Martial research master - Chapter 362: The small distraction-1

Li Meng began his operation once he had properly settled down in the boarding room. He asked the Keeper to scan the area first to see if there was a shadow following him.

“Why do you think that is going to happen?”

“It is because of that old man. He seemed suspicious of me when I asked him about the state of the city and the Taiwan mountains. I’m pretty sure he is suspecting something, but I don’t know what. We need to keep an eye on that bastard so that he doesn’t put a tail on me.”

“Wouldn’t matter even if he did put a tail on you. You are going to kill those bastards, aren’t you? If you’re not going to rendezvous with the group, there is nothing to be feared.”

“There are two reasons why I don’t want a fucking tail behind me. One is that the enemy might be able to identify me. It would raise further hurdles to my plan.”

“What is the other problem?”

“How dare a fucking son of a bitch put a tail on his superior.” The Keeper laughed. He then proceeded to scan the surroundings and soon reported.

“A guy is hiding above the roof. He is quite skilled. Did you find him out on the way here, and are trying to test the artifact’s ability?” The Keeper asked.

“No. I took an educated guess when I saw the change in his facial expression. How powerful is the tail?”

“He is an intermediate Qi King. But his skills are top-notch. Unless you are a Qi Emperor, you will not be able to find him easily. He is perfect for tailing Qi King-level cultivators. The old man did a good play.”

“We will be leaving tonight. I need to return by this time the next morning to get my hands on the list.”

“What about the guy?”

“We will go for a small hunt and let him report his visuals to the old man. Once his suspicion of me is over, I will kill the tail and throw its head at the old man’s face.”

“Quite gruesome. Let’s proceed.”

Li Meng began to hatch a plan based on his past intel about the stations where Mad-lions generally settled their members. He was thinking about killing all the guardposts and clearing out a good number of low-ranking members. He was going to do the same thing he had done previously.

Controlling a small group of men was tiring, but it was quite efficient. He had managed to make some good quality Qi bombs which were more powerful than the previous versions. The quantity was low and hence he wouldn’t get the chance to do the same amount of damage as before, but it should be enough for a minor distraction which would provide his group a good space for a breather.

……………………

The same night:

“Sir, he has done no such suspicious thing until now. He is resting in his room.” Another man was speaking to the old man within the inn.

“Be alert. We should never trust someone as suspicious as him. The way he was asking questions and the turn of events during his last visit makes me feel that there is more to the story than meets the eyes. You should keep an eye on him and make sure he does nothing suspicious.”

The man was about to leave when he got another message through at token. The man looked surprised and turned back to the old man.

“Li Meng just left his room and is making his way towards the border region.” The old man didn’t flinch after hearing the news but rather asked the man to continue the pursual of their target. He knew something had to go off with Li Meng, but he couldn’t put his hands on what exactly went wrong.

The man conveyed the orders to Li Meng’s tail.

“You should go with him too. Keep your distance from both of them. I would like to have an additional set of eyes on this matter. If he checks out correctly and is not one of our enemies, make sure to help him if he gets into any kind of problematic situations.”

“What could his objective be?”

“I think he is either going to meet his partners or hunt for some bandits and resources.”

………………

Li meng went to the last known outposts and to his surprise there were many bandits in it.

“I guess the hunt will begin now.” Li Meng took his sword out and held a small bomb in the other hand. He then threw the bomb into the outpost and decided to wait for some time. An explosion took place within the outpost as the fire spread. The Bandits who were residing in it began to pour out from the gate.

To their surprise, a single man with a sword in his hands was waiting for them. As soon as the first bandit came into sight, the sword began to swing. Since most of the bandits were low-level ones, Li meng decided not to waste too much energy in person-centric attacks. He decided to sue for area attacks.

Since he had managed to reach the level of the weapon’s body,  the attack didn’t take much toll. The sword body was capable of processing the power efficiently. Intent increased the attack power, while the body helped to regulate the energy utilized by the sword. Li Meng fell in love with how powerful the sword body was.

“You should wait to see the next-level boy. Intent gives power, the body gives efficiency, The heart gives control. When you reach the next level, only then will the path of sword begin.”

“I will keep that in mind.” The area attacks were affecting all the bandits, slowing their pace and injuring them heavily. Initially, Li Meng thought that he would lose some of them, but his concerns were put to rest when he felt how powerful the attacks were.

Each of the sword art had already been imbued with sword intent. His sword body was processing impressive power on its own. The enemies were slowly decreasing in numbers.

“Keep some of them alive” The Keeper instructed. Li Meng thought the same way. 3 bandits were allowed to escape to the main base to inform them of the sudden attack.

“Leave the place immediately. I feel a powerful emperor’s aura approaching here.” Li Meng followed the orders and left