Zheng Qian was interested in all three pieces of news he had heard.
The first concerned a Grandmaster-level technique, precisely what he urgently needed now. Even if it was only an incomplete technique, it was still valuable.
After all, if the technique were complete, it would have been taken in by one of the major powers long ago. It would never have ended up at an auction.
The second piece of news was related to Zheng Qian's objective on this trip. The Prefect's Mansion and the Li Family of the Four Great Families had both participated in the destruction of the Zheng Family, and the two sides had now begun arranging a marriage alliance. There was clearly something fishy going on.
Since he had heard about it, he was naturally interested.
As for the last piece of news, he was purely curious.
From those people's conversation, he already knew what the Meridian Flower was used for.
The Meridian Flower was the primary ingredient for refining the Meridian-Opening Pill. The Meridian-Opening Pill could help martial artists open the meridians in their bodies more effectively and quickly, thereby increasing their strength.
However, the Meridian-Opening Pill was only effective for martial artists in the Houtian Realm and Innate Realm. It was completely useless to Zheng Qian.
But what he was focused on was not the Meridian Flower or the Meridian-Opening Pill. It was that ruin.
Those people had obtained something as valuable as the Meridian Flower merely from the outermost area. What about the middle and even core regions?
Could there be treasures capable of increasing a Grandmaster's strength? Or perhaps some other rare treasures of heaven and earth, divine weapons, martial techniques...
Fortune came from danger!
Since he had encountered it, Zheng Qian naturally wanted to take a look.
Of course, all of this depended on him having the strength to protect himself. He had no intention of throwing his life away.
"I hope the technique at the auction can help me break through to the Grandmaster Realm. Otherwise, things will get troublesome..."
As he listened to the discussions rising and falling around him, a trace of longing appeared in Zheng Qian's eyes.
With his current strength, even if he saved up enough [Simulation Points] to continue simulating, the world he entered would inevitably still be a Low Martial World.
And in a Low Martial World, it was impossible for him to find a Grandmaster-level technique.
What about figuring out a way to break through on his own?
Who knew how many simulations that would take!
Therefore, the fastest method was to obtain a Grandmaster-level technique in reality, then enter a simulation and break through there.
Before long, Zheng Qian's food and wine arrived. He began tasting them one by one, but the flavor was nothing special.
There was nothing he could do about it. The seasonings in this world were nowhere near as varied as those from his previous life.
Naturally, the taste was somewhat lacking.
Still, compared with the food he had eaten before, the dishes at Zuixian Tower were far better.
About half an hour later, Zheng Qian finally left Zuixian Tower with a full stomach and a satisfied thirst.
During the time he had spent eating, he had also heard plenty of useful information.
For example, the rankings of the top ten experts in Ziyang City, all kinds of gossip about the Four Great Families, which notable powers existed in the city, and so on.
What interested him most were the top ten experts of Ziyang City.
Among these ten experts, five had reached the Half-step Grandmaster Realm, just like him. The remaining five were all experts at the Xiantian Peak.
Moreover, those five Half-step Grandmasters were different from him. They could actually use the qi in their bodies to fight!
Unfortunately, this was a closely guarded secret, and the people in the restaurant did not know how those five had managed it.
Or perhaps these people did not even know that qi damaged the meridians. They thought it was perfectly normal for a Half-step Grandmaster to use qi.
The five experts at the Half-step Grandmaster Realm came from the five major powers of Ziyang City.
The Zhao, Li, Wang, and Sun Families each had one, while the last was the Commandery Lieutenant of the City Guard.
As for the remaining five experts at the Xiantian Peak, they posed no threat to Zheng Qian, so there was no need to list them individually.
After leaving the restaurant, Zheng Qian first bought a simple map of Ziyang City.
It was not that he was unwilling to spend money on a more detailed one. There simply were not any for sale.
The reason was simple. In this era, detailed maps were generally connected to military affairs and counted as military secrets. No one dared to produce them casually.
Besides, this era had no satellites. All terrain had to be surveyed and recorded in person, which consumed a tremendous amount of manpower and resources. A slight lack of care could also lead to major inaccuracies.
Naturally, no one would do something so laborious and thankless.
Still, although it was only a simple map, it was enough for Zheng Qian.
According to the map, Ziyang City was divided into nine districts.
They were the East, South, West, North, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Central City Districts.
Each district had its own focus. For example, the Central City District was the most prosperous commercial district in all of Ziyang City. The South City District and Southwest City District were the civilian districts, while the Southeast City District was where the City Guard was concentrated...
The Prefect's Mansion, which concerned Zheng Qian the most, was in the East City District. Many officials lived there as well, including members of the Four Great Families.
After all, the reason the Four Great Families had been able to flourish for so long was that, besides their powerful martial strength, members of their clans had also occupied many important government positions for years.
"The East City District? This is troublesome..."
Looking at the crude markings on the map, Zheng Qian furrowed his brows slightly.
The East City District bordered the Southeast City District, where the City Guard was stationed. If anything happened, large numbers of fully armed City Guard soldiers would arrive within a quarter of an hour.
Besides, none of the Four Great Families were easy to deal with. Not only had they formed a massive alliance of offense and defense through intermarriage, but each family also had a Half-step Grandmaster guarding it.
He did not know whether he could defeat these Half-step Grandmasters who could use qi.
Moreover, even if he could withstand one of them, what if the other side disregarded all decency and ganged up on him? He might not even be able to escape.
So—
"Forget it. I'll let you live a few more days. I'll get that technique from the auction first, then we'll see..."
After thinking for a long time, Zheng Qian decided to wait for now.
In any case, so much time had already passed. If the other side had wanted to use the Azure Nether Jade to increase their strength, they would probably have done so long ago.
As for taking revenge right away—
He had merely inherited his predecessor's body. He did not even possess a trace of the man's memories. Helping him take revenge was only to shed his status as a wanted criminal, not because he absolutely had to avenge him.
If it threatened his own life, he naturally would not throw it away.
He had plenty of time. At worst, he could hide for a while and deal with it after his strength had increased.
Before he knew it, two days passed in a flash.
During those two days, aside from scouting the East City District, Zheng Qian had also exchanged all the antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jewelry, and ornaments in his Storage Space for banknotes.
Including the money he already had, he now possessed more than forty-three thousand taels of silver.
He had done all this naturally to prepare for the auction five days later.
As for whether this money would be enough to buy that incomplete Grandmaster-level technique, only heaven knew.
Before you continue