Chapter 207

Inside the room, the candle flickered dimly.

A group of people sat, staring at each other with wide eyes.

Li Yan and the others were all there, including Chen Ji Zu, and his father who managed the merchant guild, all with gloomy faces.

Such a big commotion in the middle of the night naturally alarmed many people.

Some came out to watch the excitement, and the guild hall's owners, Chen Ji Zu and his father, had also rushed over. Seeing this, they spoke good words, letting everyone disperse.

On the chair opposite them sat a fat young man, head lowered, full of frustration.

It was the person who had been reciting poetry the day before.

This fat man could be considered festive-looking, dressed in a black silk Confucian robe, white and fat, wearing a Confucian cap, and even wearing a pair of ebony glasses.

Chen Ji Zu's father, named Chen Yuanqing, was not only the owner of this Jiangzhe Guild Hall but also a great merchant.

He stared at the fat man, hating that he couldn't turn him into steel, and said, "Speak, when did you master sorcery? And when did you become a treasure-seeker?"

Li Yan and the others heard this and were also full of curiosity.

Chen Ji Zu had already introduced the background of this fat man.

His surname was Lin, named Lin Yu, from a great clan in Wuzhou. Not only did he possess vast amounts of fertile land, but he also operated silk workshops and various shops, and even many people in his clan were officials.

Moreover, this Lin Yu had been famous for his talent since he was a child, with a photographic memory, famous for ten miles and eight villages, and easily passed the exam to become a scholar.

It could be said that apart from being fat, he lacked nothing.

And this person, he didn't know when he had actually become a treasure-seeker and could control Wood Guests to sneak into their room to peek at treasures.

This kind of person wanted money—he could take out tens of thousands of taels at will.

Coming to do this kind of sneaky thing was truly incomprehensible.

The fat man Lin Yu was silent for a long while before muttering, "My master didn't let me say, but I learned it since I was a child and have been hiding it from my family."

"No wonder!"

Chen Yuanqing sneered, "Learned some superficial skills and thought you could go around causing trouble, right? And you didn't let your family's attendants follow you, running to this place alone—your guts are truly not small."

"Speak, why did you sneak into someone else's room?"

Lin Yu secretly glanced at Li Yan and the others, embarrassed, "The treasure qi on them was rich. I had no ill intentions; I was just itching with curiosity and wanted to see what it was."

Li Yan's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "You awakened the Eye-Opening supernatural power? And you can see treasure qi?"

Zhao the Donkey had once told him about a kind of person who awakened the Eye-Opening supernatural power and could gaze at qi, but unlike others, this kind of person, besides gong qi and evil qi, could also see the treasure qi emitted by treasures.

This kind of person could be called a natural treasure-seeker.

Lin Yu smiled apologetically and nodded, "This little hero is very knowledgeable; very few people know about this thing called treasure qi."

Chen Yuanqing on the side said coldly, "Truly reckless. I will definitely tell your father about this matter."

"Also, which lineage did you learn from?"

"Mountain-chasing, sea-exploring, or secluded-seeking?"

Li Yan remained calm and glanced at this old man.

Han Kun being able to become an elder of the Boat Gang was all operated by this old man, and he could name the three lineages of treasure-seekers in one breath—he was definitely no ordinary person!

Lin Yu clutched the corner of his clothes, twisting it back and forth. Seeing he couldn't hide it, he could only say with a dejected face, "My master learned a mix of things and understood a little of all three lineages. Later, he followed someone to sea and never came back."

"This, I really didn't use sorcery to harm anyone..."

Chen Yuanqing shook his head slightly, sighed, and bowed to Li Yan, "Little hero Li, this Lin Yu is the son of an old friend of mine, and also a nephew of mine. If there is any offense, please forgive me."

"Whatever compensation you all want, I will agree to it."

"Old sir, you are joking."

Li Yan shook his head, "Old sir letting us stay here is already benevolent and righteous, and we haven't lost anything, so no compensation is needed."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look opposite, "The only thing I'm curious about is that the thing that could make this Brother Lin stay here for so long definitely wasn't some beauty, right?"

