Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 748 - 743 Scavenging Part 1

Chapter 748: Chapter 743 Scavenging Part 1

The white light quickly faded away.

One by one, the accompanying monks emerged from the Light Gate, all ready to blend into society as undercover followers to gather intelligence.

Zhao Wumian issued some orders, directing everyone to disperse down the mountain and attempt to make contact with the real world.

Soon, only a few people were left on the mountain.

The Taoist boys in the temple were scared by the sudden appearance of a large group of people and hurriedly hid in their rooms, daring not to come out.

It actually became quieter as a result.

Meanwhile, the pursuing imperial soldiers had arrived at the foot of the mountain.

******************

"Mr. Fields, it’s already the afternoon," the leader of the imperial troops whispered obsequiously to the foreign policeman accompanying them. "If it gets dark, the mountain will be even more dangerous...."

"No, lighting some torches will do, we must catch the criminal and close the case today!"

Fields was a tall, thin man with white skin and blue eyes, and short, curly ash-brown hair, giving him a somewhat harsh appearance.

Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, his eyes were full of worry.

"Such a major massacre has occurred right on the edge of the Concession, twenty-one lives lost! Even including Zhao Xinde, who had good relations with the Concession.

This is a serious provocation to the entire Annu Empire!"

Because of this, he was ordered by his superiors to solve the case as soon as possible. Otherwise, who would want to come to these remote woods so late at night? Instead of being surrounded by beautiful and cute bar maids, he’s stuck with these short, yellow-skinned monkeys!

Sigh....

Just looking at this group of people made him nauseous.

Fields glanced at the imperial troops with contempt; one by one, they were so depleted from opium use that if it weren’t for their uniforms, a few sturdy farmers could probably finish them off.

"Yes, yes..." Xu Daotai nodded repeatedly and bowed, "The foreign master is right."

"Let’s go! Up the mountain!"

Fields waved his hand imperiously, ordering everyone to hasten up the mountain. If they reached the Taoist Temple before nightfall, they might still get dinner.

The imperial troops had no choice but to follow the path up the mountain.

But after just a few steps, they felt weak all over, their saliva and snot flowing profusely, clearly suffering from opium withdrawal.

The foreign master Fields exploded in anger, kicking them one by one, but it was still no use.

He immediately started cursing in the Annu language.

Xu Daotai was helpless. Although he didn’t smoke opium, without the group of soldiers, there was truly little he could do alone. He’d heard that the old Taoist who committed the murders had killed more than a dozen strong men.

"I’m telling you, Mr. Fields...." He was about to persuade the other to return first, but suddenly he seemed to hear a strange noise in his ear.

Clang.... Clang..... Clang....

It sounded like the friction of metal colliding.

"What’s that?"

He turned his head toward the source of the sound.

At this time, everyone else also turned toward the sound, their hearts tightening a bit.

"Could it be some wild animal?"

A voice couldn’t help but whisper softly.

No one answered, but soon, they all found the answer.

A beautiful woman in full silver Heavy Armor slowly stepped out of the woods, dressed not unlike an ancient Great General Marshal.

"Which theater troupe’s lead actor has run here?"

Xu Daotai was momentarily stunned. In such a place, how could there emerge a woman clad in Heavy Armor?

The armor must be made of paper, although it was quite exquisitely made.

He still had the mood to appreciate her heroic bearing.

The woman had a cold demeanor and a lofty gaze, looking down on him and his men as if they were mere insects.

Hiss....

The woman slowly drew a Longsword, its blade wide and thick. The moment she pulled it free, it vibrated violently with a buzzing sound.

Xu Daotai, with his extensive experience, immediately felt his heart chill.

"Fuck! It’s a real sword!! Get the firearms!! Kill her!!"

He immediately screamed.

The imperial soldiers hadn’t reacted yet before they saw the woman disappear from the spot in the blink of an eye.

A terrifying chill rushed up their spines from their coccyges, leaving everyone ice-cold and completely immobilized.

Slit slit slit slit!!

Blood splattered as the sword’s blade endlessly tore through flesh.

"Run!!"

Xu Daotai heard the foreign master’s final scream, as a few of the faster-acting soldiers fired their guns but missed. Their necks were sliced through like radishes, blood spurting out like fountains.

The woman, now with a few specks of blood on her face, reappeared only to find everyone around her lying on the ground.

She casually strode forward, holding the sword at an angle.

"Fuck!!" Xu Daotai’s skin crawled as he turned to flee,

but he hadn’t run far when he felt a pain in his back. He was overwhelmed by an indescribable agony, his vision darkened, and he fell into total unconsciousness.

****************

The imperial troops were annihilated overnight, including one foreign supervisor, all disappearing without a trace.

The incident caused a sensation in the city like an earthquake.

The death of the imperial soldiers was not a big deal, but there was also a foreign supervisor involved.

The Concession’s police department immediately supervised the Governor’s Mansion, dispatching troops to resolve the issue.

Large numbers of government forces were mobilized from the nearby military barracks outside the city, rushing towards the barren mountain where the Taoist Temple was located.

