Chapter 105

Entering the room, it was an airtight secret chamber; a candle was lit, the room was filled with the scent of pine, and the attendant closed the door gently.

"Which force's intelligence does the guest want?"

A short, fat manager behind a desk stood up, cupped his hands, and asked.

Jiang Ding sat down with his hand on the sword hilt and said softly: "I want intelligence on the Gold Blade Sect and some major information in the Jianghu."

"All the intelligence on the Gold Blade Sect? Or just some people?"

"All of it."

"Which level of intelligence does the guest want?"

The short, fat manager asked, and explained: "Intelligence is divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. Heaven-level intelligence needs to be exchanged with hundred-year-old medicinal herbs and treasure materials; intelligence below Heaven-level can be paid for with silver taels."

"Treasure materials?"

"This information can be given to the guest for free," the short, fat manager said: "It is the mineral material that can forge the divine weapons inherited by major sects; the power of divine weapons is far stronger than ordinary precious blades and swords."

Jiang Ding remembered the white sword in Wan Qianyu's hand; it indeed looked like something that could amplify the power of internal power.

"Earth-level."

"Priced at twelve thousand taels; I need to verify your funds first," the short, fat manager cupped his hands: "Guest, please don't be offended; the intelligence of such a large force, even if it doesn't involve top-secret things, is this price. If you want to inquire about the intelligence of some lone martial artists, the price will be much lower."

Jiang Ding handed over two silver notes paid by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.

The short, fat manager carefully observed every detail of the silver notes, and only then did he reveal a smile: "Guest, please wait; I will send the intelligence to you personally later. If you need to call someone, just pull this red rope on the table."

After a while, the short, fat manager brought people to carry back piles of books, stacked as high as a person and half a person wide; the secret chamber became much more cramped.

"You can only read, not take them away; you can come here to consult within fifteen days, but you cannot spread them elsewhere, anywhere."

He didn't say what the consequences of spreading them were, and retreated after closing the door.

Jiang Ding picked up the first book, 《The Rise of the Gold Blade Sect in the 207th Year of the Yue Emperor Calendar》, and slowly flipped through it.

The founder of the Gold Blade Sect was just a Jianghu wanderer; one day, he encountered an old Daoist who was seriously injured. Out of pity or other reasons, he saved the Daoist. After the Daoist's injuries healed, he gave him a technique and a pill.

The technique was a top-tier technique, 《Gold Blade Slaughtering Spirit Technique》, which could be cultivated to the Primordial Realm; the pill was named Primordial Pill, which could allow internal qi perfection martial artists to break through to the Primordial Realm.

The Gold Blade Sect started from this, and for more than a hundred years, its disciples have infiltrated all walks of life in the imperial dynasty; there are important ministers in the army and civil service who came from the Gold Blade Sect.

Other major sects are similar.

It can be said that in the three hundred years of the Yue Kingdom, the world is no longer the world of the Chen family imperial clan, but a world shared with major sects; it is not that the emperor can do whatever he wants.

The strongest person in the sect is the Gold Blade Old Ancestor, a Primordial mid-stage expert, battle record...

Jiang Ding read slowly, without resting for seven or eight hours in a row; book after book was stacked on the other side, and soon he had a comprehensive understanding of the number of internal qi martial artists on the surface of the Gold Blade Sect, the strength of various experts, their personalities, family backgrounds, etc.

He flipped to the latest intelligence in the Jianghu.

"... Eastern Marquis Tang Wang secretly broke through to the Primordial Realm, plotting to proclaim himself emperor and establish a country; he sent letters to the Three Sects and Six Factions, saying that the new dynasty wants to establish a Nine-Rank Aristocratic Sect System; the Three Sects and the Imperial Clan are ranked as First Rank; from now on, First-Rank civil and military officials can only be held by members of the Three Sects and the Imperial Clan; the Six Factions are ranked as Second Rank; Second-Rank civil and military officials are selected from the Six Factions..."

"... The Wolf God Sect Grandmaster Wolf Lord is unhappy; many generals from the Wolf God Sect have faint signs of mutiny..."

"... Imperial Clan Primordial, 'Mountain King' Chen Wu leads the Yue Divine Iron Cavalry to sit in the Chi Zhong Mansion, waiting for an opportunity to quell the rebellion..."

After reading the last book of intelligence and entering it into the microcomputer, Jiang Ding pulled the red rope.

"Does the guest have any instructions?"

The short, fat manager appeared and asked with cupped hands.

