Mercenary Mission

Yan City, the closest major city to Qingyang Town, was renowned even throughout the entire Great Yan Dynasty.

After several days of cautious travel, Lin Yiqing finally arrived. At a single glance, he saw a massive city standing tall on the plains ahead.

The pitch-black city walls rose a hundred feet high and stretched for untold miles, with numerous troops stationed at the gates, lending the scene a solemn air.

Even before entering the city, the main road was already packed with people. Lin Yiqing followed the flow of the crowd, and after paying a small entry fee, he successfully made his way into Yan City.

Passing through a dim tunnel at the gate, a deafening roar of noise surged into his ears like a tide. Seeing this, the corners of Lin Yiqing's mouth curled upward.

This is a big city, alright. I'll have to explore it properly.

The streets were crowded, lined with shops on all sides. Being a major city, the architecture here was far more grand than in Qingyang Town, all decorated with gold and jade, possessing a distinct flair.

Along the way, Lin Yiqing saw many people dressed in exotic attire coming and going—some draped in finery, others rugged men in animal skins, and many young ladies in thin silks. It was a true display of otherworldly customs.

He even saw many people walking through the city with Earth Origin Realm or Heaven Origin Realm demonic beasts in tow, the creatures acting as their pets.

Tsk tsk, as expected of a big city. In Qingyang Town, these demonic beasts are entities no one dares to provoke, let alone keep as pets.

Lin Yiqing sighed at the sight. After wandering for a while, he felt a bit tired and found a quiet inn to stay in.

Lying on the bed, he rummaged through his Universe Bag and felt quite helpless. Hundreds of Yang Yuan Pills had shrunk by half today. It seemed that in any world, money was never enough.

Looks like I need to find a way to get some more Yang Yuan Pills.

With that, Lin Yiqing washed up and went downstairs to ask the innkeeper about commission work in Yan City.

"Oh, I heard the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce is recruiting guards recently. They say they need to escort a shipment, you might want to check it out."

The innkeeper promptly told Lin Yiqing the route to the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce; for people like them, such information was always readily available.

The Wanjin Chamber of Commerce was one of the three major powers in Yan City, holding a position of supreme honor.

In Yan City, the rise and fall of various factions were extremely frequent. Perhaps a power would rise to prominence today, only to fall to the bottom by tomorrow, never to recover.

However, among them, three major powers stood tall, laughing at the competition and remaining unshakable.

The Wanjin Chamber of Commerce, the Blood Wolf Gang, and the City Lord's Mansion were the leaders of Yan City. Beyond them, the Talisman Master Association was also a force no one dared to provoke, though they remained low-key and never participated in conflicts.

Following the innkeeper's directions, Lin Yiqing walked along a main road, turned a corner, and finally arrived before a magnificent, gilded pavilion.

The pavilion stood five stories high, constructed entirely of ironwood with vermilion walls and yellow tiles. It was dazzling, adorned with intricate carvings and painted beams—a breathtaking sight where every scene and beast depicted looked lifelike.

So this is the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce? It's certainly built extravagantly.

Looking at the building before him, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but sigh. This was considered top-tier architecture in Yan City, but this level of opulence didn't shock him as much as the hundred-foot city walls.

Lin Yiqing had been an avid traveler in the past, often visiting tourist attractions whenever he had free time. These things were fine to look at, but to truly shock him, something more unique was required.

At this moment, a group of people surrounded the main entrance of the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce. A table was set up there, and a notice written on a piece of white cloth beside it announced the recruitment of temporary guards.

The gist of the notice was that they were recruiting temporary guards to escort a batch of supplies to Wuling City, with a reward of six hundred Yang Yuan Pills upon completion.

With the complex factions in Yan City, when manpower was insufficient for certain tasks, they often recruited temporary guards, similar to mercenaries. The people gathered around the wooden table were part of this group.

"Qianqian, I've already signed up. Let's go look around together."

Lin Yiqing turned to see a young man in green robes looking fawningly at a girl in red beside him.

The girl in red nodded at him with a smile, but then looked toward another man beside her, whispering something.

Seeing this, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but click his tongue. What caught his attention was that all three of them were Heaven Origin Realm experts.

It seems the goods being escorted this time aren't simple. Along the way, the cultivation levels of these people haven't been weak.

