Bronze Cauldron

After seeing Lin Yiqing off, Steward Xia followed a maid into a grand, gilded hall. A refined-looking man in brocade robes sat inside.

"President."

Steward Xia bowed. From his respectful manner and the way he addressed the man, it was easy to tell that he was Xia Wanjin, the one now at the helm of the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce.

Xia Wanjin was also one of the Great Perfection of Yuan Dan Realm experts in Yan City. It was only with such strength that the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce could firmly hold one of the three pillars of power in the city.

Hearing the commotion, Xia Wanjin set down his teacup and looked up at Steward Xia with a faint smile. "You've worked hard, Xia He. Have your injuries improved?"

"Thank you for your concern, President. I'm all right now. This trip was fraught with danger, but at least we delivered the goods safely."

Steward Xia then recounted the entire ambush to Xia Wanjin, from beginning to end.

When he heard about Lin Yiqing's performance, even Xia Wanjin, with his Great Perfection of Yuan Dan Realm strength and experience, could not hide his shock.

"I never expected someone so young to have such astonishing cultivation. Truly, heroes emerge from the young!"

After all, a twelve- or thirteen-year-old Earth Origin Realm expert would be among the most gifted prodigies in the entire Great Yan Dynasty.

Even more remarkable was that the young man was also a Two-Seal Symbol Master!

In Xia Wanjin's memory, even the legends seemed to hold no such inhuman monster of a talent.

"President, do you know which forces were behind this? The Blood Sword Hall is only a second-rate power in the city. How did they have the nerve to rob our cargo?"

After hesitating for a moment, Steward Xia could not help asking.

The Wanjin Chamber of Commerce was one of Yan City's three great powers, entrenched there for many years. Yet someone had dared to brazenly intercept its goods.

Steward Xia could not believe there was nothing fishy about it.

"Hmph! Who else could it be? How many forces in all of Yan City have the strength to stand against us?"

At the mention of it, a chilling killing intent surfaced on Xia Wanjin's refined face, as though the room had plunged into winter.

"So that's it. It was the Blood Wolf Gang again!"

Steward Xia understood. The City Lord's Mansion would not act lightly in Yan City; it had to preserve order and maintain its rule.

That left only the Blood Wolf Gang, which had long been at odds with their chamber of commerce.

The Blood Wolf Gang's leader was Yue Shan, known as the Mountain-Breaking Hand. He, too, was a Great Perfection of Yuan Dan Realm expert, one of the strongest people in Yan City.

Most of the city's many gangs depended on one of the three great powers. The Blood Sword Hall had always been close to the Blood Wolf Gang and followed its lead.

After all, Great Perfection of Yuan Dan Realm was the final step of the Origin Pellet Realm. Beyond it lay the Creation Three Realms!

Only after stepping into the Origin Pellet Realm could one truly be called an expert. A Great Perfection of Yuan Dan Realm expert could already command awe throughout a city; breaking through further would earn them renown across an entire commandery.

Countless people would vie for the favor of an expert like that.

"Curio Pavilion."

Lin Yiqing stood on the broad, stone-paved street and looked over the towering building before him. The Curio Pavilion was a well-known marketplace in the heart of Yan City.

Whether it was martial arts, spirit medicines, Monster Crystals, or even strange and unusual things, anything could be bought here—as long as you could afford it.

Of course, the Curio Pavilion's reputation was matched by the unfathomable power behind it.

The moment Lin Yiqing stepped through the doors, a page greeted him with a beaming smile. "What would you like to see, sir?"

As he spoke, he opened the cabinets displaying weapons and spirit medicines for Lin Yiqing to browse.

Lin Yiqing glanced over the dazzling array of goods and shook his head. These low-value items were only fit to fool the unsuspecting. A sweep of his spiritual power had already revealed everything.

"I want to see the real treasures, not this sort of stuff."

The page studied Lin Yiqing for a few moments, then gestured toward the stairs with a little more respect. "Then please, sir, head up to the second floor!"

The second-floor hall was decorated with elegant taste, and only a sparse handful of people were there.

