When the Tree Fell, the Monkeys Scattered-Changhe County Changed Overnight

When the Tree Fell, the Monkeys Scattered—Changhe County Changed Overnight

Chapter Thirty-Seven: When the Tree Fell, the Monkeys Scattered—Changhe County Changed Overnight

Second Master's name truly carried enough weight among the Li family. It was not until Li Erlang had gone far away that Li Zhiming finally recovered.

He resumed the bearing of a Head Patrolman, his expression grave and solemn as he said sincerely, "Lin Mo, thank you for everything you have done for the Li family. Even if Second Master says nothing of your contributions this time, rest assured—the foremost merit will certainly include a share for you. My Li family will never forget those who have shown us kindness!"

Li Zhiming had chosen his words carefully. He had not called Lin Mo a meritorious official; instead, he had truly regarded him as an equal, which made Lin Mo feel exceedingly comfortable.

By this point, Lin Mo could be said to have finished everything he needed to do. Earlier, when Second Master had felt his bones and helped clear his meridians, he had also caused the fatigue accumulated over the past several days to erupt all at once.

Today had already been enough to exhaust him mentally. Now that the fatigue had erupted, the moment he rose from his seat, every muscle in his body began aching and tingling unbearably.

Especially his legs, which had raced all morning—they trembled like sieves.

"Thank you, Head Patrolman. Lin Mo will take his leave first and return to rest."

"Rest well." Li Zhiming looked at Lin Mo, then added, "Thank you for your pill as well. Without it, I could not have held on against the water ghost until Second Master arrived, nor could the subsequent cleansing of the water ghosts have been completed."

At this, Lin Mo halted in his tracks and looked at Li Zhiming with eager anticipation.

That was a Withered Wood Meets Spring Pill!

Its value was no less than the Golden Silk Soft Armor he wore next to his skin. It was a genuine extra life!

"Even Guo's Pharmacy has only a few Withered Wood Meets Spring Pills. It may take some time before I can return one to you intact, but do not worry. Before long, I will personally make a trip to the Prefecture City. The Withered Wood Meets Spring Pill and any other pills you need will all be provided!"

Having said this, Li Zhiming felt more confident and asked, "What kind of medicinal pills do you need? My Li family will satisfy your needs at the first opportunity."

"Head Patrolman, could you find medicine that protects the internal organs?" Such pills were quite rare, but Lin Mo did not need to explain. Li Zhiming immediately guessed his intentions.

"You have already perfected the First Stage. I suppose you wish to begin cultivating a Breathing Technique?" Li Zhiming asked.

Since Li Zhiming had already brought it up, Lin Mo took the opportunity to bring out his Great Jade Ape Breathing Technique, so that this Cultivation Method would have a proper origin.

"I once joined several colleagues in holding off enemies. A Second Level Minor Accomplishment martial artist, mad as a rabid dog, pursued us and was killed by me in return. I found a fragmentary Breathing Technique manual on him, but unfortunately, it only contains the introductory portion."

"Rest assured. Although pills for the internal organs are uncommon in our Changhe County, the Prefecture City will certainly have them in stock. Their value is not considered particularly great, and I will definitely purchase a batch for you."

Li Zhiming gave his promise, and the two parted ways. Lin Mo hurried home to recuperate; his bones and muscles now hurt all over with the slightest movement.

Once he had recovered, he would still have a fortune of four hundred destiny fortune points. At last, he would no longer need to pinch pennies when improving his fate.

Someone like Zhao Qian was surely a great villain, to have provided more than two hundred points.

Lin Mo reckoned that an ordinary Second Level martial artist probably would not have even half as much. Only those steeped in grave sins could yield so many points. Still, having them in his hands already satisfied him greatly.

Within the Prefecture City territory, somewhere in the mountains.

The martial artists had already been exhausted to the bone. At a ruined temple, none of them had the energy to care about propriety. One after another, they lay motionless on the ground like corpses, and quite a few were stained with blood.

If anyone from Changhe County or the other counties saw this sight, their jaws would surely drop.

These were the foundations of their respective counties. There were even several Martial Masters among them.

