Scouting and Reconnaissance

Scouting and Reconnaissance

Scouting and Reconnaissance

Lin Mo had seen quite a few destinies tinged with death, much like the births, aging, illnesses, and deaths of all sorts of people in the hospitals of his previous life. Only this time, it seemed much closer to him.

The destiny [Calamity of Blood Light] shone brightly above Lin Hai's head. It had clearly only appeared recently, and Lin Mo could basically conclude that Zhao Wu had something to do with it.

This job... really had not been easy to find.

"Lin Hai is my cousin, after all. When I first transmigrated here, I even helped him out... As for Zhao Wu, even if I ignore this matter, he definitely won't spare me when he comes to collect the debt afterward..."

"This time, there are still uncles from the Lin family to help. But what about next time? When even thugs and hooligans can openly come looking for trouble, I won't be far from a dead end..."

Lin Mo drew two deep breaths, doing his utmost to calm himself. Then a bold decision suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Strike first!

As long as he dealt with Zhao Wu within the next few days, many things would fall into place on their own.

Zhao Wu was no more than flesh and blood, a good-for-nothing with only third-rate martial skills. What did Lin Mo have to fear from trying?

"Looks like this tea fee cannot wait a few more days. Tomorrow, I'll go to the martial arts school, pay the tea fee, and practice some moves!"

Early the next morning, at cockcrow.

Lin Mo changed into a long robe of coarse linen, one of the few garments in his home without patches. After washing up and tidying himself, he at least looked clean and presentable enough to leave a decent impression.

He had already retrieved the two Sudden Fortunes last night. Now, Lin Mo paced along the wall a few times, fixed his gaze on a protruding brick, gripped it with four fingers, and yanked hard.

With a clatter, the mud-yellow brick came loose, and a brown cloth money pouch caked in dirt and ash rolled out from inside.

This had always been where Lin Mo hid his wages. This world was nothing like his previous life; ruffians even worse than Zhao Wu and his ilk were everywhere.

If someone robbed him of it, would he not have nowhere even to cry?

Heading into the heart of Changhe County early in the morning, Lin Mo found it far more prosperous and lively than he had imagined. The hooked eaves on both sides of the street connected overhead, while wooden carts stood beneath them one after another.

"Flatbreads! Steaming hot meat flatbreads! Thin crust, plenty of filling!"

"Fresh-roasted chestnuts, fresh-roasted chestnuts! Fragrant and soft, sweet and delicious! If they're not sweet, you don't pay!"

Vendors on both sides of the long street cried out their wares in competition. Pedestrians came and went, and though the morning mist still hung hazily in the air, the street brimmed with the warmth of everyday life.

The martial arts school stood on Zhonglang Street, one of the streets near the center of Changhe County. Several manor-like compounds enclosed spacious dirt training grounds, making for a fairly sizable establishment.

Passing around the martial arts school's main gate, Lin Mo arrived at the side entrance of Stone Wall Courtyard. A small wooden sign hung above it, crudely carved with the words, "Accepting Apprentices."

Lin Mo knocked on the little window in the wooden door. A young man pushed it open while rubbing his sleepy eyes, looked Lin Mo up and down, and said, "Greetings. I am Xu Changfeng, the martial arts school's duty disciple. Are you here to study martial arts, sir, or to visit a friend?"

"Of course I'm here to study martial arts. One tael and five mace?"

"One tael and five mace includes only one midday meal. Two taels includes lodging and one midday meal. Five taels includes lodging, three meals, medicinal soup, and more. The term lasts only half a month. Pass the assessment, and you will be considered initiated."

Lodging and meals?

An assessment?

Lin Mo considered it carefully. Though the second option cost five mace more, if he could stay in the martial arts school for half a month, what petty thief or scoundrel would dare come looking for him?

It would count as leaning against a great tree for shade...

Moreover, Lin Mo had not forgotten what happened last night. He would have to resolve the matter of [Calamity of Blood Light] sooner or later. Judging by the depth of that destiny's color, he reckoned it would come to pass within four or five days.

"May I ask, sir, what is the assessment based on?" Lin Mo asked with cupped hands.

"Simply sensing qi and blood."

