Shen Xiuhan's eyes flickered as his mind raced.
From what he knew, the Golden Dragon Gang had at most three or four martial artists who had entered the Mingjin Rank. They were already at a disadvantage against the Luanbo Gang.
And now, Gao Nian had been killed by him.
With its core strength severely crippled, the Golden Dragon Gang was even less of a match for the Luanbo Gang.
Since defeat was certain, why hadn't Gao Fu quickly fled Changyun County? Instead, he had done the exact opposite and holed himself up in Tian Erhu's empty house. What was he up to?
Was he hiding right under their noses, believing the Luanbo Gang wouldn't find that spot, so he could catch his breath and wait for the so-called 'opportunity' to open...
Or was he waiting for reinforcements?!
Suddenly, a name flashed through Shen Xiuhan's mind...
‘Tian Ping’an!’
Tian Erhu was originally a core member of the Golden Dragon Gang.
Previous intelligence had also revealed that Tian Erhu was highly regarded by Gao Fu.
That being the case, it wouldn't be surprising if Gao Fu knew of Tian Ping'an's identity or even had a channel to contact him.
A few days ago, Second Senior Brother Xu Chuan and Xiang Yunting had mentioned with absolute certainty...
The Longxiang Army would send people this year to recruit a batch of promising young talents into the military.
Tian Ping'an was both a Longxiang Army Centurion and a Tendon Tempering Rank expert...
Most critically, he was a native of Changyun County, born and raised.
With his military identity, strength, and status, if he wanted to, he could easily secure the assignment of returning to his hometown to recruit new soldiers.
Once he returned to Changyun County and made contact with Gao Fu, or learned from the likes of Ma Xianyang of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall that Tian Erhu's death was tied to him...
The revenge of a Tendon Tempering Rank expert would have unimaginable consequences!
Shen Xiuhan's gaze grew cold, and he made up his mind.
He couldn't just sit and wait for death.
He had to find a way to take the initiative, strike first, and weed out the threat by its roots!
However, this required meticulous planning. He had to borrow a blade to kill without exposing his own secrets.
Shen Xiuhan exhaled deeply, temporarily suppressing the many thoughts in his mind.
【Intelligence 2: The leader of the Luanbo Gang, ‘Zheng Dadao,’ actually originated from the Longxiang Army! After retiring from the military, he secretly accepted a prestigious invitation from the head of the Wang family of Changyun County, ‘Wang Zhidao.’ He led a group of fellow retired, fierce military veterans to conceal their identities, established the ‘Luanbo Gang,’ and was directed and supported by the Wang family of Changyun County!】
Wang Zhidao!
The current head of the Wang family, one of the Five Great Families of Changyun County!
This man was not only in the Huajin Rank, but also the paternal cousin of the Zhendong General!
Scattered clues quickly connected in Shen Xiuhan's mind, forming a massive web.
No wonder the Luanbo Gang, after raising its banner, didn't seize other territories but instead doggedly attacked the Golden Dragon Gang.
Because the Golden Dragon Gang was a dog raised by the Bai family!
And the Bai family, due to the 'child-snatchers' case Shen Xiuhan had exposed earlier, had completely fallen out and clashed with the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall.
The backer of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall was none other than the Zhendong Martial Arts Hall, which was controlled by the Wang family.
Zhao Honggang and Feng Xiaobao had once fought Bai Xiuan at the county magistrate's office, only to be utterly suppressed by the eldest young master of the Bai family, Bai Jing, all on his own.
Afterward, the head disciple of the Zhendong Martial Arts Hall, Wang Xuanyang, stepped in to stop it, but it went no further than that.
On the surface, the Wang family appeared very restrained during the conflict between the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall and the Bai family.
Neither the main family forces nor the Zhendong Escort Agency voiced any opinions on the matter, let alone intervened.
They simply let the Zhendong Martial Arts Hall and the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall clash with the Bai family.
Presumably... they were worried that the Bai family's in-laws, the Luo family, would intervene!
One had to know that the head of the Luo family, Luo Changming, was also the County Magistrate of this county and a Huajin Rank expert who had entered this realm many years ago.
No matter how strong the Wang family's backing was, currently in Changyun County, Wang Zhidao was the only Huajin Rank expert they had openly stationed here.
Therefore, on the surface, they had the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall challenge the Bai family at the forefront.
Behind the scenes, they directed this group of fierce military veterans to strike from the shadows, digging away at the Bai family's foundations.
