The newcomer was none other than Lu Xuan.
“Gentlemen, I have a small matter I’d like to ask of you.”
“Could you possibly show me the way?”
As Lu Xuan spoke, he paused for a moment, then added more precise information.
“Mm… specifically, the place where you men have spent the most time over the past few days.”
It was about the yin energy that these men in front of him carried on their bodies.
Based on Lu Xuan’s guess, the yin energy probably hadn’t been there for very long.
Because, if those ghastly things’ yin energy had lingered on these men for an extended period, they would have died abruptly long ago.
They wouldn’t have survived to meet Lu Xuan today.
Of course, Lu Xuan was only making a rough estimate; it wasn’t too accurate.
These men were all martial artists without exception: three at the Perfected Flesh Refining stage, and one at the Bone Forging stage.
Their physical fortitude was certainly much stronger than an average person’s.
For martial artists at higher cultivation stages, the influence of those ghastly things’ yin energy was progressively weaker.
???????
The four men in black were utterly bewildered by Lu Xuan’s sudden appearance.
After seeing Lu Xuan’s face, they were even more confused, exchanging blank looks with each other.
Who the hell is this guy!
Do we know him?
At that moment, among the four men, one with a particularly rugged face and somewhat dark skin,
upon seeing Lu Xuan’s young, handsome features, a flash of jealousy crossed his eyes, and he immediately started cursing aggressively.
“Kid, get the hell out of here!”
“Are you blind? Can’t you see the clothes I’m wearing?”
“I’m from the Black Eagle Gang!”
“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood right now and can’t be bothered with you!”
If he didn’t have important matters to attend to soon, he would have laid hands on Lu Xuan directly.
The leader of the four men, Brother Li, noticed people all around the inn turning their gazes their way.
He quickly reached out and held back the agitated, aggressive man.
“Alright, it’s getting late, we should be heading back too.”
“That guy Zhou Yifei is stationed at the Zhang Family Mansion; he must be hungry by now. Let’s take these drinks and snacks back for him.”
“Yes, Brother Li!”
Upon hearing their leader speak, the three big men in black immediately got up from their chairs and stood.
The man who had just insulted Lu Xuan even shouted towards the inn’s counter.
“Boss, put it on our tab!”
With that, the four men completely ignored Lu Xuan and walked straight out of the inn.
Seeing this, Lu Xuan’s brows furrowed slightly, and a faint purple light flickered in his eyes.
Then, unnoticed by anyone, an invisible, transparent ribbon-like energy materialized around Lu Xuan and shot towards the bodies of the four men.
The four men simultaneously felt a strange sensation on their bodies, as if someone had lightly tapped them.
“Huh?”
“What was that?”
“Who just patted me?”
Their footsteps halted instantly as they reached their hands behind their backs.
However, finding nothing there, they left the inn, still filled with confusion.
Lu Xuan hadn’t planned to interrogate them directly; instead, he had left a trace of his own Gang Essence on them.
By relying on the aura of that Gang Essence, as long as they weren’t too far from him, he could sense its direction.
After the four men in black left, the guests in the inn resumed their own conversations, no longer paying attention to Lu Xuan.
“They’re from the Sky Eagle Gang!”
“No wonder those guys can put it on the tab here.”
“Sigh, it’s more than just putting it on the tab. You all know what happened a month ago, right?”
“You mean the Zhang family incident?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Most of the people in the prefectural city know about that matter.”
“It’s just a pity for the Zhang family, suffering such an undeserved calamity, wiped out by those Sky Eagle Gang people.”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
“Watch your tongue, watch your tongue!”
“Brother Deng is right; I spoke rashly!”
“Those Sky Eagle Gang people aren’t people we can afford to provoke. Better stop talking about this.”
The sound of this conversation came from a table a few meters to Lu Xuan’s left, where three middle-aged men were seated.
The Zhang family? The Sky Eagle Gang?
Lu Xuan committed these two names to memory, then casually walked over to the men.
Under their astonished gazes, he sat down directly.
“Gentlemen, I’m a visitor from outside the prefectural city.”
“I just happened to overhear your conversation and was a bit curious.”
“Could you tell me in detail about this matter involving the Zhang family and the Sky Eagle Gang?”
Lu Xuan’s words caused the men’s expressions to change drastically, their looks towards him becoming somewhat unfriendly.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Never heard of any Zhang family or Li family.”
“My friend, you must have misheard. We were just discussing some trivial matters of ordinary folks.”
This young brat, overhearing it was one thing, but now he boldly asks them about it?
However, the very next moment, their mouths, which had been busy making excuses and denials, immediately snapped shut.
It was a gold ingot, placed starkly on the table.
This sudden development left the three men dumbfounded, their eyes fixed on it like hooks.
“Sir, what is the meaning of this…”
“As long as you’re willing to answer my questions, this gold ingot is yours.”
Whoosh!
A gentle breeze swept by, and the gold ingot on the table vanished.
The ingot, naturally, had been pocketed by one of the three men.
After safely stowing away Lu Xuan’s gold, the man’s previously indifferent demeanor instantly transformed, his face beaming with an enthusiastic, ingratiating smile.
“This young master, I, Fang, admire people like you, so free and easygoing!”
“Rest assured, whatever you want to know about what’s happening in the city, I’ll tell you everything without reservation.”
“I even know exactly what the widow Xu next door did yesterday!”
“Well said, Brother Fang! We feel the same way.”
Seeing this, the other two men quickly chimed in, afraid Lu Xuan might forget they existed.
After all, the matter of the Sky Eagle Gang and the Zhang family wasn’t exactly a huge secret.
Most people in the city could glean some information about it if they asked around.
So, upon seeing Lu Xuan’s gold ingot, these three men accepted his request without a moment’s hesitation.
“Young master, about a month ago, almost everyone in the Zhang family, a renowned clan in the city, was wiped out by the Sky Eagle Gang!”
“Aside from the Zhang family’s daughter, Zhang Yingxue, even the family servants couldn’t escape death.”
“As for the reason…” the man speaking glanced around, and seeing nothing unusual, leaned closer to Lu Xuan and lowered his voice.
“Word has it, it’s related to the Prefect’s son.”
