High-Martial World: System Arrives 30 Years Late-Chapter 59: Demon Sect Infighting, Splitting into Groups

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Demon Sect Infighting, Splitting into Groups
"Su Mu, what’s on your face?"
"It’s nothing, I accidentally scratched it while forging."
Miaomiao had already informed Xiaoyue’s grandparents in advance that they planned to move into their home for a few days. Su Mu did not continue to cultivate Blade Qi in the car because he didn’t want his wife and child to worry.
In the yard, Dahuang wagged its tail happily and barked a few times, prompting the grandparents to come out of the house.
"Dad, Mom."
"Grandpa, Grandma."
After the family had dinner, Su Mu handed a ring to Miaomiao, inside of which were various materials for Strengthening Soup, numerous First and Second Level Qi Blood Elixirs, several Third and Fourth Level healing medicines, and a few sets of Third Level Battle Armor.
Upon seeing so many items, Miaomiao wasn’t pleased; instead, she looked worried.
"Su Mu, is your rush to come back related to the news about the Vice City Lord being attacked?"
Su Mu didn’t answer immediately. His silence was telling enough for Miaomiao, who knew him too well.
"Don’t worry, I’m not acting alone this time; I’m just assisting with the investigation."
"Just be careful."
Late at night, Su Mu quietly left his old home. There was something he didn’t say: leaving that bunch of lunatics in Linjiang made him uneasy.
...
Su Mu returned alone to the new district. He arrived at the street where Chang Yuanqing was attacked. At this moment, caution tape still blocked the area, and Su Mu didn’t directly reveal his identity.
Instead, he walked around the area along the tape. The street showed no signs of a fight, and the nearby buildings didn’t have any noticeable damage.
This was in the city, not an open battlefield. If the assailant’s strength wasn’t far above Chang Yuanqing’s, then it must have been an ambush.
If it were the latter, it would mean the attacker had already familiarized themselves with Chang Yuanqing’s routine.
Su Mu looked up at a majestic building not too far away; it was the City Lord’s Mansion of Linjiang Base. Right now, the mansion was under tight security, with Martial Artists patrolling 24/7.
"Are they just trying to create chaos, or are they targeting the City Lord’s Mansion?"
Linjiang Base was just a small place, with the strongest force being three Fifth Level Martial Artists: City Lord Lu Lin, Chairman Luo of the Linjiang Martial Arts Association, and Gong Wu, the head of the Armed Department.
After circling around the City Lord’s Mansion, Su Mu went to the Martial Arts Association and applied for a free Cultivation Room.
He expertly activated the Spirit Gathering Inscription.
An uneventful night passed, with Blade Qi filling the Cultivation Room.
...
The next day, Su Mu went to the City Lord’s Mansion.
The person receiving him was a director from the mansion, a chubby middle-aged man named Ding Yu, around forty years old.
"Sorry, Mr. Su, you know the situation. The incident just occurred the day before yesterday, and the city is taking it very seriously. Plus, City Lord Lu has been unwell recently and needs to handle all matters of the base, so I’m the one receiving you."
"I’d like to know the details of this incident and information about the opponent."
"This is the dossier on Vice City Lord Chang’s case, along with related information. As for the opponent’s info, we don’t have much currently, but it’s all here."
Su Mu was surprised. He had expected to go through some procedures to access these.
"City Lord Lu instructed us to cooperate fully with your side, so we prepared these documents last night," Director Ding explained with a smile, sensing Su Mu’s doubt.
Su Mu accepted the dossier and began to read through it, and during this time, Director Ding left on some errands.
Shuffling sounds.
Su Mu carefully reviewed the materials. The day Chang Yuanqing got into trouble, he had been invited by an old friend to a banquet. During the event, Chang Yuanqing left abruptly and was later attacked.
Someone mentioned that Chang Yuanqing received a call during the banquet, after which he left in a hurry.
A post-event investigation traced the call to a phone booth in the old district, an area with few cameras that were also vandalized that night.
The recorded voice on the call was hoarse, saying: They’ve found you.
Later, a thorough investigation by the City Lord’s Mansion revealed that Chang Yuanqing was a Demon Sect spy in the mansion and was involved in several missing persons cases from years ago.
The initial assumption was that Chang Yuanqing was killed due to internal conflicts within the Demon Sect to silence him.
After reading, Su Mu understood why Linjiang Base was so strict about sealing off information. This matter could range from big to small, and if certain sensationalist journalists got hold of it, it would cause a big stir.
The people at Linjiang Base were still conducting checks, but two areas were preliminarily targeted.
The main suspect area was to the north of the new district in the outskirts, where there lay the Fierce Beast Mountain Range. Several Hunting Teams go there to hunt First Level Fierce Beasts for a living, and it was a place with a mixed crowd.