Qi and blood... The instant Lin Mo raised his head, he focused his gaze on the young man's head. Amid the swirling white qi, he truly saw an entirely new destiny.

[Prolonged Qi and Blood]

Yet he could not see the destiny above the young man's head completely. Apart from the white qi, a mass of Azure Mist lingered there. Clearly, the destiny contained within was of a higher grade.

Lin Mo understood a little more. "Then I'll register for the two-tael option."

"Please come this way to register. State your name, age, and place of origin, then pay the fee."

The writing system of this world was particularly close to the traditional Chinese characters of his previous life, so Lin Mo did not find reading and writing too difficult. At least, there was no problem with such items as his name and place of origin.

After weighing the silver and confirming that it was correct, Xu Changfeng led Lin Mo around Stone Wall Courtyard. Along the way, Lin Mo saw quite a few youths dressed in coarse hemp clothing like himself practicing martial arts.

After retrieving his exclusive wooden token from a room, Xu Changfeng smiled and congratulated him. "From now on, sir, you are an apprentice of Changhe Martial Arts School. I wish you success in passing the assessment. You may call me Senior Brother Xu."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Xu!"

"You can read?"

"I learned a little when I was young. Reading and writing are not much of a problem." Lin Mo casually found himself an appropriate excuse.

"That is good. Oh, this booklet of basic notes will be a gift from your senior brother. Then I won't need to explain it to you myself." Xu Changfeng's face brightened. He had been worrying about how to get a good night's sleep, and now had this not delivered the perfect opportunity?

He paused, then added, "Rest assured, Senior Brother will definitely teach you the basics of stance training. It is just that everything starts tomorrow morning!"

"For today, first familiarize yourself with common martial knowledge, organize your belongings, and move into that communal sleeping room over there."

Xu Changfeng gave a soft "Mm," pointing toward a side room where quite a few youths were also coming out.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Fortunately, Lin Mo had almost no luggage. After tidying up simply, he used his remaining dozen or so copper coins to buy several meat buns.

He chose an empty spot on a communal bed and began flipping through the booklet while eating.

"The foundation of martial arts is divided into four gates: skin, flesh, bone, and blood..."

Once the Skin Gate was opened, the skin across one's entire body would become like cowhide. Ordinary sharp weapons would struggle to pierce it, greatly increasing one's defense.

Once the Flesh Gate was opened, one's strength would increase by several hundred jin. Lifting a person with bare hands would be no difficult matter.

Once the Bone Gate was opened, the tendons and bones would take shape, granting strength enough to split monuments and shatter stones.

Once the Blood Gate was opened, qi and blood throughout the body would boil, and strength would flow forth without end.

After carefully reading through most of it, Lin Mo's brows knitted tightly.

By the looks of it, entering the martial path within a few days was harder than ascending to heaven. Even without his destiny revealing it, he knew his natural aptitude was [Weak and Humble Destiny].

If he dragged any sturdy person off the street, someone with the destiny [Healthy and Strong], they might well have more talent for martial arts than he did.

"Half a month. If I truly cannot manage it, then I can only train day and night. Without suffering and exhaustion, how can I succeed?!"

Lin Mo let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and rested briefly on the communal bed. Yet another matter was already taking shape in his mind.

It was absolutely impossible for him to enter the martial path within just a few days, but he had to resolve the matter of Zhao Wu before [Calamity of Blood Light] came true.

Zhao Wu rarely went out during ordinary hours. He hid away until sunset and darkness to conduct his business. If Lin Mo wanted to make a move, he naturally had to scout things out first.

Just after noon, sunlight poured over Hundred Flowers Street, baking the horse dung lodged between the bluestone bricks until it gave off a sour, rotten stench that mingled with the scent of rouge and drifted far into the distance.

Young masters stepped into brothels to escape the heat, while shop assistants carrying bundles of licorice squeezed through the crowd. Their sweat-soaked backs brushed against the bamboo trays of old men carrying shoulder poles, picking up a layer of dust.

Lin Mo lowered his conical hat and threaded through the crowd. Not far ahead was one of the hooligans who had followed Zhao Wu a few days ago.

He had waited bitterly all morning, and at last he had caught sight of this man. All he needed to do was follow him until he found Zhao Wu's residence.

