25: The wind is rising

The courtyard of the Charitable Undertakers was overgrown with weeds, reaching almost to the knees. The main hall's doors were slightly ajar, revealing pitch-black darkness within.

At that moment, a "creak—" sounded from the direction of the main gate as it was pushed open, followed by the sound of Lei Meng's intentionally heavy footsteps.

"Is anyone there? Martial Academy business!" Lei Meng's gruff, boisterous voice carried far into the night.

There was no response from within the main hall.

Liu Qingyun made a hand gesture and, together with Lin Mo, approached the side window frames of the main hall from the left and right.

The window paper had long since rotted away. Through the gaps, the hall appeared empty, with only a few dilapidated coffins scattered about and cobwebs hanging everywhere.

However, there were indeed fresh footprints on the ground—leading toward the back of the hall.

Liu Qingyun pointed toward the backyard, and the two moved quietly.

Just as they rounded the main hall, Lin Mo suddenly reached out and grabbed Liu Qingyun's sleeve, signaling her to stop.

He pointed at the ground beneath their feet.

Under the moonlight, a nearly transparent silk thread stretched across the grass three inches off the ground, its ends tied to the veranda pillars.

If one were to trip over it unknowingly, it would surely alert those lying in ambush.

Liu Qingyun's pupils constricted slightly, and her gaze toward Lin Mo held a bit more respect.

The two carefully stepped over the silk thread and arrived in the backyard.

The backyard appeared even more desolate, with a dry stone-built well standing in the center, its rim mottled with moss.

And at this moment, two figures were actually standing by the well!

One tall and one short, both dressed in grey, they were leaning over to inspect the mouth of the well. Hearing Lei Meng's commotion from the front courtyard, both looked up simultaneously, their faces filled with alertness.

"They aren't the monitors," Lin Mo judged instantly. The physiques of these two did not match the description given by Number Two.

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred!

The tall grey-clothed man spun around abruptly, a cold glint flashing from his sleeve as several flying daggers shot toward where Lin Mo and Liu Qingyun were hiding!

"We're exposed!" Liu Qingyun barked softly, her long sword unsheathing with a series of clangs as she struck down the daggers.

Lin Mo simultaneously leaned aside to dodge; a flying dagger grazed his shoulder and embedded itself into the wooden pillar behind him.

"Who goes there!" the short grey-clothed man shouted harshly, drawing a pair of short blades and lunging forward.

In the front courtyard, Lei Meng heard the sounds of fighting and let out a great roar: "An ambush!" He charged toward the backyard brandishing his cleaver.

The battle erupted instantly.

The short grey-clothed man went straight for Liu Qingyun, his short blades flying with ruthless Moves; he actually possessed the strength of Bone Forging Major Achievement!

Liu Qingyun's swordplay was light and nimble, but her strength was slightly inferior, leaving her suppressed for a moment.

The tall man rushed toward Lin Mo, a thin sword appearing in his hand. He used unconventional angles, thrusting rapidly toward Lin Mo's throat.

Instead of retreating, Lin Mo advanced, sidestepping the blade's edge and delivering a Mountain-Crushing Stance from the Bedrock Fist directly at the opponent's chest.

The punch was like a hammer, his Inner Breath surging!

The tall man was startled and held his sword horizontally to parry.

"Clang!"

As fist met sword, the tall man was forced back three steps, his hand numbing. Horror dawned in his eyes: "You... you are no ordinary Minor Achievement!"

Lin Mo did not answer, stepping forward to attack again.

The quality of his Inner Breath far exceeded others of the same rank, his punch strength as solid as a mountain. After three Moves, the tall man was already driven into a frantic state.

On the other side, Lei Meng charged into the courtyard and roared at the sight: "Outnumbering us? Take a blow from my blade!"

The heavy-backed cleaver swept toward the short man's back with a vicious wind.

The short man was forced to turn and parry, causing the pressure on Liu Qingyun to vanish instantly. She unfurled her sword technique, turning from defense to offense.

Two against two, the situation was reversed.

However, a trace of unease rose in Lin Mo's heart; it was too smooth. If it were just these two grey-clothed men, why set up monitors outside? And why linger by the well?

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the dry well.

Just then, a soft "click" came from inside the well, as if a mechanism had been triggered.

"Retreat!" Lin Mo shouted urgently, forcing the tall man back with a punch before pulling back himself.

Almost simultaneously, a thick cloud of yellow-green smoke erupted from the mouth of the well, spreading rapidly!

"Poison smoke!" Liu Qingyun covered her nose and retreated hastily.

Lei Meng also cursed and jumped away.

The two grey-clothed men, however, seemed prepared. They pulled masks from their robes and put them on, advancing instead of retreating, using the smoke as cover to attack again.

But Lin Mo had long been on guard.

He held his breath and circulated his Inner Breath, pushing his five senses to their limit. Within the smoke, he could still vaguely lock onto his opponent's position.

