Xiao Nai hurriedly supported the pale-faced Tan Yun. Although the spell had been removed, Tan Yun endured extreme pain. If it were an ordinary person, they would have fainted from the agony by now.
"Mr. Lin, thank you. In the future, I would do anything for you, even be your ox or horse," Xiao Nai said with tears in his eyes, speaking excitedly.
Lin Mo's expression was indifferent as he shook his head. "Want to be my ox or horse? You'll have to see if you qualify for that," he said.
At these words, everyone was shocked again.
Although Xiao Nai was a commoner, he was still the son of a city secretary with considerable influence in the secular world. To proactively offer to be someone's ox or horse, yet still be subject to qualification—wasn't this attitude a bit too arrogant?
Even Tan Songtao and others frowned slightly. Although the spell was difficult to break, Huaxia was vast and diverse, with many inheritances. They didn't know which Divine Doctor's disciple Lin Mo was, but his tone seemed too bold. Surely he understood the principle that being too rigid could lead to breaking, right?
While everyone was talking, a servant from the Tan Family suddenly ran in and said, "Great Elder, the Family Head and elders of the Hou Family have arrived with their people."
"Why would they come? Could it be for Hou Jun?" Tan Song's brow furrowed slightly.
At this moment, a large group of people stepped through the doorway, all dressed in simple cloth garments that appeared very primitive. The leader was a short-haired old man in his early seventies who had an aura like a dragon. Following him were a middle-aged man and a youth.
The older man was Hou Dongjun, the Great Elder from one of the Three Great Magic Families, the Hou Family, who had also stepped into the Half-step Martial God realm.
The middle-aged man following him was the current Family Head of the Hou Family, Hou Hexuan, while the youth was the previously chastised Hou Jun.
"Elder Hou, what brings you to visit my place?" Tan Songtao got up and went forward with a smile, hands clasped in greeting.
"Elder Tan, Elder Liao too," said Hou Dongjun as he returned the gesture, but with a cold huff, he added, "Just passing by to take a look. I heard your Tan Family invited a master from Jiangzhou to help, and yesterday he injured Hou Jun. I want to see what this big shot from Jiangzhou looks like."
The tone of Hou Dongjun carried a hint of sternness.
The faces of both Tan Songtao and Tan Ji Yong changed slightly at these words. Hou Jun was a genius of the Hou Family who had reached the Intermediate Martial Emperor level and was very likely to break through to the Martial God Realm before turning thirty. At that time, the Hou Family could truly boast of having two Martial Gods in one family, overwhelming both the Tan and He Families.
"Grandfather, it was those two. That woman was the one who injured me," Hou Jun, standing among the crowd, said, his eyes filled with resentment as he stared at Yingzi.
Hou Dongjun and Hou Hexuan glanced at Yingzi, who was indeed an exceptional Martial Arts Master, and judging by her age, she could be around her twenties.
As for the cool young man beside the girl, he was plain and unremarkable, without any energy fluctuation in his body—seemingly just an ordinary person. Could he possibly be the master from Jiangzhou?
In reality, Lin Mo was so powerful that those weaker than him couldn't hope to fathom his strength, making him appear as unremarkable as any ordinary person to them.
"Are you the master from Jiangzhou?" Hou Dongjun asked Lin Mo, his gaze stern and his tone carrying a trace of chill.
"Elder Hou, this is all a misunderstanding. He is someone our Tan Family has invited. Furthermore, he has helped Xiao Yun remove the spell, making him a benefactor to our family..." Tan Songtao said with a smile.
Xiao Nai was considered part of the Tan Family, and the Feng Shui master he invited had helped Tan Yun eliminate the spell. If Hou Dongjun came to cause trouble for Lin Mo, the Tan Family wouldn't dare to even let out a peep. Wouldn't that be a slap in the Tan Family's face?
Hou Dongjun sneered, "A misunderstanding? Elder Tan, I'm not trying to bully anyone with power, and Hou Jun isn't seriously injured. But since he was hurt by someone from our Hou Family, there should be an explanation, right?"
Lin Mo's expression remained cold as he indifferently said, "Oh? What kind of explanation do you want?"
"Kneel down now and kowtow three times to apologize to Hou Jun! Otherwise, no matter whose powerful disciple you are, my Hou Family will absolutely not let you off," Hou Hexuan stood with a chilly complexion, imperiously commanding Lin Mo.
Everyone saw Lin Mo as a normal person, but the girl by his side was clearly not ordinary; at such a young age, she was already so formidable.
To raise such a dazzlingly talented girl, there had to be a Big Shot behind her, perhaps even from a Martial Arts Family within the Inner Martial World.
Therefore, the Hou Family dared not lay hands on Yingzi directly but demanded Lin Mo to kneil and apologize, which would allow them to save face without easily offending others.
Tan Songtao and Tan Ji Yong exchanged glances, noting the helplessness in each other's eyes. For a long time, the Three Great Magic Families of Chuannan had always supported and restrained each other, standing in a tripartite balance.
But following Hou Dongjun's breakthrough to Half-step Martial God and the upcoming rise of the young genius Hou Jun to becoming another Half-step Martial God within the family, it put pressure on both the Tan Family and the He Family, barely able to hold their heads high, and subtly moving towards becoming the leading family among the three.
Now, they simply needed Lin Mo to kneel and apologize, especially as it was Lin Mo who had wronged the Hou Family first.
"Mr. Lin... The Hou Family is not to be trifled with, otherwise even we... will be powerless," Tan Songtao sighed, speaking with a tinge of guilt.
After all, Lin Mo had just healed Tan Yun's illness, but the Tan Family was unable to stand up for him, not because they didn't wish to, but because they lacked the standing to do so.
Lin Mo coldly glanced at him. The Tan Family was even willing to abandon Tan Yun, let alone an outsider like him; it was clear they had never intended to go out of their way to help him, and Lin Mo had never expected their help to begin with.
Liao Wen curled her lips; though she was surprised by Lin Mo's extraordinary abilities at such a young age, she took pleasure in his misfortune, as he always wore a cold expression, full of arrogance, and did not even regard her grandfather with esteem.
Only Elder Liao sighed softly. The White Witch Clan had always advocated for peace and possessed limited strength; naturally, he did not have the standing to offer help.
"The person who can make me kneel has not yet been born into this world," Lin Mo said, his tone indifferent.
With that, Lin Mo casually waved his hand, and a transparent, water-like Wind Blade cut through the air, covering dozens of meters. Hou Jun's face still wore a playful expression, but his head and neck were already spouting blood.
Silence befell the entire scene; no one expected Lin Mo to wield Qi like a knife, killing Hou Jun right in front of Hou Dongjun and Hou Hexuan.
What shocked everyone even more was that Hou Jun was a genius at the Intermediate Martial Emperor level, and he did not even have a chance to react before dying. Although Hou Jun had been careless, being able to kill him with a casual Wind Blade showed just how strong Lin Mo was.
Hou Dongjun and Hou Hexuan's faces twisted with rage, their eyes ablaze with towering fury.
The members of the Tan Family were deathly still.
Only that youth, with his peerless stature, stood proudly and aloof, his cold face unchanging and tranquil.
(The wonderful story continues tomorrow.)