Chapter 478: Three Factions

Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Three Factions

No matter whether the other party is Moon Shadow Tower or not, what Shen Hao wants to know most right now is how the note was placed in his carriage. If he can’t figure this out, there’s no need to keep negotiating with them.

Shen Hao could "unhesitatingly" accept the meeting; the other party must also explain the note to him. That is sincerity.

"Hehe, Lord Shen, don’t be nervous. It’s just a little trick. Here, this is Black Charcoal." The man replied with a squinting smile, then his sleeve gave a slight tremble, as if something crawled out from inside. Looking closely, it was surprisingly a black rat, a few inches long, poking out half its body and glancing at its owner, then staring fixedly at Shen Hao beside him.

So-called "Black Charcoal" should be the name of this rat?

"Black Charcoal, greet Lord Shen."

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..." As soon as the words fell, the rat that had poked out half its body actually raised a front paw and waved it toward Shen Hao, almost like saying "hello"?

Shen Hao stared in astonishment, blinking his eyes, not expecting the other party to summon a rat—and this rat seemed rather odd.

"Alright, Black Charcoal, go back." After the man spoke, the rat shrank back into his sleeve and disappeared. Pausing, he continued, "Such a negligible Non-tiered beast taming trick must have amused Lord Shen. Previously, as it wasn’t convenient to show myself, I sent Black Charcoal with a note for you. If it startled you, I hope Lord Shen won’t take offense."

The man’s words were polite, but there was an odd feeling underneath; even just hearing "Beast Taming" startled Shen Hao.

Beast Taming, as the name suggests, is a skill for controlling various animals and fierce beasts through cultivation methods. It’s a branch of magic, rare enough that Shen Hao had only seen a mere mention of it in a miscellaneous volume in the Garrison’s Library.

Letting an inconspicuous rat carry a note into a carriage—certainly hard to detect. That solved Shen Hao’s earlier confusion.

"Can it understand human speech?"

"Black Charcoal has cultivated with me for over ten years—it’s almost as smart as an average monkey now. Simple commands are no problem."

Shen Hao nodded, letting the topic drop, though he was genuinely curious about beast taming skills. But now wasn’t the time to ask.

Moreover, the man claimed "Beast Taming," yet from start to finish Shen Hao sensed no True Qi fluctuation on him at all, just the appearance of an ordinary person. That cultivation...

Shen Hao adjusted his mood and cut straight to the chase: "Help me investigate something." He didn’t fuss over whether the person was from Moon Shadow Tower; with time and further interactions, he’d naturally see through their identity.

"Please speak."

"I want to investigate the situation of all factions, big and small, within City of Unjust Death. Can you do it?"

"Yes. That’s basic intelligence within City of Unjust Death. You can buy it with silver coins, flat price fifty thousand taels, and it’ll reach your residence within two days."

Fifty thousand for a piece of intelligence seemed astronomical, but in reality it was very cheap. After all, Shen Hao had searched the Library of Jingxi Town Governor’s Office for details about City of Unjust Death’s factions and found nothing, while the other party promised instantly. This indicated they already had such intelligence ready.

"Money for goods?"

"First time, we can do money for goods at the same time. After that, payment must come first. Lord Shen, please prepare silver notes; we’ll contact you within two days."

Shen Hao nodded, then continued to ask, "How do I get in contact with you later?"

"When you want to find us, just come to this tea stall at early Noon and have something to eat. Someone from us will approach you."

After saying this, the man picked up his bowl and moved to an empty table just vacated by another customer, continuing to eat and leaving Shen Hao alone.

Shen Hao didn’t mind, finishing his second bowl of tea soup in one slurp, then returned the bowl, wiped his mouth, and left the East Market with his hands behind his back.

Back at the Black Banner Battalion’s base, Shen Hao gave a strange command: extermination of rats!

Not just rats—bugs, stray cats, stray dogs, anything that wasn’t human and could be found—all to be wiped out. They were even encouraged to practice shooting birds in the base with crossbow arrows to improve aim...

...

While Shen Hao was inexplicably carrying out extermination of rats and bugs at the Black Banner Battalion base, a reply was passed through multiple Thousand-Mile Sound channels and finally arrived in Lian Xiang’s hands at Hong’en Hall.

"Ms. Zi Yi, the sect people made contact with him."

"Oh? That fast? Who went?"

"Li Xinghe."

"What?! Beast Star Li Xinghe personally approached that Shen?!?"

"Mm! I was shocked, too. But it also shows how much the sect values him." Lian Xiang sat in her room rubbing rouge, behind her stood Ning Ziye, who had finished her makeup.

"That’s more than just importance! You know Li Xinghe’s status among the sect, right? He’s one of the Twelve Grand Deacons! Looks like the sect isn’t just treating Shen as an intelligence target; they must have other plans."

Hearing this, Lian Xiang paused her eyebrow painting for a long moment. She’d only just received the news and hadn’t considered what Ning Ziye was saying.

Indeed, Beast Star Li Xinghe getting involved signaled many things. If it was simply about probing Shen Hao’s background, it wouldn’t require Li Xinghe personally taking action.

"Ms. Zi Yi, why do you think Li Xinghe was sent? The sect shouldn’t be interested in just a Small Hundred Households like him, right?" Lian Xiang put down her eyebrow brush, feeling an inexplicable unease.

"Why? How should I know? Li Xinghe is the Grand Steward of Jingxi—his power is obvious. Besides, who in the sect other than the Sect Leader could move him? I think the Sect Leader has their eye on Shen. Didn’t you say before that Shen’s potential was remarkable? You fancy him, so it’s not strange if the Sect Leader does, too."

"But if the sect has their eye on him, isn’t that bad?"

"Bad? How bad? Right now, walking down the street, people dare to use Illusionary Kill against him. Isn’t that bad enough? Illusionary Kill! Anyone else would’ve died eight hundred times, but he’s unharmed—you should know how tough Shen’s life is. And he didn’t climb his way up by having a kind heart; that Evil Star title is known throughout Fengri City. The sect won’t find it easy to scheme against him.

Actually, I think maybe the sect has the same plan you do."

The smile vanished from Ning Ziye’s face as she spoke the last sentence, replaced by an ambiguous expression as she looked at Lian Xiang, who had turned around with half-done eyebrows.

"Ms. Zi Yi, what do you mean? I don’t quite understand." Lian Xiang frowned in confusion, feeling uneasy under such a gaze.

"Don’t understand? Hmph, didn’t you say that with Shen Hao’s potential, maybe he’ll be your backing in ten years, helping you escape the sect’s damn rules?"

"That’s right."

"The sect might be thinking the same thing."