"The three great gangs of Jiayuan City are the Brothers' Alliance, the Surprise Flood Association, and the Tianba Gate. Smaller factions include the Iron Spear Society, the Sworn Brotherhood Society, the Green Robe Gang, the Spring Rain Tower, the Golden Sword Gate, the Cang River Boat Gang, the Vajra Gate, and the Sunset Sect, among others."
Sun Ergou rattled off all the faction names in a single breath, paused briefly to catch himself, then carried on.
"Among the three great gangs, the Tianba Gate is the strongest. Together with the Golden Sword Gate and the Green Robe Gang, they occupy the wealthiest East District. The second-strongest, the Brothers' Alliance, has allied with the Iron Spear Society, the Cang River Boat Gang, and the Sworn Brotherhood Society to hold the North District. The weakest, the Surprise Flood Association, has joined forces with the Spring Rain Tower, the Vajra Gate, and the Sunset Sect to dominate the South District. As for the remaining West District, it's rather chaotic — carved up among numerous small gangs. These small factions may fight each other endlessly, but the moment any major power tries to invade the West District, they immediately cease their internal conflicts and unite against the outsider. So in truth, all of Jiayuan City can be described as a four-way standoff." Sun Ergou spoke fluently, laying out the situation of each faction without a moment's hesitation.
After listening to all this, Han Li pondered for a moment, then asked in a thoughtful tone: "I've heard people say that the Surprise Flood Association was once one of the three great powers of Lan Prefecture, and that Jiayuan City was supposed to be its headquarters. How did it end up as the weakest of the three gangs?"
"Young master, that's ancient history. A few years ago, the Surprise Flood Association was indeed very powerful — its influence spread across nearly all of Lan Prefecture. Back then, as one of the superpowers, the association wouldn't have tolerated any other gang encroaching on Jiayuan City, its very headquarters. So the Surprise Flood Association dominated the entire city on its own. The other gangs didn't even dare show their faces here, not in the slightest. But then, for reasons unknown, the Surprise Flood Association suddenly declined overnight. They lost their territories elsewhere, and even their stronghold here in Jiayuan City shrank drastically. Seizing the opportunity, every small and large gang crawled out of the woodwork, and after several rounds of bloody battles, the current situation took shape." Sun Ergou explained with great eagerness.
"Do you know why the Surprise Flood Association suddenly weakened?" Han Li furrowed his brow and asked slowly.
"Well… truth be told, I don't hold a high position in the gang, so I really don't know much. All I've heard is that it seems to have been caused by internal strife — the association split apart and factions started fighting among themselves. And apparently there were other major powers working to suppress them from behind." Sun Ergou looked somewhat troubled and gave a vague answer.
"Oh, is that so?" Han Li smiled faintly, as if he had already known.
"Who's running the Surprise Flood Association now? You should know that much," Han Li asked.
"I do know that. It's been taken over by Madam Yan, the widow of the former association master, Mo Juren," Sun Ergou replied promptly.
"Widow?" Han Li looked surprised.
"Yes! The original founder and association master, Mo, passed away. His wife is his widow, isn't she?" Sun Ergou blinked, somewhat confused, unsure of what he had said wrong.
"Who said Association Master Mo is dead?" Han Li's expression darkened — something felt off.
"Everyone in Jiayuan City knows! A year ago, Ghost Hand Mo Juren's final disciple arrived at the Mo residence with a farewell letter and a token of identification to report the death!" Seeing Han Li's grim expression, Sun Ergou couldn't help but shiver and grew fearful.
"Final disciple? What's his name?" Han Li's eyebrow twitched, but his voice stayed calm.
"His name is Wu Jianming — a pale-faced young man in his twenties. I've heard he received Ghost Hand Mo Juren's true teachings, and that his martial arts are extraordinarily high." Sun Ergou spoke carefully; by now he had sensed something. This young master in front of him clearly had some connection to the Surprise Flood Association, and seemed particularly interested in that young Master Wu.
"And moreover…" Sun Ergou looked as if he wanted to say something but dared not.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush! If the information proves accurate, I'll reward you handsomely." Han Li gave him a cold look and said evenly.
"I've heard that this Master Wu has been engaged to Mo Yuzhu, the daughter of the Mo family, and that the wedding is supposed to happen soon." The moment Sun Ergou heard there was money to be earned, his face lit up and he spilled the truth.
"A wedding!" Han Li let out a dark laugh and abruptly stood up.
He paced back and forth across the room for a few steps, then tilted his head to gaze at the ceiling, standing perfectly still as if deep in thought.
"Listen carefully. Your task is simple. Starting today, you are to quietly gather intelligence on the Mo residence — especially everything you can find about this Master Wu. The more detailed, the better." Han Li finally issued his instructions.
"Take this silver for now. If you do the job well, there will be a generous bonus on top. Now go." Han Li magnanimously tossed the man another small pouch of silver.
"At your command, young master! Rest assured, I'll handle this perfectly. This humble one takes his leave." Sun Ergou clutched the silver, beaming with delight, and backed out of the room. Before leaving, he politely shut the door behind him.
"This young master is incredibly generous, and all he wants me to do is gather information — a simple task! Looks like sticking with him for a while really wasn't the wrong choice!" Sun Ergou thought excitedly, forgetting all about the "Heart-Rot Pill" for the time being.
Watching the man leave with such a joyous expression, Han Li let out a soft sigh. Suddenly he felt a pang of regret — he had only been here two days and had already given away so much silver. It really gave him the feeling of being a spendthrift.
No matter. Every last bit of this silver would be charged to Doctor Mo's account, along with some interest. Han Li conso himself with this bitter thought.
"But this Wu Jianming — what a character! He actually beat me to the identity I planned to use and slipped into the Mo residence. And from the looks of it, he intends to walk away with both wealth and beauty. The audacity!" Han Li rubbed his nose and let out a cold laugh.
"It seems I absolutely must pay a visit to the Mo residence. Otherwise, the Warm Sun Jade will end up as part of a dowry and fall into his hands." He thought with a measure of resentment.
(This chapter is complete.)