After my rebirth, my Martial Sect will surely sweep the martial world in blood.

Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes, a deep, dark light flashing in them, his inner energy flowing smoothly and continuously.

After a night of rest and recuperation, his spirit, which had been slightly depleted from setting up the counter-reconnaissance maze, had been fully restored.

He pushed open the door to the quiet room.

A series of neat shouts came from the direction of the training ground, interspersed with the sharp sound of weapons cutting through the air.

Han Li led a group of refugees who had undergone preliminary screening and had some martial arts skills in morning exercises.

The exercise was not a profound martial art, but rather the "Body Forging Technique," which Lin Mo had simplified and combined with military combat skills and basic internal energy circulation methods.

The "Body Strengthening Technique" has simple and unadorned movements, focusing on strengthening muscles and bones, harmonizing qi and blood, and cultivating discipline to obey orders.

These refugees, who were originally sallow-faced, emaciated, and with numb eyes, now had a more spirited look in their brows, despite their tattered clothes, and their punches and kicks revealed a hint of ferocity.

Wang Ben's rough voice stood out in a corner of the training ground. He was "training" several newly recruited, burly men one-on-one, using the most direct wrestling and grappling techniques, with punches landing hard and sweat flying everywhere.

Although the men he was "training" grimaced, none of them backed down; instead, their eyes revealed a fierce determination that had been unleashed.

Walking slowly along the repaired wall, you can see several ingenious mechanisms set up in the shadows.

Tripwires, traps, alarms, crossbows...

These were not designed by Lin Mo himself, but by a lame old craftsman named Lu Yan.

This man was once a master craftsman in the government-run workshops, but he was dismissed for offending his superiors and ended up here.

After Lin Mo discovered his talent, he entrusted him with the important task of renovating the mountain villa's fortifications.

Lu Yan, along with several quick-witted young men, used common materials such as bamboo, wood, and stones to set up many practical and concealed defensive points based on the terrain of the mountain village.

In the backyard of the villa, the once-abandoned vegetable garden has been cultivated and planted with seasonal vegetables.

Several women were carrying buckets of water to irrigate the fields, and there were chicken coops and duck pens nearby. Although the scale was not large, it added a bit of life to the desolate mountain village.

Self-sufficiency is one of the principles Lin Mo set, and we cannot rely entirely on external input.

I strolled out of the villa gate and walked down the newly paved path.

At the intersection, two men dressed in ordinary cloth but with sharp eyes bowed deeply upon seeing Lin Mo: "Master!"

They were sentries on the outskirts, disguised as woodcutters taking a break, but in reality, they were vigilantly watching the various paths leading to the manor.

Lin Mo nodded slightly and continued walking.

He didn't use his lightness skill; he simply walked like an ordinary person, yet his senses spread outwards like an invisible spiderweb.

He could "hear" the birds chirping in the forest, "smell" the scent of soil and grass, and clearly capture the prying eyes that were hidden further away and thought to be secretive.

The Zhao family's "Dark Feather," the Qian family's "Shadow Rat," the Sun family's "Wandering Merchant"...

They are still there, but after the "information feeding" a few days ago and the scare tactics they used against the northern mountains, these spying sessions have become more cautious, and the information they relay back to their respective families is probably full of contradictions and confusion.

This was exactly the effect Lin Mo wanted.

Only by keeping the enemy guessing and unable to figure things out can we buy precious time for development in the cracks.

Half an hour later, Lin Mo arrived at the black market in the south of the city.

The black market looks completely different now compared to when I first stepped into it a month ago.

The entrance was no longer chaotic; there were clear sentries and identity checks. Although it was still discreet, the order was well maintained.

The internal alleyways have also been cleaned up, with less garbage and debris, making them look more tidy.

"Master Lin!"

"Master, you've arrived!"

"Greetings to Master Lin!"

As he traveled along the way, most of the stall owners and pedestrians, regardless of which faction they originally belonged to, would stop and greet Lin Mo respectfully.

His eyes held reverence, gratitude, and a hidden apprehension.

