Undercurrents in Silver City

It was the second day since the establishment of the Night Watchers Branch. Li Hao was back on his beat-up bicycle. He had no choice; yesterday's crash had wrecked the car beyond recognition, and when he woke up this morning, the engine wouldn't even turn over. He had been so irritated he nearly smashed the hunk of junk to pieces. Useless! The new house was quite a distance from the Inspectorate—farther than his old home—and riding a bicycle would probably take half an hour. However, Li Hao was a Hundred-Breaker now, so fatigue was hardly an issue. Along the bluestone path before the gate, Li Hao pedaled at a leisurely pace, in no rush at all. Moments later, a luxury car cruised down the neighborhood road adjacent to the path. It was far more luxurious than the car Li Hao had been given. Li Hao didn't turn his head, but the window of the luxury car rolled down, revealing the face of the man who had clashed with Liu Yan the previous day. He wore a faint smile and looked rather refined. Of course, when Liu Yan had handcuffed him yesterday, he had looked nowhere near as composed. "Little brother, remember me?" Li Hao glanced over, gave a slight nod upon seeing him, and said, "I remember. Mr. Qiao of Qiao's Mining. Sister Liu told me." "Off to work?" "Yes." Li Hao maintained a calm expression, not particularly keen on chatting with him. "Riding a bike? Why not hop into my car?" Qiao Peng appeared very magnanimous as he chuckled. "Yesterday was just a little spat with Liu Yan, nothing more. I happen to be heading to the Inspectorate on business anyway. How long will it take you to pedal there? Get in." "No need!" Li Hao politely declined. "Sister Liu said her husband was murdered by the head of security from your Qiao's Mining... Stay away from me, or I'm afraid I won't be able to resist arresting you!" Qiao Peng raised an eyebrow slightly, then sighed. "That was truly an accident. In fact, over the past few years, I've been trying to make amends. To put it bluntly, my pursuit of Liu Yan was all to make up for that... Otherwise, with my status, what kind of woman couldn't I get? Little brother, you don't understand. She was wounded too deeply, so someone needs to provide her a sense of security, and I... can soothe her scars." Li Hao frowned, ignored him, and continued pedaling. Are you trying to put on an act for me? he thought. Two can play at that game! He was also acting half-true and half-false. The man before him was said to be connected to Yama, so there was no need to completely tear off the veil of civility and make an irreconcilable enemy right away. Besides, why had this guy struck up a conversation out of nowhere? Was it because of the Eight Great Families? Was he taking this opportunity to get close because Li Hao was the heir to the Eight Great Families? Seeing that Li Hao was ignoring him, Qiao Peng chuckled. "Well, perhaps you don't understand. When you get a bit older, maybe you will. Young people don't get these things. We're neighbors from now on, so feel free to drop by my place whenever you have time." As for why Li Hao was able to live here, Qiao Peng had no doubts. For a member of the Night Watchers, how hard could it be to secure a nice place? Moreover, word had reached him that this kid had actually become a deputy director... It wasn't too surprising, considering Yuan Shuo was backing him. The luxury car gradually pulled away. Li Hao watched it for a moment, then turned his gaze away and pedaled his little bicycle, speeding toward the Inspectorate. Qiao Peng! He had etched the name into his memory. Who knew, maybe this guy had even dug up his family's ancestral graves. ... The Law Enforcement Building. It was now the Night Watchers Branch. As of today, the Night Watchers Branch had only nine official members. In addition to them, however, Li Hao had recruited ten people from the Inspectorate to handle daily operations and logistics. Today, the Night Watchers were officially open for business. In this building, Li Hao also had his own private office. A silk banner hung inside. True to his word, Li Hao had actually brought over the silk banner Zhou He had gifted him and hung it up like a medal of merit. It was the first silk banner he had ever received in his life, so it deserved due respect. Besides, Zhou He had gifted him a house, a car, combat experience, and his very life... No matter what, Li Hao felt he ought to remember the man's generosity. Just as he entered the office, Liu Yan knocked on the door and pushed it open before he could answer. "Let's go. Stop staring at your silk banner—the boss called a meeting!" "A meeting this