"With Eldest Uncle and the others moving so brazenly, aren't they afraid the City Lord might find out? His Lordship's strength is utterly terrifying. If he catches wind of it, then..."
Xing Jinglong spoke with a trace of worry.
"What is there to fear? The City Lord doesn't meddle in daily affairs. As long as we don't cause too large a stir and keep the order of Songyi City intact, nothing will come of it."
"Besides, we're merely absorbing the bandits outside the walls into the City Guard. That quells the bandit problem while bolstering Songyi City's defenses—we are doing a great deed!"
Xing Penghai gave a raspy chuckle, entirely unconcerned.
He turned his head toward Xing Jinglong and asked, "What about that kid I told you to keep an eye on? Any movements recently? His comprehension and talent are quite decent. If we can subdue and control him, then nurture him with the secret elixir to stimulate his potential, we could produce a Qi and Blood Realm expert within half a year."
The Xing clan possessed an ancestral formula for a secret elixir capable of drawing out a martial genius's latent potential, causing their strength to surge dramatically within a short period.
However, this formula demanded extraordinary potential from the martial artist. It was effective only on geniuses with astounding comprehension and natural gifts; ordinary men experienced virtually no effect.
Once taken, whether the breakthrough succeeded or not, the martial artist's lifespan would be severely curtailed—reduced to less than five years.
Because of this, the Xing clan always scouted outside prodigies, placed them under control with poisons, and then administered the secret elixir to bolster their martial power, turning them into clan enforcers.
Such elixirs were astronomically expensive, yet granted merely five years of life, making their cost-effectiveness remarkably poor.
Only in times of war and chaos would the clan resort to using these secret elixirs on gifted martial artists to weather an approaching crisis.
"I already have people watching him, but the fellow is as slippery as an eel and rarely goes out. Moving against him in the city is difficult with so many eyes and ears around."
Xing Jinglong added, "The moment he steps out of the gates, the men from the Wuding Gang will report to me. When that happens, I'll take a crew and capture him outside the walls."
"Indeed. This cannot be rushed," Xing Jing'an said with a nod. "Moving inside the city is truly ill-advised; one reckless move affects the whole board and could provoke pushback from the other clans."
Their gazes drifted back toward the dancing girls.
The performers hired today were truly beauties of the highest order. Even having seen their share of lovely women, the men could not resist lingering glances.
...
Crossing the bustling streets, Lin Zheyu arrived at Bidan Teahouse.
Whenever he had free time, he enjoyed sitting in teahouses or visiting Hundred Pavilions to unwind and cultivate his mind.
Though duties at the Feihong Gang were light—with petty matters handled by low-level lackeys—Lin Zheyu, Jia Yanyong, and the others could not roam too far afield, as they needed to be ready to respond to any sudden emergencies.
With people from other cities flooding in, troublemakers in Songyi City had multiplied, though the gang handled them with little effort.
Today was Little New Year, so the teahouse was filled with families, young and old alike.
Jia Yanyong and his companions were there too, huddled together with lecherous grins plastered across their faces.
All three were deeply fond of the Condor Heroes story. Coupled with Lin Zheyu's habit of drinking tea here, the place had gradually become their informal headquarters.
Every now and then, they would gather here to drink, gamble, and swap gossip.
"It's Little New Year. Why aren't you fellows at home lending a hand instead of lounging about here?"
Lin Zheyu walked over and took a seat beside them.
"Bah, staying home is dull as dishwater. The wife and folks nag about this and that—it drives me mad," Jia Yanyong grumbled impatiently.
The other two nodded in vigorous agreement.
These scoundrels were hardly the family-oriented sort, spending every waking hour loafing outside. Lin Zheyu felt a twinge of pity for their wives, though he kept the thought to himself.
"Young Master Xu summoned you over yesterday. Was there any good news?" Xie Jiang asked curiously.
"Just had some wine together and met Young Master Chen and Young Master Ren," Lin Zheyu replied.
"That's all?"
"That's all. What else were you expecting?"
Lin Zheyu shot him a sidelong glance. He had no intention of telling this gossip hound that Xu Qinyi wanted to introduce girls to him; otherwise, the entire Feihong Gang would be chattering about it by tomorrow.
Taking a sip of tea, Lin Zheyu changed the subject. "Do any of you know how strong the City Lord actually is?"
He had asked Gang Leader Xu before, but the gang leader had remained tight-lipped.
Later, he had discreetly inquired with others, yet nobody seemed to know much. The City Lord had always kept an extremely low profile. Many commoners in the city were only aware of the magistrate officials at the yamen, completely oblivious that Songyi City even possessed a City Lord.
"The City Lord?"
"Why would you ask about him?"
Jia Yanyong looked puzzled. In his personal impression, the City Lord barely had any presence at all.
"I haven't the faintest idea. I only know his surname is Chen and his given name is Chen Qingfeng, appointed directly from the imperial palace of Great Wei."
"He's been in Songyi City for well over a decade, keeping to the shadows. A City Lord's term is twenty years; in a few more years, he'll be transferred elsewhere and another official will take his place," Xie Jiang explained.
"You've lived in Songyi City for so long. Have you ever seen him make a move?" Lin Zheyu asked.
