ATPnovel Chapter 6 Gathering Information
Chapter 6 Gathering Information
In his mind, the text of the "Qingyang Purification" chapter floated quietly, and the reward words "Complete Inheritance of the Supreme Skill 'Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms'" shone with a faint golden light in the depths of his consciousness, exuding an indescribable weight and majesty.
"The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms..."
It was actually this legendary palm technique, known for its unparalleled ferocity and ability to shatter evil.
As the most widely circulated yet most unattainable legend in martial arts novels of the past, this ultimate skill is hailed as the "ultimate external martial arts." Its essence lies in "utmost power and unwavering resolve, with no regrets in its strikes." While the moves appear simple and unadorned, their essence is unfathomable. Its power is incomparably mighty, like the Yangtze River, flowing endlessly; or like Mount Tai pressing down, unstoppable. When mastered, the palm strikes are indestructible, capable of destroying all soft, evil, and external hard martial arts.
Supreme power, unyielding strength, a palm strike with no regrets? Chen Xuan recalled the overwhelming, unstoppable force of the Yi Jin Jing within him when he crushed the marriage certificate and shattered the longsword today. If only he could possess a palm technique that could unleash this power to its fullest potential…
He composed himself, ceasing his pursuit of the system's mysteries. His immediate priority was dealing with the crisis at hand. The appearance of the system's mission merely confirmed his judgment—a resolution was necessary between him and the Black Wind Sect.
The next day, at dawn. The thin mist had not yet dissipated as Qingyang City slowly awoke from its slumber. Chen Xuan changed into a more practical dark gray outfit and quietly left through the side gate of the Chen residence. This was his first time leaving the Chen family and entering this world.
His first target was the "Old Tea Soup" stall in the East Market. This wasn't an ordinary breakfast stall; the owner was a lame, one-eyed old man surnamed Hu. Nobody knew his full name; everyone called him "Hu the Cripple." His tea soup was mediocre, but this place was one of the most well-connected places in Qingyang City, known for its wide network of information among all sorts of people. Hu the Cripple himself was said to have been a江湖混子 (jianghu hunchback, a term referring to the underworld and江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖江湖乐子) in his youth. After injuring his leg, he set up a stall here, but his network of connections never disappeared.
Chen Xuan walked to the stall and found a corner table to sit down. "A bowl of tea soup and two steamed buns."
"Alright, please wait a moment, sir." Hu the Cripple worked quickly and soon brought out the food.
Chen Xuan ate his steamed buns slowly and drank his slightly hot tea, while his ears caught the various noisy discussions coming from the stall and even the surrounding streets and alleys.
Sure enough, after a short while, the conversation of a few men who looked like laborers at the next table caught his attention.
"...Have you heard? Things weren't peaceful in the west of the city last night!"
"What's wrong? What happened again?"
"It seems like they were from the Black Wind Sect; they suffered a major loss in 'Wild Dog Alley'!"
"Black Wind Sect? No way! In Qingyang City, who would dare provoke the Black Wind Sect?"
"It's absolutely true! My cousin's neighbor's second son was a night watchman in Wild Dog Alley and saw it with his own eyes! He said that early in the morning, he saw that the gate to the Poison Wolf Gang's dilapidated courtyard was gone, the courtyard was a mess, and several people were lying there, all leaders of the Poison Wolf Gang. The least badly injured had broken arms and legs! The Poison Wolf Gang leader, 'Green-Tailed Wolf' Tu Laosan, was in even worse shape. I heard that a piece of his chest had collapsed, and he was only breathing out, not in!"
"Hiss—who did this? So ruthless! They even dared to take down the Poison Wolf Gang? Isn't this a slap in the face to the Black Wind Sect?"
"I don't know, not a word got out. They were ruthless and efficient, like... revenge? But I haven't heard anything about the Poison Wolf Gang messing with any tough guys lately."
"Could it be... related to the Chen family? Wasn't it rumored yesterday that Liu, the leader of the Black Wind Sect, was defeated by the Chen family?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you crazy?!" Someone immediately stopped them anxiously. "You can't just make wild guesses about this!"
The laborers immediately fell silent, quickly finished their meal, paid the bill, and left.
Chen Xuan put down the half-eaten steamed bun in his hand, his eyes thoughtful. The Poison Wolf Gang was attacked last night? That was unexpected news. The Poison Wolf Gang was one of the most ruthless lackeys of the Black Wind Sect, entrenched in the West Market, committing countless atrocities. Who was behind it? What was their purpose? Was it aimed at the Black Wind Sect, or just a coincidence?
