Ye Xuan turned his head and saw that the speaker was a young man. A black bear was embroidered on the young man’s chest, bordered with gold threads. The gold threading indicated that the youth belonged to the Direct Lineage of the Sun Family.
The originally bustling hall instantly fell silent upon the young man’s arrival. Everyone stood up and bowed to him. The Sun Family currently held immense authority; no one dared to provoke them.
The storyteller, however, remained entirely unfazed. "I’ve been telling stories for many years, and I’ve never heard of a city that forbade me from doing so."
"You’ve got quite the stubborn mouth, old man," the youth sneered. "Fine, let me put it this way. The Sun Family should be making their appearance next, right? I want to hear the rest of it now. I want to see if you’ve belittled my Sun Family."
"I apologize, Young Master, but my stories are not given in private sessions. If you wish to listen, you can return tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? I can’t wait until tomorrow. I want to hear it right now! Do you dare defy me?"
The storyteller frowned, his expression unyielding. Just as he was about to speak, Ye Xuan’s voice rang out.
"It’s not that he doesn’t want to tell you. It’s because he hasn’t finished writing the final draft. He needs to go back tonight and work on it."
A member of the Sun Family glanced at Ye Xuan and frowned. "How would you know? Besides, who are you? Did I give you permission to speak? Men, slap him."
"Yes, Young Master."
The young man’s lackeys immediately approached Ye Xuan. They raised their hands, seemingly fully intending to slap him across the face.
Ye Xuan’s expression turned exceedingly grim. He had come to Hero City this time to enter the Two-Star Secret Realm to hunt for resources. Was he really going to cause a massive scene right upon arrival? Would he have to fight, or even kill, members of the Sun Family?
While Ye Xuan was weighed down by these complex thoughts, a cold shout rang out.
"Sun Hengchao, what are you doing?!"
Upon hearing this voice, the two lackeys immediately stopped and called out respectfully, "Young Master Hang."
The person who had suddenly spoken up was none other than Sun Hang. Sun Hang’s neck appeared to have already healed.
Seeing Sun Hang, Ye Xuan immediately shot Hua a meaningful look. Hua understood his intent and quietly retreated.
Sun Hang had seen Hua before. Although she wasn’t wearing the Peach Blossom Mask today, the mask wasn’t the issue—her figure was simply too outstanding. With such an incredible figure and wearing a mask, it would inevitably arouse Sun Hang’s suspicions.
He thought, "I need to buy Hua some loose-fitting leather clothes to alter her silhouette."
"Hang, why are you here?" Sun Hengchao asked.
"Are you bullying people again, Sun Hengchao? Have you forgotten the new rules the Sun Family just established? For the time being, absolutely no one is allowed to throw their weight around and tarnish our Sun Family’s reputation. The city has only just stabilized!"
"I know, Hang, but I couldn’t help it. We finally became the masters of this city; it’s only natural that I’d want to show off my prestige..."
"If you want to show off, go do it on a woman’s belly. Now get out of here."
Sun Hang glared at Sun Hengchao before turning his attention to the storyteller. "Are you the one telling the story of the city siege?"
"I am."
Sun Hang spoke coolly. "You may continue telling it, but consider this a warning: the majesty of the City Lord’s House cannot be challenged. If the story you tell damages the Sun Family’s reputation, I can responsibly inform you that you will die."
"Rest assured, Sir. I have never shown bias toward any side in my stories. If it truly damages the Sun Family’s prestige, I am willing to accept death."
"Good."
With that, Sun Hang turned and left. Before leaving, he cast a brief glance at Ye Xuan. His gaze was arrogant and didn’t linger for even a second. Evidently, he completely failed to recognize Ye Xuan’s identity.
After the Sun Family members departed, the hall finally returned to its original atmosphere.
"Kid, what did you want to ask me?" the storyteller suddenly said, turning to Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up. He cupped his hands in respect and said, "Sir, please follow me to my room."
"Very well."
Three minutes later, the storyteller entered the suite Ye Xuan was staying in.
"A Heaven-grade suite. You’re quite wealthy," the storyteller noted. "Speak. What is it you want to find out?"
"Sir, when I listened to your story of the city siege just now, every scene felt as if we were right there on the battlefield. Your methods for gathering intelligence are truly unfathomable."
Instead of answering, the storyteller shot him a sharp look. "Right there on the battlefield? What, did you participate in the city siege? Otherwise, how would you know that the actual events matched my story?"
He carefully scrutinized Ye Xuan’s clothing. It was very ordinary, save for the embroidery of a pig. It wasn’t entirely unheard of to use a pig as a totem, but it was certainly rare. Ye Xuan had deliberately commissioned someone to embroider it.
Ye Xuan didn’t try to hide it. "Indeed, Sir, I did participate."
The storyteller nodded. He didn’t pry into which side Ye Xuan had fought for; such details were completely unimportant to him. "Go on. What exactly do you want to find out?"
"Sir, I want to know the outcome of that battle."
"Doesn’t everyone know the outcome? The Gongsun Family was wiped out, and the Sun Family became the new masters."
"I know that much. I want to know the details that the public is unaware of. For instance, was the Gongsun Family truly entirely annihilated, or did anyone survive?"
"Are you from the Gongsun Family?" The storyteller’s gaze grew even sharper. Before Ye Xuan could answer, he continued. "The Gongsun Family didn’t entirely die out. According to my sources, over two hundred of them managed to flee."
"Oh?"
Ye Xuan’s Tonglong contracted. This old man’s information was unbelievably accurate. He was definitely no ordinary storyteller.
"Sir, then I must ask, was Gongsun Xin among those who escaped?"
"Gongsun Xin..." The storyteller pondered for a moment before answering. "He was not among those who escaped. However..."
"However what, Sir?"
"However, he isn’t dead either."
Ye Xuan’s pupils shrank, a subconscious look of joy flashing across his face. "Gongsun Xin isn’t dead? Is that true?"
"Naturally."
"Then do you know where he is, Sir?"
"He is right in the City Lord’s Mansion."
"What? The City Lord’s Mansion?"
"Yes. Members of the Sun Family shattered his meridians, turning him into a cripple, and locked him away in a pitch-black dungeon."
Ye Xuan furrowed his brows tightly, his tone turning solemn. "Sir, how did this happen?"
The storyteller took a sip of his drink before continuing. "According to my sources, Gongsun Xin destroyed the underground corridor and was buried beneath it. Although the scrap steel and earth weighed hundreds of thousands of pounds, he was caught in a buffer zone between two large pieces of steel, sparing his life. Still, escaping from there was simply too difficult for him.
"Initially, the Sun Family didn’t notice him. It wasn’t until they cleared out the underground corridor that they discovered his presence. At that moment, Gongsun Xin suddenly charged out from the ruins, attempting to carve out a bloody path. Ultimately, however, he was subdued by the Sun Family experts who rushed to the scene. Instead of killing him, they shattered all the meridians in his body, reducing him to a cripple, and imprisoned him in the dungeon."
Ye Xuan grew increasingly shocked as he listened. How did this old man know all these details? Looking at his expression, it didn’t seem like he was just spinning a yarn.
"Sir, how do you know all this?"
The storyteller smiled faintly. "Would you believe me if I told you I was at the scene the entire time?"
Ye Xuan was utterly astounded!
The old man had been at the scene the entire time? Yet absolutely no one had noticed his presence. What did that imply?
This old man was definitely no ordinary person.