Chapter 354: Chapter 307: A Kind Father and a Filial Son
Pondering carefully, Yang Xiao wrote down his question and dropped it into the hole, but the wait lasted a full hour. Just as his patience was nearing its end, the reply finally arrived. The moment he saw the required amount for the answer, Yang Xiao was stunned—it was actually 5 million.
Fu Qingzhu had mentioned to him before that the Peace Hotel’s information started at 500,000 per piece, but Yang Xiao truly hadn’t expected that there could be information worth as much as 5 million. In a city like Rongcheng, 5 million could easily buy a fairly decent small villa.
Luckily, he had recently earned a substantial sum, or else he wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Yang Xiao checked the box indicating his consent to pay the amount.
Things became simpler after that. Roughly five minutes later, another bamboo tube with information inside arrived, this time containing a piece of paper filled with words.
According to the information provided by the hotel, the Magic Artifact in Huang Sanbing’s possession had come from his father. His father’s name was Huang Shanfang, a Loose Cultivator in the world of cultivation known for being extremely low-profile, never making enemies, and rarely partaking in battles. However, synthesizing various pieces of information, it was deduced that this man wasn’t weak, most likely at the Venerable Level Heretic Cultivator strength.
Huang Sanbing and his father Huang Shanfang had a strained relationship. Unlike his father, Huang Sanbing harbored great ambitions, often urging Huang Shanfang to use his powers to establish a sect and vie for power. But Huang Shanfang, who had become accustomed to leading the life of a hermit, had no such aspirations, and father and son often argued fiercely about this.
Ten years ago, Huang Shanfang, who had always been in good health, suddenly fell victim to a grave illness and died without recovery. Huang Sanbing hastily dealt with his father’s corpse, so hurried that some of Huang Shanfang’s old friends never even got to see his final visage, leading to speculation that Huang Sanbing might have murdered his own father.
In the following years, Huang Shanfang’s few old friends died one after the other under various mysterious circumstances, while Huang Sanbing, no longer restrained by his father, quickly made a name in the underworld with his ruthless tactics. He founded the Liehu Gang, whose forces dominated the Stream Pot region year-round, becoming a local tyrant.
Clutching the note, Yang Xiao found his suspicions confirmed: Huang Sanbing had killed his own father to take possession of this treasured item. Yet new questions arose; according to the intelligence, Huang Shanfang wasn’t any formidable master capable of shaking realms, only at Venerable Level Heretic Cultivator rank. Frankly, Yang Xiao felt he wasn’t much stronger than himself either and wouldn’t necessarily be his match in an all-out fight.
Not even sure he himself could win, how did this man manage to snatch something from the original owner of the Drama Robe? And how did the Human Bone Staff end up in his hands?
From the intelligence, Yang Xiao also deduced something: Huang Shanfang was extremely low-profile, which Yang Xiao guessed wasn’t necessarily by choice but by necessity. Possessing such a treasure with his insufficient strength, he must have feared being killed for it. Little did Huang Shanfang suspect that he would not fall to a stranger’s hand but instead meet his end at the hand of his own son.
Though it was painful to part with the money, Yang Xiao picked up his pen once more and inquired about the origin of the treasure that Huang Shanfang had held. He even began to suspect that the hotel was fishing for more, deliberately splitting information to earn two payments from him—a genuine rip-off.
About half an hour later, Yang Xiao received a reply. He braced himself to be fleeced by the hotel, determined to uncover the truth. However, upon reading the single line on the note, he was at a loss and momentarily taken aback.
"Sorry, your current authority does not permit querying this information." The note bore a line of cold printed font.
Not enough authority, even with the Character "Li" Mask level, Yang Xiao began to understand—the problem lay with this Huang Shanfang.
The Human Bone Staff must have an illegitimate source, and furthermore, likely involved a significant secret. Still, Yang Xiao did learn something valuable from his visit. The hotel’s phrasing was merely that his authority was insufficient, not that they lacked knowledge. This gave Yang Xiao hope that with a higher-ranked mask, he could continue his investigation.
His dealings with the Resentful Eye weren’t over; Yang Xiao wanted to buy some silver paper from the hotel for wrapping it, similar to how Tong Han had wrapped the Snake-head Cane. Though not as secure as a silver box, the silver paper was much more convenient for short-term storage of the Resentful Eye without any major issues.
The hotel responded quickly. They didn’t sell the paper individually, more like cling film sold by the roll—a single roll costing 2 million, definitely not cheap.
But Yang Xiao, now flush with cash, anticipated a continual demand for such transactions in the future and didn’t dawdle, purchasing two rolls immediately.
It was about time, so Yang Xiao began to tally his gains from the trip: 12 million for the Dead Man’s Skin, 5 million for the Snake-head Cane, minus 6 million for the two pieces of information, and 4 million for the two rolls of silver paper, he was left with 7 million. If this had happened a few months earlier, Yang Xiao would have been ecstatic over such an amount, but now, there was only a slight flutter of excitement within him.
Carrying such a large sum of cash was inconvenient, and Yang Xiao was too lazy to convert it into gold. He had matters to attend to later, so he decided to leave the cash at the hotel for the time being. This way, there was no need to carry money the next time he visited, as he knew he’d be a frequent guest at the hotel.
After leaving the hotel, the sky hadn’t yet brightened. Yang Xiao found a secluded spot to take off his mask, putting on a face mask and a duckbill cap, keeping the brim low, and disappeared into the night, making his way back to the small motel he was renting. He had an account to settle with the proprietor there.
Of course, he couldn’t just walk through the door, especially since he was unaware of the proprietor’s true nature. With a thought, he took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror. It seemed to have rained a few days ago, leaving bright puddles on the ground. Activating the Soul-Capturing Mirror’s powers, Yang Xiao vanished on the spot.
