Zhao Ling'Er was very curious when she saw Mu Lin. "Mu Lin, my grandfather says your medical skills are incredible—that he's not even in the same league. Is that really true?"
"Grandmaster Zhao overestimates me. My medical skills are nothing special. I only scratched the surface of what my master taught me."
Zhao Ling'Er's eyes sparkled, and Mu Lin felt as if he could see stars in them.
"So you're saying you have skills that are even more impressive?"
Mu Lin nodded. "I'm best at fighting and running my mouth."
"Uh..." Zhao Ling'Er clearly didn't believe him. "Come on, Mu Lin, stop pulling my leg."
Mu Lin felt helpless. 'But I'm telling the truth!' he thought. Recalling what had happened earlier, he turned and asked, "Let me ask you about someone. Do you know a man named Pang Dahai? What can you tell me about him?"
Zhao Ling'Er's expression faltered. She edged a little closer to Mu Lin and said in a low voice, "Of course I know him. He's a notorious figure in Anhua City, but he's famous for all the wrong reasons. Mu Lin, you didn't offend him, did you?"
Mu Lin thought for a moment. "I wouldn't say *I* offended *him*."
Zhao Ling'Er was very worried. "If you really did offend him by accident, you have to tell me. I'll ask my grandfather to help you sort it out."
Hearing this, Mu Lin smiled. "Don't worry. It's not important anymore."
'Looks like Pang Dahai's background really is something else. Good thing I was smart enough to let that guy with the glasses take the fall.'
The first thing Zhao Ling'Er did upon returning to the apothecary was find her grandfather.
"What? You're saying Mu Lin accidentally provoked Pang Dahai?" Zhao Yang shot up from his wooden chair in shock.
"It seems so."
Across from them, Lin Jin calmly said, "Pang Dahai? You mean Yuelong Group's attack dog in the criminal underworld and gray areas?"
Zhao Yang nodded. "It seems Mr. Lin knows a thing or two. This Pang Dahai is infamous in Anhua City for being sinister and ruthless. He's done countless dirty deeds for Wu Long that can't see the light of day."
Lin Jin stated, "If Mu Lin truly did run afoul of this Pang Dahai, I'll just have someone make a call. That will be enough."
Hearing this, Zhao Yang was inwardly delighted. 'This is a great turn of events!'
Mu Lin has an ordinary background. If the Lin Family steps in this time, then in the future, anyone in Anhua City who wants to touch him will have to think twice about whether they can handle the consequences.
Lin Jin took out his phone and called his secretary.
"Ah Jin, call Pang Dahai and tell him that a young man in Anhua City named Mu Lin is under my protection."
The secretary named Ah Jin replied in a calm, measured tone, "Sir, I don't believe that call will be necessary. Pang Dahai was already killed in his hotel."
Lin Jin froze upon hearing this.
'Pang Dahai... is dead?'
Li Group.
Li Yinhe was looking down, flipping through some documents, when his secretary rushed in.
"Chairman Li, Chairman Wu of the Yuelong Group has arrived."
'Wu Long? What is he doing here?'
Li Yinhe paused, his gaze instantly sharpening. He masked his emotions, his entire demeanor turning as cold as ice.
"Show him to the reception room. I'll be right there."
"Yes, sir. I'll see to it at once." The secretary turned and left.
Li Yinhe sat in his office chair, his eyes narrowed. 'This Wu Long never shows up unless he's after something. This can't be good.'
Three or four minutes later, Li Yinhe headed to the reception room.
"Chairman Li, long time no see." Wu Long was dressed in a black suit, a mocking expression on his square face.
Li Yinhe replied calmly, "Chairman Wu is an incredibly busy man. What brings you all the way to my Li Group today?"
Wu Long said with a smile, "Why so serious, Chairman Li? I just heard from my men that my dear 'niece' was cornered by some thugs yesterday. Word is she was *this* close to being... well, you know. I was worried a young girl like her might not be able to get over it, so I rushed over to offer some comfort."
A chill ran down Li Yinhe's spine. A company as large as the Li Group naturally had its own connections in the gray areas, but they were nothing compared to Wu Long, who had built his empire on criminal enterprises.
