Slowly, Xianhe Town became the domain of mercenaries and mercenary groups.
To date, Xianhe Town has three large mercenary groups, three medium-sized mercenary groups, and four small mercenary groups.
The three large mercenary groups are the Xianhe Mercenary Group, the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, and the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group.
The Xianhe Mercenary Group has five hundred mercenaries, led by Nian Wushi, a mid-stage Hua Yuan realm powerhouse, and its deputy leader is Nian Wuding, Nian Wushi's brother, who is in the early stages of the Hua Yuan realm.
While the Iron Blood Mercenary Group has fewer mercenaries than the Xianhe Mercenary Group, it still boasts over four hundred members.
Its leader is Tie Yinghu, an early-stage Hua Yuan realm cultivator, and his deputy leader is Xue Ruyi, Tie Yinghu's wife, a peak-stage Ju Ling realm cultivator.
As for the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group, it has more than three hundred mercenaries. Its leader is Sun Shangde, an early-stage Hua Yuan realm cultivator.
There are two deputy leaders, Qin Mingfei and Chu Yunniang, both of whom are in the late stages of the Ju Ling realm.
The three medium-sized mercenary groups are the Mad Wolf Mercenary Group, the War Tiger Mercenary Group, and the June Mercenary Group, with each having between one hundred and two hundred members.
The leader of the Mad Wolf Mercenary Group is Lei Ming, and the deputy leader is Jiang Tang. The leader of the War Tiger Mercenary Group is Zhan Tiange, and the deputy leader is Xu Feihu. The leader of the June Mercenary Group is named June himself, but he has no deputy leader. All five of these leaders are peak-stage Ju Ling realm cultivators.
As for the four small mercenary groups, they are the Night Light Mercenary Group, the Wind Fire Mercenary Group, the Tianyi Mercenary Group, and the Flying Eagle Mercenary Group.
Their numbers are all below one hundred, and the cultivation of their leaders and deputy leaders is in the mid-stage Ju Ling realm.
As the saying goes, the human heart is unfathomable.
Since ancient times, wherever there are people, conflict and war are unavoidable.
The Xianhe Mercenary Group and the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, in an attempt to oust the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group from the ranks of the large mercenary groups, actually colluded with the Mad Wolf Mercenary Group and the War Tiger Mercenary Group to launch a coordinated attack on the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group's base.
Therefore, when Zi Linling and Xue Ying arrived in Xianhe Town, the first thing they smelled was the pungent odor of blood.
Zi Linling was relatively unaffected, as she, being a physician, frequently dealt with blood and internal organs. Apart from finding the smell unpleasant, she didn't react much.
However, Xue Ying suffered immensely. She walked and vomited, nearly expelling her gall.
“Miss, do you think beastmen attacked this place?”
Zi Linling stopped, brought a handful of air to her nose to sniff, and said with a frown, “It shouldn’t be. There are no beastly scents in the air.”
As a physician, her sense of smell was exceptionally keen, allowing her to easily distinguish the scents of various medicinal herbs, making it easy for her to detect the presence of beastly odors in the air.
Xue Ying, with a pale face, asked, “Then if it wasn't a beastman attack, why is there such a strong smell of blood here?”
Zi Linling’s mood grew heavy.
Since there were no beastly scents, there could only be one possibility – human slaughter.
She didn’t answer Xue Ying’s question, but instead glanced around warily and said, “Xue Ying, let’s go! We need to find a place to inquire.”
Xue Ying was taken aback. “Miss, where do we inquire?”
Zi Linling pointed to the sun in the sky. “At this hour, what do you think?”
Xue Ying pondered for a moment and understood Zi Linling’s meaning.
It was nearing noon. If one wanted to know where the most people were and where information was most readily available, it would undoubtedly be an inn.
Xue Ying’s eyes lit up. “Miss, you mean an inn?”
Zi Linling gave her a look as if to say, “You figured it out now?” and retorted, “Besides an inn, where else could we get news faster?”
Without waiting for Xue Ying’s reply, she quickened her pace. “Let’s go. I’m hungry anyway. We can grab something to eat on the way.”
Xue Ying was overjoyed. For the past few days, to make good time on their journey, they had hardly had any proper meals, subsisting mostly on dried rations.
Hearing that there was food to be had now, Xue Ying’s spirits immediately lifted, and she was eager to hurry along.
She slung her pack over her shoulder and strode to catch up with Zi Linling’s steps, calling out, “Miss, wait for me!”
After asking for directions a few times, the two finally found the only inn in Xianhe Town – the Xianhe Inn.
As Zi Linling and Xue Ying stepped into the Xianhe Inn, the innkeeper, who was busy, said without looking up, “Guests, are you here for lodging or a meal?”
“A meal!”
Zi Linling’s clear and cold voice rang out, immediately drawing many gazes.
Her voice was so melodious that it made people wish to catch a glimpse of her beauty upon hearing it.
The innkeeper’s busy hands paused. He looked up and saw Zi Linling’s veiled face.
Even through the veil, the innkeeper felt a sense of stunning beauty.
Zi Linling, seeing the stunned innkeeper, knitted her brows and said, “Bring us two small plates of appetizers, four steamed buns, and a pot of tea!”
After speaking, she led Xue Ying to a seat by the window.
Everyone was wondering what kind of person possessed such a beautiful voice, but since Zi Linling didn’t remove her veil, no one dared to be presumptuous.
Therefore, after a brief moment of attention, people returned to their meals.
Conversation was inevitable during meals, and what would they talk about? Naturally, the recent major events.
This, of course, was precisely Zi Linling’s purpose for being here.
“Why do you think the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group provoked the Xianhe Mercenary Group, the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, the Mad Wolf Mercenary Group, and the War Tiger Mercenary Group?”
At a nearby table, a burly man in his thirties took a swig of wine and asked.
Zi Linling and Xue Ying slowly ate their meals, their ears pricked up, listening intently.
“Who knows! It’s a shame the leader of the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group isn’t here. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been beaten so helplessly by the four mercenary groups.”
“That’s debatable. Even if Sun Shangde were present, he might not be a match for the leaders of four mercenary groups. The Zhongcheng Mercenary Group suffered considerable casualties this time; they’ll likely be kicked out of the large mercenary group ranks!”
“What is going on? Don’t mercenary groups usually coexist peacefully?”
“What’s going on? It’s all about a woman!”
“Going by your words, there’s more to this story?”
“You’ve asked the right person. My cousin is in the Iron Blood Mercenary Group. I heard that the leader of the Xianhe Mercenary Group, Nian Wushi, took a liking to Chu Yunniang, the third leader of the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group.”
“And then?”
“And then? Then Chu Yunniang refused him! Who is Nian Wushi? He’s petty and vengeful. He lost face because Chu Yunniang rejected him, so of course, he’d retaliate!”
“Alas! Nian Wushi was never a good person to begin with, so Chu Yunniang refusing him is understandable. But for him to want to destroy the Zhongcheng Mercenary Group over this is truly the heart of a villain.”