“Eagle Claw Thousand Jin Force is a second-rate martial art with decent killing power, slightly stronger than the Thirty-Six Grappling Hands...”
In the courtyard, Lin Sheng was playing with a few pebbles in his hand, while on the wall of the adjacent courtyard were several half-bricks.
He would occasionally throw the pebbles from his hand, knocking the bricks off.
Since he had no cultivation method to practice now, he practiced the throwing technique he got from Liu Jie when he was idle. Although it wasn't a martial art, combined with his current strength, it could also unleash considerable power.
Beside his feet was a black earthenware pot, containing a pile of red and green plants mashed into mud, from which a faint fishy smell emanated.
The contents of the pot were poisonous plants he casually picked while entering the mountain to complete a mission.
They were basically all highly toxic, and their toxicity was further enhanced when mixed together.
As for what these things were for, naturally, they were for self-defense, or... for killing.
“Ma Long's Raging Bull Fist has reached Great Accomplishment, and his cultivation is about to break through to the Forging Tendons Late Stage. Then his cultivation level of Eagle Claw Thousand Jin Force shouldn't be low either, at least reaching Minor Accomplishment. He can be considered a good hand among those at the Forging Tendons Early Stage.”
Lin Sheng calculated in his mind.
During the day, he also indirectly inquired about Ma Long's specific strength from Wang Sanyang.
He also admitted that Ma Long's strength was significantly greater than his.
Therefore, to deal with the opponent, he had to be fully prepared.
He couldn't foolishly wait for the opponent's cultivation to break through again. If he dragged it out and the opponent broke through to the Forging Tendons Late Stage, it would undoubtedly become extremely troublesome for him to act against him. Therefore, he had to deal with the opponent as soon as possible.
These past few days, he had been intentionally or unintentionally collecting information about Ma Long.
As the captain of Third Squad, Ma Long was definitely a prominent figure in Yangping Town, so collecting information about him was quite easy.
He had also grasped about eighty to ninety percent of Ma Long's residence, habits, etc.
Next was to plan how to deal with the opponent.
“With my current strength, coupled with the effect of the Tusker Mountain Pig's integration, I should be able to firmly suppress Ma Long in terms of raw power. However, to avoid alerting him, I still need to finish the fight quickly and not give the opponent too much chance to struggle...”
He pondered in his heart, and by the time he fell asleep, he had already made a decision.
The next day.
“You want to take a few days off?”
Wang Sanyang looked at Lin Sheng with some surprise.
“That's right. It's been a while since I came out. I want to go home and take a look.”
Lin Sheng nodded.
“I see. That's fine. Anyway, many people in the team haven't recovered from their injuries yet, and there aren't any thorny tasks that will fall on us. So, you can go back for a few days.”
After a brief thought, Wang Sanyang readily agreed, and finally added an extra instruction.
“Try not to publicize your return, in case of any accidents on the way.”
“I will.”
Lin Sheng naturally understood what he meant by 'accident'. It was undoubtedly Ma Long.
Coming out of the Ninth Squad's station, Lin Sheng did not rush back home but instead bought a lot of things on the street, mostly local specialty dried meat and furs, and even some clothes.
Afterward, he wandered around the street and bought some miscellaneous items before heading towards the courtyard.
“Lin Team, where are you going?”
As he approached the courtyard, someone suddenly called out to him.
Lin Sheng turned his head while holding the items and saw a thin, slightly hunchbacked, red-faced man.
“Oh, it's Wang Jiu. Nothing, just buying some things for home as backup...”
A hint of nervousness flashed across Lin Sheng's face, but he quickly returned to normal and said with a smile.
“For backup? Lin Team is quite thoughtful...”
The man named Wang Jiu, seeing Lin Sheng's reaction, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and then he nodded without saying anything further.
“Well, Lin Team, you must be busy.”
Cupping his fists, Wang Jiu turned and left.
Lin Sheng immediately quickened his pace and walked towards home.
Watching Lin Sheng leave, Wang Jiu, who had originally walked several feet away, suddenly stopped and, as if strolling idly, blended into the crowd on the street and followed him.
It wasn't until Lin Sheng entered the courtyard that he quickly approached, turned into an empty corner of the wall, pressed his ear against it, and listened stealthily.
Soon, he heard whispers coming from the courtyard.
“These furs are quite valuable, Mother should like them, and the pine deer jerky can also help Father nourish his body...”
Hearing this, Wang Jiu's face showed a look of 'just as expected'. Then, he didn't linger, tiptoed away, and disappeared into the crowd.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Lin Sheng was squatting, gently stroking the yellow-haired stray dog that was vigorously gnawing on a beef bone, a smile also appearing on his face.
“As expected, this Wang Jiu is Ma Long's man.”
Ever since he revealed his Body Tempering Realm strength, he had noticed that the newly transferred Wang Jiu in the Ninth Squad always secretly looked at him intentionally or unintentionally, with strange looks occasionally appearing in his eyes, and sometimes he seemed to be secretly following him.
Clearly, the other party had issues. After integrating the Horned Owl and gaining increased perception, he was even more certain that the other party should be Ma Long's man.
Through the other party's mouth, Ma Long should soon know that he is returning to the city.
It wasn't until dusk that Lin Sheng finally rode a carriage out of the town.
The carriage was used by the Hunting Beast Hall's convoy to transport goods, and he borrowed it.
With his current status, such a small matter was naturally nothing.
Lin Sheng was half-reclining on the carriage, playing with the horsewhip in his hand. Although the carriage had no compartment, lying down was always more comfortable than riding a horse.
His eyes were half-closed, as if feigning sleep. The Old Ma in front didn't need him to drive; it went towards Lin'an County by itself.
And just as the carriage left the town, two stealthy figures also appeared outside the town, following Lin Sheng from a distance for a while before stopping.
“As expected, this kid is going back to the city. Old Jiu, you follow him. He has a lot of stuff on his carriage, and it's an Old Ma that doesn't run fast. Don't get too close and let him discover you.”
“Okay, don't worry. So what if that kid is at Body Tempering? He's just a greenhorn. In terms of tracking, I'm two streets ahead of him.”
Wang Jiu patted his chest and said carelessly.
“Okay, I'll go notify the Leader now.”
The other person seemed quite confident in his ability, said no more, turned, and left.
Wang Jiu, on the other hand, quickened his pace and stealthily moved towards the distant carriage.
He slowed his breathing, making it smooth. This could reduce physical exertion; it was a tracking technique he had figured out.
Although his strength was indeed not great, it was absolutely impossible to spend two years safely in the Hunting Beast Hall without some ability.
He had excellent eyesight since childhood, significantly better than others. This allowed him to detect danger earlier than others in Yangping Mountain. He didn't need to outrun those ferocious exotic beasts; he just needed to outrun his teammates beside him, which was why he could preserve himself in several crises.
Later, he was favored by Ma Long and became Ma Long's trusted subordinate.
At this moment, as he walked, his eyes were fixed on the carriage ahead. Squinting and concentrating his eyesight, he could vaguely see the human-shaped outline lying on the carriage.
“So comfortable even when death is imminent. I'd like to see how long you can remain comfortable...”
He sneered, his eyes full of mockery.
“I don't know how long I can be comfortable, but you are about to become uncomfortable...”
The sudden voice startled Wang Jiu, making him jump up.
“Who's there??”
He turned his head to look back and only saw a familiar face calmly looking at him.
Wang Jiu's eyes widened, and his face was full of disbelief, but he no longer had the chance to speak.