Chapter 326 - 162: Sharp Edge (4)

The surface of the box was smooth, with no seams or keyholes. It was as if it were a single, solid piece, yet it was exceptionally heavy.

"This is..."

Chen Qing picked up the black box. It felt extremely heavy in his hands. He frowned slightly, puzzled.

Xiang Jiarem, who stood to the side, was clearly knowledgeable. He took a focused look and whispered, "Brother Chen, this Profound Iron Box is a real treasure!"

At these words, Chen Qing’s heart skipped a beat!

’A Profound Iron Box!?’

He immediately recalled what his Uncle-Master Shen Xiuyong had mentioned before. Rumor had it that these boxes held a world of their own and could contain all sorts of unexpected treasures. Elixirs, Secret Manuals—anything was possible.

’If I’m lucky enough to get an Astral Condensing Pill, which helps one condense True Astral, its value would be immeasurable. Even if I don’t use it myself, it would fetch an astronomical price at auction!’

Just as these thoughts raced through Chen Qing’s mind—

WHOOSH!

A sharp whistling sound tore through the air, rapidly approaching from the distance. A dark golden figure streaked toward them at incredible speed, landing in the center of the area in an instant. It was none other than Miao Zhicheng, who had been in hot pursuit!

Miao Zhicheng’s gaze immediately fell upon Zhu Xin’s corpse on the ground, then to the conspicuous Profound Iron Box in Chen Qing’s hand. His expression instantly turned foul.

He had pursued him for so long and worn down most of Zhu Xin’s strength. Just when victory was in his grasp, someone else had swooped in and reaped the rewards. The Profound Iron Box, in particular, was the primary objective of his trip!

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage and urgency in his heart. Cupping his fist toward Chen Qing, he kept his tone as steady as possible. "My friend, I am Miao Zhicheng of Golden Sand Castle. I pursued Zhu Xin all the way here and expended considerable effort to gravely injure him. Would you do me the favor of returning that Profound Iron Box to me? The contents of the box are of great importance to me. The remaining silver notes and Treasure Medicine are all yours. I would be eternally grateful."

Miao Zhicheng!?

The crowd around the tea stall immediately broke into discussion, their eyes filled with shock.

"Miao Zhicheng is not someone to be trifled with!"

"I heard he took a contract from the black list a year ago and killed three Late-stage Embracing Pill Force masters."

"Among the younger generation in Lin’an Prefecture, he’s easily ranked in the top five."

.....

Chen Qing lifted his gaze, gave him a cool look, and refused without a moment’s hesitation. "This is my spoil of war. Why should I give it to you?"

’The Zhu Family is a force from Yunlin Prefecture, and I was ordered to hunt them down.’

The corner of Miao Zhicheng’s eye twitched. He suppressed his anger and said in a low voice, "Twenty thousand taels of silver! I’ll give you twenty thousand taels of silver for that box! My friend, you’d be getting twenty thousand taels for nothing, on top of the other silver notes and Treasure Medicine. That’s a massive windfall. Why ruin the harmony between us over a box whose contents are unknown?"

The onlookers exchanged glances. Twenty thousand taels of silver was no small sum to any of them.

But Chen Qing acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He simply gave the Profound Iron Box in his hand a light toss and shook his head.

Miao Zhicheng’s face fell completely. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he ground out, "Fifty thousand taels! I’ll give you Fifty Thousand Tael of Silver! My friend, that’s an astronomical price! It’s enough for you to purchase countless Cultivation Resources! Cede the box to me, and we can consider ourselves friends!"

"Fi... fifty thousand taels!?"

At the side, Xu Qi and Zhao Stone’s hearts began to pound furiously. What earth-shattering treasure could possibly be inside that box to make Miao Zhicheng offer such an outrageous price?

Chen Qing still refused. ’A Profound Iron Box can easily fetch over a hundred thousand taels of silver at auction.’

’Miao Zhicheng is offering me fifty thousand? Is he taking me for a fool?’

Miao Zhicheng tightened his grip on the Odd-Shaped Curved Saber in his hand. "Sir... do you really think Golden Sand Castle is so easily bullied?"

’Trying to use Golden Sand Castle to intimidate me!?’

Chen Qing scoffed. "Young Hero Miao, have you forgotten that Zhu Xin is a wanted criminal jointly pursued by the Four Great Sects of Yunlin Prefecture? I am acting under the orders of the Wutai Sect’s Sect Leader to apprehend him, carrying out the official duties of the Alliance. This fiend and all the illicit goods on his person are naturally to be brought back to my Sect for me to handle. This is a rule established by all four sects."

His gaze locked onto Miao Zhicheng, and his tone turned icy. "Your forceful demand for these stolen goods... are you disregarding the decrees of my Four Sects Alliance? Or are you implying... that your Golden Sand Castle is dissatisfied with how our Four Great Sects deal with the traitors of Yunlin?"

With that single statement, he had elevated a personal dispute to the level of sect politics!

Miao Zhicheng’s expression changed drastically. He never expected Chen Qing to be so cunning as to frame the issue in such a damning way!

Colluding with the Demon Sect was a major taboo in the Jianghu, and the Four Sects Alliance was currently at the zenith of its power in Yunlin Prefecture, representing the orthodox authority in the fight against demons.

If the accusation of being dissatisfied with the four sects—or even questioning their authority—were to stick, not only he, but the Golden Sand Castle backing him could find itself in serious trouble!

"You... Stop spouting such nonsense! These are baseless slanders!"

Shocked and enraged, Miao Zhicheng retorted sharply, "Anyone who colludes with the Demon Sect deserves to be killed by any righteous person! My pursuit of this fiend was also an act of justice. How could you claim I’m dissatisfied with the four sects?!"

"If you were merely acting for justice, then now that the traitor is dead, the stolen goods should rightfully be collected and recorded by me, the one officially carrying out the Alliance’s business."

Chen Qing’s tone was casual, yet his words were relentless. "But Young Hero Miao, you keep demanding the items, even threatening violence. Such actions can’t help but arouse suspicion. Or could it be that your so-called ’act of justice’ was actually a cover for ulterior motives?"

"You!"

Miao Zhicheng was struck speechless by the argument, his face flushing red and pale with rage.

’I was the one who hunted down Zhu Xin, exhausting all my energy, and now I’m somehow the one in the wrong!?’

’But the Profound Iron Box is right here. I can’t just give up on it now!’

Miao Zhicheng’s last shred of patience was gone. He stared daggers at Chen Qing, killing intent surfacing in his eyes, and said in a glacial tone, "Enough nonsense. Today, you’re giving me that box whether you like it or not!"

A grim momentum erupted from him, and the atmosphere instantly became fraught with tension.

Just then, Luo Wei, the Chief of the Debao Escort Agency, couldn’t help but step forward and whisper a word of caution to Chen Qing. "Chief Chen, this man has a reputation in Lin’an Prefecture for being ruthless and vindictive over the smallest slight. He’s not someone to cross. Fifty thousand taels of silver is no small sum. Perhaps it’s better to... avoid a direct confrontation for now. Give him the box. Taking the silver would still be a huge win."

"Avoid a direct confrontation?"

Hearing this, Chen Qing let out a cold laugh. "Avoid a direct confrontation? Since when do I, Chen Qing, need to shy away from anyone?"

....