The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 525 - 302 Prince Mansion Sells a Treasure_2

Chapter 525: Chapter 302 Prince Mansion Sells a Treasure_2

After the martial arts performance, the Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang turned his head to look at Li Yan and smiled, "This must be the young hero Li Yan from Guanzhong. I saw your arena fight a few days ago, and I was impressed. For one so young to achieve such skill, it is truly extraordinary."

"Your highness flatters me."

Li Yan replied with a calm expression and a bow, "I am merely a wanderer of the pugilistic world. There are always people better than oneself, and mountains higher than the ones before us. There are plenty who are more adept than I am."

The Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang nodded slightly, then with a serious look on his face, asked about the situation in Zigui County at that time.

Li Yan pondered for a moment, then recounted the details.

Since Prince Mansion in Wuchang governs Ezhou, some things can be learned with just a little inquiry, so there was naturally no need to hide anything.

Upon hearing about Master Huang, Tongtian San, and even the affairs of Liu Gang and his wife, the Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang too was greatly shocked, "How could these demons reincarnate to wreak havoc? How did they manage it?"

Hu Ming, who was also present, was hearing of this matter for the first time. On hearing this, he wanted to say something but let out a slight sigh and remained silent.

He recalled the Master Uncle on Taibai Mountain.

As Li Yan had guessed, there were indeed hidden Rejuvenators within the Mystical Sect, all of whom were cultivators of profound Dao who had forcefully broken through the boundaries of life and death.

At least, he knew of one.

Yet that Master Uncle, whose Dao was mediocre and was lured by others into the evil path, was a true cause for regret.

But this was not a matter he wished to speak more of.

After all, the Li Yan before him was a living Yin messenger.

Seeing the look on the face of the Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang, Li Yan knew what the other party was thinking and spoke in a deep voice, "There’s nothing more to it. They simply disturbed the balance of Yin and Yang due to their profound Dao."

"We who belong to the pugilistic world sometimes offend the court’s laws for personal gain and bring about life-threatening trouble upon ourselves."

"Just as there are rules between Heaven and Earth, it doesn’t matter whether one is a celestial being or an emperor or noble, one cannot escape. Those who practice longevity evil techniques will not only bring calamity to all beings but will also be punished by the Yin Bureau."

Li Yan spoke candidly, in both explanation and warning.

Between life and death lies great terror, and since the times of Pre-Qin, there have been those who diligently seek immortality. Over successive dynasties, countless people have tried to break free from these universal rules, but very few have succeeded.

These nobles who enjoy the Qi Fortune of the human world and the splendor of mortal life, the ones who can set aside everything and concentrate solely on cultivating, are few and far between.

Not to mention the reclusive Earth Immortals, even the miserable Ghost Immortals find transcendence as difficult as reaching the heavens.

The only chance lies in following the pathway of longevity evil techniques.

On his journey, Li Yan had witnessed the strange and evil secret techniques within the "Eternal Immortal Vault."

These nobles, possessing a wealth of resources, if they truly embark on this path, the harm they can cause far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Regardless of whether they succeed, should the Demon God imprisoned beneath Luo Feng Mountain break free, that would signify the end.

Therefore, when Li Yan discerned the curiosity in the other, he promptly voiced a warning.

A flash of discomfort crossed the Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang’s eyes, and he said with a gravity in his voice, "Young Hero Li speaks the utmost truth."

He was someone with an understanding of matters; he knew that what Li Yan had said was correct, but somehow the tone and attitude made him somewhat uneasy.

This was due to Li Yan’s influence from his past life, having no concept of imperial power and hierarchy.

Some hermits might treat royalty lightly, but fundamentally, they still wish to be part of the court’s rules in order to fulfill their ambitions.

Li Yan, however, truly did not regard imperial power as important.

Even though he spoke politely, the Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang, with his keen mind, still felt discomfort and inwardly agreed that his father had indeed been right!

Seeing his reaction, Li Yan also felt somewhat helpless.

He had not intended to offend such an important patron; indeed, such matters were better handled by Sha Lifei.

With this thought, he no longer harbored any hope and directly bowed to speak, "Your Highness the Princely Heir, I heard that the Prince Mansion is collecting treasures, and I happen to have a rare and valuable curio I would like to sell to the mansion."

"Oh?"

The Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang was now interested, "May I see what it is?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan immediately took out a crystal dinosaur egg from his package, "This is something I stumbled upon by chance. It’s a petrified egg of an Ancient Exotic Beast."

The crystal dinosaur egg was translucent and sparkling on the outside, with the dinosaur skeleton clearly visible inside. Even though it was not a Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure, it was extremely rare.

