Purchasing Intelligence

Ji Qing was visiting Anyang City for the first time.

The reason he had traveled thousands of miles to Anyang City to "settle" Ji Yao was simple: Yun Niang had originally been from Anyang.

In other words, Anyang City was Yun Niang's maternal home.

Settling Ji Yao with Yun Niang's family was naturally the most suitable arrangement.

However, Ji Qing did not know much about Yun Niang's family.

He only knew that she had come from the Anyang Zhao Clan.

As for the specifics, Ji Qing knew nothing at all.

Ji Qing made a round of Anyang City. Trying to slowly inquire into the Anyang Zhao Clan would take far too long, and he might not even uncover anything useful.

He took a token from his robes, engraved with the two words "Listening Wind."

This was a Listening Wind Token. One could take it to the Listening Wind Tower and purchase any intelligence or information.

And Anyang City had a Listening Wind Tower.

Ji Qing walked straight inside.

Since it was still morning, the building was quiet and deserted.

On the surface, the Listening Wind Tower was a teahouse, but beneath that facade lay another world entirely.

"Honored guest, what tea would you like?"

The waiter eagerly received Ji Qing.

Ji Qing did not hesitate. He directly produced the Listening Wind Token.

At the sight of the token, the waiter's expression turned solemn.

"Honored guest, please follow me."

The waiter led Ji Qing to the rear. After passing through layer upon layer of mechanisms, they finally entered an underground secret chamber.

Candles burned within the chamber, where a voluptuous woman with her face veiled sat waiting.

"Does our esteemed guest wish to purchase intelligence or sell intelligence?"

the woman asked.

"I wish to purchase intelligence on the Anyang Zhao Clan. A simple introduction to their overall circumstances will do."

"The Anyang Zhao Clan? Ten taels of silver."

The woman quoted her price.

"So cheap?"

Ji Qing was somewhat surprised.

"The Anyang Zhao Clan's circumstances are common knowledge to nearly everyone. Since our esteemed guest only seeks ordinary intelligence, the price is naturally low. However, if you wish to learn more deeply after hearing this intelligence, that will be a different price."

Ji Qing nodded and took out ten taels of silver, tossing them onto the table.

Without changing expression, the woman collected the silver and then took out a sheet of paper, handing it to Ji Qing.

"Please have a look, esteemed guest. This contains intelligence regarding the Anyang Zhao Clan. If there is anything you do not understand, you may ask me. So long as it falls within the scope of the intelligence you purchased, I will answer free of charge."

Ji Qing examined it carefully.

It listed many members of the Anyang Zhao Clan.

For instance, who the clan head was.

What branches they had.

Which clan members held influence, and so on—it was all laid out with perfect clarity, understandable at a glance.

However, Ji Qing did not find Yun Niang's name on it.

Perhaps married women were not listed in the intelligence.

Thus, Ji Qing asked, "I would like to know which branch of the Zhao Clan Zhao Yun Niang, who married into Liang City a few years ago, belonged to. Who exactly are the members of Zhao Yun Niang's branch of the Zhao Clan?"

"Zhao Yun Niang..."

The woman pondered for a moment, then lowered her head and searched through a pile of documents.

"Fifty taels of silver."

That was the price of the new intelligence.

Ji Qing did not hesitate in the slightest, tossing out fifty taels of silver.

The woman handed over a sheet of paper. It recorded in detail the members of Zhao Yun Niang's branch and its current general circumstances.

Ji Qing indeed found Zhao Yun Niang's name.

It turned out Zhao Yun Niang's branch was merely a branch of the Anyang Zhao Clan, a minor line.

Zhao Yun Niang's branch was in business. They were a merchant family in Anyang City and possessed considerable wealth.

However, Zhao Yun Niang's parents had already stopped managing affairs. They stayed at home, playing with their grandchildren and enjoying their twilight years.

The business and clan affairs had largely been handed over to their eldest son, Zhao Yungui.

This Zhao Yungui was Ji Yao's biological uncle.

"A merchant family..."

Ji Qing was quite satisfied.

Merchants meant money.

Once Ji Yao returned to the Zhao Clan, she would not need to worry about expenses.

As for whether Zhao Yungui was willing to accept Ji Yao, that was no longer something Zhao Yungui could decide for himself.

"The Listening Wind Tower truly lives up to its reputation."

Ji Qing was very satisfied. He rose, preparing to leave.

