"Lin Wudi, you're too arrogant!" The old man's voice rose again, seven parts fury and three parts killing intent. "Do you really think you're invincible?"

"If you're not convinced, come out and fight me one-on-one!" Lin Mu snorted disdainfully, his words brimming with provocation.

The onlookers were left speechless. A duel? Who in their right mind would be insane enough to challenge him alone when two Grandmasters combined couldn't even beat him? Do they have a death wish?

"Hmph!" The hidden voice scoffed. There was a hint of apprehension in the sound, but the tone remained staunch. "I will remember this grudge."

"You who love to skulk in the shadows, get out here!" Lin Mu suddenly cracked a smile and made a grabbing motion toward a distant spot.

With a cry of alarm, a figure was yanked from a faraway mountain, flying through the air before splashing down into the water.

"How can it be him?" Atop Yueyang Tower, Master Zhang's expression changed, and he shot to his feet.

"Master Zhang, is this person someone important?" Qing Ni asked, her face full of shock.

"To say he's important is an understatement. There are very few in all of Huaxia who would dare to provoke him," Master Zhang said gravely. "Although he isn't a Grandmaster in the Martial Arts World, his status in Huaxia is exceptionally high."

"Grandfather Zhang, who is he?" Ling Yun asked curiously.

"His name is Yao Kuohai. He holds a position in the Military Department and also serves as an honorary advisor to the Martial Alliance Headquarters," Master Zhang sighed, a complex look on his face.

The ancient martial arts Sects feared getting entangled with people like him more than anything. Even his junior martial brother, who now held great prestige in the Capital, was someone Master Zhang and Wudang preferred to keep their distance from.

The saying 'warriors use their might to transgress the law' is an eternal truth. Wielding a deadly weapon with killing intent in one's heart is precisely what the authorities fear most.

Originally, the Martial Alliance was meant to lead the world's martial artists, but some intended to use it to suppress the Martial Arts World. Over the years, the Military Department has continuously placed its people inside the Martial Alliance, all to better control the organization and, by extension, all the martial artists in the country.

Yao Kuohai was one of them.

If he truly acted in the people's best interest, no one would have a complaint. However, Yao Kuohai was notorious for abusing his public office for private gain. His backing was so powerful that ordinary people couldn't touch him. Not even Lin Wudi!

Master Zhang gave a wry smile. "This Yao Kuohai is exceptionally vengeful. He'll hold a grudge for days if someone so much as speaks to him disrespectfully. And now, Master Lin has killed East Madness, even after Yao warned him not to."

Upon hearing Master Zhang's explanation, the expressions of everyone on the tower changed. Yao Kuohai's background was truly significant.

"Doesn't that mean Master Lin is in danger?" Qing Ni exclaimed.

Ling Yun said indignantly, "But why? It was East Madness who provoked Master Lin first!"

"Sigh. If only everyone in the world were reasonable, things would be much simpler," Master Zhang sighed. "For now, we can only hope Master Lin knows when to quit while he's ahead and doesn't make a mortal enemy of this man."

「...」

"Lin Wudi, you're courting death!" Being dragged out in front of everyone by Lin Mu, Yao Kuohai's face flushed beet red as a wave of humiliation washed over him.

"Old man, how many times are you going to say that? Even if you're not tired of it, I am." Having said his piece, Lin Mu slapped him directly across the face.

SMACK!

The slap landed heavily. Yao Kuohai cried out as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"You... you dare to hit me?" Yao Kuohai clutched his face, staring at Lin Mu in disbelief. He never imagined Lin Mu would actually dare to strike him. Outrageous, simply outrageous!

Upstairs, Master Zhang was also stunned. This Master Lin is truly domineering and forceful, to think he'd strike Yao Kuohai without hesitation!

"This is bad!" Master Zhang said anxiously. "Master Lin has really stirred up a hornet's nest this time!"

