Chapter 6: Various Means of Gathering Information

Fighting when you have the upper hand and killing without mercy, then pleading for your life and begging for mercy when you are losing—this is the mindset and survival strategy of many a scoundrel. However, that does not work with Qin Anyu.

The consistent philosophy of the Immortal Emperor Wuwu is: If others do not offend me, I shall not offend them; if they do offend me, I shall make their lives a misery.

Hearing his cold, indifferent voice, Shopkeeper Wang shuddered. It was too cold—a chill that bit into his very marrow, making it feel as if his blood and thoughts were freezing over.

After taking two deep, consecutive breaths, he said, "Young Master Qin, my gang did target you, but you are still perfectly fine. Looking at your current actions, how are they supposed to survive in the future? If you refuse to reconcile, you will have to face twenty more people, and our gang leader is at the ninth realm."

Qin Anyu looked at You Xikun and asked, "I want to hear your decision."

He held nothing but contempt for petty verbal sparring. If one could be forced to retreat by a few meager schemes, what was the point of cultivation? The only thing that truly commanded authority was one's fists. Among these people, You Xikun was the one with the strongest fists; not only was he the gang leader, but he was also the only one at the ninth realm.

Being singled out, You Xikun’s expression turned solemn. After a moment, he said, "Sikun, you go and test him. Remember, be careful."

You Sikun was his younger brother and the only eighth-realm expert in the Eagle Gang. Hearing his brother call him into battle, he struggled to control the trepidation in his heart, gripped his broadsword, and leaped forward. "Let me test your mettle!"

His first step landed on the grass, his second closed the distance to Qin Anyu, and he swung his sword toward the top of his opponent's head. Suddenly, he saw his opponent move. The speed was as swift as a lightning bolt. He hurriedly raised his blade to block, only to see the figure already upon him, the black sword slashing upward.

In a flash of light, his body felt light. Looking down, he realized his right hand, which had been gripping the sword, was gone, and his right leg... was gone too. In a daze, he slammed into the ground and slid forward. As he slid, he heard a roar: "Qin Anyu, I will kill you!"

*My brother is angry; he will avenge me... This Qin Anyu, his speed is so fast.* With these thoughts, he lost consciousness.

He never imagined that his brother would not strike immediately. The leader had merely shouted that roar before standing in the veranda, gasping for breath. It was impossible that he wanted his brother to die; he had only wanted him to test Qin Anyu’s strength so he could devise a solution acceptable to both sides. He had not expected that his eighth-realm brother would be reduced to a one-armed, one-legged cripple just like the others before he could even react. He was furious and longed to attack, but in the end, he did nothing, standing there trying to steady his ragged breathing.

With the deputy leader in such a state and the leader refusing to move, the others were even less inclined to intervene. They all stole glances at Qin Anyu, terrified that he might launch a surprise attack. The scene fell into such an eerie silence that, were it not for the severed limbs, the blood, and the unconscious bodies on the ground, one might have thought they were holding some kind of silent ritual.

After thirty seconds or so, Qin Anyu looked up at the sky and said indifferently, "I have other things to attend to. I will give you a count of five. One!"

Someone in the crowd sneaked a peek at him, then lowered their head.

"Two!"

Someone in the crowd glanced at You Xikun, then stared at their own toes.

"Three!"

A person began to tremble, cold sweat breaking out.

"Four!"

Two people shouted simultaneously, "I will tell you everything I know!"

Once someone broke the ice, others followed. Soon, over a dozen people voiced the same intention.

Qin Anyu said, "Those who are willing, stand over here."

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*

Over a dozen people moved to the designated spot, leaving only four standing where they were.

Qin Anyu said coldly, "Go, kill those four."

The four men were shocked and furious: "Qin Anyu, you are despicable!"

He offered no response. Despicable? It was just a small trick to save a little energy; even trash had its uses. The dozen men hesitated for a moment, then, with ruthless glints in their eyes, raised their blades and charged.

Just then, You Xikun stepped forward with his broadsword. Everyone thought he was coming to help, so they slowed their pace, their eyes involuntarily flicking toward Qin Anyu. They did not expect You Xikun to step onto a stone table in the courtyard, turn, and push off with all his might—launching himself onto the roof of the veranda.

He was fleeing!

This left everyone stunned. His brother was bleeding to death, his subordinates were about to slaughter each other, and yet the leader, the one with the highest combat power, was actually fleeing out of fear. To serve such a man as leader—was it not laughable?

What happened next stunned them even more. A black shadow flashed by, followed by a heaven-shaking scream from You Xikun. He collapsed onto the edge of the roof and fell to the ground... a sword was buried in his abdomen.

These two major shocks finally woke the remaining four. They dropped their swords, fell to their knees with a thud, and shouted, "I am willing!"

*Good grief!* Hearing that shout, Qin Anyu felt goosebumps all over. Rubbing his face, he said, "Those who can write, write down what you know; those who can't, line up and tell me."

"Boom..."

The crowd quickly dispersed. Three people sat in the corridor, taking out paper and ink, while the others threw down their swords and queued up three feet away from him. It turned out that very few could actually write.

Glancing at the shifting eyes of Shopkeeper Wang, then at the line, he said, "Begin."

The first person, a fifth-realm expert, walked up with small steps and, at his gesture, leaned in to whisper in his ear. After speaking, the man walked to the spot Qin Anyu had designated. After six people had finished, Shopkeeper Wang took two deep breaths, stepped out of the veranda to the stone table that You Xikun had half-crushed, took out his writing implements, and began to write rapidly.

In the end, he had made up his mind.

When there were still nine people left in line, the three who had been writing in the corridor handed their stacks of paper to Qin Anyu. By the time everyone had finished speaking, Shopkeeper Wang was still scribbling furiously. Qin Anyu was not in a hurry; he sat there and waited patiently.

Finally, after another incense stick of time, Shopkeeper Wang handed over a thick stack of paper, seven or eight times thicker than the combined work of the other three. Qin Anyu took the manuscript and slowly flipped through the pages, observing some of the people out of the corner of his eye.

After flipping through a dozen pages, he said, "You may leave now."

The information provided by Shopkeeper Wang was more extensive than the others, but everything they had said was contained within his notes and matched perfectly, proving that none of them had lied. Since they had not lied, he would honor his promise.

To his surprise, after he spoke, none of them moved.

"Can we really leave?" After a moment, a voice full of doubt emerged.

Qin Anyu asked coldly, "Or were you hoping to stay for a meal?"

A fourth-realm expert slowly moved toward the gate, his eyes fixed firmly on Qin Anyu. Similarly, while the others dared not move, they kept one eye on that man and one eye on Qin Anyu. Finally, the fourth-realm expert reached the gate. Seeing that Qin Anyu made no move, he took a deep breath, dashed out, and vanished from sight.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they all stumbled at the same time. The stumble wasn't from fear or anxiety, but because their eyes had been forced to look in two different directions for too long; they were dizzy. Once they adjusted, some ran toward the gate, while others walked normally.

Soon, only Qin Anyu and Shopkeeper Wang remained in the courtyard.

Shopkeeper Wang walked up to him and said with great humility, "Young Master Qin, could you allow me to take You Xikun away? He once saved my life." He seemed to think his status carried some weight.

Qin Anyu asked coldly in return, "What do you think?"

Shopkeeper Wang let out a sigh, his already thin frame appearing even more hunched. He walked toward the gate, his back bent low.