607 The Iron-clad Building

In a stationery store selling inkstones and paper in Maoling.

Meng Qi requested for his customary order of seven Lively Dragon Pens. As usual, the shopkeeper asked indifferently if Meng Qi had come to collect an order that he had previously placed, explaining that if it were so, he had to show his credentials.

With a jovial grin, Meng Qi extended his left hand and revealed the bright glint of silver between his fingers.

"A Silvery-badge Arrester..." The shopkeeper's gaze froze and his breaths became heavy. He instantly exclaimed with a flattering smile, "Ah... a customer most dear to us! Please come with me to the back to collect your order."

Arresters above the level of the Silver Badge were commonly deemed kings among men—extraordinary individuals who could assert dominion and control over an entire city!

Meng Qi stepped into a room in the rear wing of the building. The shopkeeper immediately bowed respectfully. "My greetings, dear Sir. The information that you requested has been received, but I am afraid the message was only conveyed verbally and not in writing."

"Please continue." Meng Qi nodded softly.

The resolution of the Karma that Meng Qi had inherited from the Thunder God from the Ninth Heaven would inevitably involve him with elements of the Nine Evil Paths. In addition, he still had no clue about the site of the entrance into the Plain Lady's Paradise. However, he could tolerate no more delays as the burden of the Karma that he had unwittingly acquired had begun to weigh down on him and affect his ability to assimilate upon and draw powers from the Dharma and Logos of Nature. This, in turn, could hamper the progress of his breakthrough. Moreover, he had no knowledge of the time limit for the resolution of the Karma. Any delay was possibly driving him closer to the precipice of doom!

Most importantly, if he gave himself ample time, then he would have the freedom to choose the least risky course of action.

Meng Qi would rather not collaborate with Gu Xiaosang unless forced to. Despite having traversed the ruins of the Ninth Heaven, her experiences would probably not be crucial to him as the Plain Lady's Paradise, which was itself a Shard of the Celestial Court, had only an indirect connection to the Ninth Heaven.

"However, from the very beginning, she has been supplying me with information about the Extinctive Blade of the Overlord and she has been inducing me to lay my hands on the minions of the order of the Sect of the Plain Lady. There may be intricate schemes in play..." The thought occurred to him as he mulled over his plans. Still, Gu Xiaosang was the Holy Maiden of the Luo Denomination, one of the Nine Evil Paths. The difficulty of locating her whereabouts was almost as much as the difficulty of locating the entrance to the Plain Lady's Paradise itself. His encounters with Gu Xiaosang had always been the result of her meticulous and deliberate designs. Would he have to wait with forbearance for her to seek him out herself?

This was why Meng Qi intended to delve deeper by blending with the evilest and foulest folks. He would work slowly and collect information about the Sect of the Plain Lady and Gu Xiaosang, hoping that the successful acquisition of any information on the former would save him from having to work with the latter.

"The evil folks scattered in Jianghu are mostly below the level of the Exterior. The likes of such folks populate the dark alleys, brothels, and gambling dens. Most martial practitioners who wield powers at the levels of the Exterior would most likely be hidden from sight. Such foul men would normally have incurred the wrath of other tenacious factions who are bent on exacting revenge on them, so their moves have to be stealthy and silent, hardly visible unless needed." The shopkeeper recited the information that had been conveyed from the headquarters of the Six Fan School.

Meng Qi understood it well. The warriors of the malignant half of Jianghu would long have been hunted and exterminated by the factions of the righteous and just. They surely have lairs and hideouts where they can remain in hiding and evade retribution!

Meng Qi would have paid the Dominator with Karma points to eliminate his Karmic burdens, but the price for the help of the Dominator came with the hefty price of at least thirty thousand Karma points—the price for the removal of the burden depending on its difficulty!

Unfortunately, the Karma involved the Extinctive Blade of the Overlord and the Plain Lady's Paradise, both of which guaranteed that the Dominator would demand a colossal payout for His unholy intervention.

"Are there any strong warriors who may be from the dark side?" Meng Qi asked casually. He was certain that the Six Fan School would have provided more information.

The shopkeeper replied without hesitation. "The Master of the 'River-east Building' of the Iron-clad Building, Duanmu Bei, also known as the 'Devouring Seas'.

