Unexpected News

1,246 words

Chapter 119: Unexpected News

“I can make an exception and take direct action once, to make the leadership of one of the two gangs disappear. But it will be limited to only one of them. If both dominant powers were to be eliminated simultaneously, it would be far too easy to attract the attention of those with sharp eyes. The risk would multiply tenfold—not worth the gamble for me. Beyond these two paths, I will make no further concessions.” Having said this, Han Li’s face hardened, and he fell silent, waiting coldly for the women’s reply.

When the women heard Han Li’s second option, undisguised surprise and joy flickered across their faces. However, after exchanging a glance with one another, they still could not make an immediate decision.

“Sir, could you allow us sisters a moment to discuss the matter before giving you our answer? This decision is no small thing. We must consider it from all angles before we are truly ready.” Madam Yan said cautiously.

“Of course, I am not an unreasonable man. But I will need your answer by tomorrow morning at the latest. I am leaving you an entire day—that should be more than enough time to reach a conclusion.” After speaking, Han Li spared the women no further attention and drifted away.

Descending from the small building, Han Li did not return to the guest quarters. Instead, under the strange gaze of the doorman, he strode boldly out of the Mo Estate. After confirming along the way that no one was tailing him, he finally returned to the inn where he had taken lodging.

The moment he stepped through the inn’s entrance, Sun Ergou hurriedly rushed up to greet him.

“If you have something to say, speak it in my room.” Before Sun Ergou could even open his mouth, Han Li gave the bland order.

“Yes, Master!” Sun Ergou followed obediently behind Han Li.

Once inside the room, Han Li sat down on the edge of the bed, stretched lazily, and only then spoke with a casual air: “You look like you’re in a panic. Has something urgent come up that you need to tell me?”

“Master, there is indeed something earth-shattering that I must report to you,” Sun Ergou said, stepping half a pace closer with an air of mystery.

“If you have something to say, just say it. No need to be so secretive.” Han Li shot a sidelong glance at Sun Ergou.

“Hehe! This lowly one isn’t trying to be mysterious for the sake of it, but something extraordinary has indeed happened! I received reliable news that a large group of immortals is about to gather near the city of Jiayuan to hold what they call an ‘Immortal Assembly.’ I heard that anyone who attends can immediately become an immortal and join the ranks of the celestial family.” Sun Ergou was practically frothing at the mouth with excitement.

“Immortals?” Han Li was momentarily taken aback.

“Yes! The kind that people have seen with their own eyes—riding clouds and mist, commanding lightning and spitting fire! Master, you tell me, if someone doesn’t have exceptional fortune, how could they just casually run into an immortal?” Sun Ergou’s tone carried a hint of envy, as if he deeply wished that everyone who had ever met an immortal could have been replaced by himself.

By now, Han Li understood that the “immortals” Sun Ergou spoke of were cultivators. But how could a Jianghu gang member know about a gathering of cultivators? This struck Han Li as surprising.

“How did you come to hear of this? Are many people aware of this news?” Han Li’s interest was piqued.

“The news is absolutely reliable! It was heard firsthand by one of our gang’s brothers. However, because the chief feared the immortals might take offense, he issued a gag order. Only the top brass of our Siping Gang know of this matter. I got wind of it from a high-ranking member who had one too many drinks. I figured a high and mighty man like yourself would surely be interested, so I rushed straight over and have been waiting here ever since for your return.” Sun Ergou fawned, eager to claim credit for his diligence.

“Oh. I won’t forget your hard work. But first, tell me in detail—how did this gang member manage to hear the news without the immortals noticing him?” Han Li’s expression grew serious as he pressed for the details. This was critical to the credibility of the information, so he dared not be careless.

“I heard it all from that drunken high-ranking member. The story goes like this…” Sun Ergou dared not lie and honestly recounted what he had heard.

It turned out that the gang member who obtained the news was a small leader within the Siping Gang. A few days earlier, he had gone to the western outskirts to carry out a major business deal. But their intelligence was faulty—the opposing party turned out to be far tougher than expected. His men were cut down piecemeal, and he was forced to flee in a panic.

To escape his pursuers, he hid inside a tree hollow in a nearby forest. Before his enemies could find him, however, a massive two-headed strange eagle descended from the sky. The terrifying appearance of the monstrous bird nearly frightened the gang member out of his wits.

In that life-or-death moment, the man had a flash of cleverness. He decided to use a widely known Jianghu technique called the “Tortoise Breath Art” to lower his breathing and heartbeat to the barest minimum, entering a state resembling suspended animation to evade the monstrous eagle’s detection.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, a conversation between a young man and a young woman came from the eagle’s back. It turned out the giant eagle carried passengers! But the eagle’s body was so massive, and the man had been so flustered, that he hadn’t noticed the riders on the eagle’s back in time.

