Chapter 8

Fengcheng, as a remote small town, is not particularly large in scale.

After passing through the city gate, one can see a main road wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side, dividing Fengcheng right down the middle.

Sitting in the unicorn carriage, Zhong Wen always felt as if he could see to the other end of the small town, and he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

It was still early, and there weren't many people on the road. Only a few early morning food stalls had a sparse crowd of passersby, with steam rising from the stalls and the aroma of food wafting through the air.

As Uncle Zhao introduced the town, Zhong Wen quickly gained a general understanding of Fengcheng's layout.

Although the city was small, it had all the necessary facilities: taverns, grain stores, herbal medicine shops, carriage and horse stables, blacksmiths, tailors, and more. The living amenities were not lacking.

"This is 'Yuantong Bank,'" Uncle Zhao pointed to a two-story building with a finely decorated facade. "Young Master Zhong, please wait a moment while I go in to exchange the spirit crystals for banknotes."

"Wait, I'll go with you." Zhong Wen thought of the large number of spirit crystals in his ring and felt a sudden urge.

The hall of the bank was very clean and spacious, with six sets of tables and chairs neatly arranged for waiting customers. Behind the counter at the other end of the hall sat a young girl in a light red uniform. Although she wasn't as beautiful as Liu Qiqi, she was still very pretty.

"Hello, sir, how may I assist you?" The girl smiled warmly at the shabbily dressed Uncle Zhao, her voice gentle and without any hint of disdain.

"Miss, could you please exchange a spirit crystal note for me and give me ten silver coins?" Uncle Zhao handed over the spirit crystals and silver notes he had received from Zhong Wen.

"Sure, please wait a moment." The girl's eyes lit up.

The bank could provide both spirit crystal and silver coin deposit and withdrawal services. However, in a small place like Fengcheng, customers needing spirit crystal services were very rare. Having a spirit crystal transaction early in the morning immediately invigorated her.

Listening to their conversation, Zhong Wen was lost in thought.

Soon, Uncle Zhao left the bank with a spirit crystal note and ten silver coins, looking very satisfied.

"Uncle, please wait in the carriage for a moment." After leaving the bank, Zhong Wen dismissed Uncle Zhao, turned around, and went to a secluded corner. He took out a pile of spirit crystals from his ring, filled a bag, and then walked back into the Yuantong Bank.

"Hello, how may I assist you?" The girl's smile remained sweet.

"I want to exchange some spirit crystal notes." Zhong Wen couldn't help but smile at the beautiful girl.

"Sure, how many spirit crystals would you like to deposit?"

Zhong Wen was already handsome, and now that he was bringing in spirit crystals, he instantly became a charming prince in the girl's eyes.

"I want to exchange three hundred spirit crystals. Please give me two one-hundred spirit crystal notes and ten ten-spirit crystal notes."

"Sure, just a moment... Wait, how many?" The girl was taken aback, suspecting she had heard wrong.

"Three hundred." Zhong Wen opened the bag and poured out a pile of spirit crystals.

"Sir, are you sure you want to deposit these?" The girl was so shocked that she stammered.

"Is it too little? I just saw that uncle deposit only one spirit crystal, and you still processed it for him." Zhong Wen didn't understand the girl's reaction.

Too little? I've never seen so many spirit crystals in my life. I want to marry this handsome tycoon.

The girl's heart was already lost.

"Venerable guest, please wait a moment, I'll consult the manager." The girl hurried upstairs.

Soon, a middle-aged man in white followed the girl downstairs, shook hands with Zhong Wen without any reserve, and engaged in friendly conversation, even more enthusiastic than meeting his own father.

When Zhong Wen left the bank, he not only had the notes for three hundred spirit crystals but also received a jade token. According to the middle-aged man, this token represented VIP status at the Yuantong Bank, allowing him to skip the queue at any branch of the Yuantong Bank in the Great Qian Empire and enjoy interest rate discounts on loans.

"Let's go to the trading house!" With the notes in his pocket, Zhong Wen felt a surge of confidence.

The carriage turned a corner, and a three-story, gilded building appeared before them.

"This is the branch of 'Shengyu Trading House' in Fengcheng. I've heard that this trading house is one of the most powerful in the entire empire." Uncle Zhao's tone was filled with reverence.