"The warriors of the Iron-clad Building are of the dark side of the Jianghu?" Meng Qi asked, perplexed.

Like the Dajiang Gang, the Iron-clad Building was one of the Six Powerful Societies that had strong foundations in Jianghu and had a horde of warriors under its banner. However, unlike the Dajiang Gang, the site of the Iron-clad Building's headquarters was a well-kept secret. There were rumors that the headquarters were hidden on an isolated island in the corner of the East Sea, but its divisional chapters could be found around the land namely the River-east Building and the Luoyang Building.

Depending on the significance of its location, a Building of the divisional chapter could have a common martial practitioner of the Exterior, an experienced practitioner at the levels of the peak of the Exterior, or even a grandmaster. Duanmu Bei was one of them—an accomplished virtuoso in the martial skills at the level of the Fifth-fold Heaven.

Like the Beggar Sect, the Iron-clad Building was not aligned to either half of the Jianghu. They did not commit evil nor foul deeds openly, but affairs of nefarious nature could still be found within the spectrum of their operations. Word in the Jianghu was that the organization has a detached division called the Red Ribbon Building. It was a detachment that specialized in assassinations. Its notoriety was only eclipsed by that of the Unrelenting Tower.

Powerful gang-based factions such as this commonly have a structure and objectives that are different from aristocratic households of nobles. Most of their members were recruited halfway and were taught the skills and supreme arts of combat to sustain the organization's perpetual need for expansion. It was hardly unusual that members with unknown or even sinister histories could easily join the ranks of the organization. Yet, with the suspicious eyes of the Six Fan School trained on the organization, it was puzzling that the Iron-clad Building had not been bothered.

Has the Disciplinary Tower, the core of the organization fallen to such an extent?

The shopkeeper realized that his answer may have been ambiguous so he shook his head and hastily explained. "Duanmu Bei does not serve evil."

He paused. "There are times when villains cannot find any use for the items that they have looted from victims they've killed. Their delicate standing in the Jianghu does not allow them to openly sell the items themselves, thus they need an agent who will help them dispose of the items in return for riches or anything else that their clients need. These agents reap huge benefits from the trade of such items. Such individuals are commonly unaligned to factions or entities and they have the backing of powerful allies in the Jianghu. They operate only from within the shadows, so they are difficult to prosecute unless caught red-handed."

"And Duanmu Bei is one such agent?" Meng Qi finally understood.

The shopkeeper spoke in a flattering tone. "Indeed, Sir. You have very keen senses. The Iron-clad Building is not aligned with the righteous and just nor with the foul and evil, yet they do not shy away from illicit affairs. And Duanmu Bei does have a flair for such businesses, thus his notoriety amongst the shadowy and malevolent factions."

"It appears I can indeed get in touch with villains who are indeed 'true evils' if I can reach individuals like this who work with both sides of the Jianghu..." Meng Qi thought quietly.

The shopkeeper expounded. "On the surface, Duanmu Bei is a philanderer who is proud and haughty. He covers his tracks very well. We have only heard rumors concerning him, but we have yet to secure any proof that would definitely incriminate him. It is virtually impossible to gain an audience with the man unless you have the endorsement of someone who is close to him or a prominent figure of the evil folk. He will not speak to you even if you meet him by chance or by design. He will only reprimand you with hatred and contempt and command that you be removed from his sight, or worse, imprisoned."

This meant that only a true person of evil, not a spy nor an officer of the Six Fan School, will be able to gain an audience with Duanmu Bei and transact with him!

Meng Qi frowned grimly, thinking about the difficulty of the undertaking.

There would hardly be any use for him to forge a new identity as an evil person because he would still lack the credentials and fame necessary in order to reach out to any of the prominent evil folk who could, in turn, get him closer to Duanmu Bei.

...

The River East divisional chapter of the Iron-clad Building was located in Ying City. Meng Qi once again morphed into a little rodent and slipped inside to reconnoiter the surroundings before he made his actual visit.

At the heart of the place sat a two-story building, a gazebo painted in vermillion. It stood alone in the center of the courtyard with a huge expanse of bare space around it.

Even before he got near the building, Meng Qi felt a chilling dread that made his hair stand. He stopped in his tracks and projected his spiritual senses, scanning everything around him.

