Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Pingyang County City.

Three hundred miles east of the vast mountains. It guards the vital north-south passage.

The city wall was three zhang high and two zhang thick. It was built of whole blocks of bluestone, and after hundreds of years of wind and rain, dark green moss had grown in the cracks between the stones. Every hundred paces on the top of the wall, there was a watchtower, and soldiers patrolled the towers day and night.

The city gates were wide open. People carrying loads, driving carts, riding horses, and walking—the flow of people surged in and out like a tide. Several city gate guards stood on both sides, scanning the passersby, occasionally stopping one or two suspicious individuals for a few questions.

This is the largest city in Guangling Prefecture. It has a registered population of 5.3 million, and with the addition of merchants, travelers, and refugees, the permanent population is close to 8 million.

Goods from the north and south are gathered and distributed here, and people from the east and west converge here.

The city has thousands of streets and alleys, no fewer than three hundred restaurants and teahouses, and countless brothels, gambling dens and pawnshops.

Rich or poor, capable or incapable, they all try to make a living in this city.

There are no fewer than twenty influential families in the city. Their open and covert struggles have never ceased.

The Green Dragon Society's carriages entered the city at dawn.

Three large black tarpaulin-covered wagons. Each wagon was drawn by four strong horses. The ruts were very deep—clearly, they were heavily loaded.

More than twenty men in sturdy clothes stood in front of and behind the vehicle, swords at their waists, marching in unison. Leading them was a handsome but expressionless young man in gray, a narrow longsword hanging from his waist. The scabbard was plain and unadorned.

Meng Xinghun sat on his horse, his gaze sweeping across the street scene. His empty eyes revealed no emotion.

He had changed out of his faded old shirt and into a dark gray robe. But it was still the kind of attire that was easily forgotten.

The arrival of the caravan did not attract much attention. Hundreds of caravans entered and exited Pingyang County every day—three large carts were nothing special.

Only the guards at the city gate glanced at the caravan a couple more times. Seeing that the men in the caravan were all wiry and strong, they knew they were from a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) group and didn't ask any further questions. They collected the entry tax and let them pass.

The convoy drove through the city and headed straight for a street called Willow Lane in the west of the city.

Willow Lane is not long. On both sides are mostly deep courtyards, inhabited by respectable families from the county town.

At the end of the alley stands a three-courtyard mansion—originally the property of a fallen merchant in the city, it was bought by a mysterious buyer a few months ago and renovated. The vermilion gate is gleaming with gleaming copper nails. Above the gate hangs a plaque inscribed with the two characters "Meng Mansion," written in a vigorous and powerful style.

This was the first stronghold of the Azure Dragon Society in Pingyang County.

Meng Xinghun dismounted and pushed open the door. The courtyard was empty—a few old locust trees and a pile of miscellaneous items that hadn't been moved yet.

"Master." A man came out from inside to greet them; it was none other than Sun Laosi.

After being recruited by Chen Jialuo in the Cangmang Mountains, he has been working for the Qinglong Society. Now he has been sent to the county town to prepare for the future. "The house has been prepared."

It has three courtyards and thirty-seven rooms of varying sizes. The back courtyard contains stables and storerooms. The front courtyard is habitable. The largest is the council chamber in the middle courtyard, which can seat thirty to forty people.

Meng Xinghun nodded. His gaze swept around the courtyard: "Where are the men?"

"As instructed by the leader, we rented a small courtyard in the east of the city. More than twenty brothers live there. The servants and guards here are newly hired, all locals, and we don't know their background."

"Very good." Meng Xinghun paused. "Has Chen Jialuo arrived?"

"Chief Chen arrived yesterday. He's staying at an inn in the south of the city, saying he wants to get a feel for the situation there first."

Meng Xinghun didn't ask any more questions and headed straight for the central courtyard. He wanted to familiarize himself with this stronghold as soon as possible before starting the next phase of his plan.

Yuelai Inn, South City Branch.

Chen Jialuo's residence; in the past five days, he has walked through every street and alley in the city.

The money exchange and pawnshop in the east of the city, the tea shops and cloth stores in the west, the martial arts schools and escort agencies in the south, and the gambling dens and brothels in the north.

