Ximen

These yamen runners gave Ming Shu a feeling that each of them harbored a simmering rage that had been building for a long time. It wasn't that they needed to restrain themselves, but rather that they needed an outlet.

Ren Yuan merely gently blocked a yamen runner's shove for Chong Li and was immediately surrounded, accused of being taken back to the yamen for interrogation.

Just as they were about to erupt into conflict, a gap opened in the Earl's Mansion's gate, and Ming Shu and Old Zhao slipped out.

As for why they didn't try to be discreet and sneak out through a side door, that was a question for Lord Earl Ying himself, as he had personally instructed the butler to arrange it.

It was likely that he had some scheme in mind as well.

Ming Shu directly requested the butler's assistance, borrowing Earl Ying's local influence like a fox borrowing the tiger's might.

The old butler didn't hesitate, pulling a silver note from his sleeve and crudely, yet effectively, dealing with the patrol yamen runners.

After they left, the butler informed Ming Shu that they were the lowest-ranking yamen runners, only assigned to night patrols.

Which of the regular yamen runners would be out on patrol in the middle of the night? Unless they were desperate for money.

Giving them some cash and telling them to find a place to drink could solve such minor problems.

Because of Ming Shu's slightly reckless actions tonight, the rest of them no longer needed to split up or hide their relationship.

Moreover, Chong Li and the others had made a new discovery.

The four of them returned to the inn, to the same room. Chong Li organized the information he had gathered today and shared it.

The night market they had seen tonight, and the lights throughout the city, were actually dimmer than usual.

Many dockworkers were complaining of weakness and needing to buy medicine from Ximen Pharmacy, which was said to be very effective.

It made people more vigorous at night and less prone to fatigue during the day, giving them more energy for work.

Meanwhile, the poorer people who couldn't afford the medicine felt themselves growing weaker.

This was the most noticeable change in the city recently.

These people were mostly from the lower class and had not yet shown any signs of famine in Qing Shui County. Grain prices were still normal, not so high that most of the lower class couldn't afford even thin porridge.

They had even investigated the meat stalls in various markets, and all indications suggested that these people weren't starving.

Because some wealthy individuals, who were fine during the day but lacked vigor at night, also bought the special medicine from Ximen Pharmacy.

And those people, along with their families and servants, exhibited similar symptoms to the poor.

Without the medicine, they had no energy during the day and fell asleep early at night. It was clear that their vitality was steadily declining.

As for why the poor were experiencing this, Chong Li speculated that it might be due to something unclean nearby, though this possibility was unlikely. In such a densely populated area with so many people, and with the most affected being mostly young, able-bodied men.

They were the main labor force of their households!

Another guess was that someone had added something special to the nearby drinking water, which was a more probable scenario.

However, if that were the case, the situation should be more uniform, rather than the observed pattern where some were significantly affected while others remained relatively stable.

Some people living together were even unaffected.

Ren Yuan seemed to have an idea. He immediately went downstairs and bought some food from the inn, then visited the homes of some of the poor people they had previously inquired with.

He carefully compared those who were affected with those who were not.

He examined their food and even their drinking water; they were all basically shared. Two families were even relatives, yet their conditions were drastically different.

When Ren Yuan asked them if they had taken any medicine from Ximen Pharmacy, the answer finally surfaced.

The Ximen family was known for their great benevolence. He had several wives, one of whom regularly came to distribute porridge and medicine in this area.

Many people had taken medicine from Ximen Pharmacy that she had given out.

This situation had been going on for several years. They were controlling the dosage and delaying the outbreak of the problem.

They were definitely planning some major move.

It was just unclear what kind of severe consequences those drugs would have on so many people simultaneously.

What were the dangers?

When Ren Yuan shared his findings with Chong Li, they could basically pinpoint the Ximen family in the west of the city.

Their mansion was also just two streets away from the inn, not far away. And it was quite large.

While Ren Yuan was away, Ming Shu also briefly shared the intelligence he had gathered at Earl Ying's mansion with Chong Li, excluding the part about the sentience of all things. He told him almost everything, even his own discoveries and speculations.

Earl Ying was already planning to flee. And he was definitely heading south to rendezvous with King Chu.

The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty's standoff between north and south, and the potential for outright war, was becoming a foreseeable trend.

Earl Ying, possessing more secret intelligence, would certainly be clearer about the situation, especially King Chu's current arrangements.

He was causing trouble for the new emperor in various regions, even resorting to allying with the barbarians in the north.

After nearly a thousand years of division, the northern and southern Daoist Sects could be considered two different sects.

In the city, besides the pharmacy business, the Ximen family also had gambling houses and brothels, which they controlled and influenced directly or indirectly.

They even had people within the yamen.

It was a successful example of a merchant family transitioning into an aristocratic clan, much more perceptive than the Zhang family.

The Zhang family was blinded by their lust for power. They dug their own graves, and there's no one else to blame.

The Ximen family was much more stable. Moreover, while there was no concrete evidence yet, it could already be inferred that they might be colluding with the Barbarians.

In the city, it could be said that besides Earl Ying, who possessed that kind of influence, the other families could only be considered minor players against the Ximen family.

Chong Li did not have specific intelligence on the officials, led by the County Magistrate of the yamen, who represented the Immortal Dynasty. This introduced uncertainty.

It was impossible to determine which faction the County Magistrate belonged to, or if he was involved in the previous struggle between the princes. If he was one of those who opposed the new emperor, things would become difficult moving forward.

In essence, all the various forces within Qing Shui County had become enemies of the Demon Hunters and the Sky-Toppling Observatory.

Therefore, before that, the new mission for tomorrow was to try and see which forces could still be united.

At the very least, they couldn't push all of them to the enemy's side.

Aside from Earl Ying, who wanted to escape this vortex, those families that had been rooted in the area for hundreds of years would certainly be reluctant to give up their ancestral inheritance.

They owned vast tracts of land and a large population locally. Within the original rules, they lived carefree lives and were superior to others.

If unrest broke out and they were implicated, they could lose everything they had in an instant. Therefore, an attempt could be made, but without holding out too much hope.