章節 34: Planning An Approach
Upon walking inside, Lin Mu saw that there was someone else sitting in the shop. The man was dressed in the clothes of a high official and he had seen him before. It was one of the men that had come with the leader of the Hei corps, Hei Wan.
Lin Mu nodded to him in greeting and saw him reciprocate as well. He then walked inside the other room under the guidance of the old woman. The old woman came to a stop in front of the wall and held out her hand.
"The badge." The old woman spoke.
Lin Mu withdrew the badge from the ring while putting his hand inside the pouch and handed the badge to the old woman. She looked at it for a moment, before inserting it into a small slot that was hidden in the seam of the wall.
The wooden panel of the wall shifted and Lin Mu walked inside it. After stepping in, the panel closed back, and he started walking down the passageway, into the stairwell. He reached the entrance of the safe house a couple of minutes later and opened the door.
As soon as the door was open, he saw two people standing in front of the door. They seemed to be alert and ready to attack. But after seeing Lin Mu, they relaxed and sat back down on their chairs.
"I need to report something. Where's Hei Bao?" Lin Mu questioned.
The man who was sitting in front of Lin Mu was one of the members of the Hei corps that Lin Mu had not met yet.
'He's probably someone that came with Hei Wan.' Lin Mu thought.
"You can head on inside. The captain is having a meeting with the rest of the Hei corps." The man spoke.
Lin Mu simply nodded and went to the room that was to the right. He opened the door and saw the ten members of Hei corps standing around Hei Bao and Hei Wan. They turned around to look and saw Lin Mu entering.
"You're here already?" Hei Bao said.
"I have a couple of things to report and I also would be needing your help with something." Lin Mu replied.
"Go ahead." Hei Wan spoke in affirmation.
"The town head has declared a strict curfew at night. The captain and new vice-captain of the town's guards declared to the residents." Lin Mu spoke.
"We already know about the curfew." Hei Bao spoke.
"That's not all, I learned a few more things. Apparently, this new vice captain is named Han Lei, he's Han Xu's brother. He's meant to be his replacement." Lin Mu spoke with a serious tone.
"Then that means..." Hei Shi spoke before she was interrupted.
"The culprits are making their move. They are probably controlling the town head as well." Hei Bao postulated.
"This Han Lei is rather overbearing too. He broke the arm of a resident just to make an example out of it. The captain did not seem to stop him either and there's another new vice captain that we don't know of." Lin Mu added.
Hei Wan turned towards Hei Bao after hearing Lin Mu's report and spoke,
"Forget my previous order, from now on focus on the Vice captains and the town head as well. It's no doubt that they are part of the culprits. This curfew only helps them in their acts. Now they can just abduct people and say that they were arrested for wandering outside."
"Yes, leader." Hei Bao responded.
Hei Wan then turned back to Lin Mu and spoke again,
"Now, what kind of help did you need from us?"
"I went to the mercenary camp an hour ago and met their current leader. He's named Hong Luo and is also a peak stage qi refining realm cultivator. He has asked me for help." Lin Mu answered.
"And what does he need help in particular?" Hei Wan questioned.
"It's with regard to the disappearance of the mercenaries. He wants me to help investigate the matter and also to help him keep a watch during the night. But now that the town head has declared a curfew it would be difficult for me to go out, although that's not my main concern. The town head also wants to meet all the people who were part of the Night Vigil, thus one way or the other I'm gonna have to meet him." Lin Mu explained.
Hei Wan went silent for a minute and seemed to be thinking about it. The other members of the Hei corps also stayed silent, so as to not disturb their leader.
"It should be no problem, I'll dispatch some of our members to keep watch on the mercenaries at night. It aligns with our goals, anyway. As for the investigation about the disappearance of mercenaries, we are already on it." Hei Wan spoke after thinking for a bit and then turned to face Hei Bao again.
"I know what to do." Hei Bao spoke before Hei Wan could even speak.
Hei Wan simply nodded in appreciation.
"Now about this meeting with the Town Head, what are you going to do?" Hei Shi asked.
"I'm going to meet him right now. Better get it done as soon as I can. Delaying it would be no use as they should already know about me because of the other people from the Night Vigil." Lin Mu replied.
"That should be fine, but just in case have Hei Shi follow you. That should help avoid any untoward incidents." Hei Wan suggested.
"I'm fine with that." Lin Mu answered.
"Okay then. Now everyone knows what to do, so get going." Hei Wan ordered.
"Yes, leader!" All the members of the Hei corps replied in unison.
Nodding in understanding, Lin Mu turned back to leave. Hei Shi too followed behind him and left the room, while the other members dispersed as well and went to prepare for their missions.
Before walking out the door of the safe house, Hei Shi picked up her mask and put it on. She also brought an additional mask with her and handed it to Lin Mu.
"What's this for?" Lin Mu asked although he knew why.
"Have it just in case. You are an ally of the Hei corps now anyway, so you have the right to use it." Hei Shi answered.
Lin Mu nodded and took the mask. He then opened the door of the safe house and walked up to the shop above it. The old woman who was watching the shop handed him the badge back before he left.
