4: Warrior?

The second floor consisted of several private rooms and management offices, making it relatively quiet.

A man who looked like a manager stepped out of a room. Seeing unfamiliar faces, he frowned. "You guys..."

Lin Mo didn't even look at him. His Mental Energy was highly focused, and his ears had already captured the faint sound of rolling dice, a woman's flirtatious laughter, and a coarse voice cursing from the top floor.

He didn't stop his pace, heading straight for the stairs to the third floor.

"Stop! The third floor is for the Gang Leader..." The manager stepped forward to block them.

Si stepped forward again. This time, he didn't use brute force, but simply leaned his shoulder lightly as if by accident.

The manager felt a flexible yet irresistible force transmit through him. Unsteady on his feet, he retreated several steps and slammed into the doorframe. His chest felt tight, and he was momentarily speechless.

Lin Mo and the other two had already quickly ascended to the third floor.

The third floor had only one short corridor. At the end was a heavy wooden door guarded by two sturdy men with short sabers at their waists.

Seeing strangers approaching, both men simultaneously placed their hands on their saber hilts, their eyes wary.

"Who goes there?" the man on the left barked.

Lin Mo stood still five paces away from them.

He knew Liu Kui was inside. San's information showed that besides Liu Kui, there were two personal guards and a woman accompanying him for drinks.

"I am Lin Mo. I have come specifically to discuss the matter of taking over the Black Fish Gang with Gang Leader Liu." Lin Mo got straight to the point, his voice calmly carrying into the room.

The two guards at the door were stunned, almost thinking they had misheard him.

Take over the Black Fish Gang? Just with this green youth and two followers? Immediately, looks of anger and mockery surfaced on their faces.

"You're looking for death!" The guard on the right had a more explosive temper; he drew his blade and prepared to charge forward.

However, a coarse shout of restraint came from inside the room: "Hold on!"

The wooden door opened with a creak.

An exceptionally burly man with a full beard and an open shirt revealing thick chest hair appeared at the door. It was none other than Black Fish Head Liu Kui.

His eyes held a hint of drunkenness, but even more so, they held suspicion and scrutiny.

Standing behind him were two equally capable men with sharp gazes and slightly bulging temples. They were clearly more formidable than the two outside the door.

Liu Kui had spent many years in the lower rungs of society. Being able to survive and rise to the position of Gang Leader relied not only on ruthlessness but also on a degree of discernment.

The brief conflict at the door and the sentence he had heard prevented him from lashing out immediately. The young man before him was too calm—unnaturally calm.

Moreover, the other party said they wanted to "take over," not to join or pay respects.

"Kid, what did you just say? The wind is strong, I didn't hear clearly." Liu Kui narrowed his eyes, his body emitting a fierce Aura accumulated from years of brawling, attempting to pressure Lin Mo.

Lin Mo seemed to feel nothing, calmly meeting his gaze. "I said, from tonight onward, the Black Fish Gang is under my management. If Gang Leader Liu knows what's good for him, I can spare your life and keep you as a deputy."

"Hahahaha!" Liu Kui laughed wildly as if he had heard the world's greatest joke. The guards behind him and the glamorous woman peeking out from the room also laughed along.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Liu Kui's face suddenly darkened, a murderous glint appearing in his eyes. "Damn it, where did this lunatic come from, daring to make fun of me! Break his legs and throw him out to feed the dogs!"

The two guards at the door had long been unable to restrain themselves. Hearing the order, they immediately pounced, one with a blade and one with a staff, whistling through the air as they aimed straight for Lin Mo and Yi.

Lin Mo didn't move. He didn't even look at the two men.

Yi and Si moved.

Facing the incoming blade, Yi neither dodged nor avoided it. His left hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing the guard's wrist and twisting it with force.

With a crisp crack, the wrist bone shattered, and the short saber hit the ground with a clang.

Simultaneously, his right foot whipped out like a lash, kicking the side of the other guard's knee. The guard screamed and collapsed to the ground, wailing as he clutched his twisted knee.

Fast! Precise! Ruthless! No superfluous flourishes, just deadly simplicity.

The smiles on the faces of Liu Kui and his two personal guards froze. Though the two at the door weren't top-tier, they were considered skilled hands. To be crippled in a single exchange?

