The head of the powerful family devours 100,000 humans every time he awakens.
Although the old man's words were tragic, they also contained a lot of useful information.
"A patriarch of a powerful family? He's probably a demon!"
Xu Long thought to himself, but his face remained expressionless.
Regardless of the reason, he has no intention of keeping these so-called aristocratic families around.
If possible, wipe them all out, leave no one alive.
Now that he's here, this world will eventually be Fusion into the Great Wilderness.
When that time comes, we'll still have to deal with these things.
There is no right or wrong in racial wars, only different perspectives.
As a human being, Xu Long naturally has to consider the interests of humanity in everything he does.
Since these powerful families are cannibals, they deserve to be torn to pieces.
Of course, the Yin Nest can't be ignored either; we need to find a way to deal with it as well.
What is a " Yin Nest "?
Xu Long asked.
I don't know who this old man is, but he should be able to answer many of my questions.
" The Yin Nest? Nobody knows what it is! When I was young, I asked my master about it. He just shook his head and told me that the Yin Nest is the sin of all living beings."
The old man sighed, as if reminiscing, "At first, I thought it was truly a sin, but as time went by, as I experienced more and more, and as I grew older, I realized that this sin was not the sin I thought it was, but rather a punishment sent down by heaven."
"The sins of all living beings? That's interesting!"
Xu Long nodded, without offering much of an opinion.
Having encountered numerous demons, monsters, and bizarre deities, Xu Long was practically immune to this kind of thing.
What could be more absurd than Ghost Demons?
The wrath of the heavens came with the power to destroy the world.
Even if this Yin Nest is eerie, can it compare to Ghost Demons?
"Fellow Daoist, do you know which school you belong to? I am Lan Shou, a military officer of the Good People Bureau."
The old man bowed to Xu Long and said...
He dared not judge Xu Long's age, because once one's cultivation reaches a certain level, it is very easy to change one's appearance.
Some old folks like to do this; even when they're practically buried up to their eyebrows, they still act like they're still young.
"A hermit, unaffiliated with any sect or school, living a secluded life in the mountains."
"I see!"
Upon hearing Xu Long's words, the old man stopped asking questions.
He knew Xu Long didn't want to say more, and if he continued to ask, he wouldn't get any useful information and might even provoke hostility.
In this era, human survival is already difficult, and every bit of strength is extremely precious.
Avoid internal losses if possible.
However, Lan Shou was also quite puzzled.
Despite possessing the strength to escape unscathed from the Yin Nest, why does he seem like a novice inexperienced youth?
Could it be acting?
Lan Shou recalled his experience from over a decade ago, when he had a similar experience and sealed away his memories, pretending to be weak and pitiful.
However, only the heads of prominent families possess such abilities.
Could it be...?
Thinking of this, a sense of vigilance suddenly welled up in Lan Shou's heart.
However, he soon discovered that Xu Long had no aura whatsoever.
"Well, what's meant to be will be.
Lan Shou sighed. Even if he really was the head of a powerful family, there was nothing he could do.
The contracts were signed with these powerful families to avoid major conflicts.
The Good People Bureau Mansion promised to provide 100,000 humans for consumption should the head of a noble family awaken naturally. In return, the head of the noble family must remain asleep, and each awakening must not exceed six months.
In addition, the Good People Bureau is not allowed to arbitrarily hunt down the descendants of aristocratic families, and aristocratic families are not allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of the country.
It appears to be maintaining a balance with the powerful families, but in reality, it's just prolonging its existence.
Because each time the patriarch awakens, his power increases.
The Good People Bureau is constantly being drained by dealing with evil spirits.
With this shift in power, it won't be long before the Good People Bureau completely loses its deterrent power and is devoured by the powerful families.
But there was no other way; if they didn't do this, the Good People Bureau families and evil spirits, and humanity would have no hope of survival.
"Why..."
With a helpless sigh, Lan Shou didn't say much to Xu Long and turned to leave.
"The situation seems to be more complicated than I imagined."
Watching Lan Shou's desolate figure, Xu Long's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
This old guy's cultivation level isn't high, only at the Body Integration Stage, but he harbors an extremely powerful force within him. If it were to erupt, he could reach the Tribulation Transcendence Stage in a short time.
However, this power is related to his soul, and once it erupts, he will surely die.
Xu Long's doubts didn't stem from this, because even dozens of Lan Shou couldn't kill him.
Xu Long wondered what kind of situation could make Lan Shou so disheartened.