He remained calm and continued listening. Several other groups of people discussed the matter, with similar details. They all emphasized that the perpetrator was highly skilled in martial arts, that no obvious clues were left at the scene, and that the incident must have occurred in the middle of the night, as the night watchmen had not heard much of a commotion.
"...It seems the waters of Qingyang City are even more murky than I thought," Chen Xuan thought to himself. Besides the Black Wind Sect, it seems there are other forces or lone wolves active here. Whether this is a blessing or a curse for the Chen family remains to be seen.
After finishing his breakfast, he put down a small piece of silver and got up to leave. Hu the Cripple kept his head down, clearing the dishes, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Next, Chen Xuan walked slowly along the main streets of Qingyang City like an ordinary pedestrian, especially near the city gates, the docks, and the taverns and teahouses where martial arts figures gathered. His senses were far more acute than ordinary people's; seemingly casual, he memorized many subtle conversations, glances, and unusual auras.
He noticed a significant increase in unfamiliar faces in the city. Some were hurried travelers from the martial world, while others were shrewd and wiry men. They moved in small groups, seemingly casually, but the occasional glances they exchanged carried a certain unspoken understanding. Chen Xuan even spotted two men with bulging waists and slightly protruding temples outside an inn, conversing in hushed tones in some kind of slang. One of them subconsciously touched his cuff, and Chen Xuan, with his sharp eyes, noticed a faint, twisted snake-shaped mark embroidered on the inner lining—not the insignia of any local gang in Qingyang City.
"The Black Wind Sect is mobilizing manpower, and they may have even invited outside reinforcements." Chen Xuan's judgment became increasingly clear. The other side was moving quickly; it seemed that Liu Xiangzhu's death had indeed stirred up a hornet's nest. These unfamiliar faces were probably skilled fighters that the Black Wind Sect had brought in from outside the city or from other locations.
He then "passed by" several of Black Wind Sect's publicly known properties in the city—gambling dens, pawnshops, and dock warehouses. These places seemed to be operating as usual, but the security was noticeably tighter than usual, and there were far fewer people coming and going, revealing a sense of vigilance that was relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside.
When Chen Xuan "strolled" to the vicinity of a mid-range inn called "Yuelai" in the southern part of the city, he stopped. The inn had a good location, but business seemed so-so. What caught his attention was a window on the second floor facing the street. The window was half open, and there seemed to be no one inside, but Chen Xuan's extraordinary senses vaguely caught a very faint, cold, scrutinizing gaze that briefly fell on him before quickly looking away.
That wasn't the look of an ordinary guest or innkeeper. It was a hunter's look, full of assessment and calculation.
Chen Xuan didn't look up, but continued walking forward like an ordinary passerby, turning into a side alley. In the middle of the alley, he seemingly casually bent down and tightened his not-so-loose shoelaces, but his divine sense, like invisible tentacles, quietly spread backward.
Sure enough, shortly after he entered the alley, a man wearing a straw hat, a plain brown jacket, and a towel draped over his shoulder pretended to be passing by. He walked slowly past the alley entrance, but his eyes quickly swept into the alley. Seeing that Chen Xuan was tying his shoelaces, he naturally turned away and quickened his pace to leave.
"I've been targeted." Chen Xuan tied his shoelaces, straightened up, and remained calm. The other party was very cautious, only observing from a distance and not approaching. The spies they sent out were also quite ordinary; if it weren't for his extraordinary senses, he would have been almost completely unaware. Were they from the Black Wind Sect? Or some other force? It seemed that his act of going out to investigate had already attracted the attention of certain people.
He didn't bother tracking the informant; it was pointless. The fact that the other party had already started paying attention to him meant that their wariness, or even hostility, was escalating.
"We can't wait any longer." Chen Xuan stepped out of the alley and looked up at the sky. The sun was already high in the sky, and the streets were becoming increasingly bustling, but beneath this lively surface, Chen Xuan sensed an ever-growing sense of crisis. The Black Wind Sect was gathering its forces, and there might even be external reinforcements. Chen Xuan even suspected that the events of last night with the Poison Wolf Gang were related to him or the Chen family. Once the other side completed its preparations and launched a thunderous attack, the Chen family would be in a very passive position.
The idea of taking the initiative and disrupting the enemy's plans resurfaced in my mind, growing stronger than ever. The system mission, "Qingyang Purge," also pointed me in this direction.