CHAPTER 311: CHAPTER 297: MASTER OF THE DRAGON SOUL

"You’re not my match!" Xiao Lin didn’t oppose the gentleman’s counterattack. His left shoulder ached a little, but it didn’t affect his ability to move.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Lin made a graceful twist in mid-air, his right knee slamming heavily into the gentleman’s right cheek. The latter staggered and fell onto the bed, unable to get up for a moment.

"I advise you not to engage in any more strenuous activity. You’re well aware of your physical condition, especially your head." Xiao Lin withdrew from combat mode, folding his arms as he stood in front of the gentleman.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

The gentleman held his head with one hand, shaking it vigorously, and another wave of dizziness almost sent him collapsing onto the bed again.

"If we haven’t guessed wrong, you’ve suffered a severe head injury. From the earliest headaches to now dizziness, and your facial muscles are showing signs of uncontrolled movement—isn’t that so?"

The gentleman stared at Xiao Lin, not denying his blunt words, and asked in a deep voice, "How do you know that?"

"If I said I have a way to save you, what would you offer in return?"

"No need!" The gentleman refused without even thinking.

Expecting the refusal, Xiao Lin continued, "With someone of your caliber, Dragon Soul has a great need for you. You could consider cleaning up your act."

Xiao Lin’s words were true; there wasn’t much distinction between good and evil within Dragon Soul. The organization contained many hidden members, most of whom were people who had turned over a new leaf, performing tasks others couldn’t. They had no names, only codenames.

"Don’t think you can persuade me. Sooner or later, I’ll kill you."

"Very well! If you have the ability, go ahead and strike here." Xiao Lin abruptly grabbed the gentleman’s hand and pressed it against his own heart. "Discussing the word ’kill’ with someone who’s unable to even control their hand—isn’t that rather futile?"

The kick Xiao Lin had aimed at the gentleman’s head contained seventy to eighty percent of his strength. Its purpose was to manifest the head trauma as quickly as possible, and now, because of the deficiency in his head, the gentleman was unable to retaliate at all, unable even to make any judgments or responses mentally.

The gentleman roared in anger, glared fiercely at Xiao Lin, his eyes filled with fury after being taunted, but he couldn’t argue back. Even though there was resentment, he couldn’t take any action.

"We have a long time to deal with each other. You can think it over slowly, but I must warn you, the longer you delay with brain damage, the less likely it is to be repaired. When that day comes, even if you beg me, it’ll be of no use." Having said that, Xiao Lin casually walked into the bathroom, not minding being with him here for a while.

The gentleman sat dejectedly on the bed, his face buried in his hands, fingers digging into his hair. The inner turmoil made his head throb, his distress unbearable, plunging him into a state of chaotic despair.

Standing at the bathroom door, Xiao Lin observed everything coldly. He’s never been soft-hearted with rivals; breaking down the opponent’s defenses is the ultimate victory. He could wait; even though he felt anxious as well, he had to wait.

Suddenly, the gentleman’s body tilted and he collapsed onto the bed, starting to convulse, foam bubbling from his mouth intermittently.

"Not good!" Xiao Lin muttered, pulling out a small pouch he carried with him. He quickly stepped forward, extracted a Silver Needle, and swiftly inserted it into several of the gentleman’s acupuncture points, placing a palm against his Mingmen point, utilizing the internal Heart Method to slowly inject True Qi into his body.

"My God, is this the legendary True Qi?" A soldier watching the screen couldn’t help widening his eyes. This kind of skill, usually only seen in novels, truly existed, as he watched the smoke rising from the gentleman’s head, swallowing hard.

"With your kind of potential, don’t even think about learning it in this lifetime." The middle-aged man spoke slowly; though his words were harsh, they reflected an undeniable truth. Out of everyone who sought to learn, how many succeeded? Xiao Lin was already a miracle. That’s why he could become a legend of Dragon Soul. If it wasn’t for that incident, he wouldn’t have left Dragon Soul, and he wouldn’t have lost a talent, a fact he regretted. Yet, even so, he was grateful that in that battle, it wasn’t Xiao Lin who perished, but Liang Hu.

Withdrawing his palm, Xiao Lin exhaled; the input of True Qi had consumed much of his strength, his clothes were soaked with sweat, making him feel uncomfortable. Looking at himself as he emerged from the bathroom, Xiao Lin felt conflicted, but finally, he took off his clothes, revealing a muscular body. Though not overly bulky, the well-proportioned muscles exuded a sense of power.

"Why did you save me?" The gentleman slowly opened his eyes, feeling a warm flow of energy coursing through his limbs along his meridians. Having walked a round from Ghost Gate, experiencing that moment of death, his desire for life grew ever stronger.

"I said before, Dragon Soul needs people like you." Xiao Lin said calmly.

