Weixi Town?!
The sect leader cupping his fists froze, then smiled amiably.
"Senior Yang, you're talking about years ago. It's called Little Jianghu now."
Yang Gang was a figure from over thirty years ago, a veteran of the jianghu. Calling him senior was perfectly reasonable and would bring them closer. Why not?
Yang Gang shook his head with a cold laugh and stepped ashore. The lotus sank into the water as he said with a smile,
"Thirty-five years ago, I entered an immortal sect to cultivate. That same year, my younger brother joined the army. I thought both of us brothers had found a way forward."
"But I never expected that, just before I left the mountain, a fellow disciple would use a divination technique and calculate that my brother had died in Weixi Town-and that he'd died exactly thirty-five years ago!"
He held his blue steel sword and gave his arm a slight shake, making the blade ring crisply. Its humming reached their ears, carrying a considerable measure of murderous decisiveness.
"Since you've renamed Weixi Town Little Jianghu, I'll trouble you to find my brother's murderer. And anyone connected to the murderer, I will kill!"
By the time Yang Gang spoke these words, his voice was utterly icy. Qi Gang roiled around his body, cracking through his surroundings!
The four sect leaders' gazes sharpened. They instantly knew that Yang Gang was not someone they could defeat.
One of the sect leaders could only cup his fists helplessly.
"Senior, this all happened thirty-five years ago. We've only been in Little Jianghu... Weixi Town for ten years. How can we find a murderer from thirty-five years ago?"
The other sect leaders nodded in agreement. This truly put them in a difficult position.
Yang Gang narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over the four. Pointing his blue steel sword at the sect leader in front, he said coldly,
"The divination showed that this person is still in Weixi Town, still alive, and has never left Weixi Town in thirty-five years. Bring me the people who have never left. I have my own way of telling."
"Never left?" the sect leaders muttered, frowning again as they discussed it.
"If they haven't left in thirty-five years, they must be a native of Weixi Town. I'll have my subordinates investigate right away and give you an answer at once."
Yang Gang lowered his eyes without looking at the four sect leaders. Casually extending one hand, he raised three fingers and said indifferently,
"Six hours. I'll only wait six hours. If there's no news, I'll kill one of you first."
He spoke nakedly of killing, without a trace of feeling, as though slaughtering the four jianghu masters before him would take no more than a lift of his hand.
Cold sweat broke out down the four sect leaders' backs. They hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course."
Time passed with the sun's turning.
Birds cried as they swept across the sky, heading toward the mountain forests.
"Noisy." Yang Gang snorted and flicked a finger. A wisp of Qi abruptly shot from his fingertip and exploded in the sky, shattering the birds' bodies and scattering flesh and blood.
The four sect leaders swallowed. Yang Gang truly had a terrible temper; he even shot down passing birds.
If they failed to find any news, Yang Gang very likely would kill someone.
Six hours was not very long.
Soon, someone came to report.
"Sect Leader, after we renamed this place Little Jianghu, all the original residents of Weixi Town moved away. Not a single original resident remains now."
"Hmm?" Yang Gang snorted and raised his blue steel sword, his gaze murderous. "It seems one of you is destined to die today."
The four sect leaders hurriedly spoke up.
"Don't be hasty, Senior. Although they've moved away, we can find out where they went. As long as you give us time, we'll definitely find out for you."
"Yes, yes. Just give us a little more time, and we'll certainly find useful information for you."
Yang Gang laughed coldly. A strand of sword Gang rose from his blue steel sword as he replied to the four,
"Time is my greatest luxury right now."
The blue steel sword rang out explosively. Sword Gang detonated in the air, even whipping up fierce winds and sending the rushing waters surging upside down!
After the sword Gang passed, the sect leader at the very front opened his mouth feebly. An extremely distinct bloody line appeared across his neck.
With a heavy thud as he fell, the sect leader died completely.
The remaining three shuddered, trembling all over. They knew Yang Gang was not joking. He truly meant to kill.
A sect leader, a master of the jianghu, had died just like that.
Like a stray dog by the roadside or a pig raised in a pen, he had died without so much as a ripple.
A cruel smile spread across Yang Gang's lips. He extended his hand again, raised three fingers, and said with a smile,
"If there's still no useful news in six hours, I'll kill another one of you."
The three sect leaders trembled all over. Looking at their companion's corpse, from which hot blood was still flowing, they hurriedly nodded their assent and swiftly beckoned to their subordinates, ordering them to use every means to search.
The jianghu warriors under them dared not delay and hurried away. All of Weixi Town became exceedingly busy as the warriors rushed to and fro, gathering information.
The three sect leaders smiled apologetically at Yang Gang and asked respectfully,
"Senior, if you can perform divination, could you calculate some more information so we can search?"
