The next day.
Lin Mu had just returned from the Star Dou Great Forest and was about to go to the palace to find Qian Renxue when he was blocked by Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng.
Looking at the two obsequious men, Lin Mu frowned slightly and said indifferently, "What do you want with me?"
"Your Majesty, I heard that you have broken through to the Titled Douluo level. My nephew's cultivation is not very good. I wonder if you could give him some pointers?"
Prince Xue Xing bowed and scraped to Lin Mu, his appearance full of obsequiousness, completely lacking the dignity of a prince.
In this world, strength is always respected. Not to mention Prince Xue Xing, even Emperor Xue Ye would not dare to put on airs in front of Lin Mu.
Xue Beng was also bowing and scraping, but the respect on his face was slightly fake.
It was clear that Xue Beng was a complete waste. Even if he pretended, he couldn't do it convincingly. He only acted like a spoiled brat while being arrogant and domineering.
"Get lost!"
Lin Mu waved his hand dismissively. Did they really think they could win him over with such petty tricks?
Given his relationship with Qian Renxue, how could a brat like him possibly shake it?
Hearing Lin Mu's words, Xue Beng was furious, clenching his fists tightly, feeling an urge to attack.
At this moment, Prince Xue Xing noticed Xue Beng's actions, and a wave of sorrow washed over him. How could he have such a useless teammate?
Dealing with ordinary people was one thing, but this time he actually wanted to attack Lin Mu!
What a joke!
Even before Lin Mu broke through to the Titled Douluo level, he could single-handedly storm the Supreme Pontiff's Palace. Now that he had broken through, his strength was undoubtedly even greater. Even the entire empire couldn't defeat Lin Mu.
Moreover, Emperor Xue Ye was about to pass the throne to Xue Qinghe; they were about to become nothing but stray dogs, how could they possibly mobilize an army?
Although Xue Beng was a good-for-nothing, Prince Xue Xing had no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end; after all, he had already stood on the opposite side of Xue Qinghe.
Then, Prince Xue Xing kicked Xue Beng hard, as if to bring him to his senses.
Xue Beng fell face-first into the mud, and just as he was about to erupt in anger, he saw his uncle's cold eyes and immediately sobered up.
The next moment, he suddenly knelt before Lin Mu, grabbed Lin Mu's legs with both hands, and pleaded desperately:
"Your Majesty, as long as you are willing to support me to become emperor, I will obey everything you say. No matter what conditions my elder brother promises, I will agree to them all, and I will respect you as my adoptive father."
Seeing this, Prince Xue Xing breathed a sigh of relief. With this combination of moves, as long as Lin Mu had even the slightest desire for power, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
But the next second, Prince Xue Xing was dumbfounded.
Lin Mu looked at Xue Beng with disdain and kicked him away without hesitation.
BANG!!
With a loud crash, Xue Beng smashed into a building, embedding himself in the wall, coughing up blood, and immediately passed out.
Xue Beng's words would likely be useful to others, but for Lin Mu, they had precisely stepped on two landmines.
On one hand, his relationship with Xue Qinghe wasn't one of superior and subordinate; even if one had to categorize them, he was the one above, with Qian Renxue occasionally above him (In bed).
On the other hand, he didn't want children for the time being, let alone being called an adoptive to father by a brat like Xue Beng, it was utterly disgusting.
Seeing Xue Beng lying lifeless in the wall, Prince Xue Xing was shocked and rebuked him, "Lin Mu, Xue Beng kindly asked you to be his adoptive father, and you actually attacked him so cruelly!"
"He's still just a child!"
Compared to the utterly useless Xue Beng, Prince Xue Xing was remarkably cunning.
Since winning over Lin Mu hadn't worked, he'd show Emperor Xue Ye how ruthless his methods were, thus dissuading him from passing the throne to Xue Qinghe.
However, Lin Mu didn't care about any of that. He kicked Prince Xue Xing away again, sending him crashing precisely next to Xue Beng.
Against this kind of person, force was always more effective than reason.
That night, Prince Xue Xing, ignoring his still-healing injuries, dragged his weakened body to Emperor Xue Ye's palace.
Xue Qinghe's ascension to the throne was imminent, and to ensure his own survival, he had to act quickly.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Emperor Xue Ye's expression darkened at Xue Xing's late-night visit. He knew this was about the succession.
He had already finalized the matter, yet this guy was still persistent, did he really want to ruin the empire?
A moment later, he noticed Xue Xing's limping gait, his brow furrowing slightly as he asked, "Xue Xing, who injured you like this?"
After all, Xue Xing was his younger brother, and the fact that he had made his brother a prince spoke volumes about his affection for him.
Even if Xue Xing was more of a hindrance than a help, he didn't want anything to happen to him.
Seeing this, Prince Xue Xing was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it was Lin Mu who did this! He not only beat me like this, but he also severely injured Xue Beng, who is still unconscious!"
"What?!"
Emperor Xue Ye was utterly incredulous, never expecting Lin Mu to be so ruthless, daring to severely injure a prince.
However, he didn't entirely believe Xue Xing's one-sided story and immediately said in a deep voice, "Xue Xing, did you do something? Otherwise, why would Lin Mu attack you for no reason?"
"Your Majesty, I only wanted to bring Xue Beng to Lin Mu to show goodwill, but I didn't expect him to speak ill of Xue Beng, and the two of them had a conflict. I tried to stop him but was injured like this."
Prince Xue Xing spoke half-truthfully.
Hearing this explanation, Emperor Xue Ye's face darkened. He had heard many of Lin Mu's deeds, especially his attack on the Supreme Pontiff's Palace. Putting aside other matters, he was indeed reckless in his violence.
However, if Xue Xing and Xue Beng hadn't gone to him, Lin Mu wouldn't have made a move.
For the bright future of the empire, even if Lin Mu attacked a member of the royal family, he could only turn a blind eye.
"Xue Xing, I know you want to win over Lin Mu to prevent me from passing the throne to the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing this, Prince Xue Xing was shocked, not expecting that his elder brother had seen through him.
After a moment, he stiffened his neck and said meaningfully, "Your Majesty, don't you think Lin Mu is becoming increasingly cruel?"
"Even Pope Bibi Dong was severely injured by him. He doesn't even put the Spirit Hall in his eyes. What else could he possibly care about?"
Hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye fell silent. These words undoubtedly struck at his heart's concerns.
Since Lin Mu already possessed such formidable strength, and even the Spirit Hall did not intimidate him, why was he supporting Xue Qinghe?
Suddenly, Emperor Xue Ye remembered a key figure.
Perhaps all of this was related to Xue Qinghe's adopted sister. If Lin Mu had fallen for Xue Qinghe's adopted sister, everything would make sense.
Having thought it through, Emperor Xue Ye's expression returned to calm, and he said lightly, "Xue Xing, I know what you're worried about. Before the abdication, I will have the Crown Prince swear not to harm you."