Other than being expensive, the Listening Wind Tower had almost no flaws.

"Please wait, esteemed guest. We have intelligence concerning Ji Qing, the Liang City scholar ranked eighth on the Villain Ranking. Might our esteemed guest be interested?"

the woman suddenly asked.

"Hm?"

Ji Qing's expression turned cold.

"Please do not take offense, esteemed guest. We of the Listening Wind Tower only deal in intelligence. We concern ourselves with nothing else."

"Is that so? Then does that mean the Listening Wind Tower can also sell intelligence about me being in Anyang City?"

"In theory, yes, so long as someone can afford the silver."

"Then how much is my latest whereabouts worth?"

"At least five hundred taels of silver! After all, the Government Authorities' bounty alone is one thousand taels."

Ji Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had not expected intelligence on "himself" to be worth so much.

"If I kill all of you..."

"Please do not do that, esteemed guest. Intelligence on every person is sent out of the Listening Wind Tower at once. From the moment you entered our Listening Wind Tower, intelligence regarding you was already sent out. Even if you killed everyone in the entire Listening Wind Tower, it would be of no use."

"Furthermore, should you truly do so, the Listening Wind Tower will no longer conduct business with you. Worse still, our Listening Wind Tower will dispatch experts to hunt you down."

Ji Qing knew the woman was right.

If the Listening Wind Tower did not possess such methods, it would have been wiped out who knew how many times already. How could it possibly have grown so powerful?

Ji Qing gave the woman a deep look.

He truly still needed the Listening Wind Tower.

If Ji Qing wished to seek out traces of demons in the future, he might well need the Listening Wind Tower's intelligence support.

Falling out with the Listening Wind Tower would bring him no benefit whatsoever.

In the end, Ji Qing did not purchase intelligence on "himself."

Five hundred taels?

He would have to be insane to buy it.

However, his experience at the Listening Wind Tower had also made Ji Qing wary.

He had to settle Ji Yao as soon as possible.

Otherwise, once his whereabouts were exposed, someone might risk everything for the bounty.

Ji Qing quickly found out where Zhao Yungui's family lived.

He simply crouched outside the Zhao Residence.

After only a quarter of an hour, Ji Qing saw a sedan chair stop.

A rather prosperous-looking middle-aged man stepped down from the sedan chair.

Ji Qing immediately strode toward him.

"Zhao Yungui?"

Ji Qing called out.

"Hm?"

"Who is calling for me?"

The middle-aged man turned around and saw Ji Qing. He did not recognize him, and a trace of confusion appeared on his face.

"Master, be careful. That man has a blade on him. He may be someone from the Jianghu..."

The two guards at Zhao Yungui's side hurriedly moved closer to him.

Whoosh.

Ji Qing was still two or three zhang away from Zhao Yungui.

Yet at that moment, Ji Qing used Grass on Wings and instantly crossed that distance, arriving before Zhao Yungui.

"Protect the master..."

The guards immediately stepped forward, ready to protect Zhao Yungui.

Unfortunately, they were too late.

Clang.

With a crisp ring, Ji Qing drew his blade.

His blade had only one defining trait: speed!

When a blade became swift to the extreme, it could possess a dazzling beauty as well.

In everyone's sight, it seemed that nothing remained but that dazzling flash of blade light.

Only Zhao Yungui shuddered all over.

Because he felt a chilling coldness against his neck.

The blade light vanished.

A sharp long blade now rested against Zhao Yungui's neck.

Its edge had even sliced through a trace of skin on his neck, leaving behind a faint line of blood.

"Whatever silver you want, I'll give it to you! Spare my life, hero!"

Zhao Yungui's voice trembled.

As for the two guards he had hired at great expense, they were even more useless, utterly worthless.

They had even claimed to be renowned experts in the Jianghu.

And what happened?

The two had not even seen the blade light clearly before the long blade was at his neck.

"Who exactly are you? Anyone in the Jianghu with such blade techniques cannot possibly be a nobody!"

The two guards' expressions were also grave.

Outsiders watched the spectacle; insiders saw the technique.

With Ji Qing's strike just now, they had not even seen the blade light. Had it been aimed at them, that single slash would likely have killed them.

Ji Qing ignored the two guards and instead fixed his gaze on Zhao Yungui.

"Perhaps I should call you Uncle."

The moment those words fell, Zhao Yungui's expression changed dramatically!