Bronze Cauldron

After seeing Lin Yiqing off, Steward Xia was led by a maid into a magnificent, gold-adorned hall, where an elegant man in brocade robes sat waiting.

"Guild Master."

Steward Xia bowed in salute. From his respectful attitude and form of address, it was clear that this man was none other than the current helmsman of the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce, Xia Wanjin.

At the same time, Xia Wanjin was one of the powerhouses at the Great Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm within Yan City. It was precisely because of this strength that the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce could firmly occupy one of the three pillars of power in the city.

Hearing the commotion, Xia Wanjin set down his teacup, looked up at Steward Xia, and smiled faintly. "You've worked hard, Xia He. Are your injuries feeling any better?"

"Many thanks for your concern, Guild Master. I am no longer in any serious trouble. Although the journey had its setbacks, the cargo was delivered safely in the end."

Immediately, Steward Xia recounted the entire ordeal of the ambush to Xia Wanjin in full detail.

Upon hearing of Lin Yiqing's performance, even with the perspective of someone at the Great Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm, Xia Wanjin could not hide his shock.

"To think that someone of such an age possesses such shocking cultivation; he truly is a hero among the youth!"

One had to realize that a thirteen-year-old Earth Origin Realm expert was a top-tier genius even when looking across the entire Great Yan Dynasty.

What was even more rare was that the other party also possessed the cultivation of a Second Seal Rune Master!

In his memory, not even in legends did such an inhuman monster seem to exist!

"Guild Master, I wonder which faction was the mastermind behind this? The Blood Sword Hall is merely a second-rate force in the city; how could they have the audacity to hijack our goods?"

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

The Wanjin Chamber of Commerce was one of the three major powers in Yan City, having been entrenched there for many years. That someone would dare to brazenly intercept their cargo was unthinkable.

He refused to believe there wasn't something fishy going on behind the scenes.

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

Mentioning this, a chilling murderous intent appeared on Xia Wanjin's elegant face, making one feel as if they had fallen into the depths of winter.

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

Steward Xia understood. In Yan City, the City Lord's Mansion would not easily make a move, as they had to maintain order and their ruling position.

That left only the Blood Wolf Gang, which had long-standing disputes with their chamber of commerce.

The leader of the Blood Wolf Gang was Yue Shan, known as the Mountain-Breaking Hand. He was also a powerhouse at the Great Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm and stood at the peak of the hierarchy in Yan City.

Most of the gangs in the city were attached to the three major powers, and the Blood Sword Hall usually walked quite closely with the Blood Wolf Gang, following their lead in all matters.

After all, the Great Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm was the final step of the Origin Pellet Realm; beyond that lay the Creation Three Realms!

Only by stepping into the Origin Pellet Realm could one truly be called a powerhouse, and the Great Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm was enough to intimidate an entire city. Only by breaking through further could one intimidate an entire prefecture.

Under such a powerhouse, there were countless people who wanted to curry favor.

"Curio Pavilion."

Lin Yiqing stood on the wide bluestone street, sizing up the tall pavilion before him. This Curio Pavilion was a well-known trading venue in the central area of Yan City.

Whether it was martial arts, spiritual herbs, demon crystals, or even some strange and peculiar items, one could buy them here as long as they could afford the price.

Of course, for the Curio Pavilion to have such a great reputation, its background was also unfathomable.

As soon as Lin Yiqing stepped through the door, a shop assistant greeted him with a beaming smile. "What would the guest like to see?"

As he spoke, he opened several counters containing weapons and spiritual herbs for him to choose from.

Looking at the dazzling array of goods, Lin Yiqing shook his head. These low-value items were only meant to fool people; a sweep of his mental energy told him everything he needed to know.

"I want to see the real treasures, not these trinkets."

The assistant gave Lin Yiqing a meaningful look before gesturing with a hint of respect. "Then, guest, please head to the second floor!"

Following the stairs to the second floor, the hall was decorated with extreme elegance, and there were only a few people scattered throughout the room.

Facing him was a row of counters made of precious sandalwood, with the side facing the customers polished from crystal. Through the crystal surface, one could clearly see the goods displayed inside.

