Mu Lin was completely unprepared for Hong Jiani’s arrival. He had only intended to teach the spoiled young lady a lesson. Now, because he had slapped her bottom, she had clearly come seeking revenge. If she were an enemy or a man, Mu Lin wouldn’t have felt troubled at all.
Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward. Finally, Mu Lin couldn’t bear the silence any longer. He couldn’t let the young lady lose face, especially since he tended to be softer towards women he knew well.
“Miss Hong, how long do you plan to stay this time?” As soon as the words left Mu Lin’s mouth, he regretted them. Wasn’t he handing her the weapon to retaliate?
“What? Are you nervous? Is that why you want me to leave so soon?” The young lady’s face darkened again, her lips pouting. “If you want me to go, it won’t be that easy!”
Mu Lin thought he had brought this upon himself. Couldn’t he just apologize? Now, it was like he was stuck in limbo. Sigh! Whether he faced the problem head-on or avoided it, he would still suffer the consequences. If he had known it would come to this, why had he insisted on spanking her back then?
“Miss Hong, I’m sorry. I was wrong before. I shouldn’t have hit your bottom. I apologize.” Of course, Mu Lin had to bring up the spanking incident himself, practically asking for embarrassment.
“Hmph!” The girl’s face turned red, coldly snorting. “If an apology is enough, can I kill you first and then apologize?”
Indeed, she came from a martial family, and her words immediately turned violent.
“Well then, what do you want to do to me? I’ll accept it all.” Mu Lin was no longer willing to back down. After all, he was still young and full of pride.
“What do I want to do? I can’t even beat you in a fight or win an argument with you. What else can I do?” Seeing Mu Lin’s tense expression, she continued, “I haven’t decided yet. Since you’re willing to accept anything, fine. One word, one nail. I’ll follow you for now, observe you for a while, and then decide what to do.”
“This can’t be happening,” Mu Lin thought. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble? “Miss Hong, did your father know you were coming out here?” He tried to play the card of her elders, though it was already too late.
“I didn’t know before, but now I do,” the young lady replied evasively.
“What do you mean?” the clueless guy asked.
“I found you. If you call him now, won’t he know? My dad really trusts you.” Fine! The young lady had learned the art of giving a slap and then a sweet. Mu Lin was completely defeated and surrendered directly.
“Funny, we have a guest here. Please arrange accommodation for her,” Mu Lin called into the walkie-talkie. A while later, the seductive Funny had heard about someone coming all the way to claim her man and came strutting in with a model’s walk to show off.
“Darling, where should I put this guest? Here?” Funny asked, her tone teasing.
“I won’t go. Wherever you go, I’ll go too,” Hong Jiani declared in Chinese, ignoring the English-speaking Funny as a sign of disdain. She didn’t expect that Funny, enticed by the delicacies, had been diligently learning Chinese for a year alongside Mu Lin and understood her perfectly.
“Then, will you follow us when my boyfriend and I make love?” Funny’s fluent Chinese came out like a bombshell, knocking both people over.
“What! You’ve already had sex with him?” The Hong Kong girl was still inexperienced.
The American girl quickly stepped in front of Mu Lin to shield his gaping mouth from the Hong Kong girl’s view.
“What about it? Daniel already has three girlfriends!” Funny continued to press.
“You shameless hussy! What difference does it make having three girlfriends? I’m going to stay by his side. I haven’t taken my revenge yet!” The Hong Kong girl finally regained her composure and feigned a move. Caught between the crossfire of the two girls, Mu Lin was completely lost.
“Funny, you handle the arrangements,” Mu Lin tried to escape, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.
“Where do you think you’re going?” both girls shouted together.
“I’m just going to the restroom, I’ll be right back,” Mu Lin said, preparing to leave. After walking a couple of steps, he turned around and saw the two girls following him closely.
“No way! Even going to the toilet, you’re following me?” Mu Lin was puzzled.
“Of course, I said I’d follow you wherever you go,” the Hong Kong girl got straight to the point.