early?" "The boss works fast!" Liu Yan beamed, looking Li Hao up and down. "How did you sleep last night? Were you scared?" "Not scared at all." Li Hao hastily shook his head. He wouldn't dare say he was scared; if he did, would she offer to move in? That was what was truly terrifying! Chatting as they walked, the two headed up toward the conference room on the upper floor. ... Inside the conference room. When Li Hao arrived, almost everyone else was already present; Wang Ming walked in right on his heels. Just as everyone sat down, Liu Long swept into the room like a whirlwind, brisk and resolute, still clad in his trench coat. Without even sitting down, he cut straight to the point: "The Silver City Night Watchers Branch has been established. While we still have a Thousand-Battler holding down the fort in Silver City, whatever we need to do must be done immediately!" "I'll keep it short!" Liu Long said in a deep voice, "Previously, Silver City lacked an official supernatural agency. The Inspectorate had always been responsible for the city's entire security system! We have no garrisoned army here, so the Inspectorate was the largest law enforcement agency, as well as the only one! "However, in a city of a million people, not everyone can be an ordinary civilian. Silver City has martial masters and supernaturals... Lunar Nethers seem rare, but Starlight Masters definitely exist!" At this point, he continued, "In Silver City, several places demand our attention! First, the Silver City Ancient Academy, which Li Hao knows well. Second, the Silver City Administration Office, which oversees civil affairs and works in tandem with the Inspectorate—one civil, one martial—without interfering with each other." The Silver City Administration Office handled all affairs outside of armed force. For the entire city to remain stable, it required not only the law-enforcing Inspectorate, but also the assistance of other departments. The Administration Office and the Inspectorate belonged to different branches, but both were part of the official system. Neither interfered with the other: civil officials did not meddle in martial matters, and martial forces did not meddle in civil politics. "Third, Silver City's eighteen martial arts schools—and by that, I mean schools run by certified martial masters!" "Fourth, Silver City's Six Great Conglomerates!" Liu Long said somberly, "In these places, martial masters or supernaturals gather in varying numbers. Some risk their lives in service of major factions, while others are the founders themselves. These people are the primary source of instability throughout Silver City!" As for the Inspectorate, it also had martial masters—Liu Long's group were all martial masters, and Mu Sen had some on his side as well. As for supernaturals, there had truly been none... If any had emerged, the Inspectorate would have sent them straight to the Night Watchers, unless they refused to join. Yet among Inspectorate personnel who became supernaturals, hardly anyone ever refused. This had created a peculiar situation: while other places might have harbored a few supernaturals, the Inspectorate had none. Of course, now they had them, and more than one. The group exchanged looks. Having shared a meal with Liu Long yesterday, Wang Ming was willing to speak up a bit more today. "What does Director Liu have in mind?" "Purge and comb through them!" Liu Long was blunt and direct. "In the past, the Inspectorate lacked the authority and the strength, so we turned a blind eye to certain individuals! Now that the Night Watchers have been established, we must make it clear to all major factions in Silver City that this city remains under official rule!" Wang Ming said nothing more. Li Hao, however, chimed in, "Boss, what goal are we looking to achieve? Establishing dominance?" Li Hao chuckled and continued, "If it's purely to make a show of force, Boss, your previous actions already accomplished that. There's no way they don't know you killed three supernaturals!" If it was merely to establish dominance, there was really no great need for this. Liu Long said gravely, "It's not just to establish dominance, but also... some of these factions harbor filth and villainy! Before, we lacked the strength and justification to purge them. Now that we are the Night Watchers, we have the authority to wipe out these parasites!" Having said that, he added with blunt honesty, "Another point: making some extra income! Killing rogue supernaturals and seizing their mysterious energy is also an essential source. Otherwise, if we rely solely on higher-ups for funding, the Night Watchers Headquarters only