Suddenly, birdsong sounded by their ears. The burly man at the front, dressed in gray armor and draped in a black cloak, strode out of the ruined temple and lightly whistled with his hand raised to his lips.

In less than several dozen breaths, a Mysterious Bird the size of a fist streaked through the air like an afterimage and darted through the dense forest toward him.

That burly man was Wang Haiqiao, the Prefecture City's current Inspector.

He took the note from the Mysterious Bird's claws and read it carefully. Upon seeing only the first line, his brows knitted tightly together.

"Fine, Li Erlang. I remembered our old friendship and got you out of the Prefecture City Water Prison, and now you pull this kind of nonsense on me?"

Yet the further he read, the more his brows gradually relaxed. "So that's how it is. They actually caught a little tail of the White Lotus Sect in Changhe County... At least my leading men through the mountains in search was not in vain."

"As for the Zhao and Zhou families?"

Wang Haiqiao looked through the broken temple doors. There was not a trace of either family among the martial artists inside. More or less all of them had withdrawn that morning, clearly having caught wind of something.

Trying to arrest them now would likely be difficult.

He returned to the ruined temple and said to the crowd, "Brothers, thank you for coming to lend your aid. We have not disappointed expectations either—we have rooted out a little tail of the White Lotus Sect in Changhe County."

The White Lotus Sect?

This was a colossal force, an enormous force—one great enough to be mentioned in the same breath as the remnants of the former dynasty!

The White Lotus Sect had originally been the state religion in the final years of the former dynasty. However, when facing Great Gan, ideological divisions arose within it, sending it down a crooked path and allowing Great Gan to seize its chance.

If that were all, peaceful coexistence would seemingly have been the best choice.

Yet during the former dynasty, the White Lotus Sect had not done anything human. It treated lives like grass, cultivated secret arts, and sought the immortal path, leaving the people in utter misery.

"This is a big fish!" one martial artist exclaimed.

"Lord Inspector, did we come out this time to search for these traces?"

Another clasped his hands and asked.

Wang Haiqiao had no need to conceal anything, so he spoke plainly. "Exactly. From the moment the water ghost incident emerged, the Prefecture City sensed that something was amiss. We had found traces in the mountains and forests, which was why I summoned everyone here."

He paused, then continued, "Who would have thought that the traces in the mountains were a smokescreen left by the White Lotus Sect? Their true target was Changhe County!"

Changhe County?

At once, some among the gathered martial artists became nervous, especially those from the Sun family and Guo's Pharmacy.

Even the Martial Masters from the other two factions of Changhe Martial Arts School could no longer sit still. Unlike Yang Yun, who had only a handful of disciples, most of their people were outside, while the one personal disciple remaining had been brought along with them.

They had more than a hundred apprentices and several dozen Registered Disciples. Among them were quite a few promising seedlings, including some they regarded as personal disciples.

"What happened to Changhe County? Shall I head back at once to take a look...?"

"Same here. I hope Lord Inspector will grant permission."

The ruined temple erupted into a chorus of voices.

Wang Haiqiao waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for panic. "Changhe County handled this matter quite well. Not only did it keep civilian casualties under control during the water ghost disaster, it also rooted out a tail of the White Lotus Sect. This is truly a great merit!"

A great merit?

The ones left in Changhe County were the disciples of their various families!

At Changhe Martial Arts School, Martial Master Wang and Martial Master Li exchanged glances, then asked in unison, "May we ask, Lord Inspector, whether it was a disciple of one of our two lineages?"

As for Yang Yun, he absentmindedly roasted meat over the bonfire with Xu Changfeng, completely uninterested in the matter.

Xu Changfeng, however, was deeply worried about his junior brother. Gradually, he seemed to feel the Inspector's gaze gathering in his direction.

Xu Changfeng swallowed and patted Yang Yun beside him. "Master... this situation seems to be..."

Before he could finish, a single sentence from the Inspector struck the two like a thunderbolt, making them jolt from head to toe.

"I did see a rather promising seedling. He seemed to be called Lin Mo?"