" The Good People Bureau, the Commandant, the Noble Family, the Yin Nest..."
Xu Long murmured to himself, having formed a general idea in his mind.
He did not pursue Lan Shou because he did not intend to clash with the local forces for the time being.
His intuition told him that the strong in this world should be difficult to deal with, or rather, extremely difficult to deal with.
Xu Long sensed a sharp edge emanating from Lan Shou, an edge akin to that of Martial Cultivation.
Upon retrieving the aircraft, it was discovered that the damage was much less than expected.
Since it's a closed energy circuit, it will continue to operate normally as long as the external pressure doesn't exceed the limit.
With the aircraft, Xu Long's speed increased significantly.
Almost two days later, they finally discovered a new town.
This is a real human settlement, not a place like the Yin Nest, filled with evil spirits and ghosts.
It was bustling with people, not particularly prosperous, but passable.
This place is called Pingshan County, with a population of just over 100,000, just enough for the head of a certain aristocratic family to have a meal once.
To be honest, Xu Long had been considering these issues ever since he heard Lan Shou's words.
What would happen if the head of a powerful family were killed?
What are those patriarchs of noble families who remain in a state of perpetual slumber?
Of course, thinking about these things now is useless. You'll never know who's stronger or weaker if you don't confront those things.
Upon arriving in Pingshan County, Xu Long immediately headed to the brothel.
Don't get me wrong, Xu Long wasn't going to solicit prostitutes; he was going to gather information.
In ancient society, communication was underdeveloped, so there were three best places to gather information.
Government offices, brothels, and inns.
The prefectural and county governments represent official power; if you rashly enter their territory, they might ignore you, which is a minor issue. In most cases, they will take direct action.
After all, it's Xu Long to believe that there's no problem with a stranger asking to check the local gazetteer.
Brothels and inns are similar in that they have a large flow of people from all walks of life.
However, brothels were frequented by high-ranking officials and talented men, and the industry was much more upscale than that of inns.
After all, wealthy and powerful people all have cooks at home, and unless a particular inn has exceptionally special food, they won't go to an inn more than twice a year.
"Oh, sir, you've finally arrived! My Lian'er has been talking about you every day, she can't eat or drink, she's been waiting for you!"
As soon as I entered the brothel, the madam came to greet me.
Even though it was their first time there, the madam acted like a regular customer.
This wasn't hypocrisy, nor was it a mistake by the brothel owner; it was a rhetorical device to bridge the gap between the customer and the brothel.
As for Lian'er, whom she mentioned, she is most likely the top courtesan of the brothel.
Even if they're not the top star, they have to be second only to the top star.
These people of the night are masters of reading between the lines; one look at Xu Long and they knew he was no ordinary man.
He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a resolute face.
Although he was dressed very simply, the madam could still tell from her experience that he was a capable person.
Such people need to be treated well. I don't expect to treat them to the highest level of comfort, but they absolutely cannot be neglected.
"Any free ladies out there? Take me upstairs. Don't worry about money, I have nothing but money."
Xu Long pulled a gold ingot from his sleeve, waved it a few times in front of the madam, and then stuffed it into her cleavage.
And of course, don't forget to give it a massage.
The madam wasn't particularly old; she looked to be only thirty-five or thirty-six.
As the saying goes, even a woman past her prime can still retain her charm.
The madam wasn't quite middle-aged yet, but she still retained her charm.
"Alright, sir, please go ahead!"
You don't even need to bite it; just a quick lift and you'll know it's real gold.
The madam, beaming, swayed her large buttocks and led the way.
As the saying goes, money makes the world go round, and this ten-tael gold ingot directly caused the madam to lose all her morals.
If Xu Long hadn't refused, he probably would have just sat on the whip and moved it himself.
People in the world of prostitution have long since lost all sense of shame.
It's not uncommon for a madam to personally take charge of the operation.
Don't assume she's interested in you. Women with such skills are devoid of emotion; they're purely after money.
Of course, it could also be for your kidneys.
Women are heartless, actors are ungrateful.
Our ancestors' words are very true!
" Lian'er is entertaining guests right now. I'll have Ruyue keep her company for now. We can go later when Lian'er has some free time."
The madam winked at Xu Long, but instead of moving away, she pressed herself against him.
Judging from his gait and the outline of his trousers, the madam, with her rich experience, deduced that Xu Long was a very magnanimous person.
Since I'm just killing time anyway, and I'm being so generous, I might as well make some extra money.