gives Silver City a monthly quota of ten cubic meters! Three for a City Inspecting Commissioner, one for an Inspecting Commissioner, and half for an Inspector, with whatever remains left for us to distribute as we see fit." The Night Watchers squad had nine members: one City Inspecting Commissioner, three Inspecting Commissioners—Li Hao, Liu Yan, and Wang Ming—while the others were all Inspectors, including the two supernaturals, who were only First-Class Inspectors. According to the headquarters' salary scale, 8.5 cubic meters a month was enough, so granting ten was not stingy. Calculated in terms of money, Li Hao's monthly salary could reach the million-coin tier! Of course, that was on the black market. Regardless, being granted one cubic meter of mysterious energy a month was genuinely a lot, which was one reason countless people flocked to the Night Watchers. Yet to Liu Long, it was far too little. Three cubic meters might have seemed decent in the past—a steady income yielding thirty-six cubic meters a year was quite a lot. Now, however, he found it insufficient. Everyone's strength had grown. Someone like Liu Yan couldn't get by on just one cubic meter a month; as a Hundred-Breaker martial master, such a meager amount of mysterious energy was hardly enough to temper her physical body, let alone break through to supernatural status. Therefore, he needed more mysterious energy. Hearing such brazen talk, Wang Ming and the others turned slightly pale. Liu Long spoke outright of killing people to seize their mysterious energy... This was far too ruthless. Did all local powerhouses share this kind of style? Li Hao didn't mind that part, but after a moment of thought, he said, "Doing that could easily incite widespread panic! The Night Watchers aren't invincible. If we end up driving some supernaturals into the arms of hostile supernatural organizations, our mission will be a failure." Liu Long frowned. In the past, his word was law. What did Li Hao mean now? Was he trying to shoot down his proposal? Frankly, he had only come to deliver a notification so that everyone would follow his lead. He didn't like people talking back to him—it was a habit he had grown used to, and even Li Hao was no exception. As if sensing Liu Long's displeasure, Li Hao bared his teeth in an innocent grin. "The boss's primary goal is still Silver City's peace and stability, ensuring that internal trouble doesn't break out at the very least." Liu Long gave a slight nod. "That's why I think courtesy before force is the better path!" Li Hao proposed, "First, we send notices and official dispatches to each faction, inviting all certified martial masters and supernaturals in the city to meet at the Night Watchers for registration, after which we'll issue special clearance passes! Those holding our special clearance passes may move freely within the city. Because of their immense destructive potential, they require special oversight. As long as they don't stir up trouble, they surely won't mind. "From what I've seen, White Moon City seems to do something similar, right?" Li Hao turned to Wang Ming. Wang Ming nodded slightly. "Yes. However, White Moon City has many experts. As long as some experts don't cross the line, the Night Watchers don't pay them too much heed, provided they don't make trouble in the city." Li Hao smiled. "That proves the measure is very sound! Establishing order for supernatural experts! It's just that Silver City was too small before and lacked an official agency, so it was never implemented here. This time, I propose we formally carry it out!" Liu Long watched him, fell silent for a moment, and said, "Keep talking!" "Those who register and hold a clearance pass will be fully legal and compliant. Those who don't... are unregistered infiltrators harboring ulterior motives. Only then do we have legitimate grounds to enforce the law!" Liu Long frowned. "Taking off your pants just to fart! Of course, I'm not saying it's bad, but it feels unnecessary!" Li Hao smiled. "Boss, we are official personnel, not members of rogue supernatural organizations out there. We still need to stand on the moral and legal high ground when passing judgment and executing sentences. We can't treat ourselves like wild supernaturals!" Liu Long's style was just like that: rather blunt and heavy-handed. In the past, that hadn't been an issue because the Demon Hunting Squad had merely been an off-the-books unit. Now, things were different—they were regular troops. They couldn't operate that way anymore! Having studied at the Ancient Academy for several years and spent years learning from Yuan Shuo, Li Hao knew well how