Raise a sword!

Jiang Peng's words surprised Chen Shiyu.

The fact that the family's northward expedition had been thwarted and that they had lost several Foundation Establishment cultivators had been strictly kept secret in the Chen Kingdom.

At this time, most cultivators in the Chen Kingdom were still unaware that the Cangshan Sect had declared war on the Chen Kingdom.

"Fellow Daoist Xu's information network is quite impressive; this matter has only been going on for less than a day..." Chen Shiyu narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone carrying a hint of questioning.

Jiang Peng smiled frankly and said, "One day is enough for the Cangshan Sect to spread the news throughout the Southern Mountain Region. The Chen family has been beaten and is now cowering, but the Cangshan Sect has gained a great advantage, so of course they have to boast about it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shiyu's face immediately turned extremely ugly.

"Hmph, it was just a sneak attack by those scoundrels from the Cangshan Sect. The loss of a few men is something my Chen family can afford! Fellow Daoist, don't judge success or failure by a temporary setback. The foundation of my Liu family is far beyond what the Cangshan Sect can match."

Jiang Peng shook his head and said, "The grudges between you have nothing to do with me. Fellow Daoist, you should say these harsh words to the person in question."

"Let's get down to business. I was originally planning to visit the Chen Clan Chamber of Commerce."

Chen Shiyu asked, "What does Fellow Daoist wish to buy? My Chen Clan Chamber of Commerce has trade routes connecting the north and south, and while we wouldn't claim to have the most comprehensive selection of goods in the Southern Mountain Region..."

As soon as he uttered those words, Chen Shiyu saw Jiang Peng with a half-smile on her face.

He suddenly remembered that the guest in front of him was from Nanlu. In Nanlu, even a single Bibo Chamber of Commerce was enough to make the Chen Clan Chamber of Commerce feel suffocated.

Unable to continue his boasting, Chen Shiyu could only awkwardly take a sip of tea before asking, "What would you like to buy, fellow Daoist?"

"I am an alchemist, currently traveling and looking to buy some ancient alchemy books," Jiang Peng said, revealing the excuse he had prepared beforehand. "I've heard that the ruins of the Heartless Valley often contain relics left by ancient cultivators, so I've come here to try my luck."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shiyu chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Another fool tricked by the legend of the ruins."

However, he had a look on his face that said he completely agreed.

"Fellow Daoist, you've come to the right place. Over the years, the Chamber of Commerce has acquired quite a few ancient books related to alchemy from independent cultivators... Do you want notes on alchemy, ancient pill formulas, or something else?"

"I want them all," Jiang Peng said generously. "Anything your family's business has, you can bring it to me for a look."

Chen Shiyu raised an eyebrow.

"Fellow Daoist, these kinds of ancient books are quite expensive. Why don't you pick out one or two first..."

That's what he said, but Chen Shiyu sneered inwardly.

Among the ancient books in the cultivation world, those related to alchemy are the least valuable.

Firstly, the art of alchemy has never been interrupted, but it has been constantly changing. The alchemy techniques of today are vastly different from those of ancient times.

Secondly, while ancient alchemical formulas may be miraculous, many of the essential ingredients have long since disappeared.

Chen Shiyu remembered that the Chamber of Commerce did indeed have some ancient books on alchemy, but few people were interested in them.

"As long as it suits my eyes, price is not a problem."

Jiang Peng casually took out a high-grade spirit stone and placed it on the table in front of her.

"This is the deposit," Jiang Peng said generously, waving his hand.

One high-grade spirit stone is equivalent to ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

For the Chen Clan Chamber of Commerce, 10,000 spirit stones was only a small business, but the deposit alone was this amount, which made even Chen Shiyu restless.

This guy's been sucked up.

Chen Shiyu quickly put away the spirit stones and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I will personally go to the storeroom to select some for you."

"I await good news," Jiang Peng replied.

Watching Chen Shiyu leave the main hall, Jiang Peng calmly sipped her tea, not caring at all about the loss of that high-grade spirit stone.

That high-grade spirit stone came from the old Taoist Yang whom we killed earlier.

In addition to a total of about 70,000 spirit stones, he also acquired two magical artifacts.

One item was Master Yang's whisk.

[Iron Willow Whisk: Second-tier mid-grade magic weapon, retractable, tough, and capable of breaking spells]

This whisk truly lives up to its reputation as a second-tier magic weapon. It was able to withstand even Jiang Peng's spiritual energy transformed into fire. Its ability to break magic is probably the reason why Old Daoist Yang was able to dissolve the spiritual fire into a fire tornado and instead protect himself.

The second item was a white bead about the size of a fist.

[Wave Shield: Second-tier low-grade magic artifact, blocks divine sense and illusions]

This is the origin of the numerous ripples that Old Taoist Yang created at the beginning of the battle to block Jiang Peng's path.

With these two magical artifacts acquired, Jiang Peng naturally didn't care about the slight loss of spirit stones.

Moreover, the spirit stones might not even be lost.

Sensing the watchful eye of another Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Chamber of Commerce, Jiang Peng's lips curved slightly as she took a sip of tea from the bowl in her hand.

"I hope the Chen Clan Chamber of Commerce won't disappoint me," he said softly.

...

The Chamber of Commerce is underground.

When Chen Shiyu arrived at the underground warehouse, he immediately saw the guards lying haphazardly all over the ground.

He was startled and realized something was wrong.

But before he could activate the formation to issue a warning, his vision suddenly blurred.

A die appeared in his line of sight, spinning in mid-air before falling at an extremely slow speed.

The moment Chen Shiyu saw the die, he had no other thoughts but to know the final number it landed on.

"Should I bet on big or small?"

"Small."

Wei Zhilan, disguised as an old woman, quietly appeared beside Chen Shiyu, and the dice landed in her hand, with six points still facing up.

"You lost. Open the warehouse."

"I lost, and I accept my defeat."

Chen Shiyu, bewildered, took out the token to open the warehouse and unlocked the seal on the warehouse door.

But the moment he opened the warehouse door, he suddenly felt a jolt.

"An illusion? Oh no!"

Chen Shiyu crushed the token in his hand, and the previously dormant array around him immediately began to operate.

But before he could make any further move, Wei Zhilan had already quietly appeared behind him, and with a light tap of her finger, struck his vital spot in the back of his heart.

"Ugh—!"

Chen Shiyu groaned, coughed up blood, and collapsed to the ground.

But he wasn't dead yet; he just stared wide-eyed at Wei Zhilan.

"You thief, you can't escape..."

"escape?"

Looking at the open warehouse door, Wei Zhilan sneered and, in front of Chen Shiyu, pulled out a large handful of storage bags from her bosom.

At first glance, there are at least a dozen or so.

"I've gone through so much trouble for your Chen family's treasure, spending a fortune just on buying information... Now the treasure is right in front of me, and you're telling me to run away?"

Wei Zhilan kicked the troublesome Chen Shiyu away with her toes, and then plunged into the warehouse.

She had no intention of acting in secret; she used her spiritual power to gather everything she saw around her and stuff it into her storage bag like a madwoman.

In just a few breaths, her storage bag was completely full.

Even so, she was not satisfied. She then put on many less valuable magical artifacts and other items until her whole body was bulging before she finally stopped.