It turned out that these two senior and junior fellow disciples hailed from the orthodox Han Land sect, the "Hundred Refinements Sect." Han Land lay very close to the Capital City and was directly governed by the Imperial Court. Its rules were strict, and its sect culture upright.
At least on the surface, its disciples hardly touched any gray income.
All of Fei Xiuwen's expenses came from the sect's allotted provisions, all of them open and aboveboard compensation.
Though stable, it could hardly be called wealthy, and he had never experienced the feeling of throwing money around like dirt.
"Let's go. We should enter the city early and properly put these things away."
Chen Duan said no more and led the way.
As expected, they entered Yingcheng smoothly, without undergoing any inspection.
After making a brief inquiry upon entering the city, they went straight to the local branch of the Sihai Chamber of Commerce.
Chen Duan intended to temporarily store the military equipment there. The Sihai Chamber of Commerce was a major organization spread throughout the world, with an excellent reputation. It was especially skilled at handling all kinds of "goods" of unknown origin. As long as the money was right, there was no business they would not dare accept.
On top of that, Chen Duan had been extremely generous with his spending, directly startling the person in charge of the branch.
He was a lean, capable young man. The moment he saw Chen Duan, he became extremely enthusiastic, treating him like an honored guest. Everything was arranged properly, with astonishing efficiency.
"Lord Chen, you can rest assured!" The person in charge thumped his chest and promised solemnly.
"Leaving the goods with our Sihai Chamber of Commerce is even safer than keeping them in your own pocket. If anything goes wrong, you can simply remove this little man's head and kick it around like a ball."
He had an exceptional sense of professional ethics. From beginning to end, he never asked a single question about the origins of this batch of goods requiring "special storage."
For those in their line of work, the most important thing was knowing what should be asked and what should not.
As for what they needed to know, the customer would naturally tell them. What the customer did not volunteer was something they had no business knowing.
Since they had no business knowing it, they would not ask further. Whoever paid the money was lord—that was the common understanding among all the Sihai Chamber of Commerce's people in charge.
Throughout this process, Fei Xiuwen and Ji Xinyao gained a truly vivid understanding of the power of wealth.
"Senior Chen, is this really enough?"
At the inn, Fei Xiuwen had little appetite as he looked at the table laden with food and wine.
He had thought Chen Duan would have some ingenious, step-by-step plan, and that only after a thrilling battle of wits and careful weighing of options would he be able to properly deal with this hot potato.
Who would have thought the final method would be so simple and crude—throwing money at it, then tossing it into the Sihai Chamber of Commerce and calling it a day?
"Who can determine with a hundred percent certainty whether it will work?"
Chen Duan drained the strong wine in his bowl in one gulp and laughed carelessly. "Now that the things have been stored inside, there's no use thinking too much about it.
"At worst, if the matter truly comes to light later, I'll find an opportunity to scatter this entire batch of military equipment, distribute it among the heroes and brave men of every faction, and give them a chance to decide their own fate."
Pfft—
The wine Fei Xiuwen had just put into his mouth nearly sprayed out. The outrageous statement made his entire body shudder.
This was actually the first time he and his junior sister had traveled far from Han Land, yet everything they had seen and heard along the way was gradually overturning his past understanding.
Han Land bordered the Capital City, and its various local sects even controlled the important technology of military-equipment production. They had always been under the Imperial Court's strict supervision, and as a result, all of Han Land was orderly. It could be said that no one left lost property by the roadside, and households did not need to bar their doors at night.
Only after leaving Han Land did Fei Xiuwen seem to glimpse a true corner of the world and learn what the real Jianghu was.
As for the Senior Chen Duan before him, his way of doing things seemed to embody the very essence of the so-called Jianghu spirit.
If it had to be summed up in one sentence, it would be this: he acted as he pleased, with a hundred taboos holding him back.
"You two may leave on your own after the meal. What are your plans for what comes next?"
Chen Duan tore into the whole chicken in his hands, chewing meat and bones alike with loud crunches.
"Senior Chen, to be honest, my junior sister and I had originally been carrying out a sect mission. We only delayed our journey because we encountered that group of military-equipment smugglers along the way and an unexpected turn of events occurred."
"Since you have important business, I won't keep you. However, that batch of military equipment came from an improper source, so sooner or later, someone may follow the clues and investigate you.
"If you encounter trouble on the road that you cannot resolve, don't force yourselves to endure it. Just give my name.
"Tell them the goods are with me. If they have the guts, they can come to Yingcheng and find me."
"This... How could we do that?" Fei Xiuwen was filled with shock and disbelief.
He had never imagined that Chen Duan would suddenly say something like this.
Was he truly not afraid of bringing trouble upon himself?
Moreover, seeing the other man's disdainful expression, Fei Xiuwen suddenly felt that his own worries looked almost like a joke.
This seemingly fierce Senior Chen had not only refrained from killing them to eliminate future trouble, but had instead volunteered to take all of it upon himself? Was he not afraid of trouble coming knocking at his door?
Beside him, Ji Xinyao's lips parted slightly, her shock plain for all to see.
In her eyes, Chen Duan not killing them had already been an act of kindness. Yet now, he even intended to shield them from disaster?
"Senior Chen, just who are you?"
"I'm from Qingzhou. I suppose I'm somewhat well-known back home."
Naturally, the two did not believe that such a hero was merely "somewhat well-known."
Fei Xiuwen drew a deep breath and clasped his fists solemnly. "Senior, your noble righteousness has deeply moved me. But since you are willing to go this far, how could we act like petty villains?
"I am by no means an ungrateful coward who clings to life and fears death. I will never implicate you, nor reveal the slightest information related to you."
"Neither will I!" Ji Xinyao hurriedly clasped her fists as well.
Chen Duan looked at the solemn-faced senior-and-junior pair and could not help waving his hand.
"All right, all right. Where did all these rules come from? The greater your ability, the greater the burden you should bear. Don't force yourselves. Chen has no shortage of trouble on his shoulders, and one more matter from you two won't make a difference."
After traveling with them for so long, he had already seen that the pair had good dispositions. However, they were overly rigid and rule-bound, like fledgling Jianghu wanderers just out of the gate.
He connected this with the "Han Land" where their sect was located. From their descriptions, it seemed to be a place that was overly "peaceful."
But the two probably did not know that such peace might only be a facade.
This smuggling of military equipment from Han Land alone was already the second time Chen Duan had witnessed it with his own eyes.
Back when he had still been in Blackwater City, even a minor county commandant like Qin Yong had been able to privately contact Han Land and place "arms orders." It seemed the so-called Imperial Court control was not particularly airtight after all.
The Shenji Sect, the Hundred Refinements Sect, Han Land...
He could make a point of getting in touch with them more in the future. If he found the chance, he would personally visit that "Han Land" and see what it was really like.
After the meal ended, Fei Xiuwen and Ji Xinyao once again saluted Chen Duan in farewell. Soon afterward, their figures vanished into the streets and alleys of Yingcheng.
Chen Duan had once again returned to being alone... Oh, there was also Ah Huang, who barely counted as half a person.
In the afternoon, Chen Duan took Ah Huang to look at houses.
After traveling for many days, he decided to settle down in Yingcheng first. On one hand, he could improve his progress in those cultivation techniques; on the other, he could inquire about clues concerning the "tomb beneath Kongling Village."
"Lord Chen, this residence completely meets your requirements. It's spacious and quiet, and according to your request, it even comes with a cellar."
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