EFB Chapter 29 Assassination
Chapter 29 Assassination
Lin Mu glanced at it twice, then squeezed through the crowd and turned into the west courtyard.
Zhao Rong's room door was open, and he was hunched over his desk, the tip of his pen scratching softly.
Despite the commotion outside, he didn't even look up.
Lin Mu went in, sat down in his seat, ground ink, laid out paper, picked up his brush, and began to copy.
Today I'm still copying from the "Heyuan Gazetteer".
After copying for about half the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Zhao Rong put down his pen, looked up at him, and said, "It's so lively outside, aren't you going to go take a look?"
Lin Mu continued writing, replying, "Not interested."
Zhao Rong stroked his mustache, leaned back in his chair, and unusually spoke a few more words: "That man's name is Yu Mubai, the new head coach."
"The number of martial artists at the Transformation Realm level can be counted on one hand in the entire Heyuan County."
Lin Mu hummed in agreement, and the conversation abruptly ended.
But the brushstrokes never stopped.
After some time, he made another discovery:
Biography of Qin Yue in the Heyuan County Gazetteer
In the autumn of the 13th year of the Gaowu era, Qin Yue, a martial artist of hidden strength, was from Qinjiabao in Heyuan County.
He is strong-willed and quick to defend the weak.
In September of that year, a bandit leader named Iron-Armed Wolf led his men to invade the border and plunder the villages.
Canglang's real name is Huo Lie. He is at the peak of Ming Jin, with arms as hard as iron. He has roamed the martial world for more than ten years without ever being defeated.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yue rode alone to pay his respects and engaged in battle with him at Yehu Ridge.
The two exchanged blows, but it lasted no more than three rounds.
Qin Yue feinted a punch, which Huo Lie blocked with his arm.
Qin Yue's fist technique suddenly changed, his strength was contained, and he lightly pressed down on Huo Lie's chest, like a whisk falling on a table, without making a sound.
Huo Lie didn't take it seriously, laughed loudly, and said, "That's all there is to it." He then withdrew his troops.
That night, Huo Lie felt nauseous and couldn't eat.
By noon the next day, his whole body was limp as mud, his skin and flesh were gradually ulcerating, and he had a foul, fishy smell.
He consulted doctors, but none could find the cause. Before dusk, his entire body was covered in sores, and he died bleeding from all seven orifices.
......
According to the records in "The River Source Chronicle", hidden force is applied through physical contact, which allows the force to be injected into the opponent's body.
Lin Mu did not put down his pen until 7 PM.
It was already dark outside the window, and the lanterns under the eaves were lit.
He got up, tidied up his paper and pen, neatly arranged the copied pages, and placed them under the inkstone.
"Zhao, you've finished copying for today."
"Let's go back."
Zhao Rong didn't even look up, just waved his hand.
...
Outside the city gate, two dying lanterns hung on either side of the gate opening. The oil in the lamps was almost gone, and the flames had shrunk to the size of beans, swaying precariously in the night wind.
The towering city walls cast a deep shadow under the moonlight, separating the inside from the outside into two worlds.
Lin Mu had his waist token checked and had just stepped out of the city gate when the night wind blew in from the open fields, causing the lanterns to sway.
He pulled his coat tighter and was about to quicken his pace when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a gray figure darting out from under the city wall.
He struck Lin Mu squarely in the chest.
"who."
Lin Mu's Sudden Wind Step exploded in an instant.
He pushed off with his left foot, cracking the blue bricks. His body spun violently to the side, his palm brushing against his clothes. A gust of wind swept by, causing the lantern to sway violently, its light and shadow dancing wildly on the ground.
He stepped back ten feet, steadied himself, and his bones cracked—a crisp "snap" echoed through the empty city gate.
The man let out a sound of surprise, but without pausing, he pounced again.
Lin Mu was no longer passive. He stepped onto the city wall with a sudden gust of wind, using the powerful elasticity to meet the attack. His right fist flipped out from his waist, and the gust of wind went straight for his opponent's ribs.
The man raised his hand to block, and their fists collided with a muffled thud.