After returning that evening, he had scoured the previous host's memories, only to find the impression of Jiunan City's City Lord equally nebulous.
The predecessor had been entirely absorbed in his studies, his memories crammed almost exclusively with countless volumes of Confucian classics.
"Never."
Jia Yanyong and Xie Jiang shook their heads in unison.
"Speaking of the City Lord, I actually know a bit of insider hearsay. Mind you, don't go blabbering it about."
Ning Hui glanced cautiously around. Only after confirming no one was eavesdropping did he lower his voice and continue.
Such furtive caution instantly piqued everyone's curiosity.
"Especially you, Xie Jiang. Swear an oath not to breathe a word, or you don't get to listen," Ning Hui said, eyeing Xie Jiang with undisguised mistrust.
Xie Jiang stared back speechlessly, cursing under his breath.
Yet, driven by burning curiosity, he still grudgingly swore a dire oath.
"Over a decade ago, Songyi City had five prominent clans, but today only three remain. Do you know why?" Ning Hui asked mysteriously.
"Didn't a sudden plague wipe out two entire families?" Jia Yanyong chimed in.
He had been young at the time, but he still retained vague impressions; countless people had perished back then.
One night, without the slightest warning, two of the five great clans of Songyi City had been wiped out entirely, perishing in utter silence.
Even some neighboring tenant farmers and quite a few townspeople had died quietly that same night.
The authorities conducted an investigation afterward and soon announced that a virulent pestilence had broken out within the city.
"That was just the official cover story."
Ning Hui kept his voice down. "I heard His Lordship the City Lord made a move himself and wiped out both families overnight!"
"Damn, are you serious?" Jia Yanyong gasped in shock.
"Where did you hear such gossip? How come I've never heard of it?" Xie Jiang asked, half-doubtful and half-skeptical. "And what grand crime could they have committed to warrant being eradicated so quietly, without a single soul left alive?"
Jia Yanyong echoed the doubt. "Both clans vanished overnight in utter silence, every last person dead."
"If it truly was the City Lord's doing, just how terrifyingly strong must he be?!"
Lin Zheyu was struck by the very same thought.
To silently erase two entire clans, whose ranks certainly included Qi and Blood Realm martial artists—the sheer notion was mind-boggling.
"I have solid grounds for this."
"Come closer, don't let anyone overhear."
"A few years before the incident, my father was a steward in the Bai manor. He was later driven out after making a mistake, but he understood the Bai estate intimately."
"According to my father, the Bai clan was suspected of plotting rebellion!"
Ning Hui lowered his voice to a bare murmur, his expression solemn and grave.
"Holy crap!"
Jia Yanyong blurted out, only for Ning Hui to slap a hand over his mouth, glaring with eyes that threatened severe bodily harm if he let another peep slip.
"Can that really be true?!" Xie Jiang was equally stunned.
"Of course it's true! Why would I lie to you?"
"You all remember that great famine over a decade ago, right?"
"During the famine, a children's rhyme spread through Songyi City, something about 'The Yellow Sky is dead, the Azure Sky shall stand, in the year of such-and-such.'"
"Everyone caught spreading that rhyme had their heads lopped off."
"And through sheer coincidence, my father discovered that the Bai clan was secretly making offerings to another deity, titled something like the 'Supreme Azure Sovereign of Ten Thousand Daos, Golden Palace Boundless Thearch.'"
"That divine title is one reserved exclusively for the founding emperor of our dynasty!"
Ning Hui whispered, "So I reckon they were secretly entangled in rebellion. Once the City Lord caught wind of it, he wiped them out overnight."
Xie Jiang was speechless.
Jia Yanyong was stunned.
Lin Zheyu was lost in thought.
Hearing such an obscure piece of news left them all deeply shaken.
Seeing their stunned expressions, Ning Hui wore a look of immense satisfaction.
"You didn't just spin a tale to take us for a ride, did you?"
Xie Jiang said after recovering, still harboring doubts.
Even if the two clans were suspected of treason, the City Lord's strength would have to be monstrous beyond reason.
What kind of terrifying power was needed to wipe out two great clans with Qi and Blood Realm experts overnight without making a single sound?
"I swear it's real. What would I gain from lying to you about this?" Ning Hui replied in earnest.
"I have actually heard that divine title before—the Supreme Azure Sovereign of Ten Thousand Daos, Golden Palace Boundless Thearch,"
Lin Zheyu spoke up. "Back when I was wandering among the displaced refugees for a time, I heard that very title among them."
"Many referred to him simply as the Azure Thearch, sculpting crude clay idols to worship him and praying just to survive another day."
Among the starving refugees, people clung to all manner of deities.
Yet believers in the Azure Thearch were by far the most numerous, as though someone were deliberately propagating the faith in the shadows.
Lin Zheyu had paid it no mind at the time. When driven to despair, people always clung to ethereal divinities in hopes of a miracle.
Back then, he had secretly prayed down the list to figures from his previous life—Jesus, the Bodhisattva, the Buddha, God Almighty—all of them.
None of it had done a damn bit of good.
Had he not desperately fought his way to a single bowl of porridge during Miss Ren Qingying's relief distribution, he would have perished long ago.
Chapter 49