The color of Sun Ergou’s face turned waxy yellow. He had witnessed the youth moving like a specter as he appeared behind Black Bear’s back and easily sliced Black Bear’s throat with a flexible sword he had drawn from his waist. Afterward, the youth took out a white cloth and wiped the blood off his sword.
The young man raised his head and flashed a smile at Sun Ergou, almost as if he could sense Sun Ergou’s gaze.
As if he had seen a poisonous snake, Sun Ergou quickly retracted his gaze. His long-time enemy, Black Bear, had just died, but he felt not a hint of joy or excitement. On the contrary, he felt sad and mournful, like a person in distress.
He was completely awake now, and he knew full well that this young man was no fat sheep, but rather a King Yan from Hell who wanted his life.
(TL: King Yan: the god of death and a ruler of one of Hell’s eighteen levels)
The only slight trace of hope that Sun Ergou had left was whether his subordinates were able to defeat Han Li’s giant bodyguard. If that were the case, then he would still have a chance at surviving, enabling him to negotiate with the young man and thus saving his insignificant little life.
But as soon as Sun Ergou saw the situation unfolding over there with the young man’s giant bodyguard, he became dumbstruck like a wooden chicken.
Lacking the strength to move even a single muscle, over twenty burly men were lying on the ground, bleeding profusely. The giant bodyguard glanced coldly in Sun Ergou’s direction.
Although a mantle was obscuring the giant’s features, Sun Ergou could still feel a bestial, bloody aura emanating from the large figure, causing his waxy yellow face to turn pale white.
Han Li observed the variation of expressions on Sun Ergou’s face, and from his movements, Han Li determined that this person did not know martial arts. Looking at Sun Ergou’s face of abject terror, Han Li disdained from dealing with Sun Ergou personally.
“Crooked Soul, kill him!” Han Li commanded.
“No! Please! I surrender, I’m willing to give up all my fortune to young master. I’m willing to work like a slave, and I know all the news floating around Jia Yuan City! I could be a good lapdog for young master…” Sun Ergou walked over, step by step, towards the large man, whom he viewed as a demon. Begging for mercy in a panic, he frightenedly limped across the ground.
“Ai!” Han Li originally wanted to ignore Sun Ergou’s words, but as soon as he heard that Sun Ergou knew all the news regarding Jia Yuan City, his heart was moved, he became filled with joy.
“Stay your hand for now.” He commanded to Crooked Soul, who was about to twist Sun Ergou’s neck. Han Li walked forward, stopping right in front of Sun Ergou.
“Are you very familiar with Jia Yuan City?” Han Li smiled as he asked, taking on the very appearance of kindness.
Just earlier, Sun Ergou had seen Han Li’s ruthless side, so how would he dare to be slow to reply? Immediately, his voice quavered as he shouted, “Very familiar, extremely familiar. I grew up here so I know everything that happens here as if it were on the back of my hand.”
Now it was as if he had grabbed onto a life-saving strand of grass; he couldn’t help but wish he could make himself sound more useful by a tenfold so that Han Li would feel that he was still of use.
Hearing Sun Ergou’s reply, Han Li touched his own nose in consideration before pulling a bottle out from his robes.
He took out a white, longan-sized medicine from the bottle and handed it to Sun Ergou.
(TL: a longan is a fruit belonging to the same family as the lychee)
“Either you consume this or you die.” Han Li told him in straightforward manner.
The hand that Sun Ergou extended to take the medicine trembled violently. He hesitated while looking at the white pill in his hands before shifting his eyes to meet Han Li’s cold gaze. Coughing a few times, he had no choice but to ingest the pill.
“Good, I can trust you now.” Satisfied, Han Li nodded his head.
“The name of this pill is Rotten Heart Pill, and it was personally concocted by me. Every month, you need to consume the antidote, or else your inner organs will rot, causing you to die. I believe that you are an intelligent man, and you will serve me to the best of your abilities.” Han Li coldly and threateningly stated.
