Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 476 Jin Bei
The deep sea is vast, the resources are abundant, and there are thousands of islands and reefs scattered all over the place.

The most powerful among them is the Abyss Shark Clan. Under the leadership of the Shark King, more than 10,000 shark monsters are united in their efforts. They manage Chenxing Island like an iron barrel, and most of their descendants in the past generations are also brave and powerful, with their reputation spreading far and wide throughout the ten continents and three islands.

The Qianchuan Sea Market is a large-scale market jointly run by the Chenxing Island hosted by the Abyssal Shark Clan, the sparsely populated Qiulong Clan, and the weak Golden Toad Clan. It is extremely tolerant and fair to the independent cultivators from the ten continents, and has a great reputation. In just a few hundred years, it has made a big splash. Even the Qigong practitioners from the Red County Shenzhou and the immortals from the thirty-three heavens love to go to such a place to trade and play.

These three demon kings at the peak of the Seven Palaces each have their own territory. The Shark King dominates the Shenxing Island, the Green Qiu manages the Xuanlin Island, and the Toad Ancestor lives in the Blood Coral Reef. The three of them stand in a tripod and support each other.

The leading shark king has been roaming the deep sea for nearly a thousand years. He has unparalleled magical powers in fighting and winning, his water methods are exquisite, and his body is as brave as a demon. His strength is comparable to that of a half-step celestial demon.

The second-ranked Toad Ancestor is good at making plans and making decisions, and is skilled in valuation and pawning. Members of his clan [the Calculating Golden Toad] are often seen in Baichuan Haiji to mediate disputes and maintain order.

The third ranked Qing Qiu has a sharp spear in his claws and has also cultivated the infinite usefulness of Wood Fire. He is best at cultivating exotic flowers and herbs and refining elixirs.

While Qin Huai was recalling Ze Yu's previous introduction to the three top demon kings of Baichuan Haiji, he followed the boy in green to a vast palace courtyard.

The gate of the palace was made of black iron, extremely tall, with sharp teeth carved on the surface, making it look like a bloody mouth opening and closing.

Walking through the shark-kissed iron gate, there is a rather spacious hot spring pool with many weapon racks placed around it. On the innermost white marble platform, there are tables, desks and couches arranged, as if they were specially prepared for Qin Huai and his party.

In the curl of white mist rising from the hot spring pool, there lay a giant monster with his chest and belly exposed, as big as a hill.

"Kings!"

Hearing the call of the boy in green, the half-asleep Shark King's eyes rolled, and a slit like a crack in the abyss slowly opened on his dark face.

"My name is Fengsong, nice to meet you, Daoist Shark."

Tan Song led Qin Huai and others to bow slightly and introduce their names to each other.

"You're welcome, Mr. Feng. You're welcome."

The Shark King came back to his senses and raised his big gray hand to invite him to sit down.

Tan Song looked calm and after saying a few polite words, he got straight to the point.

".We followed the advice of the Lord of Huangwu City and hurried here from Zuzhou. We plan to gather some information in Qianchuanhai. I wonder if Brother Shark has any place to recommend?"

"You want to get some information? You can go to the water monkeys in Xijiao. They often disguise themselves as weak monsters and hang out in the market, buying low and selling high. The entire tribe controls almost 70% of the intelligence transactions in the sea. But there is one thing you should be careful about, that is, the information they sell is half true and half false, so you have to carefully identify it."

The green-clothed boy who had been serving him all this time saw Tan Song speak, and seized the opportunity to give an answer on behalf of the troubled king.

"Yes, yes, just find them."

The Shark King nodded, and suddenly thought of something, and said, "In previous years, the Qianchuan Sea Fair only collected taxes and did not know how to adapt. It was really irresponsible to the fellow travelers who traveled here. Five years ago, the Toad Ancestor sent out all the [Calculating Gold Toads] in his tribe to appraise various spiritual materials and treasures and exchange them for spiritual shells. All transactions in the Qianchuan Sea Fair can be settled with spiritual shells. If Feng Jun is afraid that bartering is too troublesome, he might as well go to the gold shop to exchange some spiritual shells for his own use."

"How can a few thousand-year-old demons have such insight?"

Listening to King Shark promoting his own Lingbei, Tan Song nodded without comment and asked another question as if unintentionally.

"The Toad Ancestor has practiced Taoism for 3,900 years. Although he has not yet entered the realm of Heavenly Demon, he is well-versed in history and the present. He is good at identifying the products of the world and judging their quality. In terms of his profound knowledge, there is no one in the Abyss who can surpass him. He can share this knowledge with the [Calculating Golden Toad] of his clan. They are in tune with each other and have never made any mistakes in the past five years. Lord Feng can rest assured."