After taking control of the black market, Lin Mo did not resort to forceful suppression, but instead established new rules.

The commission rate for transactions has increased slightly compared to the era of local bullies, but the limits have been clearly defined, eliminating arbitrary exploitation; an arbitration committee has been established, jointly presided over by veterans of the black market and representatives from Moyuan, to fairly handle transaction disputes; a safe zone has been designated, strictly prohibiting armed robbery within the black market area…

These measures, while harming the interests of a few local bullies and opportunists, have protected the basic safety and interests of the majority of street vendors and buyers, winning the support of a considerable number of people.

He arrived at an inconspicuous two-story building in the center of the black market. This was the new management core of the black market and an important point for him to exchange information with the outside world.

The person in charge of daily management was an accountant from the original canal gang, surnamed Zhou. He was promoted by Lin Mo because he was good at calculation and relatively fair.

Upon seeing Lin Mo, Mr. Zhou hurriedly came out to greet him: "Master, you've arrived. This is yesterday's accounts and intelligence summary; please take a look."

Lin Mo took the thick stack of booklets and went into the quiet inner room.

He glanced at the accounts briefly.

The daily commission from the black market and the profits from the trading channels he controlled were both steadily increasing.

While it is far from being extremely wealthy, it is more than enough to support the current operation and initial expansion of Moyuan.

More importantly, through these channels, he has greatly improved his efficiency in collecting the medicinal materials needed for cultivating the fragments of the "Netherworld Records," and has also made progress on several relatively rare auxiliary medicines.

His focus was more on intelligence gathering.

According to the intelligence compiled by Han Li, the activity frequency of the spies sent by the four major families has decreased after the initial period of high activity.

The Zhao family's "Dark Feather" seems to view Moyuan as a "potential threat that needs long-term observation."

The Qian family's "Shadow Rat" operation seems to have shifted its focus to changes in the black market itself.

The Sun family, on the other hand, was more concerned with economic information such as "Lin Mo's physical condition" and "the resort's material needs."

After suffering a loss, the Li family became noticeably more restrained, but their covert investigations did not stop; they simply became more discreet.

In addition, some scattered pieces of information caught Lin Mo's attention: the number of outside martial artists in Qinghe Town has increased recently, and some of them are of unknown skill and move around mysteriously, unlike the people of the four great families.

The Grand Canal Gang seems to be in turmoil due to the failure of the last escort mission, and the gang leader is investigating internal traitors.

Furthermore, various rumors about the "Silent Garden" on the outskirts of the city that caused the strange phenomena and its mysterious owner "Lin Mo" began to circulate more widely, with different versions and difficulty in distinguishing between truth and falsehood.

Lin Mo put down the booklet and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.

The situation is developing in the direction he expected, but the undercurrents are becoming increasingly turbulent.

The four great families were temporarily misled, but they did not give up the investigation.

The appearance of these outside experts may be related to astrological tracking; they are more henchmen sent by enemies from a past life.

The spread of Mo Yuan's and his own reputation was both an opportunity and meant that it would attract more attention, both overt and covert.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the somewhat noisy yet orderly black market alleyways. His mark had already begun to be left on this place.

Silent Garden is the foundation, the nest; while the black market is the tentacles, the claws, the front line for him to seize resources and spread influence.

Its power was beginning to take shape.

These four words came to Lin Mo's mind. He was no longer a lone avenger, no longer a laborer hiding his identity at the canal gang's docks, and no longer a lone traveler who suddenly rose to prominence in the black market.

He had a base, a basic manpower, and stable sources of funding and information channels.

Although they were still as insignificant as ants compared to the deeply entrenched four great families and the enormous enemies lurking somewhere unknown, they had at least taken a solid first step.

The road to revenge is long and arduous.

A blood feud from a past life, a mysterious origin story in this life, a strange power within him, and the covetousness of various forces...

All of this was like heavy shackles, and like a burning flame, driving him ever forward.

He needs greater power, a larger force, more accurate intelligence, and so on...

To uncover more of the truth.