Chapter 42

On his first trip into the mountains, Ding Hai took Wei He to familiarize himself with the mountain conditions and terrain. They recognized the paths around the area.

He pointed out to Wei He which areas were controlled by which forces and which were the territories of which fierce beasts.

Although he certainly held back a lot, Wei He increasingly felt that the coarse grain flour he spent was well worth it.

After five consecutive days, Ding Hai took Wei He to familiarize himself with most of the territories around Feiye City, and also ran through the general restricted areas and the zones divided by forces.

In the end, he even provided a small cave in the mountains as a place to rest in case of emergency.

Unfortunately, over the five days, the two only managed to catch a gray rabbit.

However, they collected quite a few old vines, which they used to tie up and place at the cave entrance for camouflage.

After roughly familiarizing himself with the routine, Wei He began to act and hunt alone in the nearby area.

From Ding Hai, he obtained a key clue, one that was likely related to his parents' disappearance.

That was the fact that Shaoyang Sect liked to come out and capture people in the evening.

To gather information about Shaoyang Sect, Wei He found the well-informed Cheng Shaojiu.

"Shaoyang Sect? One of the three gangs and two sects, why are you asking about this?" Cheng Shaojiu sat in a chair at the tavern, the dark circles under his eyes slightly easing.

"I know you're aware that I'm investigating my parents' disappearance. I suspect it's related to Shaoyang Sect." Wei He said straightforwardly.

He couldn't hide it anyway; many people knew about his parents' and his elder sister's disappearance.

With his current investigative actions, others could easily guess his purpose with just a little connection.

"Although Shaoyang Sect is listed among the three gangs and two sects, they rarely interact with other forces. They have few people, and when they do come out, they stay for a very short time and never leave the area around Shaoyang Mountain. Therefore, other forces don't provoke them." Cheng Shaojiu explained, taking a sip of wine. "Your parents were invited to Mingde Temple to carve stone. With so many stone carvers going together, you're not the only one investigating this, right? Why don't you find the families of the others and investigate together?"

"I've tried. There were a total of eleven stone carvers, and the other families don't want to investigate anymore." Wei He said calmly.

"Shaoyang Sect... This sect has few people, but those who come out are said to be very powerful. Don't provoke them easily. Xiao He, if you must investigate, it's best to mention it to Master Zheng. His information is much more reliable than ours." Cheng Shaojiu reminded him.

"I understand." Wei He nodded.

"By the way, there's another channel." Cheng Shaojiu suddenly slapped his hand. "Didn't you agree to be a guest knight for Qingdu Sect? You also receive a monthly salary from them. Why not ask them? Qingdu Sect and Shaoyang Sect are both outside the city and belong to the two sects. They have had many dealings, and their information is definitely more reliable than ours."

"Qingdu Sect... Thank you for the reminder, Brother Cheng." Wei He nodded. If it weren't for Cheng Shaojiu's reminder, he wouldn't have known that Qingdu Sect had dealings with Shaoyang Sect.

He immediately recalled the white-clad official from Qingdu Sect who had invited him last time.

He was said to be the second-in-command responsible for Qingdu Sect's assets in Feiye City. His surname was Bai, and his given name was Honghou.

This person's demeanor gave him a warm and gentle feeling.

But someone who could hold such a position and had a double breakthrough in qi and blood was certainly not just a gentle person.

After bidding farewell to Cheng Shaojiu, Wei He wasted no time and immediately went to Qingdu Sect's base in Feiye City.

Qingdu Sect's base was in Jiujieting, a district far from Huishan Quan, and one had to pass through Nanshan Ting in between.

By the time Wei He found the base, it was already evening, and the sun was about to set.

Jiujieting was slightly more normal compared to Shiqiaotong, neither too bustling nor too quiet.

Occasionally, one could still see some unburned incense sticks, clustered and stuck in the dry mud on the roadside.

Qingdu Sect's base was located in the most prosperous area of Jiujieting, with a general store on the left and a quiet gambling den on the right.

The base was a two-story building, with two men wearing green headbands standing outside the door.

Wei He took out the green cloth strip representing a guest knight and tied it to his arm, then walked toward the entrance.

The two guards at the door glanced at him, slightly bowed, and remained silent.

Wei He returned the bow and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.

Inside was a vermilion hall, with a dozen sturdy men and women sitting separately. Some were chatting, some were playing chess, and some were even arm wrestling and drinking...

When Wei He entered, only a few people glanced over, and the rest continued with their own activities.

Wei He noticed that these people were mostly guest knights like him, all with green cloth strips tied to their arms.

He looked around and found a young man leaning against a wooden pillar, staring out the window. He approached him.

"Sir, may I ask if Secretary Bai Honghou is here? I need to ask him something." Wei He bowed.

"Secretary Bai is on the second floor. You look unfamiliar, are you a new recruit this year?" The man smiled, with a broad and amiable face, but his wide mouth and pale skin made him unforgettable.

