44: smuggling

Everyone quickened their pace and arrived at Resting Horse Town before sunset.

The town was quite large, but currently appeared desolate.

Few pedestrians walked the streets, many shops closed early, and an atmosphere of unease permeated the air.

Liu Qingli's family's “Yunlai Inn” was relatively clean. When the innkeeper saw Liu Qingli, he quickly arranged rooms and prepared hot food.

During the meal, Lin Mo asked about the situation in the town.

The innkeeper sighed, “Young Master, you may not know, but things in the north have been unstable lately. The Horse Bandits from Black Wind Gorge are growing increasingly brazen. Three caravans nearby have been robbed in the past half month, losing both people and goods.

Caravans in the town dare not head north easily.

Furthermore, I heard that the Barbarians on the northern grasslands are gathering, and there are constant skirmishes on the border, causing widespread panic.”

“Hasn't the government sent more troops to suppress them?” Lei Meng asked, taking a swig of wine.

“They come and go. Every time they say they will eliminate the bandits, but Black Wind Gorge is strategically difficult, and the Horse Bandits are cunning, so they never catch the main force. Instead, the burden on the townspeople has grown heavier due to increased military levies and frequent troop movements.”

The innkeeper lowered his voice, “If you guests are heading north, please be extremely careful. Recently, the Horse Bandits of Black Wind Gorge seem... a bit different.”

“Oh? How are they different?” Lin Mo pressed.

“I can't say for sure.” The innkeeper shook his head. “I just feel they are fiercer, and their equipment seems better too.

A few days ago, a wounded stable hand who escaped said he saw some of the Horse Bandits using knives that looked like military standard issue blades...”

Military standard issue blades? Lin Mo and Liu Qingli exchanged a look.

After the meal, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

Lin Mo did not fall asleep immediately. He had Fang Han stand watch in the outer room while he sat cross-legged on the bed, sinking his mind into his body, consolidating his cultivation while using the System to perceive the status of the Death Warriors.

Everything was stable in Qinglan City.

In the Crimson Flame Mountain Range, Team 107 reported that the frequency of tremors had decreased, but the energy fluctuations were more chaotic. The Black-Clad Team seemed to have established a temporary camp outside the Earth Fire Valley and had not moved further inward.

“What are they waiting for? Or have they encountered an obstacle?” Lin Mo mused.

Just then, the rusted sword wrapped in cloth in his arms transmitted an extremely faint tremor again.

This time, the frequency of the vibration was slightly different from before, more rapid, and carried a strange sense of direction.

Lin Mo's heart stirred. He took out the rusted sword, held it in his hand, and focused his mind to sense it.

As he injected his internal qi, the sword body began to shift slightly, faintly pointing northwest.

It wasn't directly toward Black Wind Gorge; it was farther west—the direction of the Crimson Flame Mountain Range!

He tried using the internal qi of the Aperture Condensation Method, combined with his intent, to communicate with the faint spirituality deep within the rusted sword.

A moment later, a fragment of thought, more broken and blurred than before, yet carrying clear anxious emotion, was transmitted:

“Soon... they... are weakening... the outer layer...”

“...Earth Fire is being triggered... error...”

“...Demonic Breath... leaking... warning...”

“West... northwest... three hundred li... Earth Vein Node... critical...”

The thought ended abruptly there.

Three hundred li northwest? Lin Mo immediately mapped it out in his mind.

Three hundred li northwest from Resting Horse Town.

That location was deep in the border zone between the Northern Border Wasteland and the eastern foothills of the Crimson Flame Mountain Range, rarely visited by people, with complex terrain.

Earth Vein Node, critical... It seems there is more than one weak point in the Seal.

Or, someone is trying to influence or even destroy the Seal from another direction, using the Earth Vein Node.

Lin Mo put the sword back into his embrace, his expression serious.

The next day, everyone rose early and continued north.

The farther north they went, the more desolate the landscape became.

The official road was dilapidated and bumpy. Most villages along the way were nearly empty, only inhabited by the old, weak, women, and children, with fields lying fallow.

Occasionally, they encountered southbound caravans or refugees, all looking sickly and terrified.

