Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 9 Night Kill

The midday sun shone on the mottled gray wall, bringing a sliver of light.

Lin Mu regained some strength and then woke up.

He touched the three coins he had left and struggled to get up.

I'll be eating lunch at the martial arts school.

When he arrived at the military post, Chen Yuan was in the courtyard carrying stone locks, muttering to himself.

"This little errand boy runs away quickly, but he disappears as soon as it's time to work, leaving me to do his work."

"Who told you to be the last one to join?" Zhou Yu leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, a smug look on his face.

"But the biggest regret is that you didn't get to meet the young lady's cousin."

"Graceful and slender, her walk is like a willow branch swaying in the wind."

"Is it really that beautiful?" Chen Yuan put down the stone lock and came closer.

"certainly."

Zhou Yu lowered his voice, "But her visit to our martial arts school isn't just a casual visit."

"I heard that things have been a bit unsettled in Liusha Town lately; two major gangs have started fighting."

"What gang?"

"The Golden Sands Gang and the Blazing Flame Gang."

"There are three Ming Jin masters and one An Jin master on each side."

"The fighting was so fierce that blood flowed like rivers, and the number of refugees increased significantly."

Chen Yuan gasped: "A master of internal energy?"

Zhou Yu shook his head. "Poor Zou Wanruo, she came here to hide because the Jinsha Gang coveted her family's body-forging techniques."

"Won't this implicate us?"

"It's hard to say, Liusha Town is too close."

"Can I see what she looks like?"

Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the inner courtyard with his lip: "Come with me."

The two tiptoed towards the base of the inner courtyard wall.

Lin Mu wasn't curious. He ate a free meal, did his job well, and didn't finish cleaning up the last batch of dirty towels until evening before returning to the village.

Meanwhile, in Liuye Village.

Lin Wu was whispering in Lin San's ear.

"Third Brother, we've found out everything."

"Lin Mu was just a handyman at Changfeng Martial Arts School, serving tea and water, sweeping the floor and moving things. He had no fellow disciples to protect him."

"The apprentices didn't even give him a second glance."

Lin San narrowed his eyes: "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely true."

"I've been watching this for several days."

Lin San sneered: "Half a month has passed."

"Let's go and meet that stubborn nephew."

He led Lin Wensheng toward Lin Mu's old house.

Seeing Lin San next door, Lin Youfu rushed over, looking troubled.

"Third Brother, how about we just let this go?"

Lin San turned his head, narrowing his eyes: "Forget it? You think you can just forget it like that?"

Lin Youfu rubbed his hands together: "I thought about it, and that house was left to him by his parents, I..."

"What's wrong?"

"You can't bear to do it?"

"Have you suddenly had a change of heart?"

"That's not what you said when you asked me for help."

"I've taken care of everyone in the village, you think it doesn't count just because you say so?"

"Get out of my way."

Lin San suddenly reached out and shoved him.

Lin Youfu staggered two steps, his lips trembled, but he didn't dare to utter another sound.

When Lin Mu returned from town, he saw several figures in front of the courtyard from afar.

Lin San crossed his arms and blocked the doorway.

Lin Wensheng stood behind him, carrying a wooden stick.

Lin Youfu stood to the side, his face ashen, as if he had just been scolded.

Lin Mu walked over.

Lin San turned his head and saw him, a grin spreading across his face: "Brother Mu, you're back? I've been waiting for you for a while."

Lin Mu glanced at him, then at Lin Youfu, but said nothing.

"Half a month has passed."

Lin San took a step forward. "I'm here to collect the warehouse today."

Lin Mu paused for a moment and then asked, "Did the village chief send you?"

"The village chief is so busy, he doesn't have time to deal with these trivial matters."

"Okay then."

Lin Mu walked to the gate, took out his key, and unlocked the door.

The door hinges creaked, the sound particularly jarring in the twilight.

Lin San was taken aback, not expecting him to agree so readily.

Lin Mu pushed open the courtyard gate.

A musty smell wafted over.

Several bundles of firewood were piled up in the yard, and moss grew in the corner of the wall.

The door was half-open, and the paint on the door frame was peeling off, revealing rotten wood underneath.

Lin Mu went inside, with Lin San following behind him.

The room was dark, and the paper windows had several holes, through which the wind blew in, making the old paintings on the walls rustle.

The ground was made of rammed earth, full of pits and covered with a layer of dust.

With each step he took, dust billowed up, causing Lin San to cough several times.

A thick layer of black ash covered the stove, and the pot lid was tilted to one side, revealing half a pot of moldy leftover rice inside.

The quilts on the kang (a heated brick bed) were rolled up into a ball, obscuring their original color.

Two of the roof beams are rotten, and wood chips are falling off.

Lin San covered his nose and stood at the door, refusing to go inside.