Before him stood a row of counters made from fine sandalwood. The side facing customers was polished crystal, through which the displayed goods could be seen clearly.

The wares were divided into meticulous sections: weapons, spirit medicines, Monster Crystals, and more.

"The Azure Steel Sword is forged from thousand-fold tempered Mysterious Steel. It's been hammered and refined countless times, giving it excellent resilience. A master has also inscribed an Armor-Piercing Rune on it, making its killing power terrifying!"

"An Obsidian Crystal from a Heaven Origin Realm monster beast, the Black Iron Demon Leopard! Only one out of dozens may possess an Obsidian Crystal, and it has a wide range of uses."

"A fourth-grade spirit medicine, the Purple Yang Mushroom. Its medicinal power is gentle and enduring, and it contains a wisp of Yang Gang Qi. It's highly effective for Earth Origin Realm cultivators."

Lin Yiqing listened to the page's explanations without comment. On the surface, he carefully examined each item, but inwardly, he was already tempted.

Just then, he noticed a strange Bronze Cauldron set in the corner of a counter. It had three legs and two handles, with two chambers stacked one above the other.

The lid was pierced by sixteen neatly arranged semicircular holes. Thunder patterns adorned its rim, and two dragons played with a pearl at its center.

Cloud patterns decorated the mouth of the cauldron, with rows of nail-like designs below. Ring handles shaped like beast heads were fixed to either side. A qilin with its mouth open formed the firebox on its belly, and three beast legs supported the base.

Ferocious dragons were etched across its body, giving it an imposing air. Some of the patterns had worn away, however, lending it an unmistakably ancient look.

Lin Yiqing stared for a moment, then felt his heart stir. If he could obtain this item, his alchemy would make considerable progress.

"This cauldron is quite rare."

The page hurried over and explained, "This item has a long history. It was unearthed from a large tomb and kept here. As for its purpose, we don't know for certain."

After a moment's thought, he added, "Perhaps our pavilion master knows!"

Lin Yiqing smiled without replying, but was inwardly astonished. This was clearly a cauldron used for refining medicine. He had no idea how it had ended up here.

The cauldron's appearance confirmed some of his suspicions. It seemed that alchemy really had existed in ancient times!

"This cauldron could make a nice decoration at home. These four items are all quite good. What's the price?"

Hearing that, the page looked delighted and hurriedly replied, "Six hundred and eighty Yang Yuan Stones in total. I can give you a discount—six hundred Yang Yuan Stones will do!"

Lin Yiqing said no more. He took sixty Yang Yuan Pills from his Universe Bag and handed them over.

Looking at the now-empty bag, he felt another pang of helplessness. The reward he had earned for escorting the goods had vanished in the blink of an eye.

After strolling around the city, Lin Yiqing returned to the secluded inn where he had stayed before. Then he began to tally up what he had gained from the mission.

First, of course, there was the Universe Bag left behind by Duan Wuxin, the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm expert. After killing him, Lin Yiqing had taken it as spoils of war.

Now, he was rather eager to see what the man had collected.

Although the Blood Sword Hall was only a second-rate power in Yan City, the wealth it had amassed over the years was nothing to scoff at.

"Good heavens! More than two thousand Yang Yuan Pills, several low-grade martial arts manuals, and three kinds of fifth-grade spirit medicine!"

As his spiritual power entered the Universe Bag, his eyes lit up at once. Even Lin Yiqing, who was usually so unflappable, felt his heart burn with excitement.

He hadn't expected the Blood Sword Hall to be so wealthy. A fifth-grade spirit medicine was worth about seven hundred Yang Yuan Stones, so the combined value of everything was already close to three thousand Yang Yuan Pills.

"Looks like these Yang Yuan Pills must account for most of the Blood Sword Hall's wealth."

He licked his slightly dry lips, then turned his attention to another Universe Bag.

"And there's the Universe Bag Steward Xia gave me!"

Lin Yiqing repeated the same process as before. This time, however, the contents were far more ordinary: only a thousand Yang Yuan Stones and one fourth-grade spirit medicine.

But the things in this Universe Bag were merely a token of Steward Xia's goodwill.