He changed his clothes three times—sometimes a merchant, sometimes a wandering swordsman, and sometimes a down-on-his-luck scholar. He frequented the finest restaurants and squatted in the dirtiest tea stalls.

Wherever he went, he observed and listened discreetly. Back at the inn, he would write down what he saw and heard, compiling it into a detailed intelligence report.

That evening, he knocked on the door of the Meng family mansion in Liuxiang, west of the city.

"Master." Chen Jialuo walked into the council hall of the Central Court, where Meng Xinghun was sitting at the table flipping through a booklet.

Meng Xinghun looked up at him and said, "Sit down."

Chen Jialuo sat down, took out a stack of papers from his pocket, and spread them on the table.

"The water is deep," he said. "Deeper than we expected."

Meng Xinghun didn't speak, his gaze fixed on the stack of papers.

"Let's start with the three major families." Chen Jialuo pointed to several locations marked on the paper, "The Li family in the east of the city, the Wang family in the west, and the Zhao family in the south. These three families have been operating in Pingyang County for over a hundred years, with deep roots and flourishing branches."

"The Li family's residence is located in the most prosperous area in the east of the city, covering an area of ​​thirty acres, and there are more than a hundred martial arts masters guarding the house."

Li Wanshan, the head of the Li family, is at the early stage of the Innate Divine Vein Realm. He primarily runs money shops and pawnshops; half of the money shops in Pingyang County belong to the Li family. It is said that the cash he controls could buy half of the county.

"The Wang family's house is in the west of the city, and it's even bigger than the Li family's."

The patriarch, Wang Chongyuan, was also at the early stage of the Innate Divine Vein Realm. He traded in tea and silk, and had dealings with the northern nomadic tribes. The Wang family's caravans crossed the border three or four times a year, each time consisting of hundreds of people. Legend has it that the Wang family had secret transactions with several tribes beyond the border, but no one could obtain evidence.

"Zhao Donglai, the head of the Zhao family, is also at the early stage of the Innate Divine Meridian Realm. The Zhao family runs a martial arts school and a security escort agency, and its disciples are all over Pingyang County."

The Zhao family has seven martial arts schools in the city, and branches of their escort agency are all over Guangling Prefecture. Every member of the Zhao family practices martial arts; there are over thirty members at the Acquired Realm or higher.

Meng Xinghun's gaze lingered on the three names for a moment: "They all have Divine Meridian Realm experts at their disposal. They're not in our league."

"Yes." Chen Jialuo nodded, "But the three major families are keeping each other in check, and none of them will make the first move." He turned a page, "Let's talk about the Mad Blade Sect."

"The Mad Blade Sect's headquarters is in the north of the city. That area is all their territory—gambling dens, brothels, pawnshops, taverns, eight out of ten are Mad Blade Sect properties. The sect leader, Lei Potian, is at the mid-stage of the Innate Divine Meridian Realm. It is said that he has mastered the seventh form of his Mad Blade Seven Styles, and with one strike, he can cleave through a thirty-zhang-thick city wall."

"The Mad Blade Sect has over three hundred disciples, the weakest of whom is at the Body Refinement Realm. Lei Potian has four Vajra Guardians under his command, all of whom are at the Innate Profound Realm. The government doesn't even bother with that area in the north of the city. It's not that they can't, but they don't want to cause trouble."

Meng Xinghun's hand paused slightly: "Mid-stage Divine Vein Realm. One minor realm higher than the three major families."

"That's why the Mad Blade Sect can do whatever it wants in the north of the city," Chen Jialuo said. "Lei Potian is a difficult person to deal with, but he needs Tianlan Stone. Last time I sent someone to test him, and he was very interested in the ore."

Meng Xinghun remained silent.

Chen Jialuo continued, "Zhenyuan Escort Agency and Weiyuan Escort Agency are both long-established brands. Zhou Tieshan, the chief escort of Zhenyuan Escort Agency, is at the peak of the Innate Profound Gang Realm. He travels the northwest route and has a close relationship with the government. The agency employs more than two hundred escorts, all of whom are skilled fighters. The main branch is in the east of the city, occupying half a street. Dozens of escort carts are always parked at the entrance, and the escorts coming and going all have knives hanging from their waists."

