Xu Nian accepted the mission to eradicate the Heavenly Slash Gang, and that very day, he rode Little Xu Yu to Yu State.
Now, Little Xu Yu had reached the Four-star Silver Moon Realm, capable of traveling five thousand li in a day, so Xu Nian arrived in Yu State that same day.
The reason he chose to come to Yu State rather than directly attacking the Heavenly Slash Gang
was, first, because he wanted to further understand the information about the Heavenly Slash Gang. Although the Battle Mansion had been collecting information about them over the years, the latest news had stopped three months ago.
Secondly, he felt that since the Heavenly Slash Gang had managed to survive outside Yu State for so long and with so many Battle Mansion members failing in previous attempts, a rash attack would definitely not bring any advantage.
So, Xu Nian planned to first inquire around in Yu State before making any decisions.
"Server, bring me five jin of Bloodthirsty Mad Beef and a pot of strong liquor," Xu Nian, dressed in coarse cloth warrior attire and carrying a beast skin suit on his back, walked into a tavern and ordered.
"Alright, sir, please take a seat. I'll prepare it for you immediately," the server promptly said with a smile.
A server needs to be observant. With Xu Nian's attire, he was clearly a Cultivator who roamed the world, so he must not be offended.
Xu Nian chose a seat by the window. He was not wearing the Battle Mansion's robes, as that would be too conspicuous, so he opted for a ranger's outfit.
The reason Xu Nian came to the tavern was that, besides brothels, taverns were the places with the most accessible information. He could hear much of what he wanted to know here.
As for why he didn't go to a brothel?
First, Xu Nian had never been, and secondly, he was short on money. He only had the thousand Gold Coins he got from selling those discarded swords, which was enough to cover his lodging and meals for ten days.
Gold Coins were the common currency on the Tianhen Continent. With Gold Coins, you could buy anything you wanted, so even Cultivators valued them greatly.
Of course, that was for Low-level Cultivators. In the eyes of Saint Level powerhouses, these Gold Coins were as insignificant as Soil.
Xu Nian was still very concerned about Gold Coins because he needed them in many ways, such as his profession as an Artifact Refiner. Before becoming a Great Refiner,
he needed to purchase materials for practice, which was a significant expense.
Xu Nian didn't think further, as his attention was soon drawn to a conversation at the table next to him.
"Hey, did you hear? The Zhao Family's miss was captured by the Heavenly Slash Gang. It's likely more misfortune than fortune!" one of the men started.
"Yeah, none of the women who were taken ever returned alive. The Heavenly Slash Gang is getting more and more audacious. It's been ten years, hasn't anyone been able to deal with them?" another man said with a sigh.
"Deal with them? Don't you know that the Heavenly Slash Gang has the backing of powerful people? Who dares to meddle?" the last man said helplessly.
The other two sighed.
On the side, Xu Nian's eyes lit up when he heard this; indeed, the Heavenly Slash Gang had backers, but he still couldn't confirm who was behind them.
"Changing the subject, the Ouyang Family is pretty tragic as well. Both of their genius sons were killed. Hasn't the Ouyang Family taken revenge?" someone asked.
"Of course they took revenge. It's just that the person who killed their two sons, Xu Nian, is a genius. Now he's even with the Battle Mansion. It's tough for the Ouyang Family to make a move," one of the three responded.
"The Battle Mansion, ah. If the Ouyang Family really wants revenge, that's going to be difficult. Killing a member of the Battle Mansion is a serious crime," another person lamented.
"Yes, so isn't that why the Family Head Ouyang adopted a foster son?" the aforementioned person replied.
"Speaking of this foster son, Ouyang Long, he's really useless, far inferior to the previous two sons. He's always indulging in pleasures; he's probably still in the Zuihong Building by now," another person sneered.
"That's right. I also heard that Ouyang Long is quite close to the Gang Leader of the Heavenly Slash Gang and even willingly offered his own women to the Gang Leader." As soon as he said this, it sparked a chorus of agreement from the other two.
"Indeed, none of the Ouyang Family are good; alas, who knows when Yu State will have peace," someone lamented.
"Peace? The City Lord of Yu State has been undermined. The entire Yu State is now under the Ouyang Family's control. If there's no major incident, we should count ourselves lucky," one of them exclaimed angrily.
Hearing this, everyone else couldn't help but sigh.
Xu Nian, however, smiled at the corner of his mouth. Hearing their conversations, he had gained a rough understanding of the situation in Yu State.
Sure enough, the Ouyang Family was behind the Heavenly Slash Gang.
He hadn't expected the Ouyang Family's influence to be so strong that they had even undermined the City Lord's power in Yu State.
There was one thing Xu Nian didn't understand, though. Since the Heavenly Slash Gang was backed by the Family Head Ouyang, why would Ouyang Long send his own women to the Gang Leader?
It didn't make sense!
Logically, it should be the Gang Leader who fawned over Ouyang Long.
"It seems the waters are deeper than I previously thought. I should meet the City Lord of Yu State first," Xu Nian decided in his heart.
After finishing the five jin of Bloodthirsty Mad Beef, he headed towards the City Lord Mansion.
As the City Lord of Yu State, even without any power, he should know more than others. Xu Nian was eager to learn from the City Lord what the exact situation was in Yu State.
"Stop, this is the City Lord Mansion, not just anyone can enter freely."
However, as Xu Nian approached the entrance of the City Lord Mansion, he was stopped by two guards.
Both guards were quite strong, at the Five-star Warrior Level. Such strength would make them leaders of a major squad in any city, not just simple gatekeepers.
Combining it with what he had overheard, Xu Nian deduced that these two guards were sent by the Ouyang Family to monitor the City Lord of Yu State.
"Interesting, even the gatekeepers have been replaced. The City Lord of Yu State really is pitiful," Xu Nian muttered to himself with a cold chuckle.
He then looked at the two grim-looking guards and smiled faintly. With a sharp glance, a dagger appeared in his hand.
A flash of cold light, and a stroke of blood appeared on the necks of the two guards.
Before the guards could fall, Xu Nian waved his sleeve, and two fireballs instantly incinerated the bodies cleanly.
Destroying the evidence, Xu Nian didn't want the Ouyang Family to notice his arrival; otherwise, his actions would become extremely difficult.
After dealing with the two guards, Xu Nian walked into the City Lord Mansion and closed the gate behind him.
Since it was night, no one noticed what had just happened, and thus Xu Nian stealthily infiltrated the City Lord Mansion.