You guys are still too young

At the same time, in a private room of an inn in Sunset Glow Town, 200 Li Away, three men in short tunics, Wandering Knights, were drinking and toasting.

Tossing a Fried Peanut into his mouth, one of the Wandering Knights, wearing a Blue Headscarf, chewed twice and asked, "Da Leng, did you cast your net out on your end?"

The Wandering Knight called Da Leng exhaled a breath of alcohol and poured himself another cup, saying, "Nonsense! Ba Tou gave the order, how could I not obey? I sent out all my informants a couple of days ago, didn't leave a single one behind."

"That's good. I see Third Brother is quite concerned about this matter, so we brothers need to act quickly."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Placing the wine pot back in the center, Da Leng's eyes darted around as he whispered, "Hey, have you two found out what the crime is that they're trying to catch this fugitive for? It's causing such a big commotion?"

The Wandering Knight who hadn't spoken all this time heard this and the corner of his mouth twitched. He moved his wine cup forward.

Da Leng understood the meaning at once and quickly picked up the wine pot to fill the man's cup, saying, "Xie Zi has the most information, ha. Quickly, tell us two, what rumors have you heard?"

Nodding with satisfaction, Xie Zi picked up his wine cup and took a sip, saying, "I'm only telling you because we're good brothers, but you absolutely cannot spread this."

"Don't worry!" Da Leng thumped his chest and roared, "The two of us are known for keeping our mouths shut tight. Just hurry up and tell us."

"Alright, come, come, Gather Closer and I'll tell you." Xie Zi beckoned to the two.

Da Leng and the other Wandering Knight were very cooperative and immediately leaned in.

Having put on enough of a show, Xie Zi no longer teased them and said in a low, mysterious voice, "I heard Gu Oldest ate Nails."

"Gu Oldest!?" The two were shocked at the same time. Da Leng even pressed further, "Gu Oldest has that kind of skill, and he ate Nails? Did he run into a master from some sect?"

"That's what we're investigating, but I heard there wasn't any major conflict, so the focus is on gathering information. We need to figure out the opponent's background first."

"Tsk, tsk, this is really no small matter. I need to calm my nerves." Da Leng said this as he picked up his cup and downed the wine in one gulp. "But I heard Gu Oldest is a master at the eighth stage of the Mystic Practitioner realm. Someone who could make him eat Nails... is probably at the Profound Master level, right? Asking us to investigate such a master, this...?"

As far as Da Leng knew, Qi Condensation was already a very powerful stage. The subsequent Mystic Practitioner, Profound Master, and Great Profound Master realms were completely for worship. As for the higher realms of Profound Spirit and Profound King, they were completely out of reach.

So, hearing that the gang had provoked someone who was suspected to be at the Profound Master level, he immediately felt a bit uneasy.

"Why are you scared of him!" The Wandering Knight with the Blue Headscarf slammed the Square Table. "Our Gang Leader is a Great Profound Master!"

"But that person might be one too, since it's not confirmed."

"Heh." At this moment, Xie Zi suddenly let out a scoff.

Hearing this, the two looked at Xie Zi and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Xie Zi shook his head, "Laughing at you two for being too young."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Da Leng asked, pouring Xie Zi another cup of wine.

"Do you really think the Yellow Gang, with only one Great Profound Master as its Gang Leader, could establish itself in the Jiangbei Region and thrive in just two years?"

"This..." Da Leng took a deep breath, feeling that what Xie Zi said made a lot of sense.

Jiangbei is a place where sects are numerous, and the disciples within each sect are more inclined to act as righteous heroes than the last. If not for their deep foundations, the Yellow Gang would likely have been uprooted long ago.

"Brother, I admire your insight, Xie Zi. Amazing, truly amazing. Then quickly tell us brothers, who is truly behind the Yellow Gang?"

"I don't know about that." Xie Zi answered straightforwardly. However, after finishing the wine in his cup, he added, "But I can be sure their backing is absolutely not small."

"What do you mean by that?" the blue-scarfed wandering knight asked eagerly.

"Well..."