"I need intelligence on three Gold Blade Sect disciples; they must have returned to the Gold Blade Sect within the last month, their status should be neither high nor low, and they must be the kind who have committed heinous crimes."

Jiang Ding said.

The short, fat manager revealed a look of surprise.

"This also counts as Gold Blade Sect intelligence and can be given to the guest for free."

"Zheng Tu, internal qi great accomplishment, inner disciple of the Gold Blade Sect; once killed Zhou Jinzhong, a seventh-rank official who impeached a high official of the Gold Blade Sect, occupied his house and wife and daughters, and likes to eat the hearts of young girls; every two months, he must take one person into his room..."

"Wu Kuang, internal qi great accomplishment, inner disciple of the Gold Blade Sect; established the Gold Blade Sect's peripheral organization 'Flower Hunting Sect', collecting and kidnapping all kinds of good women to pay tribute to the high-level members of the sect, and befriending important figures in the imperial court and major sects..."

"Zhou Diji..."

Jiang Ding walked silently on the prosperous Yuejing street, thinking about the intelligence of those three people, and sighed.

"There are too many people who should be killed... but the sword is not sharp enough, and things in the world cannot always go as one wishes."

Unknowingly, he had arrived in front of a simple residence with blue bricks and green tiles, inscribed with the two characters 'Zhou Residence'; the wooden doors and bricks and tiles all looked old, dusty, and had lost their original luster.

There were two martial artists guarding the entrance.

Jiang Ding did not lightly believe the words of the Heavenly Mystery Tower and spent some time and silver taels visiting the surrounding neighbors.

This Zhou Jinzhong was indeed an honest official and usually treated people well; after his death, his old mother hanged herself, and his wife and two daughters originally wanted to rely on their maiden family, but were forced by Zheng Tu of the Gold Blade Sect and could not leave the house all day.

Zheng Tu came every day at the beginning, but recently he came every five days, at different times of the day.

As for the government, there are many high officials and generals from the Gold Blade Sect in the imperial court, all occupying important positions; who would stand up for an official who didn't know whether he was dead or alive?

They just reported that Zhou Jinzhong died of a cold and never asked again.

Jiang Ding waited silently at a tea stall; after a few hours, a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache walked to the Zhou Residence.

"Greetings, Master Zheng!"

The two martial artists guarding outside the door hurriedly nodded and bowed to salute.

"Do your work well; I won't treat you two badly."

Zheng Tu patted the two men on the shoulders and walked into the Zhou Residence with a smile on his face; soon after, screams and sobbing sounds came from inside.

Jiang Ding sighed and walked toward the gate.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

The two body-refining martial artists who were not even in the internal qi realm looked at him vigilantly, placed their hands on their sword hilts, and warned: "This is the property of the Gold Blade Sect!"

"I'm here for revenge."

Jiang Ding said 'hmm', swept his sword, and sheathed it again; a shallow bloodstain appeared on the throats of the two gate-guarding martial artists, and they fell softly.

"Zheng Tu, you snatched my woman back then; today, retribution has come, die!"

He kicked the gate open.

A man with a handlebar mustache was chasing three women, one big and two small, each with their own charm.

His expression changed, he drew a thin, long blade, and stared fixedly at the intruder: "Friend, I don't know you; did you recognize the wrong person?"

"I didn't recognize the wrong person."

Jiang Ding slashed at him with one sword strike; there was nothing fancy, just great strength and speed.

"You are courting death!"

Zheng Tu roared, his internal power exploded, all of it surged into the blade edge, and he instantly slashed out three blades, one left, one middle, one right, the blade light shining brightly.

Flowing Gold Three-Blade Slash!

A superior blade technique that many people in the Gold Blade Sect like to practice; having practiced for ten years, Zheng Tu was confident that even in the sect, not many people exceeded him in the attainment of this blade.

He seemed to see the scene where this unknown madman's head, chest, and waist were all broken.

Clang!

Between the clash of blade and sword, Zheng Tu's expression changed greatly, revealing a look of fear.

"Spare my life, I am from the Gold Blade Sect..."

In just an instant, the three blades were cut off by one sword strike, the bright sword edge pierced through his chest, his eyes went black, and he fainted.

Jiang Ding grabbed his neck and dragged him behind him.

He looked at the three terrified women with a complex expression, threw out a silver ingot, then pulled over a wide cloth, covered the unconscious Zheng Tu, and carried him away quickly.

(End of chapter)