"The association I founded, the Fearful Flood Dragon Association, boasts sixty-four thousand ordinary members and over seven thousand core members. It is one of the three great powers in Lan Prefecture, with its main stronghold in Jiayuan City and branch offices in…"
"In my life I took five wives and fathered two daughters. I also took disciples…"
"My first wife, Madam Jin, has a gentle disposition. She is the only daughter of Jin Can, the chief escort of the Golden Lion Escort Agency. She has been murdered, leaving behind one daughter, Mo Yuzhu."
"My second wife, Madam Li, is well-educated and refined, the daughter of a prominent household. She bore no children."
"My third wife, Madam Liu, is fiery-tempered but quite ambitious. She is the younger sister of Liu Feng, Gate Master of the Changfeng Gate in Quling City. She bore no children and should be watched carefully."
"My fourth wife, Madam Yan, is my cousin. She is steady and composed, with a sharp mind and the bearing of a matriarch. She bore one daughter, Mo Caihuan. Before I departed, I transferred most of the Fearful Flood Dragon Association's authority to Madam Yan. She can be trusted."
"My fifth wife, Madam Wang, is a woman of few words who is devoted to me with all her heart. She was originally the personal maidservant of my first wife, Madam Jin. She bore no children, but she secretly holds a hidden power. She can be absolutely trusted."
"My adopted daughter Mo Fengwu is the daughter of a former trusted subordinate. After her parents died, I took her in as my adopted daughter. She was seven years old when I left—sharp and clever as ice and snow."
"Yan Ge, my eldest disciple, has average talent. I have already passed on to him the secret art of the Silver Demon Hand. He was twelve when I left, his character still unsettled."
"Zhao Kun, my second disciple, possesses outstanding talent. I have already passed on to him the secret art of the Trapping Dragon Technique. He was ten when I left, his character still unsettled."
"Ma Kongtian, my sworn brother, serves as Chief Protector of the Fearful Flood Dragon Association. His temperament…"
………… Han Li held Mo Juren's will, covered in writing, pacing back and forth inside an upper room at an inn called the Huiyuan Inn, deep in thought.
The will was written in meticulous detail. Not only did it lay out clearly the foundation Mo Juren had built—the Fearful Flood Dragon Association—it also gave rough descriptions of the temperaments of all his wives, giving Han Li some basis for understanding.
However, everything described in the will was from nearly ten years ago. The situation must have changed drastically by now.
What exactly should he do? Should he try to contact Mo Juren's wives, or steal the jade and flee? He would need to learn the specifics before making a decision.
With this in mind, the local snake he had subdued yesterday, Sun Ergou, would prove extremely useful. Surely he could extract a fair amount of useful information from the man's mouth.
After reading through the will one more time, Han Li tucked it inside his robe. He looked up and thought for a moment, then walked over to the bed and sat down.
He spread his legs apart, placed both palms facing upward on his knees, and closed his eyes, beginning to look inward at the condition of his body.
The thread of cold yin poison within his dantian had begun spreading outward about a month ago. What had originally been a faint, barely perceptible shadow had now condensed into a black mass the size of a pea, and it was still growing.
By Han Li's own estimation, at most another two months remained before this yin poison erupted fully. When that happened, he would truly be unable to escape death.
Han Li was brooding with worry, steeling his resolve to obtain the Warm Sun Jade at all costs, when someone knocked on the door from outside.
"Come in!" Han Li opened his eyes and said coldly.
The door was gently pushed open, and Sun Ergou walked in with his head bowed. Upon seeing Han Li, he bowed deeply and said with great respect: "Young Master! Sun Ergou has come to receive your orders!"
"Not bad—you found your way here that quickly. You actually have some ability!" Han Li said with satisfaction. He rose from the bed, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked over to stand before Sun Ergou.
"Young Master flatters me. If I couldn't even manage such a small thing, what use would Young Master have in keeping this lowly one alive?" Sun Ergou's face was plastered with an ingratiating smile as he pledged his loyalty.
When Sun Ergou had gone back the day before, it wasn't as if he hadn't considered reporting Han Li's matter to his superiors and then bringing experts back for revenge. But the moment he thought about having taken that Rot Heart Pill, all his courage vanished completely.
After a full night of anguished deliberation, he still had no solution. Left with no choice, he obediently came to see Han Li, hoping that after providing the man with his help, Han Li would truly give him the antidote and rid him of this lethal Rot Heart Pill.
"First, tell me about your position. From your manner that day, you seemed to be some kind of minor leader," Han Li said casually, unconcerned.
"This subordinate is a foreman at the Siping Gang's dock in the West City, with about forty or fifty men under me. I suppose that makes me a minor leader," Sun Ergou replied respectfully.
"The Siping Gang?" Han Li asked blandly.
"Yes. The Siping Gang is one of the thirty-three small gangs in Jiayuan City's West City. We have close to a thousand members, most of them dock laborers and porters. Our gang master is 'Ape-Armed' Shen Chongshan, and he has three protectors under him." Sun Ergou promptly spilled everything without being asked, and though he was revealing his own gang's intelligence to an outsider, there was not a trace of shame on his face.
"The big fellow who attacked me yesterday—was he from the Siping Gang too?"
"No, that was not the case. That man is called Black Bear, and he's a leader in the Iron Fist Society, one of the thirty-three gangs. He and I have never gotten along," Sun Ergou answered with an obsequious grin.
"With just the West City alone, there are this many small gangs. Then in all of Jiayuan City, there must be even more factions?" Han Li asked, hands clasped behind his back, as he slowly strolled back to the bed.
"That's correct. In all of Jiayuan City, there are over forty small gangs with fewer than a thousand members, seven or eight medium-sized gangs of two to three thousand, and three large gangs with over ten thousand members each," Sun Ergou said honestly, standing in place.
"Then tell me about the large gangs and the medium-sized ones. Skip the small ones." Han Li flicked back the hem of his robe, sat on the edge of the bed, and waited quietly for Sun Ergou's account.
(End of Chapter)