Shopkeeper Chen let out a long sigh. Then he put the seal down and then turned to Zhao Hai, âBrother Zhao, I really want to thank you. This is the seal I was looking for. I really didnât expect that you would find it. Moreover, you found it in time. This is great. I will depart for the clan tomorrow with you. Weâll go together to celebrate the Clan Leaderâs birthday.â
As soon as he heard what Shopkeeper Chen said, Zhao Hai breathed a sigh of relief. Then he smiled bitterly and said, âYou donât know how dangerous it was to look for the seal. I almost lost my life. The map you gave me is practically useless. In the end, I went deeper into the Mountain of Demon Beasts and met a group of Mischievous Monkeys. I was lucky enough to find the seal in their possession. I also clashed with other people who were looking for the seal.â
When he heard this, Shopkeeper Chen couldnât help but be stunned. He asked, âWhat happened?â
Zhao Hai nodded and explained the matters in the nameless town and the Mountain of Demon Beasts. Although Zhao Hai was clearly back, Shopkeeper Chen and the others were still nervous upon hearing his recollection.
After Zhao Hai was done, Shopkeeper Chen and the others relaxed. They didnât expect how much effort it took to find the seal.
Liu Wei let out a long sigh as he said, âI didnât expect the Mountain of Demon Beasts to be really dangerous. I was planning to go there, but now I changed my mind.â
Shopkeeper Chen also frowned, âIt seems like a lot of people in the clan have been looking for the seal. Iâm afraid I was fooled by the person who sold me the map. Fortunately, it was still me who won in the end. Brother Zhao, I wasnât joking with you. Come with me to the birthday celebration of the Clan Leader. As long as I get a high rank, I will definitely treat you well.â
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, âThe important thing is the Blackwood Groupâs matters. Shopkeeper Chen, you have to help the gang.â
Shopkeeper Chen laughed and said, âOf course. With my relationship with Brother Liu, Blackwood Groupâs matters are my matters as well. You donât need to worry. Brother Zhao, Iâll be taking the seal with me. Tomorrow morning, meet me in the Full Moon Pavilion.â
Zhao Hai nodded and said, âAlright. Shopkeeper Chen can rest assured, I will come on time.â
Shopkeeper Chen nodded and said, âI canât stay here for a long time. Itâs possible that people might suspect something. Iâll leave first.â Then everyone sent Shopkeeper Chen out.
When Shopkeeper Chen left, Liu Wei, Zhao Hai and Li Shan returned to the private room. Liu Wei looked at Zhao Hai and said, âBrother Zhao, I have to thank you. Youâve been in the Blackwood Group for a short time, but you already gave us a lot. If Old Chen really gets a high position in the clan, then our Blackwood Group will gain a lot. I must thank you. If it werenât for you, I really donât know how to improve the gang.â
Zhao Hai shook his head and said, âI wonât be too confident. I still am not sure if finding the seal was a good idea or not. Shopkeeper Chen can help us, but he is just an ordinary person in the end. If something happens to him in the future, then the Blackwood Group might face suppression from all angles. Itâs because of this that Iâm contemplating joining the clan. If I can get a foothold in the clan, even if Shopkeeper Chen is gone, the Blackwood Group can still survive.â
Hearing Zhao Hai, Liu Wei couldnât help but stare. He smiled bitterly and said, âYouâre thinking too far in the future. But no matter what, I still have to thank Brother Zhao.â
Zhao Hai shook his head, âAlright, weâve said everything we have to say. Letâs drink. I will be leaving tomorrow. I still donât know what will happen.â
Liu Wei nodded. At this time, Li Shan stood up and said, âIâll go arrange the food and wine.â Then he walked out. Before long, the table was filled with food and wine.
After the group shared a session of drinking, Zhao Hai returned to his room to rest. He immediately contacted Laura and the others to monitor the Blackwood Group. He wanted to see if there were any bad elements in the gang. If there were, they might leak the matter of the seal. Revealing the sealâs existence this early might cause other people to become reckless. When the time comes, Shopkeeper Chen would be in danger.
Fortunately, Zhao Haiâs worries were dashed. Shopkeeper Chen went to the Blackwood Group often to settle the matters regarding his caravans. Therefore, it was normal to see him at this time. Nobody would think that Zhao Hai had brought the seal back from the Mountain of Demon Beasts.
In fact, nobody expected Shopkeeper Chen to send Zhao Hai to find the seal. Shopkeeper Chen raised his own group of cultivators. These cultivators were in the Soul Fusion Stage. Who would have thought that Shopkeeper Chen would rather trust someone from the Blackwood Group than the cultivators he raised.
