86: Chapter 86 Ambush on the Way Home

Lin Muchen put away the green stone fragment and crawled out of the tree hollow.

He patted the dust off his clothes and looked up toward the mountain gate of the Qinglan Sect.

"Let's go."

He set off, walking toward the familiar small path by the Sect's side gate.

He had walked this path many times; it was flanked by dense forests and usually deserted.

He had barely walked half a mile.

Two people suddenly flashed out from behind the trees ahead, flanking him from the left and right to block his path.

Lin Muchen's footsteps halted.

The two were wearing ordinary grey martial attire, but identical black medallions hung from their waists.

Their cultivation was at the Qi Refinement Stage—one at the seventh level and the other at the eighth.

"Halt."

The tall one on the left spoke, his voice cold.

He pulled out the medallion from his waist and flashed it before Lin Muchen's eyes.

The medallion was made of black iron, engraved with the three characters for "Criminal Investigation Department."

"Black Rock City Criminal Investigation Department. We are under orders to investigate the whereabouts of the Black Wind Stockade Ledger."

The tall man stared at Lin Muchen.

"Are you the Qinglan Sect Disciple, Lin Muchen?"

Lin Muchen's heart skipped a beat.

Here it comes.

His face remained expressionless as he nodded.

"It's me."

"Hand over your Storage Pouch and submit to an inspection."

The short, stout one on the right took a step forward, his hand already resting on the hilt of the blade at his waist.

Lin Muchen didn't move.

His gaze swept over the two men.

The aura on the tall one... felt a bit familiar.

That's right.

The black-robed Cultivator in the ruined temple.

Though he had changed his clothes, that coldness and the sensation of his spiritual energy fluctuations were very similar.

System, scan.

[Scanning...]

[Target 1: Eighth level Qi Refinement Stage. Spiritual energy attribute leans toward Yin-Cold. Cultivation style has an 87% similarity to the black-robed Cultivator from the ruined temple (Chapter 70).]

[Target 2: Seventh level Qi Refinement Stage. Spiritual energy fluctuations share the same source as Target 1.]

[Comprehensive Judgment: Confirmed to be subordinates of Commander Zhao.]

Lin Muchen now knew what he was dealing with.

A hint of hesitation appeared on his face as his hand slowly reached for the Storage Pouch at his waist.

"Officers, I'm just an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple, this..."

"Cut the crap!"

The stout one grew impatient and reached out directly to grab it.

At the very moment his hand was about to touch the Storage Pouch.

Lin Muchen moved.

His feet slid as he withdrew half a step.

The Five Elements Body Protection Aura instantly expanded.

The five-colored light cocoon lit up with a hum, bouncing the stout man's hand away.

"You're looking for death!"

The stout man was enraged; he drew his blade and slashed.

The tall one struck at the same time, aiming a palm at Lin Muchen's face.

The two coordinated seamlessly, one from the left and one from the right, sealing off Lin Muchen's path of retreat.

Lin Muchen didn't take the hit head-on.

Methods for diverting force from the Water Cloud Art flashed through his mind.

At the moment of contact with the blade edge and the palm wind, parts of the Protective Aura became as soft as water.

When the blade struck, more than half of its force was diverted.

When the palm hit, it felt like striking cotton.

"Eh?"

The tall man was stunned for a moment.

He had used seventy percent of his strength in that palm strike; logically, a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator shouldn't have been able to withstand it.

But this kid...

"System, analyze their Cultivation Techniques."

[Analyzing...]

[Cultivation Techniques of both: Yin-Cold attribute. Spiritual energy circulation path has a 92% source-similarity to the Black Fiend Art practiced by the Black Wind Stockade Bandits.]

[Conclusion: The Cultivation Techniques practiced by both men originate from the same Sect as the Black Wind Stockade Bandits.]

As expected.

Commander Zhao and the Black Wind Stockade were in league with each other all along.

Lin Muchen's gaze turned cold.

He used his Protective Aura to divert force and stall while observing the duo for weaknesses.

The tall one's attacks were fierce, but his lower body was a bit unstable.

The stout one had great strength, but his reactions were half a beat slow.

"You're the one."

Lin Muchen suddenly deactivated the front of his Protective Aura and tilted his body to the left.

The stout man's blade missed its mark, and his momentum carried him a step forward.

Now!

Lin Muchen clenched his right fist, and the sharp Qi of the Metal Element condensed instantly.

He smashed his fist toward the stout man's chest.

The stout man's reaction was slow; he only managed to hold his blade horizontally across his chest.

Clang!

The fist slammed into the blade.

The blade didn't break.

However, a scorching surge of Fire Element spiritual energy rushed through the blade.

Metal generates Fire.

At the moment of contact, Lin Muchen converted his Metal Element spiritual energy into the Fire Element.

The stout man let out a miserable scream as the blade in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

The clothes on his chest were scorched, his skin was red and swollen, and he fell backward.

