Tiger in a Cage at the Capital, True Jianghu Beyond Han Land

It turns out this senior brother and sister duo hailed from a righteous and famous sect in Han Land, the "Hundred Refinements Sect." Han Land was located very close to the Capital City, directly governed by the imperial court, with strict rules and a clean sect tradition.

On the surface, at least, the sect's disciples were almost never involved in any illicit income.

Fei Xiuwen's entire living expenses and expenditures came from the sect's allocated provisions, all of which were legitimate rewards.

While stable, it couldn't be described as wealthy, nor had he ever experienced the feeling of squandering money like this.

"Let's go. We should enter the city early and properly store this batch of goods."

Chen Duan said no more and took the lead.

As expected, their group entered Yingcheng without any checks, smoothly sailing through.

After entering the city and making a brief inquiry, they headed straight for the local branch of the Sihai Chamber of Commerce.

Chen Duan intended to temporarily store this batch of military supplies here. The Sihai Chamber of Commerce was a massive merchant guild spread across the land with an excellent reputation, especially adept at handling "goods" of all origins. As long as the money was right, there was no business they wouldn't take.

Furthermore, Chen Duan's lavish spending directly alerted the branch manager.

He was a lean and capable young man who, upon seeing Chen Duan, became extremely enthusiastic, treating him like a distinguished guest. He arranged everything perfectly and efficiently.

"Master Chen, please rest assured!" the manager declared, patting his chest earnestly.

"Leaving your goods with our Sihai Chamber of Commerce is safer than keeping them in your own pocket. If anything goes wrong, you can just take my head and use it as a ball."

He maintained a high degree of professionalism, never inquiring about the origin of the goods that required "special safekeeping" from beginning to end.

In their line of work, the most crucial thing was to understand what should be asked and what shouldn't.

Clients would naturally volunteer what they needed to know. If the client didn't volunteer it, then it was something they shouldn't know.

Since they shouldn't know, they wouldn't ask. Whoever paid was the boss; this was a consensus among all Sihai Chamber of Commerce managers.

During this process, Fei Xiuwen and Ji Xinyao truly witnessed the power of money.

"Senior Chen, is this really all it takes?"

In the inn, looking at the table full of food and wine, Fei Xiuwen didn't have much appetite.

He had initially expected Chen Duan to have some brilliant, meticulously planned strategy, involving thrilling battles of wits and careful consideration, before he could properly handle this hot potato.

Who would have thought the final method would be so simple and crude: just throw money at it, dump it at the Sihai Chamber of Commerce, and be done with it?

"Who can say with one hundred percent certainty whether it will work or not?"

Chen Duan downed the strong liquor in his bowl in large gulps, laughing carelessly. "Since the goods are already stored, there's no point in thinking too much about it.

At worst, if things go south later, I'll find an opportunity to distribute all these military supplies to various heroes and righteous individuals, giving them a chance to forge their own destinies."

Pfft—

The wine Fei Xiuwen had just taken into his mouth almost sprayed out. He shivered all over, shocked by such treasonous words.

This was actually the first time he and his junior sister had traveled far from Han Land. However, everything he had seen and heard along the way was gradually overturning his past perceptions.

Han Land was adjacent to the Capital City, and the local sects there controlled crucial technologies like the manufacturing of military supplies. They had always been strictly regulated by the imperial court, which in turn kept the entire Han Land orderly, to the point where no one picked up lost items and doors were left unlocked at night.

But after leaving Han Land, Fei Xiuwen felt as if he had glimpsed a true corner of the world and witnessed what the real Jianghu was like.

And this Senior Chen Duan before him, his conduct and style, seemed to be the epitome of the so-called Jianghu spirit.

If one were to describe him in a single sentence, it would be: He acts as he pleases, without any taboos.

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"You two can leave after your meal. What are your plans?"

Chen Duan gnawed on the whole chicken in his hand, crunching on the bones and meat.

"Senior Chen, to be honest, my junior sister and I had a sect mission on this trip. We were only delayed because we encountered that batch of arms dealers along the way, and things took an unexpected turn."

"Since you have important duties, I won't keep you. However, the origin of those military supplies is questionable, and it's inevitable that someone will follow the trail and investigate later.

If you encounter trouble on the road that you can't handle, don't try to tough it out. Just use my name.

Tell them the goods are with me, and if they have the guts, they can come to Yingcheng to find me."

"This... How can this be?" Fei Xiuwen's eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

He never expected Chen Duan to suddenly say something like this.

Was he truly not afraid of attracting trouble?

Moreover, seeing the dismissive look on the other's face, Fei Xiuwen suddenly felt his worries were like a joke.

This senior, who appeared fierce, not only didn't silence them to eliminate future trouble but actively offered to take responsibility? Wasn't he afraid of inviting disaster?

Ji Xinyao, standing beside him, also had her small mouth slightly agape, her shock evident.

In her opinion, Chen Duan not killing them was already an act of benevolence. Now, he was even going to shield them from disaster?

"Senior Chen, who exactly are you?"

"I am from Qingzhou. I'm considered somewhat famous back home."

The two naturally didn't believe such a heroic figure was merely "somewhat famous."

Fei Xiuwen took a deep breath and solemnly cupped his fists. "Senior's righteousness is deeply appreciated. But since you are acting this way, how can we be petty people?"

"I am by no means ungrateful, nor am I a coward who fears death. I absolutely will not implicate you, senior, nor reveal any information related to you."

"Me too!" Ji Xinyao quickly clasped her fists in agreement.

Chen Duan looked at the solemn-faced senior and junior disciples and couldn't help but wave his hand.

"Alright, alright, why so many formalities? Take on responsibilities commensurate with your abilities, don't force yourselves. I, Chen, can handle this trouble from you."

Having traveled together, he could see that the senior and junior disciples had good intentions, but they were too rigid and formal in their actions, like novices fresh out of the martial world.

He thought of their sect's location, "Han Land," and from their descriptions, it seemed to be an overly "peaceful" place.

But these two probably didn't know that such peace might only be a superficial illusion.

Just the arms smuggling in Han Land was the second time Chen Duan had witnessed it firsthand.

It started when he was in Blackwater City. Even a small town County Lieutenant like Qin Yong could privately contact Han Land to place "arms orders," suggesting that the so-called imperial control wasn't that strict.

Shenji Sect, Hundred Refinements Sect, Han Land...

He could interact with them more in the future. If there was an opportunity, he would personally go to "Han Land" to see what it was like.

After the meal concluded, Fei Xiuwen and Ji Xinyao bowed and bid farewell to Chen Duan again. Their figures soon disappeared into the streets and alleys of Yingcheng.

Chen Duan was once again alone... Oh, and 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 wanted to advance the progress of those cultivation techniques, and on the other hand, it would be good to inquire about clues regarding the "Kongling Village tomb."

"Master Chen, this house completely meets your requirements. It's spacious and quiet, and as you requested, it even comes with a cellar."

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