He followed the hooligan farther and farther down Hundred Flowers Street. Nearing the entrance to a side alley, the crowds gradually thinned. He had entered the area of wealthy merchants' residences, as the people of the outer city called it.

Courtyards of no small size stood one after another along the streets. After turning and twisting through several lanes, Lin Mo followed the hooligan to a small courtyard and watched him enter.

Lin Mo stared at the courtyard from afar, inwardly astonished.

"This place is right beside Hundred Flowers Street. A small courtyard like this must cost at least two or three taels of silver a month, right?"

He circled around the courtyard and came to an inconspicuous stretch of wall. Estimating the distance between the roof eaves and the courtyard wall, he found it to be no more than two meters.

"This is the place..."

Lin Mo took a deep breath. Seeing no one around, he backed up several meters, then suddenly broke into a run.

With several light taps, he held his breath, grabbed the wall's edge, and carefully flipped himself over.

In broad daylight, there was still quite a commotion inside. The jumble of voices completely drowned out the sound of him climbing over the wall...

"Zhao Wu is, at most, a mere thug and hooligan. Living in such a fine place, could he be involved in some important business?"

"This is business that costs lives!"

Several men clustered around a wine table inside the room. Zhao Wu was among them. He took a fierce swig of wine and warned them.

"Heh, Fifth Brother, put your mind at ease. Those villagers are nothing but idiots!"

"Exactly, exactly. They so easily send their own sons over to become laborers, saving us quite a bit of effort."

One ruffian was already somewhat drunk. He swayed his head smugly, then seemed to recall something and added,

"Fifth Brother, the master said several places are getting restless again. We need to hurry up and procure more batches of blood food to send into the Water Ghost Cave."

"Didn't we just send over a batch last night? They used it up that quickly..."

Zhao Wu's brows furrowed. Thinking of how increasingly busy he had been these past few days made him feel even more uneasy.

That monster called a "water ghost" looked like a gaunt, shriveled person, with terrifying bluish-gray skin. Every time Zhao Wu saw it, his heart trembled with fear.

"Those things have appetites as huge as oxen! One meal takes enough to feed dozens of people for an entire day!"

The remaining ruffians gestured wildly as they spoke. They had rarely seen such monsters in their lives, and they were rather delighted by the novelty.

Water ghosts?

These people were feeding those things?

Lin Mo pressed himself low and held his breath, afraid of disturbing the men in the hall. The more he listened, the more horrified he became.

It seemed he had heard something extraordinary...

Some time ago, water ghosts had begun causing trouble. Not only had dockside business become difficult, even the group beneath the yamen responsible for water transport had grown restless. River trade had become hard to conduct, and fishermen were terrified...

The master of Changhe County's Zhao Family Grain Store was actually the mastermind behind the water ghosts!

Another man opened a small account book and handed it over. "The master said payment will be handed out together in a few days. He raised our share by five mace. One person is worth two taels of silver."

"Understood. Tomorrow night, once darkness falls, I'll personally deliver this batch of people."

Zhao Wu wiped his mouth, his brows and eyes carrying a trace of gloom.

Though he looked rough and crude, he had made it this far because he had plenty of schemes in his heart.

Ever since he began helping plot this water ghost business, he had known it was a trade that could cost him his head. There was no shortage of cases of slaughtering the donkey after it had left the millstone behind...

"However stupid those villagers are, they'll get anxious if they hear nothing from their sons for a month or so... Besides, it's time to run..."

Zhao Wu pondered in secret. Just as he was about to walk out of the hall, several tiles on the roof gave a sharp crack. He strode outside and looked up.

He saw a wild cat leap onto the wall, clawing at the edge of the roof. Outside the courtyard, several little brats were playing with stones.

Several stones, mixed with fragments of broken tile, rolled down along the roof gutter, scattering a faint shower of dust.

"Looks like I've been a little too tense lately..."

Zhao Wu shook his head and laughed at himself. Meanwhile, Lin Mo had already walked out of the alley.

"He'll be delivering people tomorrow night? From what he said, it seems he will be doing this alone at night... Perhaps this is a good chance to get rid of him!"