The Situation Unsettled? Sudden Turn of Events

Chapter 43: The Situation Unstable? Unexpected Change

Chapter 43: The Situation Unstable? Unexpected Change

Practicing movement techniques was far more difficult than Lin Mo had imagined. Moreover, he had never formally learned any movement techniques before, so it was naturally not easy to get started immediately.

After practicing repeatedly for several days, he gradually began to find a feel for it.

Lin Mo weaved between the wooden stakes. Although the sandbags on his feet had become a bit heavier, he slowly found a sense of using leverage.

Just as it was stated on the 'Cloud Ascending Ladder,' the marvel of the Cloud Ascending Ladder lay not in the 'ascending' but in the 'cloud.' The body, like flowing clouds, could also move with the clouds.

Although it was described somewhat exaggeratedly, with Lin Mo maintaining a low-intensity Blood Essence infusion and practicing according to the Cloud Ascending Ladder's method, his body seemed to have become much lighter while moving, truly feeling like he was borrowing the air's assistance.

"As long as I can get the basics down, my stamina in a sprint won't lose to an ordinary Martial Artist who has just entered the Second Level..."

Lin Mo compared himself inwardly, feeling confident.

Just as he was practicing with great vigor, a sudden sound of hurried footsteps approached from the door, sounding somewhat anxious and panicked.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother Lin, something terrible has happened... Most of the Martial Artists led by Changhe Martial Arts School to the encirclement were injured, and even many villagers from the small village were hurt..."

An apprentice reported in a panic. Lin Mo frowned, somewhat puzzled, but still followed him to the headquarters of Changhe Martial Arts School to check the situation.

Although Lin Mo was the Commander-in-Chief of this clearing operation, it was merely a title. What he was truly responsible for was thoroughly ransacking their lairs and extracting some profit.

As for clearing out the escaping Martial Artists from the Zhao Family Grain Store and Qianjin Escort Agency, most of the powerful ones, the well-known Second Level, Third Level, and even Fourth Level Martial Artists, had already been handled by special personnel dispatched by the Prefecture City.

Their people from Changhe Martial Arts School were mostly responsible for the nearby small villages, preventing any desperate Martial Artists from harming the villagers.

According to the apprentice, they must have encountered this kind of situation. He didn't know what kind of skill these cornered Martial Artists possessed to injure an entire team.

"Who led the team this time? What was their strength?" Lin Mo asked on the way.

"It seems to be a few of Martial Master Li's less-ranked Personal Disciples, they should be around Second Level Entry or Second Level Minor Accomplishment..."

Upon arriving at Changhe Martial Arts School, the training grounds were filled with over a dozen injured Martial Artists. Fortunately, their injuries were not life-threatening.

"Commander-in-Chief Lin..."

A Personal Disciple under Martial Master Li cupped his fists in greeting. Although they were both Personal Disciples, the attitude of Martial Master Li's disciples was completely different from that of Martial Master Wang's disciples.

Perhaps because Lin Mo had refused Chen Qing's invitation, he had inadvertently won over the other faction. They also showed respect for his position as Commander-in-Chief.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Lin Mo hadn't yet fallen out with Martial Master Wang's disciples, but judging by Xu Changfeng's words that day, it seemed his faction and Martial Master Wang's faction were indeed at odds, with their disciples often clashing.

"What's going on? Tell me in detail..." Lin Mo asked one of Martial Master Li's Personal Disciples.

The person cupped his fists and replied, "We were patrolling towards Zhujiawan, intending to check for any stragglers from the grain stores or escort agencies. However, not long after leaving the city gates, we were attacked by a few Second Level Martial Artists. They must have been ambushing near the city gates. Fortunately, our brothers reacted quickly, and after losing a few registered disciples, we managed to retreat in time. They didn't dare pursue us into the city."

"How are your injuries? I have some excellent Trauma Medicine here..." Lin Mo showed considerate concern. Several of Martial Master Li's Personal Disciples felt a warmth in their hearts and waved their hands with a smile, indicating they were fine.

Maintaining a responsible attitude, he still checked the injuries of the remaining individuals. Fortunately, they were all superficial wounds, and given their status as Martial Artists, they would recover in a few days.

"Why are Martial Master Li's subordinates only capable of this? They were dealt with so badly by just a few stragglers?"

A few people from the Wang Faction walked by, sneering. Upon seeing Lin Mo, they greeted him sarcastically, offering a perfunctory compliment to the Commander-in-Chief.

As they walked past, they couldn't resist fanning the flames: "Commander-in-Chief Lin, how can you continue like this? What if the Patrol Commissioner gets angry because you can't even handle such a small matter?"

"Indeed, indeed. If Junior Brother Lin says the word, wouldn't we brothers go and help out?"

After a few sarcastic remarks, someone stepped forward and whispered, "Junior Brother Lin, Junior Brother Chen has Senior Brother Wang's guidance, and even Martial Master Wang personally directs him from time to time. Yesterday, he even fought a fleeing Second Level Martial Artist one-on-one. You need to step up your game..."

"I won't trouble this Senior Brother for his concern," Lin Mo replied calmly, not angered, just brushing them off with a smile. If he tried to command these Wang Faction Personal Disciples, they would likely only pay lip service.

Just as the situation seemed to be settling down, it turned out some remnants of the grain stores and escort agencies were still quite tenacious.

Lin Mo specifically summoned a group of registered disciples and a few of Martial Master Li's Personal Disciples. Each Personal Disciple generally possessed the realm of First Stage Perfected or Second Level.

He divided these people into several teams, leading one himself, while other Personal Disciples led their own teams. They began to search outside the county city gates where the Martial Artists had been attacked.

The place where Martial Master Li's Personal Disciples were attacked was less than a mile or two south of the city. According to them, judging by their appearance, they didn't look like they had been sleeping rough or living outdoors for the past few days.

"After several days, they could find an opportunity to ambush and counter-attack, discern the direction out of the city, and even pursue..."

Lin Mo led a few registered disciples, heading south, while pondering inwardly.

After a moment of thought, he arrived at a simple conjecture.

The southern area was generally divided into two parts. One was the Li Family's dock and commercial area, with high foot traffic and difficult to hide. The other was the slums, separated by just one street.

The slums, as the name suggested, consisted of old and dilapidated houses, with sewage flowing through several streets, and poor public security.

However, as a place to hide and recover, it was quite suitable.

"The Third Level Martial Artists generally fled into the mountains in groups, so there shouldn't be any omissions there. As for this area, perhaps it's just some branch family disciples, or a few who have just entered the Second Level..."

Lin Mo briefly considered the sequence of events and made a decision. He instructed the registered disciples accompanying him, "We'll head to the slums together later. Remember not to stray too far from me. Report any abnormal situations immediately."

After giving these instructions, he still worried he might not be able to handle it. He pulled aside a registered disciple and said, "Go find Martial Master Li's Personal Disciples and tell them we've found the people who ambushed and attacked. Have them bring a group of people here to support us."

After arranging everything and watching the registered disciple run towards the Changhe Martial Arts School headquarters on Changxing Street, he then led the remaining registered disciples to slowly search the area.