Yang Gang replied with cold disdain, "An immortal's methods of divination have many restrictions. You can't simply calculate anything you want to know. You ordinary mortals don't understand, so don't speak recklessly."
"Yes, yes." The three sect leaders hurriedly nodded, not daring to say anything more. They lowered their heads in silence, hoping their subordinates could bring useful news soon.
Yang Gang's eyes were lowered when he suddenly asked, "What's the state of the jianghu now? Who's in charge, and what masters are there?"
The three sect leaders hurriedly answered.
"The martial alliance leader, Yue Qianqiu, is still in charge, but the masters have changed greatly. At the head of the current ten great masters is Zuo Feiyang of Old Temple Mountain. His internal power is as vast and solid as a mountain. He once crossed the sea alone and ascended three hundred meters into the sky, faintly displaying the bearing of an immortal."
Yang Gang gave a disdainful chuckle and commented, "A frog at the bottom of a well. How can that be called the bearing of an immortal? It's merely crossing the sea and ascending into the sky."
The three sect leaders hurriedly cupped their fists and bowed their heads. "Compared to a true immortal like you, Senior, Zuo Feiyang naturally falls short in many ways."
"Continue," Yang Gang said contemptuously.
The three sect leaders continued listing them.
"Second is the supreme master of the Constabulary, below one man and above ten thousand in the imperial court-the head of the Constabulary, Nine Thousand Years."
"Heh." Yang Gang still shook his head disdainfully. "The Great Song Dynasty can barely hold on. Who knows how many times the emperor has come to my master, begging him to emerge into the world? This Nine Thousand Years is merely at the pinnacle of mortals."
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right, Senior," the three sect leaders hastily agreed, then continued.
"Third is Guiji, the eminent monk of the Dragon-Raising Temple. But the eminent monk Guiji hasn't appeared in the world for five years. Rumor has it that he's in closed-door seclusion until he breaks through or dies. No one knows his exact situation now."
At the mention of the Dragon-Raising Temple, a distinct flicker crossed Yang Gang's eyes. He nodded, his tone losing some of its earlier intense contempt as he said,
"The Dragon-Raising Temple is passable. They have a few tricks. Their foundation dates back two hundred years."
The three sect leaders were somewhat surprised by this inside information, but dared not ask further. They merely went on to describe each of the remaining masters in turn.
"Is that all?" A disdainful smile spread across Yang Gang's lips. "The jianghu of today hasn't advanced at all. Instead, it's only going backward."
The three sect leaders hesitated, then continued, "Actually, besides the ten great masters, there are two immortals who aren't included in the rankings because they're too strong."
"Oh?" Yang Gang raised his brows, clearly somewhat surprised by these two immortals, and laughed coldly.
"Who are they, to dare make their names as immortals?"
The three masters hurriedly nodded. "You certainly know the first. He's your master, the first immortal of the Great Song Dynasty."
Yang Gang nodded. "Yes, I naturally know that. My venerable master certainly shouldn't be ranked alongside ordinary mortals. But..."
His gaze sharpened, flashing with cold light as he asked icily, "Just who dares rank alongside my master and be called one of the two immortals?"
"Thirty-five years ago, when I entered the immortal sect, I never knew there was such a person in this world. Could some stray cat or dog have suddenly popped up, performed a few tricks, and made you believe they were real?"
The three sect leaders hurriedly shook their heads and explained.
"There's something you don't know. This immortal emerged within the past thirty-five years. They say his strength can shatter mountains, and a single drop of water is enough for him to kill someone. He used to be the mayor of this very Weixi Town."
Yang Gang narrowed his eyes. "If he can shatter mountains, that certainly counts as an immortal's means. But have you seen it?"
The three sect leaders shook their heads. "That happened ten years ago. We've only heard rumors too, but so many people have said it that it ought to be true. Perhaps the former residents of Weixi Town know..."
At this point, the three sect leaders suddenly paused, as though remembering something. After a moment's hesitation, they continued.
"If we're talking about someone who stayed in Weixi Town for thirty-five years and never once left, he should count as one too."
"But he's an immortal. We're afraid..."
Yang Gang's expression turned cold. His blue steel sword hummed as he asked, "Afraid of what?"
"We're afraid it would displease him. And this immortal is currently in seclusion," the three sect leaders hurriedly said.
"Seclusion?" Yang Gang gave a cold, disdainful smile. "Does being in seclusion mean I'm not allowed to go and take a look? He's an immortal, but so am I."
"And I'm a real immortal. He might not be. Between real and fake, fake is the likelier word."
"Besides, even if he really can shatter mountains, so what?"
A trace of madness appeared on Yang Gang's face. The blue steel sword in his hand hummed as he laughed arrogantly.
"Who's to say I can't?!"