My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 236 – Seizing Control Underground, Forging Weapons For Battle - Part 2
Chapter 236 – Seizing Control Underground, Forging Weapons For Battle - Part 2
Back when Li Yuan lived in Gemhill County, the Ginger Tavern, Blood Blade Sect, and his birds had all been his eyes and ears. But now that he was inside the Holy Tree Temple’s city stronghold in Skygarden Prefecture, his network was much smaller. It simply wasn’t enough.
If recent events—like the suspicious intel-gathering on his family—could unfold right under his nose with no warning, then he was effectively blind to the threats around him. Blessings or curses, if they went unseen, they could strike before he had any chance to react. He had to rebuild his network of informants—his eyes—or he might not notice looming dangers until it was too late.
Night fell. Everything was silent; the swaying shadows of trees under the wind looked like ghosts. A drunken man staggered down the dark streets. Those with money spent their nights at an establishment that was part gambling den, part brothel, part auction house—a den of vice hidden behind a narrow, twisting alley. At its end, however, the place opened up into a cavernous courtyard.
The Black Wolf Gang was nestled deep in one such claustrophobic alleyway. At the far end was a surprisingly spacious compound. Wang Linji, the gang’s leader, was doing his usual rounds in this lavish money pit before heading into his private palace.
As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted the very person he served. Silently closing the door behind him, he bowed respectfully to the young man sitting in his chair, helping himself to fine wine and fresh fruit.
“Master,” Wang Linji greeted. “Congratulations on becoming a recognized weaponsmith.”
Li Yuan waved him off. “Have you tracked down the ones who were investigating my family?”
“Yes, Master,” Wang Linji said. “We found them all, some higher-ups from our own Wild Wolf Gang, plus people from the Old Oakhouse and Black Cloaks. Getting hold of the people from the latter two groups will be trickier, but I’m working on it.”
Li Yuan nodded. “I’m not looking to kill them. I just want to keep a close eye and feed them false information when they strike again.”
Understanding dawned in Wang Linji’s expression. “So that’s your plan...”
Li Yuan continued, “If these operatives are spread out across three organizations, maybe there’s a hidden group above them pulling the strings?”
After a moment’s thought, Wang Linji replied, “I’ve heard rumors of a secret network called Night Breeze. It’s possible they have people planted within all three of our factions.”
Li Yuan lowered his gaze in contemplation. “Is there any chance you could arrange a meeting with the leaders of the Old Oakhouse and Black Cloaks?”
Wang Linji hesitated. “Master, I do know them, but inviting them to meet won’t be easy. Even if they agree, they’d arrive with plenty of backup.”
Li Yuan said, “Then keep them under surveillance for me. Find the right time, place, and an opportunity for me to meet them alone. I’ll handle it myself.”
Wang Linji looked up, speaking in a subdued tone. “Master, are you planning to... grant them your favor?”
Favor. Li Yuan’s eyes flickered at the unusual choice of words. It was clear that something odd had been happening to Wang Linji—the man had changed in more ways than one since Li Yuan first put him under the power of the human-skin manacles.
Li Yuan had noticed the changes, though not to this extent. He remembered that, two years and three months ago, Wang Linji’s strength had been somewhere between 225~245....
By now, two years and three months had passed since Li Yuan first bound Wang Linji. The gang leader’s combat power had risen to 252–272. He seemed to gain a small increment each month, much like how the black crows that Sheng’er controlled advanced bit by bit. After all, Sheng’er had inherited the power of Feng’er, and the human-skin manacles themselves had been crafted with Feng’er’s aid.
Wang Linji raised both hands as a fervent glow crept into his eyes. “Such benevolence... I owe it all to my master’s gracious gift. I never imagined I could keep growing in strength—this is incredible! Absolutely incredible!”
Seeing this fanatical devotion, Li Yuan felt a shiver of unease. A ghost item was, in the end, still a ghost item, and unless you were already an undying husk, strange changes were bound to occur sooner or later. Even something homemade was no exception.
Then again, Li Yuan recalled that the source of Wang Linji’s strange power-up came from Yan Yu and Sheng'er, which reassured him somewhat.
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Three days later. ƒrēenovelkiss.com
Li Yuan met with the matron of Old Oakhouse—Si Fengru, a seventh rank martial artist whose combat power was 260~275. He cornered her in a secluded part of her manor and used the Human-Skin Shackles on her as well.
Seven days later.
Through Si Fengru and Wang Linji, Li Yuan managed to meet Wang Heran, the leader of the Black Cloaks—the most powerful faction within the first gate of the Holy Tree Temple’s city stronghold.
Wang Heran was exceptionally strong, at 315–330. Yet once Li Yuan used the human-skin manacles on him, some critical part of Wang Heran’s mind quietly shifted, as if possessed. In no time, he started viewing Li Yuan as his absolute master.
Half a month flew by.
With Wang Heran, Si Fengru, and Wang Linji working behind the scenes, Li Yuan finally encountered the mysterious leader of the clandestine group known as Night Breeze.
