The next day, a large number of carriages were neatly lined up in front of the main gate of the Ironwood Manor. Many black giant logs were tightly bound to them.
This trip to Yan City was ostensibly for selling Ironwood, but the real purpose was Yangyuan Stones. However, this kind of objective obviously could not be exposed, otherwise, it might lead to some unnecessary trouble.
Lin Zhengtian clearly attached great importance to this sale. Not only did he intend to go himself, but he also brought Lin Xiao, Lin Mang, and nearly a hundred guards. A team of this caliber was already quite formidable; ordinary bandits would not dare to act presumptuously here.
Lin Zhengtian rode a fine steed, his eyes sharp and his body robust, making people not dare to underestimate this old man who had built his career from scratch in Qingyang Town.
"Is everyone here?" Lin Zhengtian checked once more, his gaze turning to Lin Xiao as he asked.
Beside him, Lin Xiao and Lin Dong also rode fine steeds. The most important thing about this trip to Yan City was to avoid causing trouble, and Little Flame was too attention-grabbing, so leaving him at Ironwood Manor was the most appropriate choice.
Hearing Lin Zhengtian's question, Lin Xiao nodded and said in a deep voice, "Everything is ready. We can depart at any time."
"Mm."
Hearing this, Lin Zhengtian nodded in satisfaction. Without another word, he raised his arm, cracked his horsewhip, and spurred his horse into a gallop, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust as he sped towards the main road.
As Lin Zhengtian set off, the rolling convoy also began to move, with shouts echoing as they quickly followed.
Lin Dong lightly kicked the horse's flanks, turned to wave at Qing Tan, and then controlled his horse to join the convoy.
***
Yan City was the closest city to Qingyang Town. Of course, "closest" was only relative, because by the time Lin Zhengtian's group entered the vicinity of Yan City, it was already noon.
On the main road leading into Yan City, the bustling crowd created a noisy din, causing Lin Dong to click his tongue in wonder. They hadn't even reached Yan City yet, and the crowd was already so dense. He couldn't imagine what it would be like inside Yan City.
"Dong'er, don't cause trouble once we enter the city. Yan City is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes; there are countless hidden masters, and some people simply cannot be provoked." Seeing the curiosity on Lin Dong's face, Lin Xiao spoke up from the side.
Lin Dong smiled and suddenly said, "Father, Yan City is much larger than Qingyang Town. So, the struggle for power must be more intense, right?"
"On average, a force in Yan City is destroyed every month, and at the same time, several new forces emerge. What do you think, is it intense or not?" Lin Xiao said with a laugh.
"However, in Yan City, there are three major forces that reign supreme. No one can achieve their status."
"Oh. Who are these three major forces?" Lin Dong asked curiously.
"The Yan City Lord, the Wanjin Merchant Association, and the Xuelang Gang," Lin Xiao said, his lips moving. These three major forces were truly somewhat out of reach for their Lin family.
"The experts of these three major powers are extremely numerous, and they also have powerful Yuan Dan Realm cultivators guarding them. Although there are countless small powers inside and outside Yan City, most of them rely on these three major powers to survive."
Lin Dong murmured softly to himself, then nodded silently. In a place like this, only Yuan Dan Realm cultivators could truly possess power.
"Haha, there's no need to be discouraged. Once our Lin Family gradually develops that ore vein, and another Yuan Dan Realm cultivator emerges within the family, then our Lin Family will also be able to secure a foothold in Yan City." Seeing Lin Dong's silence, Lin Xiao thought he had been dealt a blow, so he immediately moved closer and chuckled in a low voice.
Hearing this, Lin Dong also smiled. Yuan Dan Realm, huh... he was very curious about this level of true power.
***
The caravan moved at a leisurely pace through the crowd, finally arriving outside Yan City. When he saw the majestic city wall, nearly a hundred zhang high, Lin Dong clicked his tongue once more. Qingyang Town truly seemed a bit unsightly compared to this place.
After paying a small entry fee, the caravan smoothly entered Yan City.
Passing through the somewhat dim city gate tunnel, immediately afterward, a deafening roar of noise surged in like a tide, making Lin Dong's unprepared mind feel a bit hazy. After a moment, he recovered, looking at the dense crowd on the streets and the many large buildings, he couldn't help but let out a deep breath of awe.
"Let's find a place to rest first."
Evidently, Lin Zhentian and the others were not first-time visitors to Yan City, so they appeared familiar, leading the caravan to stop in front of a somewhat quiet hotel. The hotel was also quite clean and tidy.
Afterward, the group split into two. One group followed Lin Mang to sell the Ironwood. Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao personally set out, carrying two chests containing Yang Yuan Stones. As for Lin Dong and the remaining few guards, they stayed in the hotel.
Watching Lin Zhentian and the others' retreating figures, Lin Dong reluctantly sat in the hotel, waiting for about half an hour. Finally, he couldn't resist running out by himself. Having finally made it to Yan City, he didn't want to just sit idly in the hotel.
Lin Dong wandered alone in Yan City. Since he had no specific destination, he drifted along with the flow, gradually moving towards the center with the crowd.
Perhaps because of the existence of many powers, Yan City was clearly a bit more chaotic than Qingyang Town. Walking on the street, Lin Dong saw several groups of people fighting no less than three times. However, many people seemed very calm about this kind of fighting, and there were even quite a few onlookers cheering them on. They seemed not to worry at all about suffering the same fate as fish in a pot.
Lin Dong wasn't interested in watching this kind of melee, so he just glanced at it and then turned to leave. After passing through several such streets, he finally stopped in front of a very distinctive building.
"Exotic Treasure Pavilion!"
Gazing at the three ancient, powerful characters on the pavilion, Lin Dong's eyes flashed with surprise. Even as someone from Qingyang Town, he had vaguely heard of the reputation of the Exotic Item Pavilion. From this, one could tell just how famous this grand building truly was.
Standing before the main entrance, Lin Dong hesitated for a moment, then walked inside.
As soon as Lin Dong stepped through the door, he saw an enormous hall appear before his eyes, with numerous stalls displaying a dazzling array of colorful items.
Spirit medicines, elixirs, weapons, core crystals, martial arts…
As far as the eye could see, all sorts of items filled his vision, and judging by their quality, these were clearly no ordinary objects.
"Haha, young sir, looking for anything in particular?" As Lin Dong intently observed the items on the stalls, a smiling servant in blue attire approached, drawing out a black longsword from his hand.
"This is a Black Iron Sword, forged from a hundred refinements of black iron, incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through hair with a breath. Furthermore, a master has inscribed a talisman onto this weapon; when infused with Yuan Power, it can pierce even the hardest armor. Young sir, take it, and you will naturally be like a tiger with wings."
Lin Dong glanced at the black sword, only to see a crooked, winding talisman carved on it, faintly shimmering with light.
Shaking his head, Lin Dong had no interest in this item. Seeing this, the servant could only sullenly put away the Black Iron Sword and did not introduce anything else.
Lin Dong paid him no mind, his gaze once again sweeping over the stalls. A moment later, his eyes suddenly stopped on a palm-sized blue pouch placed on a stall, its exterior emitting an unusual glow.
"Low-grade Qiankun Pouch, forty-eight Yang Yuan Stones."