"Yes, I joined recently." Wei He nodded.

"My name is Jin Xiufeng. To be able to affiliate with Qingdu Sect, one must not be an ordinary person in Feiye City. Let's get to know each other better." The man smiled.

"I am Wei He. I look forward to chatting with you." Wei He nodded.

After parting with the man with the wide mouth, Wei He went up the stairs to the second floor and soon saw Bai Honghou, who was slowly practicing calligraphy by the window.

Bai Honghou recognized Wei He, who had just been recruited, and had an impression of him.

"Brother Wei, it's rare for you to come. Please sit." He pointed to a row of empty seats on the second floor and put down his brush to walk over.

For Wei He, a new recruit with a double breakthrough in qi and blood, he recruited a few each year.

Similarly, every year, some of the original guest knights would leave for various reasons.

To maintain a stable number, once there was a shortage, he would promptly recruit new members.

Wei He was one of the new recruits to fill the gap.

"Brother Wei, what brings you here this time?" He asked with a smile.

"Secretary Bai, do you know about Shaoyang Sect?" Wei He asked softly.

"Shaoyang Sect? What's the matter? Did you have a conflict with them?" Bai Honghou's brows furrowed, and the smile on his face quickly disappeared.

"Not exactly, but for other reasons, I need to know about this sect." Wei He replied.

"Shaoyang Sect... Hehe, actually, even if you didn't ask, we would have reminded you eventually." Bai Honghou smiled, but there was a hint of coldness in his tone. "Shaoyang Sect and our Qingdu Sect have had friction from time to time. Their sect is deep in Shaoyang Mountain, in an unknown place, very mysterious. Plus, they have few people, and when they come out, they are cunning and fierce, with strong abilities. If you encounter them, be extra careful."

"How strong are the people they send out?" Wei He asked directly.

"Shaoyang Sect has few people. They either don't come out, or when they do, they come out in two ways. One is hunting, but not hunting animals, rather capturing people. The other is trading, exchanging needed items with the outside world." Bai Honghou, who was more informed than others, explained in detail.

"If you encounter the traders alone, with your abilities, you can still run away. But if you encounter the hunting group, it's best to hide your identity and not reveal that you are from Qingdu Sect. Their hunting groups usually consist of at least two people with double breakthroughs in qi and blood, sometimes three, hunting separately, and they bring some slaves. It's very troublesome."

"Slaves?"

"Shaoyang Sect uses secret drugs to control slaves, making them work to the death for them. These are the so-called slaves. However, due to long-term torture and the damage from the secret drugs, their abilities are only slightly stronger than ordinary people. Just be careful of ambushes." Bai Honghou answered.

"Then, may I ask, Secretary, how can I identify the people from Shaoyang Sect?"

"Identify? They are the easiest to identify. If you go near Shaoyang Mountain and see people wearing white clothes, with bodies three times the size of ordinary people, they are definitely from Shaoyang Sect." Bai Honghou said with disgust.

"They are very fat?"

"Shaoyang, Shaoyang, they don't touch women, maintaining their chastity, practicing the Shaoyang Qi. Plus, their sect's techniques are special, so their bodies are all very fat. If you encounter them, be very careful. Shaoyang Sect is known for their powerful strength, don't engage in a direct fight with them."

"Thank you, Secretary Bai, for your guidance!" Wei He finally had a general idea.

From knowing nothing, he now had a basic impression of Shaoyang Sect.

He then bid farewell to Secretary Bai, left the Qingdu Sect base, and headed back.

After returning, he did not immediately go to Shaoyang Mountain to find the people from Shaoyang Sect. Instead, he obtained new poison powder from Cheng Shaojiu and carefully prepared.

In addition to lime, poison powder, and poison needles, he also prepared a row of rusty spikes soaked in fecal water.

The spikes were rusted waste from a blacksmith shop, which he repurposed into a powerful weapon.

In this era of scarce medicine, if one is pierced by such a spike, the wound is likely to become infected, abscessed, and develop tetanus.

Wei He, in his previous life, had been pierced by a rusty nail and had specifically learned about the principles of tetanus formation.

Tetanus infection generally requires two necessary conditions:

1. Contaminants, such as rust or dirty water, must enter the wound.

2. An anaerobic environment, such as a deep wound with blood clots and necrotic tissue, has a high probability of tetanus infection, sometimes up to 80%.

Thus, these spikes, in the absence of poison, were quite cost-effective.

After all, snake venom was expensive, and he had no other means to obtain more poisons, so he had to make this simple and effective weapon.

Tetanus, once it breaks out, can cause muscle spasms, permanent muscle stiffness, and the loss of martial arts skills.

In severe cases, it can lead to high fever and death.

It is the cheapest and most cost-effective poison.

After making all the preparations, Wei He checked all his equipment again, drew a map of the surrounding forces, and packed food and water.

He took a leave