"Martial Nephew Wen, although these disciples' behavior in trying to curry favor with your Malevolent Spirit Sect is somewhat... somewhat improper, is that a reason for you to kill people at will?" A voice like the clashing of metal and stone resounded in the hall, like an iron weapon striking stone, making one's heart extremely uncomfortable to hear. It was Elder Fan of the Soul-Splitting Sect who had spoken. His face was gloomy, looking as if it could drip water.
His voice contained a hidden intent of slaughter and blade-grinding, causing the three of them below to feel a chill in their hearts. Hearing this, Wen Xinliang no longer maintained his lazy demeanor, but his face turned solemn. "Seniors, although we are from the Malevolent Spirit Sect, we are not the type to rely on our status. What I just said was just to ascertain whether the seniors knew the intentions of those two women. Now that it's clear that you are partially aware of their actions, I will state the reason. Not long after meeting us, one of the two women said, 'Senior Brother, you are too humble. It's clear at a glance that you three are elite disciples of the sect. We will have to rely on you to protect us in the future.'
"This was the first time we three met these two women from the 'Red Chan Sect.' Moreover, this eighth junior brother of mine has never left the sect before. I imagine with his cultivation level, when you first met him just now, if I hadn't pointed it out, would you have known he was my junior brother?"
As soon as he said this, Elder Chen and the other two were stunned, then fell silent. What kind of people were they? With the matter laid out so clearly, how could they not understand? If the two women from the "Red Chan Sect" had no malicious intent and no informant, how could they have called a Qi Condensation junior cultivator who had never left the sect and a Foundation Establishment cultivator "senior and junior brothers"? Even they would not have been able to make such a judgment.
After a short pause, Elder Chen stroked his curly beard and shook his head, "Sigh, but... but to just listen to your one-sided story, even if we believe it, how can the 'Red Chan Sect' believe it? Especially since their sect master, 'Fairy Hongzhu,' is notoriously hot-tempered. This will require your master's sect to provide an explanation." Elder Fan of the Soul-Splitting Sect and Elder Bai of the Piaoyun Valley also nodded silently. Although they believed sixty to seventy percent of what Wen Xinliang said, their hearts tightened at the thought of that "Fairy Hongzhu."
"Hehe, that won't be necessary!" Hearing this, Wen Xinliang below flipped his wrist, and a light purple jade slip appeared in his hand. He then tossed it upwards, and a streak of purple light shot towards the top.
When Wen Xinliang spoke, Elder Chen and the other two were a little puzzled. But when they saw the light purple jade slip, Elder Fan of the Soul-Splitting Sect couldn't help but exclaim, "A Guiyin Jade Slip!"
Li Yan and Lin Daqiao had been sitting there without saying a word, letting Wen Xinliang handle the matter. At this moment, hearing Elder Fan's exclamation, they couldn't help but raise their eyes to look at the purple jade slip flying towards Elder Chen. Li Yan thought to himself, 'A Guiyin Jade Slip, so this is a Guiyin Jade Slip. I've heard it can record images and sounds. A single Guiyin Jade Slip is said to be worth at least nearly a thousand Spirit Stones. I've only seen descriptions of it in books; this is the first time I've seen one. This item can be controlled by Divine Sense to silently record everything that happens before one's eyes without missing a single detail. It's very valuable, but each Guiyin Jade Slip can only be used five times at most. After five uses, it will disintegrate on its own. Because this thing is too expensive and limited by the number of uses, basically, apart from Golden Core cultivators, few people are willing to use it. I didn't expect Fifth Senior Brother to have such an item, and to use it so easily once.'
Not only was Li Yan shocked, but the three people above were also equally astonished. They themselves only had one "Guiyin Jade Slip" each, and they only used it for very important matters. They never expected that a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Malevolent Spirit Sect would also have one, and use it so casually. This made them feel even more terrified of the Malevolent Spirit Sect's foundation. What they didn't know was that this was actually Wen Xinliang's private property. He came from a ruffian background and rarely did things by the book. If he found something fun, he would buy it without a second thought. If he felt something should be done, he would use it without hesitation.
