166: Black Wind Thief

Landing soundlessly, he immediately darted into the shadows of the wall.

The backyard was not large. On the left was the stable, where several of the guests' packhorses were tied; on the right were the kitchen and a utility room. The kitchen fire had already been extinguished, leaving it pitch black.

But Chen Linsheng could "hear" two breathing sounds inside the kitchen—one heavy and one long. Neither was asleep yet.

He seemed to blend into the night, moving along the base of the wall. The ultimate control brought by Tracking Perfection allowed his every step to land precisely in a spot that would make no sound, making even the rustle of his sleeves against the wind almost inaudible.

The kitchen door was an ordinary wooden door, bolted from the inside. Chen Linsheng placed his fingers on the door crack, and a wisp of pale gold Qi, refined like silk, emerged from his fingertips. It gently probed inside the door, found the bolt, and applied a slight force.

"Click."

With a soft sound, the bolt was jolted open. The sound was faint, nearly undetectable under the cover of the night wind and the distant noise of the marketplace.

Chen Linsheng slipped in sideways and pulled the door partially shut behind him.

The kitchen was pitch black, but to him, it was no different from daylight. The stove, water vat, chopping board, hanging cured meat... everything was clearly discernible.

The smell of blood was more pronounced here, originating from a large vat in the corner covered with a heavy wooden board.

Inside the kitchen, there was a small door leading to an inner storage room. The two breathing sounds were coming from inside, mixed with extremely low conversation.

"...There aren't many 'fat sheep.' Only three lone travelers checked in today. One of them looks like a tough nut, carrying a bow and having heavy footsteps." It was the voice of the counter waiter, no longer lazy but now sharp and ruthless.

"A tough nut? What Realm?" a coarse voice asked; it was the cook.

"I can't see through him. But no matter how tough he is, can he be tougher than your Late-stage Flesh Tempering Realm 'Mountain Splitting Palm,' Second Brother? Along with my 'Gale Needle,' we'll catch him easily while he's fast asleep," the waiter sneered.

"Carefulness keeps the ship sailing for ten thousand years," a third voice rang out, low and raspy. It was the hidden Martial Artist. "The Iron Gate Pass has been crowded lately, with scouts from the Army Breaker Manor and all sorts of people. After we finish this job, we'll go to 'Black Wind Valley' to lay low. The boss sent word that there's a lot of 'goods' there recently and they need hands for transport."

"Hehe, Third Brother is still the most reliable," the cook laughed. "I heard there's fighting again at the ruins to the north? The 'Blood Wolf' people and the 'Sand Scorpion' people are fighting over an ore vein, and a dozen have died."

"Hmph, let them fight like dogs. We only care about collecting 'tolls' and 'processing fees.' It's about time. Second Brother, go and clean up the 'goods' we collected today. Same as usual, bury them in the old spot."

"Fine."

Footsteps came from the inner room.

Chen Linsheng's gaze turned cold. He drifted like a ghost to the side of the inner door, holding his breath and focusing.

The door was pulled open, and the cook's burly figure had just halfway emerged—

Chen Linsheng moved!

His left palm was like lightning, a hand-chop precisely striking the side of the cook's neck! The force was handled to perfection, instantly cutting off blood flow to cause unconsciousness without taking his life.

The cook didn't even groan before slumping down.

Chen Linsheng caught his falling body and gently laid him down. At the same time, with a tap of his right foot, he surged into the inner room!

The inner room was a narrow storage room piled with grain, flour, and sundries. The waiter and the hidden Martial Artist were sitting opposite each other at a small table, on which an oil lamp was lit.

With the sudden change, both were startled!

The waiter reacted the fastest, his hand already reaching for his waist! But Chen Linsheng was even faster! He gave the opponent no chance to use hidden weapons, flicking a finger of his right hand to send a wisp of condensed Qi through the air. With a "pfft," it struck the Shenmen Point on the waiter's wrist!

The waiter's entire arm instantly went numb, and the steel needle case he had just grabbed fell to the floor with a "clang."

The hidden Martial Artist was a middle-aged man with a sinister face and a goatee.

A fierce light flashed in his eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his palms turning a greenish-black as they carried a foul wind, striking directly at Chen Linsheng's chest!

Before the palm wind even arrived, a cold and foul stench hit his face. He had clearly cultivated some kind of poison palm!

Chen Linsheng neither dodged nor avoided. He raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly curved, and a pale gold luster flowed in his palm—Mountain Suppressing Seal: Suppressing the Mountain!

Though it was only just initiated, that Aura, as heavy as a mountain and capable of suppressing everything, erupted vigorously!

"Bang!"

Their palms met!

The sinister Martial Artist felt as if his poison palm, which was strong enough to shatter stone tablets, had struck an iron mountain! Not only was he unable to budge it in the slightest, but a colossal, majestic, and perfectly righteous force also surged back!

