At first glance, he was a young man, very young indeed. Moreover, his face was deathly pale, as if he were suffering from some serious illness. Then, recalling the information in his mind, Xu Sheng remembered who this person was.
"Oh, this must be Lord Guo Fengxiao, the Baron of Wu. I was originally from Langya, but later, for some reasons, I came to Jiangdong. Now, I live in Wu County," Xu Sheng introduced, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia's eyes immediately lit up. Then, he instantly became alert.
"I apologize, this was just an avatar of mine, so I was a little distracted and not very focused just now. Brother Xu, could you please repeat that?" Guo Jia said sincerely.
To maintain secrecy, he personally received and recorded all those who came to register. Therefore, he used the technique of splitting his mind to briefly create dozens of clones that had no combat power whatsoever.
Fortunately, these clones don't need combat power, only intelligence. However, it seems that a few dozen clones aren't enough; at least several hundred would be needed!
“Very good. If Brother Xu is willing to tell you everything that has happened to you from childhood to adulthood, of course, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. In return, you can get a thousand taels of silver,” Guo Jia said calmly.
Then, Xu Sheng was stunned. How could this money be so easy to earn? But how long would it take to recall this from childhood to adulthood?
Then, seeing Xu Sheng's somewhat dazed expression, Guo Jia smiled and continued, "Afterwards, I will ask you some relevant questions based on the specific circumstances. Well, each question will cost ten taels of silver."
"Furthermore, if you have any secrets, you can tell me. This includes some outrageous things and some unfounded legends. For each one, whether true or false, you will be paid at least ten taels of silver. If it is true and effective, the payment will start at least at one hundred taels of silver."
Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng's mouth dropped open in astonishment. He then asked, "Is this the price for everyone? Also, what if we don't have enough time to finish explaining?"
"The price for a master of innate level is like this. If it's an ordinary person, it will be reduced by ten times. If it's a grandmaster, it will be increased by ten times. As for time, this is originally a grotto-heaven, so the flow of time is about ten to one," Guo Jia said with a smile.
Having a wealthy and powerful lord gives one a strong sense of confidence when doing things. How many Xiantian (a type of in-game currency) are there in the entire Jiangdong region? After receiving the silver, even if they don't pledge allegiance to Wu, they'll likely develop a favorable impression of Wu, right?
Moreover, Guo Jia discovered that the more information he obtained, the more secrets he uncovered. A simple comparison of the testimonies from so many innate masters revealed a great deal of interesting information.
"Um, I was born in Langya..."
Guo Jia quickly recorded all the information and then began asking questions.
What do you know about the Silver Sacrifice of Jiangdong?
"There's Lord Zhongshan, well, but he's been suppressed by the Duke of Wu. There's a fox demon, supposedly a nine-tailed fox; I've never seen one, but these legends exist. There are also many witches, most of them very beautiful, primarily performing rituals, and skilled in various dances. And..."
"And what about in terms of influence?"
"The largest is the Temple of War Gods, followed by the Gu family of Wu County, the Yu family of Wu County, and the Zhang family..."
"Who is the richest? I mean businessmen."
"..."
Whose private army is the largest?
Who are the strongest individuals in Jiangdong?
What is the relationship between the Zhang family and the Lu family?
Do you know Zhang Ming? What is his personality like?
"This is the mountain. Are there any legends associated with it? Even if they are absurd, it doesn't matter. Just tell me."
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Chapter Sixty: Sharing the Benefits of Mountains and Rivers, Buying Off the Entire Jiangdong
What do you think about the Xu family's sudden overnight wealth six months ago?
"Three years ago, when the Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit was born in the Desolate Mountains, did anything unexpected happen?"
"Ten years ago, Zhao Xing, the head of the Zhao family in Kuaiji, died overnight due to a qi deviation. At that time, were there any bad rumors circulating in the vicinity of Kuaiji?"
...
A long, long time passed, so long that Xu Sheng lost count of how many questions he had answered. He only felt dizzy and saw stars.
Then, he staggered away. However, as he left, he still vaguely remembered Guo Jia's words.
"Hmm, very good. You answered over three thousand questions in total. Many of them were valid, totaling eighty thousand taels of silver. However, I can only give you ten thousand taels today, and the remaining seventy thousand taels will be given to you in three days."
Then, looking at the standard silver note of one hundred taels in his hand, Xu Sheng rubbed his head and then bit himself hard.
"Ouch, that hurts! This isn't a dream. Eighty thousand taels of silver, just like that, it's in my hands?" Xu Sheng said excitedly, looking at the silver notes in his hand.
Then, watching Xu Sheng's retreating figure, Guo Jia couldn't help but say excitedly, "Haha, this big data analysis method is truly effective! Moreover, this method isn't difficult at all, so why didn't anyone think of it before?"
"To date, I have uncovered hundreds of murder cases that were not recorded by the government, ranging from personal grudges between wandering knights to sordid affairs between powerful families. In addition, there are many other unspeakable secrets!"
Night fell, and the first day had ended. Guo Jia was resting with his eyes closed, trying to recover his energy. Meanwhile, with the return of over a hundred clones, the sheer volume of information nearly overwhelmed him.
After a long while, Guo Jia rubbed his head in a troubled manner, and then laughed.
"Hehe, haha, we've discovered so many secrets this time."
"Ten years ago, an elder of the Zhang family of Wu County, who was at the level of a Human Immortal, happened to pass through Kuaiji County, where he enjoyed the local delicacies and the beautiful scenery. As a result, not long after, the head of the Xu family went mad with demonic possession."
"Three months later, this elder of the Zhang family accidentally failed in his breakthrough and died. At the same time, the Xu family also joined the Temple of War. Heh, what a coincidence."
"Three years ago, a wandering swordsman from Daqingshan was in debt for several thousand taels of silver. However, overnight, he had a miraculous encounter. Not only did he pay off his debts, but his strength also improved by leaps and bounds, and he became a grandmaster."
"Three years ago, a human immortal cultivator from the imperial court left Daqingshan. It seems that this person was very likely a pawn planted by the imperial court."
"Thirty years ago, the Wang family suddenly moved here, and since then, they have inexplicably gained tens of thousands of taels of silver every year. As a result, they have gradually become wealthy. Now, they have gained an extra 100,000 taels of silver every year."
"Moreover, the Wang family's silver is of very good quality, quite distinctive, and very popular. Suddenly having so much money is nothing more than finding it, robbing it, or digging it up. It might be a silver mine or a treasure. However, considering the terrain here, it's more likely to be a silver mine."
"Furthermore, Wang Lu, the illegitimate son of the Wang family, once casually remarked while visiting a brothel that the Wang family was destined for wealth and prosperity, and would have no worries for the next hundred years. Although they would not be extremely wealthy, they would also never lack money."
"So, it's probably a silver or gold mine. If it were a treasure, they wouldn't say that."