Fang Han glanced at them, picked one up casually, gently stroked the edge of the mask with his fingertips, and then examined the texture against the light.
These masks are of slightly better quality than the one I exchanged from the supplies store before, but the difference is only minor.
Wearing it on your face is enough to fool most people, but it probably won't fool those with keen eyesight.
Fang Han assessed the situation, put the mask back in the brocade box, and looked up to ask.
" Elder Liu, do you have any masks of even higher quality?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hui shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face.
"Fang True Disciple, Human Skin Mask are extremely technically demanding and difficult to make; these are already among the best."
"Then I'll choose this one."
Knowing there were no better options, Fang Han randomly picked one from the several brocade boxes and handed over the Identity Token.
Liu Hui took the token and instructed the disciple in Deacon to deduct the contribution points.
Soon, the disciple in Deacon returned to report that three thousand contribution points had been deducted.
Fang Han took the token, put the Human Skin Mask into his pocket, and got up to take his leave.
The newly purchased Human Skin Mask is of better quality, but the required contribution points are the same as before.
Clearly, the supplies department is hiding the good stuff, selectively serving only what's available.
At the time, his status wasn't high enough, so he couldn't offer the best quality items.
Now that I have the necessary status, I can finally extract the highest quality specimens.
The next morning.
After having breakfast, Fang Han hung his Silver-Gray Longsword at his waist, gave Qui Lan a few instructions, and then left the No. 35 Annex.
After leaving Azure Profound Sect, he found a secluded, dense forest.
He took out an ordinary gray robe from his Storage Ring and put it on, then covered his face with the Human Skin Mask he had just bought from the supplies store the day before.
The moment the mask touched my skin, a slightly cool sensation spread through me.
He walked to the stream and looked down at his reflection in the water.
It was a face around thirty years old, with ordinary features and a slightly yellowish complexion.
His eyes and brows bore the marks of years of travel and hardship, the kind of person you'd easily lose in a crowd.
Fang Han nodded slightly. This mask was indeed of better quality than the previous one, enough to fool most people.
"Whoosh!"
He determined the direction and headed towards a large city more than a thousand miles away.
With a swift movement, he had already traversed dozens of feet.
The autumn wind whistled in my ears, and the fields and trees on both sides rushed past.
At his current speed of Beginner stage the < Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps >, even without traveling at full speed, covering over a thousand miles would only take one or two hours.
He had his reasons for not buying intelligence in Azure Profound City.
Azure Profound City is too close to the Azure Profound Sect, so the people of Rain Listening Tower will definitely guess that he is a member of the Azure Profound Sect.
The reason I risked buying Chu Feng's information there was because he was just an ordinary disciple at the time, and his movements were restricted, so he couldn't leave the sect for long periods of time.
Now, there are no such concerns. Traveling a longer distance to a more distant branch is actually a safer option.
The sun gradually rises higher and moves closer to the center.
At noon, the outline of a large city appeared on the horizon.
The city wall, built of bluish-gray stone blocks, stretches for several miles, and the three large characters " Lin'an City " above the city gate gleam with a deep luster in the sunlight.
Fang Han slowed his pace and followed the flow of people entering the city through the city gate.
The city streets were wide and lined with shops on both sides. Although it was not as prosperous as the giant cities of the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures, it was still quite lively.
To save time, Fang Han found a vagrant near the city gate who specialized in guiding people and tossed him a small ingot of silver.
The idler was a thin, middle-aged man, dressed in a patched-up tunic. He took the silver with a broad smile, bowing low as he asked:
"Sir, where are you going?"
" Rain Listening Tower "
The idler didn't ask any further questions, but simply stepped aside to lead the way, saying:
"Please follow me, sir."
The two walked through several streets and alleys, and after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they stopped in front of a three-story wooden building.
The building had upturned eaves and corners, and the three characters " Rain Listening Tower " on the door plaque were written in a rather elegant style, giving it a more scholarly air compared to the surrounding shops and restaurants.
He tossed the idler a few coins, and the idler left with profuse thanks. Fang Han stepped through the gate.
The interior was elegantly furnished, with several pear wood tables and chairs arranged in a pleasing manner, and several landscape paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls. A faint Sandalwood Incense permeated the air.
A young Maid in a green dress stepped forward and gave a graceful bow. "Sir, are you here to purchase information?"
"Yes."
The Maid led Fang Han to a room, served him fragrant tea, and then retreated to the back hall to announce his arrival.
A short while later, footsteps were heard, and a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue robe walked out from the back hall.
This man was slender with a fair complexion, three short wisps of beard on his chin, and small but bright eyes. He was the Deacon of Rain Listening Tower here.
He sat down opposite Fang Han, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile:
"My surname is Zhou, and I am Deacon here. May I ask what kind of information you require, sir?"
" Thunderlight Pavilion."
Fang Han to the point, his voice neither too loud nor too soft.
"I need information on all the properties under the Thunderlight Pavilion."
Deacon Zhou paused slightly as he picked up his teacup, his gaze lingering for a moment on Fang Han's utterly ordinary face before returning to normal.
He didn't ask why, but simply put down his teacup and asked:
"Would you like brief information, or detailed information, sir?"
