Preparation

"The conditions are what they are. Make do."

Yue Shan leaned against the doorframe and said indifferently, "Rest here this afternoon. Be at the tent we were just in at five. Don't be late."

"Understood, Captain."

Yue Shan nodded and said no more. He turned and went downstairs, his footsteps quickly fading away.

Chen Mo entered the room, closed the door, and set his pack and the things in his hands on the table.

He went to the window first and pushed it open a crack.

A damp, stifling breeze rushed in at once, carrying the distinctive fishy smell of the river by the docks.

He looked toward the low, densely packed buildings in the west of the city. Gray-black rooftops crowded together, and the narrow alleyways wound like intestines. In the fading light, the whole district looked especially gloomy.

That was Rat Alley.

Turning his gaze away, Chen Mo began inspecting the equipment Yue Shan had given him.

The Inspection Bureau uniform was made of thick, sturdy fabric. Simple cloud patterns, embroidered in black thread, adorned the collar, cuffs, and hem, seemingly serving as rudimentary protective runes.

On the left breast, the character "Inspection" was embroidered in silver thread in seal script, marking the wearer as an Inspection Bureau agent.

Chen Mo shook out the clothes and found that the lining was light gray. It felt cool to the touch and carried a faint herbal scent.

The outfit had a clean-cut design that allowed for ease of movement. It had clearly been tailor-made for field operations.

After changing out of his old clothes and putting on the dark blue Inspection Bureau uniform, Chen Mo looked himself over in the room's blurry bronze mirror.

The clothes fit surprisingly well, making his somewhat lean frame look a little more upright and giving him a colder, more severe air.

The character "Inspection" on his left breast glimmered faintly in the dim light.

He fastened the black waist token to his right hip. After activating it with a drop of blood, he felt a faint connection lingering in his mind.

Finally, Chen Mo picked up the booklet titled Wind-Breaking Three Styles.

[Blade technique detected: Wind-Breaking Three Styles]

In his sea of consciousness, the words on the Moonlight Treasure Mirror flickered. Then, more detailed prompts appeared one after another, like ripples on water:

[Analysis complete.]

[Wind-Breaking Three Styles—basic blade technique for military combat.]

[<Grade: Mundane Upper Grade (Incomplete).]

[Core principles: Use simplicity to control complexity, use force to overcome skill, and pursue maximum killing efficiency.]

[Moves:]

[Wind-Cleaving Style: Strike from top to bottom, swift as falling thunder. Emphasizes speed and breaking through weak points. Excels at attacking the head, collarbone, and weapon hand.]

[Wind-Slashing Style: Sweep diagonally across and drag horizontally, with heavy, forceful momentum. Emphasizes power and cutting. Excels at breaking through the centerline, severing limbs, and sweeping aside defenses.]

[Wind-Breaking Style: Advance through danger with a close-range thrust followed by an upward cut. Emphasizes deception and sudden strikes. Excels at attacking the waist and abdomen, the heart, and the moment when an opponent shifts from one attack to another.]

[Key points for generating force (slightly adjusted to suit the holder's current physique):...]

[Footwork coordination (basic variations on the Seven-Star Steps):...]

[Common combinations and adaptations in actual combat (seven variations derived from linking the three moves):...]

[Warning: This technique was designed specifically for battlefield purges and against low-intelligence, sinister targets. Use the Wind-Breaking Style's risky close-range moves with caution against martial artists or cultivators of equal or higher rank. Its basic applications can be mastered quickly, but integrating them into instinct requires extensive tempering in actual combat.]

[Load?]

Chen Mo's mind stirred, and he chose yes.

In an instant, a cool stream of thought flowed into his mind.

It did not forcefully stuff him with complicated insights. Instead, it imprinted the previously analyzed points for generating force, footwork coordination, and several of the most practical combination variations into his memory with exceptional clarity.

A moment later, the cool sensation faded, and the Moonlight Treasure Mirror's light returned to stillness.

Chen Mo slowly opened his eyes. His head felt slightly swollen, but it was nothing serious.

He looked down at the booklet in his hand, then at his own hands, and an odd sense of familiarity welled up inside him.

The key points of the moves and methods of channeling force were now clear in his mind. Even the muscles in his arms seemed to be itching to swing along specific paths.

He rose to his feet and drew the Evil-Slaying Blade.

The blade slid from its sheath with a low, soft hiss.