Secondly was around Linjiang Bridge, where there’s a black market, and it’s also a transport hub connecting the old and new district.
After reading the information, Su Mu got a rough idea of the situation and nodded silently. The professional detectives involved seemed reliable, so there was no need for an amateur like him to meddle too much.
That day, Director Ding arranged for Su Mu to stay at the City Lord’s Mansion, where he continued to cultivate Blade Qi.
...
On the third day, a special plane landed at Linjiang Airport.
This time, Lu Lin personally greeted ten individuals in the conference room. Compared to a few months ago, Lu Lin looked noticeably older.
"Firstly, on behalf of Linjiang Base, I welcome you all here. This is the information on the matter, and I will also explain the current situation in detail. This is a serious matter, so please don’t leak it after reviewing it."
After speaking, the projection screen began to display the case’s details.
"So, the clues we’ve tracked down so far all point to these two areas. I suggest we split into two groups and take action once the informants confirm the traces. Tonight, we can strike simultaneously with overwhelming force to uproot them!"
"Of course, Linjiang Base will also cooperate in the operation."
Su Mu was the oldest of the ten, with two of them being Fifth Level Martial Artists. The strongest was Hong Yi, a spear-wielder aged thirty-two, at the Fifth Level Initial Stage.
The other Fifth Level Martial Artist was the elder brother of the Liu siblings, Liu Ming. Like Hong Yi, he was also thirty-two and at the Fifth Level Initial Stage, although not as strong as Hong Yi, having just broken through a few months ago.
But Liu Ming had a younger sister, Liu Ying, who was one year younger and at the Fourth Level High Stage. Both were sword users, and their martial techniques were quite unique, effective when fighting together.
The remaining six, like Su Mu, were Fourth Level Martial Artists, aged around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, all association-certified Fourth Level High Stage Martial Artists, with Su Mu being the only one at the Fourth Level Initial Stage.
"I’ll take the people to the Fierce Beast Mountain Range," Hong Yi spoke directly.
"Why? The Fierce Beast Mountain Range should be our responsibility," Liu Ying immediately objected.
"Because I’m the strongest among us ten, and I’m Token No. 1, while you two are just No. 2 and No. 3!" Hong Yi directly pulled out Token No. 1 for assessment.
It was clear to everyone that the Fierce Beast Mountain Range offered a greater opportunity, tied to the Training Camp spots, and the tension between the two sides was growing.
"All of you are elite soon entering the Training Camp. How about this: all three of you go to the Fierce Beast Mountain Range, while the remaining seven head to the black market area, supplemented with additional personnel on this basis," Lu Lin interjected at the right moment.
Upon hearing Lu Lin, Hong Yi and the Liu siblings immediately agreed. They didn’t care about the others’ opinions; the remaining six felt discontented but helpless, as their strength was no match for Hong Yi and the Liu siblings.
"So, it’s settled. Tonight, Hong Yi, Liu Ming, Liu Ying, and I will lead the City Lord’s Mansion team to the Fierce Beast Mountain Range."
"The black market area will be handled by Chairman Luo of the Martial Arts Association, you seven, and the association’s personnel."
"During our operation, maintaining order at Linjiang Base will be your responsibility, Gong Wu."
"Alright, no problem."
Once everything was set, Hong Yi and the Liu siblings, feeling confident in their strength, left the conference room directly, followed by others from the City Lord’s Mansion, leaving just Su Mu and the other six in the end.
"You’re the Fourth Level Initial Stage Su Mu, right? I don’t know how you got assessed, but tonight you’re to listen to my command without falling behind or bear the consequences," Zhang Wei, holding Token No. 4, warned coldly.
Su Mu nodded. Having others around was certainly more beneficial than not. If the plan they laid out made sense, Su Mu wouldn’t mind following it.
Soon after, he returned to the Cultivation Room to continue cultivating Blade Qi after listening to their plans.
[Repeatedly cultivating Blade Qi a hundred times, your Sword Momentum slightly improved!]
[Repeatedly cultivating Blade Qi a thousand times, your Sword Momentum slightly improved!]
"Can’t continue anymore... This blade has reached its limit."
Sword Momentum was the crucial key to reaching the Grandmaster Level, containing immense power.
After three consecutive days, the unremarkable Fourth Level Long Saber in Su Mu’s hand could no longer absorb any more Blade Qi, now saturated, emitting faint blade hums even when idle.
Su Mu took a deep breath, not wasting any time, and quickly took out another saber to continue cultivating Blade Qi.
...
As night fell.
The phone in the conference room rang. After answering it, Lu Lin scanned the faces in the room and announced.
"Let’s move out!"