Seeing Xie Zi being coy again, the blue-scarfed wandering knight grew anxious. "This drink is on me! Brother, please tell me quickly."

"Hahaha, Bie Niu really knows how to handle things. Then I'll tell you all about it properly." As Xie Zi spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and placed his right hand on the table. "Luo Yan Wu-Shen Tingyun, Duan Shan Zhang-Lin Yunjian. Have you heard of them?"

"No." The other two shook their heads simultaneously.

"Tsk." Xie Zi shook his head. "You guys are too out of touch with the news. How will you survive out there in the future?"

"But we have you, Xie Zi, so hurry up and tell us, tell us."

"Never heard of these two. Ding Tian Sect, Wen Shi Valley. You must know those, right?"

"I know these two!" Da Leng quickly interjected. "They're very famous sects from the Eastern Commandery. I've heard they have many experts."

"Correct. You still have some insight. Shen Tingyun and Lin Yunjian are disciples of those two sects. And at such a young age, they've already made a name for themselves in the JB District. You could say their future is limitless, but now... these two are already..." Xie Zi made a throat-slitting gesture as he spoke.

"Dead!?" Bie Niu asked in shock.

"Yes. And do you know why they died?" Seeing the two shake their heads, Xie Zi continued, "It's precisely because they meddled in our Yellow Gang's affairs!"

"Whoa!" Da Leng exclaimed, immediately energized. "Our Yellow Gang is that formidable?"

"I'm afraid it's not our Yellow Gang that's formidable, but the forces behind our Yellow Gang. So I guess our Yellow Gang is likely a lure set by some Great Demonic Cult, specifically to hook those elite disciples who think highly of themselves and are exceptionally talented. Then, when the time is ripe... they kill!"

"This, this, this..." Bie Niu suddenly stammered. "Killing the elite disciples of those major sects, won't those major sects send people to cause trouble for our Yellow Gang?"

"Cause trouble for what!" Xie Zi scoffed. "It's not people from our Yellow Gang who are doing the killing. Remember, our Gang Leader is just a Great Profound Master. How could he dare provoke these major sects? If those major sects were to kill us forcefully, then they would be slaughtering innocents, no different from a demonic cult. Alright, alright, I've said all I'm going to say. Figure out the rest yourselves. Remember, don't spread this around. This is all my own speculation, and it might not be accurate. Spreading rumors carelessly could cost you your head."

"Understood, understood. Ah, it's truly our brother who sees things so clearly. I didn't understand any of it at all. Come, let's drink, let's drink."

Afterward, the three brothers continued to drink heartily.

"Knock, knock, knock."

As the three were drinking and swaying their heads, a sudden knock came at the door.

"Who is it?" Bie Niu shouted.

"Boss, it's me, Dou San. I've brought news."

"Come in."

With a creak, the private room door was pushed open. Dou San walked in from outside, cupping his hands repeatedly. "My, my, all three bosses are here. This humble one pays his respects."

"Get to the point," Bie Niu said directly.

"Alright. Tian Shu just sent word that he saw six people enter the town, all wearing straw hats. Their description matches what you gentlemen said."

"Oh? Where!?" Bie Niu's eyes lit up.

On the other side, Li Fucheng and the other five were searching for a place to rest in Sunset Glow Town.

"Young... oh, Senior Brother, these straw hats are too ugly, and they're really uncomfortable to wear," Tang Tingshuang said with a slightly awkward expression.

After Li Fucheng heard this, he first glanced around. Seeing that he hadn't attracted attention, he replied, "Don't make that mistake again next time. Remember, I'm your Senior Brother! As for these straw hats, look, even someone as experienced in the jianghu as Brother Wang is wearing one. It must be useful. We've been too high-profile on this journey, which has caused so much trouble. We need to be careful from now on."

"Okay... I'll listen to you, Senior Brother," Tang Tingshuang nodded obediently.

PS: Gratitude to all the readers for your votes. We've reached 3000 recommendation tickets. Two more chapters are ready. In four hours, if we break 4000, I'll add another chapter!