Chapter 1271 The Business of the Chen Family in the Capital
The patriarch's study was antique and elegant.
Su Tianhuang was practicing calligraphy in the study, his brush strokes like soaring dragons, full of vigor. Suddenly, he asked, "Have the assets of the Vermillion Bird lineage been put into the vault?"
The old butler shook his head. "Not yet. I heard that Su Dazhao, the master of the Bing lineage, brought Deputy Commander Wu yesterday to forcibly enter the Vermillion Bird lineage for execution, but he was dealt with by that kid Chen Xuan."
"What, Wu Tongtian was dealt with by Chen Xuan?"
Su Tianhuang couldn't help but widen his eyes, his brush frozen mid-stroke.
Just two days ago, it was Wu Tongtian who had defeated Tian Haiyi Shan and saved Chen Xuan, but now, how had the situation reversed?
This was incredible!
Su Tianhuang was also bewildered.
"Su Dazhao is not one to give up easily. In his youth, he was exceptionally skilled in combat. If he hadn't been injured back then, he would likely be even more capable now," the old butler sighed.
Su Tianhuang collected himself and said, "Who can say otherwise? That incident from back then cast a shadow over Su Dazhao's heart. I hope he can regain his spirit."
"Patriarch, this is bad!"
Suddenly, a voice echoed from afar.
A guard rushed in breathlessly.
"What is it?" the old butler asked.
"I heard that Su Dazhao, the master of the Bing lineage, has compromised with the Vermillion Bird lineage, agreeing to give them a three-month grace period."
Upon hearing this, both Su Tianhuang and the old butler were shocked, wondering why Su Dazhao would compromise.
"Alright, I know," Su Tianhuang waved his hand, dismissing the servant.
"Patriarch, what should we do?"
After the servant left, the old butler asked.
Su Tianhuang's expression turned serious. Forgetting his calligraphy, he put down his brush.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Notify Su Yunxi of the Vermillion Bird lineage. For the grand banquet three days from now, have her represent the Su family of the capital."
"Ah? This..."
"Go! If she is sensible, from then on, she will obediently hand over the assets of the Vermillion Bird lineage into the vault."
"I'll go notify her now."
...
"Da Qianmen... Shitou Lane... Number seventy-two..."
Chen Xuan, holding the business card Li Er had given him, looked at it repeatedly. After asking around, he finally found Shitou Lane and searched for Li Er's shop.
With nothing better to do, Chen Xuan took the business card to find Li Er.
Da Qianmen was a very bustling area in the capital, comparable to the former Tianqiao.
It was a place where people of all sorts mingled, including those with extraordinary abilities. As for Shitou Lane, it was obscure. He had inquired with many people before finding Shitou Lane.
Following the winding Shitou Lane, he finally found number seventy-two.
It was a very small storefront, dark and dingy. Anyone unaware might mistake it for a shady establishment.
As he walked in, Chen Xuan happened to see another customer in the shop.
Looking at the person's back, Chen Xuan immediately frowned.
The person exuded a chilling aura, like malevolent energy or ghostly energy, mixed with a hint of yang energy.
What kind of path was this?
Logically, a person should carry yang energy, ghosts carried ghostly energy, and vengeful spirits carried malevolent energy. How could a person carry all three energies simultaneously?
This defied all logic!
"Boss!"
The strange person spoke, his voice muffled and hoarse, as if stones were grinding together, or as if he couldn't open his mouth properly.
Li Er, who was lying on a reclining chair with a palm-leaf fan over his head, remained sluggish, as if he hadn't heard. He carried himself with an air of great importance, making one think this was a prestigious establishment.
"Boss!"
The strange person called out again, seemingly impatient.
"My ears aren't deaf, you don't need to shout so loud."
Li Er stood up and spoke with a hint of annoyance. However, when he saw Chen Xuan standing behind the strange person, he was taken aback, and his expression improved.
Li Er's words startled the strange person, who quickly responded in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "I'll be quieter."
Chen Xuan was slightly surprised, not expecting Li Er to be so haughty. As the saying goes, "A big shop bullies its customers." You've opened such a small, dilapidated shop, yet you're treating people with such disdain?
He was filled with curiosity.
"What do you want?"
Seeing Chen Xuan arrive, Li Er wanted to get rid of this customer quickly and immediately said to the strange person.
"Soul Summoning Talisman."
"Failed again?"
"Uh... Failed..."
Li Er shook his head, appearing very disappointed. Then, he took a yellow talisman from a stack of talismans on the shelf and placed it before the strange person.
"Thank you."
The strange person thanked him and then took out several black stones from his sleeve, placing them on the glass counter. "Is this enough?"
"It's enough."
Li Er's eyes flashed with a hint of delight as he looked at the black stones. He nodded subtly.
The strange person floated away, seemingly without legs.
As soon as the strange person left, Chen Xuan rushed forward and picked up a black stone from the counter. Looking at the stone, his eyes widened in surprise. "This is a Soul Stone from the Underworld!"
Soul Stones are extremely precious in the human world.
It is rumored that Soul Stones exist in the Underworld, and in the human world, they can only be occasionally found in places close to the gates of hell, such as Mount Miluo, Turkmenistan, the Valley of Death, and Fengdu Ghost City.
The appearance of Soul Stones is attributed to the opening of the gates of hell, which causes some Soul Stones to scatter into the human world.
Soul Stones are so valuable to powerful cultivators and geomancers.
Cultivators can use Soul Stones to improve their cultivation, while geomancers use them to enhance their geomantic arts, and can even use Soul Stones to set up powerful geomantic formations. It is said that formations set up with Soul Stones can last for over a thousand years if undisturbed.
However, that person just now took out five Soul Stones without any sign of reluctance, and only exchanged them for a cheap Soul Summoning Talisman. This isn't a spendthrift, it's someone with a screw loose!
Thinking of this, Chen Xuan suddenly thought of the strange person and looked up at Li Er. "Was that person just... a Ghost Messenger..."
A Ghost Messenger!
One who enters and exits hell, possessing both yang energy, malevolent energy, and ghostly energy – a truly bizarre existence!
Li Er nodded and truthfully said, "Yes, they are Ghost Messengers."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Chen Xuan's face.
Li Er continued, "Ghost Messengers don't always have a smooth time claiming souls in the human world, and occasionally require some tools."
"They can't refine talismans themselves, so they need to interact with geomancers in the human world. Throughout history, the Chen family of the capital has been involved in this kind of business, which is why the Chen family of the capital ranks first among the ten great families!"
Chen Xuan was stunned, never having imagined the Chen family of the capital to be such an entity, doing business with Ghost Messengers from the Underworld. It was truly unique in the world!
Moreover, many things from the Underworld are extremely precious, like those Soul Stones. One could fetch hundreds of millions, and a Soul Summoning Talisman is worth so little, it's immeasurable.
At this moment, he finally understood why Li Er had the chains made of iron. They were likely the chains used by Ghost Messengers to bind souls!
With this thought, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Li Er sneered, "Furthermore, the influential families of the capital, believing the Chen family of the capital to be destroyed and having plundered their assets, would never have imagined that this is the true foundation of the Chen family of the capital!"
"Young Master, it's fortunate you've arrived. Now that you are in the capital, this side of the business can be handed over to you to manage."
Towards the end, his tone became more serious.