Mu Tao, Mu Bing, and Mu Niu had fully expected the one appearing right now to be the same attackers that had killed a majority of their family two years ago. They had been ready to fight to the death, ready to perish with the enemy.
But the one that appeared was something completely different.
"Handsome…" Mu Bing muttered to herself.
But while Mu Bing was appreciating the appearance of Lin Mu, Mu Niu and Mu Tao were terrified of the spirit Qi fluctuations that were coming from his body. Mu Tao couldn't even estimate what Lin Mu's cultivation base was at due to him being far weaker than him.
Mu Tao was only at the peak stage of the Qi refining realm and thus could not sense Lin Mu's actual cultivation base. All he could feel was that it was overwhelming to him. Mu Niu on the other hand, was at the Early stage of the Core condensation realm and was barely able to tell Lin Mu's cultivation base.
Mu Niu was the only person in the entire courtyard that was at the Core Condensation realm. All the others that were not servants were at the Qi refining realm. Still, even among the servants, there were about thirty that were at the Qi refining realm which was a bit surprising.
"N-Nascent Soul… it's a Nascent Soul realm expert!" Mu Niu said out loud.
Mu Tao and Mu Bing's eyes went wide upon hearing this and they became even more terrified.
"Quick Mu Bing! Use the talisman! Leave this place!" Mu Niu ordered.
Mu Bing reacted almost instantly and activated the talisman, which was made into a pendant. It was still in her hands and thus she didn't need any time to do so. In the next second, spatial fluctuations appeared around her as the fabric of space started to bend.
Her body became blurry and half of it disappeared into air. But just as the talisman was about to fully teleport her away, Lin Mu extended his hand.
~shua~
It was as if the space around them had solidified and the talisman, which was about to teleport Mu Bing away, stopped. Mu Bing's body returned and became corporeal again.
~Crack~
The teleportation talisman in her hand cracked and shattered, shocking Mu Niu and Mu Tao.
"H-How?… how can this be possible?" Mu Niu said, in fear.
Seeing all that happened in the few seconds of his appearance, Lin Mu didn't know what to think of. He could only sigh to himself and attempt to explain.
"Stop, I'm not here to hurt you all." Lin Mu stated.
Hearing his words, no one believed him.
~shua~
Seeing that Lin Mu had not acted yet, Mu Niu pulled Mu Bing to the back, and they retreated to the end of the hall. Mu Tao did the same and looked at Lin Mu with a sharp gaze. He was fully prepared to end it here today.
~Sigh~
"I'm here to help the Mu clan. You three don't need to worry." Lin Mu spoke.
"And why would you do that?" Mu Tao questioned in a stern voice.
"Because we have the same enemy." Lin Mu answered.
"Why should we believe you? For all we know, you could just be here to trick us!" Mu Niu was the one who shouted this time.
"You have to believe me, I'm here to help you all. I also bring you some news. The other members of the Merchant council are going to kick the Mu clan off the council. They are also planning to exterminate you according to the wishes of their 'backer'." Lin Mu replied.
Hearing his words, they were surprised. Mu Tao was still in doubt, but Mu Niu was not.
"It c-can't be… how did they start to act so fast?" Mu Niu spoke, his voice stuttering.
Hearing this, Mu Tao remembered what his uncle had said about the council members wishing ill on the Mu Clan.
"Seems like you can already guess. This backer of theirs is none other than the ones who had attacked you before." Lin Mu added.
~thud~
Mu Tao and the rest couldn't help but slump to the ground, feeling helpless. They didn't know that things had progressed to this level without them knowing. They had thought that while the merchant council wasn't necessarily friends, they wouldn't at least kill each other.
But that was proved to be wrong by hearing Lin Mu's words. There was no reason for them to doubt him anymore, as his words aligned with their earlier assumptions. It was just that they were unwilling to believe those assumptions with the hope that it would not happen.
Seeing their expressions and turmoil in their eyes, Lin Mu knew that they would be deeply traumatized if this was not taken care of quickly. He thus closed his eyes for a second, before starting to chant.
Esoteric chants came out of his lips as they spread in the hall. These chants entered the ears of the three people sitting here and shook their minds. It was as if a massive fan blew in their minds, blowing away the fog of uncertainty and fear.
Once the fog was swept away, they felt a unique sense of calmness and peace. The turmoil within the eyes of the trio faded away, and a serene expression appeared on their faces. About thirty seconds later, when Lin Mu felt that it was enough, he stopped chanting.
With the disappearance of the chants, the three people felt a bit uncomfortable, but this was enough to snap them out of their daze. They could now think clearly and consider all things properly.
"Who are you?" Mu Tao was the first to stand up and question.
"An ally… My Name is Lin Mu." Lin Mu said with a smile.
"Lin… Mu…" Mu Bing repeated under her breath.
"Are you really here to help us?" Mu Niu finally asked.
"Indeed. I believe we have the same enemy. An enemy who has taken families and loved ones from both of us," Lin Mu said, a hint of fury flashing in his eyes.