The gentleman glanced at Xiao Lin, a self-mocking smile on his handsome face: "Even so, it doesn’t change my determination to kill you."

"I’m ready anytime." Xiao Lin exhaled a breath, sticking his tongue out at the surveillance camera. On the other end of the monitor, a middle-aged man was smiling contentedly.

The gentleman’s statement was a blow to those imprisoned in Dragon Soul, not just a mental shock, but a psychological stimulus that spurred those still stubbornly resisting.

The old man sitting behind the desk smiled like a flower, a very bright flower. Xiao Lin awkwardly scratched his head, feeling helpless and speechless in front of such an elder.

"I say, Master, you’ve been grinning foolishly in front of me for a full fifteen minutes and twenty-one seconds." In the entire Dragon Soul, probably only Xiao Lin dared to speak to the elder this way.

"Good! Very good!" The old person’s hand held all the gentleman’s confessions, as well as a list of the leaders of all the underground organizations in the Middle East.

"Xiao Lin, come back to Dragon Soul, outside..."

"Master, don’t even think about it! Life outside is so free, don’t think about tying me down here." Xiao Lin teased: "Besides, didn’t I bring you three people to keep you entertained, and yet you’re still feeling lonely!"

"Those three are good, but just too dull." Speaking of the three that Xiao Lin brought back from Miao Family Village, Lao Long was really very excited, their external martial arts were truly remarkable, but at the moment couldn’t see their potential, so they were placed in the basic camp for training.

Everyone entering Dragon Soul must go through the basic camp once; it’s not a place for people, to put it bluntly. Xiao Lin also went through it, thus laying his foundation. Not fond of firearms, he particularly loved the light and flexible scalpel, and he easily grasped the ethics of traditional Chinese medicine, needing only a month to memorize the herbs others took a year to remember.

His extraordinary memory and intelligence made him deservedly the first person in Dragon Soul’s history to become a Military Doctor in the shortest time, and his special physical development gave him an added edge in various grappling and fighting techniques. He was envied and respected because, with his presence, countless lives were saved in battles, except for that one time, an accident.

Lao Long sighed deeply here, never stopping blaming himself since Xiao Lin left Dragon Soul.

Xiao Lin knew what the elder was thinking, and he didn’t need to point it out. Some things happen and they’re done. You’re not a god, you can’t turn back time, and even if you could go back to that time, he believed Hu Zi would still make the same choice.

"Master, why don’t you ask me who handed over these three people to me?" Xiao Lin saw Lao Long was more concerned because of Miao Shaoqing: "In Miao Family Village, I met a hermit master."

"Oh, really?" Lao Long narrowed his eyes. He was really well aware of Xiao Lin’s cunning. If he wasn’t careful, he’d fall into a trap, so he smiled faintly and said: "Someone capable of training such disciples must be quite formidable themselves."

"Yes! That old gentleman also asked me to send his regards to you." Xiao Lin laughed slyly: "Not many people can recognize my identity at a glance, Master."

This was indeed true. The background behind Xiao Lin involved a secret, and he was the one bearing the destiny of his entire family. Although he wasn’t yet the controller, the young man had already been marked, so at any time, in any situation, his life was of the utmost importance.

"Oh, oh, I know who you’re talking about now!" Lao Long stroked his head. Thankfully, Hua Muyun had given him a heads-up earlier; otherwise, it would have been difficult to handle. Looking at Xiao Lin, Lao Long said: "That Elder Miao was once one of our old subordinates, back when we were all young. Lao Miao had a stubborn personality and never liked being confined, so he went into seclusion while I founded Dragon Soul."

"Is that so!" Xiao Lin laughed more mischievously after hearing this, his narrowed eyes and whole body lounging in the sofa like a lazy cat. Of course, Xiao Lin wouldn’t believe it, grinning like a sly fox: "But how come I heard from the elder that he was our enemy?"

Lao Long started to sweat a bit, initially grateful to Hua Muyun for the heads-up, but now he didn’t know how many times he had cursed the crafty old fox. Seeing his master so conflicted, Xiao Lin didn’t intend to press further and directly said: "I’ve checked Elder Miao’s identity, and it’s zero in Dragon Soul’s information database."

Rising from the sofa, Xiao Lin elegantly opened a flask and took a sip of Dahongpao: "Since it’s someone I don’t have the clearance to investigate, I won’t ask further, but I hope you, Master, and those old timers... uh, those seniors, don’t hide anything from me. If I find out something when I go back, there can be serious consequences!"

This was a threat, an outright threat! Lao Long watched Xiao Lin disappear from the doorway, shaken by his final words, which were the code of their generation, a secret meant to be buried deep within, and now this secret was about to be unearthed. He thought about it and pulled out a phone from the drawer that would never be powered on, dialing the only number inside. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)