novelapdf Chapter 19 Turmoil
Chapter 19 Turmoil
Lin Mo remained seated, his face beneath the mask expressionless, as if he weren't the one who had just tossed three thousand taels of silver for a tattered cultivation manual. He could clearly sense those unfriendly gazes, like a persistent, lingering affliction, still fixed on him. Two were particularly noticeable: one from the right side of the front row, in the direction of the man with the effeminate voice who had bid against him, his gaze filled with scrutiny and a barely perceptible greed; the other from the left corner behind, brimming with naked arrogance and malice, like a wild beast eyeing its prey.
The auction continued, and several more fine weapons and a fragment of what was said to be a master alchemist's manual appeared, sparking a bidding war. However, none of the prices exceeded Lin Mo's initial bid of three thousand taels. Lin Mo had lost interest in these items; his entire focus was on the sandalwood box in his arms and his perception of his surroundings. The mysterious power within him, upon contact with the box, though forcibly suppressed, still emitted a faint, yearning pulse, further confirming his belief that this item was intimately connected to him.
"clang--"
Another gong sounded, and the embroidered-robed host announced loudly: "This auction has now concluded! Thank you all for your participation! Those who won items, please proceed to the settlement area at the back to complete the final procedures with your bidding paddles. Those who did not win items are welcome to browse this free trading area; you may find something unexpected. Please remember, private fights are strictly prohibited within the black market area!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room relaxed slightly, and a murmur began to rise. People began to get up one after another, some heading towards the settlement area at the back, while others surged towards the outer free trading area.
Lin Mo didn't move immediately. He sat there like a stone statue, calmly observing the flow of people through the holes in his mask. He noticed that the effeminate man, surrounded by his companions, was the first to rise and casually walk towards the free trading area, but his eyes kept glancing in his direction. The owner of the malicious gaze from the corner behind him was an exceptionally burly man wearing a ferocious bear-head mask. He sat there with four or five equally burly men, showing no intention of leaving. His eyes, hidden behind the bear-head mask, were fixed on Lin Mo, as if to say, "I'm waiting for you."
The pressure is invisible, yet it weighs heavily on my heart.
Lin Mo's mind raced. Going directly to the settlement area would be too conspicuous; he'd likely be attacked as soon as he left the black market. Infiltrating the free trading area might temporarily confuse them, but since they'd set their sights on him, they probably wouldn't give up easily.
He slowly rose, not heading towards the settlement area, but like most of those who hadn't won any items, seemingly casually blending into the flow of people heading towards the free trading area. His steps were unhurried, his aura restrained to the extreme, making him appear like a slippery fish in the crowded throng.
The free trade area was even more chaotic than the central auction hall, with stalls lining the streets and the sounds of hawking and haggling filling the air. The goods for sale were incredibly diverse, ranging from antique jade artifacts of dubious origin to bottles and jars of elixirs labeled with various effects, and even some chained, ferocious-looking young beasts. The air was thick with a mixture of smells, creating a bizarre and fantastical atmosphere.
Lin Mo stopped in front of a herb stall, pretending to examine a decent-looking blood ginseng, but in reality, he kept his eyes and ears open. He sensed that the effeminate gaze was still following him subtly in the distance, and the burly man with the bear-like head and his men had already stood up, clinging to him like leeches, hanging far behind in the crowd, clearly determined not to lose them.
"Friend, how much is this blood ginseng?" Lin Mo asked casually, his voice coming through the mask.
The stall owner was a lean man. Hearing this, he looked up and was about to quote a price when his expression suddenly changed. He looked past Lin Mo and towards the person behind him, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
Lin Mo understood immediately; he knew that the burly man with the bear's head and his group were approaching. He straightened up calmly, seemingly unaware of the threat behind him, and continued walking forward.
Sure enough, after taking only a few steps, a rough, arrogant voice came from behind: "Hey you in the mask, stop right there!"
The sound, like a broken gong, was particularly jarring in the relatively noisy trading area, immediately attracting the attention of many. Many glanced over, and seeing the menacing appearance of the burly man and his group, they wisely made way, observing from a distance. Private fights were forbidden in the black market, but conflicts and friction occurred from time to time; as long as it didn't cause too much of a disturbance, the authorities would sometimes turn a blind eye.
Lin Mo stopped and slowly turned around. The burly man with the bear-like head and four of his men had already closed in and surrounded him. The eyes behind the bear-head mask gleamed with ferocity as he looked Lin Mo up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the slightly bulging area in Lin Mo's chest.
"Kid, be smart." The burly man with the bear-like head grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "Hand over that broken box you just photographed, and I might consider letting you go."
One of his henchmen chimed in, "Did you hear that? It's your good fortune that our Boss Xiong has taken a liking to your stuff! Don't be stubborn and ask for trouble!"
The surrounding crowd began to whisper among themselves.
