In the world of martial arts, I can invest in countless realms.

Chapter 34 You're waiting, and so am I.

"Young Master Mu, aren't you getting up yet?"

Seeing that Mu Qingshan didn't move, Shen Che casually picked up a knife from the ground and threw it in his direction.

The blade, gleaming with a cold light, whistled past, heading straight for Mu Qingshan, who lay on the ground. Just as it was about to pierce him, a hand caught the thrown knife.

Mu Qingshan, whose face was covered in black blood and whose body was cold and stiff, suddenly sat up with a knife in his hand.

His cold and aloof demeanor was completely different from that of the previously weak and scholarly young master.

"How did you find out?" Mu Qingshan asked coldly, holding the knife that had almost pierced him, cautiously on guard.

Although his aura was concealed, it was as sinister as a venomous snake, giving people a chilling feeling, and one might be bitten if one was not careful.

This young master of the Mu family is far more capable than Master Mu.

"What, you're not pretending anymore? Young Master Mu, do you really think everyone is a fool?" Shen Che snorted as he watched Mu Qingshan slowly stand up.

"You've been pretending for so long, even your father probably doesn't know that the most capable fighter and the most ruthless person in the Mu family is actually you, this seemingly useless young master."

"He pretends to be gentle and kind, wholeheartedly advising his father to do good and not make the same mistakes again. But in reality, he's using your father as a target."

"Even if something happens, outsiders will only know that you, the young master of the Mu family, are kind-hearted, and that whenever someone is tricked into coming here, you deliberately scold them and make them leave quickly."

"That's really well done! This way, even if someone knows about your family's affairs, they'll understand after a little thought that you're protecting them and had no choice but to resort to this tactic."

"Are you protecting them?" Shaking his head, Shen Che said calmly, "You know very well that those who have been fooled cannot be woken up."

"Whether you try to dissuade them or scold them, it's useless for those who have been fooled. The more you try to drive them away, the more they want to stay."

"Of course, you're not doing this for them at all, but for outsiders."

"It's all to brand yourself as innocent, to let outsiders know that you and your father will never collude, and you'll even fight to the death."

"Poor Master Mu, he died without ever knowing that he was just a target for you. Whenever someone targeted your Mu family, you would throw them out to shield yourself from the arrows."

"As for you, you'll naturally be able to get away perfectly. After all, who would doubt a good son who is weak and helpless and who earnestly advises his father every day?"

I can't help but applaud Mu Qingshan, the eldest young master of the Mu family. To be able to use his own father as a shield, that kind of ruthlessness is something that not everyone has.

When something goes wrong, his own father takes the blame, allowing him, as the son, to escape unscathed.

His father's love for his son was genuine, but the son really treated his father like a consumable.

The father is kind and the son is filial; if Master Mu knew about this filial piety, he would surely be very moved.

How did you figure it out?

"Because you were too hasty!" The two stood with their swords drawn, but neither made the first move. Shen Che appeared very relaxed, as if he didn't take the other person seriously at all.

"Your father wants to take it slow and wait and see, but you can't wait."

"You came here tonight not to remind me to run away, but clearly to force your father to take action sooner!"

"Because you know that your Mu family has been targeted, and you don't know when you will face retribution."

"Your father is greedy, you're even greedier, and you want even more. Am I wrong?"

Faced with Shen Che's questioning, Mu Qingshan on the other side did not respond, but the expression on his face told him that his guess was probably correct.

"Let me guess. Old Man Shi, who abducted people for your Mu family, said he was being watched by the police. But if an old man like him is being watched but hasn't been arrested, then it's obvious that they want to follow the trail to find more people."

"And coincidentally, two women escaped from your family's dungeon. Although the Mu family is not a large family, not just anyone can escape from a heavily guarded dungeon."

"Your father is a fool, but you're clearly not; you're very shrewd. Do you know how someone who escaped from your family's dungeon could be so easily lured to your home by someone like Old Man Shi?"

"It's obvious they came in on purpose to gather information."

At this point, Shen Che couldn't help but shake his head: "It's a pity they didn't escape; they were still discovered and dealt with by your Mu family."

"I don't know if it was you, Young Master Mu, who made the move, but judging from the result, although your Mu family escaped unscathed, you knew very well that the secret of the Mu family couldn't be kept for long. That's why you were in such a hurry, wanting to take as much as possible before your Mu family is destroyed."

"But you didn't expect my strength to exceed your imagination, causing your plans to fall through."

"You had never committed suicide before, but after you saw my sword, you did. Because you knew that the Mu family couldn't stop you."

"Those who go mad with killing will not care whether you are wrong or not; they will only choose to eliminate the root of the problem."

"You were afraid to gamble, afraid I'd kill you too, so you chose to commit suicide, hoping to fake your death and get away with it. After all, you've already committed suicide, you can't be killed again, can you?"

"Yes, this is the only option I had left!" Mu Qingshan couldn't help but sigh, feeling a sense of the impermanence of life.

"My father is a good-for-nothing. He thinks he's something special, but he's incredibly careless when it comes to doing things. If I hadn't been there to correct his mistakes all these years, he would have been discovered long ago."

"Unfortunately, it couldn't be hidden any longer. If he doesn't die, I'll be implicated. What can I do? I'm helpless!"

At this point, Mu Qingshan's gaze across the room was filled with ambition, the same kind of look as that of Master Mu. It was like the look of someone eyeing prey, completely undisguised.

He wants a body with that kind of physique too!

"I just didn't expect you to see through it. Despite all my calculations, I still overlooked this point!"

"My father, that good-for-nothing, actually managed to attract someone like you. He deserves to die!"

"Your father was already heartless enough, treating your sister like a mere tool. You, the son, are even worse. You don't care about your father or your sister; you use them all as stepping stones."

"Those who achieve great things throughout history do not concern themselves with trifles. My father hopes for a bright future for the Mu family, so what's wrong with him making a sacrifice?"

"However, you're not quite right about one thing. I didn't sacrifice my sister. My father only had one son, me. Where would I get a sister?"

She couldn't help but laugh out loud, as if mocking Shen Che's naivety. "Those two are just tools carefully selected by my father."

"By applying the fragrant wood every day and consuming the skin-regenerating ointment, one's appearance naturally becomes more and more beautiful each day. However, this beauty is obtained at the cost of consuming one's life force."

"Though they are beautiful and can inspire love at first sight, they are rotten inside and don't have many years left to live."

"So naturally, we need to make the most of their potential; otherwise, they'll be gone!"

"You really are just like your father, truly father and son."

"Thank you for the compliment. My father's biggest problem is that he lacks self-awareness. I'm different. I know very well that one shouldn't be too arrogant, and one must always leave oneself a way out."

"Young Master Shen, it's almost time!" Looking up at Shen Che, Mu Qingshan's lips curled into a smug smile.

"I'm getting a bit thirsty after talking for so long!"

"Young Master Shen, thank you for talking to me for so long. I admit, I might not be able to beat you, which is why I'm talking to you and trying to wear you down."

"Young Master Shen, do you feel weak and powerless? Is your martial arts failing you? I'm waiting for the poison to take effect. What are you waiting for?"

"Wait until the poison takes effect?" Shen Che shook the jade cicada at his waist, showing no sign of tension.

"Young Master Mu, do you think it's possible that I'm also waiting for this?"