Chapter 58: New Identity

Wang Fugui smiled: "Sure, sure, sit, sit, sit!"

"Hahaha."

After everyone sat down, they oddly glanced at Wang Fugui's companion standing beside him, Yan Buji, and curiously asked:

"Who is this?"

"Oh, I was just about to introduce him to a few friends; this is Mr. Ji Bu. Earlier, outside the city, I was suddenly attacked by bandits, and fortunately this Mr. Ji Bu came to my rescue. To thank him, I have hired Mr. Ji Bu as my guard for a period of time; he is not an outsider!" Wang Fugui said.

"Ah?! How could this happen? Could it be that Brother Wang's business hasn't made friends with the Green Forest King Wang Lu, so how could he still be robbed outside the capital?"

"Sigh, these times are chaotic. What does it matter that Wang Lu calls himself the Green Forest King? Know that inside and outside the capital, there are always hidden talents; although he's a Green Forest bandit with some fame in the martial world, there are plenty of people who don't buy his act!" Wang Fugui snorted, disdainfully.

"I never expected such a figure to appear outside the capital; I don't know whether he's a dragon that has crossed the river or just a worm."

"Now we too must be careful when we go out."

Wang Fugui nodded: "Who would disagree? Even the Blood Flow Sect Remnant Faction, called ferocious outsiders, have appeared; I fear that in this period, the Kun Dao region will not have peace."

Several merchants furrowed their brows.

Historically, such rebellious forces, even if pursued by the court to the ends of the earth, would retain some strength; and now the Blood Flow Sect Remnant Faction is under joint pursuit by various forces and the court, and to this day there is no definite news—perhaps the Blood Flow Sect has already risen from the ashes!

As for such troublemakers, even we merchants don't want to run into them; who knows when we might encounter them?

"I've heard of this Blood Flow Sect Remnant Faction's Yan Buji; he seems to be a merchant from Lin Shan Cheng, but I don't know why he turned into a Blood Flow Sect Remnant Faction member."

"Hehe, would you all like to know?" a short, shifty-eyed merchant with two small moustaches at the corners of his mouth, wearing a somewhat comical smile, spoke cautiously.

"Oh? Brother Chen Li, what news do you have? Your family's medicinal herb business has wide connections; you must know some inside information, right?"

Chen Li chuckled: "Well, this matter is actually quite involved. Do you know that the Blood Flow Sect Remnant Faction hides in Lin Shan Cheng, besides the obvious merchants, there are also hidden identities?"

"Not saying it outright?"

"This person is also the leader of the Three Mountains Bandits near Lin Shan Cheng, seemingly a grandmaster-level expert in the martial world! He has intercepted and killed passing martial artists practicing evil arts, and afterwards slaughtered the Wu family's caravan coming to the capital. It is said he also looted some treasures, so the family and martial forces there hate him to the bone."

Wang Fugui's pupils contracted, and he furtively glanced at Yan Buji standing beside him with some fear.

Yan Buji had a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, seeming not to mind their discussion of him.

"Then what? Even so, the court has issued such a large-scale sea‑arrest order throughout the Kun Dao region; surely they must have already clashed with Yan Buji?"

"Brother Zhao is truly clever. Indeed, I've also heard that the Iron Tiger Guard sent people to Lin Shan Cheng, but lately the Iron Tiger Guard is hardly seen in the capital—do you think something major has happened?!" Chen Li chuckled.

Several merchants' faces changed: "Could Yan Buji have killed one of the Iron Tiger Guard's Four Guards? He might even have killed them all."

"That won't do; the Wind Guard I heard from a court official a few days ago said they saw him, but the Iron Tiger Guard really does show signs of contraction lately—maybe... the two sect masters have met with trouble!" The neighboring merchant whispered.

"That's impossible? Those two sect masters are each peerless experts; even if the Blood Flow Sect's Yan Buji is formidable, he surely couldn't...."

"You also know that the Iron Tiger Guard never shows a hint of weakness unless they are absolutely sure; but this time the Iron Tiger Guard seems to have returned in defeat, and it's easy to imagine they suffered a loss and lost very important personnel—otherwise how could they have contracted their numbers so much? Moreover, the court has more than just the Iron Tiger Guard serving His Majesty; without the Iron Tiger Guard, His Majesty still has the Golden Eagle Host."

"Shh! Don't say that—the Golden Eagle Host is even more terrifying than the Iron Tiger Guard; I don't want to attract their attention!"

Yan Buji beside them furrowed his brow.

Golden Eagle Host?

I never even heard of this court faction; it seems these local tyrants know more.

Seeing how secretive they are, the Golden Eagle Host must be no inferior to the Iron Tiger Guard, if not superior.

But for Yan Buji, who already stands at the pinnacle of the mundane world, he naturally wouldn't fear in martial prowess; however, the depth of a dynasty's foundation is unfathomable—if a cultivator were to pop up, I wouldn't dare hope the opponent could be dealt with as easily as Liu Feng.

So I still need to conceal my identity.

Wang Fugui sighed: "Speaking of the martial world, whether far or near, under the emperor's feet such great chaos naturally wouldn't arise. But lately, business everywhere has truly been difficult; do you all have any opinions?"

"Opinions... haha, Brother Wang, your textile and tea businesses are fine, but we few households rely on taverns and shops to get by. Although caravans can still operate normally, these past years, losing money on goods has truly made us anxious; lately, I'm not planning to send people to other regions." Chen Li sighed.

"Brother Chen Li, are you giving up?" Wang Fugui asked strangely.

"Yeah, lately the court's investigations are strict; sending all those gifts has cleared my name, but if I go again, it'll be like slapping the faces of those big shots—hard to not die."

"That doesn't matter anyway; anyway, Brother Chen Li, your family's medicinal herb business is booming, so you needn't worry about food and drink."

"Hahaha, drink, drink!"

After chatting, everyone began drinking normally; during this time Yan Buji also accompanied them with a few drinks, but he didn't drink much, ostensibly because he still had to do his duty.

Wang Fugui seized the moment, chatting and looking at Chen Li, asked: "Brother Chen Li, have you heard of these three things: Mysterious Jade Flower, Knot‑bright Grass, and Broken‑miasma Fruit?"

Chen Li's flushed face suddenly changed, his eyes flashing with solemnity: "Brother Wang, where did you hear of these things? I haven't heard of them at all—are they medicinal herbs?"

"Seems so; I happened to overhear someone mention these things on the road, thinking they might be some treasure." Wang Fugui laughed heartily.

Chen Li waved his hand: "Just hearsay, no need to pay attention."

"Indeed."

Yan Buji narrowed his eyes, watching Chen Li's complexion return to normal, then gave a light chuckle.

It seems this medicinal herb merchant really does know these things.

Or perhaps even if he doesn't know them all, he must be able to uncover some useful information.

Yan Buji then felt the urge to go out at night to investigate.