Chapter 30

That night, Jiang Chen left the City Lord’s Mansion directly and set off alone on the road to Chicheng.

Jiang Chen changed into a clean white robe, spotless, with his hair tied up in a topknot, two strands of black hair hanging down on either side, a golden silk sash around his waist, and a white paper fan in his hand. His face was refined and handsome, looking like a young master from a wealthy family.

From Tianxiang City to Chicheng, it was a distance of several thousand miles, with continuous mountain ranges in between. There was also a city called Tianhuicheng, which was about the same size as Tianxiang City. It was guarded by a peak Qi Sea Realm expert, making it much weaker compared to Chicheng.

As the eastern sky turned fish-belly white and the light rose, quickly illuminating the land, Jiang Chen traveled for a day and two nights, finally arriving at Tianhuicheng. To reach Chicheng, one had to pass through Tianhuicheng. If one chose to detour, the mountain paths would be rugged and dangerous, with beast monsters appearing, delaying the journey. Therefore, Jiang Chen planned to enter Tianhuicheng first, pass through it, and directly reach Chicheng.

When Jiang Chen entered Tianhuicheng, he did not look around. He had little interest in a city of similar size to Tianxiang City, and it was unlikely he would find what he was looking for here.

So, Jiang Chen continued forward, preparing to pass through Tianhuicheng and leave.

At the other end of Tianhuicheng, near the city gate, there was a huge square. This place was always crowded, especially in the morning. Today, it was particularly busy, drawing many people.

"Mercenary Square!"

At the edge of the square, there was a rock more than ten feet tall, with four large red characters inscribed on it. Various groups of people and different types of carriages were scattered around the square, some of which were heavily disguised, making it impossible to see what was inside.

"Brother, what is this Mercenary Square for?"

Jiang Chen stopped a man and asked. The man looked to be in his thirties, muscular, bare-chested, and had the cultivation of the ninth stage of the Qi Realm.

"Damn, you don’t even know about the Mercenary Square? Are you messing with me? Go cool off somewhere."

The man waved his hand, speaking with disdain.

What the hell! What’s going on?

Jiang Chen glared. He was a first-time visitor to Tianhuicheng, so it was understandable that he didn’t know.

"You, you, and you, each of you gets three Human Essence Pills. Good, enough people, let’s go."

Not far away, an old man in splendid attire selected three people, pulling a giant carriage, and left the square.

Those who were chosen were elated and followed the group, while those who were not chosen sighed. However, this was a common situation, and no one was upset. They immediately looked for other targets.

After inquiring, Jiang Chen finally understood that the Mercenary Square was a place for mercenaries to conduct transactions.

Since Tianhuicheng was adjacent to Chicheng and was a must-pass point for caravans heading to Chicheng, the mercenary business here was extremely prosperous. Caravans would spend money to hire mercenaries in Tianhuicheng to ensure the safe delivery of their goods to Chicheng, to avoid any problems along the way. The more valuable the goods, the stronger the mercenaries they would hire.

Although Tianxiang City was about the same size as Tianhuicheng, it did not have the same geographical advantage, so the mercenary business was not as prosperous. Moreover, the original Jiang Chen was a born playboy who only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, never paying attention to the City Lord’s Mansion’s business, which led to his lack of knowledge.

Looking around, the mercenary business on the square was booming, with many caravans carefully selecting strong and capable mercenaries. However, one caravan was particularly quiet. Jiang Chen looked over and saw that the caravan consisted of only seven people, with a simple carriage behind them. But these seven people were extremely powerful, especially the old man at the front, who had a solemn face and a thick aura, indicating he was a late-stage Qi Sea Realm expert. Although he was not as strong as Jiang Zhenhai and Murong Zhan, who were peak Qi Sea Realm experts, he was still very powerful.

The other six were also Qi Sea Realm experts. The seven Qi Sea Realm experts standing together were quite eye-catching.

"Look, that caravan has been waiting here for two days and hasn’t set off yet."

"Shh! Don’t speak. That’s the Yan Yulou caravan from Chicheng. See that old man? He’s a late-stage Qi Sea Realm expert from the Yan family. This time, they’re transporting something important. They need to gather eight Qi Sea Realm experts before setting off, and they’re still missing one."

"Finding a Qi Sea Realm expert isn’t easy. I think they’ll wait another day and still might not find one."

Many people were discussing.

"Brother, is Yan Yulou very powerful?"

Jiang Chen asked.

The man gave Jiang Chen a scornful look: "Young brother, you look talented, but how can you ask such a stupid question? Everyone knows the two major forces in Chicheng: Yan Yulou and the Li family."

Hearing the Li family, Jiang Chen’s eyes trembled. He then took a big step towards the Yan Yulou caravan. The saying goes, "Two tigers cannot coexist on the same mountain." As major forces in Chicheng, the relationship between Yan Yulou and the Li family was bound to be like that between the City Lord’s Mansion and the Murong family in Tianxiang City, with constant conflicts. Since Jiang Chen had offended the Li family, Yan Yulou could be a potential ally.

