One Mad, Two Crippled; Three Murders, Four Elite Families

At this moment, Xu Mu raised his hand, signaling Dai Xingluo and Fan Shiyu to stop.

He then advanced another five meters deeper, expanding his range of perception.

Finally, he spotted something in the distance.

“There’s someone ahead. Be careful,” Xu Mu whispered to the two behind him.

Both Dai Xingluo and Fan Shiyu furrowed their brows. They listened intently, but there was not a sound around them.

They didn’t understand how Xu Mu had detected it.

Yet, for some reason, they trusted him completely.

As Xu Mu cautiously approached, he finally breathed a sigh of relief—the old woman had appeared.

It turned out that when she said she was wearing a terrible disguise, it was just heavy makeup.

Her face was plastered with thick layers, and long false eyelashes were stuck on. But surprisingly, it wasn’t ugly at all.

Xu Ningbing was fairly clever, wearing casual clothes several sizes too big.

The loose clothing, combined with her chest being pushed up, made her look somewhat plump.

At this moment, her hands and feet were bound, and she was leaning against a wall.

Xu Mu and the others had already reached the cave entrance, where the sound of flowing water was still audible.

They moved further inside, and a flickering firelight appeared.

This place was still inside the cave, but the space was now ten times larger.

An old man sitting by the campfire immediately turned his head. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me,” Xu Mu stepped forward.

He noticed a mountain spring trickling from a crack in the rocks nearby, flowing into a pool here, which explained the chilly temperature around.

No wonder the old man had lit a fire here.

When Xu Ningbing saw Xu Mu approaching, tears instantly streamed down her eyes.

Her hands and feet were tied, and she was leaning against a rock, completely at the mercy of others.

“Hello, this woman is my friend. May I ask why you have her bound?” Xu Mu asked the old man.

The old man had a large beard, messy hair, and wore coarse hemp clothes.

He glanced back at Xu Mu. “She deserves to die!”

“What did she do?” Xu Mu frowned.

“I just happened to find this place. I was so thirsty that I jumped into the pool to drink,” Xu Ningbing explained. “Then, a red lotus flower in the pool withered.”

“Not withered—it's because you absorbed it. That’s a divine herb. Do you know how many years I’ve waited for this?” the old man glared at Xu Ningbing. “In the end, you made it into a bridal garment!”

A divine herb?

Everyone with Xu Mu was stunned.

This was something far beyond the nine-grade heavenly materials and earthly treasures, existing only in legends.

Xu Mu sighed inwardly. So this is the true value of a tenth-level destiny?

If that’s the case, the luck of those protagonists is simply unimaginable.

“I really didn’t mean to!” Xu Ningbing felt deeply embarrassed.

She had been skeptical before, but in such a short time, she could feel the qi inside her body surging and expanding.

Just a few days ago, she had only reached the mid-stage of Mingjin, and now she had already broken through to its late stage.

Moreover, the power surging within her hadn’t stopped.

She had no choice but to believe it.

“Senior, at this point, even if you kill her, it won’t solve anything,” Xu Mu said with a smile as he stepped forward. “Why not release her? Who knows, she might be able to help you in the future.”

“You make it sound so easy! That divine herb is what I use to break through my realm and extend my life!” the old man snapped.

The old man spoke to this point, then coldly glanced at Xu Ningbing. "How can we let her off so easily!"

"Senior, forgive me for being blunt, but the divine medicine is the essence of heaven and earth condensed—it belongs to no one. Since she absorbed it, that is fate."

Xu Mu smiled. "Let her go. She is a person overflowing with righteousness. You will definitely be grateful for what you did today."

"You think you’re quite the talker, huh? I can let her go, but you must die in her place!"

The old man’s face turned icy as he stared at Xu Mu.

Hearing this, Xu Ningbing’s expression immediately darkened.

Xu Mu narrowed his eyes and activated the Divine Eye to examine the man’s identity.

Name: Qin Ju

Role: Reclusive Head of the Qin Family

Favorability: 0

Destiny Level: 5 (Max 10)

Xu Mu was shocked to see this — it was none other than Qin Ju.

This man was quite famous, having appeared frequently in the story, especially concerning the Qin Family.

The Qin Family is a reclusive clan from Jiangnan, and their strength is not comparable to ordinary secretive families.

They are true aristocracy.

According to the story, during a gathering of top sects like Kunlun Mountain and several other major sects, they once discussed the power structure of Long Nation’s secular world.

The secular world refers to all known experts in Long Nation outside the sects.

There are individuals, organizations, and hidden clans.

Later, their discussion was leaked and summarized in a phrase:

“One Madman, Two Disabled, Three Killers, Four Aristocrats; Cleaners are outside the Five Elements.”

This phrase includes all known top experts in the secular world.

One madman, two disabled, three assassin organizations, four hidden aristocratic families.

As for the cleaners, they are not part of the Five Elements — this is easy to understand.

It proves their strength has long surpassed the Three Realms and lies outside the Five Elements.

The cleaners are backed by the state, especially the senior cleaners, some of whom were originally sect leaders or even sect masters.

Their strength far exceeds that of the others who can only pretend to challenge them.

For the cleaners, even combined, the others are no more than a flick of the hand.

Among the four great hidden aristocratic families mentioned above, one is the reclusive Qin Family.

Qin Ju is the head of the Qin Family, so his strength is unimaginable.

At this moment, Dai Xingluo was hiding behind Xu Mu, slipping her hand into the pocket of her tracksuit.

Seeing this, Xu Mu immediately grabbed Dai Xingluo’s arm and gently shook his head.

Attacking Qin Ju was tantamount to courting death.

“Senior, I’m willing to trade my life for her freedom.”

Xu Mu said calmly.

According to the story, Qin Ju is not a great villain.

If he truly wanted to kill Xu Ningbing, he would have done so long ago.

The reason he’s waiting until now might be because he’s still considering whether or not to kill her.

“Xiao Mu! You’re crazy! I don’t need you!”

Hearing Xu Mu’s words, Xu Ningbing’s eyes filled with disbelief.

People are inherently selfish. Hearing Xu Mu say this, she began to question herself.

If Xu Mu were the one captured now, would she have the resolve to say such words?

“I’m not crazy! Let her go. I’ll stay behind.”

Xu Mu walked toward Qin Ju.

“Aren’t you afraid to die?”

Qin Ju’s hand flickered with blue light. “Still think I don’t dare kill you?”

Fan Shiyu and Dai Xingluo’s eyes narrowed — another divine ability had appeared.

“No, I saved her simply because she’s family.”

Xu Mu said calmly.

[Affinity +50]

Tears welled up in Xu Ningbing’s eyes, spilling over as she shook her head violently.

She didn’t understand why Xu Mu would risk his life for her.

Before, Xu Ningbing had always misunderstood Xu Mu, but now, though she wouldn’t admit it aloud, deep down she knew the truth.

Xu Mu was far more outstanding than she was.

Besides, he was a man, and ever since childhood, their parents had always favored him more.

Hearing Xu Mu call her family, Xu Ningbing’s defenses crumbled.

[Affinity +10]

[Affinity +10]

Fan Shiyu and Dai Xingluo were both stunned.

Especially Dai Xingluo, whose smile grew even wider—no wonder he was the man she had her eye on.

“Isn’t it just death? What’s there to be afraid of?”

Leaning against the rocky wall, Xu Ningbing bowed her head and slammed it hard against the stone behind her.

Dai Xingluo: Brothers, here’s to the 200th chapter—it's been a while since I last begged for updates. Please, brothers, give us a little push, or else your sister might have to come find you.