Around noon, the group arrived at a fork in the road.

Straight ahead was the official road leading to the heavily fortified border town, “Iron Wall Pass.” Westward was a rugged mountain path leading to the area where Black Wind Gorge was located.

“From here, about sixty li west, is the perimeter of Black Wind Gorge.”

Liu Qingli pointed at the map. “The entrance to Black Wind Gorge is narrow, and there are Horse Bandit watchtowers and archers on the cliffs on both sides. A direct assault would be difficult.”

“Are there any other routes?” Chen Feng asked.

“Yes. There is a hunter's trail behind Black Wind Gorge that can bypass to the top of the gorge, but it is extremely treacherous and likely has hidden sentries,” Liu Qingli said.

Lin Mo looked at the map, his gaze falling on the area farther west of Black Wind Gorge, marked “Wasteland and Hills.”

That location was now a little closer to the three hundred li northwest direction sensed by the rusted sword.

“We won't go directly to Black Wind Gorge yet.”

Lin Mo made his decision. “We will find a hidden spot nearby to set up camp, then send out scouts to ascertain the perimeter defenses of Black Wind Gorge, their patrol patterns, and whether any unusual personnel or supplies have entered or exited recently.”

“Especially,” he emphasized, “pay attention to the paths on the west side of the gorge, leading toward the wasteland.”

Although the others were slightly puzzled, since Lin Mo was the commander, they followed his orders.

About twenty li away from Black Wind Gorge, in a sheltered valley, they set up a temporary camp.

Fang Han was responsible for tending to the horses and preparing food, while the four of them, including Lin Mo, gathered to discuss.

“Senior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Liu, please each take one person and scout the entrances and outer checkpoints of Black Wind Gorge in the east and south directions, respectively.”

“Be discreet, record the number of patrol members, the time, the shift change patterns, and whether there are any hidden sentries,” Lin Mo assigned the tasks.

“Understood.” Chen Feng nodded.

“Senior Brother Lei, you will come with me to scout the west side. Focus on checking for traces of carriages or horses, movements of people, and whether the terrain is suitable for covert approach.”

“No problem!” Lei Meng rubbed his fists together eagerly.

“We will limit this to one day. Regardless of whether we find anything, we must return to the camp to regroup at this time tomorrow.

Fang Han will remain at the camp, setting up simple warning mechanisms. He is not to lower his guard unless the four of us return.”

“Yes!” Fang Han replied solemnly.

The four split up. Lin Mo and Lei Meng used the terrain for cover and stealthily moved west.

At first, they still saw scattered Horse Bandit scouts, but as they moved deeper into the western wasteland, signs of human activity gradually diminished.

This was already the periphery of Black Wind Gorge's territory, characterized by strange rock formations, crisscrossing ravines, and sparse vegetation.

Two hours later, the two lay prone on top of a hill, observing through the monocular telescope Lin Mo had brought.

Ahead was an even more desolate gravel plain, sparsely dotted with drought-resistant thorns.

“Junior Brother Lin, look over there!” Lei Meng suddenly lowered his voice, pointing toward the depths of the gravel plain.

Lin Mo adjusted the telescope and saw a team faintly moving several li away!

There were about twenty to thirty people, driving several tightly covered carriages along a dry riverbed, heading northwest.

All the people wore ordinary fur jackets, dressed like caravan guards or hunters, but their movements were coordinated and their eyes vigilant—they were definitely not ordinary travelers.

What caught Lin Mo's attention even more was that the carriage wheels left very deep tracks in the soft sand, clearly indicating a heavy load.

“That's not a caravan,” Lin Mo whispered. “In that direction, further northwest, is the uninhabited region of the eastern foothills of the Crimson Flame Mountain Range. There is no trade route.”

“Could it be smugglers?” Lei Meng guessed.

“I heard some desperadoes in the Northern Border smuggle warhorses and furs from the grasslands, or smuggle ironware and salt to the grasslands.”

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. Ironware? Military supplies?

He recalled the potential arms smuggling in Qinglan City and the batch of unknown standard issue equipment used by the Black Wolf Gang.