Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 619: Learning More About The Qing Clan

The carriage continued rolling across the worn dirt road, its wheels rattling softly as the forest slowly opened into wider plains. Inside, Han Yu sat with arms folded, eyes half closed, but his mind was far from resting.

He had obtained Qing Luan's trust, but trust alone was not enough. He needed information. Everything about the Qing clan would eventually matter if he wanted to decide how to turn this entire situation into something profitable and advantageous.

So he opened his eyes and asked a question in a flat tone.

"Tell me about the Qing clan. I want to hear everything you know. Structure, elders, power, internal rivalry, anything worth noting."

Qing Luan straightened her back immediately. She knew this was not a casual question. Ju Fan wanted information. And after everything he had said, she understood that giving him information was a way to repay his help.

She nodded respectfully. "I can try. I do not know everything, but I will say all that I can."

Start from the top. Han Yu ordered, gaze firm.

She took a breath before speaking. "The Patriarch of our Qing clan is Qing Hong. He has been Patriarch for almost one hundred years. He is in the Nascent Soul realm. Mid stage, I think. He is very powerful."

Han Yu's expression remained cold, but inwardly he absorbed the information carefully.

A mid stage Nascent Soul cultivator with a century of leadership. Definitely a difficult figure to work around, but not impossible. If he could add Qing Luan to his future plans, then it was possible to weaken that power from the inside.

"Continue." Han Yu said.

Qing Luan nodded again. "Other than Father, there are three elders in the Nascent Soul realm that everyone knows about. Elder Qing Shun, Elder Qing Ma and Elder Qing Rong. They help maintain the clan affairs and often guide cultivation for the clan's most talented youths."

Han Yu already suspected that.

'A clan with seven thousand people would never rely on a single Nascent Soul cultivator. There would be old monsters hidden away in seclusion, conserving their strength until needed.'

Qing Luan continued speaking. "I have also heard that there are two more elders in deep seclusion, but no one knows their cultivation level. I only heard about them from my mother once when she was speaking with Uncle Yun. They must be very powerful, or very old."

Han Yu nodded slowly. 'That sounded more realistic. A clan that big would not be standing with only four peak experts. The Ju clan had four thousand members at its peak and still had several hidden elders.'

The stronger the clan, the deeper their roots.

"What about internal structure?" Han Yu asked.

Qing Luan paused for a moment to organize her thoughts. Then she spoke.

"The Patriarch has four wives and six concubines. The first and second wives have the most talented children. The first wife's family has produced the last three Patriarchs, so her status is the highest. The second wife, my mother, was the next in ranking, but I was her only child."

She clenched her fists slightly at the mention of her mother, but pushed through the memory.

"The third and fourth wives have children but none are very talented. Most are still too young or have poor foundations. The concubines only gave birth to unremarkable children, so they do not hold any real power." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Han Yu hummed. He had expected something like this.

'A clear hierarchy. A clear power struggle. A perfect place for sabotage and internal conflict. Exactly the kind of environment where someone like Qing Luan could either rise or be crushed.'

"And the clan's strength? Population. Resources." He asked.

Qing Luan nodded. "The Qing clan has around seven thousand members. That includes men, women, children, elders and branch families. I have never visited the branches, so I do not know the exact numbers, but they exist."

'Seven thousand. That was large. Stronger than the Ju clan had been before its destruction.' And now, Han Yu wanted to put his hand into all of that.

Not immediately. Not foolishly. Slowly.

He looked outside the window before asking the next questions.

"What about businesses?"

At this, Qing Luan frowned a little. "I only know about the businesses in the Six Roads City. My mother said that women should focus on cultivation if talented and womanly skills, and not on business management. I was only taught etiquette and cultivation skills, so I was not given access to the clan records."

Before Han Yu could respond, the driver cleared his throat timidly.

"Honored Disciple, may this lowly servant speak?"

Han Yu gestured with a flick of his fingers. "Speak."

The driver tightened his grip on the reins but kept his voice steady.

"The Qing clan owns around fifteen different businesses in Six Roads City. There are spirit herb shops, weapon smithing workshops, two taverns, one auction house partnership, and a textile store.

They also own farmland around the neighboring villages and have several trade caravans. As for their more distant businesses, I do not know their details. That information is only for senior stewards."

Han Yu smiled faintly.

'This was good.'

More than good. This was wealth. A mountain of it. If he could take control of Qing Luan's future, he might control this as well. The fact that they had taken the Ju clan's inheritance only fueled his desire to reclaim something in return.

Qing Luan took a small breath and looked at him curiously.

"May I ask something too?"

Han Yu tilted his head slightly. He did not mind. Asking him meant she was becoming comfortable. And comfortable meant reliant.

"Ask."

Qing Luan raised her chin just a little. Her voice had a hopeful tremble. "What is Honored Disciple's cultivation level?"

Han Yu replied without hesitation. "Mid stage Core Condensation realm."

Her eyes widened with awe. For a girl who had barely stepped into Qi Refining, the Core Condensation realm was a distant place that ordinary mortals would never reach. And someone at the mid stage meant power far beyond what she could handle.