Chapter 16: "Isn't She a Geisha?

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded his head, took the opportunity while Fat Long was standing there, dazed, to change his clothes, using a cloth to tie tightly around his waist, making his outfit fit a bit better, and then casually said, "I've almost spent all of my Spirit Stones, only three left now."

"If you spent all your Spirit Stones, you might have been able to break through to the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."

"What's there to be surprised about?"

"But that's more than thirty Spirit Stones!" Fat Long couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain as he said, "Brother Chen Qiu, didn't you wage an internal struggle before spending them? You spent them so decisively? You should've hesitated for a while!"

"Hesitate?"

After tidying up his clothes, Chen Qiu walked to the red table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it in one gulp. Still not quite satisfied, he brought the spout of the teapot to his mouth, drank an entire teapot of cold tea, then contentedly wiped his mouth and set the teapot aside.

"The Huang Family has sent people to block the city gates, so now is not the time to hesitate. Do you plan to let the Spirit Stones be your funeral objects?"

"Let's not talk about this for now, you just said something big has happened, what is it?"

...

"Phew!"

Speaking of the matter, Fat Long took a deep breath, sat next to the red table, dipped his finger in some tea from the teapot, and began to write on the table: "The Huang Family is quite a well-known power in Fufeng City."

"Their family business is centered around the mining industry."

"The Family Head is a Sixth Layer Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, and this time the Huang Family's Seventh Elder, who is an eighth level Qi Refinement Cultivation, led the team, along with six or seven thugs around the fifth or sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."

"With grandeur, they have publicly declared that they will kill us to avenge Young Master Huang."

"However, the insider news I've obtained states that this Seventh Elder at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm does not plan to take immediate action against us. The Huang Family's main goal this time is to eliminate these six or seven thugs with our help."

"These thugs joined the Huang Family years ago but spent all their stipends on providing for their families, stubbornly refusing to invest a penny in their cultivation. Over the years, they haven't made any progress in strength at all, have aged gradually, and their physical condition has deteriorated significantly, with their fighting power greatly diminished compared to their younger days."

"This means that while they are paid the stipend that a sixth level Qi Refinement Cultivator should get, they cannot give the Huang Family the power that a sixth level Qi Refinement Cultivator should have."

"But it's not easy to just expel them, after all, these people have dedicated nearly half a lifetime to the Huang Family. If they were all expelled, it would cool the hearts of many underneath. Hence, the Huang Family plans to take this opportunity to let this group of people all die at our hands, and then for the Seventh Elder to take our heads back."

"The Huang Family does not have any pension funds."

After taking another deep breath, Fat Long continued, "At the same time, I have uncovered a shocking secret; the Huang Family actually didn't want to seek revenge at all because they are at a crucial moment!"

"One of the mines in the Huang Family's mining areas is about to reveal a great opportunity!"

"It is said to be a random 'Heavenly Dao entry.'"

"And the main reason the Huang Family had to come for revenge is, if the Huang Family did nothing, it would easily arouse suspicion, so they had no choice but to make a trip to the Ask the Heavens Market, and they brought the weakest bunch of their thugs to achieve two objectives with one action!"

"Other than that, there is another purpose for the Huang Family sending people here. The 'Ask the Heavens Market' is the largest marketplace within a hundred miles and the most powerful force near Fufeng City. By pretending to seek revenge, they hired quite a few people to watch the city gates, to probe whether 'Ask the Heavens Market' was aware of this news."

"After all, the leader of 'Ask the Heavens Market' is at the Golden Core Stage, and if they wanted this 'Heavenly Dao entry,' then the Huang Family would certainly have no choice but to hand it over."

"But—"

Fat Long paused for a moment, a serious expression on his face, "Actually, there are already quite a few powers that have secretly received the news and have sent people to Fufeng City. Remember the troupe that entered the city last night from the Capital?"

"It's the one with a geisha who wouldn't sell herself for three Spirit Stones from a big shot in the Capital."

"This geisha belongs to the Flower Offering Sect."

"That day, with a massive crowd gathered at the east gate of Fufeng City, the scene was extremely chaotic. Even the Huang Family did not realize that quite a few people slipped into Fufeng City under the radar. And last night's sudden opening of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in the vicinity of Fufeng City was no coincidence, but rather influenced by the 'Heavenly Dao entry'!"

"Brother Chen Qiu!"

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Sooner or later, maybe even today, there will be a great battle in Fufeng City, and it seems we have been unwittingly drawn into it!"

"..."

Sitting in front of the red table, Chen Qiu went from being confused at first to silently emotionless after Fat Long finished speaking. After a brief pause, he softly asked, "Brother Fat Long, are you serious when you tell me this intelligence could be gathered from a tavern or a teahouse?"

He knew Fat Long had a talent for gathering intelligence.

But he had not realized that Fat Long's ability to gather intelligence could rival that of the secret imperial police.

"Of course not."

Fat Long shook his head: "I used various methods, including going to the 'World Pavilion' shop that specializes in selling intelligence, purchasing information, and then observing which powers' people come to buy information from World Pavilion, and where these people went afterwards."

"Additionally, I used rumors about Fufeng City and what has changed these days compared to the past, and various other methods, to synthesize this information."

"The accuracy rate is eighty percent."

"Did it cost Spirit Stones?" Chen Qiu nodded in understanding.

"It did."

"How much did it cost?"

"All gone."

"..."

Chen Qiu fell silent again, his mouth twitched slightly: "Don't you have fifteen Spirit Stones in your pocket? You just said why I spent them so readily; at least you should hesitate a bit. It seems you didn't hesitate much either..."

"Nonsense!"

Fat Long's face turned unpleasant: "The Huang Family is blocking the city gates, at this time if you hesitate, do you expect the Spirit Stones to accompany you in death?"

"Pretty good."

Chen Qiu nodded, then after a moment of contemplation, he softly said, "This is good news for us, it at least gives us a period of respite."

What he needed most now was this respite; as long as he had time to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage and learn a few spells, wiping out the Huang Family would be a matter of blinking an eye.

But...

It seemed that the heavens did not plan on obliging him.

"Bang, bang, boom!"

With two clear knocks followed by a loud crash, the door was kicked open.

A tall woman dressed in a carmine long dress, holding a round fan and wearing a red veil, walked leisurely into the room with two strong men, just as Fat Long, who was about to stand up to open the door, froze on the spot.

"You are the external elder of the Sky-bursting Gang, right?"

The woman casually played with the round fan in her hand, looking at the frozen Fat Long with a hint of mirth in her eyes and letting out a silvery laugh: "Meeting again, you've become an elder, haven't you? I wonder if your sect is still recruiting?"

"Can I come?"

"..."

After a long silence, Fat Long finally turned his head to look at Chen Qiu: "This is the geisha from the Capital's theater troupe that I just mentioned to you."

"You know each other?"

"Yeah, I called on her once."

"Isn't she a geisha?"

"That's a lie, to sell at a higher price."

"The rumor spread through the Capital that a certain important person offered three Spirit Stones and she still wouldn't sell herself was also an idea I once gave her."