Kaka's words, subtly revealing fanaticism and reverence, made Zhou Ming frown slightly.
"Did you figure all of this out by yourself, or did the Main God tell you after you passed the novice phase?"
"Some of it came from the Main God; you should receive a lot of related information when this mission settles."
"And some of it came from other Reincarnators. Try more information exchanges, and you'll quickly get this information."
"Of course..." Kaka paused, then said, "The most convenient way is still to join a legion. The intelligence information held by any legion is far beyond what a single Reincarnator can compare to."
"Is that so?" Zhou Ming smiled, hearing the hidden meaning in Kaka's words.
Zhou Ming wasn't interested in knowing which legion Kaka and his companions belonged to, nor did he have any intention of joining a legion at the moment.
"Let's get back to the mission. Do you have any leads on your mission?"
Zhou Ming began to change the subject.
"No, not enough information." Kaka shook his head, "However, generally speaking, the new recruits' mission is related to ours. Perhaps Shangguan Wuji can give me an answer."
The new recruits' mission was to help Shangguan Nianci find his father, Shangguan Wuji. Once the father and son reunited, the new recruits' mission would end, and they would immediately leave.
Given Shangguan Wuji's identity, he might truly be able to tell them what the so-called Dragon Vein referred to.
"New recruit missions usually aren't too complicated; at least, they won't make the new recruits unable to even find their mission target."
Zhou Ming said, "Perhaps Shangguan Nianci is in the town we're heading to right now, waiting for us to find him."
"That's why, the moment I found that town, I immediately determined our next course of action."
Kaka was all smiles, at ease.
"Is there a possibility that Shangguan Nianci was actually not far from where we entered this world? If the new recruits had just hesitated there for a while, they would have run into him?" Zhou Ming teased.
Kaka's smile froze on his face.
The mountain road was difficult to traverse, and to accommodate the new recruits, the group walked for over an hour before finally descending the slope and entering the small town.
As soon as they stepped into the town, they felt that the atmosphere was off.
People hurried back and forth, heads bowed in silence. Windows and doors along the street were tightly shut, and the place was desolate.
There were no hawkers calling out their wares, and not a single shop was open for business.
"What happened?" Confusion filled everyone's minds.
"Big brother, wait a moment!"
Kaka grabbed a hurried passerby and asked, "Big brother, we're from out of town. May I ask, here..."
"I don't know, I don't know, let go of me!" The passerby, looking anxious, shook off Kaka's hand and hurried away with a hint of panic.
"Hey, you... I'll pay!" Kaka called out twice, realizing he couldn't stop the person, and then threw his hands up in a helpless gesture to the others.
"Let's ask at the inn. The innkeeper won't refuse us so easily."
Zhou Ming pointed towards a two-story inn in the center of the street not far away, with a sign that read "Fulu Inn" hanging at its entrance.
This inn was also one of the few shops on the street that hadn't tightly shut its main door; it was merely half-open, making it impossible to see inside.
The group walked to the inn's entrance and pushed open the door. Immediately, the gazes of the few people inside the inn all fell upon them.
In the empty hall, there were only two tables of guests. One table held three dusty Jianghu figures, eating their food in large mouthfuls, as if in a hurry to finish and continue their journey.
The other table had a young Young Master, pouring drinks for himself and enjoying his own company.
The two tables were not far apart, creating a strong contrast.
Additionally, there was a waiter dozing at another table and an accountant at the counter keeping records.
Due to the arrival of the Reincarnators, the waiter jolted awake, the accountant stopped his ledger, and the guests at both tables stopped drinking. All of them stared blankly at the group standing at the entrance.
Especially since half of the people in the group were wearing strange, peculiar clothes, which made them hesitant to act rashly.
However, as they looked at the Reincarnators, they noticed that all the Reincarnators' gazes were directed at the young Young Master sitting alone.
Could this young Young Master be Shangguan Nianci?
Before they could even ask, Zhou Ming suddenly frowned and turned to look down the street towards the outskirts of the town.
Feng Yuanzheng made almost the same movement, followed by Kaka, Feng Jianye, and Qin Wumeng.
The new recruits were slower to react. It wasn't until a series of intense hoofbeats sounded that they realized what was happening, looking in surprise as over thirty riders galloped into town, roaring through the streets, showing off their power.
"Boss, there's a group of people at the inn's entrance who aren't afraid of death!"
On the empty street, the figures of the Reincarnators standing there were exceptionally conspicuous, inevitably attracting the attention of these people.
With a shout, the Reincarnators were surrounded. The horses snorted, hooves clattered, and pairs of malevolent eyes stared menacingly at everyone.
"What, what do they want to do?"
The new recruits trembled, instinctively wanting to hide behind the veterans.