Additionally, the Blackwood Group was rather special compared to other gangs. When Liu Wei formed the gang, he looked for people he could trust. And later on, the people they absorbed were all from Blackwood Alley. Therefore, nobody would betray the gang. It can be said that the current Blackwood Group was more united than the Tyrant Blade Sect.
Because of all these factors, the business between Zhao Hai and Shopkeeper Chen remained unknown to everyone. Nobody knew that Zhao Hai managed to find the seal.
The night passed silently. Zhao Haiâs expectations of a surprise attack didnât arrive. On the other hand, Shopkeeper Chen couldnât sleep the entire night. He was too excited as well as afraid.
It wasnât only Zhao Hai who was worried about being exposed. Shopkeeper Chen cared about the matterâs secrecy even more. He didnât rest the entire night, nor did he let anyone guard his room. Shopkeeper Chen knew that reinforcing his defenses at this time would definitely attract unwanted attention.
The next morning, after eating breakfast in the Blackwood Group, Zhao Hai immediately went to the Full Moon Pavilion. When he arrived, he saw Shopkeeper Chen who had black circles around his bloodshot eyes.
Seeing Zhao Hai, Shopkeeper Chen smiled bitterly and said, âIâve made you laugh. I was too anxious last night, so I wasnât able to sleep. Letâs go.â Zhao Hai smiled faintly but didnât say anything. He could understand Shopkeeper Chenâs experience.
The two arrived in the back courtyard of the Full Moon Pavilion. Then Shopkeeper Chen adjusted the transmission formation on the ground. Before long, the two stepped on the transmission formation and disappeared after a flash of white light.
The next moment, the two appeared in a small city. They actually appeared in the small cityâs transmission formation square.
Zhao Hai looked around and saw that the small city didnât seem different to other small cities heâs been in before. However, this town had a very big mansion. Moreover, the mansion was extremely grand. It looked like a royal palace.
Shopkeeper Chen, who already introduced himself to Zhao Hai as Chen Feng, led Zhao Hai out of the transmission formation and said, âThis is Coiling Dragon City, the main city of the clan. There are no outsiders in this city. Every resident you see are branch members of the clan. There are some families that have served the clan for more than five generations. They are the foundation of the clan. Therefore, donât offend anyone here. An old man walking around the street might be the brother of the Clan Leader. If you offend them, you will be miserable. During this part of the year, talents would arrive in this city. Besides us, the other would bring a trusted guard. However, one couldnât bring too many guards. Otherwise, they would be struck down by the clanâs experts.â
Zhao Hai nodded and looked at the people on the street. There were plenty of people walking around. Most of these people werenât wearing warrior clothing. There were also old people taking leisurely walks. Young people greeted each other with smiles on their faces. Some of the children were holding wooden swords and playing around.
However, Zhao Hai didnât dare to underestimate these people. He saw that several of the old people walking in the street were in the Teleportation Stage. There were also Teleportation Stage experts among the young people. Even the most ordinary looking person on the street seemed to have reached the Clone Stage or the Soul Fusion Stage.
As for the children, although it looked like they were recklessly swinging their wooden swords about, Zhao Hai could see that their swings were very organized. In other words, they werenât just playing around but instead practicing according to a sword or a blade technique. This was what surprised Zhao Hai the most.
After looking around the city, Zhao Hai discovered that there were at least hundreds of thousands of people living inside. This number could only be larger, not smaller. And these hundreds of thousands only counted the adults.
What kind of population was this? To put it bluntly, this clan had at least a hundred thousand adults! How could a clan reach a hundred thousand members?
This huge clan definitely wasnât weaker than sects. They were even stronger than some huge sects. But until now, Zhao Hai didnât know the name of this clan, which surprised him the most.
When Zhao Hai and Chen Feng walked out of the transmission formation, a person wearing a servicemanâs clothing walked over. Then they cupped their fist and said, âShopkeeper Chen, you came quite late this time. Your room has already been prepared. Please come with me.â
Chen Feng didnât look down on the man, he immediately cupped his fist and said, âIs it Second Masterâs turn to experience life today? This Old Chen must have cultivated well in my past life. I will definitely tell my descendants about the day the Second Master served me. Iâll write it down on my family records.â
The Second Master referred to by Chen Feng couldnât help but laugh when he heard this, âOld Chen, you really know how to lighten up peopleâs day.â