Clues, Part 2

For his first time venturing into the mountains, Ding Hai familiarized Wei He with the local conditions and terrain, pointing out landmarks.

He identified which areas were commonly used by various factions and which were hunting grounds for specific ferocious beasts.

Although Wei He suspected Ding Hai was holding back information, he felt the payment in assorted grains was well worth it.

After five consecutive days, Ding Hai had guided Wei He through most of the territory around Feiye City, including the general restricted zones and faction territories.

Finally, he offered a small mountain cave as a resting spot for emergencies.

Unfortunately, in five days, the two had caught nothing but a single grey rabbit.

They did, however, gather plenty of old vines, which they used to camouflage the entrance of the cave.

Once he had a grasp of the general process, Wei He began operating and "hunting" alone in the vicinity.

From Ding Hai, he had received a crucial clue, one that might be connected to his parents' disappearance.

That clue was that the Shaoyang Gate preferred to abduct people in the evening.

To gather information on the Shaoyang Gate, Wei He sought out the well-informed Cheng Shaojiu.

"Shaoyang Gate? They're one of the Three Gangs and Two Sects. Why are you asking about them?" Cheng Shaojiu asked, sitting on a chair in a restaurant, his dark eye circles slightly less prominent.

"You know I'm investigating my parents' disappearance, and I suspect the Shaoyang Gate is involved," Wei He stated directly.

He couldn't hide such matters. Many people knew about his parents and elder sister's disappearances.

Combined with his current investigative activities, it was easy for others to deduce his intentions.

"Although the Shaoyang Gate is listed among the Three Gangs and Two Sects, they rarely interact with other factions. Their numbers are small, and when they do appear, they leave quickly, never straying far from Shaoyang Mountain. Because of this, other factions don't bother provoking them," Cheng Shaojiu explained, taking a sip of wine. "Your parents were invited to Mingde Temple to do stone carvings. Since so many stone masons left together, surely you're not the only one investigating this? Why not find the families of the others and investigate together?"

"I've tried. There were eleven stone masons in total, but the other families no longer wish to investigate," Wei He replied calmly.

"The Shaoyang Gate is small in number, but those who travel are said to be very powerful. Don't provoke them lightly. Little He, if you insist on investigating, you should mention it to Master Zheng. His sources are far more reliable than ours," Cheng Shaojiu advised.

"I understand," Wei He nodded.

"Oh, there's another channel," Cheng Shaojiu suddenly exclaimed, clapping his hand. "Didn't you agree to become an external guest elder for the Qingdu Sect? You still receive a monthly stipend from them. Why not ask them? The Qingdu Sect and the Shaoyang Gate are both outside the city and are both considered 'Sects.' They've interacted quite a bit, so their information is bound to be more current than ours."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Cheng," Wei He nodded. If Cheng Shaojiu hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have known about the Qingdu Sect's dealings with the Shaoyang Gate.

He immediately recalled the Qingdu Sect's envoy who had invited him last time.

He was reportedly the second-in-command in charge of the Qingdu Sect's assets within Feiye City. His surname was Bai, and his given name was Honghou.

The man's demeanor had given him an impression of gentle, perpetual smiling.

However, someone in such a position, who had also achieved a second breakthrough in Qi and Blood, couldn't possibly be merely a gentle person.

After bidding farewell to Cheng Shaojiu, Wei He wasted no time and headed straight for the Qingdu Sect's stronghold in Feiye City.

The Qingdu Sect's stronghold was located in Jiujie Town, a considerable distance from Huishan Fist, requiring passage through Nanshan Town.

By the time Wei He found the stronghold, it was already evening, with the sun nearing the horizon.

Jiujie Town was slightly more orderly than Shiqiao Town, neither overly bustling nor desolate.

Occasionally, one could still see unburnt incense sticks on the street, clustered together and stuck into the dry earth by the roadside.

The Qingdu Sect's stronghold occupied the most prosperous area of Jiujie Town, with a general store to its left and a quiet gambling house to its right.

The stronghold was a two-story building, with two men wearing green headbands standing guard outside the entrance.

Wei He took out the green cloth strip signifying his status as a guest elder, tied it to his arm, and approached the entrance.

The two guards glanced at him, gave a slight bow, and remained silent.

Wei He returned the bow and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.

Inside was a small crimson hall. About a dozen sturdy men and women were seated, some chatting, some playing chess, and some even arm-wrestling while drinking.

As Wei He entered, only a few people cast him a glance. The rest completely ignored him, continuing their respective activities.

Wei He noticed that most of the people here were guest elders like himself, all wearing green cloth sashes on their arms.

He looked around and approached a young man leaning against a wooden pillar, gazing out the window.

"Brother, may I ask if Elder Bai Honghou is here? I have something to inquire about," Wei He said, cupping his fists.

"Elder Bai is on the second floor. You look new, did you join this year?" the man asked with a smile. He had a broad, kind face, but his wide mouth and fair complexion made him memorable.

"Yes, I joined a while ago," Wei He replied.

"My name is Jin Xiufeng. Those who can affiliate with the Qingdu Sect are not ordinary people in Feiye City. We should get to know each other better," the man said with a smile.

"I am Wei He. We can chat when there's an opportunity," Wei He nodded.