"I'll take another route and keep on following you. If you find anything suspicious just signal me by putting your hand up with three fingers." Hei Shi informed.
Lin Mu nodded in response but chuckled when he heard Senior Xukong speaking in his mind.
"If you're the one who has trouble, I doubt she will be able to do much. You're already much stronger than her." Xukong spoke.
"That is true." Lin Mu simply spoke before leaving the alley.
"Now then, it's time to go to the guard barracks." Lin Mu muttered to himself.
Lin Mu went to the southern district and reached there after thirty minutes. Along the way, he saw many people discussing and gossiping about the town head's order. They were also talking about the vice captain and how he had injured the innocent man.
'Seems like the people won't mind it if this vice captain disappears as well.' Lin Mu thought.
Lin Mu was just about to enter the guard barracks when someone called out to him.
"Lin Mu!" A voice called.
Lin Mu turned back to see and saw that it was Lu Xiao who had called him.
"Where did you go last night?" Lu Xiao asked.
Lin Mu was dreading this moment for a while now, but now that it had finally come he had prepared his answer.
"I couldn't find the guards and thought it was dangerous to head on alone, so I headed back. But when I came back I couldn't find any of you, so I went back to my house." Lin Mu spoke.
While his excuse had multiple flaws that could be picked out, Lin Mu didn't think that it would be as troublesome. No one had seen him after he left, so no one could verify his claims either.
"Oh, okay then." Lu Xiao simply replied.
"What happened with you guys' last night?" Lin Mu asked.
"We searched the houses as we had decided to and actually found a few more people that were awake. We informed them of the incident, but some of them disagreed with us and refused to leave their homes as they were scared." Lu Xiao replied.
'That understandable. Most people would not think of leaving their homes after an unexplained incident like this.' Lin Mu thought.
"What happened after that? I mean someone informed the guards, right? Did you guys find a guard?" Lin Mu questioned.
"Oh, we didn't just meet any guard, we met the new vice captain himself. Apparently, he was out on his patrol and was heading towards the residential district himself." Lu Xiao answered.
章節 35: Reporting To Han Lei
Lin Mu was a little surprised upon hearing that it was Han Lei that the people from the night vigil met, but did not show it upon his face.
"Patrolling? As if! We were right, he's most likey a part of the culprits." Lin Mu spoke inwardly.
"The circumstances do point towards it. But still, you need more information." Xukong replied.
'But if he already met the people of the Night Vigil, why didn't he take them then and there.' Lin Mu thought over for a moment.
"Who else was with you when you met the new Vice captain, last night?" Lin Mu inquired.
"Oh, it was just me, Yuan Tu and Fu Lao, the old man who was leading the Night vigil. The rest of the newly awakened people were out looking for other people." Lu Xiao answered.
'That makes sense. If it was just the three of them, then he should have become cautious since there were others still spread out.' Lin Mu thought.
"This Han Lei probably didn't want the news to be released in an uncontrolled manner. So he opted to instead release it by himself, in the morning." Xukong spoke.
"Han Lei was going towards the residential district, this means that he was probably heading to that old warehouse as well. But we still don't know what's their purpose behind the dead mercenaries." Lin Mu spoke in his mind.
Lu Xiao looked at Lin Mu, who was thinking and seemed to be lost in thought. He did not mind it for a minute, but then started to feel strange when Lin Mu just stood still for over a minute.
"Lin Mu? Are you fine?" Lu Xiao asked.
"Ah yes. I am." Lin Mu hurriedly answered.
"You need to stop doing that as often. Make sure that you have a normal expression when taking with me with other people around." Xukong chided.
"Yes, senior. I'll take care not to." Lin Mu replied in an embarrassed tone.
"I think we should head inside now." Lu Xiao suggested.
Lin Mu simply nodded in affirmation and walked ahead towards the guard barracks. They were then stopped at the entrance of the barracks by two guards.
"What are you two here for?" One of the guards questioned.
"We're here to report to the Vice captain. We are the members of the night vigil." Lin Mu answered
"You can go on inside, the vice captain has been waiting for you people." The guard replied.
The guard then moved aside and allowed the two to enter the barracks. The second guard gestured for them to follow him inside. Under the guidance of the guard, the two swiftly reached the vice captain's chamber. They then came to a stop in front of the door of the chamber and the guard knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" A voice called from inside the chamber.
"I've brought the people from the night vigil." The guard answered.
"Come in." The voice said with an annoyed tone.
The guard then opened the door and let the two inside. The guard then closed the door and returned back to his post. Lin Mu and Lu Xiao entered the room and looked around. The first thing they saw was the desk that was located right across the room and a man sitting behind it in a guard's armor.
"I've been waiting for you." Han Lei spoke.
Lin Mu looked went closer and gazed at the face of Han Lei.
'His facial features do match those of Han Xu.' Lin Mu thought.
"What did you want to talk to us about, vice captain? You didn't explain to us last night." Lu Xiao spoke.