"Grandfather Zhang, what is it now?" Ling Yun felt her little heart fluttering in her chest, unable to settle down for even a moment.

Master Zhang spoke with a grave expression. "You all saw that fishing line just now, didn't you?"

Ling Yun nodded subconsciously, then said, "But didn't Master Lin snap it with a single finger?" As she spoke, she extended a fair finger and poked the air to demonstrate, a proud expression on her face as if she had done it herself.

But Master Zhang just shook his head. "My dear girl, you have no idea. That person... has a background that's even more terrifying."

"Master Zhang, you don't mean the old fisherman, Jin Bumie, do you?" Qing Ni's face suddenly changed as if she had just realized something.

"Indeed. He's the only one who uses a fishing pole as a weapon," Master Zhang said seriously. "That Jin Bumie is an Elder of the current Martial Alliance. Decades ago, he had an extremely high reputation in the Martial Arts World!"

Ling Yun frowned. "But his name doesn't seem to be on the current Heavenly Ranking."

Qing Ni sighed. "My dear, the current Heavenly Ranking only records the Martial Arts Grandmasters of the last twenty years. Those from before that time have long since stopped caring about so-called rankings."

"What?" Ling Yun grew nervous and asked with concern, "Then can Master Lin possibly be a match for this old fisherman?"

Master Zhang shook his head. "Master Lin has extraordinary talent, but he has been cultivating for a short time. How could he possibly be a match for an old-guard Grandmaster like Jin Bumie? Moreover, back in his day, Jin Bumie was also ranked tenth on the Heavenly Ranking."

Lin Wudi was also ranked tenth. A clash between the old and new tenth-ranked masters of the Heavenly Ranking... that would truly be a grand spectacle.

「...」

Just then, the crowd saw mist begin to rise over Dongting Lake, shrouding the scene in a haze. From the center of the lake, a small, flat-bottomed boat seemed to be slowly approaching.

An old, singing voice drifted across the water, and though it came from afar, it landed clearly in everyone's ears.

"In August, the lake is level with the shore;

Its vastness merges with the pale blue sky.

"The mists steam over the great Dream-Cloud Marsh;

Its waves shake the walls of Yueyang City.

"I would cross, but I have no boat or oars;

To live in idleness shames a wise ruler's reign.

"I sit and watch a fisherman cast his line,

And envy him his fish, but all in vain."

The song ended. The small boat stopped in the middle of the lake, fifty meters from Lin Mu. On the boat sat an old man wearing a straw raincoat and a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, holding a fishing pole. The pole was made of vibrant green bamboo. A silver line descended from it, and the hook was invisible beneath the water's surface.

The moment this man appeared, the entire surface of Dongting Lake became perfectly still.

The Fisherman Elder, Jin Bumie!

"Master Jin, save me!" Yao Kuohai was overjoyed to see him and shouted with a face full of resentment, "This Lin Wudi dared to disrespect me! Kill him quickly!"

Jin Bumie shook his head. Pushing up his bamboo hat, he looked at Lin Mu and said, "Young man, let him go."

He paused, then added, "I can promise you this: I will kill only you and spare the rest of your clan."

This was his infamous reputation: when he killed, he liked to exterminate entire clans, stringing their bodies up on his fishing line as a gruesome warning to others.

"What did you say?" Lin Mu's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them.

"I said, I will kill only you and spare your clan," the Fisherman Elder repeated with a faint smile. To an unknowing observer, he looked like a simple old man fishing. Who could imagine this was the same Jin Bumie who was infamous for his massacres decades ago?

Lin Mu dug a finger in his ear. "I was asking about the sentence before that."

"I said, 'Young man, let him go'!" Jin Bumie's brow furrowed, a hint of anger in his voice.

"And if I don't?" Lin Mu grinned. "What are you going to do? Kill me?"

Hearing Lin Mu's words, Master Zhang's mouth trembled, and he almost cursed out loud. My god, this young man is unbelievably arrogant!

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