Chapter 102: A Prawn Has Taken the Bait (1)
Wei Yuan mentally reviewed the relevant information. The Xu Clan was part of the Seven Surnames and Thirteen Honors. Their sphere of influence was primarily centered in the central and western regions of Ning Province. It hadn’t been two thousand years since the human race took over Ning Province, which was why the Xu Clan was a relatively new powerhouse. In terms of strength, they ranked at the bottom of the aristocratic families.
A few years ago, the vast territory stretching thousands of li west of Hanyang Pass was under the Xu Clan’s control. They were the ones who had established a grotto-heaven there, and they were deeply intertwined with both the government and the sects. However, after the Shamans conquered the region and shattered the grotto-heaven, the Xu Clan suffered a huge blow and lost a full twenty percent of their strength.
Wei Yuan’s only interaction with the Xu Clan was over a decade ago during the martial test, where he had fought against Xu Yin’an, the purple flame boy who had slowly crawled toward him in the sky[1]. It was a brave challenge, but his arm was too short. After taking a spear through the chest, he tried everything he could to reach Wei Yuan only to fail miserably. In the end, he could only “pass away” in hate.
Assuming he interpreted the innkeeper’s words correctly, it seemed that the Xu Clan was secretly dealing in human trafficking as well. The Shattered Realm was a lawless land that had changed hands multiple times. Establishments such as brothels normally didn’t last long. Thus, the most stable partner one could find in this region remained the Shamans.
Wei Yuan wondered if this business was just the secret activity of a few individuals, or if it had always been this way.
“Do you have a portrait of the female cultivator?”
“The bigshot mentioned that the female cultivator could have altered her appearance. That is why he gave me a personal item that bears her aura.”
The innkeeper produced a jade earring as he said this. It carried a wisp of feminine aura as he claimed. To Wei Yuan’s surprise, it felt similar to Yun Feifei’s!
While maintaining an unreadable expression, Wei Yuan put away the earring and said, “You can treat it as if Wang Lang is already dead. Now, show me the mystic artifacts so that I can pick the one I want!”