be a mere live-in son-in-law.

He confirmed again, "Fang Tong, are you certain what you're saying is true?"

"I stake my life on it!" Fang Tong immediately replied. "Right now, Lin Mu is preparing to head to Jiangling, claiming he's coming to visit our Fang Family. Meanwhile, Lin Wudi, Master Lin, is heading to Dragon Tiger Mountain, preparing for a battle with Heavenly Master Zhang Daoyun!"

Another Fang Family member spoke up. "Family Head, we heard news of that battle a year ago, so it can't be false. This Lin Mu is just relying on River City being his territory to disregard our Fang Family."

"Yes," said another, "I heard he has deep connections with the Guan Family. Could it be that the Guan Family is acting in the shadows?"

"What a Guan Family! What a Lin Mu!" Fang Tang said icily. "Since that Lin Mu wants to come to Jiangling, our Fang Family will see him to the end! I want to see for myself if this Lin Mu really has three heads and six arms, as the rumors claim!"

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