After selling off all their goods, Chen Tianjing and his companions packed up their stall and made their way toward the shops lining the street.
Before he had set out, the clan had already discussed how to allocate the jade coins earned from selling the blood rice. They had even compiled a list of essential purchases. Chen Tianjing intended to exchange every last coin for tangible goods to bring back home.
The clan members following him glanced around, their eyes lingering momentarily on magnificent buildings or uniquely crafted items before quickly moving on. Their purpose in coming here was to broaden their horizons.
The variety of goods in the city astounded them, everything felt new and novel—even something as simple as grain had been transformed by street vendors into multiple culinary delights.
After circling the marketplace, the cloth bag in Chen Tianjing’s hand had grown considerably lighter. However, he had acquired three rare items: a Bodhi Fruit, a Purple Ganoderma, and a Tian Nan Star.
The Bodhi Fruit was greenish-white, about the size of a thumb, and emitted a fragrant aroma. The Purple Ganoderma resembled ordinary ganoderma but was tinged with a light purple hue and was noticeably larger.
The Tian Nan Star was a plant with dark green leaves shaped like a bird’s foot, arranged in a circular pattern. A faint trace of blood aura seeped from the plant, proving its authenticity.
He had purchased these from the Stone Warm Pavilion, the same shop Chen Qingyu had visited earlier.
At first, he had planned to compare prices elsewhere, but after searching through several stores, he found that few others carried these specific items. However, he did come across other kinds of rare treasures, though all were just as exorbitantly priced.
Just these three purchases had nearly drained his jade coins. Yet, he did not stop. He made another trip—to the horse market and the blacksmith’s shop—where he bought several iron tools and a number of fine horses.
Both were essential to the clan at this stage. Horses would allow them to travel faster, while the iron tools would greatly aid their daily tasks.
After these two transactions, his dwindling supply of jade coins shrank further. Soon, their party was accompanied by a group of sturdy horses and a large number of iron tools.
Most of the tools were for farming, but among them were about a dozen finely crafted broadswords, their sharp edges carrying intricate engravings, their sound crisp and clear.
Each broadsword had cost around fifty jade coins. The blacksmith had also offered thousand-forged weapons, but their prices were steep—the cheapest thousand-forged longsword was five hundred jade coins, ten times the cost.
Out of curiosity, Chen Tianjing had tested one. The sword was razor-sharp, capable of channeling internal qi and blood energy. For a Blood Coagulation Realm martial artist, wielding a weapon suited to their techniques could significantly enhance their combat strength.
The blacksmith had explained that these swords were crafted from refined iron ore and forged a thousand times by a Blood Coagulation Realm martial artist before reaching completion. Even in Yong’an City, his was the only shop selling them. Chen Tianjing had also noticed the emblem on the blacksmith’s clothing—the mark of the Xie clan.
As for the horses, they were surprisingly inexpensive. He bought ten for just one hundred jade coins. After all these purchases, his jade coins dwindled rapidly.
When he checked his remaining funds, he found that only 452 jade coins were left. He decided against further spending. The rest needed to be taken back to the clan.
While shopping, he had quickly noticed a stark contrast in pricing—ordinary goods were relatively cheap, but anything related to martial arts was significantly more expensive, especially items that could enhance a martial artist’s strength. Their prices were astronomical.
But ultimately, it was the martial artists who upheld a clan’s power.
"Alright, let's head back," Chen Tianjing said to the clan members holding the horses.
Their mission was complete, and they could return with peace of mind. Before long, they exited Yong’an City. However, not long after they passed through the gates, several groups of riders followed behind them.
On the road, Chen Yihu quickened his pace, coming up beside Chen Tianjing. "Elder, do you think someone is tailing us?"
Chen Tianjing raised an eyebrow. "You sensed it?"
Chen Yihu shook his head. "No, just a feeling."
"You’re not wrong," Chen Tianjing said. "They are following us."
Hearing this, the other clan members instinctively scanned their surroundings, but they saw nothing suspicious.
"Ignore them," Chen Tianjing said calmly. "Keep moving."
As a late-stage Blood Coagulation Realm martial artist, his senses were sharp. He had already noticed the stalkers back in the city. But he was not surprised—this outcome had been expected from the moment they arrived in Yong’an City. The clan had already planned for such a scenario.
Their strategy was simple: let it happen.
Before, they had remained hidden deep within Chaotic Burial Mountain, cut off from the outside world. But now that they had chosen to expand, their existence would inevitably be exposed. There was no avoiding it. The only course of action was to learn as much as possible about the outside world while growing stronger.
This was why, after selling their goods, he had immediately purchased what the clan needed. Hiding would do them no good. It was better to walk openly, to stand tall.
In fact, this first trip was the safest they would ever be. When information was scarce, other clan would act with caution. But if they came again, and their strength was revealed, the journey might not be as smooth. The elders had warned of this, and Chen Tianjing agreed with their wisdom.
So, even though he knew they were being watched, he chose to ignore it.
This journey home would proceed without issue.
At the Xie clan estate, Xie Hongyuan examined the paper in her hands.
“Our people are tracking them. We should have information within three days,” a subordinate reported.
She nodded, murmuring to herself, “The Chen clan of Chaotic Burial Mountain?” There was a trace of doubt in her voice.
She had never heard of them. In fact, she had never even heard of Chaotic Burial Mountain. Yet, they possessed Blood Rice and had multiple Blood Coagulation Realm martial artists. That hardly seemed like the mark of an obscure clan.
As one of the four great clan of Yong’an City—and the most powerful one at that—she had already mapped out every move of Chen Tianjing and his people.