Although it was two human lives, in the eyes of Elder Chen and the other two, it was not worth wasting a chance to use the Guiyin Jade Slip. With the Malevolent Spirit Sect's domineering style, if he said the two women said that, then they must have said it. Even if it was verbally unconvincing, they would only think about it in their hearts. Even that "Fairy Hongzhu," who only gave them headaches, would probably be silenced by a single breath from the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Otherwise, the "Red Chan Sect" might disappear from the Desolate Moon Continent overnight. Moreover, being as shrewd as the three of them were, they had long since judged from Wen Xinliang's expression and words that the matter was at least seventy percent credible. For the Malevolent Spirit Sect, this was enough to kill.
Looking at the flying Guiyin Jade Slip, Elder Chen and the other two did not catch it. Instead, Elder Chen released his spiritual power to hold it in the air. They did not touch the jade slip at all. The three of them each sent out a wisp of Divine Sense to probe it. But in just a moment, the expressions of the three became a little awkward. This expression fell on Li Yan's eyes below. His gaze flickered a few times, and he couldn't help but rub the tip of his nose again. Then he turned to look at Wen and Lin, who had the expression of "a dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water." He knew that the Guiyin Jade Slip might have recorded all the words spoken since they met. After all, neither of them knew when the other party would say or do something, so they had recorded everything. There were probably quite a few flirtatious words in between, which made the three old men above a little embarrassed to hear.
However, soon, a light flashed in the eyes of the three of them. They then retracted their Divine Sense, looked at each other, and sent the Guiyin Jade Slip back to Wen Xinliang with their spiritual power. Wen Xinliang, with a relaxed expression, waved his large sleeve, and the Guiyin Jade Slip disappeared without a trace.
From taking out the Guiyin Jade Slip to putting it away, Wen Xinliang was not at all worried that there were people here colluding with the three sects or with the "Red Chan Sect" who would destroy the jade slip.
He believed that it was impossible for all the Golden Core masters here to be in collusion with the enemy. That would expose their identities, which would be a loss that outweighed the gain. A Golden Core master being an enemy spy was enough to make the Malevolent Spirit Sect wipe out their sect.
Even if it was destroyed, as long as one Golden Core master here escaped, it wouldn't matter whether he had the jade slip or not. Moreover, the three of them had been seen by many when they entered the town in their sect's attire today. Even if there were enemies here, no one would do something so foolish as to lose the greater for the lesser over three minor cultivators.
"You should keep this Guiyin Jade Slip as solid proof. The matter here is settled. The three of you can go about your own business." Elder Chen glanced at Elder Bai and Elder Fan. Seeing them nod quietly, he was naturally unwilling to deal with the Malevolent Spirit Sect any further. Moreover, these three Foundation Establishment boys were all quick-witted.
"In that case, we three will take our leave." Wen Xinliang was also straightforward. He had no desire to chat with a bunch of old men. He immediately stood up and saluted. Li Yan and the other two also stood up and saluted. Amidst the smiles of Elder Chen and the other two, they strode towards the hall entrance.
It was not until the moment Li Yan's group stepped out of the hall that they were enveloped by a wave of ripples and gradually disappeared. The hall fell silent for a moment.
After a long time, Elder Fan's voice, like the clashing of metal and stone, was the first to ring out. "Fairy Hongzhu might not dare to seek retribution for this matter."
"Hehe, if she does seek retribution, that would be the correct move. It would mean that either she is good at acting, or she really knows nothing, and it was her subordinates who were secretly communicating with the three sects. Otherwise..." Elder Chen's mellow voice also sounded again.
"Sigh, we should quickly send this news back to the sect and have the sect immediately cut off all ties with the 'Red Chan Sect.' Otherwise, a single misstep could lead to disaster. The identity of an unknown Qi Condensation disciple has actually dragged out such a matter..." Elder Bai sighed long. Then the three of them took out their voice transmission talismans and each probed them with their Divine Sense. As for what they were saying, only the three of them knew.