Sun Ergou was already prepared in his heart, but upon hearing the effects of the pill he had just consumed, he couldn’t help but to wail pitifully, appearing extremely depressed.
“Relax. As long as you help me settle what I need to do in the Jia Yuan City, I will neutralize the poison and return your freedom back to you. Based on your martial skills, I can’t really put you to good use anywhere else.” Han Li used both the stick and carrot, giving Sun Ergou the assurance that as long as he completed his task well, there was still some hope that he would be freed.
“Truly, young master?!” Sun Ergou’s expression slightly trembled upon hearing this news.
“Take these taels of silver with you and clean up this place. I don’t wish for this matter to spread, do you understand?” Han Li commanded as he tossed a bag of silver over to him.
After catching the bag, Sun Ergou weighed it in his hand. It was heavy, as if there were about 200 taels of silver inside.
An expression of joy appeared on his face. He realised that if he could work for such a man with riches and authority, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.
“Young master, please leave this to me. I will handle this well, without creating any trouble for you!” He laughed as he patted his chest proudly.
“Okay, I shall leave first to find an inn. Tomorrow morning, come look for me. Since you yourself claim to be the local head in Jia Yuan City, you should be able to find out which inn I will stay in.” Han Li commanded again, without a trace of politeness in his voice.
“Yes! Yes! Tomorrow morning, I will be there, waiting for young master’s commands!” At this stage, Sun Ergou could only be described as “eager” to become Han Li’s lackey.
Han Li smiled as he gestured to Crooked Soul, who picked up the baggage, and left the alley. After walking a distance, Han Li turned back and glanced at Sun Ergou, only to find him him obediently standing there at the same spot. Sun Ergou was using his eyes to respectfully send Han Li off, showing an expression of fear and loyalty.
“Interesting!” Han Li suddenly felt that this person was extremely interesting and intelligent. Perhaps he could really put him to good use in a sticky situation.
Chapter 104: Information
“The gang I founded, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, possesses 64,000 common gang members. Core gang members include more than seven thousand people. It is also one of the three great overlords of the Lan Province. Its main branch is set up in Jia Yuan City, and its side branches are….
“Throughout my life, I married five women and witnessed the birth of two daughters. My apprentices….”
“First Wife Jin, she had a gentle disposition. She was the sole daughter of the Golden Lion Escort Company’s Head Escort Chief, Jin Can. She has already passed away, leaving behind her daughter, Mo Yuzhu.
(TL: When talking about his wives, Doctor Mo is listing the order in which he married them and their maiden clan name.)
“Second Wife Li was educated and well-balanced. She was the daughter of some rich household. Unfortunately, she did not have any children.
“Third Wife Liu has a bold disposition, but she is rather ambitious. She is the younger sister of Quling City’s Lord and Wind Sect’s Sect Leader, Liu Feng. She bore no children. Pay great attention to her.
(TL: “Quling” means “crooked tomb”)
“Fourth Wife Yan is my younger female cousin from my mother’s side. She has a calm disposition, excels in scheming, and has great ingenuity. She raised one daughter, Mo Caihuan. Before I departed, I bestowed most of my authority over Fearsome Flood Dragon Association to her. You can trust her.
“Fifth Wife Wang is taciturn. She was infatuated with me and was previously First Wif
e Jin’s personal maid. She did not bear children, and she secretly grasped hidden strength. You can trust her unconditionally.
“Adopted Daughter Mo Feng Wu is the daughter of my confidant and subordinate. After her parents died, I received her as an adopted daughter. Before I left, she had just turned seven and was exceptionally intelligent.
“Yan Ge, Eldest Disciple. His aptitude is common. I have already passed on the cultivation methods for Demonic Silver Hand over to him. Before I left, he was twelve years old. His temperament is average.
“Zhao Kun, Second Disciple. I already passed on the Sleeping Dragon Arts to him. Before my departure, he was ten years old. His temperament is indiscernible.