There was a tingling sensation that made him freeze. There was no sign of life within several meters of the building. Nothing alive, not even scampering pests or flying birds!

"A countermeasure against enchantments or sorceries of transformation?"

"Or does the Master of the building have an odd obsession for cleanliness and hygiene that no animals are allowed to get close to him?"

As he pondered, a bird appeared. It was a magpie that was trying to fly past the area.

It had flown closer and then suddenly froze in midflight as if it had hit an invisible wall. Immediately, there was a flash and the magpie was reduced to ashes.

"It is unusual for people to be wary of transformation enchantments. The Iron-clad Building must hold secrets indeed..." Meng Qi's brows raised curiously. He turned on his heels and left to see if there was anything more he can glean from investigating the rest of the buildings in the courtyard.

Meng Qi investigated all seven gazebos. He discovered that Duanmu Bei had remained true to his reputation as a philanderer. The youngest of his concubines was a pair of twins around fifteen or sixteen years of age—younger than his own grandchildren.

"Ah. The twins exude an aura of extraordinary sensual appeal. They have been trained in the carnal arts." Meng Qi, who had assumed the form of a bird, speculated. There was something peculiar with the twins.

With innocent faces and charming allure, the petite and gorgeous concubines looked normal at first glance. However, Meng Qi had been trained in Jade Virtual Divination by Xiaobai, Duke Huan of Qi. Being a former lover of prurient pleasures himself, Duke Huan had been inclined to use members of the fair sex as examples. With the wisdom he had gained in judging women, Meng Qi could see that their appeal was the result of certain secret techniques that they practiced!

There were only a handful of mystic arts of such nature, thus Meng Qi could surmise that the concubines were gifts from the Sect of the Plain Lady, probably so that Duanmu Bei could extract their Yin vital energies to revitalize his own. The concubines were possibly an enticement for Duanmu Bei to maintain relations with the order. Alternatively, they may have been secretly sent by other representatives of the order to seduce him and control him. Meng Qi took note of everything and quietly left the courtyard of the River-east Building. He would come for an official visit later.

Upon reaching a dark, hidden corner, he shook himself and transformed into a middle-aged man with wisps of white hair on the edges of his fringe. He wore green garments and a soft cap. His features were distinct, exuding an air of class and refinement, but not without weariness.

This was the appearance of the Merciless Tyrant, an infamous villain who had once made waves amongst the evil folk of the Jianghu!

He had been killed in Bomi, and no one but the Primogenitor Doumu and Meng Qi knew of his demise. He was the perfect cover for Meng Qi!

Duanmu Bei was already a prominent name among the Exterior experts of the Iron-clad Building during the period when the exploits of the Merciless Tyrant were the talk of the masses. The name would surely be known to Duanmu Bei even if they had not met. It would be impossible for such an evil person, whose hands had been constantly soaked with the blood of innocent victims, to be a spy of the Six Fan School!

Meng Qi transformed into a younger version of the Merciless Tyrant, not the gnarled and old appearance of the actual villain when he was hiding in the wilderness of Bomi. This was so that Duanmu Bei could recognize him.

...

Outside the River-east Building, several servants were watching a young girl at play. She was the youngest daughter of Duanmu Bei, a gorgeous child born six years ago by one of his concubines.

The little girl chased after a butterfly. Sweat ran down her forehead. Suddenly, she saw the butterfly land on a hand that looked fair and strong.

Her eyes went wide as she raised her head and saw a middle-aged man with handsome and elegant features. He was dressed in green and had locks of white hair around his head. He looked at her calmly with a warm and friendly smile.

"Thank you, Uncle," said the little girl as the man reached out and handed her the butterfly.

"Stay away from her!" A stern voice suddenly rang out. An old man with hair as white as snow but with no wrinkles or creases on his face had spoken. It was Duanmu Bei, the Master of the River-east Building.

Meng Qi withdrew his hand with a benign smile. He casually looked at Duanmu Bei silently with his hands behind his back.

"You have brought upon yourself the wrath of the Destruction Sect, the Luo Denomination, and the Beggar Sect, and still, you dare show yourself here again?" Duanmu Bei growled quietly.

"They do know each other..." With his hands still behind his back, Meng Qi laughed with self-assured confidence.

"Times have changed."