48: Chapter 48 Recruiting

Su Chengyuan did not respond, remaining silent.

At this moment, Lin Feng also limped over and bowed deeply to Su Chengyuan. "This Junior, Lin Feng, thanks Senior for saving my life!"

He was quite straightforward, immediately changing how he addressed him.

Su Chengyuan looked at the two of them, feeling quite helpless.

He then used the excuse of excessive spiritual power consumption to find a relatively clean spot to sit cross-legged and began to meditate with his eyes closed.

On the other side, Zhao Shan also forced himself to stand up, took a healing Medicinal Pill from his robe, and popped it into his mouth.

Then, in a hoarse voice, he issued orders: "Everyone who can move, get to work! Treat the wounded! Clean up the battlefield!"

He paused and added, "For the time being, no blind Yao Beasts should approach this area. Everyone, hurry up and rest!"

After giving the orders, he also found a spot to sit down and refine the medicinal power.

The post-battle cleanup lasted the entire night.

In this battle, over forty caravan guards were killed, and seven or eight accompanying Cultivators also died; the losses were heavy.

However, the carcasses of nearly a hundred Red-armored Earth-walking Dragons were also a significant fortune.

Their bone armor, monster cores, and flesh were all good Materials for Artifact Refining or Alchemy, which could compensate for some of the losses.

By dawn, Zhao Shan had finished handling all the affairs and found Su Chengyuan again.

He handed over a water skin and a piece of roasted Yao Beast meat, then sat down beside him.

"Brother Wang, regarding yesterday's events, I thank you again on behalf of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce and all the surviving brothers," Zhao Shan said, his voice somewhat raspy.

"Brother Zhao is too polite; there's no need to say more," Su Chengyuan replied as he took the food without ceremony.

Moreover, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, since the other party was showing such continuous goodwill, Su Chengyuan had no reason to refuse.

Zhao Shan was silent for a moment but couldn't help asking, "May I ask where Brother Wang's master is from?"

"Just a Loose Cultivator from the mountains," Su Chengyuan replied vaguely. "I just had some fortuitous encounters in my early years and learned some life-saving methods. Last night, it was only because that beast was heavily injured by Commander Zhao that I was able to succeed by luck."

Naturally, Zhao Shan didn't believe a single word of this explanation.

Succeed by luck? That series of killing moves, as fluid as floating clouds and flowing water, clearly belonged to a veteran of a hundred battles.

But he was a smart man; seeing that the other party was unwilling to say more, he stopped pressing.

He changed the subject and said sincerely, "Regardless, Brother Wang is a benefactor to my caravan. I have an audacious request, and I wonder if I should voice it."

"Please speak, Brother Zhao."

"I observe that Fellow Daoist seems to have no Sect background, and your trip to the Prefecture City is likely to seek better development," Zhao Shan said with a hint of expectation in his eyes. "Although our Four Seas Chamber of Commerce isn't a major power in the Prefecture City, we do have some Foundations."

"If Brother Wang doesn't mind, would you be willing to join our chamber of commerce? The terms are definitely negotiable, with a monthly salary of at least thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Once Brother Wang advances to Foundation Establishment in the future, you can immediately become an Enshrined Expert of our Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, and all kinds of resources from the chamber will be prioritized for you. What do you think?"

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator, personally recruiting him.

For any Loose Cultivator, these conditions were a hard-to-refuse temptation.

But Su Chengyuan shook his head, his gaze firm. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Zhao. I am used to being a wild crane in the clouds and cannot stand constraints. Please do not mention this matter again."

A hint of disappointment appeared on Zhao Shan's face, but he didn't insist, merely sighing. "It was my abruptness. However, the offer still stands. If Brother Wang changes his mind in the future, you can come to the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce to find me anytime."

"Alright, if I truly have the intention in the future, I will certainly come to trouble Brother Zhao," Su Chengyuan nodded and cupped his hands to thank him for his kindness.

While the two were talking, Lin Feng also walked over.

His leg injury had been treated, and his complexion looked much better.

He bowed to Su Chengyuan again and then took an exquisite jade box from his Storage Pouch.

"Senior, this is a small token of my appreciation. It's not much, but I hope Senior will accept it."

Su Chengyuan took a look and wanted to refuse.

But Lin Feng quickly said, "Senior, please do not decline. This item is not some world-shaking treasure, but merely a piece of 'Tranquility Jade' that I accidentally obtained in a Senior's Immortal Cave years ago.

Wearing it has the effect of focusing the mind and calming the spirit, providing some help in resisting Heart Demons and stabilizing one's Dao Heart. My cultivation is low, so keeping it would be a waste. Giving it to Senior is the only way it can be put to good use."

Since he had put it that way, it would seem heartless for Su Chengyuan to refuse again.

He nodded and accepted the jade box. "You are very thoughtful."