"It's Xiong Xiazi! This guy's a local tyrant in the south of the city, he specializes in this kind of business on the black market." "That masked guy's in trouble, being targeted by Xiong Xiazi, he'll be lucky to escape with his life." "The thing I bought for three thousand taels of silver, it's about to change hands before I've even had a chance to enjoy it..." Lin Mo remained silent, his eyes beneath the mask cold. He sensed that the sinister gaze had also stopped not far away, seemingly observing the situation.
"Black market rules dictate a cash-on-delivery transaction," Lin Mo said, his voice still calm and devoid of any emotion. "This thing is mine now."
"Rules?" The bear laughed as if it had heard the funniest joke in the world, its laughter so loud it made everyone's eardrums itch. "Here, I am the rule! Enough of your fucking nonsense, hand it over!"
Before he finished speaking, his large, fan-like hand, accompanied by a gust of evil wind, grabbed directly at Lin Mo's face, intending to forcibly snatch it! This grab was powerful and heavy, clearly containing considerable external martial arts skills. If an ordinary martial artist were to be grabbed, they would probably suffer broken bones and tendons instantly.
A murmur rippled through the crowd, as if they had already foreseen Lin Mo's fate.
However, just as the bear's fingers were about to touch the mask, Lin Mo moved.
His movements appeared slow, yet he deftly sidestepped half a step, narrowly avoiding the fierce grab. At the same time, his right hand shot out like a ghost, his index and middle fingers joined together, precisely striking the bear's Neiguan acupoint on its wrist.
"Ugh!" The bear felt a numbness in its wrist, and a subtle and tricky force instantly penetrated it. The strength in its entire arm receded like the tide, and its determined grab suddenly fell limply to the ground.
He was shocked; he hadn't expected this seemingly unremarkable target to be such a tough nut to crack! But his ferocity had been ignited. He roared, gathering his strength in his left fist, and slammed it into Lin Mo's chest like a hammer blow, shouting at the same time, "Attack together! Cripple him!"
Upon hearing this, the four henchmen immediately drew their short sticks and daggers and pounced on Lin Mo from different directions.
The situation instantly spiraled out of control!
Lin Mo's eyes turned cold. He hadn't intended to make a move within the black market, but the other party had gone too far. If he didn't establish his authority, there would only be more trouble later. Facing the encirclement, his figure moved as elusive as a willow catkin, his footwork shifting and changing—a movement technique that combined his past life's assassin experience with the foundation of martial arts in this life.
"Bang!" Avoiding a direct punch, Lin Mo delivered a chop to the elbow of a man wielding a stick on his left. The man screamed, and the stick flew from his hand. A dagger thrust at his right, but Lin Mo neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he flicked his finger, precisely deflecting the dagger's side. With a crisp "clang," the man felt a tremendous force, his hand splitting open, and the dagger nearly slipped from his grasp. A whoosh of wind came from behind. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Lin Mo executed a low spinning kick, his heel slamming heavily into the back of the attacker's knee. A sickening crack of bone echoed, and the henchman clutched his twisted leg, howling in agony as he collapsed to the ground. The movements were clean and swift. In an instant, three of the four henchmen were down. The remaining man, dagger in hand, stared at the ghostly Lin Mo, too terrified to approach.
The bear was both shocked and furious. His left fist missed, and his right arm was still numb. Seeing his subordinate crippled in an instant, he roared and charged at Lin Mo like a wild bear, trying to use his size and strength to suppress him.
A cold glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes, and he no longer held back. He took a deep breath, and a trace of the dormant, mysterious power within him was stirred. Though weak, it instantly made his aura chilling and bone-chilling. He sidestepped the charge, his right hand, fingers slightly bent into a claw shape, shot out with lightning speed, aiming straight for the bear's ribcage. This claw strike was silent, yet carried a concentrated penetrating force.
"puff!"
With a muffled thud, the bear's charge came to an abrupt halt. His massive body trembled violently as he looked down in disbelief at his ribs. There were no obvious external wounds, but a piercing pain and icy chill instantly spread through him, as if his internal organs had been frozen and torn apart. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but only spat out a mouthful of chilling blood, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, curling up in pain, clearly incapacitated.
The entire exchange lasted only a dozen or so breaths.
The surroundings were deathly silent.
Everyone watching was stunned, staring incredulously at the figure standing calmly in the center of the arena, wearing an ordinary mask. The bear and his henchmen were notorious in the area, yet they were utterly helpless against this mysterious man! Especially that final, eerie claw strike, carrying a chilling, sinister aura, sent shivers down their spines.
The effeminate gaze that had been lingering in the distance paused slightly before silently retreating into the deeper crowd and disappearing from sight.
Lin Mo didn't even glance at the groaning people on the ground, his gaze calmly sweeping across the surroundings. Everyone whose eyes met his involuntarily looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.
The goal of establishing authority has been achieved.
He didn't linger. He turned and walked unhurriedly towards the handover point. This time, no one dared to stop him. The crowd automatically parted to make way for him, watching this mysterious and powerful figure depart.