Chapter 33: Every Strike Fatal

“Hmph! At least you know your place!” The Daoist in the yellow robe snorted haughtily.

“Uncle Mo!” someone cried.

Uncle Mo raised his hand to silence them, his voice cold as ice. “A man should answer for his own actions. If you have the guts, step forward yourself.”

Even though Shen Xin didn’t quite understand, just as he was about to step out, a flash of cold steel caught his eye. The elderly Daoist froze in place—shocked beyond words. In fact, everyone around was stunned.

Before anyone could react, Uncle Mo darted forward, his blades gleaming. In mere moments, the heads of all six men standing with the Daoist were sent flying into the air. Uncle Mo returned as swiftly as he had attacked, sheathing his twin blades and remarking calmly, “Sorry, but I’ve never heard of the Infinite Temple. Let’s go home.”

Shen Xin and the others boarded the car in a daze. They knew Uncle Mo wasn’t squeamish about killing, but none had expected that, after smiling amiably one moment, he would wipe out their opponents the next.

Once in the car, Chen Jiawang hurried into the driver’s seat, worried that Uncle Mo’s agitation might lead to an accident. He was also puzzled—why had Uncle Mo acted so impulsively today? Uncle Mo could kill without hesitation, but never before had he murdered a group so openly. In his mind, Uncle Mo was a cautious man, never leaving evidence behind.

Shen Xin couldn’t help asking, “Uncle Mo, why did we have to kill them all? Is the Infinite Temple really that insignificant?”

Uncle Mo reclined in his seat, replying coolly, “They’re nothing but a bunch of nobodies. Daoists may have a few tricks up their sleeves, but when it comes to killing, none can match me. Besides, we live with our heads attached to our belts—what do we have to fear?”

“As for this Infinite Temple, I really haven’t heard of them. What’s there to be afraid of? None of them can hold a candle to Sister Dan. In front of her, all are mere fools.”

Shen Xin had often heard Uncle Mo and Chen Jiawang praise Sister Dan’s strength, but he had only witnessed her in action a few times. It was hard to gauge her true power. Yet, seeing how calm Uncle Mo and Chen Jiawang remained, he felt reassured.

Not long after their car left the village, the masked man’s severed head rolled a few times before reattaching itself to his neck. Moments later, the masked man stood up, took out his phone, and snapped a photo of the Daoist’s gruesome remains before leaving.

Sitting in the car, Shen Xin idly played on his phone and decided to look up the Infinite Temple. What he found surprised him: in Dragon City, the Infinite Temple was actually quite renowned. The temple was a five-star tourist attraction, boasting more than three hundred disciples and thousands of associates. They handled nearly all the funerals, rituals, feng shui consultations, and fortune-telling in the vicinity of Dragon City.

Regardless of their actual strength, the Infinite Temple was certainly a large organization.

Shen Xin considered telling Uncle Mo the truth, but seeing him resting with his eyes closed, he thought better of it and kept silent.

Back at the compound, while doing laundry, Shen Xin discovered a small, bright red fruit in his pocket—like a ripe cherry. He wondered how it had gotten there, then suddenly remembered: wasn’t this the same fruit the Spirit Turtle Child had been holding?

“Could it be that the Spirit Turtle Child gave me this fruit as a token of gratitude?” he wondered.

Shen Xin smiled slightly and popped the fruit into his mouth. It was delicious—tart and sweet, whetting his appetite.

A few uneventful days passed. Shen Xin gradually let his guard down and even accompanied Uncle Mo on a bounty mission, which went smoothly.

But upon their return to the compound, they were shocked by alarming news: Uncle Mo’s daughter, Mo Ying, and Shen Lan had disappeared. Their phones were unreachable, and no one could find them. Mo Ying had always attended Shen Lan’s training school; the two left together every morning and returned together every evening, never encountering trouble before.

The compound was only three kilometers from the school—what could possibly have happened in such a short distance? Especially since Shen Lan was an awakened one herself.

Only another group of awakened individuals could have taken them.

Uncle Mo’s face flushed red with anger and frustration as his blood surged; there was nowhere to vent his fury. Shen Xin felt as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.

With such a serious incident, Sister Dan naturally emerged from seclusion. She analyzed the situation calmly: “There are only two possibilities. Either both you, Uncle Mo, and you, Shen Xin, offended someone at the same time, and that’s why they were taken. Or, Uncle Mo, you provoked someone, and Shen Lan was caught up in it as an innocent bystander.”

Uncle Mo gritted his teeth, recalling his wife’s fate, anger and anxiety warring within him. “Cowards! If you have the guts, come after me! What’s the point of kidnapping women?”

Shen Xin forced himself to remain calm and reasoned, “The only ones we’ve truly offended lately are the Infinite Temple. Sister Dan, how strong are they?”

“The Infinite Temple?” Sister Dan shook her head.

“I’ve never heard of them,” Uncle Mo growled. “If they didn’t dare confront us directly, how powerful could they be? Cowards, the lot of them!”

“Let’s wait a bit. Since they took the girls, they’ll surely make demands. We’ll just wait for the call.”

Shen Xin couldn’t bear to wait. He turned to Tang Ziran. “Bring the Exploding Bear—let’s track them.”

“Alright!” Tang Ziran summoned the Exploding Bear, and Shen Xin and Uncle Mo handed over articles of the girls’ clothing.

The Exploding Bear sniffed them and set off at once. Everyone except Sister Dan followed in pursuit.

They tracked the scent all the way to the entrance of the expressway, where the Exploding Bear wandered uncertainly, unable to find the trail. Uncle Mo looked up at the sign pointing towards Dragon City, his fists clenching audibly. “No doubt about it—it’s the Infinite Temple’s doing. They’ve taken my daughter and Shen Lan.”

“So what now? Do we just march up to the Infinite Temple and demand them back?”

“Of course!” Uncle Mo replied.

Chen Jiawang, seeing how agitated the two men were, quickly interjected, “Hold on, let’s not jump to conclusions. Everything is still speculation—let’s wait a bit longer!”

“Wait for what? You have no idea how dangerous it is for young girls to be abducted!” Shen Xin felt as if a hot blade was carving circles in his mind. Just as he was at a loss, his phone rang—at the same time as Uncle Mo’s.

“Hello? If you want them back, come to Snake City at once.”

“You bastards! Wash your necks and get ready to die!” Uncle Mo roared, slamming the phone down.

Shen Xin patiently listened to his own call and finally realized—the people who kidnapped Shen Lan and Mo Ying weren’t from the Infinite Temple at all, but from Snake City.

He recalled that the last time he had taken a job in Snake City, they’d been attacked twice while leaving the sinkhole.

“So it’s them!”

Shen Xin let out a sigh of relief.

“We’re heading to Snake City!”

Chen Jiawang stared, confused. “Why Snake City?”

“It’s because of what happened last time. Earning money really is harder than eating dung!”

Uncle Mo leapt into the SUV, and the others scrambled in after him, fearing that if they hesitated even a second, Uncle Mo would roar off without them.