much trouble being lawful and compliant could avoid. Stand on the high ground and pass judgment! Don't let others seize on your faults... After all, Silver City possessed mediocre strength and still relied on superiors for backing. It wasn't an independent kingdom where they could do whatever they pleased. Silver City wasn't cut off from White Moon City, either; certain prominent figures in Silver City had connections in White Moon City as well. "Furthermore, I believe most people still have justice in their hearts!" Li Hao continued, "Boss, what you suggested was charging right up to their doors and killing them! That's too bloody and violent; it will easily spread panic across Silver City. I don't think the time is right for that. We can completely borrow external strength instead of having to strike with our own hands every time." Not strike with their own hands? Liu Long looked at Li Hao again. Li Hao explained, "For example, the Administration Office has some martial masters and even supernaturals, and the Ancient Academy has them too... Strictly speaking, these factions belong to our camp! The Night Watchers have a rule: wherever the Night Watchers are present, all supernaturals and martial masters are subject to Night Watchers mobilization. We can requisition martial masters and supernaturals from various factions to join forces in suppressing those lawbreakers! "That way, the pressure can be shared rather than falling entirely on our heads. "Otherwise, we risk inciting collective resistance from Silver City's entire transcendent strength, which wouldn't help us secure a foothold in Silver City!" Having said this, he added, "Of course, everything is up to the boss. If you feel charging straight in to kill them is better, I'll carry out the order!" Liu Long fell into contemplation. Liu Yan smiled. "Boss, we really do need to shift our mindset. In the past, we always did these things in secret... We aren't used to suddenly operating out in the open! But Li Hao is right. We represent the authorities, we represent justice—we shouldn't act like bandits!" Chen Jian also chuckled foolishly. "Boss, maybe... enforcing the law out in the open feels better! Back when we were in the Law Enforcement Team, we did everything out in the sun. Later, when the Demon Hunting Squad was formed, our base became a basement. In fact, for a while, I kept feeling like we were the evil ones!" Operating out of a basement, living in darkness day after day... that feeling indeed felt somewhat wicked. Shouting that justice would prevail was often just a way of comforting themselves. Now that Li Hao had pointed this out, Liu Long and the others couldn't quite adjust right away; after all, they had been accustomed to their old ways for years. Yet upon careful thought... Liu Long recalled the upright, open days of law enforcement back in the Law Enforcement Team, and his thoughts drifted slightly. It wasn't that he had never thought about it; he had simply grown too accustomed to moving through the shadows. And this, in truth, was also the style of the Night Watchers. Night Watchers! As the name implied, they appeared in the night to watch over it. That was what made them Night Watchers, so everyone was used to operating covertly. Suddenly, Li Hao was telling them to act completely out in the open; not only Liu Long, but even Wang Ming and the others felt a little unaccustomed to it. Seeing Liu Long remain silent, Li Hao added cautiously, "One more thing, Boss. I suggest we avoid pushing all of Silver City's factions into opposition. Rallying some while striking others will help us establish our footing in Silver City! "We are the bane of evil, but if some people have only committed petty offenses... like petty theft, which some supernaturals might have engaged in, we can be reasonably lenient." Liu Long remained silent, lost in thought. After a moment, he looked toward Wang Ming. "Director Wang, what do you think?" Wang Ming was speechless. What do I think? I don't know a thing, so I'm not thinking anything! "I have no objections!" Li Hao continued, "Also, I have one small suggestion." "Speak." "The boss knows that we're very short on mysterious energy right now. Relying solely on killing people, how much can we really seize?" Li Hao suggested, "Right now, some conglomerates and influential figures might privately trade material goods for mysterious energy on the black market, or even through the Night Watchers or other supernatural organizations... That's how Silver City was able to produce some supernaturals in the first place. "My idea is, could we—" Before he could finish, Liu Long cut in, "No!" Beside