It was about two feet seven inches long, with nearly seven inches of that taken up by the hilt. The handle was wrapped in dark brown hemp cord that absorbed sweat and prevented slipping. It felt solid and steady in his hand.

The blade was not perfectly straight, but had an extremely slight curve. Blood grooves ran along both sides, their lines simple and unadorned.

Its color was not bright and silvery, but a dull gray-black. It seemed to be made of repeatedly forged steel, yet carried a restrained chill.

On closer inspection, faint dark red lines occasionally rippled through the gray-black surface, barely visible.

Those were traces of the red copper powder mixed in during the special forging process, lending the blade a faint ability to break evil and baleful intent.

The edge had been ground extremely thin, a line of cold light rippling along it in the dimness.

The blade gave Chen Mo a simple impression: practical and fierce. It had no unnecessary adornments; every inch had been designed for killing and breaking through sinister forces.

Chen Mo held it in one hand, feeling the blade's weight and the faint chill of its handle.

He tried a gentle swing, using the method of generating force in his mind, and slightly turned his wrist.

The edge cut through the air with a soft, clear hiss.

"Good blade!"

Chen Mo praised it inwardly, then began practicing the basic movements of the Wind-Breaking Three Styles in the cramped room.

His movements were somewhat stiff at first, but with the Gale Blade Technique he had learned earlier as a foundation, he soon grew more fluid.

His method of generating force naturally began to align with the version the mirror had optimized for his current condition, and his footwork started to take shape as well.

Once, twice, three times...

Sweat began to seep out again. The oppressive August heat turned the room into a steamer.

Chen Mo practiced the fundamentals of the blade technique with an expressionless face, completely absorbed.

The Moonlight Treasure Mirror had only taught his mind the technique. For his limbs to coordinate and develop muscle memory, he still needed to practice again and again.

It was just like the inner strength and cultivation people gained through the mystical transmission of power in TV dramas.

Without time to settle and temper them, they could never bring out their full strength.

Time passed without him noticing. When the distant sound of clappers drifted over from the docks, Chen Mo stopped.

Breathing slightly hard, he sheathed the blade and clenched his fist. He felt he had gained a little more control over his own strength.

After wiping away the sweat, he changed into a clean spare undershirt and checked his equipment one last time: the waist token, the Evil-Slaying Blade, and the Paper Doll.

Chen Mo opened the door and went downstairs.

The evening breeze carried the dampness of the river. It did nothing to dispel the heat, but it lifted his spirits.

The other four were already gathered in the tent.

When Chen Mo entered, Yue Shan's gaze swept over him and paused for half a second before moving away.

"We'll eat at the mess hall first, then come back and go over the mission."

As he spoke, Yue Shan was the first to lift the tent flap and step outside.

Chen Mo followed the team through the camp.

It was not yet fully dark, but the rarely seen electric lights of Linhe County were already beginning to glow throughout the camp.

The mixed aroma of rice and cooked meat drifted through the air, and the hubbub of voices could be heard in the distance.

The mess hall was in another, larger brick building. Soldiers guarded the entrance, and they let people in only after checking their waist tokens.

The interior was spacious, with more than a dozen long wooden tables. Quite a few people were already seated.

Most were soldiers and low-ranking officials in uniforms of various colors. A few, like Chen Mo, wore Inspection Bureau uniforms or the dark teal uniforms of the Anomaly Suppression Bureau, each group gathered separately.

The room was noisy, and a fairly long line had formed at the serving window.

"Find a seat. The rule is to take only as much as you can eat. No wasting food."

Zhou Ling was the first to respond. Grinning, she tugged the rather quiet Zhao Tie toward the serving window.

Wu Tong glanced at Chen Mo without saying anything, then ambled after them.

The food was more substantial than he had expected.

There was a huge pot of rice and two large basins of some kind of meat stewed until it had turned to mush. The mixed dish was rich with oil, with bits of leafy greens floating in it. Beside it were a basket of black-flour steamed buns and a huge bucket of thin, bland broth with a few leaves floating on top.

The cook serving the food moved quickly. No matter who it was, he plopped a large scoop of rice into a coarse clay bowl and then ladled a large helping of the stew over it.

Chen Mo ate in silence.

The food tasted mediocre. It was too salty, and the meat had been stewed until it was far too soft, but it provided plenty of energy. For people who needed the strength to carry out their duties, that mattered more than anything.