BSI Chapter 269: Huang Tian Is Above
Chapter 269: Huang Tian Is Above
At night, Chu Shen held the Spirit Jade in his hand and continued his cultivation as usual.
The disturbance of the Earth Pulse Instrument affected the surrounding spiritual veins, making it quite difficult to draw spiritual energy from the spiritual veins. However, the spiritual aggregates such as Spirit Stones, Spirit Crystals, and Spirit Jade remained stable and could still provide him with the necessary resources for cultivation.
However, he remained vigilant with his spiritual perception and did not fully immerse himself in his cultivation.
The newly arrived merchant caravan made him feel uneasy. Even though they tried their best to conceal it, their abnormal fluctuations of spiritual power were keenly detected by him.
Many people in this caravan were powerful cultivators!
But he didn't want to cause trouble, so he forcibly suppressed his curiosity and observed the situation quietly.
In the merchant's room a few empty rooms away from his own, those "merchants" were also on guard against Chu Shen. They seemed to be relaxing and dispersing into various rooms, but in reality, someone was always paying attention to any movement in Chu Shen's room.
In the middle room, after the leader of the caravan and several core members set up a soundproof barrier, they discussed their plans for their arrival in Yongzhou City. Then, someone mentioned Shen again.
"Boss, you know me, my intuition has always been accurate. That traveling merchant is definitely not simple. Will he cause trouble for our operation?" 027 said.
The leader, a burly man, frowned. "Azao, not only you feel that the traveling merchant is not simple, but me, Laochong, and Tieniu also sensed something. Although he disguised himself well, there were certain habits that inadvertently revealed his true nature, which ordinary traveling merchants wouldn't have."
Although Chu Shen tried his best to disguise himself as a traveling merchant, there were still many flaws in the eyes of those with sharp vision, especially in his way of life.
Other than that, his love for cleanliness is completely subconscious. Washing his face and feet daily has become a habit, but it's something most traveling merchants wouldn't do.
After a day of hard work and travel, most traveling merchants would just fall asleep when they have free time. Who would have the mood to wash their face and feet?
"Could it be a spy from the Jing'an Division?" someone speculated.
The leader of the merchant caravan shook his head. "Doesn't seem like it. The Jing'an Division, as a lackey of the Tang Emperor, is feared and disliked by various forces in the Great Tang Xian Dynasty. With the decline of imperial power and prestige under Emperor Chongling, the Jing'an Division has been constantly suppressed by various forces. Today, it's not what it used to be and only maintains a decent influence in Anyangjing and the surrounding area."
Yongzhou City is too far from Anyangjing and is more influenced by Duke Dengguo than Emperor Chongling. This time, Duke Dengguo provoked the Langhun Heavenly Palace on his own and involved many towns, including Yongzhou City. This is evidence enough.
Only someone crazy from the Jing'an Division would come to a place like this at this time.
If Chu Shen were here, he would be surprised to know that the leader of the merchant caravan knows quite a bit about the conflict between Duke Dengguo and the Langhun Heavenly Palace.
After all, Duke Dengguo's attack on the Lanfeng was a top-secret operation, and even in cities like Yongzhou City that were mobilized by Duke Dengguo, there were few who knew what he was really up to.
"In that case, should we..."
Ah Zao made a cutting motion, indicating that he had murderous intentions towards Chu Shen.
It's not surprising that he would think that way. This time, everyone came to Yongzhou for business, but it's a business that involves killing.
The leader of the caravan, however, was much more steady than Ah Zao: "Don't complicate matters. Although the origins of those traveling merchants are suspicious, their attempts to conceal themselves indicate that they, like us, do not want to attract official attention. We have no need to offend a stranger whose intentions are unknown. Let's each go our own way, like water and oil, it's for the best!"
Ah Zao scratched his head, looking regretful.
Someone laughed and said, "Why does Ah Zao want to get rid of that traveling merchant? Could it be because he envies the merchant's good looks?"
The crowd chuckled.
Ah Zao was short and had a sleazy appearance. To be honest, he wasn't a likable person. Even if he went to those high-class establishments, he would have to spend a lot of money to get a girl to close her eyes and let him touch her.
This physical flaw made him naturally resent those handsome men. Once he had the opportunity, those good-looking men who fell into his hands would not have a good outcome.
Although Chu Shen had disguised himself, his appearance was still good, so it was inevitable for people to associate Ah Zao's hatred with those men.
Ah Zao glared fiercely at his companion who was teasing him, "You're the only one who talks nonsense. Did I beat up those people out of jealousy? Clearly, they deserved it!"
Today, that traveling merchant clearly had questionable origins, and we came to Yongzhou this time with our lives on the line. How can we not be careful?"
Seeing that his subordinates were starting to argue, the leader of the caravan shouted, "Enough, stop arguing. We have gathered here for a big event. How can we start fighting among ourselves before it even begins?
Ah Zao, let's put the matter of the traveling merchant behind us and not mention it again.
"Ason, you too. Watch your mouth and don't make our own brothers unhappy!"
His prestige was extremely high, and the two subordinates who were about to argue obediently listened, quieting down. However, the fact that they didn't look at each other's expressions indicated that the previous dispute had hurt their relationship.
The leader of the caravan also didn't bother with such minor conflicts among his subordinates and continued, "The rest of you should also be careful and not constantly think about your own little schemes. You should know that the world is full of hardships and misfortunes. We should sympathize with the toils and sufferings of others, have a benevolent heart, and seek the path of goodness. This is the fundamental principle we uphold. Straying from the right path and walking a crooked road is the most pitiful thing."
"Don't you all want to avoid becoming twisted and evil monsters due to insufficient cultivation of your state of mind?" he added.
Upon hearing this, everyone froze, especially Azao. He couldn't help but clench his fist, but then relaxed, and his expression became much calmer, no longer carrying a hint of anger as before.
The leader of the caravan glanced at him and nodded, "Alright, the next tasks are almost arranged. Everyone go back and rest. It's going to be a long time before we can relax again."
Upon hearing this, everyone bowed in unison, "We will heed your teachings!"
Then they all left the leader's room and returned to their own quarters.
The leader of the caravan sighed and took out a roll of yellow silk from his pocket, hanging it solemnly on a wall, and slowly unfolding it.
The yellow silk depicted a marvelous scene that couldn't be described in words. It appeared as a colorful collage of unordered blocks of color, but these strange blocks of color were constantly wriggling and changing in light and shadow. Amidst this camouflage, there was a faint yellow aura flowing slowly but steadily in the center of the pattern, the only block of color on the entire picture that was not so active and ever-changing.
After hanging the yellow silk, the leader of the caravan knelt down with a devout expression, gazing at the yellow light in the center of the silk, murmuring to himself, "May the Yellow Heaven above, after the chaos has been cleared, bless my disciples and bring peace to the world!"