"Old Liu!"

The tall man grew frantic and struck a palm toward the center of Lin Muchen's back.

Lin Muchen didn't even turn his head.

Water Element spiritual energy condensed behind him, making the Protective Aura soft once more.

When the palm struck, the force was diverted, only causing Lin Muchen to stumble forward a step.

He used the momentum to turn around and stepped heavily on the stout man's neck.

"Don't move."

Lin Muchen applied pressure with his foot.

The stout man's face turned beet red from suffocation, and he didn't dare to struggle further.

The tall man stood in place, his expression grim.

"You... you dare to harm someone from the Criminal Investigation Department?"

"Criminal Investigation Department?"

Lin Muchen smirked.

"A Criminal Investigation Department that practices Black Wind Stockade techniques and hunts for the Black Wind Stockade Ledger?"

The tall man's expression changed.

"What nonsense are you talking!"

"Nonsense?"

Lin Muchen added several more degrees of force with his foot.

The stout man's eyes began to roll back.

"Tell me, what did Commander Zhao send you here for? Just to search my Storage Pouch?"

The tall man gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Lin Muchen nodded.

"Fine, you've got backbone."

He lifted his foot and then stomped down hard.

Crack.

The stout man's left lower leg bone snapped.

"Aaaargh—!"

The miserable scream echoed through the dense forest.

The tall man's eyelids twitched.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Commander Zhao... Commander Zhao suspects the Black Wind Stockade Ledger is in your hands."

"He ordered us to watch this path. As soon as you returned, we were to stop you and search your Storage Pouch."

"If we found the Ledger... we were to kill you on the spot and bring the Ledger back."

"If we didn't... we were to bring you back for him to interrogate personally."

Lin Muchen narrowed his eyes.

"Where is Commander Zhao now?"

"In... in Black Rock City, but he has already sent people toward the Qinglan Sect. It's not just the two of us."

"How many more? What are their cultivation levels?"

"I... I don't know the specifics, but I heard a Senior Brother at the Foundation Establishment Stage is leading the team."

Foundation Establishment Stage.

Lin Muchen's heart sank.

"Why is Commander Zhao so certain the Ledger is with me?"

"Because... because on the day Black Wind Stockade was ransacked, you were the only one who took the extermination bounty, and the timing matches."

"Also, regarding the previous transaction at the ruined temple where the black-robed Senior Brother went missing, the last transmitted location... was near where you had appeared."

He understood now.

Though there was no proof, he was the prime suspect.

Thus, they would rather kill an innocent by mistake than let a guilty one go.

"Fine."

Lin Muchen lifted his foot.

The stout man had already fainted.

The tall man breathed a sigh of relief.

"You... you can go now, I promise not to..."

Before he could finish.

Lin Muchen smashed a fist into his stomach.

The conflicting spiritual energies of Metal and Fire surged into his Dantian.

The tall man let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

His cultivation was crippled.

Lin Muchen crouched down and searched him.

Besides the Criminal Investigation Department medallion, there were also a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones and a simple map.

Several red dots were marked on the map, all of them path nodes on the outskirts of the Qinglan Sect.

One of the red dots was exactly at his current location.

"A search net..."

Lin Muchen put away the map.

He glanced at the two unconscious men on the ground.

He couldn't kill them.

If he did, Commander Zhao would immediately know something had gone wrong.

But if he didn't...

He thought for a moment, then dragged the two deep into the underbrush and covered them crudely with vines.

He then took out some knockout powder from his Storage Pouch and sprinkled it under their noses.

This powder would keep them asleep for a full day.

One day would be enough.

Lin Muchen cleared the traces of the fight from the ground and turned to leave.

He didn't take the original path.

System, re-plan the route. Bypass all paths that might be monitored and return to the Sect through the most remote side gate.

[Re-planning...]

[New route generated.]

[Estimated detour distance increased by five miles, but three potential monitoring points can be avoided.]

"Let's go."

Lin Muchen dove into the depths of the forest, his figure quickly vanishing.

An hour later.

After taking a long detour, he slipped in through a dilapidated side gate on the western side of the Qinglan Sect that was almost never used.

When he entered, the old man guarding the gate was dozing off and didn't even look up.

Lin Muchen breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at the green stone fragment in his hand.

The five-colored light cocoon had already become thin and transparent; the fragment inside was clearly visible.

[Current remaining time for mark isolation: One and a half days.]

[Warning: Time is of the essence.]

One and a half days.

Lin Muchen stowed the fragment properly and walked toward the Outer Sect Deacon Hall.

He had to find Zhao Tieshan first.

To test the waters.

To see if this cold-faced but warm-hearted Elder Zhao knew that the hands of the Black Rock City Criminal Investigation Department had already reached the outskirts of the Qinglan Sect.

And also...

To see if there was a way to hide this hot potato of a green stone fragment for a few more days.