“Of course, I haven’t arranged accommodation for your guest yet,” the American girl clarified the guest’s identity.
“Fine! Whatever you say!” The young man finally lost his patience, shouted loudly, and continued walking out. This time, the two girls didn’t say anything and followed Mu Lin out. Eventually, they all got into Mu Lin’s car and returned to his home.
The incident that day even drew the attention of Claire and the others, who hurried back. In the end, it was Claire’s graceful and magnanimous demeanor that won over the Hong Kong girl’s heart, who shared her grievances with Claire. Claire then decided that Hong Jiani could stay as long as she wished. Eventually, Claire also told Funny and the others about the incident of Mu Lin spanking Hong Jiani. The girls united in anger, and their collective ire was finally directed at Mu Lin. Forced by circumstances, Mu Lin had to accept Hong Jiani, the young lady from Hong Kong, as his secretary, bringing peace to all.
Currently, Mu Lin hasn’t embarked on the path towards cultivating the Golden Core. It’s not that his cultivation has stalled, but because he lacks the complementary Yin-Yang harmonizing techniques required by his sect’s cultivation methods. Once he reaches the later stages of the Foundation Core, his true energy will naturally begin to condense towards the Golden Core. At that point, achieving success would result in his body’s disintegration, a scenario Mu Lin is unwilling to face. Therefore, his life has become more regular.
One day, after finishing treating a patient, Mu Lin returned to the rest room. A VIP he had previously cured entered the room, holding a small package, which he handed to Mu Lin.
“Doctor Daniel, I know you like Chinese jade. I found this jade pendant from my collection and would like to give it to you as a token of my gratitude,” the man said.
Although Mu Lin had sensed a familiar feeling from the moment the man entered, the wooden box in the man’s hand was emitting something familiar towards him. However, the lingering effects from the previous encounter with the jade amulet made him reluctant to touch such items in front of ordinary people. He usually accepted jade pendants given by politicians, feeling that since they were originally Chinese treasures, taking them back was only natural. He thanked the man and exchanged a few pleasantries. Noticing Mu Lin’s interest in the wooden box, the man quickly took his leave.
After the visitor left, Mu Lin greeted Hong Jiani and hurried home, informing the butler that he had something to attend to in the basement and was not to be disturbed no matter who came to visit.
Reaching the third level of the basement, Mu Lin took out a Gathering Energy Pill and a Floating Stone from his ring and placed them within easy reach. Then he opened the wooden box. Inside, he saw a Jade Dragon Pendant, carved from greenish-blue jade. The dragon’s shape resembled the letter C, with a long head resembling a horse’s, its snout extended slightly upward. It had no ears, and its long horn flowed backward. Looking closely, the dragon’s mouth was tightly closed, its nose flat. There was a round hole on its back. While examining the jade’s age, Mu Lin noticed that the carving style appeared to predate the Shang Dynasty. Yet, surprisingly, the jade showed no signs of aging or discoloration, indicating it held a profound secret.
He extended his hand toward the jade and probed it with his spiritual sense, but strangely, there was no reaction. It seemed as if a force was blocking his spiritual sense from entering. Holding a Gathering Energy Pill in his mouth, he cautiously sent his true energy into the dragon pendant, bit by bit.
As soon as Mu Lin’s true energy entered the pendant, it vanished like a cow sinking into the sea, and even a faint suction force emerged. Since it was effective, he increased the output of his true energy while consuming the Gathering Energy Pill. Inside, it felt like a tightly woven net. Mu Lin’s true energy was like a small spider crawling on a net made of thick ropes. If not for the identical origin of his true energy and the net’s energy, his energy would have been absorbed by the pendant. Now, his true energy was like a child slowly cutting ropes with a dull knife. Eventually, he managed to create a small opening with his true energy, allowing his spiritual sense to penetrate. This time, he boldly immersed his entire spiritual sense into the dragon pendant. Finally, he understood—it was the long-lost follow-up cultivation technique of his sect, which he and his master had sought for so long.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage