Chapter 1103: Star Lord Yuheng
Secret societies differed greatly in nature. For instance, the Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fates operated like religious cults. The Heavenly Court was somewhere between an independent kingdom and a massive guild. Seven Treasures Pavilion resembled a merchant’s association. Qingping Society was closer to a secret alliance, The Inn was an assassin organization, and the Eight Tribes still preserved the Daoist organizational structure.
The Ziguang Society was more akin to an intelligence agency, with fewer members compared to the rest, yet omnipresent. Each member typically had dual identities, similar to the Qingping Society. From this, one could see the shared style of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect in the sense that both pursued quality in their secret networks.
The Taiping Sect, on the other hand, pursued quantity. The Heavenly Court had the most members, but its overall quality was questionable.
As the economic and commercial heart of Nanyang, Lion City was a melting pot of cultures. Besides being a place where the wealthy congregated, it was also a hub of information. Many well-informed individuals resided long-term in both Thanglong Prefecture and Lion City. Those in Thanglong gathered intelligence on the Daoist Mansion’s movements, while those in Lion City exchanged trade information.
Naturally, the Ziguang Society also maintained a branch in Lion City. Though this was Zhang Yuelu’s first time here, she had done her homework, so she navigated the streets and alleys so deftly that Ke Qingqing nearly thought her boss had lived here for years.
Star Lord Xuanji was the superior of the seven Star Lords and deputy to True Lord Ziguang. Xuanji had once made a wager with Zhang Yuelu. Had Zhang Yuelu lost, she would have become one of the Star Lords. Since she won, someone else took that vacancy.
The other seven Star Lords bore the names of stars—Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Yuheng, Yaoguang, Tianquan, and Kaiyang.
According to Star Lord Xuanji, the Lion City branch was under the authority of Star Lord Yuheng. Meeting Yuheng was no simple task. Members of the Ziguang Society were extremely well hidden. Without knowing the proper channels, one could not hope to find them.
But this posed no difficulty for Zhang Yuelu. Star Lord Xuanji had already given her the contact method and rendezvous procedure. All she had to do was follow the instructions.
After circling the outer city thoroughly and confirming that no one was tailing them, Zhang Yuelu finally slipped into a deserted alley.
Night had fallen, and the alley was pitch-dark. She walked swiftly to a small door at the end, lightly knocked four times, paused for half a minute, then knocked heavily three more times.
Moments later, the door opened from within. There was no lamp lit inside. Only faint moonlight from above illuminated the space. Zhang Yuelu and Ke Qingqing stepped through.