Lin Mu looked at the Saintess.
"In the Jianghu," she continued, "might often decides truth. Morality without strength is ignored. Overwhelming power opens doors that eloquence never will."
She met his gaze steadily.
"You acted decisively. You prevented greater bloodshed by ending resistance swiftly. Had you hesitated, far more lives would have been lost."
Lin Mu closed his eyes briefly.
Xukong's words echoed in his mind, reinforcing her statement.
When he opened his eyes again, the unease that had lingered within him for days finally began to fade.
Yet as calm returned, a new thought surfaced.
One voice had been missing.
Lin Mo.
That realization made Lin Mu's brows knit together.
In moments like this, Lin Mo should have been loud, mocking, encouraging excess. He should have been pushing Lin Mu to go further, to crush harder, to revel in dominance.
And yet.
Silence.
Not a single word.
Not a whisper.
That absence felt… wrong.
