Ji Xun didn't know that while he was drinking at the Rose Tavern, a negotiation was also taking place at the tavern across the street.
"Hey, Tai, I'm giving your Brotherhood a lot of face by sitting here to negotiate. What do you mean by that?"
"Dong Qi, your people have crossed the line. I won't say much; those few shops need to close, and the rules stay the same. Don't mess around."
"Tai, get it straight. It's not Hong Lou trying to steal your business, but the customers are coming to us on their own. Times have changed. What used to be smuggled goods can now be delivered through legitimate channels. No one wants your inferior goods anymore, let alone at high prices. Customers pay for quality, not because they're forced at gunpoint. Making money now relies on skills. Besides, each buys their own, how does that affect you?"
"Your shops are doing all sorts of opening promotions and discounts, and you've stolen all my customers and suppliers! And you say it doesn't affect me?"
"I'm losing my own money; what's it to you? I'm not selling on your turf. If you don't like it, you can offer discounts too."
"Then there's nothing to talk about!"
With that, the table was suddenly flipped over.
---
Tangning Street was originally the most likely place for gang fights in Sin City.
Gunfire was as common as dance music; if a few shots weren't fired every night, people would find it strange.
As the fight started, the tavern's security skillfully brought out mechanical shields, forming a shield wall at the door.
The patrons, far from being scared, eagerly watched the fight from behind the shield wall.
Ji Xun initially thought it was an ordinary shootout, but hearing it was between the "Hong Lou" and the "Brotherhood," the two largest gangs in Sin City, he became interested.
He was sitting near the door, giving him a good view of the situation outside.
The pedestrians had already fled far away, and the two gangs were facing off in the street.
One gang, mostly shirtless, showed off muscular bodies with menacing tattoos.
The other gang wore leather jackets and rode motorcycles, armed with various guns.
It looked like a showdown between a traditional martial arts school and a biker gang.
Within moments, each side had gathered over a hundred people, looking ready for a large-scale battle.
"..."
Ji Xun frowned.
It was best not to watch such a commotion.
Mechanical shields could only block ordinary bullets, and this situation didn't seem like a small skirmish. Ordinary shields couldn't provide enough safety.
But looking at the leader of the biker gang, a woman in a leather jacket, he felt she looked familiar.
Although she was wearing a mechanical helmet, he had a hunch she was the same "Dong Qi" who had directed him to the black market.
Sister Bo glanced over and laughed, "They won't actually fight."
Ji Xun was curious, "Oh?"
Sister Bo, being an informant, explained directly, "One side is the eldest daughter of Hong Lou, and the other is the seventh hall master of the Brotherhood, 'Boxer' Tai. If these two really fought, Sin City would be thrown into chaos immediately. They probably hit a deadlock in business negotiations and are just venting their anger by flipping tables."
Hearing about the eldest daughter of Hong Lou, Ji Xun was almost sure that the woman in the leather jacket was "Dong Qi."
No wonder just her name had made the owner of the "Silver Star Mystery Shop" sell him the good stuff. She was the daughter of the largest gang in Sin City?
And what a coincidence.
Looking at the "Boxer" Tai, Ji Xun's expression turned strange: "No wonder the owner of the Silver Star Shop said that the Golden Fragment had a sensitive origin. Could it be from him?"
This guy was shirtless, with dark skin and a fierce tiger tattoo.
His black curse power was spilling out like flames, not sticking to his body like other second-tier Curse Card Masters, but forming a "vacuum layer."
Seeing that vacuum layer on Tai's body, Ji Xun's eyes twitched slightly: "Is that qi?"
He himself knew a technique called [Hard Qigong], so he wasn't unfamiliar with Qigong Masters.
Curse power spilling out and forming qi was a high-level technique for Qigong Masters.
This layer of qi alone could easily block enchanted bullets.
This was a real expert!
But Ji Xun's focus wasn't on that.
To cultivate such qi, besides skill, the most important factor was an extremely high amount of curse power to form this vacuum layer. Theoretically, a Qigong Master below the third tier shouldn't be able to do this.
Tai was only at the second tier.
Moreover, most elemental curse powers had highly distinguishable colors. For example, fire elemental curse power was red, water elemental was blue...
Black curse power was either dark elemental or mixed curse power like Ji Xun's.
These two points alone made Ji Xun certain that this guy was practicing the same breathing technique as him, the incomplete Golden Breathing Technique!
Seeing this, Ji Xun suddenly thought of something: "Wait a minute, he's already a second-tier Curse Card Master, so it shouldn't be just the six formulas."
Given his current cultivation speed, it would take him only a few months to cultivate his curse power to six segments.
He was initially worried that this was an incomplete technique and he wouldn't find the follow-up.
But now, it seemed there might actually be more?
However, Tai didn't seem like someone easy to approach.
If he were to ask Tai to sell his unique secret technique, he'd probably get his head blown off on the spot.
This follow-up technique would be hard to obtain.
---
The standoff on the street, as Sister Bo predicted, was intense but didn't result in a fight.
The commotion, however, attracted more and more onlookers.
Ji Xun, watching the scene from the Rose Tavern, occasionally glanced around the crowd.
The Silver Moon Cult's gathering was supposed to be at nine, and now it was already half-past nine.
He had been observing the first floor all this time and hadn't noticed anything unusual.
The Rose Tavern's second floor had some entertainment rooms, and since they were closed, he hadn't seen many people there before.
But now, due to the street noise, those in the second-floor rooms also came out to watch the commotion.
With a quick glance, Ji Xun suddenly noticed something.
He saw a patron step out of a room on the second floor.
This wasn't unusual, but Ji Xun saw an uncontrolled curse power like octopus tentacles emanating from the person!
