Chapter 50

Shang Xia had just come out of the Sutra Cave when he saw a shop assistant from the Shang Building waiting for him under a nearby tree.

Seeing Shang Xia appear, the assistant's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly came forward, saying, "Young Master, Master Quan asked me to wait for you here. He said that a few of your classmates have come and are now waiting for you at the Shang Building. He wants you to return as soon as possible."

"Oh?"

Shang Xia was not very surprised. As he walked quickly towards the Shang Building, he asked, "Did Uncle Quan say why they came?"

The assistant ran to keep up and replied, "I don't know, but they all seem a bit anxious."

When Shang Xia returned to the Shang Building, Jiao Haitang and a few other classmates from the Bing House, accompanied by Shang Quan, had already had their tea refilled twice.

Seeing Shang Xia, they all hurriedly stood up to greet him.

"Senior Brother Shang!"

"Chief Senior Brother!"

Shang Xia quickly asked everyone to sit down. Before he could inquire about their purpose, Shang Quan stood up and smiled, "Let you young people talk first. The kitchen received two Nine-Feather Phoenix chickens yesterday. I'll go check on them and serve them for lunch."

After Shang Quan left, Jiao Haitang got straight to the point and explained the reason for their visit.

They wanted Shang Xia to introduce them to the channels he controlled so they could trade for the extraordinary materials needed for their advancement formulas.

It turned out that since arriving at Tongyou Peak, Jiao Haitang and a few other students who had not yet gathered the extraordinary herbs needed for their advancement formulas had tried to exchange the extraordinary materials they brought back from the valley.

However, due to the attack on the Jin Yun Caravan, the supply of materials on Tongyou Peak was tight.

Subsequently, the standoff with Siling Mountain led many martial artists to reduce their outings due to fear of danger, causing the acquisition of raw materials on Tongyou Peak to almost grind to a halt.

This dual impact brought the entire extraordinary material trade on Tongyou Peak to a standstill.

Even if Jiao Haitang and the others had some extraordinary materials, they had no way to trade for what they needed.

Even if they forced a trade, they would face lowball offers, ultimately losing more than they gained.

Moreover, the source of the extraordinary materials they held was unclear. In this period of nearly halted extraordinary material trade, a forced trade would draw attention.

After several setbacks, they thought of the Shang family behind Shang Xia and hoped he would help them out of consideration for their classmate relationship.

"Why such a rush? Why not wait until the situation stabilizes? Even if you use the Shang family's channels for exchange, you will still be at a disadvantage. Of course, not as much as outside."

Shang Xia did not respond immediately but asked with some confusion.

Jiao Haitang smiled bitterly, "Senior Brother, have you forgotten that the patrol squad has already gone to that valley?"

Shang Xia suddenly realized and smiled awkwardly, understanding the reason for their urgency.

Every Jin Yun Carriage's cargo was recorded. It would be easy to find out what was missing.

At that time, the Cangling martial artists would be the primary suspects, but Shang Xia, Jiao Haitang, and others would also be under suspicion.

Moreover, their attempts to trade extraordinary materials on Tongyou Peak might have been noticed by someone.

Once the patrol squad conducted a thorough investigation, it would be easy to discover that the extraordinary materials they tried to trade matched those missing from the Jin Yun Carriages.

It would be difficult to explain then.

At this moment, Shang Xia noticed that among those who came today, besides Huang Zihua and Wang Hua, the other five had not yet advanced to the Extraordinary Martial Realm.

However, Shang Xia remembered that initially, only three people had the advancement formula but lacked the extraordinary materials.

"They determined and perfected their advancement formulas with the help of a potion master right after being questioned by the Merit Office," Jiao Haitang explained to Shang Xia.

This meant that the Bing House might soon have five more Extraordinary Martial Artists.

This also meant that before the school opened, the number of students in the Bing House who had not advanced to the Extraordinary Martial Realm might be reduced to just three.

This year's Bing House students might set a record unprecedented since the founding of Tongyou Academy.

Shang Xia could not refuse such a favor. He first congratulated the two and then said seriously, "We are classmates. I can introduce you, but the Shang family is not under my control. Whether the deal goes through is up to you. I can only ensure that the price will not be too unreasonable."

As soon as Shang Xia finished speaking, a few people showed signs of joy.

At this moment, they were most eager to exchange their hot potatoes and quickly advance to the Wu Yuan Realm.

Once they became Extraordinary Martial Artists, their status and position would fundamentally change, and the original problems might no longer be issues, or at least not serious ones.

As for the potential price difference in the process, as long as the Shang family did not blatantly take advantage of them, they would not be too concerned, as the items they held had no cost to them.

Shang Xia then asked Shang Quan to come again to discuss the extraordinary item trade, while he found an excuse to avoid the meeting.

He first walked around the perimeter of the Shang Building to familiarize himself with the surroundings, then went to the kitchen to taste a piece of freshly stewed Nine-Feather Phoenix chicken.