"A Martial Artist?!" Liu Kui's heart jolted as he looked at Lin Mo with uncertainty and alarm.

Only a rumored Martial Artist could have such powerful attendants, right? But this young man... he was too young.

"With only this much skill, you're fit to be called a Gang Leader?" Lin Mo finally took a step forward. With this step, he allowed a sliver of his deliberately suppressed Aura to leak out.

Liu Kui felt an invisible pressure rush toward him, making his breath hitch.

That feeling was like facing a dormant Vicious Beast; though it had only awakened for an instant, it made his hair stand on end!

In his early years, he had by chance seen a true Martial Master practicing. When that Martial Master exerted power, he possessed a similar Aura!

Could it be... this young man is not just a Martial Artist, but a true expert who can project internal qi? Impossible! How old is he?

"Your Excellency... just who are you?" Liu Kui's tone involuntarily softened, even using a respectful address.

The two personal guards behind him also tensed their bodies, hands on their saber hilts, yet they didn't dare move recklessly.

The skills Yi and Si had just displayed left them with no certainty of victory, not to mention the unfathomable master himself.

"Who I am is not important." Lin Mo stopped three paces in front of Liu Kui. For people of their level, this distance was extremely dangerous.

"What is important is that I've taken a liking to the Black Fish Gang's small estate. You either submit and work for me, or I'll turn you from a Black Fish Head into a dead fish head right now."

As he spoke, Lin Mo raised his right hand and pressed it seemingly casually against the adjacent wall.

The wall was built of solid brick and stone.

He channeled the immense strength within his body—comparable to the combined power of over a dozen sturdy men and still growing frantically every day—and dug his five fingers in with a slight exertion.

Pfft!

Amidst the soft sound, five clear finger holes were forcibly gouged into the wall by his fingers! Brick dust trickled down.

No shouting, no gathering of strength; it was as easy as pinching a piece of tofu.

The eyes of Liu Kui and his two personal guards nearly popped out! Gouging through a brick wall?! What kind of finger strength was this?!

The legendary Eagle Claw Technique? Iron Finger Zen? No, even for those arts, one would need decades of bitter practice and the support of internal qi, right? This young man... Liu Kui's face turned pale, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back. The last bit of doubt and hope vanished into thin air.

This was absolutely a Martial Artist! And a Martial Artist with deep cultivation! His own so-called "Hardened Body" was a joke in front of this person!

"I... I..." Liu Kui's lips trembled, his previous fierce arrogance disappearing without a trace. The shadow of death was so real. If the other party wanted to kill him, it would likely be no different from pinching a fish to death.

"Think it through." Lin Mo withdrew his hand and flicked the dust from his fingertips, his tone remaining indifferent.

"Work for me, and the Black Fish Gang is still your Black Fish Gang. I can even let you obtain things you couldn't get before, such as... guidance in the true Martial Dao."

He threw out a bait at the right time. An empty promise, but for someone like Liu Kui, it was enough.

Liu Kui's whole body shook. The look in his eyes as he watched Lin Mo changed from fear to a mixture of fear and intense longing. Martial Dao! That was something a low-level thug like him dreamed of but could never reach!

Thump!

Liu Kui was no fool; judging the situation was the reason he had survived until now.

His knees buckled, and he knelt directly on the ground, his head touching the floor. "Liu Kui was blind to have offended the Young Master! From now on, everyone in the Black Fish Gang will follow the Young Master's lead! Even through mountains of blades or seas of fire, I will not flinch!"

Seeing this, the two personal guards behind him also hurriedly knelt, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat.

Lin Mo felt a sense of relief in his heart. The first step was a success.

Using absolute martial force combined with the illusion of his "Martial Artist" status, he had instantly crushed Liu Kui's psychological defenses.

"Get up." Lin Mo turned and walked toward the table in the room that still held wine and food, sitting down as if he were the master of the place.

"Tell me about the specific situation of the Black Fish Gang now. Especially if there's anyone who doesn't submit to you or might be disobedient."

Liu Kui scrambled up, hunched his back, and followed him inside cautiously, like the most submissive servant.

He knew that his life and his future "prospects" were now tied to the whim of this mysterious and terrifying young Martial Artist.

The clamor of the Hall of Joy continued as usual. No one knew that in just a brief moment, a corner of Qingyuan Town's underground forces had already changed hands.