The expression that Han Lei had on his face became even more annoyed after hearing Lu Xiao's question.
"The town head will speak to you about that. You don't need to speak unless you are asked to." Han Lei spoke curtly.
Lin Mu's brows furrowed upon listening to Han Lei's words, and he too started to feel annoyed.
"Now then, what are you two's names?" Han Lei questioned.
"I'm Lu Xiao."
"My name is Lin Mu."
The two of them responded. Han Lei seemed fine upon hearing Lu Xiao's name, but he seemed to become a little troubled after hearing Lin Mu speak his name.
"So you are the one who disappeared last night. Care to tell me where you went?" Han Lei questioned.
Lin Mu then gave Han Lei the same explanation he had given to Lu Xiao.
"Huh, so you just got scared and ran away." Han Lei said with a demeaning tone.
"Yes, I did." Lin Mu replied, not minding the tone of Han Lei.
"Fine. Let's go, the others should already be done reporting at the town center. You two are the only ones that are late." Han Lei ordered.
Lu Xiao felt a little strange upon hearing that the others were already done reporting at the town center before them, even though he had hurried here as soon as he heard about the orders.
"Umm, how did the others reach the town center before us?" Lu Xiao asked with a meek tone.
"Some of them were already here when we informer the residents, while the others were brought to the town centers by the guards. You two were the only ones that were at your homes." Han Lei spoke and glanced at Lin Mu for a second before looking away.
"He suspects something," Xukong spoke.
"I know. I also want to gauge his cultivation base, but it will be problematic if I do it right now." Lin Mu spoke in his mind.
"Wait till you are in a crowded area and then use your spirit sense. Though it does not seem to me that this Han Lei has refined his spirit sense yet." Xukong replied.
Lin Mu silently nodded and continued walking along with Han Lei and Lu Xiao. They left the barracks and headed towards the town square. While on the way they passed many other people, but the crowd wasn't large enough for Lin Mu to use his spirit sense with little risk.
They went past multiple people, but Lin Mu still could not find the right opportunity. Finally, when they were at the town square, Lin Mu got the chance to use his spirit sense. To his luck, the mercenaries had once again gathered in front of the town center, giving him the perfect opportunity.
Lin Mu released his spirit sense probe and observed the cultivation base of Han Lei. To his surprise, he found out that Han Lei was at the late stage of the Qi refining realm. He was even at the ninth stage of the body tempering realm and was probably at the very cusp of it.
Han Lei had become the first cultivator Lin Mu had met until now that was at such a high level of the body tempering realm.
"He's stronger than his bother. Though it still should not matter as much." Lin Mu spoke inwardly.
While Lin Mu was gauging Han Lei's cultivation base, he had suddenly become alert. Han Lei had felt the spirit sense probe and was now looking around, trying to find its source. But since he didn't have a spirit sense of his own, he could not pinpoint the location of the probe. Having the tens of mercenaries around didn't help him either.
"These damned mercenaries, meddling where they don't belong." Han Lei cursed under his breath.
Lin Mu and Lu Xiao too stopped after seeing Han Lei halt in his tracks. Lu Xiao Looked at Han Lei and then at Lin Mu.
"What's he doing?" Lu Xiao whispered.
Lin Mu didn't answer but just shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn't know either. After looking around for a bit, Han Lei's gaze finally settled onto Lu Xiao and Lin Mu. He glanced at the expressionless Lin Mu and the lost Lu Xiao and just grunted in response.
"Come on, don't waste my time." Han Lei uttered.
The Trio then passed by the mercenaries who were standing in front of the town center. The mercenaries gave way to them after seeing that it was the vice captain, but not before giving him mean looks.
Soon they had entered the town center and were on their way towards the town head's office. They had to climb two floors before they reached the town head's office, which was located at the very top of the building.
Lin Mu looked around and saw some luxurious vases and calligraphy scrolls hanging on the walls along the way and even more in the office itself. After entering the office, they saw that the town head wasn't present in the office.
'This is rather decadent.' Lin Mu thought with unease.
These kinds of luxuries were rather uncommon in the Northern town, so Lin Mu Was a little surprised on seeing them here. Wherever the town had presented himself to the public, he was always in plain clothes, thus it gave a different impression to most of the people. But now that Lin Mu had seen this, he understood that there was more to the town head that was hidden to the eyes.
"This is a rather common thing which you will see in nearly all worlds. There is no lack of people that pretend to be something else in front of others. They obtain more benefits by appearing weak and meek than being opulent. They will take advantage of the weak and suppress them while fulfilling their desires." Xukong spoke in a sagely tone.
"But this... isn't this too much? Most of the town's residents can barely get by through the winter and whenever they ask for aid from the town head, he just says he does not have the resources." Lin Mu spoke frustratingly.
"It is indeed as you say. But this is the true reality of this world." Xukong replied.
"This... This is wrong!." Lin Mu muttered under his breath.
But unlike before, Lin Mu's mutter was a little too loud and was heard by others as they turned around to look at him.
Unknown to Lin Mu, something snapped in his mind, and the mysterious ring started humming.
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