Upon entering the Mirror World, Yang Xiao traversed several times and finally located the proprietor’s room. He didn’t disturb the man but quietly scouted around, discovering that besides the proprietor, there were two fierce-looking henchmen staying in the motel.
The two henchmen were residing in a small room on the first floor around the corner, with weapons like machetes placed on the table. The proprietor lived in the innermost room on the third floor. At that moment, the proprietor was in his birthday suit, embracing a heavily made-up woman, savoring a post-coital cigarette—completely oblivious to the fact that Yang Xiao was coldly observing him through a mirror in the room.
The shopkeeper was bragging to a woman about having fleeced another fat sheep today and planning to check out some valuable merchandise first thing tomorrow. Working in this business relied on sharp eyesight, and he spotted right away that Yang Xiao was a greenhorn, looking just like a foolish son of a landlord.
The woman chuckled nonstop, praising her man’s abilities while giving him flirtatious looks, seemingly on the verge of reigniting their passionate encounter.
Yang Xiao pulled the shopkeeper and the woman into the Mirror World without warning, and they fell onto the cold ground, unprepared. Witnessing Yang Xiao suddenly before them, the shopkeeper was stunned.
"You old fool, dare to scheme against me?" Yang Xiao kicked the shopkeeper hard, sending him flying with a crackling sound that indicated a rib had broken.
The shopkeeper endured the pain, unsure of what had happened, yelling for help and hoping to wake the two workers on the first floor to come save him. But this was the Mirror World; all his efforts were in vain. Yang Xiao stepped forward and kicked him again, forcing him to spit out blood.
The shopkeeper rolled on the ground in agony. Yang Xiao abruptly turned back to the collapsed woman. Seemingly accustomed to crisis, she didn’t fall into total disarray and confessed the location of the shopkeeper’s hidden vault. She begged Yang Xiao to spare her, claiming she’d been coerced and promised to lead him to the treasure and to accompany him.
Yang Xiao walked over and, without hesitation, killed the woman with a strike of his blade, cursing, "Keep you company? When the hell do I have time to keep you company? Shouldn’t I be writing the script?"
Hearing Yang Xiao’s inexplicable words, the shopkeeper was terrified. He saw Yang Xiao as a madman and a murderous maniac, and answered all of Yang Xiao’s inquiries.
Soon, Yang Xiao learned much about Xiang Ma Town from the shopkeeper. There were many establishments similar to Guo Family Inn in town. Anytime a fat sheep was discovered, they were made to carry out a lantern branded with the shop’s name so that other shops wouldn’t poach them. This was the rule.
Of course, not everyone obeyed the rules. The town was a den of iniquity with murderers, gamblers, fugitives, and all sorts of vicious criminals. Though the shopkeeper sometimes had his prey stolen, anyone from the town had to follow the rules of the Peace Hotel.
For example, no one dared to kill or make trouble near the Peace Hotel; they had to be at least a whole street away. Incidents like the attempt on Yang Xiao’s life would not concern the hotel as long as it didn’t make too much noise; otherwise, it would draw the attention of the patrolling Ghost Slaves. Then, whether one lived or died was entirely up to fate.
Yang Xiao suddenly thought of the strange individual he had encountered that night, dressed in a grey robe, wearing a Grudge Mask, and holding a lantern with the word "Peace." "What’s a Ghost Slave?"
"A Ghost Slave is a servant who’s sold themselves to the Peace Hotel. They have no name, no identity, and only follow the hotel’s orders. Ghost Slaves patrol the town every night, and it’s because of them that Xiang Ma Town hasn’t fallen into complete lawlessness," explained the shopkeeper, swallowing hard as he glanced fearfully, "These people are completely merciless; they kill troublemakers on sight, and they are terrifyingly powerful. Each has their own peculiar methods... I... I don’t even know how to describe them. Even the most fearsome murderers and wanted criminals in town are like mice to their cats, unable to resist or escape. There are rumors that Ghost Slaves in masks are no longer human but have become ghosts, actual ghosts!!"
Seeing that Yang Xiao wasn’t too familiar with Xiang Ma Town, the shopkeeper, sensing an opportunity, straightened up a bit, regaining some of his previous composure, "Would you like me to explain the origins of these Ghost Slaves, young master?"
"Slap!"
"Slap! Slap!"
Yang Xiao raised his hand and slapped the old man several times, which immediately made the shopkeeper see stars. Swiftly, his attitude shifted back.
"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, please... I only heard that these Ghost Slaves were once masters in the martial world. They had requests for the Peace Hotel and, unable to offer sufficient payment, sold themselves into servitude."
"Many have heard that as long as you offer enough payment, the Peace Hotel can fulfill any wish. That’s why so many bring all their possessions to Xiang Ma Town, hoping for good fortune. But they don’t know that money isn’t the only requirement to enter the Peace Hotel; a token is also needed...it’s a mask, a very special mask."
Yang Xiao took out the Character "Li" Mask from his bag and casually dangled it in front of the shopkeeper, "Like this mask?"
The shopkeeper was shocked, then looked at Yang Xiao with eyes full of terror. The next moment, he fell to his knees before Yang Xiao, bowing continuously, "Hero Grandfather, spare my life. If you had just shown this treasure to me sooner, I wouldn’t have dared to provoke you even if I had ten times the courage. Please have mercy, Hero Grandfather; I will never dare again. I will leave Xiang Ma Town first thing tomorrow..."
The next second, Yang Xiao’s blade pierced the shopkeeper’s heart and with a harsh twist of his wrist, the shopkeeper’s struggle weakened, and the light faded from his eyes.
"Now I believe you certainly won’t dare again." Yang Xiao kicked away the shopkeeper’s body, turned, and went to find the two workers. In cutting weeds, one must eliminate the roots.
