The Punishment of Impulse

Upon hearing that voice, Shouzhen's taut nerves instantly relaxed, and his face lit up with undisguised joy.

Ma Wenlong, however, had never heard this voice before. His brows instantly knitted into a tight knot, his muscles tensed, and his right hand subconsciously dropped to the grip of the gun at his waist as his sharp gaze locked onto the doorway.

"It's Lin Mo!" Xia Zhi exclaimed immediately, her tone carrying the relief of someone who knew the crisis was over.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Lin Mo’s figure appeared leisurely at the door.

He was wearing baggy summer shorts, a plain T-shirt washed until it was slightly faded, and a pair of old-school Cantonese flip-flops.

In fact, just a few minutes prior, he had been eating an ice cream cone at a McDonald's near his home.

Ma Wenlong’s gaze swept over him quickly. Aside from being quite tall and reasonably handsome, there was nothing distinctive about him.

He simply couldn't reconcile this young man, who looked like he had just returned from a beach vacation, with the powerful figure Xia Zhi had described.

Lin Mo walked into the room, but his gaze immediately fell upon the iron door that had been kicked out of shape. He frowned slightly.

"So violent?"

With a look of displeasure that suggested a touch of fastidiousness, he walked over and gently ran his hand over the ruined door.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

Under the wide-eyed gaze of the three—especially Ma Wenlong—the iron door that had been violently breached began to emit a low metallic groan.

The twisted doorframe slowly straightened, and the dented metal panel smoothed out before their very eyes. Even the broken lock cylinder clicked, snapping back into place automatically.

In just two or three seconds, the entire iron door was as good as new, as if everything that had happened before was merely an illusion.

While the three stared in stunned silence, Lin Mo acted as if he had merely straightened a crooked picture frame. He dusted off his hands, casually pulled over a chair, sat down, and stretched out his long legs.

"Tell me. What's going on?"

His tone was flat, yet he naturally became the center of attention in the room.

Shouzhen immediately recounted the incident they had encountered while eating earlier that day.

Ma Wenlong forcibly suppressed his shock regarding Lin Mo and added, "We need to contact the Yangcheng Branch immediately. We still have a chance to prevent a major incident from escalating!"

He continued to insist on his suggestion; from his perspective, this was the safest and only correct way to handle the situation.

Lin Mo suddenly turned his head to look at Ma Wenlong. "It's just a little girl with some talent, hardly a 'major incident.' Or do you know something else?"

Ma Wenlong choked on his words for a moment before hurriedly replying, "Is kidnapping a little girl not a major crime?"

Hearing this, Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly. He completely ignored Ma Wenlong’s retort and instead turned to look at Xia Zhi and Shouzhen.

"The jade piece I asked you to put on Ning Qingcheng—it should still be there, right?"

Shouzhen nodded. "It should be."

"I personally tied it to Ning Qingcheng’s wrist with a red string and hid it inside her sleeve," Xia Zhi added. "Even if those people search her, they’ll just think it’s a cheap trinket."

"That’s fine then."

Lin Mo nodded, his expression completely relaxing. "With that jade in place, Ning Qingcheng won't be in any mortal danger. More importantly, the Master can sense her location at all times, so we are in no rush."

Hearing this, Xia Zhi’s eyes lit up slightly.

"You mean we wait for them to take Ning Qingcheng back to their lair, then we follow the trail, storm in, and wipe them all out in one go?"

"Bingo!" Lin Mo snapped his fingers.

"So we need to wait a little longer. Let the fish swim back to its pond on its own."

Ma Wenlong listened with heart-pounding alarm until he finally couldn't help but interrupt.

"Crazy! You're all crazy! That's their lair—God knows how many people or what kind of weapons they have! How can just the few of us possibly rescue anyone from there? How is that any different from a suicide mission?"

He practically roared the words, trying to shock some sense into them.

Lin Mo finally stood up. His lazy demeanor vanished slightly as he cast a glance at Ma Wenlong.

It was a plain look, yet it caused the rest of Ma Wenlong’s words to get stuck in his throat.

Lin Mo spoke indifferently, his voice not loud but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"The Master will take action."

"As for you all," his gaze swept across the group, finally settling on the dumbfounded face of Ma Wenlong, his voice carrying a faint trace of mockery.

"Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the free win."

Ma Wenlong, however, walked unhesitatingly toward the door. "No, I can't accept this plan. If you won't contact the branch, I'll go myself!"

He had barely taken a step when a hand landed on his shoulder.

The hand didn't seem to be exerting much force, yet it felt as heavy as a mountain, making it impossible for him to advance even an inch.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Lin Mo’s voice was flat—so flat it held no warmth whatsoever.

Overcome with rage, Ma Wenlong didn't think twice before spinning around to resist. A surge of invisible energy exploded from his body, attempting to blast Lin Mo away.

The air around him rippled in visible waves.

This was clearly Ma Wenlong’s special ability.

Lin Mo didn't even shift his stance; he simply raised his free fist.

A normal punch.

Pop.

With a faint, barely audible sound, the ripple of energy burst like a soap bubble, vanishing without a trace.

The backlash from his spiritual power caused Ma Wenlong to freeze in place.

Before the look of shock could fully materialize on Ma Wenlong’s face, Lin Mo grabbed him by the throat and slammed him viciously onto the floor!

Thud!

A heavy, muffled sound echoed through the enclosed space.

Shouzhen and Xia Zhi stood to the side; before they could even react, the confrontation was already over.

Lin Mo raised his foot and, with ruthless efficiency, kicked Ma Wenlong in the stomach.

Ma Wenlong flew through the air like a broken sack, crashing heavily against the cold iron door with a deafening bang.

He struggled, trying to crawl up, but a foot was already planted on his back, pinning him firmly to the ground.

"Lin Mo..." Xia Zhi had only met Lin Mo once before, but she never expected him to be so swift and violent when he took action.

She looked up at Shouzhen, only to find that the young Daoist had no intention of intervening. This was surprising, considering he would usually speak up to stop even minor bickering between Liu Zheng and Old Bai.

At this moment, Shouzhen showed no panic, nor any desire to mediate. His clear eyes held a gaze of almost cold scrutiny, as if the person being trampled before him was not a companion, but an inconsequential stranger.

A chill ran through Xia Zhi’s heart, and she forced herself to speak up. "Old Ma... he... he was just acting on impulse..."

Before she could finish, Lin Mo turned his head to look at her.

His gaze rested on Xia Zhi’s face, but the pressure under his foot only increased. A painful, gurgling wheeze escaped Ma Wenlong’s throat.

"Impulse? Then this is the punishment for impulse."