"For family and country, a hundred deaths without regret!"

This was the Guan Family's motto.

Since the period of national wars, the Guan Family had served in the military. Their entire family was one of loyal martyrs, suffering countless deaths and injuries. But they never regretted it.

The Guan Family also came from humble beginnings. When they first joined the army, their only weapons were scythes and hoes. Yet, it was this very family that perfectly embodied the spirit of dedicating one's life to the nation.

After the liberation, the Guan Family was ennobled, and Elder Guan was conferred the rank of General. He guarded his territory, becoming a great pillar of the nation. However, the Guan Family did not indulge in a life of comfort. Instead, they volunteered to stand guard in the most arduous places.

Thus, the Guan Family came to River City.

Guan Chengye sighed and said, "Countless ancestors built this era of peace with their own flesh and blood, yet there are always demons and monsters plotting to ruin our lands. Others might allow it, but my Guan Family will not!"

At that moment, the old man seemed to transform into the general from the legends, standing resolute with his blade, guarding the nation's gates against all enemies. His entire being radiated an iron-willed determination. An old general never dies; his blood remains hot.

"General Guan, you are a man of great righteousness!" Sun Tianyang bowed again.

His previous bow had been for the common people. This one was for the Guan Family.

"However, where there is light, shadows are cast, breeding countless flies and rats," Guan Chengye sighed. "No one knows what my Guan Family is guarding here in River City. It's a state secret, so forgive me for not being able to disclose it."

Sun Tianyang chimed in, "Young Master Mu, every word Elder Guan says is true. You see..."

"Is it because of the Dark Web?" Lin Mu interjected.

"How did you know?" Guan Chengye's expression changed drastically. He stared intently at Lin Mu, his powerful aura locking onto him.

In the shadows, numerous other formidable presences did the same, ready to strike Lin Mu down on Guan Chengye's command.

"What? Does Elder Guan truly believe that you, a mere Inner Strength Martial Artist, along with those Guan Family disciples outside who haven't even achieved External Strength, could subdue me?" Lin Mu asked with a light chuckle, his hands clasped behind his back.

BOOM!

In that same instant, a formidable aura erupted from Lin Mu's body. It condensed into a tangible force before him, sweeping out and instantly suppressing Guan Chengye and the hidden auras in the shadows. It was as mighty as a dragon, as fierce as a tiger.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!

Guan Chengye and Sun Tianyang both staggered back several steps, their faces filled with shock as they stared at Lin Mu.

"To project True Qi and give it form... Are you a Grandmaster?!"

At this moment, Guan Chengye felt a genuine trace of fear. The Grandmaster Realm was the domain of Land Immortals.

Lin Mu's aura vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and he returned to his ordinary demeanor. But Guan Chengye no longer dared to underestimate him.

"Guan Chengye pays his respects to Master Lin!" he said, immediately stepping forward to offer Lin Mu a deep, formal bow.

A single Grandmaster could stabilize an entire nation. Though his Guan Family was a great asset to the country, they were nothing compared to a Grandmaster. After all, a Grandmaster was an existence capable of single-handedly standing against a whole nation.

Sun Tianyang stood respectfully to the side, his heart reeling with even greater shock. In just a few days, Young Master Mu has grown even stronger.

Lin Mu smiled faintly. "Elder Guan, there's no need for such formality."

Guan Chengye asked nervously, "Master Lin, may I ask how you know of the Dark Web?" He couldn't afford to be careless about this matter.

"I've crossed paths with them before," Lin Mu said. "But I don't know much about them."

Guan Chengye breathed a sigh of relief, though he remained shocked. "From what you're saying, Master Lin, the Dark Web has a presence in River City as well?"

He gave a bitter smile. "I suppose that's right. The Dark Web is like rats in a sewer—they're everywhere."

"However, since you've already made an enemy of them, Master Lin, you must be even more careful," Guan Chengye said, his expression turning serious. "This organization is nefarious and unscrupulous. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals!"

Lin Mu smiled nonchalantly. "I actually hope they come looking for me. It would give me an opportunity to wipe them out."

Lin Mu said it so simply, but his words made both Guan Chengye's and Sun Tianyang's hearts pound in terror. It was no wonder. They were only Inner Strength Martial Artists, and combat wasn't their focus. They simply couldn't comprehend the implications of his statement. But then, remembering that Lin Mu was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, a flicker of hope ignited in Guan Chengye's heart.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then hesitated before finally saying, "This time, the reason Xin He was injured was that he was on a secret mission to destroy one of the Dark Web's hidden strongholds. Unfortunately, the Dark Web has grown powerful not only because they have the support of certain people, but because their own strength should not be underestimated."

Lin Mu nodded. That explains it. It's why Guan Xinhe wouldn't listen to my advice and had to go. Otherwise, with his cultivation at the Late-Stage of External Strength and the elixir I gave him, there's no way he would have been injured this severely.

"Thank you for telling me, Elder Guan," Lin Mu said. "Now, let's focus on healing the patient."

"Right, right," Sun Tianyang said. "What do you need, Young Master Mu?"

Lin Mu looked at him. "The same as last time, but I also need a magnet."

"Last time?" Sun Tianyang was stunned for a moment, then a look of realization dawned on him as he nodded. "Alright."

Sun Tianyang asked Guan Chengye to prepare the silver needles, lime, towels, and other items. Guan Chengye hurriedly thanked them and left.

Only then did Sun Tianyang ask, "Young Master Mu, is the patient's condition the same as last time?"

Lin Mu nodded, then shook his head. "The same, yet not the same."

Sun Tianyang was utterly confused but didn't press further. With Young Master Mu here, his only job was to assist.

Soon, everything was ready. Only Lin Mu and Sun Tianyang remained in the room.

"Let's begin," Lin Mu said with a smile.

Sun Tianyang grinned, pulled on a pair of gloves, and began to carefully unwrap the bandages from Guan Xinhe's body. A Divine Doctor of his stature, so thrilled to be a mere assistant—he was truly one of a kind.

Once the bandages were removed, even Sun Tianyang, a man who had seen countless grievous injuries, couldn't help but gasp.

On Guan Xinhe's body were dozens of wounds, large and small, some so deep that the bone was visible. A few had already begun to fester, emitting an odious stench.

Lin Mu frowned slightly. It seemed the battle Guan Xinhe had endured was a brutal one. There were knife wounds, gunshot wounds, and various injuries from hand-to-hand combat. It could be said that not a single patch of skin on Guan Xinhe's body was left unscathed, and several of his bones were shattered.

"Young Master Mu..." Sun Tianyang looked at Lin Mu with a grave expression, wondering what he would do.

Lin Mu held out his hand. "Silver Needle!"

Sun Tianyang quickly passed it over.

Lin Mu took the needle. His eyes gleamed as he channeled a stream of Spiritual Energy into it and, with a flick of his finger, sent it flying.

To Sun Tianyang's utter astonishment, the silver needle shot out and embedded itself perfectly in the Yintang acupoint between Guan Xinhe's eyebrows.

"One-Finger Meditation?!"

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