Lin Yu smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.

Chen Yuanqing saw his appearance and was even more annoyed, "If I tell you to speak, then speak. You have so many treasures in the Lin family, yet you ran here to seek treasures yourself—you are purely full and have nothing to do!"

"But it's different!"

Lin Yu gained spirit and said mysteriously:

"This place... actually has a dragon!"

Seeing that everyone didn't believe him, he became anxious and said, "This is mentioned in the booklet left by my master."

"There is dragon-qi spiritual treasure in the mountains near Yunyang, but because the timing wasn't mature, I didn't act rashly."

"I originally didn't believe it and just ran to this place out of curiosity, but I truly saw dragon-qi and dragon shadows!"

"Also, do you all know the origin of Yunyang Prefecture?"

"It is rumored that in ancient times, a meteorite fell from the sky, the night was like day, dazzling for dozens of miles, and there was thunder like a dragon's roar."

"Where the meteorite fell, the north was yang, the south was yin, the left was yang, the right was yin, and the place where the meteorite fell happened to coincide with the place where the dragon-qi appeared."

"I suspect that what fell at that time wasn't a meteorite, but a dragon. At the very least, there should be dragon bones or something..."

Although he spoke with certainty, Chen Yuanqing clearly didn't believe it and said coldly, "You have read so many books, don't you know the nature of a dragon?"

"A dragon can be big or small, can rise or hide, and has the ability to swallow heaven and earth. When big, it swallows heaven and earth; when small, it hides in a mustard seed. From ancient times to the present, how many people have truly seen one?"

"Thinking about these is useless."

"If you truly want to contribute to the Lin family, the Wood Guest left by your master is a supreme treasure. Use this spirit creature to explore spiritual treasures in the mountains and tell your father; the Lin family will definitely value it..."

"This, absolutely not!"

Lin Yu became anxious upon hearing this, hurriedly stood up, bowed, and begged, "Uncle Chen, my master once said that fortune and disaster depend on each other, just like the way of yin and yang. The fortune and disaster in the world usually accompany each other."

"My Lin family's wealth is already enough, and we can still hold on, but if we take treasures with the help of Wood Guests, it will instead attract disaster."

"I was just curious and wanted to see it."

Chen Yuanqing heard this rebuttal but didn't get angry. Instead, he pondered for a moment and nodded, "What you said is indeed correct. Your Lin family's current momentum indeed still lacks some official qi to suppress it."

"To go further, it is not the work of one generation." As he spoke, he snorted coldly, "Precisely because of this, you should live up to what you have learned and pass the exam to become an official to protect the family."

"Instead of rushing to the capital to handle things, you are wandering around, wasting time, and even lying to me that you have met a good match... you deserve a beating!"

The fat man Lin Yu had a bitter face and didn't dare to speak again.

Seeing the two pulling further and further away, Li Yan hurriedly interrupted and smiled, "Brother Lin, can you tell us about that place?"

"We people of the martial world have fortune and disaster accompanying us, so we aren't afraid of these."

Chen Yuanqing's face changed slightly, but he didn't stop him.

Everyone wanted to obtain spiritual treasures, but since he had let Lin Yu speak, it wasn't good to go back on his word now.

Lin Yu's eyes lit up, but he didn't stop him either, saying, "That place is on Mount Qinglong outside the city."

"You all have extraordinary skills. Can you take me to open my eyes? I don't want the treasure; I just want to see what it is..."

"No!"

Chen Yuanqing scolded angrily, "It seems you still haven't given up. You are not allowed to go anywhere. Tomorrow, I will send someone to escort you to the capital!"

!.

Lin Yu felt even more bitter after hearing this.

Li Yan was stunned, then shook his head, "Old senior Chen is right; that place is indeed not somewhere you should go."

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Yuanqing, "To tell you the truth, I went to the Chenghuangmiao during the day and took on some tasks from the Law Enforcement Hall."

"This Mount Qinglong is one of them. A few days ago, commoners often disappeared, and it was said that strange beasts appeared, making people panic."