But soon, all the government forces arrived quickly and left just as quickly. The Concession unilaterally withdrew its request, ordering all government troops to return directly, and the case was completely left to the Concession to resolve.

Thus, in less than half a month, this major homicide case was downplayed and eventually faded away into nothingness.

All disturbances quietly settled back down to calmness.

Everyone’s attention was then drawn to another big event.

A rebellion broke out in Hanzhong, with flames engulfing the entire Hanzhong City, and several other large cities nearby were also connected in flames.

The rebels, calling themselves the Righteous Army, gathered more than forty thousand people and seized Hanzhong’s arsenal. They officially said no to foreign invading forces!

The Imperial Court was enraged, and foreign envoys went to the capital in droves to make strong protests.

So, a grand army for the campaign for suppression and pacification began marching towards Hanzhong.

Hanzhong, being close to the sea, also saw a joint fleet from three nations approaching to provide naval bombardment and intimidation.

In fact, up to now, the number of rebels wasn’t small, but this Righteous Army was the only one that dared to resist the foreign powers outright.

As a result, they faced the greatest oppression, and the retaliation was also the largest.

Fearing that this could become a precedent, the foreign powers, whose interests in their territories were harmed, took the initiative to send fleets to assist in forcefully suppressing the rebellion.

Facing suppression, the commander of the Righteous Army, Sun Guotao, struggled to hold on, determined to defend Hanzhong.

The news quickly spread throughout the country via telegraph. Under pressure from foreign forces, other neighboring warlords also began to send troops to fight the Righteous Army.

And in the midst of the chaos,

The conduit established by Lin Xinjian was continuously bringing forth squads of cultivator soldiers from the spirit world.

A small Lake Mountain Sect began to form on the outskirts of Xianzhou City.

*****************

Standing by the docks, in front of a window of a residence, Lin Xin gazed at the glittering golden light on the sea surface, with several disciples standing behind him reporting the situation.

"Honored Master, the Consul of the Concession has been thoroughly controlled. The diplomatic envoys have been dealt with as well," Zhao Wumian said in a low voice from behind him.

"This world... actually has so many demons and ghosts infiltrating the bloodline of our Human Race, blond hair and blue eyes. Although they are all very weak and ordinary people, it’s incredible that they can suppress the momentum of our Human Race," Princess Zhou Yan of Huai Yang sighed. She was among the second batch of disciples from the spirit world to arrive.

"There’s also that weapon known as a firearm which is quite intriguing. Simple to make, yet the power is quite decent," she added.

"That is the different civilizations for you. Besides the Righteous Army, have there been any other changes or movements?" Lin Xin asked, turning to look back.

Although the disciples’ spiritual perceptions were not as sharp as his, spreading out allowed them to cover a much larger area than he could alone.

"There seem to be some changes, an inexplicable force gathering around that Righteous Army," Zhao Wumian furrowed his brows.

"I’ve already sent someone to investigate," he replied.

"What about the external powers, how is their establishment progressing?" Lin Xin asked again. He knew what Zhao Wumian referred to was Fate.

"As for the external forces, we’ve now developed over two hundred followers in Xianzhou City, all of whom hold awe and devotion in their hearts for our Taoist teachings. However, the locals are extremely stubborn in their thinking and have a very low trust in us," Zhao Wumian said somewhat helplessly.

"No matter, as long as we take root here, that’s good enough. Xianzhou City’s geographical position is unique and can serve as a strategic point for our Sect, perfect for setting up a shipyard," Lin Xin said with a faint smile.

Suddenly, he perked his ears.

"Alright. You should leave now. The family of this body has come. It’s not yet time to expose ourselves to outsiders," he said.

"As you command, Honored Master," they replied.

The three disciples then left through another side door.

Lin Xin stood alone in the room for a while, and before long, there was a knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Father, are you there?"

"Xiaoying? Come in," Lin Xin said softly.

The lock of the room’s door clicked open automatically, its bolt sliding out of place.

Chen Ying entered, immediately noticing the father by the window.

Compared to before, her father’s appearance hadn’t changed, but somehow, she felt that there was something different about him.

"Father, it’s all thanks to the contacts you found in the Concession that this matter was suppressed. And the sudden major case in the barren mountain diverted their attention. Otherwise, our Chen Family would likely have been completely implicated," Chen Ying thought back with lingering fear.

"Just some old friends, what brings you here?" Lin Xin asked indifferently.

Chen Ying opened her mouth, wanting to ask about the strangers her father had been associating with since he came down from the mountain - people she’d been wondering about for a long time, unclear about who they really were. But at the moment, she found it difficult to voice her questions.

Having come this far, she just managed to say,

"Father, you should still be cautious lately. The Imperial Court has started a clampdown on Taoists again. It’s better not to wear your Taoist Robe when you go out."

"I know, don’t worry," Lin Xin smiled. "Go back and rest well. Managing the business every day is not easy for you."

"Alright... alright..." Chen Ying felt helpless, but still repeated some words of caution before turning to leave.

Lin Xin watched her go, his eyes reflecting a faint vacancy, as his attention was not in the room at all; his spiritual perception was already spreading far and wide, unbeknownst to where.