“Ma Kongtian, my sworn little brother. He serves as a protector for the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association. His temperament…
…………
Han Li held in his hand a paper filled with handwriting: Doctor Mo’s will. Currently, he was inside Hui Yuan Inn’s top room, walking to and fro repeatedly as he remained lost in thought.
The will was written attentively. Not only did it clearly explain the powerhouse that Doctor Mo had established, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, but it also crudely described the temperament of his wives thoroughly. This caused Han Li’s heart to sink slightly.
What was mentioned in his will were matters from ten years ago. The present state of affairs were sure to have had undergone an absolutely earth-shaking change.
How should this be done? Should he contact Doctor Mo’s wives or steal the Yang Jaded Treasure and escape without a trace? These decisions required Han Li to fully understand the current state of affairs.
Thus, the local thug he subdued yesterday, Sun Ergou, was of great use to him. Han Li could probably acquire a lot of useful information from him.
After Han Li carefully read through the will, he put it away into his bosom. Then, lost in thought, he raised his head, walked to the bed, and sat down.
He spread his legs and raised his palms to the sky before setting them on his knees. Afterwards, he shut his eyes and began to inspect his body’s condition.
The thread of cold yin poison inside his dantian had started spreading outward a month ago. It was originally just a trace of an indistinct shadow, but it had currently condensed into a black pea-sized sphere. In addition, it slowly beginning to grow in size.
(TL: Dantian generally references to a place below your navel where essence and Qi gathers.)
According to Han Li’s estimates, he would have two months at most before this yin poison thoroughly broke out. When that time came, he feared that he would truly be hard-pressed to escape death.
Just as Han Li was worried sick as he secretly resolved himself to acquire the “Warm Yang Precious Jade”, someone knocked on his door.
“Come in!” Han Li coldly said, as he opened his eyes.
The room door softly opened, and Sun Ergou walked in with his head lowered. As soon as he saw Han Li, he acted with the greatest of courtesy, declaring respectfully, “Greetings, Young Master! Sun Ergou has come to hear Young Master’s assignments!”
“Not bad, you found me quite quickly. You truly do have some skill!” Han Li said in satisfaction. He then stood up from the bed, and then, with his hands behind his back, he walked in front of Sun Ergou.
“I am indebted by Young Master’s praise. If I could not perform such a small, trivial task, then for what reason would Young Master have spared my humble life?” Sun Ergou’s happy face showed a great loyalty.
When Sun Ergou had returned that day, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t thought of informing his superiors of the matter regarding Han Li and have experts come to take revenge. But when he thought of the “Rotten Heart Pill” that he had consumed, his courage thoroughly disappeared.
After a night of great consideration, he couldn’t think of any other options and was left with no choice but to obediently pay Han Li a visit. He only wished that when he provided his assistance in the future, he would be given the antidote to this frightening “Rotten Heart Pill”.
“First tell me your status! From your appearance that day, it would seem that you’re a small chief.” Han Li indifferently said.
“I am a dock overseer for the Western City district’s Fourth Level Gang. I have about 450 subordinates, and could be considered a minor gang leader.” Sun Ergou replied respectfully.
“Fourth Level Gang?” Han Li dully asked.
“That’s right. Fourth Level Gang is one of the 33 small gangs in the western part of Jia Yuan City. It has about a thousand gang members, but most of them are dock coolies. The gang head is the ape, Shen Zhong Shan. He has three great protectors as subordinates.” Sun Ergou immediately gave the complete details discreetly. Although he had revealed information about his gang to an outsider, his face didn’t have the slightest amount of shame.
(TL: coolie: an unskilled native laborer.)
“That large dark skinned man I took care of yesterday, was he also part of the Fourth Level Gang?”
“He was not. That person was called Black Bear, and he was a gang leader of the Iron Fist Group, another one of the 33 gangs. We were not on good terms with one another.” Sun Ergou replied with a flattering smile.