And so, in his hazy, half-conscious state, he overheard talk of the so-called “Immortal Assembly.” It was then that he realized the young couple were immortals. But by that point, the Tortoise Breath Art had fully taken effect, and he sank into unconsciousness, filled with regret.

When he woke again, it was already the next morning. The young couple and the strange eagle were long gone. After a bout of stomping his feet and beating his chest in frustration, he hung his head and slunk back to the gang.

The moment he returned, the blabbermouth couldn’t help but tell the story to his superior. His superior, not daring to conceal it, reported it to the gang chief, “Ape Arm” Shen Chongshan. And that was when the gag order was issued.

After listening to Sun Ergou’s account, Han Li’s face showed no change, but inwardly, he was churning with barely suppressed excitement.

A gathering of a large group of cultivators… This was truly an opportunity that came once in a hundred years! If he could attend, he would finally be able to make real contact with the world of cultivators, instead of stumbling around in the dark on his path of cultivation like a blind man.

Han Li forcefully suppressed the excitement in his heart. After a moment’s thought, he composed himself and asked in a deliberately calm voice:

“Did that man happen to overhear where and when this Immortal Assembly is to be held?”

Share to

Reading Guide Decoding

A Glimmer of the Wider World

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

The Immortal Assembly (神仙会) is a classic trope in xianxia fiction. It functions as a narrative device to gather many cultivation factions in one place, often for competition, trade, or the announcement of a major event. For a solitary cultivator like Han Li, it is the holy grail of information—a chance to network, learn about resources, and grasp the lay of the land. The fact that he hears about it by chance, through a chain of mortal gossip, perfectly illustrates the Mortal Stream’s emphasis on luck and opportunism. A single overheard conversation can be a bigger boon than a year of dedicated training.

The Tortoise Breath Art (龟息功) is another Jianghu staple. It mimics a state of hibernation, slowing the user’s heart and breath to appear dead. It is often used for stealth or recovery, but here it serves as a clever plot device for eavesdropping. The twist—that the user only realizes the source of the conversation as he loses consciousness—is a perfect dose of the novel’s signature “grinding your teeth in regret” realism. You don’t get the full scoop for free; the universe always exacts a price for knowledge.

Social Tribulation

A type of conflict in the Mortal Stream where the protagonist must navigate complex human relationships and political hierarchies with the same cold calculation as a physical battle.

Chapter Overview

Welcome back, fellow Daoists! In this chapter, our pragmatic protagonist makes a predictably calculated move, offering a single, limited strike to the Mo family women—a surgical intervention that won’t stir up too much trouble. But the real action is happening off-screen. Han Li returns to his inn to find his eager gangland informant, Sun Ergou, bursting with a wild rumor: “immortals” are gathering near Jiayuan City for a so-called “Immortal Assembly.” For Han Li, this is the first genuine lead he’s ever had to the wider cultivation world. The chapter is a masterclass in the Mortal Stream’s love for narrative tension through intelligence gathering: a single overheard conversation changes everything.

Key Plot Points

Han Li lays out his terms to the Mo family women: he will make one of their two opposing gang leaders “disappear,” but only one. He argues that eliminating both dominant powers would draw too much dangerous attention and is not worth the risk.
The women are surprised but remain cautious, asking for a day to deliberate. Han Li grants them until the next morning before leaving, showing he is willing to be patient but not indefinite.
Upon returning to his inn, Han Li is met by Sun Ergou, who has been anxiously waiting with urgent news.
Sun Ergou reports that a large group of “immortals” (cultivators) is about to gather near Jiayuan City. He claims this information is reliable, sourced from a drunken high-ranking member of the Siping Gang.
The story behind the news: a gang member fleeing pursuers hid in a tree hollow and, using a “Tortoise Breath Art,” pretended to be dead. While doing so, he overheard a young couple riding a two-headed eagle discussing the “Immortal Assembly.”
Han Li is internally ecstatic at the prospect of finally connecting with the wider cultivation world but maintains an impassive facade, grinding Sun Ergou for location and time details.

Reading Guide

This chapter is a textbook example of Social Tribulation (社会试炼), a core Mortal Stream concept. Han Li is not fighting a monster or a powerful cultivator here; his battlefield is a negotiation table where he must manage the expectations of desperate mortal women while limiting his own liabilities. His offer is cold, precise, and full of risk calculation: he gives a concession (help) but wraps it in a boundary (only one gang) that protects him from secondary consequences. This is the same kind of strategic thinking he applies to cultivation, and it is a delight to watch.

The second half of the chapter shifts to the classic Mortal Stream model of Information as Power. The entire narrative hinges on a rumor passed from a drunken official to a lowly gang member to an informant to Han Li. The story’s credibility is established through a layered narrative (eyewitness account, the witness’s clever escape, the subsequent gag order), which gives the reader a satisfying sense of puzzle-solving. Pay attention to how Han Li reacts: he is excited, but he does not leap at the chance blindly. His first concern is the time and place, which will form the basis of his next risk assessment. The cold, calculating journey is still on.