Lin Yiqing thought to himself, though it was within his expectations. After all, the reward offered was extremely generous—six hundred Yang Yuan Pills, which converted to six thousand Yang Yuan Stones, enough to cover a small family's expenses for a year.

"Uncle, is this the registration spot?"

Lin Yiqing walked up and asked a man in animal skins who stood nearly two meters tall.

The man in animal skins turned to look. Huh? No one? Then he looked down and instantly chuckled.

A doll-like child with delicate features was looking at him with a serious expression, though that gravity only made the child look all the more adorable on such a refined face.

"Haha, where did this milk-drinking brat come from? This isn't a place for you. Go home quickly, or your elders will be looking for you."

Lin Yiqing was speechless upon hearing this. He knew he was young and not very tall in this body, but calling him a "milk-drinking brat" was going too far.

"Wow, what a cute kid."

"Yeah, whose little girl is that?"

The man in animal skins had a booming voice, instantly attracting the attention of the surrounding crowd. They looked at Lin Yiqing and broke into an uproar.

"I'm here to apply as a guard."

Seeing the crowd whispering, Lin Yiqing said to the man with some helplessness.

"Haha, applying as a temporary guard? Little kid, this isn't a place for you to play. Go away! Go away!"

Behind the wooden table sat a middle-aged man of about forty with a long beard. Seeing Lin Yiqing say he wanted to apply, he couldn't help but laugh.

"That's right, Steward Xia is right. Go back quickly, little kid."

The crowd erupted again. It was clear that everyone nearby was trying hard to curry favor with this "Steward Xia."

Black lines appeared on Lin Yiqing's forehead, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. These people only judged by appearances; they were simply shallow!

"Do I need to pay for breaking this wall?"

Lin Yiqing stepped forward and asked earnestly; it seemed that only strength could make people look at him with respect.

"Haha, no need."

Upon hearing this, Steward Xia chuckled and stroked his beard, answering offhandedly. It was quite pleasant to have such a little amusement during his work.

"Boom!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a loud crash rang out. Steward Xia was so startled that his hand jerked, pulling out a few strands of his beard, and he hurriedly turned to look toward the source of the sound.

He saw a large crater about a meter in diameter on the wall to the side, and the left fist Lin Yiqing had thrown was still extended.

Seeing this, the surrounding crowd fell into dead silence; they were truly shocked.

Among these people, there was no lack of experts in the late Earth Origin Realm or even the Heaven Origin Realm, but at such an age, this was far too frightening.

"Can I apply to be a temporary guard now?" Seeing Steward Xia looking dazed, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at him and asked.

"Yes, yes. May I ask what your cultivation level is, little brother?"

Steward Xia wiped away a cold sweat. To have such powerful strength at such a young age, he was nine times out of ten a descendant of some major power, someone he couldn't afford to offend regardless.

"Late Earth Origin Realm."

Lin Yiqing thought for a moment before replying. He wanted to keep his spiritual cultivation hidden as a trump card, as it might have an unexpected effect later.

"Hiss."

The people around them couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this. To have such cultivation at this age was truly extraordinary.

"My surname is Xia, given name He. I serve as one of the stewards for the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce. May I ask how to address you, little brother?"

Steward Xia hurriedly stood up, quickly picked up a black iron token from the table, and handed it to Lin Yiqing. The token was engraved with the four archaic characters for "Wanjin Chamber of Commerce," and he asked immediately after.

"I am Lin Yiqing. I am here on a journey of experience, and seeing that your esteemed chamber is recruiting temporary guards, I thought I would give it a try."

Lin Yiqing reached out to take the token handed over by Steward Xia and cupped his fists in a salute to the other man.

"Of course, of course. The caravan will depart from here the day after tomorrow at the first quarter of the Mao hour. Please remember to arrive on time, little brother Lin. My Wanjin Chamber of Commerce will also be holding an auction tomorrow; if you would like to attend, you can get a twenty percent discount with this token."

Xia He picked up a brush and wrote Lin Yiqing's name in the ledger on the table, then spoke to Lin Yiqing with great solemnity.

In his heart, he was now completely convinced that Lin Yiqing was someone cultivated by those major powers, which was why he was being so polite.

"Many thanks."

After hearing this, Lin Yiqing turned and headed back. He wanted to go and see that so-called auction tomorrow.