Chapter 139: Chapter 110: Undercurrents Surging, Three Strange Events (Part 2)

“Uh, is Junior Brother Li practicing an eye technique? Is it the Bright Eyes Technique or the Purple Eye Thunder Skill?”

Lin Chen asked curiously.

Li Zhenqian’s face looked a bit unsightly, hesitatingly saying: “Let’s go, according to the plan, we need to find the insiders in the city…”

Lin Chen nodded slightly; indeed, they had accepted this task yesterday.

So the two left the inn and strolled through Jade Belt City.

On the street, about a few yards wide, there were many stalls and shops.

Cosmetics, candied snacks, or there were taverns, inns, and pawnshops for jade…

This Jade Belt City is a major economic city in the north, because the Jade Belt River outside the city produces beautiful jade, which is renowned far and wide, thus the city’s economy is very developed.

Although it doesn’t compare to the capital city Yanlai, it’s the second largest city in Yanlai Country.

Lin Chen strolled along, occasionally buying some mortal realm jade just for pleasure.

After walking for a while, Li Zhenqian behind him suddenly burst out laughing.

“Haha, have all the men in Jade Belt City died? Why are women out selling goods?”

Lin Chen frowned and was about to speak, but suddenly realized it indeed seemed that way.

Along the way, most of the vendors were women, and there were few men running stalls.

This is not normal because in ancient society, it was unheard of for women to show their faces in public like this.

“Hmm, Junior Brother Li truly observes carefully… this is indeed unusual.”

Lin Chen exclaimed in admiration.

Li Zhenqian behind him froze for a moment; he was merely complaining and hadn’t noticed the underlying meaning.

The two then walked to the entrance of a small alley and saw a blind man selling things.

According to the intelligence, this blind man was the sect’s mole in Jade Belt City.

Lin Chen glanced at him carefully, feeling the blind man looked somewhat familiar.

So he asked tentatively: “A plate of pig head meat?”

“Two liang of aged white spirits!” The blind man blurted out, then paused in surprise.

Seeing no one paying attention around, he packed up his stall and walked towards the alley behind, gesturing to Lin Chen as he left.

“Indeed, wasn’t this person the insider in Guangyuan Town before? Why has he been transferred to Jade Belt City…”

As he was an acquaintance, Lin Chen felt more at ease.

So after taking a few rounds with Li Zhenqian, he turned and entered the deep alley.

Upon seeing Lin Chen, the fortune-teller blind man took off his sunglasses, looked him up and down, and muttered:

“Boy, is it really you? In such a short year, you’ve reached Foundation Establishment?”

“Haha, merely a lucky Foundation Establishment… But why were you transferred to Jade Belt City?” Lin Chen asked curiously.

“Oh…” The fortune-teller blind man began to lament.

It turns out that over a year ago, after the war broke out, all places and towns needed insiders, and since Guangyuan Town wasn’t far from Changchun Mountain, the insiders were moved to the front line.

And thus, the fortune-teller blind man came to Jade Belt City and has been there for over a year.

After understanding the situation, Lin Chen nodded slightly and said:

“Friend, why don’t you tell us about the situation with the stockade first?”

Upon hearing this, the fortune-teller blind man said:

“The Jade Belt Stockade is not a typical tribulation cultivator force, especially the Jade Belt Scholar is very cautious.”

“He has quite a few insiders in Jade Belt City, keeping an eye on visiting cultivators… have you been discovered on your way in?”

Lin Chen shook his head; they had entered in batches, presumably not discovered.

After hearing this, the fortune-teller blind man sighed with relief and began to share the information he obtained.

“The Jade Belt Scholar currently seems to have the power at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment… but it’s uncertain if there’s any hidden cultivation.”

“Besides him, there’s also a deputy in mid-Foundation Establishment, and six Foundation Establishment cultivators in the stockade…”

“This group of tribulation cultivators are fierce and combative, skilled in techniques, yet unknown to have gotten hold of a batch of Five Thunders with amazing power, capable of threatening Qi Refining Perfect Cultivators… Be careful when you encounter them!”

“Simultaneously, Jade Belt Mountain has various secret hideouts, with hundreds of tribulation cultivators taking turns keeping watch… If entering the mountain, caution is imperative! It’s said there’s a secret passageway in the stockade that the Jade Belt Scholar uses for escape…”

The fortune-teller blind man mainly shared the intelligence regarding the stockade.

After hearing this, Lin Chen frowned slightly; these tribulation cultivators indeed seemed troublesome.

The mountain had watch points and dug secret paths for emergency escape… this Jade Belt Scholar indeed had a cautious disposition.

But what caught Lin Chen’s attention was, the Five Thunders!

“This batch of Five Thunders, could very well be the ones I sold…”

Lin Chen thought silently.

Over the past year, he had sold thousands of Five Thunders, mostly purchased by loose cultivators.

It wouldn’t be unusual for this tribulation cultivator force to quietly acquire a batch.

But Lin Chen couldn’t afford to stop making profit by selling Spirit Stones just because tribulation cultivators might buy his magical treasure.

After the fortune-teller blind man disclosed the intelligence of Jade Belt Stockade, Lin Chen couldn’t help but ask:

“Friend, I noticed today that most vendors in the city are women; why are there few men?”

Upon hearing this, the fortune-teller blind man’s face slightly changed, but he still whispered:

“In the past year, there have been three strange occurrences in Jade Belt City…”

“The first strange occurrence, was a year ago, Young Master Zheng, who was infatuated with the famed beauty Nan Lingling, was found dead on the street after a night of drunkenness, with only his skin left, his flesh and bones missing…”

“Since then, every three to five days, regardless of day or night, mortals in the city continue to be gruesomely skinned and killed… The local cultivation clans have intervened, but there’s been no result.”

“Since then, only women venture out for livelihood in Jade Belt City, men dare only stay home and not freely venture out.”

Lin Chen frowned slightly upon hearing this.

To die horrifically on the street, leaving only skin without flesh… It was truly creepy!

The fortune-teller blind man continued:

“The second strange occurrence involves the cemetery outside the city, from which continuous wails are heard, causing any mortal passing by to become severely ill.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep