The Widow's Heir

The three major gangs of Jiayuan City are the Brotherhood Alliance, the Shock Jiao Society, and the Heaven's Gate Sect. The slightly smaller factions include the Iron Spear Society, the Righteous Brotherhood, the Green Garment Gang, the Spring Rain Tower, the Golden Sword Sect, the Cang River Boat Guild, the Vajra Gate, and the Sunset Sect."

Sun Ergou spat out the names of these gangs in one breath, then paused to catch his wind before continuing.

"Of the three major gangs, Heaven's Gate is the strongest. They've allied with the Golden Sword Sect and the Green Garment Gang to occupy the wealthiest Eastern District. The Brotherhood Alliance, which is slightly weaker, has joined forces with the Iron Spear Society, the Cang River Boat Guild, and the Righteous Brotherhood to hold the Northern District. The weakest, the Shock Jiao Society, has partnered with the Spring Rain Tower, the Vajra Gate, and the Sunset Sect to control the Southern District. That leaves the Western District, which is a chaotic mess carved up by many small gangs. Though these small groups fight among themselves constantly, they will immediately cease their infighting and unite against any major power that tries to invade the Western District. So, you could say Jiayuan City is currently a four-way stalemate." Sun Ergou spoke fluently, laying out the power structure without hesitation.

Han Li listened for a moment, then fell into thought. After a while, he looked up with a contemplative expression and asked another question.

"I've heard that the Shock Jiao Society was once one of the three overlords of Lan Province, and that Jiayuan City was its headquarters. Why has it become the weakest of the three major gangs?"

"What you're saying, Young Master, is old news. A few years ago, the Shock Jiao Society was indeed very powerful, its influence spreading across almost all of Lan Province. Back then, as one of the superpowers, it wouldn't tolerate any other gang setting up shop in its capital, Jiayuan City. The Shock Jiao Society occupied the entire city and was the sole hegemon. Other gangs didn't even dare show their faces here under its intimidation. Then, for some unknown reason, the Shock Jiao Society suddenly declined overnight. Not only did it lose its territories elsewhere, but even its home base in Jiayuan City shrank dramatically. Seizing this golden opportunity, all the other major and minor gangs crawled out of the woodwork. After several bloody battles, they temporarily formed the situation we have today." Sun Ergou explained with great eagerness.

"Do you know why the Shock Jiao Society suddenly weakened?" Han Li furrowed his brow and asked slowly.

"Well... to be honest, Young Master, my status in the gang isn't high, so I don't know much about it. I've just heard people say it was caused by internal splits and infighting. There also seemed to be other big powers working against them from behind." Sun Ergou looked a bit troubled and gave a vague answer.

"Oh, is that so?" Han Li smiled faintly, as if he had already guessed as much.

"Who's in charge of the Shock Jiao Society now? You should know that." Han Li pressed on.

"Yes, I do. It's run by Madam Yan, the widow of the original society leader, Mo Juren." Sun Ergou answered quickly.

"Widow?" Han Li was surprised.

"Of course! Society Leader Mo, who founded the Shock Jiao Society, is dead. Isn't his wife a widow?" Sun Ergou blinked, a little uncertain, wondering what he had said wrong.

"Who said Society Leader Mo is dead?" Han Li felt something was off, and his face turned cold.

"Everyone in Jiayuan City knows it. A year ago, Ghost Hand Mo Juren's closed-door disciple brought the society leader's suicide note and personal token to the Mo Estate to report his death!" Sun Ergou's heart trembled at the sight of Han Li's grim expression, and he grew a bit frightened.

"Closed-door disciple? What's his name?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked calmly.

"His name is Wu Jianming. He's a fair-skinned young man in his twenties. I've heard he has already received Mo Juren's true legacy and his martial arts are incredibly formidable." Sun Ergou spoke carefully. He was smart enough to see that this young man had some connection to the Shock Jiao Society and seemed very interested in this Mr. Wu.

"And..." Sun Ergou's face showed a look as if he wanted to say more but didn't dare.

"Say whatever you have to say. Don't hesitate. If the information is true, you'll be handsomely rewarded!" Han Li gave him a cold glance and said flatly.

"I've heard that this Mr. Wu is betrothed to the Mo Estate's young lady, Mo Yuzhu, and they're supposed to get married soon." Hearing mention of money, Sun Ergou immediately beamed and revealed the truth.

"Married!" Han Li let out a cold laugh and abruptly stood up.

He paced the room a few times, then stopped, lifted his head to stare at the ceiling, and stood completely still, as if lost in thought.

"Listen carefully. Your task is simple. From today on, I want you to quietly gather information about the Mo Estate. I'm especially interested in news about this Mr. Wu. The more detailed, the better." Han Li finally gave his instructions.

"Take this silver first. If you do a good job, there will be more to come. Now go." Han Li generously tossed him another small pouch of silver.

"As you command, Young Master! Rest assured, I'll get it done. This one will take his leave now." Sun Ergou clutched the silver in his hands, his face beaming with joy as he backed out of the room, even politely closing the door behind him.

This young master is so generous, Sun Ergou thought excitedly. And the job is just a little information gathering. Looks like following this guy for a while was the right choice! For the moment, the matter of the Rotting Heart Pill was completely forgotten.

Han Li let out a soft sigh as he watched the man walk away with a face full of glee. A sudden pang of reluctance hit him. He had only been here for two days and had already handed out this much silver. It really did make him feel like a reckless spendthrift.

Never mind. I'll just write all this off to Doctor Mo's tab. With interest. Han Li comforted himself with this bitter thought.

"So, this 'Young Master Wu Jianming' is quite a character. He beat me to using the very identity I was planning to use to infiltrate the Mo Estate. And from the looks of it, he's aiming to walk away with both the girl and the fortune. Bold indeed." Han Li rubbed his nose and sneered.

"It looks like a trip to the Mo Estate is unavoidable. Otherwise, that Warm Yang Jade will end up as part of her dowry in his hands." He thought about it with some irritation.

(If you readers think this is good, please don't forget to add this book to your collection.)