"Crack!" The bones in both his wrists let out a groan of being overwhelmed, and a piercing pain shot through him! Even more terrifying was that the heavy, condensed intent in the opponent's palm force actually scattered and forced back all the poison in his own palm!

"Pfft!" The sinister Martial Artist spat out a mouthful of blood, his body stumbling back until he crashed into a pile of rice bags. His eyes were full of horror: "The... Jiaojin Realm?! Who are you?!"

Chen Linsheng didn't answer. He stepped forward, his left fingers moving like the wind to tap several major acupoints on the man's chest, sealing his Qi and blood circulation. The sinister Martial Artist immediately stiffened, unable to move.

Seeing this, the waiter's face turned ashen. Knowing he had encountered a master he could not contend with, he gritted his teeth and said, "Hero, spare my life! We were only seeking wealth..."

Chen Linsheng turned around, his gaze falling on the waiter's face. It was calm and rippleless, yet it made the waiter feel an ice-cold, bone-piercing pressure.

"I ask, you answer. If there is a single lie, I will cripple your martial arts and throw you into the wilderness to feed the wolves." Chen Linsheng's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable coldness.

The waiter trembled all over and nodded repeatedly.

After half a stick of incense, Chen Linsheng had a general understanding of this group's background.

This "Yuelai Inn" was a lookout and fence for the "Black Wind Bandits" established in Iron Gate Pass.

The Black Wind Bandits were a medium-sized group of horse bandits active in the "Black Wind Gobi," three hundred miles north of Iron Gate Pass. They numbered about a hundred, and their leader was nicknamed the "Black Wind Fiend," suspected to be a Jiaojin Realm Martial Artist. They not only plundered merchant caravans but also colluded with certain dregs of the frontier army to sell contraband and even engage in "human trafficking."

Of the three at the inn, the waiter was a scout and hidden weapon user, the cook was the executioner who handled the "goods," and the sinister Martial Artist was the manager in charge, as well as one of the three leaders of the Black Wind Bandits.

From their mouths, Chen Linsheng also forced out several temporary stopover points of the Black Wind Bandits in the Gobi, the locations of commonly used water sources, and the recent movements on the frontier: the struggle for the northern ruins was becoming increasingly fierce, with several major powers already entering the fray; the Army Breaker Manor seemed to have signs of large-scale mobilization recently; and the barbarian tribes were also somewhat restless, with small units patrolling near the border line.

Chen Linsheng found paper and pen and had the waiter draw a rough topographical sketch of the Black Wind Gobi, marking the bandit strongholds and water sources.

Finally, he looked coldly at the two men slumped on the ground: "How many people have you harmed?"

The waiter's face was deathly pale, and he didn't dare to answer.

Chen Linsheng asked no more. Moving like the wind, he crippled both of their martial arts. He then found some hemp rope and tied up the unconscious cook as well, stuffing a rag into his mouth.

He looted the belongings from the three men and the hidden wealth in the inn.

There were about two hundred taels of loose Silver and several Silver notes of unknown origin, some poisoned hidden weapons, and a few small bottles suspected to be knock-out drugs or poisons. He didn't care for these, but they could serve as evidence.

The night was deep and quiet.

Carrying the three bandits tied up like rice dumplings, Chen Linsheng traversed the rooftops and alleys of Iron Gate Pass as if on level ground. Avoiding the occasional patrol, he arrived outside the back wall of the Garrison Yamen.

He threw the three of them in a conspicuous spot at the corner of the wall, then took out the sketch from his robe, weighed it down with a piece of Silver, and placed it on them. On the back of the sketch, he wrote a few words in charcoal: "Black Wind Bandits' strongholds, eliminate them quickly."

Having done all this, his figure flickered and disappeared into the darkness without leaving any trace.

Returning to the Yuelai Inn, Chen Linsheng quickly packed his belongings, wiped away any traces he might have left, and exited through the back window, vanishing into the intricate alleys of Iron Gate Pass.

Half an hour later, he was already sitting in a room of another inconspicuous small inn in the north of the town, quietly regulating his breathing.

Outside the window, the faint sound of commotion from the distant streets and the hurried gongs from the direction of the Yamen could be heard, but they soon subsided.

The night in Iron Gate Pass remained deep.

Chen Linsheng opened his eyes, his gaze calm.

This trip verified two things: in the frontier lands, outlaws run rampant and danger lurks everywhere, so one must be cautious at every step; Tracking Perfection and Five Senses Clarity are extraordinarily effective in actual combat reconnaissance, allowing him to perceive danger in advance and seize the initiative.

And the rough Gobi map in his pocket might become an unexpected bargaining chip or guide in his future travels to the northern frontier.

Dawn was approaching.

He blew out the oil lamp and lay down with his clothes on.