297 Tong Treasure Shop
“Treasured weapon masters… Are they only for making artifacts?” Qin Huai sized up the young man before him. The latter’s hands were covered in calluses, and his arms were even thicker than many of the adults beside him. Clearly, he was a blacksmith.
“Naturally,” the young man replied with a smug look on his face. “My family only produces high-quality products. If you sell this spear to me, my family will definitely be able to increase its power by another forty percent! What a pity. If it was a raw gemstone, my father would be able to double its power.”
Qin Huai realized that this young man was trying to promote his family’s treasure shop by treating his Silver Fox as a fake so that he could upgrade it. “Oh, I don’t believe it…” he said, pretending to be surprised. “Lead the way. Let me take a look first.”
The young man’s expression didn’t reveal any flaws, but his light footsteps completely betrayed his heart. Qin Huai followed behind the young man and walked into the main street.
However, as they walked, the expressions of the pedestrians on the street had already become much more solemn.
There were still a large number of citizens waiting anxiously in front of the gates of Qingzhou City. However, because of Feng Zhiqun’s intimidation, these martial artists did not dare to clamor or make any presumptuous moves.
On the streets, many people were in a hurry to buy food and clothes.
“Don’t go out for the next few days. There are demons in the city that have transformed. They’re very impressive,” one person said.
“What should I do if I can’t enter Qingzhou City? My wife and children are still waiting for me to come home,” another lamented.
“My mother is seriously ill, and it’s all thanks to my herbs that she’s still alive… Lords, please give me a way out…”
Wails spread from afar.
Qin Huai looked into the distance. The walls of Qingzhou City were already filled with martial artists. It was different from before.
At this moment, half of the people standing in front of the city had an imposing aura. They were bone pattern realm experts.
Above the gate, on the city tower, Feng Zhiqun sat. His cold eyes looked down at the ground, and an invisible might seemed to be able to penetrate through flesh and blood, piercing straight into the soul. Qin Huai only needed to look into his eyes to feel a piercing pain in them.
The young man leading the way followed Qin Huai’s gaze and smiled. “That Ghost Ox sect’s Feng Zhiqun is a famous legend in Qingzhou City!” he said. “His family is a sixth-generation servant disciple of the Ghost Ox sect. When he was six years old, his parents and relatives were all killed by demons when they went out, leaving him alone to inherit the sect’s servant position.
“At the age of thirty, he was only able to reach the patterned bone level and was sent to a small city by the border. However, in this small border city, he had been transferred back to Qingzhou City because of his meritorious service in blocking the demon wave several times. After that, it went out of control.
“He broke through the visceral realm at the age of forty and became a real elder of the Ghost Ox sect. He’s famous for being iron-blooded and harsh.” The young man was very familiar with the Ghost Ox sect. As he spoke, he looked at Feng Zhiqun on the city tower with envy in his eyes.
Qin Huai listened silently. Li Xiao had once told him that the Ghost Ox sect was one of the top forces in Qingzhou City. It held a pivotal position in Qingzhou City, especially in the west.
Qin Huai scanned the area, taking in the sight of numerous martial artists carrying bags of various sizes, along with demons aimlessly wandering around. It was evident that they were all locals of Qingzhou City who could not enter the city.
After walking for another half of the street, Qin Huai heard a commotion behind him. Many pedestrians quickly dispersed to the sides of the road, and he found himself squeezed into a fruit stall by the crowd.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Warriors with stern expressions and wearing armor marched aggressively across the street.
“Are these all disciples of the major sects in the city?” Qin Huai asked, as he was still new to the area and didn’t know much about these sect emblems.
“No, there are also sects from outside the city. It’s just that they couldn’t enter Qingzhou City, so they set up their sects and gangs outside the city,” the young man replied with a slightly different expression.
Perhaps this person wasn’t just some country bumpkin, but a lucky one at that. It seemed that he didn’t know anything about Qingzhou City. He carried a decent artifact on his back and dressed shabbily. If he didn’t have the money, he would have wasted so much time talking.
“It must have been the great sects in the city that put in a lot of effort, asking them to send people to search for demons hiding outside the city,” the young man sighed. “The sects in the city must have put in a lot of effort to make these sects from the outer city join forces.”
“Apart from that, the gates of Qingzhou City must have been sealed,” a thin and tall middle-aged martial artist interjected. “There’s no way we can enter the city in a short period of time.”
The crowd of onlookers was a little sarcastic, while Qin Huai shook his head inwardly. He didn’t expect to encounter such an issue when he had just arrived in Qingzhou.
He waited for the martial artists from the sects to pass by before following the young man to a shop, or rather, a house. As he stood at the door, Qin Huai could hear the sound of metal knocking emanating from inside the room, along with traces of heat waves.
A wooden sign hung in front of the door that read, “Fourth Generation Tong’s Treasure Shop.” The meaning was obvious. This Tong Treasure Shop had already been passed down to the fourth generation.
Many guests came and went in front of the door, carrying bags or having carriages carry large bags of things. Qin Huai looked at the packages. Some of them exuded a natural aura, while others were fine iron and rare stones.