Chapter 69: The Report and Buying Information at Sky High Price

Yu Liang followed Lin Meihua out of the office.

The moment they stepped into the hall, he noticed the change in atmosphere. The staff were still working as usual, but several of them looked uneasy. A few glanced in their direction before quickly returning to their work.

"Where’s Master Chen?" Yu Liang asked.

"He’s waiting in the back."

Lin Meihua led him through the main hall and toward a quieter corridor.

Yu Liang’s expression became more serious. "Tell me what happened."

"It happened yesterday." Lin Meihua lowered her voice. "Wan Jing was on his way home after finishing his shift when he was attacked."

"Who attacked him?"

"We don’t know yet. Master Chen has been looking into it, but there wasn’t much to go on."

Yu Liang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Is Wan Jing alright?"

"He is. Someone happened to intervene before things got worse."

"Someone?"

Lin Meihua nodded. "A cultivator passing through the area."

They reached the back of the restaurant. Master Chen was already waiting inside there.

The moment he saw Yu Liang, he stepped forward.

"Young Master."

Yu Liang stated directly. "Tell me everything from the beginning."

Inside, Wan Jing sat quietly at the table, looking shaken but otherwise unharmed. The restaurant’s head chef, Master Chen, stood by the window with his arms crossed. A fourth person, a man in gray robes stood near the wall, his relaxed posture making it clear he was the cultivator who had intervened.

"Tell him," Meihua said.

Wan Jing’s hands trembled slightly as he explained what had happened.

"There were three of them. All wearing masks. They worked as a team and didn’t say anything. They did not intend to rob me. They wanted to kill me."

He glanced toward the man in gray.

"He arrived just in time and killed all three and then we left before the city guards got there."

Yu Liang listened without interrupting. When Wan Jing finished, he turned to the stranger.

"You saved my employee. Thank you." Yu Liang’s voice was sincere. "I truly appreciate it."

The gray robed cultivator shrugged. "Your people treated me well when I was short on money. Seemed fair to return the favor." He pushed off the wall. "But you should know that this wasn’t a random action. I’ve seen contract killings before. So I can definitely say this with certainty that someone paid good money for this."

Yu Liang asked."Do you know their names or anything in common?"

"I don’t have it. But I might know someone who does."

Yu Liang reached into his robes and produced a storage pouch. He tossed it to the man without checking the contents first, it was five million low grade spirit stones inside.

[ Ding! Host has spent 5,000,000 Low Grade Spiritual Stones ]

[ Multiplier Triggered: 100x ]

[ Host Receives 500,000,000 Low Grade Spiritual Stones ]

"Find out who hired them. Names, locations, backing. I want everything by sunset."

The gray-robed cultivator caught the pouch, hefted it once, and his eyes widen. "That’s... generous."

"That’s just the down payment. You’ll get triple if you have everything for me within six hours." Yu Liang smiled.

The man’s expression shifted from surprise to something harder. He nodded once and vanished through the window in a blur of movement.

Master Chen spoke up for the first time. "Young Master Yu, they came after one of our people this time. We can’t assume they’ll stop here. We need proper protection for the restaurant."

"I’m aware." Yu Liang walked over to the desk and sat down. "Meihua, what can we do?"

She answered without much thought, as if she’d already considered the matter.

"Hiring independent cultivators is risky. We can’t be sure they’ll stay loyal. Private Mercenary would also attract too much attention. Formations can help, but they won’t stop someone who’s determined to get inside."

She paused.

"There is one other option."

"Go on."

"The slave markets."

The room fell silent.

Meihua continued, keeping her voice low. "People who are sold there can be bound with consciousness seals. Once the seal is placed, they can’t betray their master or act against their orders."

Yu Liang frowned slightly.

"Slavery is technically against Imperial law," she continued. "The court doesn’t allow people to openly sell citizens, but the law is rarely enforced in places like Bloodshadow District. As long as the markets stay there and the local authorities receive their share, everyone looks the other way."

In the empire’s laws, slavery existed in a gray zone as neither openly sanctioned nor fully outlawed. Officially, the Imperial Court condemned "unregulated spirit binding of citizens." Unofficially, everyone knew the city governors tolerated slave markets as long as they stayed confined to their districts and paid their tributes on time.

The syndicates operated in a legal gray area. They filed registrations, paid taxes, and used notarized "debt-transfer contracts" to make their businesses look legitimate.

Everyone knew what was really happening, but as long as the syndicates followed certain rules and paid what they owed, the authorities had little reason to interfere. In places like Bloodshadow District, money and strength mattered far more than where the law drew the line.

Yu Liang had heard of such things. The practice was technically legal in certain districts, though most righteous sects publicly condemned it while privately maintaining their own "servant" populations. The seals carved into a slave’s soul would cause agonizing death if they attempted betrayal or escape.

"You’re suggesting I buy people?" Yu Liang questioned.

"I’m suggesting you buy protection that can’t be bribed, blackmailed, or turned against you." Meihua met his eyes. "I don’t like it either. But someone just tried to kill Wan Jing for cooking food. What happens when they go after the waitstaff? The musicians? Xiao Wen?"

Yu Liang thought of the young man who had been promoted from an inn attendant to front of house manager. Who had used his first paycheck to save his father’s life.

"Where’s the nearest market?"

"Blood Shadow District. Northern edge of the city." Meihua’s shoulders loosened slightly. "It’s... not pleasant."

"I didn’t expect it would be." Yu Liang stood. "Have a carriage prepared. We leave within the hour."

Master Chen cleared his throat. "Young Master, if I may.... whatever you spend on protection, spend double. The people targeting us won’t stop at failed assassination attempts."

"I’m aware, Master Chen." Yu Liang’s voice carried no warmth. "Which is why I’m going to make very sure the next people who try will regret it thoroughly."

The old chef nodded with grim satisfaction.

.

.

.

The gray robed cultivator returned four hours later with a sealed scroll. His expression was serious, suggesting the information inside hadn’t been easy to obtain.

Yu Liang broke the seal and read in silence.

Three rival restaurant groups had joined forces and hired the Bronze Dagger Guild, a mercenary group known for handling problems quietly.

Wan Jing had only been the beginning. Their plan was simple: scare the staff, drive away customers, and eventually force Heaven’s Table to either close or sell.

The scroll contained the names of everyone involved, along with their locations and financial backers.

Everything Yu Liang had asked for.

Yu Liang set it down and produced another pouch, One Million Mid Grade Spirit Stones this time.

"Triple, as promised. Plus extra for speed."

[ Ding! Host has spent 1,000,000 Mid Grade Spiritual Stones ]

[ Multiplier Triggered: 200x ]

[ Host Receives 200,000,000 Mid Grade Spiritual Stones ]

The gray robed cultivator stared at the pouch in his hand for a moment. One million mid-grade spiritual stones was far more than he’d expected.

He looked back at Yu Liang, clearly astonished, fighting back his instinct to scream in joy.

"Y-Young Master Yu... if you ever need anything else, you know where to find me."

After he left, Meihua entered quietly. "What are you going to do about them?"

Yu Liang looked over the list again. Restaurant owners, minor clan elders, and several other people who had decided Heaven’s Table was an easy target.

"Nothing. Yet."

He folded the scroll and set it aside.

"Let them think we haven’t noticed. If they want to make another move, we’ll be ready for it."

Lin Meihua looked at him for a moment. His calmness was somehow more unsettling than anger would have been.

"Prepare the carriage," Yu Liang said. "We’re going shopping."