The night air was bone-chilling.
Liu Zongsheng waited for Chen Mo's answer.
Chen Mo's thoughts raced. Dozens of possibilities flashed through his mind. He could agree or refuse; there was no third option.
It was obvious that the Black Tiger Hall's plans were nothing aboveboard. They might even involve breaking the law.
He didn't actually care whether it was right or wrong. He was only afraid of getting burned.
If even Yin Tianqing, with his strength and experience, hadn't dared to agree, what made Chen Mo think he could?
A few drops of wine slipped from the cup in his hand without him noticing.
A moment later,
Chen Mo finally replied, "Hall Master Liu, for now, this junior only wants to practice martial arts. Once I've grown stronger, I'll join you in planning great things."
Liu Zongsheng paused, then said, "Good," three times. "Good, good, good... Since that's what you want, I won't force you."
With that, Liu Zongsheng headed back to the private room.
As the other man turned away, Chen Mo caught a glimpse of his face in the reflection in his cup. For an instant, it had been cold and sinister.
He steadied himself and followed calmly.
By the time they returned to the private room, everyone had nearly finished eating and drinking. Xie Jinnian was actually dead drunk.
He was the only one in the private room who had truly come to drink.
A Dark Jin expert could keep the alcohol at bay and drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. But if he let himself go and stopped resisting the alcohol, he wasn't much different from an ordinary person.
Xie Jinyou shook his head with a wry smile and had no choice but to call for servants from the Xie Family to carry him home.
The guests gradually dispersed.
Before saying goodbye to Xie Jinyou, Chen Mo hesitated, but in the end he didn't ask him about the Black Tiger Hall.
What if the Xie Family was already involved? Wouldn't asking such a question be like walking right into a trap?
After bidding farewell to County Magistrate Lin Chong, he headed straight for the inn.
After he left, Liu Zongsheng walked over to Zhao Huayuan, raised a hand to his neck, and made a gesture of "cutting him down"...
For the next three days, Chen Mo stayed in the inn with the doors shut, focusing on stance training and practicing his fists. He fully put the Comprehension he'd accumulated through Mountain and Water Cultivation to use.
After three days of stance training, his cultivation had stabilized at the early Dark Jin stage. His injuries from his fight with Zhang Chong had also mostly healed.
Seeing how hard he worked, his fellow disciples all shook their heads and laughed at themselves. "Junior Brother Chen already has the strength of a Martial Scholar, yet he's still working this hard. What right do we senior brothers have to waste our time having fun?"
At that moment, Chen Mo felt as if a sharp blade hung over his head, ready to fall at any time.
Maybe I should ask Master and get the whole story...
Firm in his resolve, he pushed open his door, walked to his master's room, and knocked three times.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Once his master answered, Chen Mo entered the room.
"Master, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."
Yin Tianqing stopped his training movements. "What is it? Go ahead and ask."
Chen Mo paused, then said, "Did Liu Zongsheng of the Black Tiger Hall ever ask you to join him in some scheme?"
Yin Tianqing froze.
His expression darkened slightly, with a trace of fear in his eyes. Instead of answering directly, he asked, "Did he ask you about it today, too?"
Chen Mo nodded. "He only asked whether I would agree. He didn't tell me what it was. I want to know what they're planning so I can prepare."
Yin Tianqing considered it briefly, then nodded. "Yes. You've entered the Dark Jin stage, so you're qualified to know some things."
He straightened his expression and continued, "You should know that the Black Tiger Hall controls the Iron Furnace Room in Black River Town, and some of the weapons forged there are sold to the prefectural and county governments."
"A nation's weapons shouldn't be forged by martial sects. That's an ironclad law. But the nation is in decline and the world is in chaos. Some laws aren't so unyielding anymore."
"The Black Tiger Hall's ambitions have only grown. Now they intend to keep for themselves a batch of weapons that should have been sent to the prefectural capital."
"Most of those weapons were forged through the live sacrifice of human beings. The Black Tiger Hall is performing strange, unorthodox rituals on them. Supposedly, those rites can increase the weapons' power. They need help, so they've reached out to the other factions in Anyang County."
Yin Tianqing explained everything in one breath.
"Keeping the weapons... Live sacrifices..."
Chen Mo murmured, "So they really were using human sacrifices for some other purpose... But I still have a question, Master. Since you already know what they're up to, why not report them to the county government?"
Yin Tianqing sighed softly. "The waters here run deep. The Black Tiger Hall wouldn't dare act so recklessly without powerful backing. I have the Tianqing Martial Hall to think of, and..."
He paused. "And Shanshan. I don't dare risk a fight to the death with them."
Chen Mo understood.
He could understand Yin Tianqing's choice, but now they were at someone else's mercy. The situation for him and Yin Tianqing was probably grim.
He had a strong premonition that the Black Tiger Hall and the Hansha Gang would make a move against them in the next few days.
Chen Mo voiced his premonition.
Yin Tianqing lowered his head, lost in thought.
About the time it took to drink a cup of tea passed before Yin Tianqing looked up, his eyes flashing. "We're returning to the martial hall at once. We can't stay here another moment..."
They quietly paid the bill and set out in the middle of the night without alerting anyone.
The carriage sped out through the city gate, heading for Black River Town.
The night wind blew cold, and the horses' hooves pounded fast.
After about half an hour, the carriage had left the county seat and entered the territory under Black River Town's jurisdiction. From here on, the real danger began.
Everyone knew that the Black Tiger Hall was the power in charge of Black River Town. If they wanted to kill someone there, it wouldn't be difficult.
In the silent night, a horse's piercing whinny suddenly cut through the sky.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"
Next came the sound of a horse stumbling over a trip rope and crashing to the ground.
Bang!
The carriage lurched violently.
Chen Mo immediately circulated his inner force and gripped one corner of the carriage frame. The others steadied themselves with their own skill.
Just then, several arrows suddenly whistled out of the woods.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Chen Mo used Luo Smoke Steps to dodge two arrows, but Li Xuan wasn't so lucky. An arrow struck his left shoulder.
They were nearly thrown out of the carriage.
Yin Tianqing steadied himself at once. The force within him erupted like a mountain flood, drawing the shattered carriage frame through the air. He then hurled it at the remaining arrows.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The arrows smashed the boards of the carriage frame to splinters, then fell into the grass themselves.
At that moment, two figures suddenly leaped out of the grass. Each gathered force as one attacked Yin Tianqing and the other darted toward Chen Mo.
Chen Mo immediately understood. They were here for him.
He instantly used Luo Smoke Steps and Dragon-Capturing Jin. His body blurred like a shadow as he met his attacker with a punch.
Boom!
Chen Mo felt the force in the other man's palm. It was no ordinary Dark Jin. His opponent was most likely close to the peak of the Dark Jin stage, if not already there.
"Two peak Dark Jin experts. The Black Tiger Hall really went all out!"
Chen Mo deliberately called out to distract him. The other man's movement faltered, confirming Chen Mo's guess.
If Chen Mo used Luo Smoke Steps at full strength, his opponent wouldn't be able to keep him there. But if he did, Yin Shanshan and the others would be in danger.
The martial hall's people don't need to take my debts upon themselves...
Thinking this, he stamped his foot against the ground and charged forward.
Before you continue