Of course, this was not the key point. Jiang Chen’s interest in Yan Yulou was not to deal with the Li family but for his own sake. His goal in going to Chicheng was to find the spiritual medicine and heavenly essence needed to repair his soul. As a major force in Chicheng, Yan Yulou was his target.

Seeing a young man approach, a muscular man couldn’t help but ask: "Young brother, are you here to apply as a mercenary?"

"Exactly."

Jiang Chen smiled.

"Haha, kid, you look so delicate, you’re not suitable to be a mercenary. Go home and drink milk."

A middle-aged man with a beard mocked, and the others laughed. They saw Jiang Chen as no more than a fifteen or sixteen-year-old rich kid, usually a coward.

However, the old man, a late-stage Qi Sea Realm expert, kept looking at Jiang Chen. His intuition told him that this young man was not simple. The composed demeanor was not something a regular young person had, nor could it be faked.

"This is the Yan Yulou caravan, recruiting mercenaries. We don’t look at age, only strength. Do you have the cultivation of the Qi Sea Realm?"

The old man asked.

Boom!

A surge of aura instantly erupted from Jiang Chen’s body, the aura of a Qi Sea Realm expert. As soon as this aura appeared, the mercenaries stopped laughing and looked at Jiang Chen with disbelief.

Others also noticed and were surprised when they saw that the Qi Sea Realm expert was a young man in a white robe, especially those who had mocked him earlier.

"Damn, which family’s genius is this kid? To reach the Qi Sea Realm at such a young age."

"I just mocked a Qi Sea Realm genius."

...

Seeing that Jiang Chen truly had the cultivation of the Qi Sea Realm, the old man was also taken aback, then his eyes lit up, and his expression softened: "I am Yan Meng. May I ask your name, young brother?"

The old man introduced himself. A Qi Sea Realm expert might not matter much to him, but a fifteen or sixteen-year-old Qi Sea Realm expert was different. Such a person would be a rare genius even in the Yan family.

"Jiang Chen."

Jiang Chen smiled.

"Good, young brother Jiang Chen. This escort mission is to Chicheng’s Yan Yulou. The mercenary fee is twenty Human Essence Pills. Are you willing to accept it?"

Yan Meng asked.

"Brother Jiang Chen, accept it quickly. Once you accept, we can set off immediately. I’ve been waiting here for almost two days."

The man who had mocked Jiang Chen earlier urged him.

"I accept."

Jiang Chen naturally accepted. He didn’t care about the twenty Human Essence Pills; he was going to Chicheng anyway. But he knew nothing about Chicheng, and following the Yan Yulou caravan would help him understand more about it.

"Good, let’s set off."

Yan Meng said solemnly. The caravan consisted of eight people, surrounding a carriage, and left the square, heading out of Tianhuicheng.

"Old Yan, what treasure are you escorting this time that requires so many Qi Sea Realm experts?"

On the road, the man who had mocked Jiang Chen earlier asked. His name was Wang Ting, a straightforward person but talkative.

"Don’t ask what you shouldn’t."

The old man beside Yan Meng glared at Wang Ting and continued on the road. Among the eight people, besides Yan Meng, there were two other old men from the Yan family, one at the mid-stage Qi Sea Realm and one at the early-stage Qi Sea Realm.

Wang Ting was not upset by the reprimand; he just smiled and looked at Jiang Chen.

"Brother Jiang Chen, you’ve reached such a cultivation at such a young age. From your attire, you seem to be a young master from a wealthy family. Why are you working as a mercenary with us rough people?"

Wang Ting asked, and the others also looked over, even Yan Meng became interested. Everyone wanted to know the answer.

"My father said that young people should experience more."

Jiang Chen chuckled.

Yan Meng turned and smiled at Jiang Chen: "Your father is a wise man. Young masters like you are like flowers in a greenhouse. No matter how talented, without practical experience, you should come out and experience the world. By the way, is Brother Jiang Chen from Tianhuicheng?"

"Tianxiang City. I’m also heading to Chicheng, so it’s convenient."

Jiang Chen replied.

"Tianxiang City? I heard that something big happened in your Tianxiang City. It seems that the Li family’s young master was killed, and the Li family passed through Tianhuicheng in a hurry yesterday."

Wang Ting said with great interest.

"Is that so? I’ve been out for several days and didn’t know."

Jiang Chen smiled. It seemed that the events in Tianxiang City would soon spread throughout the twenty-eight cities in this region, and his name would be known by many.

The group chatted and laughed, the atmosphere relaxed. Since the speed was not fast, it was already evening when they reached the outskirts of Chicheng. Along the way from Tianhuicheng to Chicheng, there were many bandits and a few beast monsters, but with the caravan consisting of Qi Sea Realm experts, no bandits dared to attack. Bandits were not foolish; attacking these people would be no different from seeking death.

However, Jiang Chen felt that Yan Meng’s willingness to spend so much money to hire Qi Sea Realm experts was not that simple.