The trading house had just opened in the morning, and the clerks were all energetic. The female staff were also quite attractive. As soon as Zhong Wen entered, a pretty girl came up to greet him.

"Venerable guest, are you here to buy or sell?" The girl was especially friendly to handsome men.

"I want to buy some spirit medicines and spirit pattern materials." For his first attempt at alchemy, Zhong Wen didn't plan to use the rare spirit medicines in his ring.

This handsome man is a cultivator!

The girl thought, becoming even more enthusiastic.

"Which materials do you plan to purchase? I'll prepare them right away." The girl eagerly took out a piece of paper.

The middle-aged man had to take the young man seriously. After all, he had never even heard of a technique that could immobilize people like this.

"Do you still want to search the carriage?" Zhong Wen asked lazily.

"It's my fault for not recognizing your greatness. From your demeanor, you don't seem like an assassin. Please release my men, and we'll part ways, no hard feelings, okay?" The middle-aged man's tone was submissive, but a hint of malice flashed in his eyes.

"The effect will wear off in time." Zhong Wen casually pushed away the "sculptures" blocking the carriage. "Let's go, Uncle Zhao!"

The middle-aged man's eyes flashed with anger, but he didn't speak, instead lowering his head and stepping aside to let them pass.

The carriage began to move slowly. As it passed in front of the members of the Jile Gang, the middle-aged man, who had been silent, suddenly moved.

He gripped the long sword in his right hand and, with lightning speed, slashed at Zhong Wen on the carriage. The angle of the attack was extremely tricky, completely avoiding Zhong Wen's line of sight.

As a trusted aide to the leader of the Jile Gang, the middle-aged man had already reached the sixth level of the Human Wheel. He estimated that Zhong Wen, at his age, could only be at the fourth or fifth level of the Human Wheel. With a surprise attack and the leader's personally taught sword technique, he was confident he would succeed.

"Thud!"

The sound of the sword cutting into flesh was satisfying.

Before the middle-aged man could rejoice, he realized that he had actually hit his own subordinate.

"Boss Wen, why...?" The subordinate's eyes were filled with confusion as he slowly fell to the ground.

What did I do?

Boss Wen was bewildered and looked at Zhong Wen, who was sitting in the carriage.

Zhong Wen was grinning at him, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

So it was you!

Boss Wen's anger boiled over, and he lost all composure, leaping forward and swinging his sword at Zhong Wen.

Zhong Wen watched the sword coming at him but didn't move, as if he had been scared stiff.

I've won! Boss Wen was elated, feeling that he was about to get rich.

As for the subordinate he had mistakenly killed, it was already forgotten.

"Thud!"

Boss Wen's sword once again pierced the chest of another Jile Gang subordinate.

Subordinate B: "..."

Seeing the confusion in Subordinate B's eyes as he fell, Boss Wen was on the verge of madness.

The remaining subordinates showed signs of fear and kept their distance from Boss Wen. Some of the more timid ones had already fled.

"What kind of black magic are you using?" Boss Wen shouted, his voice hoarse.

"Get lost before I change my mind." Zhong Wen racked his brain to come up with a domineering line.

"I'll fight you to the death!" Boss Wen's mind was already in chaos, and he charged forward with his sword.

Seeing Boss Wen attack, the remaining Jile Gang members feared they would suffer the same fate as Subordinate A and B and scattered.

"Thud!"

Boss Wen looked at the sword embedded in his own chest, the hilt still in his hand, with a look of disbelief.

Zhong Wen had appeared in front of him at some point.

Looking at the handsome young man in front of him, Boss Wen felt a mix of confusion, fear, and regret.

Why did I provoke this monster?

"Be a good person in your next life." Zhong Wen patted Boss Wen's shoulder and sighed.

As the unicorn carriage drove away, Boss Wen's body slowly fell backward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud, never to rise again...

Zhong Wen enjoyed the admiring gaze of Uncle Zhao as he counted his spoils, feeling very pleased.

In addition to Boss Wen, the subordinates he had immobilized with the "One Yang Finger" had also been robbed. The scattered silver notes and coins in his hand not only covered the cost of renting the carriage but also left him with some extra profit.

He could tell that Boss Wen's cultivation, though not as high as Liu Qiqi's, was still significantly higher than his own. However, in the face of the "Flower Transference" technique, he was like a lamb to the slaughter, completely helpless.

The power of the Star Spirit grade is truly terrifying!