Walker Of The Worlds

2707 Losing Pretenses

Meng Baiʼs day had started normally before being thrown into a mix of

craziness after encountering Ashy and the twins. But now, it had twisted into fear.

”What!?” Meng Bai shouted in shock. ”How? WHY!?” He couldnʼt help but ask.

”Looks like the River Bending Axe Sect has given up on their righteous pretenses,” Lin Mu said, a deep frown on his face.

”But... Theyʼre supposed to be the ruling sect and are supposed to follow laws...” Meng Bai muttered to himself, as the reality of the cultivation world dawned on him.

Sigh

”The cultivation sects arenʼt always what they pretend to be,” Lin Mu said, placing a reassuring hand on Meng Baiʼs shoulder.

The boy grew silent as tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

He remembered the time when he had met Mr. Lan and how the man had fed him when he needed it the most. He had been starving for a week, having had bad luck. Everything he had obtained from stealing had been taken away by the brokers he sold to, under the pretense of ʼinterest!

And this was only because he had been a little late in giving his weekly share to them.

Mr. Lan had discovered him in an alley and had brought him back to give him some food.

After that, the man took care of him whenever Meng Bai was lacking money and food, giving him some work in exchange, which the boy was glad to do.

There had not been many people that had shown him kindness, and Mr. Lan was one of the handful. As such, he did not wish anything bad to happen to him, especially not because of him.

After all, he had been the one that had brought Lin Mu there. Many people had seen them, thus it wasnʼt something that could have been hidden either. And even if the people there would not usually talk about it, they couldnʼt do much under the strict questioning of the sect members.

”We... We have to save them!” Meng Bai spoke, his eyes reddened.

”We will,” Lin Mu answered right away.

He had already decided on it when he had heard it before. Plus, even Dou Qi, Doumen, and their family had been taken in, along with some of the people from the library.

Those were people who had nothing to do with all this and were at no fault at all. Now, it was unknown what they were going through, and Lin Mu was not one to stand for that.

”What do we do now?” Meng Bai asked, knowing only Lin Mu could do anything. He had no power to go up against an entire sect like that.

”First, we gather more information.” Lin Mu knew jumping straight in was not the way, as it could very well threaten the lives of those who had been kidnapped. ”The people they took should still be alive. They wouldnʼt kill them since they want to lure me out,” he added.

After saying that, he turned to Ashy and the twins.

”What more do you know? I want to know everything,” Lin Mu questioned.

”The people that were gathering them were disciples, but there was a scary old man with them,” Ashy spoke.

”Who was he?” Lin Mu asked.

”We heard the disciples calling him High Elder Yannan,” Xiao Yin answered.

”A High Elder... so after the elder was defeated, they sent in a High Elder,” Lin Mu muttered. ”Whatʼs next? Theyʼll send the patriarch after I defeat the High Elder?”

”They sure will,” Lin Mo spoke in Lin Muʼs mind. ”You know it too... you also know what you need to do to stop them,” he whispered, more temptation in his

tone.

Usually, Lin Mu would not listen to him, but this time, he knew the devilish man was speaking the truth.

”Time to remove weeds from the roots...ʼ Lin Mu thought to himself.

”Theyʼve brought this upon themselves,” even Xukong was in agreement this time.

”So be it...” Lin Mu said as anger bubbled in his heart. ”How strong was the old man?” he asked the beasts.

”I couldnʼt tell,” Ashy shook her head.

”We couldnʼt either,” the twins replied. ”He was probably stronger than us.”

”Hmm... So at least the Sixth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal realm,” Lin Mu reckoned.

Knowing this, he knew he couldnʼt just rush into the city to fight him, as that could lead to a lot of collateral damage. Other people could die in the conflict, which he couldnʼt allow. As such, he asked for more details from the beasts and learned that it wasnʼt just the River Bending Axe Sect members looking for him. Even the city guard and multiple information brokers were doing the same, with a substantial bounty placed on his head.

”Hmm... this can work in our favor.” A plan already formed in Lin Muʼs mind upon hearing this.

He thought about it for a bit before giving out orders.

”I need you to bring a letter to one of those information brokers,” Lin Mu spoke before taking out a sheet and writing it down.

”Okay, Master,” Ashy said.

”Just drop this off and return... Weʼll fight them on our terms,” Lin Mu said.

”Will they come, though?” Meng Bai asked.

”They will,” Lin Mu knew. ”Even if they guess that this is a trap, I donʼt think

theyʼll hesitate,” he added.

”Iʼll take it now, Master,” Ashy said as she picked up the letter and flew off along with the twins for protection.

What Lin Mu didnʼt know was that while he was gathering information about them, the sect had been doing the same for a few days.

Unable to find any information in their world, they had extended their reach outside. But when they did that, it reached a certain individualʼs ears.

Far away, in a majestic palace, a woman sat at a luxurious desk surrounded by stacks of papers and scrolls.

While she was busy with work, another woman walked in.

”My lady, weʼve discovered an intel query into Lord Lin Mu.”