Apart from corpses, Ji Xun had never seen such irregular curse power spilling out from any living person. He immediately thought of something: "'Lone Wolf' Baron?"
But he had seen Baron on the train before, and he didn't look like this...
Not everyone had a clown mask to change their face.
Suddenly, he thought of something and realized: "Skin replacement!"
Ji Xun finally understood where the doctor's peeled human skins had gone.
And why the Silver Moon Cult members were so well-hidden.
These guys had directly replaced their skins!
Physical alterations to their appearances made them undetectable.
"This craftsmanship is truly exceptional..."
Ji Xun looked at the seemingly normal skin, marveling at it.
But now the reality was, the doctor had been killed, and he didn't know if they could still change skins.
Seeing Baron appear, he was now certain that the [Silver Moon Mirror] was their internal communication device.
He had originally planned to send another anonymous tip.
But the thought dissipated immediately.
It wouldn't necessarily harm them, and it wouldn't benefit him at all.
Now, apart from a suspected Baron, he wasn't sure if anyone else in the tavern was a Silver Moon Cult member.
With a mole inside the Golden Oak Security Company, an anonymous tip might not work.
If it scared them off, it might even reveal that the mirror was leaking information.
Besides, the person had already left.
For a moment, Ji Xun's mind raced with thoughts.
With this mirror, there was definitely something to be done.
But now wasn't the right time.
These guys were probably here to discuss the auction three days later. By monitoring the mirror, he might intercept some information.
Ji Xun's mind started piecing together the information he had and formed vague plans.
---
Before long, Ji Xun left the Rose Tavern.
He hadn't expected to uncover any big secrets, and confirming the mirror's usefulness was the biggest gain.
Ji Xun retraced his steps back to the abandoned building.
He checked the traps around the mirror and saw that no one had come looking for it.
Feeling more reassured, he relaxed.
Actually, when he saw Baron appear, Ji Xun was already certain that the mirror wouldn't cause any trouble.
Otherwise, those skittish Silver Moon Cult members wouldn't have continued their gathering at the Rose Tavern.
Now that he had confirmed the crucial information, Ji Xun didn't wander around. He stayed in the abandoned building, continuing to digest the gains from the past few days.
It was hard to say whether it was due to his innate comprehension or his natural ability to multitask, but Ji Xun's meditation had become quite proficient. He no longer needed to focus intensely to run through the breathing techniques. He could even do other things while practicing.
Though he couldn't engage in vigorous activities while cultivating the breathing technique, his eyes didn't need to be closed.
Thinking this, Ji Xun took out the "Encyclopedia of Beginner Card Masters" he had bought from the black market and began to flip through it.
The handwritten parchment felt good, and though expensive, it could last a long time. The pages were yellowed, and Ji Xun estimated that the set he held was nearly a century old. Flipping through it gave a sense of delving into history.
He was inherently curious about everything in this otherworld, and this kind of textbook did not bore him in the slightest.
Basic principles of runes, card-making, introductions to monsters and aberrations...
To him, these dry topics seemed like little sprites dancing into his mind.
As he turned each page, Ji Xun's understanding of this world grew deeper, and his anticipation for uncovering its mysteries was constant.
However, while flipping through the pages, a piece of letterhead paper suddenly fell out of the book.
Curious, Ji Xun picked it up and saw that it seemed to be a letter.
The content was as follows:
"Grandpa gave me a birthday gift, saying it would be a big surprise. Ah... I was so looking forward to it. But he encrypted it with Talon Ancient Script and wants me to decipher it myself. Grandpa slyly made sure that even the teachers at the academy won't help, insisting I figure it out on my own. But... but these ancient characters are so difficult, it's giving me a headache. If only someone could help me. Please help me translate these symbols, I am really looking forward to the gift. I promise, if I get a response, I will study hard in the future. ▽, ⋌, ∀, ϡ..."
Reading the letter, Ji Xun couldn't help but smile. He could almost see a frustrated girl, resting her head on her hand at her desk, grumbling as she wrote the letter.
Learning characters required a certain aptitude and talent. It wasn't as simple as having a dictionary and learning a language.
Especially not for Talon Ancient Script, a simplified version of demonic language.
Ji Xun chuckled and shook his head as he read the letter.
He didn't pay much attention to it. After all, it was an old item.
He assumed it was just a letter the book's previous owner had inadvertently left in the book when selling it.
Seeing that it could serve as a bookmark, Ji Xun decided to keep the beautiful letter.
He continued reading.
However, for some reason, his reading efficiency dropped.
He had been fully immersed in the book, but now his thoughts were repeatedly interrupted.
When he thought back, the characters on that letter seemed to have a certain allure, lingering in his mind.
He recognized them but hadn't deciphered them.
That feeling... it was like having unfinished business, something wasn't right.
With that thought, Ji Xun, almost instinctively, picked up a pen.
He wrote the approximate meanings of the Talon Ancient Script characters on the letter: gift, garden, treehouse, seal...
Looking at what he had written, he smiled.
Strangely, after writing those characters, it felt as if he had fulfilled some unspoken promise, and a sense of peace washed over him.
The lingering restlessness in his mind vanished instantly.
Not thinking much of it, Ji Xun sank back into meditation.
---
Three days passed in a flash.
The day of the auction had arrived.
Ji Xun was puzzled that there had been no movement since the incident at the Rose Tavern.
But early that morning, a new secret message appeared in the [Silver Moon Mirror]: "Proceed as planned."
Deciphering this message, Ji Xun realized that the Silver Moon Cult was indeed planning to target the auction items.
And they were going to act today!
But how could they dare with so few people?