Martial Soul Hall's Gem Business

The two guests at the tea table chimed in with Lu Guofu.

The Hagen Das Kingdom was located north of the empire, perpetually covered in ice and snow, making it impossible to grow crops.

Lu Guofu's merchant association could achieve such scale in the Hagen Das Kingdom, and he himself was a businessman. The two merchants harbored dreams of developing in the Hagen Das Kingdom and thus conversed with him at length.

After a while, seeing that Qin Yuan had no intention of joining the conversation, Lu Guofu thought his own appeal wasn't strong enough and couldn't help but ask, "What should I call you, my friend? Are you also in the grain business?"

Qin Yuan took a sip of tea and shook his head. "My surname is Qin. I'm not in the grain business; I'm in the gem business."

Lu Guofu suddenly realized, "That's right. Downstream of the river, there are always people panning for gold. Since you're a gem merchant, you must be buying nuggets from those small-time prospectors. I happen to have some connections, would you like me to introduce you?"

The gem business was a big business. The most famous gem merchant in the Heaven Dou Empire came from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Qin Yuan appeared very calm, clearly experienced and worldly, possibly someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Anyone doing business in the Heaven Dou Empire couldn't avoid the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Building a good relationship with Qin Yuan could only bring benefits.

Qin Yuan shook his head again, "That won't be necessary. Gold and silver have limited profits. Processed gems can earn much more. I didn't bring much capital on this trip, so I'm prioritizing the purchase of gem raw materials."

Another guest at the table became interested and proactively spoke up, "Brother Qin, my name is Huang Ling. I happen to know a merchant who has excellent quality gem raw materials. Are you interested?"

The stolen batch of gem raw materials from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was naturally of the highest quality. If they were lucky, the person Huang Ling introduced was likely connected to that group of thieves.

Lu Guofu didn't want others to steal Qin Yuan's attention. He immediately stated, "Brother Qin, I am older than you and have seen more of the world."

"Recently, a caravan transporting gem raw materials near Lin Chuan City was robbed by thieves. Be careful not to buy stolen goods, or it will cause unnecessary trouble if the original owner finds out."

Qin Yuan feigned surprise, "Is that so? Whose caravan was robbed?"

Lu Guofu shook his head. As a major merchant, he had certain information channels, but the gem business was not within his scope of operations, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

However, Huang Ling was displeased by his words. "Brother Lu, my friend's gems are naturally reliable. Don't speak carelessly, and don't ruin my business."

Lu Guofu shrugged, "I'm just kindly reminding Brother Qin to be vigilant, so he doesn't get targeted by thieves."

After leaving the tea house.

Qin Yuan had a plan in mind.

According to Lu Guofu, there had only been one recent incident of gem raw materials being stolen. Huang Ling had reacted very agitatedly, suggesting that his friend's source was questionable, and he himself was an intermediary looking for clients.

After a while, Huang Ling left the tea house and met Qin Yuan at the street corner.

"Brother Qin, please don't misunderstand. The gems my friend has are absolutely top-quality, and there are no disputes whatsoever. We are legitimate merchants, how could we possibly deal in black market goods!"

Qin Yuan smiled and nodded, "I am still willing to believe you, Brother Huang. It's just that I've been searching the continent for a long time on this trip and haven't found any good merchandise. If I delay any further, I'm afraid I won't be able to report back."

As they talked, Huang Ling led Qin Yuan out of the city.

According to Huang Ling's explanation, there was a mine outside the city that produced gems, so the transaction would take place outside the city.

During this time, Qin Yuan did raise some questions, but Huang Ling brushed them aside.

After a short while, they arrived at a wooden house outside the city.

The friend Huang Ling mentioned was a fierce-looking man. He held a bulging sack and looked around vigilantly.

"Old Huang, is this the buyer?" the man asked cautiously.

Huang Ling replied, then added, "I've brought the customer. You two can talk amongst yourselves. Just don't forget to give me my commission."

With that, he left.

Qin Yuan picked up a nearby stool and sat in front of the man. "Let me see the goods."

The man glanced around. Seeing no one paying attention, he took out a rough gemstone from the sack.

Qin Yuan had expected the other party to betray him, but he didn't expect them to be conducting a legitimate transaction.

It wasn't surprising that the theft of the gems didn't cause much of a stir. After the thieves stole the gems, they started selling them legally in private. Naturally, it wouldn't attract much attention.

Qin Yuan's goal wasn't to actually buy gem raw materials, and besides, he didn't have that much money.

However, even an amateur like him could tell that these gems were of excellent quality. If they were ordinary gem raw materials, why would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect risk so much to buy them from the black market?

Qin Yuan had some suspicions and then asked, "The gems are indeed good, the interior is transparent, and there are no cracks."

"However, I recently heard that a vehicle transporting gems was stolen. I need to know the origin of these gems to avoid buying stolen goods and causing unnecessary trouble."

The man frowned. "If you can't afford it, get lost. Stop asking so many questions!"

Qin Yuan thought for a moment. To avoid alerting the enemy, he bought all the gem raw materials in the sack.

Although it pained him, if these gems were indeed the ones stolen from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he could still recover some of his costs.

At night, Qin Yuan returned to Lin Chuan City again.

As instructed by Ning Fengzhi, there was a secret stronghold of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in Lin Chuan City, and Qin Yuan hurried to meet them.

"Mr. Qin, there are some things we dare not investigate too deeply, lest we attract the attention of other forces."

Qin Yuan quickly asked, "I know these are black market goods, but who is the original owner that even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect dares not offend?"

The disciple from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect gave a dry laugh and, following Ning Fengzhi's instructions, explained the situation: "These gems belong to the Martial Soul Hall. They were stolen by a group of vicious thugs, later appeared on the black market, and were purchased by our sect's disciples."

"The experts from the Martial Soul Hall have already tracked them to Lin Chuan City, so Mr. Qin, you must proceed with caution and avoid being seen by anyone from the Martial Soul Hall."

Truth be told, this mission wasn't about avenging the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple, but more like silencing a witness.

If that group of thieves took the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple's Soul Tool, they must have known his identity. If the Martial Soul Hall found these thieves first, they would have a reason to attack the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

It wasn't surprising that Ning Fengzhi approached Qin Yuan. Only he had a clean enough background and a deep enough connection with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

If it were an outsider, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would be in trouble if the matter was revealed to the Martial Soul Hall.

Qin Yuan couldn't help but feel a little displeased by Ning Fengzhi's deliberate concealment. He needed to assess the risks involved in the mission, and any hidden information could ultimately lead to failure!

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple repeatedly apologized, "My apologies, Mr. Qin. This matter is of great importance, and the Sect Master had to be extremely cautious."

As he spoke, another disciple came forward to report the appraisal results.

Most of the gems Qin Yuan brought back were the batch the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had purchased on the black market. However, some junk was mixed in, buried at the bottom of the sacks, trying to pass off inferior goods as quality ones.