"What a shabby place! How long has it been since it was cleaned?"

Lin Mu stood in the room and turned around: "It's been empty ever since my dad left."

"If you're going to use it as a warehouse, you'll have to clean it thoroughly first."

"Otherwise, the things will get damp and moldy if we put them in."

Lin San frowned, looked at the dust under his feet, and then at the rotten wood above his head.

"You clean first, and I'll come back to check on it when you're done."

Lin Mu said, "Okay. I'll take some time to pack these next couple of days, and I'll let you know when I'm done."

Lin San snorted and waved to Lin Wensheng.

"Let's go to town and have some fun."

"I heard that some good women have arrived at Zuichunlou."

Lin Wensheng quickly followed.

Lin Youfu stood outside the door, glanced at Lin Mu, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, and walked away with his head down.

Lin Mu stood at the courtyard gate, watching them walk away, then turned and went into the house. He found a black cloth to cover his face, grabbed a dagger, and followed them.

......

It was late at night when Lin San and Lin Wensheng came out of Zuichunlou.

The sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments still lingered inside the building, and the lanterns at the entrance swayed precariously in the wind. Lin San's steps were unsteady, and Lin Wensheng's face was flushed from drinking. The two walked arm in arm down the alley to the east.

After walking for a while, Lin San stopped and pushed Lin Wensheng away: "You go back first, I need to go to the outhouse."

Lin Wensheng hiccuped: "Third Brother, I'll stay with you..."

"No need," Lin San waved his hand. "You're being long-winded."

Lin Wensheng didn't say anything more, turned around and went into another side alley, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Lin San leaned against the wall and walked a few steps deeper into the alley, then unbuckled his belt.

There were no lights in the alley, high walls on both sides, and only one person could pass through in the middle. Above was a narrow strip of sky, and the moonlight could not get through. It was as dark as a dry well.

Lin Mu emerged from the shadows.

He walks very lightly, landing on the balls of his feet first, then slowly lowering his heels. This ensures that he doesn't make a sound and that his weight is always on his back leg, so he can exert force at any time.

Lin San fastened his belt and turned around.

He saw a figure standing three steps away, blocking the last remaining light at the alley entrance.

"Who?"

Lin Mu did not answer.

Lin San squinted, trying to see the other person's face clearly. The alley was too dark, and he could only see a blurry outline—medium build, face covered with a black cloth, only his eyes were visible.

"Who the hell are you? Do you know who I am?" Lin San took a step back, leaning against the wall. "Let me tell you, nobody for miles around dares to mess with me, Lin San!"

Lin Mu took a step forward.

Lin San's hand reached for his waist, where a short knife was tucked. He was mostly sober now, and his pupils reflected the approaching figure opposite him.

"What do you want? Money? How much do you want?"

Lin Mu took another step.

Moonlight streamed down through a narrow sliver of sky above the alley, falling precisely on Lin Mu's face. The black cloth covering his face revealed only his eyebrows and eyes, clearly visible in the pale moonlight.

Lin San's hand stopped on the hilt of the knife.

He saw those eyes clearly.

That face.

"It's you—" Lin San's pupils constricted sharply, his lips trembled, "Lin...Lin Mu?"

"For a dilapidated house?"

Lin Mu moved.

It wasn't a pounce, it wasn't a rush, but rather like the wind blowing by, my whole body slid out of the darkness.

It lightly touched the wall like a swallow, its right hand emerging from its sleeve, the blade of a dagger flashing silently in the moonlight.

The blade cuts in from the left side of the neck and then pulls horizontally to the right.

Blood droplets splattered and landed on the moss at the base of the wall.

This is the Long Wind Fist – Willow Swaying in the Wind.

Lin San's body stiffened abruptly. His hand remained on the hilt of the knife, not yet drawn.

He looked down at his neck, then looked up at Lin Mu.

The disbelief in his eyes turned into fear, and then into resentment.

A "hoarse" sound came from his throat, like a broken bellows leaking air.

But he did not collapse immediately.

He leaned against the wall, using the last of his strength to squeeze out a few words from his throat: "My cousin is the leader of the Golden Sands Gang..."

Blood gushed from between his fingers.

"He...will...avenge...me..."

Every word was stained with blood and foam, and the voice grew fainter and fainter.

After uttering the last word, his body slowly slid down the wall and sat on the ground, his head tilted to one side.

His eyes were still open, staring at Lin Mu.

Lin Mu squatted down, wiped the blood off the dagger on Lin San's clothes, rummaged around in Lin San's clothes for a while, took the valuables, and then turned and left.

In the alley behind him, only a figure sat against the wall. The blood beneath him slowly seeped out, seeping into the cracks of the bluestone slabs, gleaming a dark red in the moonlight.