Seeing him accept it, a sincere smile appeared on Lin Feng's face.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "To be honest with Senior, although I am a Loose Cultivator, I am actually from the Lin Family of the Prefecture City. Due to some incidents, I have been wandering outside since childhood. This time, I am returning to acknowledge my ancestors and rejoin the clan."

He didn't elaborate on the complications, but Su Chengyuan could guess that there was likely another tale of Family grievances behind it.

This was none of his business, but seeing the expectation and trepidation in Lin Feng's eyes, he offered a word of advice: "I haven't heard of the Lin Family of the Prefecture City, but I imagine it must be vast and flourishing. Remember, a large tree always has dead branches, and a large clan always has disputes. Sometimes, a blade from behind is far more injurious than a sword from the front. Since you are returning to claim your kin, you should be more cautious in all matters."

"Thank you for your concern, Senior."

After this incident, the atmosphere of the caravan underwent a subtle change.

Su Chengyuan was no longer the ignored spectator in the corner but had become an object of awe for most people.

However, Su Chengyuan still kept a low profile, spending most of his time meditating and cultivating on the carriage, only occasionally offering a few pointers to the guards on their cultivation doubts, which made him seem approachable.

The rest of the journey was not peaceful.

They encountered several more waves of blind Yao Beasts, but their scale was far smaller than that of the Red-armored Earth-walking Dragon pack.

With Zhao Shan, an Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, present, these troubles were resolved without any real danger.

A month later, when the silhouette of a giant city so towering that its boundaries were invisible appeared on the horizon, the entire caravan erupted in cheers.

Tianlan Prefecture City has arrived!

The closer they got, the more they could feel the grandeur of this city.

The city walls were a hundred zhang high, built entirely from an unknown blue-black giant stone, with profound Formation runes inscribed on them that shimmered with a faint spiritual light in the sun.

Atop the walls, a heavily armored guard stood sentry every hundred paces; the lowest cultivation among those guards was actually the Late Qi Refining Stage!

At the city gate, which was dozens of zhang wide, the flow of people was endless.

There were Cultivators riding various strange Spirit Beasts, wealthy merchants driving ornate beast carriages, and occasionally, a streak of light could be seen flying high above the city—a privilege reserved only for Golden Core True Persons.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators here seemed to be just ordinary practitioners, blending into the crowd and appearing quite unremarkable.

As Su Chengyuan watched all this, besides the shock in his heart, he also felt immense pressure.

In a place where experts were as numerous as clouds, his Peak Tenth Layer Qi Refining cultivation really amounted to nothing.

Inside the city, it was another sight altogether.

The streets were wide enough to accommodate ten beast carriages side-by-side, and the shops on both sides were lined up in rows, each built with extraordinary grandeur.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air was more than several times denser than in the outside world.

The caravan traveled all the way to the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce headquarters in the east of the city; the mission for this trip was finally successfully completed.

At the entrance of the chamber of commerce, Lin Feng's eyes were full of gratitude as he bowed deeply to Su Chengyuan again. "This Junior will keep Senior's teachings from these past days in my heart. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will surely repay you!"

Su Chengyuan didn't say much, just nodded. "Until we meet again."

Lin Feng bowed once more and turned to merge into the vast sea of people.

After Zhao Shan finished handing over the caravan, he found Su Chengyuan and handed him a Storage Pouch.

Inside were five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a token of gratitude from the chamber of commerce after learning about the events on the road.

Su Chengyuan didn't refuse; after all, there was no reason to turn down something for nothing.

He accepted the Storage Pouch and saw that Zhao Shan seemed to have something to say but was hesitating. After some thought, he directly stated his purpose for coming to the Prefecture City.

"Brother Zhao, to be honest, I came to the Prefecture City to seek a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Technique. I wonder if the chamber of commerce has any leads?"

The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce branch in the Prefecture City was a two-story pavilion, appearing somewhat unremarkable amidst the surrounding grand buildings that were often five or six stories high.

Upon hearing Su Chengyuan's request, the smile on Zhao Shan's face faded slightly, replaced by a look that suggested it might be difficult.

"Brother Wang, truth be told, Foundation Establishment techniques can indeed be obtained in the Prefecture City, but... the channels are very shady, and the risks are not small," Zhao Shan lowered his voice. "As you've seen, the Prefecture City is filled with Sects and deeply entrenched great families. Legitimate techniques are all tightly controlled by them and will never be easily leaked. Most of what can be found on the market are of unknown origin."

He explained, "These techniques either come from small families that have been wiped out, or they are stolen goods obtained by Rogue Cultivators through murder and plunder. The technique itself might be fine, but once someone discovers you are practicing a Family's secret manual, it will become a disaster."

Su Chengyuan frowned slightly; this was indeed a dimension he hadn't considered.