I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

The next day, early in the morning.

Inside the courtyard, Li Shanming, who had just stepped out of his room, was enjoying the coolness of the morning breeze when suddenly his pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly walked to the door.

There, on the gate, was an embroidery needle that had been stuck to the door at some point, and on the tip of the needle was a note.

"Who could it be?"

Looking at the note on the door, Li Shanming did not check it immediately.

He first looked around cautiously several times, and only after confirming that he could not find the person who left the note did he focus his attention on the ordinary note.

The paper is the most common type of Xuan paper.

But Li Shanming's expression changed drastically the moment he opened the note, even though he had confirmed that the paper was non-toxic.

"He Lao Er of the Black Tiger Gang is dead, but before his death, he searched everywhere for the Yin Shi woman, suspected of assisting An Jia in Fucheng and secretly carrying out the demonic sect's activities."

absurd.

Where did the Black Tiger Gang get the guts?

Almost the instant he saw the contents of the paper, disbelief was the first thought that came to Li Shanming's mind.

The Black Tiger Gang may act arrogantly and domineeringly, but they would never act so recklessly.

Demonic cult.

That would be a catastrophe; any sect or force that gets involved with those two words would be attacked by all the heroes.

The Black Tiger Gang would never dare to do that.

"Is someone deliberately toying with me, or do they want my Seven Mysteries Sect and the Black Tiger Gang to fight to the death so they can reap the benefits?"

Li Shanming frowned deeply, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"Settle down in the capital!"

Thinking of this prestigious family, one of the most prominent in Anyang City, Li Shanming suddenly hesitated.

To this day, they still don't know how Wang Hu of the Black Tiger Gang got involved with the An family in Fucheng.

"There are only two years left until the martial arts exam. With the An family's resources, they may have some unique methods to enhance their children's martial arts skills."

"This matter is far too important for me to decide. We must verify the authenticity of the information as soon as possible and then inform the sect leader."

With this in mind, Li Shanming, after changing his appearance, immediately went to the Hidden Affairs Pavilion in the city to confirm the fate of He Lao Er of the Black Tiger Gang.

soon.

Li Shanming then learned of He Lao Er's death from the Hidden Affairs Pavilion.

"He Lao Er is really dead? Could the news on this note be true? But what is the relationship between that person and Xue Sha Jian Feng Buping? Why would someone act in his name?"

Li Shanming couldn't understand it.

But this did not stop him from sending the message back to the Seven Mysteries Sect immediately and contacting Constable Zhao Ji right away.

"Brother Li, this is no laughing matter. Could it be that you intend to use the power of our government to take this opportunity to strike at the Black Tiger Gang?"

Looking at the note Li Shanming handed him, Zhao Ji said with a suspicious expression.

Last night, the Black Tiger Gang's Jincheng Gambling House caught fire, and this morning he learned of He Lao Er's death.

But he never expected that Li Shanming would pull this trick on him.

"We may have the desire for revenge, but this note is definitely not something our Seven Mysteries Sect made up."

Faced with Zhao Ji's suspicions, Li Shanming was very frank and directly expressed his thoughts.

If he chooses to cover this up, it will not only be of no use, but will also displease the authorities.

"The Black Tiger Gang's secret collection of women born in the Yin Time is definitely not unfounded."

If Officer Zhao is worried that reporting directly to the county magistrate would be risky and waste the government's resources, my Seven Mysteries Sect can provide manpower and support.

If nothing happens, you will not suffer any loss.

But if it succeeds, it will be an immense achievement, and it will certainly help Brother Zhao advance even further.

After Li Shanming finished speaking, he quietly handed over a hundred-tael silver note.

"Alright, I agree."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji glanced back and forth between Li Shanming and the silver note before nodding.

"I have some connections in Qing Shi Town. If Jin Cheng Gambling House is indeed secretly collecting Yin Shi Nu under the guise of gambling, I will inform you immediately."

After saying this, Zhao put away the silver notes, got up, and quickly left.

Thank you for your trouble.

Watching Zhao Ji's departing figure, Li Shanming cupped his hands in farewell.

One hundred taels.

In exchange for an inspection by the government, this deal wasn't a loss.

"Whether it's a complete fabrication or someone secretly delivering a knife, as long as the authorities are notified first, my Seven Mysteries Sect can remain invincible."

Thinking this, Li Shanming turned around and walked quickly toward Zhou An's residence.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Before I even stepped into the courtyard, a sharp whooshing sound came from inside.

Li Shanming's heart tightened, and he ran over quickly.

Just as he crossed the threshold, his eyes flickered, and he exclaimed in surprise.

"You've mastered the 'Free and Unfettered Wind-Riding Sword Technique'?"

In the courtyard, Zhou An's sword moved with incredible speed and power, his figure blurring and splitting into three in an instant as a sharp sword aura pierced through the air.

This is clearly a sign that one has mastered the Free and Unfettered Wind-Riding Sword Technique.

"Perhaps it is because I had previously mastered the Shadow Chasing Step taught by Elder Huang that I suddenly felt a connection today and successfully broke through this barrier."

However, at present, it is only close to minor success.

Zhou An sheathed his sword and stood there, looking at Li Shanming's delighted expression. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke.

"Manager Li, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

"It's nothing important, I just recently received some news from the Black Tiger Gang."

"What news?"

Zhou An's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be curious and asked.

After finishing his business last night, he immediately took He Lao Er's head to the Hidden Affairs Pavilion.

The reward of 800 taels of silver cannot be delayed.

After all, he was using the Blood Fiend Sword as a pretext to suppress unrest.

If it's submitted late, it might be seen as unfair treatment, causing unnecessary trouble.

"The Black Tiger Gang may target our Seven Mysteries Sect again soon. Just in case, you should stay in the city and practice your skills these days."

Li Shanming, without any suspicion, spoke directly.

The matter of the Yin Shi woman has not yet been confirmed, so it is not appropriate to discuss it further.

"I see."

Zhou An nodded.

"Don't worry, Steward Li. Now that my swordsmanship has improved, I naturally won't go out easily."

The money from Jincheng Gambling House, plus the bounty for He Lao Er's head, amounted to nearly three thousand taels of silver, enough to last for a long time.

Zhou An definitely didn't plan to go out until he could convert that money into real power.

"I wonder if He Lao Er's collection of women from the underworld is a private matter he's undertaking on his own, or if it's truly related to the Demonic Sect?"

Watching Li Shanming leave in a hurry, Zhou An's obedient eyes gradually became deep.

The note was from him.

He could naturally guess why Li Shanming came and went in such a hurry.

However, he only knew these things from the gamblers when he frequented gambling dens, so he wasn't sure if they were true or false.

But that didn't stop Zhou An from putting a dirty label on the Black Tiger Gang first, since they had tried to assassinate him before and had no qualms about it.

Moreover, given Li Shanming's abilities and the current situation between the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Black Tiger Gang, he would likely not miss this opportunity to target them.

"Besides giving that note to Steward Li, I also sent one to the yamen."

If the Black Tiger Gang and the forces behind it are truly engaging in the activities of the demonic cult, I might be able to learn about blood magic techniques and methods for testing spiritual roots.

"It doesn't matter if they don't. After what happened in Qing Shi Town, the government will crack down on these shady dealings... It's always good to have fewer scumbags who sell their children because of gambling."

With that thought in mind, Zhou An returned to his room, took out a brand new blood ginseng, and began to continue refining his internal organs.

To his surprise, just a few days later, Li Shanming came to his door looking very excited.

.....