Chapter 73

As the time approached noon, the turmoil caused by the "peerless treasure sword" finally came to a close at the entrance of the Jin Yutang.

After confirming the extraordinary nature of the Bursting Flame Sword, many people immediately bid for it. In the end, someone even offered eight hundred silver coins to purchase the sword, but it was ultimately bought by a Spirit Qi Realm cultivator for three hundred silver coins.

A price of three hundred silver coins was already outrageous, especially for a lower-grade human-level spirit weapon, which was almost unbelievable.

After all, the value of such spirit weapons on the market generally ranged from thirty to eighty silver coins. Three hundred silver coins were enough to buy a higher-grade human-level spirit weapon.

However, anyone who understood the secrets of this sword knew that the three hundred silver coins were not wasted, as it was truly unique. To this day, no second such sword could be found in the entire empire.

Rarity makes things precious. When an ordinary spirit weapon suddenly possesses a unique attribute, it is no longer ordinary.

For Gu Yanping, a price of eight hundred silver coins was too high. No matter what, the Bursting Flame Sword was still just an ordinary spirit weapon. Selling it for three hundred silver coins was already sufficient.

His actions won the praise and goodwill of many present, and even enhanced the reputation of Jin Yutang.

It could be said that after today's events, Jin Yutang had thoroughly opened up the situation in Donglin City. However, to truly establish a foothold, they still needed to operate step by step.

All of this was thanks to a single sword!

Sitting in the inner room of Jin Yutang, Gu Yanping couldn't help but think of Lin Xun, secretly thinking that the Stone Cauldron Hall had really made a mistake this time, allowing him to pick up a treasure that could turn the tide.

"Father, I have already contacted the suppliers, and they have signed a cooperation agreement with us!" Gu Liang rushed in, excitedly saying.

"Hmm." Gu Yanping nodded absentmindedly and said, "Liang, although we have opened up the situation, troubles will also follow. The other merchants in the city won't let us establish our business so easily."

Gu Liang frowned, and the joy on his face diminished. "Father, what should we do next, in your opinion?"

Gu Yanping pondered and said, "Do you remember the young master who sold the Bursting Flame Sword yesterday?"

Gu Liang replied without hesitation, "Of course I remember."

Gu Yanping took a deep breath and said, "Your next task is to find this young master and invite him to Jin Yutang for a talk."

Gu Liang's heart stirred, and he vaguely understood his father's thoughts. He nodded and said, "Father, rest assured. This young master is our savior, and I will complete this task perfectly."

Gu Yanping nodded and sighed, "A treasure can only bring temporary popularity. To sustain it, we must have more treasures. Only then can we compete with other merchants. However, this is easier said than done."

...

Although the event had concluded, the news of what happened at Jin Yutang was just beginning to spread.

In a short span of time, the entire Donglin City knew that Jin Yutang had sold a peerless treasure sword, which was a Bursting Flame Sword.

This seemingly ordinary Bursting Flame Sword left the representatives of top-tier merchants like Jubaixuan, Chenjinji, and the Wu family speechless and defeated.

The same Bursting Flame Sword sparked fierce competition among many cultivators, ultimately selling for an astonishing three hundred silver coins!

Jin Yutang became famous!

In just one night, from yesterday to today, Jin Yutang's reputation spread throughout Donglin City, causing endless discussions and commotion.

The discussions about the unique qualities of the Bursting Flame Sword were rampant, and many cultivators who understood the truth praised it highly, giving this unique Bursting Flame Sword a new name—Flame Spirit Sword!

For the major merchants in Donglin City, what they were more concerned about was who the Spirit Pattern Master who created the Flame Spirit Sword was, and whether this Spirit Pattern Master was now working at Jin Yutang.

If they could investigate this, they would understand Jin Yutang's background and could take some preventive or suppressive measures against Jin Yutang.

Even... they could spend a large sum of money to hire this mysterious Spirit Pattern Master to work for their own merchant house, undermining Jin Yutang!

In the afternoon of that day, these merchants sent out their spies to fully investigate the mysterious Spirit Pattern Master who created the Flame Spirit Sword. Although they tried to be discreet, it still attracted many people's attention.

For a time, discussions about the "mysterious Spirit Pattern Master" became a hot topic in Donglin City.

...

As the instigator, Lin Xun was completely unaware of all this.

He had just bought over ten types of finished spirit ink and over ten mundane weapons. Although he had haggled with the shop owner multiple times, he still ended up paying a total of one hundred and twenty silver coins.

When Lin Xun left the shop, he had only nine silver coins left. This rapid spending made him feel a bit painful.

"I hope the treasures I refine can sell for a good price..." Lin Xun sighed and walked along the street toward the civilian area.

As he passed a bustling teahouse, Lin Xun happened to hear some news about what happened at Jin Yutang today. When he heard that the so-called "peerless treasure sword" was just a Bursting Flame Sword, his expression became slightly strange.