The weapon area, spiritual herb area, demon crystal area, and others were divided in great detail.

"Azure Steel Sword, forged from thousand-refined black steel. It has excellent toughness after being tempered a thousand times, and a master has inscribed an Armor-Piercing Rune upon it. Its lethality is terrifying!"

"A profound crystal from a Heaven Origin Realm demon beast, the Black Iron Demon Leopard! Not one in dozens of these beasts possesses a profound crystal; its uses are extremely extensive."

"A Grade 4 spiritual herb, the Purple Yang Mushroom. Its medicinal power is gentle and lingering, containing a wisp of Yang Gang Qi. It has miraculous effects for cultivators in the Earth Origin Realm."

Listening to the assistant's introduction along the way, Lin Yiqing remained silent. On the surface, he cooperated by carefully observing the items, but in his heart, he was already secretly moved.

At this moment, he suddenly saw a very strange bronze cauldron placed in the corner of the counter. The cauldron had three legs, two handles, and was divided into two layers with two inner chambers.

The lid was arranged with sixteen neat, semi-circular holes, decorated with thunder patterns along the edges, and featured two dragons playing with a pearl in the center.

The rim of the cauldron was adorned with cloud patterns, the lower part had studded patterns, and both sides were fitted with beast-head rings. The belly featured a Qilin with its mouth open as a fire gate. The base stood on three beast legs.

The body of the cauldron was etched with ferocious dragon patterns, giving it an extraordinary aura, though the patterns were somewhat worn, making it look full of ancient history.

Lin Yiqing was stunned for a moment before his heart surged with desire. If he could possess this item, his alchemy career would surely make significant progress.

"This cauldron is quite rare."

The assistant quickly stepped forward and said, "The origin of this item is quite ancient; it flowed out of a large tomb and was collected here. As for its specific use, it is not entirely clear."

After some thought, he added, "Perhaps my master knows!"

Lin Yiqing smiled without a word, though he was quite surprised inside. This tripod was clearly a furnace used for alchemy, yet he had no idea how it had ended up here.

The appearance of this furnace confirmed some of his speculations; it seemed that the craft of alchemy had indeed existed in the ancient era.

"This furnace can be taken back as an ornament. These four items are all quite good. What price do you have in mind?"

Upon hearing this, the attendant's face lit up with pleasant surprise, and he quickly replied, "The total comes to six hundred and eighty Yang Yuan Stones. I'll give you a discount—six hundred Yang Yuan Stones will do!"

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

Looking at his now-empty Universe Bag, he felt a wave of helplessness. The reward he had earned from this escort mission had been wiped clean in an instant.

After wandering around the city for a while, Lin Yiqing found the quiet inn he had rented previously and checked back in, then began to take stock of his gains from the mission.

First, naturally, was the Universe Bag left behind by the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm expert, Duan Wuxin. After slaying him, Lin Yiqing had collected it as spoils of war.

Right now, he was quite looking forward to seeing what kind of collection the man might have had.

Although the Blood Sword Hall was only a second-rate power in Yan City, the wealth it had accumulated over the years was not to be underestimated.

"Hiss! Over two thousand Yang Yuan Pills, plus several low-grade martial arts manuals and three types of fifth-grade spiritual herbs!"

As his mental energy surged into the Universe Bag, his eyes lit up instantly. Even with Lin Yiqing's typically calm temperament, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

He hadn't expected the Blood Sword Hall to be so wealthy. One had to know that a single fifth-grade spiritual herb was worth about seven hundred Yang Yuan Stones; all of it combined was already close to three thousand Yang Yuan Pills.

"It seems these Yang Yuan Pills must be the vast majority of the Blood Sword Hall's wealth."

Licking his slightly dry lips, Lin Yiqing turned his gaze to the other Universe Bag.

"There's also the Universe Bag given by Supervisor Xia He!"

Lin Yiqing repeated his previous actions, though the contents of this bag were much more standard, containing only one thousand Yang Yuan Stones and one fourth-grade spiritual herb.

However, the items in this Universe Bag were, in themselves, merely a gesture of goodwill from Supervisor Xia He.