Lin Mu was knocked back half a step, but quickly regained his balance and pounced again.
The two exchanged blows in the open space outside the city gate, the sounds of fists and feet clashing echoing around them.
Under the moonlight, two figures were entangled together, their shadows on the ground sometimes long and sometimes short.
Lin Mu's Long Wind Fist was powerful and vigorous, and his Sudden Wind Step combined with the Wind Through the Hall and the Willow Swaying in the Wind, one move after another, hitting the man's shoulder and arm several times.
But every time their fists and palms clashed, Lin Mu felt a faint itch at the point of contact.
It felt like being bitten by a mosquito, or like something was gently wriggling under the skin.
He assumed it was the aftershock of the opponent's punch, shook his hand, and paid no attention, continuing to focus on punching, blocking, and dodging.
Perhaps it has been taking too long.
The man suddenly intensified his attack, striking Lin Mu's arms, shoulders, and ribs with palm strikes one after another, like a storm.
Lin Mu dodged left and right, his Wind Step sending fragments of blue bricks flying as he stepped on them, occasionally throwing a counter-punch at the man's shoulder.
But each time the fist and palm collided, a sharp stinging pain came from the point of contact, like being pricked by a needle, which was immediately withdrawn.
At first I didn’t feel anything, but then it got more and more frequent. After dozens of slaps, my arms, shoulders and ribs felt like they were covered with invisible needles, and the pain was intertwined with a dense, tingling sensation.
"Bang!"
The collision of flesh against flesh sent another sharp, stabbing pain through Lin Mu's right arm, as if triggering other kinds of pain.
He was as if struck by lightning; his fist froze for a moment halfway through, almost getting slapped hard by the other's palm.
Continuing to fight like this would inevitably lead to defeat. Lin Mu unleashed his full power with the Wind Step, launching himself forward and sprinting towards the city gate.
The man in gray was taken aback, then chased after him.
Lin Mu glanced back and saw that the other party was following closely. He pushed his Wind Step to the limit, and the blue bricks under his feet were kicked up one by one.
In the blink of an eye, the city gate was in sight.
He suddenly accelerated and plunged into the city gate, tearing off his Palace Guard badge from his waist and throwing it at the soldiers guarding the city.
"Next~"
The waist token tumbled a few times in the air before being caught by a soldier.
The gray-clad man's steps came to an abrupt halt outside the city gate.
The inner city gates are guarded by experts at the Transformation Realm.
He stood in the shadows where the lanterns couldn't reach, watching the soldiers draw their swords and stand in front of Lin Mu. He frowned, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Having narrowly escaped, Lin Mu entered the inner city, leaning against the wall and panting heavily.
His face was covered in sweat and dust. He raised his hand to wipe it, but suddenly froze.
It was as if someone had placed a small spinning top on his chest; at first, it spun very slowly, so slowly that he thought it was an illusion.
Immediately afterwards, the spots on my shoulders where I had been pricked with needles began to rotate. My ribs, my arms—every place that had been hit seemed to have a rotating seed planted in it, sprouting and spinning.
Countless tiny spinning tops silently rotated within his meridians, muscles, and bones.
Some went clockwise, some counterclockwise, some fast, some slow, like a silent blizzard raging inside him.
This feeling reminded him of the "Biography of Qin Yue" he was copying today.
Is he a master of internal energy?
He gritted his teeth and moved into the inner city, searching for a place to stay.
They ultimately chose the Heyuan Inn, which was closest to the city gate.
It wasn't because the apricot-yellow flags fluttered under the eaves of the inn, or because people could be seen through the vermilion gate.
It's because the sign at the entrance says it costs one or two ounces a day, so even if a martial artist practicing inside is practicing, they will never disturb others.
Lin Mu paid one tael of silver, his eyes twitching with heartache, but the situation was beyond his control.
In the end, he chose the innermost room on the second floor.
He closed the door, lowered his waist and stood in a stance, closing his eyes to feel the tiny spinning tops within his body silently eroding his qi and blood.
That must be internal force.