He vaguely remembered that when he sold the Bursting Flame Sword at Jin Yutang yesterday, he didn't see a second Bursting Flame Sword. Could it be...

Lin Xun's mind was a bit dazed. Three hundred silver coins!

It wasn't until he returned home that Lin Xun calmed down. Even if the Bursting Flame Sword was from his hand, he had already sold it to Jin Yutang yesterday. No matter how outrageous the price Jin Yutang sold it for, it had nothing to do with him.

"You're back just in time. This is the information sent by Diao Fatso." Xia Zhi walked out of the room and handed Lin Xun a scroll made of animal skin.

Then, Xia Zhi took out a leather bag, which made a jingling sound, the pleasant sound of coins colliding, which immediately caught Lin Xun's attention.

"This is the loot, a total of two hundred silver coins." Xia Zhi said casually.

Lin Xun felt a bit dazed, his mind not quite processing it. He pointed to the animal skin scroll in his hand and then to the leather bag containing the silver coins, and asked, "Where did all this come from?"

Xia Zhi thought for a moment and realized that although she had spoken to Lin Xun last night, he was practicing at the time and didn't hear it.

So, Xia Zhi explained it again.

Lin Xun's lips twitched, completely not expecting that Xia Zhi had not only killed a gang leader last night but also recruited a group of followers, obtained a large amount of loot, and sent Diao Fatso to successfully gather information about the Wu family clan for him!

After a long time, Lin Xun finally digested this information and said, "Be careful in the future."

Xia Zhi nodded and said, "I'm hungry."

"I'll cook."

Lin Xun turned to the kitchen, but his heart was a bit complicated. Xia Zhi's performance once again exceeded his expectations, leaving him at a loss for words.

Xia Zhi watched Lin Xun's busy figure in the kitchen, and a faint smile appeared on her lips, which quickly disappeared.

She turned and returned to her room, silently thinking of another name, "Blue Wolf." This was a nickname, belonging to the leader of a gang in another area of the civilian district.

...

After dinner, Xia Zhi left again.

Lin Xun didn't stop her. He had changed his attitude toward Xia Zhi and no longer treated her like a child.

Sitting at his desk, Lin Xun opened the animal skin scroll, which clearly listed all the information about the Wu family clan.

In Donglin City, there were three major local powers: the Wu family clan, the Xiao family clan, and the Jin family clan.

They controlled the Wu family merchant house, Jubaixuan, and Chenjinji, which were among the top-tier merchant houses in the entire Donglin City, dividing nearly half of the city's commercial profits.

According to the information, the Wu family clan had over a hundred direct clan members, thousands of guards, tens of thousands of acres of spirit fields, and over a dozen various mines. They firmly controlled the spirit grain trade, and almost all merchants in the city who traded in spirit grain had to obtain their goods from the Wu family merchant house.

In addition, the Wu family clan had three Spirit Qi Realm experts!

Perhaps Spirit Qi Realm experts were not outstanding in the entire Ziyao Empire, but in a city on the border of the southwestern province, they were top-tier figures who could command the elements.

The current clan leader of the Wu family clan, Wu Chaoqun, was a True Martial Ninth Level "Spirit Transformation" expert, with deep scheming and cunning, a very formidable figure.

The Grand Elder of the Wu family clan, Wu Yunshan, was a mid-level Spirit Qi Realm expert.

The Second Elder, Wu Yushan, was an early-stage Spirit Qi Realm expert.

The Third Elder, Wu Lanshan, was also an early-stage Spirit Qi Realm expert.

...

Soon, Lin Xun had a basic understanding of the Wu family clan's power and background, and he couldn't help but be surprised.

He hadn't expected that the Wu family clan had such a large-scale power, truly a dominant force in Donglin City.

The animal skin scroll also contained some information about Lian Fei, but most of it was useless and didn't help Lin Xun much.

"Wu family clan... Lian Fei..."

Lin Xun fell into deep thought.

After much deliberation, Lin Xun concluded that his existence was still far from threatening the Wu family clan. Moreover, due to the influence of the Stone Cauldron Hall, the Wu family clan could only act in secret against him, and the forces they could mobilize were limited.

This judgment was crucial, as it prevented Lin Xun from losing his composure and gave him enough time and opportunities to prepare countermeasures.

However, Lin Xun also knew that when the news of Mu Wan Su completely severing ties with him reached the Wu family clan, he would be in danger...

"It seems I must act quickly!" Lin Xun took a deep breath, the bright candlelight illuminating the young man's clear and sharp face, outlining a determined expression.

---

PS: As a reminder, the day after tomorrow, which is the 31st, there will be 10 updates. Regardless of the outcome of the monthly vote, I will wait for the flowers to bloom!