Fortunately, no one showed any embarrassing behavior, such as running into the inn or collapsing to the ground, which prevented the veterans from considering abandoning anyone.
"Captain, should I make a move?" Qin Wumeng stood beside Zhou Ming and asked in a low voice.
On the other side, Kaka also asked Feng Yuanzheng how to handle it in the same tone.
The two captains exchanged glances and immediately reached an agreement.
"You? Or me?" Feng Yuanzheng asked succinctly.
Zhou Ming smiled slightly and made a 'please' gesture to Feng Yuanzheng.
Feng Yuanzheng nodded: "Alright."
He raised his hand, palm facing the riders in front, and a point of light ignited in his palm.
The next moment, beams of light shot from his palm, each one accurately piercing the forehead of a rider, leaving a charred hole in their heads.
Feng Yuanzheng lowered his hand and said, "It's handled. Let's get to business."
The five veterans turned and walked into the inn's main hall.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The people on horseback fell one by one, none of them surviving.
The new recruits were dumbfounded. Zhou Peng was the first to react, quickly telling his companions to follow. The others, as if waking from a dream, hastily followed the veterans into the hall.
As for the pile of corpses behind them, who would spare them another glance? Only the unharmed horses, having lost their masters, stood there for a moment in confusion, unsure where to go.
For the veterans, the identity of these people didn't matter, nor did their purpose for being here. They had no interest in understanding what was happening here.
When force can easily resolve an issue, few are willing to take so many detours and waste time.
After all, their mission objective wasn't here.
As for the Young Master in the inn who was possibly Shangguan Nianci? That was a new recruit mission, not theirs, so they were equally unconcerned.
If they could, they would rather press Ctrl to skip the plot and just go on a killing spree.
As the Reincarnators entered the hall, the few people in the inn visibly tensed up.
The waiter stood up, a forced smile on his face, unsure whether to greet them.
The three at one table sat upright, cold sweat unknowingly trickling down their cheeks.
The young Young Master glanced at the sword on the table but did not reach for it, as he had already realized that this group was coming directly for him.
"Are you Shangguan Nianci?"
Zhou Ming pulled out the stool opposite him and sat down, getting straight to the point, asking directly.
The young Young Master's heart tightened, but his expression remained impassive. He suppressed his nervousness and tried to speak in a calm tone, "You've mistaken me for someone else, gentlemen. My name is Zhang Mo, and I am not Shangguan Nianci."
"Hmm." Zhou Ming nodded, "This reaction confirms you are Shangguan Nianci. Do you have any clues about your father?"
Shangguan Nianci: "..."
I said I'm not Shangguan Nianci! Are you being polite?! Are you even listening to me?!
Kaka, seeing Shangguan Nianci speechless, couldn't help but chuckle, "Little fellow, no need to pretend. You're too green, too inexperienced in the Jianghu, and your acting is a bit too poor."
"We bear no ill will towards you or your father. On the contrary, we have important matters to tell him."
Being told he was too green to his face, Shangguan Nianci's complexion visibly reddened, but he still refused to admit his identity.
"Gentlemen, you've really mistaken me. I am truly not Shangguan Nianci. Although Zhang Mo is also an alias, it's only because I'm new to the Jianghu and don't want to stir up trouble. Please, gentlemen, don't pester me anymore."
"Tsk, it seems we'll have to use some special methods." Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes, not wanting to waste any more words with Shangguan Nianci.
Given the vast difference in their souls, a single Rank Three Bewitching Soul Gu would be enough to make the other party obedient.
A few minutes later, they obtained the information they wanted from Shangguan Nianci.
"The old abbot of Yunhe Temple in Nanshan might know where his father is. He came all this way just for that one sentence?" Feng Jianye expressed his incomprehension.
"He didn't even verify it much! He just ran over here for that one sentence!"
"Young people, you know." Kaka said, "Moreover, his mother just passed away, and he suddenly received news of his father, whom he hadn't seen in twenty years. Of course, he couldn't hold back."
"Let's split up." Zhou Ming stopped urging the Bewitching Soul Gu, stood up, and said.
"One team, the fast ones, go to Yunhe Temple to find the old monk. One team, the slower ones, travel with Shangguan Nianci to be safe."
"Huh?" Kaka was a bit confused by Zhou Ming's sudden decision but quickly reacted, "Are you worried something might happen to the old monk?"
He remembered those movies he had seen, where the protagonist finally found an informant, only for the informant to be killed before he arrived. Fortunately, the protagonist found a clue through various traces, then slowly unraveled the mystery... Such a plot was simply too common!
However, Reincarnators' time was precious. If they could speed up the progress, who had the leisure to slowly push the plot!
"I'll go! I have mechanical constructs to help, so I'm the fastest!" Kaka volunteered.
"I can fly." Zhou Ming said leisurely.
Kaka: "..."