Chapter 56 The Desperate Black-Faced Man

As he spoke, Lin Le raised his fist and drove it straight toward the face of the burly man with the dark complexion. That punch carried ferocious strength, whistling through the air with astonishing force. Everyone present was startled by the power behind Lin Le’s blow, certain that disaster was about to befall the burly man.

“Aah!” The burly man let out a miserable scream and collapsed to the ground. Yet, when he realized what had happened, he discovered that Lin Le’s punch had not landed on him at all, but had instead struck the ground beside him.

When he looked at the spot where the blow had landed, his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets in shock. Clearly visible on the ground was a shallow pit, freshly formed by Lin Le’s punch. The cement floor had been shattered and split apart by the sheer force of that strike.

The students who had gathered to watch the commotion were thoroughly astonished by the scene. They had known Lin Le was strong, but never imagined his strength reached such an overwhelming level.

Gu Ya, standing to the side, couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. Inner strength at its peak, a high-level martial master—his power truly was extraordinary!

“I’ll give you one last chance: will you talk or not?” The reason Lin Le had not struck the burly man directly was because, apart from stirring up trouble, the man had not committed any truly outrageous acts. This was, after all, a school; he didn’t want to sully its good name.

Lin Le’s goal was simply to uncover the mastermind who had incited this man.

“I... I, I...” The burly man was so intimidated by Lin Le he couldn’t even form a sentence. On one side was Lin Le, heir of the Gu family; on the other, Ma Zhifeng of Tianma Group. He couldn’t afford to offend either. Sweat poured down his face as anxiety consumed him.

Then, something wholly unexpected occurred. The burly man suddenly scrambled up, and with a dull thud, slammed his head into a nearby tree, collapsing again with a heavy thump.

Everyone was taken aback.

“Damn...” Even Lin Le hadn’t anticipated such an act of self-harm. He stepped up to the man, feeling for a pulse.

“It’s fine. He’s only fainted,” Lin Le said calmly.

In truth, the man hadn’t truly passed out—he valued his life far too much. His desperate collision with the tree was simply a ruse to escape Lin Le’s questioning.

“Should we call an ambulance?” Gu Ya asked, pointing at the man sprawled on the ground.

“No need. Let him sleep it off,” Lin Le replied.

The casual manner in which Lin Le dealt with the matter left everyone a little stunned.

Lin Le was well aware that the man was only half-conscious, but since he’d already been pushed to this point, Lin Le had no intention of pursuing it further. Whoever was plotting against him could keep trying; he would be ready for them.

“Let’s go.” With that, Lin Le and Gu Ya each got into their cars and left the school.

Not long after they departed, the burly man on the ground suddenly sprang up as if resurrected, startling the bystanders. Blood streaming from his head, he fled the school in terror.

To hell with this cursed school! He swore never to set foot here again, not even if it killed him.

Seeing that the man hadn’t betrayed him in the end, Ma Zhifeng finally let out the breath he’d been holding. Only then did he realize that his back was soaked in cold sweat.

After leaving the school, Lin Le and Gu Ya drove in tandem toward the Dragon’s Breath Mountain Villa. Half an hour later, their cars came to a halt at the mountaintop parking area.

The moment Lin Le stepped out, he was taken aback by the sight before him. All the withered plants that once blighted the villa grounds had been cleared away, replaced with fresh greenery and young trees. The entire courtyard now teemed with life.

Moreover, the air atop the mountain was exceptionally pure. The spiritual energy that had poured forth from the rainbow aura not long ago now saturated the atmosphere. Each breath was invigorating, lifting the spirits.

“Wow, the air up here is incredible now! Honestly, I’m tempted to move in myself!” Gu Ya exclaimed, more relaxed in Lin Le’s company now that Gu Huaishan was absent.

“If you really want to move in, you’re welcome anytime. I wouldn’t mind at all,” Lin Le replied with a smile.

“Hah! Easy for you to say. Aren’t you worried your ‘little sweetheart’ will be jealous?” Gu Ya teased, referring of course to Xu Xier.

“Little sweetheart? I have plenty of sweethearts. Which one do you mean?” Lin Le joked.

With the Lin family’s debts finally settled that day, Lin Le felt considerably lighter, able to banter with Gu Ya in good spirits.

Gu Ya shot him a look of disdain. “Aside from Xu Xier, do you really have any others? Surely you wouldn’t be interested in Ji Xiaorui—she looks like she’s barely grown up. Could she possibly appeal to you?”

“Well... you never know. You’re not a man—you can’t possibly understand our... particular tastes,” Lin Le replied with a mischievous grin.

“Hey...” Gu Ya rolled her eyes.

By nature, Gu Ya was a proud woman, and her special status meant that no other man had ever dared make such risqué jokes in her presence. Had anyone else spoken so brazenly, she would have slapped them and cursed them as a scoundrel.

Yet, when the words came from Lin Le, Gu Ya didn’t find him crude or disrespectful; instead, she found him rather amusing.

Even Gu Ya herself couldn’t quite understand what was happening in her own heart.

“All right, enough nonsense. Yesterday I had everything prepared for your room. Come in and see if it meets your standards.”

Lin Le followed Gu Ya into the villa. As the place had been abandoned before, this was his first time truly stepping inside.

Overall, the interior was nothing short of luxurious. Gu Ya had replaced all the furniture and household items the previous day, so Lin Le felt as if he were moving into a brand-new home—there were even fresh groceries and fruit stocked in the fridge and cupboards.

He couldn’t help but admire Gu Ya’s thoroughness; she had thought of every last detail.

“Besides all this, there’s a special training room in the back, outfitted with everything on Grandpa’s list,” Gu Ya said proudly.

“Excellent. I really owe you for this, Miss Gu,” Lin Le replied, clearly satisfied.

“Could you please stop calling me ‘Miss Gu’ all the time? I do have a name, you know,” Gu Ya complained.

“All right, Gu Ya,” Lin Le said with a smile.

“By the way, how is Guo Zhao coming along with the Four Symbols Array?” Lin Le suddenly asked.

“We already have the Black Tortoise’s blood. For the other three, Uncle Guo is in the process of arranging them,” she replied.

“Good.”

The thought that in four days’ time, the Small Four Symbols Array would be complete filled Lin Le with excitement.

After keeping Lin Le company for a while longer, Gu Ya took her leave. She invited Lin Le to dinner at her home, but he politely declined—he had something important to attend to that evening.

Once Gu Ya was gone, Lin Le took out the gu worm he had been carrying. Tonight was the night to settle the score with the one who had cursed him!

He tipped the worm from its vial onto the table. The creature reacted instantly, attempting to scuttle away, but Lin Le seized it before it could escape.

“All right, let’s see where you’re hiding now,” he murmured.

Closing his eyes, he drew upon his internal energy. A surge of spiritual consciousness flowed from his hand into the body of the worm.

This gu worm had been fed with the blood of the one who cast the spell, creating a special link between them. Over the past few days, to prevent the spellcaster from destroying the worm from a distance, Lin Le had kept it with him at all times, protecting it with his own true energy.

Now, his consciousness dove deep into the worm’s mind, searching across the space that connected him to the one who had sent it.