"Ma Rulong, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Weiyuan Escort Agency, is also at the peak of the Innate Profound Gang Realm. He travels the southeast route and has close ties with the Jianghu forces. Weiyuan Escort Agency has fewer镖师 (bodyguards) than Zhenyuan, but they are more skilled. Ma Rulong is very good at dealing with people, and he is respected by both the legitimate and illegitimate circles. His headquarters is in the south of the city, and the emblem of his镖车 (escort wagons) is a black steed."

"The two companies have been fighting for decades. They don't openly break ties, but they're capable of anything, like intercepting shipments and stealing clients from each other."

Meng Xinghun nodded: "Continue."

Chen Jialuo turned to the next page: "Wanbao Trading Company. Manager Jin Buhuan, late stage of the Qi Sea Realm. His cultivation level is not high, but he has extensive connections."

The main branch of the business was on South Street, in an unassuming three-story wooden building, but the goods inside were all of the highest quality.

Jin Buhuan is a man of the trade—openly selling goods, but secretly engaging in espionage, intelligence trading, and matchmaking. He has a network of contacts who specialize in receiving stolen goods and distributing them. Our first batch of Tianlan Stones was sold through that network.”

"Iron Sword Sect. One of the three major sects in Guangling Prefecture. The sect leader, Dugu Yi, is a Grandmaster, and his swordsmanship is known as 'Invincible Iron Sword.' The sect has hundreds of disciples and a branch in Pingyang County, which is overseen by the deputy sect leader, Zhao Tieyi."

Zhao Tieyi is also at the early stage of the Innate Profound Realm. Last time, he led a group to Qinghe City to try and seize a mine, but we scared them away. The Iron Sword Sect's branch is in the south of the city, a large courtyard made of blue bricks, with two stone pillars at the entrance, engraved with two characters—'Iron Sword'.

Disciples practice swordsmanship every day inside the sect; the sound of metal clashing can be heard two streets away.

Meng Xinghun looked through the papers one by one, finally looking up and asking, "What about the imperial court?"

Chen Jialuo took a deep breath: "The Zhenfu Division's commander is located in the east of the city. The commander, Lu Zhennan, is at the late stage of the Innate Divine Vein Realm. The commander's office covers a vast area, surrounded by high walls, with archers on guard.

Lu Zhennan rarely showed his face, but he served as a commander of a thousand men in Pingyang County for twelve years. During those twelve years, no fewer than twenty martial arts masters tried to kill him, and none of them survived.

"Prefect Zhang Huaiyuan was a civil official by birth, and his cultivation level was not high. However, he kept a group of guest advisors under his command, several of whom were said to be at the Innate Realm. The Prefect's mansion was located in the center of the city, with white walls and black tiles, and looked simple, but the guards inside were even stricter than those of a thousand-household garrison."

"The Six Doors branch is located in the west of the city. The chief constable is Liu Ruyan, a peak-level Innate Profound Realm expert. She's in her early thirties, a woman, and very powerful. The Six Doors doesn't have many people, only about thirty, but each one is an elite soldier."

Liu Ruyan had four renowned constables under her command, all of whom were at least at the Acquired Golden Body Realm. The Six Doors' headquarters wasn't large, but its torture chambers, file rooms, and secret rooms were so well-equipped that anyone who entered could never leave.

Chen Jialuo paused, then lowered his voice: "There's also the White Lotus Sect. They have a branch in Pingyang County, and the leader is called Liu Sanniang, who is at the early stage of the Innate Divine Vein Realm."

The White Lotus Cult has several strongholds outside the city, and also a hidden mole in the north of the city. This organization is very well hidden; it took me three days to find even a single clue.

On the surface, Liu San Niang was a lady from a wealthy family, but in reality, she was the highest-ranking person in charge of the White Lotus Sect in Pingyang County.

She has at least a hundred men under her command, all at the early stage of the Divine Vein Realm, and they are very well hidden.