During this time, he saw several shop assistants carrying things in and out, clearly gathering extraordinary materials from different Shang family stores on Tongyou Peak.

Unfortunately, the taste of the Nine-Feather Phoenix chicken was quite ordinary.

However, the chicken soup was rich in vital energy, a great tonic that even benefited his cultivation.

Shang Xia felt a slight increase in his vital energy after just one bowl of chicken soup.

This should be considered a type of auxiliary potion, but it was through food. He should ask Uncle Quan for the secret recipe when he had the chance.

While Shang Xia was thinking, a commotion came from outside.

As soon as Shang Xia stepped out of the Shang Building, he heard cheers from the mountain path below Tongyou Peak.

People with good information were running around the peaks, quickly spreading the news. Soon, Shang Xia also knew what had happened.

A great victory!

Last night, Patrol Chief Tang Yuan led five patrol squads to set an ambush outside a valley, successfully killing one Wu Yi Jing martial artist and three Wu Ji Jing martial artists from the Cangling martial artists. Another Wu Yi Jing martial artist was severely injured and escaped.

The patrol squad paid a price of one patrol captain and one deputy captain, both Wu Ji Jing martial artists, and three Wu Yuan Jing patrol members.

In terms of casualties, the patrol squad lost one more person than the enemy.

However, the loss of one Wu Yi Jing martial artist from the Cangling martial artists was enough to offset all the patrol squad's losses, not to mention the three Wu Ji Jing martial artists.

Soon, more news came from the mountain. In addition to the battle, the patrol squad also recovered enough supplies to fill four Jin Yun Carriages in the valley!

Such a large amount of supplies would help alleviate the current tight supply situation on Tongyou Peak.

At first, Shang Xia was somewhat dismissive upon hearing the news: "Only four kills with an ambush? I killed three by myself in the valley, including one Wu Ji Jing!"

When the news of the patrol squad bringing back four Jin Yun Carriages of supplies came, Shang Xia's first reaction was: "I didn't expect the patrol squad to be so greedy. There were only six Jin Yun Carriages in total, and they kept two. Don't they have a conscience?"

However, he soon realized that it might not be the case. After the battle, two of the six Jin Yun Carriages were likely destroyed.

After all, besides himself and Uncle Quan, the other patrol squad members and the ten or so classmates from the Bing House knew about the six Jin Yun Carriages.

The patrol squad would not dare to take such a risk.

The destruction of two Jin Yun Carriages and their contents was good news for the Bing House cultivators who had taken extraordinary items from the carriages.

Just as he was thinking this, Shang Xia felt a movement and turned to see Jiao Haitang and the others walking out of the Shang Building, all with joyful expressions, clearly having obtained what they wanted from Shang Quan.

However, the noisy scene on Tongyou Peak made them pause.

"What's going on?" Huang Zihua asked curiously.

Shang Xia, with a bit of mischief, told them about the patrol squad's ambush and their return with four Jin Yun Carriages.

Jiao Haitang and the others who had not yet advanced immediately changed their expressions and hurriedly left after bidding Shang Xia farewell.

Huang Zihua and Wang Hua, who had already advanced to the Wu Yuan Jing, also looked uneasy but soon calmed down.

Shang Xia originally wanted to keep them for the Nine-Feather Phoenix chicken, but they clearly had no interest and left hurriedly with an excuse.

Not long after they left, Shang Quan leisurely walked out of the Shang Building.

The news of the patrol squad's victory had already been reported to him by the shop assistants.

"Uncle Quan, did I cause you any trouble?" Shang Xia asked.

Shang Quan smiled and said, "What trouble? They are all first-grade materials. Our Shang family has the resources. Moreover, trading goods for goods, we not only make a profit but also earn their gratitude and a favor. Where else can you find such a good deal? The high prices on the market are more to discourage trading."

Shang Xia breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Uncle Quan, do you know a craftsman who can repair weapons?"

Shang Quan was surprised, "We have a shop on Tongyou Peak that repairs weapons. By the way, which weapon of yours is damaged?"

Shang Xia took out a folding fan with a few broken ribs and a layer of fresh blood on one side.

Shang Quan opened the fan and, seeing the blood, frowned, "I can remove the blood from the fan. The ribs can be repaired by our family's craftsman."

"Almost forgot, Uncle Quan is an expert in mixing talisman ink."

Shang Xia flattered him and then took out a pair of iron fists, pointing to the two slash marks, "I don't need this. Uncle Quan, have it repaired and sell it."

Shang Quan took the iron fists and examined them, "The quality is decent. Although it's far from being a low-grade weapon, it seems to have some extraordinary materials fused into it. I think it's worth at least fifty silver coins. If we find the right buyer, it might sell for seventy."

Fifty silver coins could buy about half the extraordinary materials needed for a Wu Yuan Jing advancement formula.

"Is there anything else? Bring it all out for Uncle Quan to see!"

Shang Quan said with a smile.

However, he soon stopped smiling, and his eyes nearly popped out when Shang Xia took out the items.