Chapter 366

Chapter 366: New Root Words

“Ahem, we were investigating. We’d been looking into it.”

“An assassination in our controlled territory provokes us all. The Demon Exorcism Division had been working, but the killer acted covertly. We need more time.”

After Mu Lin called out their passive stance, the heads of powerful clans and clan elders grew awkward, hastily claiming they hadn’t been idle.

Though they claimed to investigate, none specified whether they’d uncover the mastermind or how deep their search would go.

Hearing their evasive words, the Head of the Yan family grasped their intentions.

He didn’t get angry or try to persuade them, simply shrugging.

“Good you’re investigating. Let’s hope we’re still in time.”

“Huh? In time for what?”

“The northern aristocrats are also hunting the killer at Mu Lin’s request. If they find the culprit first and strike, Mu Lin joining their side becomes inevitable.”

The Head of the Yan family added casually, “Oh, to spare our dignity, Mu Lin agreed to blame the Luo family’s assassination attempt if we fail to find the killer or refuse revenge. He’ll use that excuse to join the North.”

“This way, others won’t get dragged into it.”

“Bastard!”

Lu Yangyao’s face darkened completely.

If Mu Lin left publicly blaming the Luo family, other clans might escape blame—but the Luo family’s reputation would crumble.

Having led southern aristocrats to repel northern invaders, Mu Lin was now a southern hero. For such a hero to be betrayed by his own clan and defect? Even without political savvy, Lu Yangyao knew the consequences.

The Luo family would forever bear labels like “traitors” and “scheming villains.” Southern defeat would bring not just shame but material losses. Billions—aristocrats and ordinary persons alike—would direct their frustration at the Luo family.

Such hatred would destroy them.

“This mustn’t happen!”

He stood to disrupt the Yan family’s plot.

“We can’t yield! Mu Lin’s threatening us—”

“Silence!”

The Luo family head stormed in, cutting him off.

Glaring coldly at the Yan family head, he stated, “While conflicts exist between us and Mu Lin, that doesn’t justify your meddling. I refuse to believe Mu Lin would say such things.”

Dragging Lu Yangyao out, he headed toward Mu Lin’s small courtyard.

Seeing their direction, Lu Yangyao asked, “Are we exposing the Yan family’s lies? Making Mu Lin see the truth?”

“Fool! Commoners care about truth. Noble families care about gains. Given their rivalry, the Yan family would gladly spend resources to smear us if Mu Lin leaves. If he dislikes us, he’d likely cooperate.”

“If things turn sour, other clans might push this narrative too. Our reputation would never recover.”

Though Lu Yangyao paled at the danger, the Luo family head remained composed.

“Fortunately, none of this had happened yet, and there was still time to fix things. I’ll take you to apologize to Mu Lin and give him rare treasures. As long as the gifts were generous enough, even if Old Ghost Yan’s words held truth, they could be twisted into lies and slander.”

Apologies and gifts could draw them closer to Mu Lin, keeping him neutral in the rivalry between the Yan and Luo families.

The Luo family head’s scheme was undeniably clever.

With enough valuable gifts, this plan might actually work.

After all, Mu Lin wasn’t part of the Yan family—he merely shared a close bond with Yan Yunyu.

He might help the Yan family with minor issues, but he wouldn’t risk his life for their gains. The Yan family’s support for him wasn’t wholehearted either; they’d only increased their investment as he proved his talents.

Even now, their heir still received greater resources than him.

Since they didn’t treat him as family, Mu Lin wouldn’t foolishly die for their sake.

Lu Yangyao sorted through this after some thought, but resentment lingered at bowing to a junior.

“Must we submit? And let Mu Lin threaten us while all the aristocrats just watch?”

The Luo family head sighed wearily.

“What choice do we have? Start a feud with Mu Lin, push him to join the northern aristocrats, and ruin our advantage? Or copy last night’s black-robed man and try to kill him?”

“Even ignoring how guarded Mu Lin is now after the assassination attempt—if we succeeded, so what? Without him, the northern aristocrats’ young elites would still overpower us.”

“We need Mu Lin. He doesn’t need us. We have no choice but to endure his threats.”

Lu Yangyao had no rebuttal.

Thus, the Luo family head carried rare treasures to Mu Lin’s small courtyard, seeking reconciliation.

Mu Lin remained unaware.

He’d tasked Yan Yunyu and Si Ye with investigating the assassination while focusing on closed-door training.

Most of his attention lay on cultivation—he knew strength was everything.

Without power, he’d have died in yesterday’s attack. His current leverage over the North and South Aristocrats to hunt the culprit also stemmed from his strength.

The assassination only sharpened his urgency to grow stronger.

Luckily, the black-robed old man’s fatal weakness to Mu Lin’s abilities meant no injuries or major delays to his training.

A day later, Mu Lin’s essence and killing intent had fused further. Tomorrow would mark his final day before reaching High Mastery of Transformation.

The black-robed old man’s death also granted Mu Lin a spiritual weapon—the Ouroboros Sword, which he Refined using the True Spirit Domain Chart.

The sword’s immense power even elevated his Grandmaster-level calligraphy skill, helping him grasp a new Root Word.