As for the street rumors whispered over tea that the Luanbo Gang was a group of defeated rebel bandits who had fled here...
Looking at it now, it was purely a smokescreen put out by the Wang family to mislead the public.
At this thought, Shen Xiuhan's expression shifted slightly, and his brow furrowed.
‘Wait...’
‘Since Zheng Dadao originated from the Longxiang Army, there is no reason he wouldn't know of Tian Ping'an, a Centurion of the same army. Yet, even though Tian Ping'an's elder brother was a member of the Golden Dragon Gang, Zheng Dadao acted without any hesitation or mercy, forcing Gao Fu to flee like a stray dog...’
A gleam flashed across Shen Xiuhan's eyes as he thought to himself:
‘Either he didn't know,’
‘or he pretended not to know.’
‘If it's the former, it's fine. But if it's the latter... it seems that even within the Longxiang Army, there are factions and rivalries, or perhaps... they were never harmonious to begin with.’
Shen Xiuhan pondered for a moment, silently noting down this piece of intelligence, and continued reading down.
【Intelligence 3: The incubation and rearing method of the 『Blue-Spire Chicken egg』—It must be placed under an ordinary brooding hen for twenty-seven days to warm; after hatching, it must be fed daily with a proportional minced mixture of Heart-Clearing Grass, Meridian-Unblocking Grass, Three-Leaf Poria, and Green Glow Flowers. It will reach adulthood in two months.】
【Intelligence 4: Recipe for the 『Jasper Blood Pill』—The main ingredients require the essence blood and meat of the Tier Two Precious Beast, the 『Blue-Spire Chicken』, supplemented by Purple Blood Vine, ten-year Mountain Ginseng, Snake-Tail Grass, Condensation Dew Grass, Fly-Entangling Vine, and Decayed Bone Root. The furnace must be heated with a fierce fire for two hours and thirty minutes, then turned to a gentle simmer for fourteen hours before it can solidify into pills.】
【Intelligence 5: One li north of Yunyi Island, in the depths of the lake bed, lie hidden three segments of the 『Precious Herb: Jade Heart Lotus Root』.】
【Intelligence 6: ...In the backyard of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall in the Inner City of Changyun County, the original manuscript of the Huajin-level stance work, 『Tongbei Stance』, is stored.】
【Intelligence 7: ...In the depths of Cloudwater Lake, there are the relics and inheritance of a core disciple of the "Diaohai Pavilion"...】
As Shen Xiuhan watched the lines of text appear one by one on the golden screen, his eyes suddenly lit up.
“So that's how it is... This is how the eggs are incubated and reared!”
He had left the three Blue-Spire Chicken eggs he brought back under his family's old hen to incubate.
For several days, there had been no movement whatsoever.
Shen Xiuhan had even been wondering whether he should just stew them to nourish Momo's body.
He hadn't expected that the conditions for hatching such a Precious Beast egg would be so complex and demanding.
The cycle was long, and the cost was high!
Fortunately, he had heard of most of the listed herbs; they weren't considered rare.
Furthermore...
After successively inheriting the "legacies" of Yu Zhe, Tian Erhu, Gao Nian, Scarface, and two anonymous, kind-hearted brothers, Shen Xiuhan could completely afford the expenses for these herbs.
Besides, this transaction was a guaranteed profit.
Once he could actually hatch and rear an adult 『Blue-Spire Chicken』 using the secret method, all his investments would yield multiplied returns.
Consequently, the recipe for the 『Jasper Blood Pill』 in 【Intelligence 4】 also became crucial and within arm's reach at this moment.
As for the 『Jade Heart Lotus Root』...
With Precious Fish in the water, Precious Beasts on the land, and spiritual objects among the flora, it was hardly surprising.
This 『Jade Heart Lotus Root』 sounded like an aquatic spiritual herb. Once he boarded Yunyi Island, he would have to find time to investigate and find a way to secure it.
As for the last two pieces of intelligence, Shen Xiuhan ignored them as usual.
The former was a tiger's den, and the latter was unfathomable; neither was something he could meddle with at present.
While he was deep in thought, Madam Zheng's calling voice came from the kitchen:
“Dalang, breakfast is ready...”
“Coming!”
Shen Xiuhan called back, dismissed the golden screen, and turned to walk toward the thatched cottage.
The little girl was still sleeping inside; he needed to wake her up quickly to wash and eat.
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