Settling Scores After the Autumn Harvest

Since Jiang Yunlu had gone to sleep, An Yuexin stopped listening to his music and instead crouched beside Fang Jun to watch him game.

On the screen, Fang Jun was piloting his favorite champion, rampaging wildly through the canyon.

"Let me play a life. When you die, it's my turn," An Yuexin said, his fingers itching to play.

"Don't mess with me, just watch my performance!" Fang Jun's eyes were glued to the screen as he roared, "Watch this critical hit send him straight to the afterlife!"

Barely had the words left his mouth when his champion slipped up, charging blindly right into the enemy's encirclement.

A second later, his screen turned gray.

"Bravo, bravo," An Yuexin was the first to break the silence. He patted Fang Jun on the shoulder and said with mock earnestness, "That critical hit was truly impressive. You critically hit yourself to death. Even the enemy support gave you a thumbs-up. Step aside."

Fang Jun's face flushed red, then pale, as he tried to defend himself. "What do you know? It's a tactical play! I sacrificed my life to bait out all their ultimates!"

Before An Yuexin could even take the seat, the word DEFEAT flashed across the screen as their base exploded, bringing the match to a close.

Right at that moment, Lin Mo frowned.

Several uninvited guests had just entered the range of his divine sense.

He stood up, took a few zongzi from the refrigerator, and bagged them in plastic.

"Alright, enough gaming."

Fang Jun turned his head and pleaded, "Just one more match. I promise I'll win this one."

But Lin Mo shook his head. "A friend of my dad's is dropping by unexpectedly to see me. I'm afraid I have to kick you guys out for now."

Hearing this, An Yuexin tactfully hauled up Fang Jun, who was still glued to his chair.

"Ah, got it. We really should be going then. We won't hold you up from entertaining your guest, Lin Mo."

Fang Jun finally stood up as well. "Alright, we'll head out then."

Just as the two were about to leave, Lin Mo called out, "Wait."

Lin Mo walked over holding the two bags and handed one to each of them.

"Take these. We'll go redeem the gift boxes together tomorrow."

Fang Jun weighed the zongzi in his hand but didn't ask any questions. He and An Yuexin nodded at Lin Mo, opened the door, and left.

Right then, Chu Miaomiao walked out of the kitchen holding a rag, wiping her hands as she went. Seeing the backs of the two boys leaving, a look of curiosity crossed her face.

"Why did they leave so suddenly?"

Xie Yuling walked over as well. "What's wrong?"

Lin Mo's gaze swept toward the door, his tone flat. "A few people are coming over. Take Miaomiao upstairs for now."

Xie Yuling's reaction was lightning fast. Almost subconsciously, she thrust her hand into her jacket pocket, her fingertips brushing against a stack of cold talisman papers.

Her gaze sharpened instantly as she cast a vigilant look toward the door.

"Trouble?"

Lin Mo raised a hand and gently patted her tense arm, signaling her to relax.

"Nothing will happen. I just don't want them to see you two."

Chu Miaomiao was still completely in the dark, but Xie Yuling understood the underlying message. Nodding, she stepped forward and grabbed Chu Miaomiao's hand.

"We'll head upstairs then. Will Jiang Yunlu be alright down here?"

She glanced back at the tightly shut bedroom door.

"Don't worry, it'll probably just be a little catch-up session."

Lin Mo left some words unspoken, but as long as he was here, absolutely nothing would go wrong.

Xie Yuling trusted Lin Mo implicitly, so she led Chu Miaomiao away without another word.

Chu Miaomiao was obedient enough to follow her upstairs without asking any questions.

The sound of their fading footsteps echoed from the stairs.

The living room fell into silence once more, with only the low hum of the refrigerator remaining.

Lin Mo slowly turned around to face the front door. The warm, hospitable demeanor he had just shown vanished without a trace, replaced by an expression as cold and unfathomable as a freezing abyss.

"Are these guys truly trying to target my weak spot?"

Muttering to himself, Lin Mo raised his hands and began setting up a formation.

--System: I am pondering a question. What is for dinner?--

An Audi pulled up and parked at the intersection.

As the car doors opened, a chilling, murderous aura instantly seeped into the air.

Liu Zheng stepped out of the car, his face slightly pale. He fished out his phone, shoved it back into his pocket, and finally couldn't help but suggest, "How about... we give Lin Mo a call first? Just to test the waters?"

Dongfang Shuye didn't answer. He simply cast his gaze toward the figure standing at the back of their group.

It was an old man with his arms crossed over his chest, his spine standing perfectly straight.

Standing over six feet tall, his bulging muscles strained against the fabric of his traditional Tang suit. With his grizzled hair standing on end, he looked less like an elderly man and more like a street brawler ready to throw down at a moment's notice.

"Elder Wen, there might be a more peaceful way to resolve this matter," Dongfang Shuye said carefully, keeping his tone as respectful as possible.

Elder Wen turned his head, his gaze scraping over them like a blade as he let out a cold snort.

"Peaceful? They completely destroyed the technique for transferring abilities, yet kept the method for stripping others of their abilities for themselves. What sheer tyranny! What absolute arrogance! A person like that must be suppressed!"

His voice boomed like a massive bell, leaving Liu Zheng's eardrums ringing.

Dongfang Shuye instantly fell silent, not daring to utter another word.

Dongfang Shuye had been dispatched by the Yanhuang Awakening headquarters in Tianjing. It was true that he was part of a special task force, but the man standing before him was Wen Tonghai, one of the few surviving founding elders of Yanhuang Awakening.

Back in the day, Wen Tonghai had forged his illustrious reputation with nothing but a pair of iron fists.

Upon learning about the incident involving the Ning family, Wen Tonghai had personally led a team to deal with them.

After cleaning up the Ning family's mess and reviewing the subsequent reports, he had traveled non-stop straight to Yangcheng.

The moment he stepped off the plane, he hadn't even stopped for a sip of water before heading directly here.

With a posture like this, he wasn't here to make contact, he was clearly here to pick a fight.

Dongfang Shuye was entirely at a loss for what to do.

In the eyes of the Dongfang family, both Daoist Master Beixuan and Lin Mo were highly valuable figures worth recruiting.

But Elder Wen possessed a fiery temper and a deep-seated hatred for evil. To him, the world was so strictly black and white that it bordered on unreasonableness.

In his eyes, there were no gray areas, only right and wrong, life and death.

If he decided to pass judgment on Lin Mo today, he would likely force Lin Mo to stand completely against Yanhuang Awakening.

Liu Zheng's chest heaved violently as a thought clearly crossed his mind. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly spun around and boldly stepped right in front of Wen Tonghai, blocking his path.

This reckless move made everyone's heart skip a beat.

"Elder Wen, I would like to ask you a question."

Wen Tonghai had already read the files and knew exactly what role Liu Zheng had played in recent events. Although the outcome had been somewhat favorable, he felt that Liu Zheng had failed to properly fulfill his duties, which amounted to a dereliction of duty in his eyes.

Because of this, he viewed Liu Zheng with sheer disdain.

"Spit it out, and don't waste my time!"

"Elder Wen, I just want to ask one thing. What exactly is the purpose of your visit here today?" Liu Zheng asked, enunciating every word as he withstood the immense pressure radiating from the elder.

"Purpose?" Wen Tonghai scoffed as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. "What other purpose could there be? I am here to make him hand over the technique for stripping abilities, and then drag him back to Yanhuang Awakening to face his punishment!"