Wei Yuan mentally reviewed the relevant information. The Xu Clan was part of the Seven Surnames and Thirteen Honors. Their sphere of influence was primarily centered in the central and western regions of Ning Province. It hadn’t been two thousand years since the human race took over Ning Province, which was why the Xu Clan was a relatively new powerhouse. In terms of strength, they ranked at the bottom of the aristocratic families.

A few years ago, the vast territory stretching thousands of li west of Hanyang Pass was under the Xu Clan’s control. They were the ones who had established a grotto-heaven there, and they were deeply intertwined with both the government and the sects. However, after the Shamans conquered the region and shattered the grotto-heaven, the Xu Clan suffered a huge blow and lost a full twenty percent of their strength.

Wei Yuan’s only interaction with the Xu Clan was over a decade ago during the martial test, where he had fought against Xu Yin’an, the purple flame boy who had slowly crawled toward him in the sky[1]. It was a brave challenge, but his arm was too short. After taking a spear through the chest, he tried everything he could to reach Wei Yuan only to fail miserably. In the end, he could only “pass away” in hate.

Assuming he interpreted the innkeeper’s words correctly, it seemed that the Xu Clan was secretly dealing in human trafficking as well. The Shattered Realm was a lawless land that had changed hands multiple times. Establishments such as brothels normally didn’t last long. Thus, the most stable partner one could find in this region remained the Shamans.

Wei Yuan wondered if this business was just the secret activity of a few individuals, or if it had always been this way.

“Do you have a portrait of the female cultivator?”

“The bigshot mentioned that the female cultivator could have altered her appearance. That is why he gave me a personal item that bears her aura.”

The innkeeper produced a jade earring as he said this. It carried a wisp of feminine aura as he claimed. To Wei Yuan’s surprise, it felt similar to Yun Feifei’s!

While maintaining an unreadable expression, Wei Yuan put away the earring and said, “You can treat it as if Wang Lang is already dead. Now, show me the mystic artifacts so that I can pick the one I want!”

The innkeeper looked troubled. “That’s not very appropriate, isn’t it? The bigshot isn’t going to surrender the mystic artifact until the woman is in his possession. If you’re worried about being cheated, or if it happens that none of the mystic artifacts are to your liking, then I’ll pay you an additional two hundred immortal silver. What do you say?”

“It’s a deal.”

The innkeeper was pleased that they had arrived at a deal and stopped bothering Wei Yuan. He had just stepped out of the door when a cold, ominous voice echoed from behind his back, “The female cultivator’s background isn’t exactly ordinary, is it?”

The innkeeper’s heart skipped a beat. He was surprised to find that the simple-minded fool wasn’t all brawns and no brains.

He immediately put on an obsequious smile and replied, “A most astute deduction, upper immortal! To tell you the truth, the female cultivator is a relative of the previous commandery administrator. After the commandery administrator was executed, she somehow escaped and went into hiding for a couple years. However, she ultimately fell into Wang Lang’s hands and was brought back to the region.

“Frankly, her looks are pretty average. However, the bigshot prefers noble ladies with high status. That is why he’s paying so much. Commandery administrators are rare, and it’s not like he can only do her once or twice after obtaining her. Overall, it’s not a bad deal for him.”

Wei Yuan remained cold and silent.

The innkeeper hurriedly added, “I’ll add another fifty taels to your pay!”

Wei Yuan finally gave him a nod.

After the innkeeper took his leave, Wei Yuan leisurely finished his breakfast and adorned a black cloak that was very common in this region. Then, he covered his face and left the inn. Just because he was fishing didn’t mean that he should remain in one place at all times. For example, fishing in the sea required one to roam everywhere to find a big fish.

Wei Yuan began strolling leisurely through the town. He did not have a goal, so he just went wherever his legs carried him. At the same time, he paid close attention to all the voices and the presences around him.

“... This soul is pretty powerful, innit? I believe he deserves a bigger payout than…”

“... We strike tonight. Watch for my signal. When I give you the look, get inside and take him out!”

“But you’re blind, Big Brother. You can’t give us a look.”

“... I’ll give you a hand signal!”

“We’re heading back to Ning Province tomorrow. If we can capture a Dao Foundation stage independent cultivator with the right destiny before then, we’ll be rich.”

The voices were varied, but more than half of them were involved in human trafficking. In fact, a lot of Shamans were living right here in Willow Ash Town. What they needed the most from the human race were humans themselves. Thus, human trafficking was the fastest and most profitable business one could make when dealing with the Shamans.

Wei Yuan kept eavesdropping as he walked. Slowly but surely, he was gaining an understanding of Willow Ash Town and learning many hidden secrets.

When he made it to the west district, he started encountering courtyards with a dramatically different style from what he was used to seeing. For starters, they were circular-shaped and mostly filled with water. There wasn’t a road from the main gate to the main door at all. Instead, people waded across pools of water to get anywhere.

The circular courtyard was the classic example of a Shaman’s residence.

Here in the western streets, many people covered themselves from head to toe to protect their identity. However, a fair amount of people did not cover themselves at all. They had large heads and wrinkly faces. Their limbs belonged to various birds and beasts. Their eyes were the size of a pheasant egg, and their bodies were disproportionately large. They did not have pupils. Their eyes were either fully gray or black.

They were Shamans, people who lived in aquatic regions or marshes. From a human’s perspective, their appearance was utterly bizarre like a horrific amalgamation of birds and beasts. In reality, they were well-versed in mystic spells and sacrificial rites. Some mystic spells—specifically those that required large-scale blood rituals—boasted the power to destroy heaven and earth itself. Even an Immortal Lord would not want to take on such a spell head on.

When a Shaman had reached adulthood, they would conduct a sacrificial ritual and sacrifice an offering they had captured personally, seeking power. After the ritual, their limbs would normally undergo a transformation, most commonly into the shapes of birds and beasts. Such metamorphoses generally indicated mystic abilities. At the Dao Foundation stage, the more bizarre and animalistic a Shaman looked, the stronger they were.

As a whole, the Shamans were even stronger than the Northern Liao. However, there seemed to be a formidable adversary to their west that had been consistently tying up their main force. That was why their war against the human race was stuck in a protracted stalemate, and why they had suffered a slight overall retreat thus far.

Wei Yuan gradually grew uncomfortable as he explored the west district. There were far more Shamans in this area than he had initially anticipated. For instance, he counted over a hundred pure-blooded Shamans in the neighborhood he just passed through, and eight of them were in the Dao Foundation stage. This was not ordinary. Was something big about to happen, or was the war restarting?

At some point, Wei Yuan stopped venturing deeper into the west district. It was because he was catching more and more gazes as he walked, overt or covert. The Shamans sacrificed humans to perform their rituals, and the stronger the sacrifice, the better the effects. Wei Yuan’s stroll through their territory was like a lone beauty walking among a pack of vagabonds. It was practically impossible for him to avoid attention. The main target hadn’t taken the bait yet; now wasn’t the time to get tangled up with these small fries.

Wei Yuan changed directions and walked toward the northern district. The number of gazes began decreasing little by little.

1. Chapter 20. ☜