Indeed, the Princely Heir of Prince Wuchang’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly took it to examine carefully, clicking his tongue in amazement, "This is an egg of an Ancient Dragon Beast."

Li Yan was surprised, "Your Highness is also familiar with this item?"

Prince Wuchang nodded, "During the Tang and Song dynasties, someone excavated the bone of an ancient barbaric dragon beast from the mountains. However, it had petrified and wasn’t much different from ordinary stone carvings."

"After restoration, it could serve as a decoration."

"To be honest, several doctors in the Imperial College have been studying this item because it bears the language of ancient divination."

"I have never seen one transformed into jade myself; it’s perfect to keep and present as a longevity gift to my father. May I ask how much Young Hero Li wishes to sell it for?"

Li Yan had no idea how much it could fetch, fearing he would ask for too little or too much and become the laughingstock, he simply said, "I truly have no idea, the Princely Heir may handle it as he sees fit."

It was better to kick the ball back to the other party; if the price offered was not to his satisfaction, he could still decline politely.

The Prince Wuchang pondered for a moment, then said, "Such treasures are not unprecedented."

"In the previous dynasty during the Qingyuan period, a lineage specializing in treasured items excavated an ancient beast bone from the mountains, resembling a beast and a bird, already turned into jade. It was sold to the then-great imperial clan for 500,000 taels of silver."

"However, that thing was a Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure, refined into a Magic Artifact, and could even transform into a Yin God to protect the Prince Mansion, extremely precious; sadly, it was taken by the Golden Tent Wolf Country."

"While this item is rare as well, it’s only a mortal item; how does 100,000 taels sound?"

Li Yan’s heart leaped with joy, "Then let’s go by the Princely Heir’s suggestion."

His mental price was 50,000 taels, so the offer of 100,000 taels from Prince Wuchang was beyond his expectations.

"Good!"

The Prince Wuchang was also in a good mood, so he immediately ordered someone to fetch the silver note and entertained the two with a banquet.

Although the banquet was held in a small pavilion by the water and was not formal, the chef of the Prince Mansion was, of course, extraordinary, and each dish was extremely exquisite.

Hu Ming had intentions of making connections, and Prince Wuchang also wanted to improve relations with the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, hence the banquet was enjoyed by both host and guest.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that the two left the Prince Mansion.

As soon as they stepped out, Hu Ming clasped his fists and said, "Young Hero Li, I must arrange for people to escort the crystal back to Jinzhou overnight and take my leave now."

Li Yan furrowed his brow, "So soon?"

Hu Ming sighed, "You’ve heard about the various causes and effects; time waits for no one. The sooner I send the items back, the sooner I can have them polished."

"Moreover, with the unrest in Ezhou, if I leave late, it might cause unexpected troubles."

"But please rest assured, Young Hero Li, when I depart, I will make sure that Master Lu has finished crafting your Magic Artifact before I leave."

Saying this, he took out a token from his bosom, "This is the token of authority from the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce. When Young Hero Li travels the pugilistic world and cannot find a suitable inn, you can always stay at our Chamber of Commerce branches."

"With this token, they will take good care of you."

"Thank you."

Naturally, Li Yan did not refuse.

He had stayed for a while at Jiangsu and Zhejiang’s Chamber of Commerce and was currently residing at the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce. Compared to ordinary inns, the environment was better and quieter; surely the Jinzhou Chamber would not be inferior.

"Until we meet again."

After bidding farewell once more, Hu Ming hastily departed with his men.

And Li Yan, with the silver note in hand, returned to the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce.

There was nothing much to attend to in the Chamber of Commerce, and with many citizens of Wuchang City off to watch the dragon boat race, the streets were much quieter.

Li Yan thought for a moment, then stepped out once again.

After crossing several main streets, he came to an alley.

The crowd here was clearly more numerous than in other places, with teahouses, taverns, and brothels lining both sides of the street.

This street, named Xiangshui Alley, was somewhat like Chang’an’s Pingkang Square, known as the most famous pleasure quarter in Wuchang City.

Of course, he wasn’t there to frequent brothels.

Previously, atop Gui Mountain, he had a chance meeting with Wu Qu from Cangzhou, who was staying in the Golden Phoenix Tower and had invited him over for drinks.

After asking for directions from passersby and walking a few hundred meters more, he found a sizable brothel in front of him, with the words "Golden Phoenix Tower" emblazoned on its plaque, its interior filled with the sounds of music and dance even during the daytime.

However, as Li Yan looked at the patterns on the door’s steps, his brow furrowed.

This brothel turned out to be a secret hall of the Golden Swallow Sect...