To his surprise, that leader turned out to be a pair of dwarf brothers, identical in appearance. If they showed up in different places at the same time, onlookers might think it was one man who could shrink space and travel instantly.
The elder brother was named Ouyang Da, the younger Ouyang Xiong. They were assassins by trade, both peak seventh rank martial artists comparable to Wang Heran’s power. Their group remained secretive not only because they were formidable in their own right, but also because they secretly sold information to certain bigshots within the third gate, thereby enjoying hidden support.
By subjugating these dwarf brothers, Li Yuan effectively gained control over some of the eyes and ears of these bigshots. Though he still lacked the power to block out the sky with one hand, he could, at critical moments, show these bigshots precisely what he wanted them to see.
In less than a month, Li Yuan had taken control of the leading underground factions within the first gate. He did not have every rank-and-file member at his fingertips, but gaining the allegiance of key leaders was enough to weave an extensive network of influence.
By day, he was still the much-admired son-in-law of the Cui Clan—a newly acknowledged weaponsmith who continued working, shirtless and sweat-drenched, in the blacksmith shop, diligently fulfilling older commissions. Apprentice smiths flocked around him, treating him as their mentor and absorbing every piece of guidance. Li Yuan shared his knowledge freely, whether his pupils were rich or poor, as long as they were earnest and kind. And every weapon he forged carried the Yuan seal on the blade.
Before long, Yuan weapons became a hot topic both within and beyond the Holy Tree Temple’s city stronghold. Many traveled from far away, seeking to purchase a weapon bearing the Yuan seal.
Yet Li Yuan, mindful of avoiding chaos in the martial world, set a strict rule. He would only sell two weapons each month. Moreover, he did not pocket a single coin; he converted all proceeds into food stores, using them to set up porridge kitchens in the impoverished counties of Skygarden Prefecture to help the poor. All of this was carried out through the Ginger Tavern’s network.
But by night, that same revered weaponsmith transformed into the overlord of every shadowy faction beneath the surface. Taking control of the underworld behind the first gate of the city stronghold wasn’t enough for him. He wanted more. He still had nine of those human-skin manacles left, and he intended to use most of them to buy himself fresh eyes.
If he couldn’t dig deeper into the city stronghold of the Holy Tree Temple, he would simply look outward beyond the city.
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A month later, September arrived.
Li Yuan managed to find Sun Zhigun, branch master of the Beggars Sect in Skygarden Prefecture. Thanks to his ability to see each person’s true power and the unquestioning loyalty granted by the human-skin manacles, Sun Zhigun quickly became Li Yuan’s man.
Unfortunately, Sun Zhigun wasn’t particularly influential in the larger Beggars Sect; that was partly why he had been posted to Skygarden Prefecture in the first place. After all, Skygarden Prefecture was firmly under the Holy Tree Temple’s authority.
A few days later, luck was on Li Yuan’s side. Through Sun Zhigun, he met two other branch masters of the Beggars Sect—Wen Chengyun of Winterwood Prefecture and Xiong Guangzhi of Tombdive Prefecture. These two held considerable real power within the Beggars Sect; yet the moment Li Yuan used the human-skin manacles, they too fell under his control.
So Li Yuan’s spy network continued to expand like a rolling snowball.
By late November, it was well-known throughout the Silkfloss Province that Li Yuan was a benevolent smith whose reputation was spotless—and that he produced only two Yuan weapons each month.
In secret, Li Yuan had taken control of six additional individuals, and thanks to Yan Yu’s regular deliveries every two months, he still had two spare human-skin manacles left. Those six people held the following identities—
First was the sub branch master of the Beggars Sect in Clearblue Prefecture.
Second was the sub branch master of the Beggars Sect in Pureblack Prefecture.
Third was the vice leader of the Beggars Sect.
Fourth was a ruthless noblewoman who was, on the surface, the president of the Windfall Group but secretly the head of an assassin organization called Shadow Garden.
Fifth was the leader of the White Horse Alliance, a chivalrous faction that loathed the Beggars Sect.
Sixth was the leader of an upstart organization trying to compete with the local Beggars Sect called the Hao Clan.
During that same year, rumors began circulating in the neighboring Ocean Province and gradually spread into Silkfloss Province about the emergence of seventh rank weapons for sale. Though they weren’t on par with the very best seventh rank weapons, they still surpassed what was normally available on the open market.
Factions large and small soon caught wind of these mysterious arms. For top experts of fifth or sixth rank in major sects, such weapons weren’t especially noteworthy, but for ordinary clans, one of these blades could easily tip the scales.
In short, if the Blood Blade Sect’s old leader, Tie Sha, had owned such a weapon back when he made his move against the Wei and Sun families, he wouldn’t have bothered waiting for the right moment; he would have led his men and wiped them out directly. A superior weapon could elevate a martial artist’s power in terrifying ways. Predictably, they sold like hotcakes.
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