After parting ways with the big-mouthed man, he went up the stairs to the second floor. There, by the window, he quickly spotted Bai Honghou, who was leisurely practicing calligraphy alone.

Seeing someone ascend, Bai Honghou recognized Wei He, whom he had recently recruited.

"Young Wei, it's rare for you to visit. Please, sit," he said, gesturing to a row of empty seats on the second floor before setting down his brush and walking over.

He recruited a few newcomers like Wei He, who had achieved a second stage of Qi and Blood, every year.

Similarly, a few guest elders would depart each year for various reasons.

To maintain a stable number, he would recruit new members promptly once any were lost.

Wei He was one of the new recruits brought in to fill a vacancy.

"Brother Wei, what brings you here this time?" he asked with a smile.

"Elder Bai, do you know anything about the Shaoyang Gate?" Wei He asked softly.

"The Shaoyang Gate? What is it? Did you have a conflict with them?" Bai Honghou's brow furrowed slightly, the smile vanishing from his face.

"Not exactly, it's just for other reasons. I wanted to know about the sect's general situation," Wei He replied.

"The Shaoyang Gate, hehe. Actually, even if you hadn't asked, we would have reminded you later," Bai Honghou chuckled, though a hint of coldness touched his lips. "The Shaoyang Gate and our Qingdu Sect have always had friction. Their sect is located deep in Shaoyang Mountain, in some unknown place. They are very mysterious, and they also have few members. Those who come out are cunning and fierce, and not weak. If you encounter them, you must be extra careful."

"How strong are the people who come out from there, generally?" Wei He cut to the chase.

"The Shaoyang Gate has few people. They either don't come out at all, or when they do, they mainly do so in two ways. One is hunting, not for animals, but for people. The other is trading, exchanging some needed supplies with the outside world."

Bai Honghou, as usual, knew more than others and spoke eloquently.

"If you encounter someone trading alone, with your strength, escaping should be no problem.

But if you run into a hunting party, it's best to hide your identity and not say you're from the Qingdu Sect. Their hunting parties always have at least two Second Stage Qi and Blood experts, sometimes three. They hunt separately and even bring along some slaves. It's very troublesome."

"Slaves?"

"The Shaoyang Gate commonly uses secret medicines to control their servants, making them fight and die for them. These are the so-called slaves. However, slaves are usually tormented for a long time, and the secret medicine damages their bodies, so their strength is only slightly better than that of ordinary people. Just be careful of sneak attacks," Bai Honghou replied.

"Then, may I ask, Elder, how can I identify people from the Shaoyang Gate?"

"Identify them? That group of monsters is the easiest to identify. Go near Shaoyang Mountain, and as long as you see someone wearing white clothes and so fat that they look like two or three ordinary people, they are definitely from the Shaoyang Gate," Bai Honghou said with disgust.

"Are they very fat?" Wei He asked curiously.

"Shaoyang, Shaoyang. They don't indulge in women and maintain their virginity. They cultivate that specific Shaoyang Qi, and coupled with their sect's unique cultivation techniques, they all become very fat. If you encounter them, be sure to be careful. The people of the Shaoyang Gate are known for their formidable strength, don't fight them head-on."

"Thank you for your explanation, Elder Bai!" Wei He finally had a general idea.

From knowing nothing, he now had a basic impression of the Shaoyang Gate.

He then bid farewell to Elder Bai, left the Qingdu Sect's stronghold, and headed back.

Upon returning, he didn't immediately go to Shaoyang Mountain to find the Shaoyang Gate members. Instead, he obtained new poison powder from Cheng Shaojiu and made thorough preparations.

Besides lime, poison powder, and poisoned thorns, he also prepared a row of rusty awls soaked in sewage.

He bought the rusty scrap awls from a blacksmith shop and repurposed them, turning them into this row of deadly weapons.

In this chaotic era where medicine was scarce, being pricked by these rusty awls would easily lead to infection, festering, and symptoms of tetanus.

Wei He had been pricked by a rusty nail in his previous life, so he had specifically studied the principles of how tetanus infection occurred.

Tetanus infection generally requires two necessary conditions.

First: there must be a contaminant, such as rust or dirty water, entering the wound.

Second: there must be an anaerobic environment. Generally, deeper wounds, or wounds with blood clots and necrotic tissue, have a high chance of tetanus infection, even reaching 80% possibility.

In this way, these awls were quite cost-effective for Wei He, given his lack of poison.

After all, snake venom was too expensive, and he had no other way to acquire more poisons, so he could only make this most convenient and effective item himself.

Once tetanus infection breaks out, it can cause muscle spasms and permanent muscle stiffness, crippling martial arts at best.

At worst, it could lead to a high fever and death.

It was truly the cheapest and most cost-effective way to poison someone.

After making all the preparations, Wei He re-checked all his equipment, then created a map of the surrounding forces, and finally packed his dry rations and water.

He took leave from Master Zheng and headed to Shaoyang Mountain.

His primary objective was hunting, to first familiarize himself with the wild environment and prepare for future hunts of rare birds and exotic beasts.

Constantly spending money to buy tonics and meat for Blood Essence was too costly. Since others could catch them, he certainly could too.

Moreover, he had a deeper plan.

If war broke out, he would also need to be very familiar with the wild environment to prepare for leading people to escape in the future.