him, Wang Ming also frowned. "We cannot encourage such practices. It's understandable that you want to obtain mysterious energy, but we cannot encourage their underground trading, let alone have the Night Watchers endorse it! Doing so would easily cause supernatural forces to spiral out of control. People were doing it sneakily before, but once you openly support it, far greater disasters could easily erupt. Li Hao, you must understand that some people will do anything for profit! Darkness is darkness. Once darkness becomes the light, order can no longer be maintained!" Li Hao nodded thoughtfully and said no more. He indeed had harbored thoughts of acquiring more mysterious energy through such channels. However, what both of them said made sense, so he didn't press the matter; otherwise, if things spun out of control, Silver City would be in deep trouble. Liu Long said nothing more on that topic. "Then I will issue official dispatches to each faction! If they come to register and report, that's best. If not... we must establish dominance! Over the past few years, there have been lingering problems within Silver City. Some cold cases—Li Hao, you know them best—never even turned up a culprit. In all likelihood, these people were behind them, but they cleaned up too well, leaving us without evidence. "Now, we will comb through the entire city first. If problems arise again, it will be much easier to track down the culprits." Li Hao volunteered, "Boss, I'll deliver the official dispatches personally to show our sincerity!" "You?" Li Hao nodded. This was an opportunity—a chance to get a complete grasp of exactly how many supernaturals were in Silver City, because he could see them. Yes, light clusters! As long as someone was a supernatural, he could see their light cluster. Whether Starlight or Lunar Nether, the stronger they were, the easier they were to spot. This was far more reliable than any supernatural detector. The detection range of a supernatural detector was too small, and if someone suppressed their mysterious energy fluctuations, it couldn't detect them. While weaklings found it hard to suppress their fluctuations, that didn't mean it was impossible. Since he had decided to remain in Silver City for the time being, Li Hao wanted to get a clear picture of the situation across the entire city. Along the way, he could see just how many experts were hiding in Silver City. Yes, he was certain there were some. Especially now that the matters of the Red Moon and the Eight Great Families had been exposed, who knew how many supernaturals had flooded into Silver City recently? Besides, this would give him a chance to inspect Qiao's Mining. It was one of Silver City's Six Great Conglomerates. Under normal circumstances, Li Hao would have had neither reason nor excuse to visit, but now the timing was perfect. Liu Long considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright! Do you need help from any of us?" "I do. Director Wang, come with me!" Li Hao smiled. "He's a supernatural from White Moon City, an important figure. Ordinary people wouldn't dare refuse him! His presence also represents our sincerity and resolve. Unless they want to completely sever ties with the Night Watchers, they'll have to obey!" "Sounds good!" Wang Ming hesitated, wanting to speak, but held back. He didn't want to go. Damn it! Li Hao, why the hell do you have to drag me along? Aren't Hu Hao and Li Meng right here too? They're from White Moon City as well! Wang Ming felt exhausted. Coming here, he truly hadn't wanted to do any work; he had planned to let Liu Long and the others do whatever they pleased. Now, everything had to drag him into it. ... After the meeting adjourned. Li Hao pulled Wang Ming along as they walked outside. Reluctant, Wang Ming couldn't help saying, "Li Hao, for a trivial matter like this, you could just grab anyone. Why drag me into it?" "The capable do more work!" Li Hao chuckled, then lowered his voice. "Old Wang, do you want to earn merits and return to White Moon City sooner?" Wang Ming's eyes flickered. "How would I earn merits?" "For example, uncovering the secret of Silver City's Eight Great Families, finding the strongholds of the Three Great Organizations here, killing some fugitives, or breaking straight through to Solar Radiance... There are plenty of ways." "What does any of that have to do with dragging me along to deliver official dispatches?" "Of course it's related!" Li Hao nodded with a smile. "Only by doing this can we better understand Silver City's secrets! If you sit in an office all day, do you expect clues to present themselves? Old Wang, we're both