"Three steps to the left, the tall one, a thrusting sword," Lin Mo judged mentally. His body flickered, avoiding the blade's edge while simultaneously slamming a fist into the opponent's ribs.

"Thud!"

The tall man let out a miserable scream as his ribs snapped, and he was sent flying.

Seeing this, the short man knew the situation was hopeless. He made a feint and actually turned to rush toward the courtyard wall, intending to escape!

"You think you can leave?" Using the Willow Catkin Following the Wind Step, Lin Mo followed him like a shadow, catching up instantly and striking his back with a palm.

The short man spat blood and collapsed.

The smoke gradually dissipated.

Lei Meng held his blade, panting heavily. "Damn it, they even had poison smoke... what's the deal with these guys?"

Liu Qingyun walked to the well and inspected it carefully. "There's something in the well."

Lin Mo also walked over. The well was not completely dry; there was a faint reflection about thirty feet down, suggesting some standing water.

But on the well wall, a stone slab had clearly been moved aside, revealing a dark, lateral tunnel entrance.

"A secret room? A passage?" Liu Qingyun frowned.

Lin Mo looked at the two heavily injured grey-clothed men.

The tall one had fainted. The short one was still struggling; seeing Lin Mo approach, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly bit his collar—

"Stop him!" Liu Qingyun said urgently.

But it was too late. A trickle of black blood seeped from the corner of the short man's mouth, and his eyes quickly glazed over; he had actually committed suicide by poison.

Lei Meng cursed and went to check the tall man, only to find poison hidden in his collar as well; he was also dead.

"Death Warriors," Lin Mo uttered two words.

Only Death Warriors, or similar entities, would commit suicide so decisively.

Liu Qingyun's expression was grave. "This isn't a normal haunting mission. Junior Brother Lin, what do you think?"

Lin Mo did not answer immediately.

He walked to the well and carefully observed the tunnel entrance. The edges of the opening were smooth, with clear signs of manual excavation, and they were very fresh.

"There's a secret under the well."

Lin Mo said, "But it's not suitable to explore further tonight. Since the other side has Death Warriors guarding it, they must have further measures in place.

Our mission was only to investigate the anomalies. We've now confirmed that someone is using this place to hide secrets and have killed two guards. We can report back now."

Lei Meng scratched his head. "That's it? We're not going in to take a look?"

"It's too dangerous," Liu Qingyun agreed with Lin Mo's judgment.

"The enemy used poison smoke, set an ambush, and deployed Death Warriors; the area below is definitely not a safe place. If the three of us rashly venture deep, we might all be wiped out."

She looked at Lin Mo. "Junior Brother Lin is meticulous. If you hadn't noticed the silk thread and the poison smoke just now, we would have already met with disaster.

I agree to retreat, report back to the Martial Academy, and let the Instructor decide."

Although Lei Meng was reluctant, he knew the stakes. "Fine... then what about these two corpses?"

"Take them back," Lin Mo said. "Perhaps the Martial Academy can uncover their identities."

The three wrapped the corpses in straw mats and quickly left the Charitable Undertakers.

As they walked out of the burial mounds, Lin Mo secretly blew a whistle in a specific rhythm.

This was the signal for the peripheral Death Warriors: Mission ended, withdraw.

From the distant woods, two bird calls responded.

On the way back to the Martial Academy, the three traveled in silence.

Liu Qingyun suddenly spoke up: "Junior Brother Lin, the power of that punch of yours seemed to far exceed Bone Forging Minor Achievement."

Lin Mo said calmly, "I was born with a bit more strength than most."

"Is that so?" Liu Qingyun glanced at him but didn't press further.

Lei Meng, being more carefree, said, "Who cares? As long as you can fight! Lin Mo, let's team up again for the next mission!"

Lin Mo nodded. "Alright."

In his heart, however, he was quickly reviewing the events of the night.

Grey-clothed Death Warriors, a secret tunnel under the well, poison smoke mechanisms... this was definitely not the work of an ordinary power.

Thinking of Steward Wu's warning about "various factions moving frequently," as well as the turmoil in the Northern Border and the additional defense tax... "Qinglan City is about to see some wind." Lin Mo looked toward the distant outline of the city, his gaze deep.

Late at night.

Death Warrior Fifty-Seven was summoned as scheduled, with the skill [Basic Mechanism Identification].

Lin Mo described the poison smoke device and the well mechanism he had seen at the Charitable Undertakers to Fifty-Seven, asking him to analyze their possible origins.

At the same time, he issued new orders to all Death Warriors:

"Accelerate the speed of infiltration.

Key areas: City Guard logistics System, government archives, and the warehouses of major trading firms. I want to know the detailed flow of goods in and out of Qinglan City over the past three months."

"Especially ironware, medicinal herbs, grain, and any abnormal movements related to wells, tunnels, or secret rooms."

Troubled times are coming; some want to take advantage of the fire, while others want to fish in troubled waters.

And Lin Mo wanted to be the one in control of those muddy waters.