Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Three sects and one saint? That sounds pretty impressive."

Lu Feng touched his nose, looking curious.

After all, Dongyun Capital is located right under the emperor's nose and is also the territory with the greatest influence of the royal family. These forces, which can dominate a region under the emperor's nose, must have a deep foundation and a long history.

"Indeed."

Kong Yi nodded in agreement, then remarked with some emotion, "These three powers practically control most of the capital's territory. As for those large shops, trading companies, and even auction houses that rake in money every day, they're basically all their businesses..."

"Three factions? Isn't that four?"

Before the other person could finish speaking, Lu Feng interrupted, his tone somewhat puzzled.

"Well, Brother Lu, you may not know this, but the names of the three sects refer to the Heavenly Sect, the Earthly Sect, and the Human Sect. The Heavenly Sect is the current royal family, the Ren family, the Earthly Sect is the Yun family, the most powerful clan in the capital, and the weakest Human Sect is the Alchemist Guild."

Seemingly sensing the doubt in Lu Feng's words, Kong Yi grinned again and immediately explained, "As for the Saint outside the Three Sects, it is not any force, but a title of honor."

"A title?"

"That's right, the owner of this title is none other than Chu Tianhong, the strongest man in the four kingdoms of Lingnan, known in the martial arts world as the White-Browed Martial Saint!"

At this point, a hint of admiration appeared on Kong Yi's face, clearly showing his great respect for the legendary White-Browed Martial Saint.

"White-browed Martial Saint, Chu Tianhong!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Feng also looked envious.

Although he had never witnessed Chu Tianhong's strength and was not very clear about the latter's background and deeds, the fact that the other party could rival the three sects on his own and even be granted a title of saint meant that he must not be an ordinary person!

"Dongyun Capital City truly lives up to its reputation as a place where hidden talents abound. I've come to the right place this time..."

Gathering his thoughts, Lu Feng stretched and then leaned back against the back of the convoy, closing his eyes to rest.

Although he has not yet left the Yellow Wind Desert, at the current pace of travel, he will arrive in Dongyun Capital in about half a day. Lu Feng is not in a hurry and can take a short rest.

.....

Meanwhile, deep in the Yellow Wind Desert

A large stockade was perched high on a solitary peak, surrounded by yellow sand and chaos. Several figures could be vaguely seen rushing down from the foot of the mountain until they disappeared into the stockade.

Inside the council hall of Qingtian Village

A tall, imposing man in a yellow robe stood with his back to the crowd, hands clasped behind his back, saying nothing as if waiting for something. The crowd in the hall was equally silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

"Big brother, something's happened!"

Suddenly, a deep male voice came from afar.

The next moment, several figures hurriedly stepped into the hall. The leader among them had a thin face, a scar on his right eye, and exuded a strong murderous aura. He was Qin Ming, the second leader of Qingtian Village.

"Is there any news about the third brother?"

Seeing Qin Ming lead his men back to the village, the man in the yellow robe slowly turned to the side and said in a deep voice, as if he had been waiting for the other party for a long time.

"Yes, but..."

Faced with the question from the man in the yellow robe, Qin Ming frowned slightly, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"The third brother is dead, right?"

"Brother, did you perhaps already guess...?"

"Heh, with the third brother's cultivation level and the Spirit Rhinoceros Axe in hand, ordinary martial artists of the same level would hardly be able to do anything to him. But that person not only killed the third brother, but also took the lives of a group of his brothers. He must be quite powerful..."

Jiang Qingtian gave a cold laugh, his face remaining expressionless.

"Brother, could it be that the intelligence from the Kong family is wrong? I suspect that Kong Dingnan is definitely hiding something, or even deliberately pretending to be a traitor to lure us into a trap! Otherwise, this robbery operation would never have failed. Third Brother died such an unjust death...!"

Seeing Jiang Qingtian announce Fang Baizhou's death with a blank expression, Qin Ming gritted his teeth and clenched his fists beneath his sleeves. "Brother, we absolutely cannot let this blood feud go...!"

He had worked with the other party for many years and knew his elder brother Jiang Qingtian's temperament very well.

Although Jiang Qingtian appears calm on the surface, he is actually suppressing a great deal of anger, which will erupt completely just one opportunity away!

"Second brother, you take the men and properly bury the third brother and the other dead brothers. As for whether that bastard Kong Dingnan was behind this or deliberately leaked false information, let's put that aside for now..."