"Wu Long, everyone knows you have powerful backers. Winning the Dingli Group project should be a piece of cake for you. Why stoop so low as to have Pang Dahai do this kind of filthy work?"
Wu Long didn't deny it. He just grinned and said, "Alright, I won't beat around the bush. I want money. Lots and lots of money. The Li Group has plenty of spare cash, doesn't it? Lend it to me to play with for a while. Once I win the Dingli Group project, I'll pay you back."
Li Yinhe roared, "In your dreams!"
'He calls it borrowing, but does anything that falls into Wu Long's hands ever come back? Besides, if they fail to win this bid, what awaits the Li Group is utter ruin.'
'It's clear now. Wu Long is trying every trick in the book to gut the Li Group and lay the groundwork for a future takeover.'
Right in front of Li Yinhe, Wu Long pulled a large cigar from his coat and began to smoke it leisurely. "In that case, you'll just have to use what little money you have left to find a psychologist for your daughter."
Li Yinhe erupted in fury. "You dare! Wu Long, I'm warning you, you'd better not touch Li Xue."
Wu Long shot the current chairman a provocative glance, his tone dripping with contempt. "Oh, Li Yinhe, Li Yinhe... just watch and see if I dare. Don't forget, in Anhua City today, my word is law. And you? Heh, you're just the chairman of some company. What do you have to fight me with?"
"Neither you nor your old man are even qualified to stand in the same room as me."
Wu Long stubbed out his half-smoked cigar in the ashtray, stood up, and said sarcastically, "If you don't want your precious daughter to be destroyed, body and soul, then you'll quietly hand over the Li Group."
"Otherwise, I can't guess what Pang Dahai might do to that fair-skinned daughter of yours. After all, the internet is so advanced these days. Who knows, maybe you'll see an interesting little video online tomorrow."
Li Yinhe's face turned ashen.
'That animal.'
'Li Xue was his only, precious daughter. Of course he didn't want her to face any harm.'
Seeing that he didn't dare to speak, Wu Long said nonchalantly, "What does a man live for? Isn't it just for a wife, kids, and a warm home? You should know when to quit."
Li Yinhe was seething with rage, but he didn't dare provoke Wu Long any further.
"I'll be waiting for your answer. My time is very precious, you know," Wu Long said, looking at Li Yinhe with disdain.
Li Yinhe's expression was grim, his heart heavy with frustration.
Suddenly, the ringing of a phone shattered Li Yinhe's thoughts. His heart gave a violent, uncontrollable leap. 'Don't tell me... Pang Dahai has already succeeded?'
He hurriedly pulled out his phone. The caller ID read: Elder Li.
He let out a huge sigh of relief, but his heart immediately grew heavy again.
"Hello? Dad, what's wrong?"
"Pang Dahai is dead," Elder Li said with a sigh. "He died three hours ago. The winds are changing. You need to pay close attention to the Yuelong Group's movements."
"?"
Li Yinhe stood frozen in place. 'Pang Dahai is dead? *The* Pang Dahai?'
He quickly composed himself and replied, "Okay, I'll keep an eye on them."
After hanging up, he looked at the supremely confident Wu Long before him, his expression complex.
He said coolly, "Chairman Wu, why don't you ask Pang Dahai first? See if he can turn into a Fierce Ghost to keep working for you."
Seeing Li Yinhe's sudden composure, Wu Long felt a flicker of unease. He said, "I groomed Pang Dahai myself. I know exactly what he's capable of."
Just then, it was Wu Long's phone that rang.
He frowned, answered the call, and suddenly, his expression turned ugly. He rushed out of the reception room.
He didn't leave a single harsh word behind.
'How could Pang Dahai suddenly be gone? Who had the power to kill him?'
As Li Yinhe watched Wu Long leave the reception room in a panic, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
"Chairman Wu, let's chat some more! I haven't even brewed my finest tea yet."
Wu Long completely ignored the now-gloating Li Yinhe.
'I have to find out immediately how Pang Dahai was suddenly killed!'
Li Yinhe snorted coldly. However, he was also extremely curious. When had such a formidable figure appeared in Anhua City? He knew Pang Dahai had plenty of capable men around him; killing him would have been incredibly difficult.
"I wonder who it was that managed to kill Pang Dahai so quietly."