However, Xu Long wasn't that desperate. He glanced at her and said, "Call two more. One isn't enough."
"All right!"
Seeing that Xu Long refused, the madam sighed helplessly and had no choice but to give up.
Pingshan County is small, and this brothel only has three floors, but the quality of the girls is very good.
Besides Ruyue, there were actually two more.
Ruyue looked to be in her late teens, delicate and frail, very young.
He didn't have any of those chaotic auras, clearly indicating that he only sells his art, not his body.
The other two were no good; they had been with at least a hundred men, and their bodies were already riddled with holes.
Fawning over one person makes you a simp; fawning over a hundred makes you a player.
Similarly, were these two women the ones being played, or were they the ones playing others?
After all, ducks are much more expensive than chickens, and those men have to pay for them.
"Young Master!"
Ruyue bowed to Xu Long but did not get too close.
A courtesan who sells her body but not her art is simply like that.
"Come here and sit on my whip!"
He beckoned to Ruyue, and she immediately got up and sat down inside.
"You two can leave."
Xu Long casually tossed two silver ingots to the two skilled women, then reached inside Ruyue's clothes.
This Ruyue is not human, or rather, not a pure human, but a hybrid of a yokai and a human.
This brothel is quite unusual; one of the women, even slightly less prestigious than the top courtesan, possesses the blood of a demon.
I wonder what breed that Lian'er is.
Xu Long did not use his mental power to avoid alerting the enemy.
The more I learn about it, the more extraordinary this world seems.
Therefore, everything must be done with caution.
"Young Master..."
Ruyue's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed.
With her arms wrapped around Xu Long's neck, her mouth slightly open, her eyes glazed over, she was completely lost in a daze.
"I have something I'd like to ask you."
Xu Long put his arm around Ruyue's slender waist and said.
"Young... Young Master... ask... ah... Ruyue will... definitely... um... tell... everything she knows... oh..."
Ruyue answered, panting heavily.
What are "noble families"? What is the Yin Nest "?
Xu Long asked.
"Aristocratic families..."
About half an hour passed, and Xu Long finally figured out what was going on in this world.
He had anticipated that the world might be very complex, but he never expected it to be even more complex than he had anticipated.
This world is mainly divided into three major forces: the Good People Bureau families, and the royal families.
Good People Bureau is a human power, backed by the Great Tang, and those monks and Daoists are all part of the Good People Bureau.
However, the main fighting force of the Good People Bureau is not them, but rather the warriors and chivalrous men.
A martial artist is someone who practices martial arts, undergoing six difficult trials: skin tempering, bone forging, tendon and fascia strengthening, bone marrow strengthening, Blood-Changing Realm, and Organ-Replacing Realm, ultimately enabling them to contend with powerful families and kings.
Knights-errant are those who die for their cause; from the day they become knights-errant, they are destined to die without a burial place.
But for the sake of human survival, many people still choose to become knights-errant.
Ruyue didn't know much about chivalrous figures either.
She was merely a branch of the Tushan Clan and had no access to those secrets.
All that is known is that heroes are few in number, each one extremely precious, and they rarely intervene unless the situation becomes unmanageable.
The powerful families were like demons, mutually restraining and assisting the Good People Bureau, because they shared a common enemy: the kings and nobles.
Demons want to eat people, but they also want to protect them; this relates to a strategy for sustainable development.
But kings and nobles are different; they are filled with resentment towards all living things and instinctively destroy all living beings.
The system of kings and nobles differs from that of aristocratic families. Apart from a king, the former are scattered in various places and only gather when summoned by the king.
Aristocratic families, on the other hand, rely on blood ties to form a clan-like structure.
The King and the Marquis are evil spirits, cruel and ruthless, and are considered the greatest enemies of the Good People Bureau and the aristocratic families. Only through cooperation between the two sides can they be defeated.
However, humans and demons are different, and it is impossible for them to truly let their guard down. As a result, cholera broke out throughout the Great Tang Dynasty, and many humans died every moment.
That's right, the setting of this world is the Great Tang.
The so-called "Good People Bureau" is actually a heavily modified version of "The Bad People" and "Lingyan Pavilion".
At its peak, Lingyan Pavilion had twenty-four generals, but more than half of them were lost in battles against powerful families and princes.
Below him were over a hundred governors, all under the leadership of the Sword Saint Pei Min.
Below them were captains like Lan Shou, numbering in the tens of thousands.
The lowest rank was the patrolmen, whose numbers were countless.