Looking at the alley behind him and hearing the sudden bursts of clamor in his ears, Li Yan felt as if he had returned to another world.
'Formations, restrictions... I'll have to find some books on these aspects to read in the future. They are truly useful.'
"This matter has really delayed a lot of time. Little Junior Brother, let's hurry up, or we won't be able to make it back to the sect today," Wen Xinliang's voice came to his ears.
"I'll leave it to Fifth Senior Brother's arrangements. I know nothing about this place," Li Yan said with a wry smile, looking at the well-connected streets and the constant flow of people.
Immediately, with Wen Xinliang in the lead, the three of them began to navigate the town. As Li Yan walked along, what he saw was mostly the same as before. With Lin Daqiao's occasional quiet explanations, he came to understand Peiyang Trading City more and more.
In addition to the shops opened by the eight powers themselves, Peiyang Trading City was also interspersed with many outside forces. They also reaped handsome profits from here every year. For a time, the place seemed to be a mix of the good and the bad, which inevitably affected the business of the original residents here.
In the past, the eight powers had also completely cleared out these outside forces, but the result was that the water here was too clear, and few fish could survive.
Some cultivators who came to the Hundred Thousand Mountains for training, after learning that this was a trading city opened purely by the local powers, were often either too afraid to enter easily, or had already prepared what they needed when they came. Although it was inconvenient, it was still possible. And the things they obtained after training in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they would tirelessly bring back to their familiar trading cities to sell. During that period, trade in Peiyang Trading City greatly decreased, and there were few cultivators.
How could a monopoly not be coveted? Not long after the eight powers cleared out the outside forces, their disciples, whether traveling outside or training in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, would often be inexplicably besieged or ambushed. And the origins of these cultivators who attacked them were varied and diverse. Rogue cultivators, evil cultivators, and unknown small sects emerged one after another. For a time, the eight powers suffered considerable losses outside, and many disciples died. The eight powers were simply unable to take care of everything. In the end, due to several reasons, the eight powers gradually opened up the market and tacitly accepted the continuous influx of merchants. Although these merchants took a considerable share of the profits each year, they also boosted the prosperity of Peiyang Trading City, and the subsequent income of the eight powers actually increased instead of decreasing. For a time, they coexisted peacefully.
As they spoke, Li Yan's group passed by a place with a wide entrance. While still on the street, they could already hear the tide-like clamor from inside. Looking at the huge building that occupied more than ten acres, and then at the surging crowd at the entrance, with a constant stream of customers, Li Yan couldn't help but be amazed.
"Seventh Senior Brother, which shop is this? How can it be so prosperous?" Li Yan couldn't help but ask.
"Little Junior Brother, this isn't any one shop. It's a free market. Inside are all temporary stalls. You only need to pay three low-grade Spirit Stones to set up a stall for a day. However, it's usually rogue cultivators who are more common here. Of course, there are also sect disciples. They all have some treasures that they consider rare. If they go to a shop, the price they are offered is too low, and they are unwilling, but they want to exchange them for more Spirit Stones, so they come here to set up their own stalls.
"There are also some people who, after obtaining an unknown item, are not sure about it themselves, so they come here to set up a stall, either to barter for something they like, or to take the opportunity to find out the origin of the item in their hands. In any case, there are all kinds of reasons. Moreover, when you set up a stall here, apart from the three necessary stall fees, no matter what you sell, there will be no commission taken. The more you make, the more you earn; the less you make, you are responsible for it yourself. It's not like in a merchant's shop where a lot of commission is deducted for anything you sell. To put it bluntly, this place just provides a place for free trade. Good or bad has nothing to do with the trading city. If you buy a fake, you can only blame your bad luck."
Lin Daqiao said casually, as if he were listing his family treasures.