"There were experts from the Meishan Dharma lineage who went into the mountains to hunt beasts, and they also never returned. It must be quite dangerous."

"When we leave tomorrow, we will stop by to investigate. If it is truly dangerous, we will report it to the Chenghuangmiao."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Chen Yuanqing sighed after hearing this, "I heard from a friend that whenever a disaster occurs, there must be strange phenomena appearing in the world. It must be related to the chaos in Yunyang Prefecture."

As he spoke, he looked at Lin Yu, "Yunyang Prefecture is not a place for a long stay. If you leave late, you might get trapped here and delay your exam."

"I will make arrangements to send you away tomorrow."

"Go back and pack your things!"

"If you dare to run around again, I will beat you until you can't get out of bed and then send you to the capital to heal."

"Yes."

Lin Yu had a dejected face and lowered his head...

…………

"You're leaving already?"

The next morning, Han Kun, who had heard the news, came to the inn early.

Li Yan bowed sternly, "We have also promised a friend to help treat his mother, so we shouldn't delay too long."

Han Kun was full of admiration upon hearing this and said to Chen Yuanqing on the side, "This is the reason why I value little brother Li."

"Because of a promise, they traveled thousands of miles to send a coffin back to the hometown, and that person had no relatives or friends, all alone. In the current martial world, this is becoming rarer and rarer."

Chen Yuanqing also stroked his beard, "A promise is worth a thousand gold. It seems the chivalrous spirit of the Tang Dynasty has not yet dissipated among the swordsmen of Guanzhong..."

"Seniors, you flatter me." Li Yan shook his head slightly.

Han Kun's expression became solemn, "Having obtained your news, I discussed with the Gang Leader yesterday to reorganize the Boat Gang. We don't have time to entertain you all, so it's better to leave Yunyang early."

"Also, you are heading to the East River Ferry, which is the territory of the Row Sect. If I were to see you off, it would instead cause you trouble, so let's say goodbye here."

"The Row Sect's recent behavior is crazy, and they are strictly checking people from the martial world passing by. Getting on their boats will inevitably lead to trouble."

"I have a good friend at the East River Ferry who often sends people back and forth across Ezhou. He is skilled in boat operation and knows the water and land routes everywhere like the back of his hand. You can go directly to him, which will save a lot of trouble."

As he spoke, he handed over a hand-token.

"Many thanks, senior."

Li Yan respectfully took it, thanked him, and said goodbye.

"See you again."

"Take care on the road."

After saying goodbye to everyone, Li Yan and the four set off.

They first went to the Chenghuangmiao to get Lu San's Daoist certificate before heading to the East River Ferry at the East Gate.

At the ferry, the atmosphere was indeed somewhat wrong.

Some men were carrying sharp weapons, their eyes full of gloom, looking around from time to time—clearly people from the Row Sect, afraid that the Boat Gang would send people to cause trouble.

Li Yan and the others sensed something was wrong and kept a low profile. Plus, they were carrying luggage, looking like they were preparing to leave, so no one came to question them.

"It's this boat."

In the corner of the ferry, they finally found the boat Han Kun had mentioned.

This boat was not small, with a cabin and white sails, so it couldn't be considered exquisite, but even if it rained on the way, they would no longer fear it.

Sitting at the bow was an old man wearing a bamboo hat, leisurely fishing, while several boatmen were busy cleaning the deck.

"This senior..."

Just as Li Yan walked over to ask, the old man hurriedly spoke in a low voice, "Do you have the hand-token?"

Upon seeing the hand-token Han Kun had given Li Yan, the old man immediately whispered, "Don't say much, get on the boat immediately. We'll talk after we leave the ferry."

Li Yan and the others understood instantly, remained silent, took their luggage onto the boat, and then ducked into the cabin to wait.

"Raise the sails, set off!"

With a shout from the old man, the wooden boat slowly left the ferry...

And just as they left, Chen Yuanqing ran to the East River Ferry with a face full of anger, looking around and cursing:

"This Lin Yu, truly daring and wicked!"

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(End of chapter)