Seeing Qin Ming's anger, Jiang Qingtian also noticed it and immediately said in a deep voice, "The most urgent task right now is to find that bastard who killed Lao San and then grind him to dust. Otherwise, it will be difficult to appease the spirits of Lao San and the fallen brothers in heaven...!"

"As for this matter, I'll also entrust it to you to handle!"

"Yes, brother!"

Upon hearing the order, Qin Ming turned and retreated with a reluctant expression, then led his band of bandits out of the hall.

...

Dongyun Capital, South Gate

The crowds were bustling and the streets were filled with traffic. Apart from a few martial arts practitioners, most of the people were merchants traveling to and from the capital. The scene was noisy and bustling.

"Brother Kong, let's stop here. Farewell!"

Lu Feng leaped down from the carriage and bowed slightly to Kong Yi in front of him, clearly intending to take his leave.

After all, he and the other party were not on the same path, otherwise he would not have declined Kong Yi's invitation to be his guest advisor.

"Young Master Lu, are you leaving?"

Seeing that Lu Feng was about to leave alone, Kong Yan, who had been talking a lot along the way, also came up to him, her pretty face full of reluctance.

Although she hadn't known him for long, she had already come to regard Lu Feng as her idol, and a strange feeling had even begun to develop between them.

The world is vast, not just a small city or town. Now that they are separated, it is unlikely that they will ever see each other again. Naturally, he is reluctant to let Lu Feng leave.

All good things must come to an end.

Seeing the disappointment on Kong Yan's face, Lu Feng simply grinned and comforted her, "Miss Yan, if fate allows, perhaps we will meet again in the future."

"Young Master Lu, if you have the chance in the future, remember to visit the Kong family in Zhiyang City. My brother and I will certainly treat you well!"

Upon hearing this, Kong Yan wiped her eyes and waved to Lu Feng repeatedly, seemingly having regained her spirits.

"Farewell, gentlemen!"

Without any further formalities, Lu Feng cupped his hands in greeting once more, then turned and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the vast sea of ​​people in the capital.

"Yanzi, don't be too sad. Brother Lu is right. If fate allows, we'll meet again in the martial world..."

After Lu Feng left, Kong Yi stepped forward, gently patted Kong Yan's shoulder, and comforted her in a soothing voice, "Right now, let's go to the Jiangnan Escort Agency to deliver the goods to Chief Escort Zhao. I have a feeling that our ambush by Qingtian Village was quite strange. Perhaps Chief Escort Zhao knows something about it..."

"Brother, I'll do whatever you say!"

Kong Yan nodded repeatedly in response to Kong Yi's suggestion, clearly wanting to find out the truth behind the attack on the Kong family caravan.

...

On the other side, a small branch of the Beijing World Merchants Association.

"Seriously, bro? How much did you just say this Poison Spirit Relic was going to cost?"

"One hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, fixed price."

"My friend, are you kidding me?"

"Although our merchant guild is spread throughout the nine prefectures of Dongyun, and we accept all kinds of treasures without asking where they come from, we still have our rules. We absolutely cannot do business that loses money."

Inside the counter, an elderly man in a gray robe wearing reading glasses shook his head slightly. At this moment, he was playing with a relic that was completely dark green in his right palm, and his expression seemed somewhat helpless.

"A losing proposition?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Feng also frowned slightly, somewhat displeased. "Hey old man, do you think I'm young and easy to fool?"

"The Poison Spirit Relic in my possession is of superior grade and quality. Selling it to you for 100,000 is already a fair price. Do you think it's not worth that much?"

"Fine! Take it or leave it, I'll sell it somewhere else!"

After saying that, Lu Feng took the opportunity to retrieve the Poison Spirit Relic.

"Hey, wait a minute, bro, don't be in such a hurry...!"

Seeing this, the gray-robed elder shrank back, clutching the Poison Spirit Relic in his hand again. He then said with a wry smile, "Brother, since you've come to the World Merchant Guild to sell stolen goods, you must know some of the rules."

"Our Tianxia Merchant Guild not only accepts any treasures without hesitation, but also keeps our customers' identities confidential. So naturally, we need to make a profit from the price difference; otherwise, we'd starve!"

"Furthermore, if I may be so bold, other auction houses in the capital probably won't be able to offer you the price you desire, brother. Even if you try to sell the stolen goods elsewhere, you'll only get this price."

The gray-robed old man grinned, then calmly explained, seemingly certain that Lu Feng would eventually compromise.