young, and I want a promotion too. So let's work together." Wang Ming felt swayed. After a long moment, he gave a reluctant nod. "Fine!" Li Hao smiled. He had known this guy was easy to fool... persuade. If circumstances allowed, he actually wanted to visit the mining area of Qiao's Mining. Liu Yan had mentioned that something seemed to have been discovered out by the mine. Qiao's Mine was located in the outskirts, not too far from the city. They had claimed to be mining there for years, supposedly possessing some mineral deposits. However, for an enterprise as large as Qiao's, operating such a small mine wasn't unprofitable, but the returns were far below expectations. Some claimed that Qiao's liked to give back to their hometown, mining in Silver City to provide more jobs and tax revenue, but Li Hao didn't buy that for a second. Merchants chased profit; Qiao's had no reason to be so benevolent. Still, the first stop couldn't be Qiao's. ... In the afternoon. Li Hao and Wang Ming set out together. This time, Wang Ming drove; he would rather die than let Li Hao take the wheel again. That guy's driving was something even he, a supernatural, couldn't stomach. "Where to first?" "The Silver City Ancient Academy!" Li Hao chuckled. "That's my alma mater. Although I dropped out, I'd still like to see what kind of strength the Ancient Academy possesses. I recall that back then, when certain professors went out, the Ancient Academy's security team handled their protection." The Ancient Academy ought to have some strength. Even without counting his teacher, Li Hao figured there might be other experts holding down the fort. The Ancient Academy primarily specialized in the exploration of ancient civilizations, but it also offered many other major fields of study. During his time there, Li Hao had vaguely heard that the Academy conducted research and development into various other domains of ancient civilization as well. ... The Silver City Ancient Academy. Li Hao was all too familiar with this place. This time, he had come on official business. The Vice Dean's office. Hearing Li Hao's purpose, the white-haired vice dean sighed with emotion. "When you dropped out midway through your studies here, I felt quite regretful. I never expected that after joining the Inspectorate, you would forge a path of your own. That isn't a loss either. "The Ancient Academy indeed has a security squad. In fact, your teacher knows all about it; some members even received pointers from him." The white-haired vice dean soon added, "There's nothing to hide about this. Silver City never required registrations in the past, so we never filed a report. Since reporting is required now, I'll call Captain Chen from the security squad over so you can speak directly." Li Hao nodded. He actually knew Captain Chen. Still, having come on official business, it was proper to greet the Ancient Academy leadership first. The vice dean made a call, and before long, a bear... a man built like a bear strode inside. Seeing Li Hao, he smiled slightly, then furrowed his brow upon seeing Wang Ming. "Captain Chen!" Li Hao smiled. "Sorry to disturb you. We're here because the Silver City Night Watchers Branch has been established, and we need to register the transcendent forces within the city. At the same time, we're inviting personnel belonging to transcendent systems to attend our branch opening ceremony in three days!" He laid it out clearly, then added with a warm smile, "The Ancient Academy is the place I'm most familiar with, which is why it was our first stop. I believe that with Captain Chen here, you'll be able to cooperate with our work." Captain Chen gave a slight nod. "Of course!" With that, he glanced at Wang Ming. "And this is?" "An important figure from White Moon City, Director Wang Ming!" Wang Ming was exasperated. Whenever Li Hao met someone, he introduced him like that: an important figure from White Moon City... As if terrified people wouldn't know he was a big shot! "Pleasure to meet you!" Captain Chen nodded without offering a handshake. Between experts, keeping a bit of distance was usually better. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Captain Chen made no attempt to conceal anything. "The Ancient Academy Security Squad isn't large, forty people in total. However, not many have truly stepped into the Ten-Slayer realm—only seven. Counting myself, that makes eight..." While taking notes, Li Hao asked, "Captain Chen hasn't reached Hundred-Breaker yet?" "No, just a bit short." Captain Chen said with some regret, "I was about on par with Captain Liu from your Law Enforcement Team, though word has it she broke through to Hundred-Breaker? Is that true?" "Yes." "Enviable!" Captain Chen sighed with envy. He harbored no hopes of stepping into supernatural status, but he had long aspired to reach Hundred-Breaker. Regrettably, he had never managed the leap. Peak Ten-Slayer realm was not weak by any means. Still, Li Hao couldn't help asking one more question: "Does our Ancient Academy not have a single supernatural?" "Well, how should I put it..." He considered his words, then said, "In fact, there is one, and not just an ordinary Starlight Master, but a Lunar Nether Master! That's also one of the reasons the Ancient Academy has remained relatively peaceful. However, that person isn't at the Academy recently; they went out of town." Li Hao nodded and asked no more. He accompanied Captain Chen to the security squad's quarters for a quick look around, surveyed the area briefly, and soon departed from the Ancient Academy. ... On the road. Wang Ming frowned. "Li Hao, is that brief look around all you're doing?" He felt Li Hao was being utterly perfunctory! Just casually glancing around, jotting down some notes, and calling it a day—no further measures whatsoever. That was it? This was supposed to uncover secrets? To detect supernaturals? Was he joking? Li Hao smiled, unbothered. "They're all martial masters; it's hard to probe them. What, should we trade blows with them?" "At the very least, you should bring a supernatural detector! Without even bringing that, who knows if they're hiding anything?" "My teacher is there!" Li Hao said, exasperated. "Having entered Thousand-Battler, my teacher has extraordinarily sharp perception. If something were truly wrong with the Ancient Academy, he would be the first to know." Only then did Wang Ming remember that detail, and he was rendered speechless at once. Li Hao said nothing more. In truth, his hope was that news of this inspection style would swiftly spread to the city's other factions, making them think he was merely going through the motions and not taking things seriously. That way, even if they had supernaturals, they wouldn't flee into hiding immediately. As long as they didn't hide and remained with their respective factions, they couldn't escape his eyes! ... Sure enough. The moment Li Hao and Wang Ming left the Ancient Academy, various factions received intelligence reports. Li Hao and Wang Ming's inspection of the Ancient Academy had been perfunctory in the extreme. They hadn't investigated anything of substance at all; it was purely a superficial formality, taking a few notes and calling it a day. ... Qiao's Mining. Inside an enormous office. The white-haired boss of Qiao's smiled faintly and looked at his son before him. "It's merely going through the motions. When they arrive later, go receive them and register our people. Don't be completely perfunctory, either... Register everyone from Qiao's who should be registered! Those in the Ten-Slayer realm, as well as the two Starlight Masters... register them all!" Qiao Peng broke into a smile and nodded. "Father, I know what to do. As for that Li Hao... do we need further contact with him?" "You may maintain an appropriate level of contact... but don't get too close. There are plenty of eyes on him right now." "Understood!" The elder Qiao thought for a moment before adding, "Regarding Liu Yan... are you sure there's no problem?" "There shouldn't be!" Qiao Peng lowered his voice. "We handled it very quickly back then! I'm confident that guy had neither the opportunity nor the time to tell Liu Yan anything. I've been probing her over the past few years; although she's impatient with me, she doesn't harbor deep-seated hatred toward me... Her eyes have always been fixed on Yama." "That's good!" The elder Qiao nodded. Unless pushed to the brink, he didn't want to make a move against Liu Yan lightly. She was the vice captain of the Inspectorate's Law Enforcement Team, and her relationship with Liu Long was ambiguous. If things blew up, it would do them no favors. If an ordinary Inspector suffered an accident, it would be one thing, but Liu Yan was different—she was also an Inspecting Commissioner. If an Inspecting Commissioner died, the Night Watchers would intervene even if their forces were stretched thin. When her husband died, it wasn't an Inspecting Commissioner of the Inspectorate who had perished, so the Night Watchers naturally couldn't be bothered to involve themselves in her feud with Yama; issuing a wanted notice was about all they did. Seeing his father fall silent, Qiao Peng said in a low voice, "Father, more and more people are paying attention to Silver City recently. Has anyone... arrived from