What's the difference?
"The brief intelligence includes only the industry name and location, priced at 200,000 taels of silver."
Deacon Zhou spoke calmly and unhurriedly.
"As for detailed intelligence, in addition to the above, we will also include a layout map of the industry, including important locations such as warehouses and mining areas, as well as the specific number and rank of the stationed martial artists."
He paused, his gaze falling on Fang Han.
"Two million taels."
Without hesitation, Fang Han took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and placed them on the table.
"Detailed information."
No matter what level of martial artist is in charge of the Thunderlight Pavilion, as long as it's not that Supreme Elder, they pose no threat to him.
However, the internal layout was very helpful to him, allowing him to find places like warehouses where supplies were stored more quickly.
Deacon Zhou counted the silver notes, and after confirming that everything was correct, his smile remained unchanged as he nodded slightly and said:
"Please wait a moment, sir."
He got up and went into the back room, his footsteps gradually fading away.
Fang Han picked up his teacup and took a small sip.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Deacon Zhou returned, carrying a thick booklet with over a hundred pages in his hands.
The booklet was bound in dark blue cloth, with no text on the cover except for a faint pattern of the Rain Listening Tower logo.
He placed the booklet in front of Fang Han: "Sir, this is the information you requested."
Fang Han took the booklet, glanced through a few pages to confirm it was correct, then put it in his pocket and got up to take his leave.
Deacon Zhou escorted them to the door, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:
"Please take care, sir."
After leaving Rain Listening Tower, Fang Han did not linger in the city and went straight out of Lin'an City.
Once the city gate was far away, he turned and darted into a dense forest beside the road.
The autumn forest is quiet, with ancient trees reaching for the sky, their branches filtering the afternoon sunlight into dappled patterns that fall onto the ground covered with fallen leaves.
Finding a secluded mountain hollow, Fang Han sat down on a blue stone, took out the thick booklet with over a hundred pages from his pocket, and began to read it.
It took Fang Han more than an hour to finally finish reading the intelligence report.
Thunderlight Pavilion's most important industries consist of five entities: a large gold mine, a large Medicine Garden, a large chamber of commerce, a large Thunder-Iron Mine, and a large silver mine.
In addition, there are dozens of medium-sized industries, and hundreds of small industries.
"Even making a fortune every day is not enough to describe it!"
After reviewing Thunderlight Pavilion's industrial structure, Fang Han couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
With such a vast business empire, he must have amassed at least hundreds of millions of taels of silver annually. No wonder he was able to issue assassination orders to a master-level killer.
"There are too many industries; it's unrealistic to raid every single one..."
Fang Han considered his next move and decided to first raid the five most important large properties of the Thunderlight Pavilion.
If Thunderlight Pavilion hadn't reacted in time, they would have looted dozens of medium-sized properties.
The looting continued until Thunderlight Pavilion realized what was happening and implemented countermeasures, at which point the looting yielded no further gains.
Fang Han closed the booklet, stored the intelligence he had bought for two million taels of silver into his Storage Ring, and then got up and left the mountains.
The autumn wind swirled through the mountains and forests, swirling up a few withered yellow leaves that swept past him.
"Whoosh!"
Fang Han discerned the direction, his figure blurred, and his gray afterimage stretched into a thin line as he headed towards East Foothills Prefecture.
More than a day later.
Fang Han concealed his aura and quietly appeared amidst a range of rolling mountains.
This is already the heart of East Foothills Prefecture.
He lay prone on an ancient tree on a mountain ridge, his gaze peering through the gaps in the branches and leaves towards the valley several miles away.
The sound of clanging and clattering could be heard from time to time in the valley, where Thunderlight Pavilion's large gold mine was located.
The mine was built against the mountain and covered a vast area. It was surrounded by a ten-zhang-high wall made of bluestone, with crenellations on top and watchtowers at each of the four corners.
The figures of disciples on guard could be vaguely seen moving back and forth on the wall, indicating a tight security.
Several huge mine shafts lay dark and gaping open, and even though it was already evening, miners were still pushing mine carts in and out.
The faint scent of mineral dust wafted through the air, mingling with the smoke billowing from a distant smelting furnace.
"Buzz--"
Fang Han did not act immediately.
He pushed the Shadowveil technique to its limit, his aura becoming as restrained as a withered tree trunk, his heartbeat slowing to almost a standstill.
Those calm eyes pierced through the twilight, sweeping over the layout of the mine.
At the entrance, eight disciples stood guard on either side, their swords gleaming coldly in the twilight.
Above the gate tower, a figure sitting cross-legged can be vaguely seen, his aura deep and composed, likely a martial artist of the Upper Third Grade.
Deeper inside, several independent stone houses are scattered in the heart of the mine. Judging from the aura, the residents should all be martial artists of the Upper Third Grade, with one of them even being First Grade martial artist.
"As expected of a large gold mine, the defenses are far superior to those of the Nether Pavilion's gold mine back then."
Fang Han thought to himself.
He didn't act rashly, but instead memorized the patrol patterns, shift change times, and locations of those powerful auras throughout the mine.
We'll act after nightfall.