Online: I Can See Health Bars Chapter 1228 - 542: 10 Pillars (Part 2)

"Blue Blood Disease..."

A strange look crossed Fang Yu’s face.

"Your people stirred up too much chaos, drawing the eyes of Thunder City’s rulers right away and sparking a massive suppression effort, yet..."

Ding Hui let out a cold laugh, "Everyone knows what those big shots really crave. Quarantining the sick and stopping the plague? Mere pretexts. Their true aim is seizing the moment for a thorough purge and reshuffle."

Fang Yu knitted his brows.

He’d already scoured the forums for info on Thunder City using key terms.

Forum threads described Thunder City as akin to a brutal game world like Huangpu Military Academy.

The city’s NPCs ruthlessly booted out underperforming players, offering zero mercy.

Thus, any player thriving in Thunder City usually excelled at blending in seamlessly.

Gaining some notoriety on the Thunder City boards even prompted players to head there just to sharpen their role-playing chops.

Still, these were mere player perspectives; Fang Yu lacked deep insight into Thunder City’s inner workings.

From Ding Hui’s remarks now, it appeared Thunder City’s leaders harbored grand schemes.

"No surprise someone tried fleeing at the gates..."

"With tight controls on entry and exit, escaping Thunder City stays tough until the shake-up finishes."

Chaos gripped Thunder City presently, yet it barely touched the pair.

"First labeled Blue Star Demons, then Blue Blood Disease, now the Blue Blood Plague—Thunder City’s been scrambling inside, but the heart remains unchanged: the Ten Major Families atop the power pyramid orchestrate the cleanup below. Our task? Handle our affairs while steering clear of clashes with those Ten Major Families."

Ding Hui dropped her tone, "Our spot right now makes moving tricky, though."

"How so?"

"I had a tail when I headed out."

Fang Yu creased his forehead, but Ding Hui pressed on before he could query further.

"Folks from the Foolish Underworld."

Foolish Underworld??

Fang Yu’s heart jolted.

"Did they spot..."

"Nope."

Ding Hui cut him off mid-sentence.

"If they’d pegged our true selves, they wouldn’t dispatch such a weakling to shadow me. It’s more like routine watch on inn traffic, new arrivals, and comings and goings. You were in the Foolish Underworld before—you know this surveillance style."

Fang Yu flushed slightly at her words.

Back in Tianyuan Town, he’d ranked high in the Foolish Underworld, but he’d never handled grunt work like tailing personally.

His underlings managed those chores, giving him a basic grasp.

If surveillance was as Ding Hui described, they were likely just in an initial watch phase.

Outsiders faced a brief monitoring stretch; pass it quietly, and tails vanished afterward.

The watcher at the inn door might linger, but Ding Hui’s next outing wouldn’t draw dedicated trackers logging her path.

In short, low stakes, minimal danger, manpower to spare—they tossed a casual lookout.

"Looks like the Foolish Underworld’s grip on Thunder City is growing strong?"

Fang Yu cocked his head and remarked.

In Tianyuan Town, such watch would waste resources too, absent special directives; with endless foot traffic, posting guards everywhere proved inefficient.

Thunder City locked down exits but flung wide entrances, flooding streets with crowds—deploying dedicated watchers signaled the Foolish Underworld’s ample scale.

"Diao Deyi, you’re lowballing the Foolish Underworld way too much."

Ding Hui winked.

"Skip Sunset City; sure, some spots lag for the Foolish Underworld, but in big hubs like Tianyuan Town or Thunder City, official arms like them thrive robustly."

"The Foolish Underworld embodies the state apparatus, Da Xia Dynasty’s reach extended, while local powers act like entrenched bullies. Folks say even mighty dragons bow to ground snakes, but that’s the snake’s brute force, not dragon frailty."

"That said, solid Foolish Underworld growth in a town signals tight bonds with local elites. Tianyuan Town’s no exception."

Fang Yu recalled Ming Hall.

Tianyuan’s Foolish Underworld split into five halls, Ming Hall packed with Five Great Families’ scions, emblemizing their alliance—or rather, the Foolish Underworld toiling as their grunts...

Surface-level, the Foolish Underworld shunned defying the Five Great Families.

A thought struck Fang Yu.

He eyed Ding Hui.

"Ding Hui, with the Foolish Underworld so entrenched here, should we maybe..."

"I get your drift, and yeah, I mulled it on the return trip. But uncertainties loom: will Thunder City’s Foolish Underworld welcome you back? Will they acknowledge you when the city does not? Can we harness them for our aims? Risks abound..."

Fundamentally, exposure versus shadows.

Fang Yu’s cover intact meant this era’s sluggish news flow kept Thunder City’s Foolish Underworld blind to his deputy captain status from Tianyuan.

Shadow ops let him probe freely.

Lacking a powerhouse like the Foolish Underworld’s backing, goals demanded heaps of time and toil.

Reveal himself, rejoin the fold, tap their assets—tasks streamlined massively.

"Let’s ease in; I’ll reach out to old contacts first for leads on your brother Diao Ruonian, human trafficking trails, or the [Jiuyao] Organization. If that flops, joining the Foolish Underworld stays an option." Ding Hui broke it down.

Fang Yu grasped the reasoning fully.

Pure waiting grated, though.

Plus, Thunder City’s tense lockdown amped dangers for Ding Hui’s outings.

"Tomorrow, I’ll tag along in and out with you."

Ding Hui’s lips curved up.

"Worried for me?"

"..."

Fang Yu averted his gaze.

Lian Xiaoya’s hideout, Sister Jin’s rescue odds, his brother’s fate, Bloodline Spirit extraction success, Thunder City’s player hunt—burdens crushed Fang Yu lately.

Action felt limited.

Boosting power stood as the firm fix.

"Hop on the bed; today’s check skipped your body."

Ding Hui crooked a finger at him.

Fang Yu had little recourse but obey.

Since unlocking Bloodline Spirit, Ding Hui ramped up his exams, yet fresh spirit assimilation lagged.

Bloodline Spirit was an invention, outside known martial paths.

Like groping an elephant blindfolded—even prodigy Ding Hui inched forward cautiously.

"Oh? Stronger still?"

Ding Hui caressed Fang Yu’s firm arm muscles, rubbing their rugged feel repeatedly.

You caught that?

Fang Yu checked his stats.

Demon-slaying en route piled attribute points, unused still.

"Gather your Qi, then stir the Bloodline Spirit’s might."

Ding Hui launched the standard inspection; Fang Yu refocused, abiding her cues in tandem.

...