Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Chapter 100: Chapter 100 – Cold War

A week had passed since Leo returned and received the information regarding the Murim Alliance movement. With that knowledge, he was able to plan his next move and prepare for the upcoming battle.

Not that the preparation was that urgent. Jessica and Chiaki already prepared everything, and all Leo had to do was give the order.

During this time, he also went out to meet the people and visited the places around Chengdu.

It was a busy city and had a lot of interesting things. Many people came in and out without ending.

Business also boomed since the Mercenary Union was created. Not only martial artists, but people seeking help also visited.

For example, Nabi's Butterfly Pavilion. This place's first hall now became a kind of gathering place for Mercenary Union members. They drank and ate there, chatting and exchanging stories.

Some made new friends and gathered with a new group.

In a month, many requests arrived as their name spread around Sichuan and even reached Shaanxi. Before long the Mercenary Union would be known all over the Central Plains.

As the number of requests increased, they needed more people.

But that would be a story for the future.

Murim Alliance worked pretty hard to prevent the news of their actions from spreading. They didn't want anyone to interfere and meddle with their business.

Information war began in Murim. One side spread the deed that the Mercenary Union was doing while the other side denied it and even accused the group of being a part of a conspiracy.

Many people, especially the ones around Sichuan, started to get curious about the Mercenary Union. Its name even spread further than what the Murim Alliance tried to prevent.

"They shouldn't have tried to badmouth us. Instead, spreading more interesting news, such as the birth of a new 9 Stars martial Artist, would work better to split people's attention. They are fools."

Leo crossed his arms and smiled in amusement.

This was the result of his and Chiaki's hard work. And this was the reason why Leo did nothing to prevent the news from spreading.

Just like a saying said, bad rumors will always have a shadow, while good rumors will spread like wildfire. And there was no use preventing a stream. Rather, open the path for it and let it flow freely.

It was easier to change people's minds and opinions by influencing their thoughts than trying to silence everyone.

"We've already planned everything. Now, let's see how far they can go before falling."

"How devious. We never thought this kind of strategy would work. Usually, people would cut the source of the rumors to stop it from spreading further." Nabi was impressed.

She looked at the first floor from the second, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"This growth is unprecedented. From this morning's data, we can see a huge increase in visitors and members, and it doesn't seem to slow down. They are even asking for more rooms and seats. This is unbelievable! We already have more than 300 martial artists joining our Union. And there are 91 unique teams registered."

Her voice was filled with energy and happiness.

Seeing how excited the leader of Hao Sect was, Leo couldn't help but feel amused.

'This is nothing. There are more than 5000 unique teams in the game, Mercenary Union.'

Leo chuckled and looked at the sky. This was just the beginning, and the number of unique teams and martial artists would soon increase.

The Mercenary Union was still growing, and they couldn't afford to slack off.

"Alright, let's continue our work. What do you know about the Murim Alliance's leader, Xue Wang?" He asked.

Nabi nodded.

"Xue Wang is the leader of the Murim Alliance and one of the most powerful men in Central Plains. From the rumor, he was about to break the wall of 8 Stars martial artists and advance to 9 Stars."

That information was not new to him. It was already written in the book.

'Xue Wang is a master of the Thunder Cloud Technique and one of the most powerful martial artists in Central Plains. But, his power is not limited to this. He is a master of many Qi techniques and has mastered the close combat as well as ranged fighting, earning him the title "The Thunder Emperor" or "The Lightning Master."'

Their titles were pretty similar. Thunder Emperor and Thunder God.

With the rumors about him spreading with the Mercenary Union, people began to compare the two of them.

Honestly, Leo didn't care much about his ability or his strength. His interest was more focused on his opponent's weakness and flaw.

'That much isn't explained in the novel. Maybe it's a hidden secret or a weakness that only the MC can discover in the future. But I have no luxury to wait for that.'

Leo was not an idiot.

If he had the power and skill, then he would try his best to exploit it.

"Any weakness you find out about him?"

"Surprisingly, there are many rumors. One of them says that he is a coward and prefers to hide behind his underlings. Another says that he is a sadist and likes to torture his enemies. Some even say that he has a daughter and is obsessed with her."

"What?"

The last rumor took Leo by surprise.

'A daughter? That's new.'

It was not mentioned in the novel, and he had no idea if it was true or not.

"A step-daughter. He adopted a girl who apparently is gifted in lightning Qi and trained her to be his successor. Her name is Xue Rou." Nabi explained while hiding her mouth behind her fan. "The obsession here is about her talent. In a year, she managed to reach the peak of 6 Stars. She was even called a prodigy."

'Xue Rou? Hmm, that's interesting. I have never heard of her in the book.'

But, Leo had no reason to doubt the information. It came from Hao Sect, one of two Sects with the largest information network.

"Do you have any information about her whereabouts?"

"No. It's like she doesn't exist. We don't know where she came from, as if she just popped out from thin air. And from what I heard, she wore something strange when Xue Wang introduced her as his daughter. I seem to have heard of something similar from somewhere."

Tak!

Closing her fan, she showed a mischievous smile. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement.

"Leader, I can sense that you are hiding something. But, I don't want to push too hard. We are still allies, right? Just know that I'm always available if you need help."

Since they worked together and established the Mercenary Union, Nabi imitated Leo's subordinate and began calling him Leader. It was a known fact that the other members of the Mercenary Union also called him Leader, thinking that was how they should address him.

"Strange clothes and no past, eh?"

Now that also interests Leo a little bit. Maybe he had to go undercover and explore the truth.

'Should I do it? Murim Alliance's headquarter is located in the Capital City, so I have to be careful. But, if I have a chance, then maybe...'

His train of thought was interrupted as Nabi took something from between her bosom.

"I won't pry too much, Leader. But if you're interested in that daughter, then please take this. We kinda... figure out where she can be found."

The girl handed him a piece of paper.

It was an invitation.

"Xue Rou's birthday celebration. It's an event where Xue Wang will introduce his daughter to the martial arts world. They probably wanted to throw some water on the fire. Maybe our fast growth will stop with this. Unless we do something, that is."

"It seems someone in the Murim Alliance has a brain."

Leo took the paper and smiled. They had just talked about how they should create a bigger rumor to distract the audience, and it looks like the enemy did the same.

But, it was not the time to talk about this.

"In the Capital, huh? I have never been there before."

"It's a beautiful city and also the center of Murim. You might learn something there." She said, "The Emperor's court is also located in the Capital, so be careful. There are many eyes and ears there."

"Understood."

Leo nodded and left the pavilion.

With this new information, he had something to do.

'Who to bring? Everyone is so busy that I can't pick. Maybe it's time for me to move by myself? It's been a while.'

He was not worried.

As a transmigrator, he had the knowledge and skills that no one could match. And he also had the power and technology to back him up.

He could handle anything that came his way.

'I can also make a connection with the Emperor while I am in the Capital. Hmm... Maybe I should bring Jessica and dress her like a Lady. We can act like a rich married couple and make our presence known.'

The plan was slowly forming in his head.

"Then, let's go to the Capital."

Leo didn't hesitate.