over there? Also, our progress is very slow. If this continues, I'm worried we'll be exposed." "No rush!" The elder Qiao smiled. "Haste makes waste. We've been rooted here for many years, far longer than anyone else can compare to. Furthermore, halt all movement over there for now so as not to attract attention. We'll wait and see." "Alright!" Qiao Peng nodded. Old Master Qiao looked at him for a moment, then suddenly said, "It doesn't matter if you act a bit silly or foolish in front of others. Just don't be truly foolish at crucial moments! Over on Yama's side, Yama's grandson was truly an idiot! Flattered out of his wits, he was reckless enough to steal such a supreme treasure and flaunt it outside... utterly brainless! Dying was one thing, but he dragged all of Yama into the mire. Do not follow his example!" Qiao Peng's expression turned solemn. "Rest assured, Father!" "Good!" Old Master Qiao nodded. "That's good. And don't hold any resentment over how I've held you back from stepping into supernatural status all these years. The supernatural has only developed for twenty years; conditions were unstable in the past, but now... things may have stabilized. Once this affair passes and you break through, your achievements won't stop at merely the Lunar Nether realm." Qiao Peng beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly. This was what he had been looking forward to all along! All these years, he hadn't broken through to supernatural status partly because he didn't dare be too conspicuous, but also because his father had kept him suppressed, preventing him from advancing. He couldn't help asking, "Father, then... after I break through, can I retrieve some things from within—" "Shut your mouth!" Old Master Qiao's face turned cold. "Did you forget what I just warned you about? Fool! Forget this matter, forget everything else. Remember, we are merely an enterprise—a legitimate enterprise—and all we mine is an ordinary mountain. Forget everything else!" "Understood!" Qiao Peng looked solemn, not daring to utter another word. Yet in his heart, anticipation and excitement mingled with reluctance... After striving for so many years, was his father truly going to hand those things over to others on a silver platter? Of course, they couldn't afford to provoke Yama. Yet what his own family had discovered wasn't necessarily known to that side. The Central Region was tying down far too much of their strength. Had that not been the case, whether Red Moon or Yama, experts would have arrived long ago. The secrets of the Eight Great Families were far more mysterious than imagined. As local tyrants entrenched in Silver City for years, the Qiao family held information that might not be inferior to Red Moon's, though Qiao's had kept many things hidden. Mulling this over, Qiao Peng slowly withdrew from the office. Inside the office, Old Master Qiao looked out the window. After a moment of silence, he spoke suddenly: "Be careful. When you get close to Li Hao, observe if there's anything unusual about him... Don't let him notice. Perhaps... his blood is required to open that place." "Too many eyes are watching him!" A soft voice replied from the shadows. "I know. That's why I'm only having you observe him quietly when he visits, not take action right now." Old Master Qiao said with weary exhaustion, "It's been decades; giving up just like this leaves me unreconciled... Though I know that doing this is pulling chestnuts from the fire... don't forget that the supernatural has only developed for twenty years. It isn't as if there is no chance to catch up! If it had developed for hundreds of years, I probably wouldn't entertain any such ambitions." Twenty years. Supernatural organizations constantly rose and fell; some were founded today and destroyed tomorrow. Nothing had stabilized yet! Even the Three Great Organizations weren't invulnerable. At this juncture, anything was possible. Old Master Qiao didn't harbor the grandiose ambition of contending with the Three Great Organizations; he merely wanted their own side to have something to show for their decades of effort. "Understood!" The hidden voice faded. Old Master Qiao reclined in his chair alone, continuing to gaze out the window. The Eight Great Families... Silver City! Almost everyone had underestimated Silver City and the Eight Great Families. From the scraps of information and fragmentary words he had gathered, the Eight Great Families during the ancient civilization era were beyond imagination! Back then, Silver City might have been the absolute center of the entire world! Whether the Qiao family could rise might all depend on this.