Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 77 The Atmosphere of Yingzhou City
The streets of Yingzhou City are intertwined like towering ancient trees, and the crisscrossing streets of all sizes are now shrouded in an extremely low air pressure.

"Sir, your steamed buns are ready, please enjoy!" A waiter in a street shop held up a tray and presented two bowls of steaming buns to the customers.

"Thank you." As soon as he finished speaking, the customer looked at the pedestrians being questioned one by one on the street, grabbed the wrist of the waiter who was about to turn and leave, and asked, "What's going on? Is there something big happening here?"

The waiter still had a cheerful expression on his face, not at all displeased by the sudden restraint on his wrist. "Sir, are you from out of state? You may not know, but these are guards from the Xing family in Yingzhou City. They lost an unrefined Heavenly Grade Pill, so they're here to question everyone on the street."

After hearing this, the man frowned slightly, and seemed to be thinking about something. He was lost in thought. When the waiter called out "Sir!" in his ears, he loosened his hand that was covering the waiter's wrist.

"Sorry." The man said absentmindedly.

"It's okay, sir, you're really quite strong." The waiter didn't wait for the customer to reply. As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately said, "Then please enjoy your meal. Please call me if you need anything."

The man who had just asked the waiter a question nodded slightly, and the waiter immediately walked away with the empty tray full of energy.

As soon as the man picked up the chopsticks, he saw two guests at the next table looking at him, with a hint of scrutiny in their eyes.

Both of them were dressed in cloth, one gray and the other white.

"I see you two are unfamiliar. You are probably not the traveling merchants who come here often. Where are you from?" The guest in white asked when he saw that both of them were dressed in extraordinary clothes.

The man put down his chopsticks and replied, "Indeed, it's not." He exchanged a glance with his companion and continued, "We two came to Yingzhou City to look for an old friend."

The gray-robed guest then asked, "Have you two found it?"

The man waved his hand and said with a smile, "My brother and I have just arrived here and haven't looked for it yet."

"I don't know who you're looking for. We're all locals in Yingzhou, so maybe we know your old friend. If that doesn't work, we can help keep an eye out for you."

Although the white-clothed guest's face was full of curiosity, his tone showed that he would not give up until he got the specific information.

"Ah! We haven't seen that old friend for many years. I can't remember many things. I haven't even asked his name. I only remember his appearance. He wasn't particularly outstanding. He was just one of us ordinary people, not a big shot."

The white-robed guest nodded thoughtfully and replied, "That will probably take some effort. I'll have to stay here for a while."

The gray-clad guest immediately lost interest in the conversation and changed the subject to the white-clad guest, saying, "The Xing family keeps asking questions on the street, almost going straight to those two houses to search."

"Keep your voice down! You dare to say such things? Don't implicate me if anything happens." The guest in white grabbed the collar of the guest in gray opposite him and pulled him hard, burying the guest's head on the table. He also bent his waist and lowered his body a little lower.

"What are you afraid of?! No matter how powerful the Xing family is, they still have the City Lord's Mansion and the Prince's Palace above them. If they disturb any important figures with this investigation, the Xing family will be in big trouble!" The gray-clothed guest raised his head again. Although his words were still sharp, they were much weaker than before. The man watched the two people talking furtively and joined in their conversation. He couldn't help but ask, "Since you lost something, why didn't you report it to the police?"

Seeing that the man was also interested in their topic, the gray-clothed guest immediately became interested and said to the man, "Report to the authorities? Let's not talk about whether reporting to the authorities can recover the elixir. Even if the Xing family can wait until the authorities successfully recover the elixir, it will take too long. They will also have to cooperate with the authorities in the investigation. The Xing family doesn't have the energy for the time just to investigate and summon them for questioning."

The gray-robed guest took a bite of the pancake and continued, "After the Xing family had conducted an internal investigation, they originally only sent people to investigate secretly in Yingzhou City. After all, they were certainly afraid of disturbing the noble. But unfortunately, the Jade Cultivator Trial Path will open soon, and the selection for the official martial arts school is imminent. His son Xing Yue's advancement cannot be delayed, so this time they are going all out."

The man nodded in agreement as the gray-robed guest said, "Does the Xing family have any enemies in Yingzhou City?"

"They're the two I just mentioned. They're not enemies, but rivals. After all, they're both in charge of the Chamber of Commerce, so they inevitably work together."

The gray-robed guest continued, "Have you ever heard of the three major families of the Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce?"

The man shook his head and motioned for the guest in gray to continue.

The gray-clad guest continued without hesitation, quite interested, "The heads of our Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce are the Xu, Xing, and Jiang families. The head of the Xu family is the president of the Chamber of Commerce, and the heads of the other two families, the Xing and Jiang families, are also vice presidents."

Seeing that the guest in gray had said everything that should and should not be said in public, the guest in white gave up struggling and simply opened up and took over what the guest in gray was saying.

"The young masters of the Xu and Xing families are both outstanding in martial arts among their peers. The eldest young master of the Xu family has already reached the Heavenly Rank and is currently studying at the Yingzhou Martial Arts School. And the martial arts talent of the Xing family's young master Xing Yue is even more remarkable. He is considered the most gifted young warrior in Yingzhou City. He is currently relying on that Heavenly Rank Pill to advance. If he succeeds..."

"If the advancement is successful, the Xing family's status will be greatly improved, and the Jiang family will be firmly at the bottom." The gray-clothed guest added.

The gray-clothed guest seemed to have thought of something else. While thinking, he blurted out: "Then this matter is most likely done by the Jiang family."

The man was a little confused and asked, "Brother, what do you mean?"

The gray-clothed guest came to his senses and looked like he had uncovered some incredible secret and was ready to tell it in detail.

"If Xing Yue from the Xing family really enters the Yingzhou Martial Arts School this time, it wouldn't be a good thing for the Xu family. But the Xu family is the president of the Chamber of Commerce after all, and the eldest son of the Xu family has already broken through the Heavenly Stage and entered the Yingzhou Martial Arts School, so there's nothing to worry about."

The gray-clothed guest continued, "The most important thing is that the head of the Xu family is kind and benevolent. Even if I believe the Xing family stole the money, I still don't believe it was the Xu family. That leaves the Jiang family. Jiang Yuan's son and daughter are both good-for-nothings. One is uneducated, the other a sickly person. Therefore, the Jiang family is the one most afraid of Xing Yue breaking through to the Heavenly Stage and successfully entering the Yingzhou Martial Arts School."

Just as the man was about to ask something after hearing what the gray-robed guest had said, he saw a mounted guard dismount and whisper something to another guard on the street. The Xing family guards on the street suddenly withdrew. The leading guard couldn't hold back his smile. He turned and ordered the mounted guard beside him, "Hurry! Go find the young master!"

(End of this chapter)