“Even though this is just the western part of the city, there are already so many small gangs. Thus, in the entire Jia Yuan City, the total number must be quite large, right?” With his hands behind his back, Han Li unhurriedly returned to the front of the bed.
“Of course. In the entire Jia Yun City, there are more than forty small gangs with a thousand members or less. There are seven to eight medium-sized gangs with three to four thousand members. With regards to the large gangs that have over ten thousand members, there are only three.” Sun Ergou stood there, speaking with absolute honesty.
“Tell me about the state of affairs in the both the large and medium-sized gangs. You don’t need to tell me about the small gangs!” Han Li pulled up his sleeves and sat down on the bed. Afterwards, the calm Sun Ergou started talking.
Chapter 105: Shocking News
“The three largest gangs in Jia Yuan City are the Brothers’ Union, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, and the Heavenly Tyrant Sect. The smaller gangs are the Iron Spear Association, the Sworn Brotherhood, the Azure Clothed Gang, the Spring Rain Building, the Gold Sword Sect, the Dark Riverboat Gang, the Diamond Sect, the Setting Sun School, and several other sects.”
Sun Ergou named all these gangs in one breath. Panting, he continued, “The strongest of the three large factions is the Heavenly Tyrant Sect. It is allied with the Gold Sword Sect and Azure Clothed Gang, and they occupy the Eastern City district, which is the most prosperous district. The Brothers’ Union, which is slightly weaker, is allied with the Iron Spear Association, the Dark Riverboat Gang, and the Sworn Brotherhood, occupies the Northern City district. The weakest, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, rules over the Southern City district, alongside the Spring Rain Building, the Diamond Sect, and the Setting Sun School. Lastly, the chaotic Western City district is divided amongst numerous smaller gangs. Although these small gangs are constantly involved in power struggles, if a larger power wanted to invade the Western City district, then the smaller gangs would cease fighting and face the external attackers. Thus, the entire Jia Yuan City could be considered a four-sided confrontation.” Sun Ergou’s words came out like a torrent from his mouth, never ending. Without even pausing to think, he had explained the general state of affairs of every power within the city.
After Han Li heard the explanation, he muttered to himself for a moment before thoughtfully asking, “I’ve heard people say that the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association was one of the Lan Province’s three overlords, and that Jia Yuan City was where it originally established its headquarters. How did it become the weakest of the three large gangs of the city?”
“Young master, what you said is ancient history. Many years ago, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association was truly ferocious, and its power nearly encompa
ssed the entire Lan Province. As a superpower during that time, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association had its headquarters located in Jia Yuan City. It was originally intolerant of other gangs stepping in, and as a result, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association controlled the entire city by itself. Back then, the other gangs didn’t even dare to show their shadow under the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association’s intimidation. However, for an unknown reason, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association suddenly decayed in power overnight. Not only did it lose some of its territories, the power of its headquarters in Jia Yuan City greatly waned in power. Thus, gangs of all sizes took advantage of this opportunity and emerged from hiding. After several bloody battles, the situation we have today took shape.” Sun Ergou explained this while remaining extremely politely.
“Do you know why the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association suddenly weakened?” Han Li slowly asked Sun Ergou, furrowing his eyebrows.
“This….. to tell you the truth, this humble person’s status in his gang isn’t very high. I truly do not know much about this, and the few things that I do know were told to me by other people. It seemed that the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association had an internal conflict that led to a civil war. Its decline can also be attributed to other large powers, that suppressed them from behind.” Slightly embarrassed at himself for not knowing enough information, Sun Ergou gave Han Li a vague answer.
“Oh, so it was like that!” Han Li slightly smiled. It seemed he had guessed this was the situation earlier.
“Who is currently in charge of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association? You should at least know who.” Han Li asked.
“I do know who. The person in charge of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association is Lady Yan, the widow of the former Fearsome Flood Dragon Association’s leader, Mo Juren.” Sun Ergou hastily replied.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 49