Search and Capture

Search and Capture

Search and Capture

The slums were, in truth, simply the area Changhe County had designated for refugees, beggars, and undocumented blacks without household registration.

Normally, no constables patrolled here, no night watchmen made their rounds at midnight, and naturally there were no night-soil collectors to deal with the filthy, foul waste.

Even in daylight, the light here seemed to be squeezed away by layer upon layer of ramshackle houses. Across this vast stretch, there was no concept of streets at all.

The alleys for people to walk through were astonishingly narrow; sometimes, even two people walking side by side found it difficult.

With Lin Mo taking the lead, he guided three Registered Disciples slowly into the maze of alleys, his gaze fixed tightly on their surroundings. If someone launched an ambush in a place like this, it would truly be hard to handle.

"Senior Brother Lin, can anyone even hide in a place like this?"

Perhaps because he came from a wealthy family, the youth in a green martial uniform brought up the rear, his nostrils tightly pinched as he placed every step with extreme care.

The mud beneath their feet was unbearably filthy. After rain, it became like a swamp, mixed with unidentifiable waste; one careless step and they would fall flat on all fours.

"Not only is it a good place to hide people, it is also a good place for ambushes. Everyone, be cautious. If anything happens, report it immediately..."

Lin Mo reassured them, paying particular attention to the figures peering out from the surrounding ruined houses. They were the refugees who lived here, their faces yellow and emaciated, their eye sockets frighteningly sunken.

He stopped at an intersection where more refugees had gathered. It was slightly more open here, enough to at least stretch out one's arms.

Lin Mo looked at the refugees around him and pondered in silence, forming a simple plan.

The refugees practically filled this entire area. Someone like a practitioner would certainly stand out; even if they tried to hide, people would more or less notice something unusual.

Lin Mo took out a small piece of silver worth one qian. There was no need for too much—just enough to stir these refugees' interest.

He waved the broken silver in his hand and called out clearly among the refugees, "I am a practitioner from Changhe Martial Arts School, ordered to apprehend a fleeing suspect. Has anyone seen a person who came here in disguise these past few days, someone whose behavior seemed suspicious? Anyone with information will be rewarded two qian of silver."

The moment he spoke and the silver flashed, countless gazes emerged from the dark, ruined houses, and whispers immediately broke out below.

Lin Mo made no attempt to conceal his words. If he could beat the grass and startle the snake here, frightening the target away first, practitioners would inspect and hunt throughout the city and outside it afterward. That was still better than fighting in this tiny place.

Taking ten thousand steps back, he could at least draw out some useful clues and search bit by bit.

Even if they were ambushed, with the help of [Insightful Eye], Lin Mo was confident he could handle anyone below the Third Stage Practitioner level.

A Second Level Entry practitioner would certainly be killed within three to five moves. Those at Minor Accomplishment would merely be more troublesome and laborious; as for Major Accomplishment and Perfection, he would not know until they had fought.

Besides, after practicing the Cloud Ascending Ladder as a secondary art for several days, he had already improved somewhat. Though he had yet to reach the first level's entry stage, his agility in battle had grown far stronger.

As Lin Mo observed the refugees' movements, he also had the others remain alert for anyone approaching suspiciously. He raised the reward further. "As long as you provide relatively reliable information, these two qian of silver will be yours immediately. If you can lead me to a concrete trail, then regardless of whether we catch the person, I will reward you with another tael of silver!"

The two qian, and the tael of silver that followed, were rewards Lin Mo had decided upon only after careful thought.

If the money was too much, they might lose their lives the moment it reached their hands. There was no order in these slums.

"A tael of silver... Old Wu, do you think we..."

"You want to risk your life for silver? Which side can you afford to offend?"

"But it would feed us for several months..."

The reward naturally had an effect, though unfortunately not as much as he had imagined. The hushed discussions continued, as if some truly had noticed something.

Lin Mo's hearing was naturally sharp. Yet when he followed the voices with his gaze, those refugees who seemed to have clues ducked back into the dilapidated houses enclosed by wooden planks, shaking their heads like rattles.

Force them through martial means?

Lin Mo felt that method would probably work well, but it was ultimately inappropriate and would also affect his reputation in Changhe County.

"Uncle, I... I know. Over there..."

A barefoot boy in tattered hemp clothes ran out. Before he could say more than a few words, he was dragged back by an arm as thin as a skeleton.

Lin Mo craned his head to look inside. A woman was tightly covering the little boy's mouth. She forced out a smile and fawned, "S-Sir, we hardly ever move around in a place like this. How would we know who has come here..."

Grrr...

The moment the little boy was released, his stomach rumbled at the worst possible time. He looked at the woman with pleading eyes. "Mother, I'm hungry..."

"Hungry?"

Lin Mo looked back at the others and asked, "Did any of you bring food?"

After feeling through their pockets, the youth in green martial robes at the back pulled out an oilcloth bundle containing several pastries.

"Almond cakes, peach blossom cakes... They're snacks I brought with me."

"Lend them to me. When this is over, I'll treat everyone to a meal."

For a little boy like this, Lin Mo's method was much simpler. He held out the pastries and silver, coaxing him patiently. "Little brother, as long as you are willing to tell me, the money is yours, and these pastries will be yours too."

The woman shook her head, her expression grave. Only then did Lin Mo finally understand—so this was what they feared.

He looked at the white mist rising above the boy's head. Seeing that the boy's natural aptitude was passable, he proposed, "As long as you can tell me something useful, not only will you receive the silver, I will also give your son a good opportunity. How about sending him to Changhe Martial Arts School to learn martial arts?"

The woman gritted her teeth and finally agreed. The little boy ran over and whispered a few words to him, and Lin Mo's eyes gradually brightened.

"So that's how it is... No wonder they couldn't find anyone even after searching this tiny slum from end to end!"

He finally came to a sudden realization. Then he instructed a Registered Disciple to buy some proper food and bring it over before leaving on his own.

Lin Mo came to a corner of the slums. Enduring the stench of a heap of filth, he kicked away the covering board, revealing a pitch-black pit beneath it.

"Who would have thought they dug out a pit here, with the entrance and exit built beside this filth pool? No wonder the martial arts school sent people to search and still found nothing..."

But where there were advantages, there were also drawbacks. Refugees would inevitably see something now and then, but whenever they encountered people going in or out, they usually died violent deaths.

Against practitioners, they were no match in a single exchange. Over time, they buried the matter deep in their hearts.

Lin Mo inspected the surroundings, then silently leaped inside. It was different from the underground passage he had imagined; this seemed more like a cellar used for hiding.

The place was not large, but there were beds inside. They were already somewhat messy, with heavy signs of habitation.

"Looks like I came at the wrong time this time?"

Lin Mo looked around. The structure here was simple, and there was no other possible place for someone to hide.

Just as he prepared to vault back up, slow footsteps suddenly sounded overhead.