"So best."

Tan Song did not take such a small matter seriously, and turned around and asked again: "Fellow Daoist Shark has been in Qianchuan Haiji for a long time, and has many eyes and ears, and is well-informed. I wonder if you have heard anyone talking about the disappearance of the three Penglai Islands?"

"Well, well, I've heard the children tell me about it."

The Shark King said in a muffled voice, "It's just that I, Old Shark, don't quite understand. The Nine-Original Master of Fangzhang Mountain controls the divine power of the East China Sea and is extremely powerful. If he exerts his full strength in Guixu, his magical power will be comparable to that of the water demons. Together with the demon kings who are already living in seclusion in the Three Mountains, I really don't know who in the world can move mountains overnight without leaving any traces in the face of their resistance."

"Isn't there a divine being in the Ming Dynasty who can move mountains and fill the sea?"

Tan Song pointed to the blue sky above his head, golden light flashed in his eyes, and he said nothing more.

The Shark King was an experienced man, and he knew that one should be careful when talking too much, so he did not speculate anything about the almighty Emperor of Heaven. He just made an appointment with Tan Song to have a drink the next day, then lay back in the hot spring pool and dozed off.

"Mr. Feng, is there anywhere you want to go?"

Listening to the question from the boy in green, Tan Song glanced at Qin Huai beside him and said, "Brother Qin, what do you say?"

"General Feng, let's split up into two groups. You go to Xijiao to get information, and we'll go around and see if we can find another way in Haiji."

"Okay, then be careful."

Seeing that Qin Huai had an idea, Tan Song nodded, turned to the boy in green and said, "Let's go."
-
"Sir, what would you like to change?"

In the gold shop recommended by the Shark King, Qin Huai looked at the toad monster wearing a square-hole copper coin crown behind the counter, and casually took out a small jar of [Qiquan] which was converted from a large amount of [Qiquan], and said: "Shopkeeper Toad, I accidentally got this thing when I was traveling in the Ten Continents before. It seems to have the effect of nourishing the body and repairing injuries. It's just that there is no reference, and the value is difficult to estimate. I don't know how many spirit shells it can be exchanged for. I'll trouble you to identify it this time."

Seeing that business had come to him, Shopkeeper Chan had no reason to refuse, so he took it immediately, opened the jar, and used his magical power to roll out a strand of [Qiquan]. His long, blood-red tongue moved in and out, and he closed his eyes to savor the taste.

As its breathing rose and fell, the golden lines on the skin of this [Golden Toad] also flickered, producing subtle changes, which seemed to imply some kind of rhythm.

If ordinary people look at it, they can only see that the luster of the gold pattern is sometimes bright and sometimes dark, sometimes shallow and sometimes deep, and they can't see any mystery.

But from the perspective of Qin Huai, who had a [glimpse], the feedback was quite different.

[Weighing Every Pound]: One of the talents of the demon species [Calculating Golden Toad], it can use its extremely sensitive long tongue to come into contact with objects, feel the extraordinary properties such as wealth, treasure, and spiritual energy contained in them, and estimate the value accordingly. The golden lines on its skin will also flicker depending on the value of the object.

"Oh, a living treasure appraisal ritual."

Qin Huai thought so, and saw that after the shopkeeper in front of him came into contact with the [Qiquan Jiu], the effect gradually spread to his whole body, and the golden pattern on his skin suddenly lit up. "The wine in this jar should be a medicinal wine brewed with some kind of spiritual spring as the base, and many rare ingredients are added."

Sure enough, after just a moment's reflection, the shopkeeper Chan came up with the answer: "This is an excellent medicinal wine. Just drink it directly and it will have a good effect on the injuries caused by ordinary monsters fighting each other. If the amount is sufficient, it may also be of some use to monster kings who have practiced for more than 3,000 years."

Shopkeeper Chan picked up the jar of wine and weighed it. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "There are countless famous wines from the ten continents and three islands in Qianchuan Haiji, but I have never seen such a unique elixir in the gold shop. I wonder if the guest would like to exchange it for some shells? I am willing to pay ten gold shells, or a thousand spirit shells."

Considering that Qin Huai and his friends were unfamiliar with the place and it seemed like they were visiting Qianchuan Haiji for the first time, Shopkeeper Chan took out three different sizes and styles of shells from under the counter.

"But I want to let you know that the shell money circulated in Qianchuanhai is divided into three grades: wooden shells, spiritual shells, and golden shells. They are cast by the three ancestors based on the specialties of the three islands, and each has its own magical use. Even if the Bailingwan tribe simply swallows it, it can easily transform it into its own magic power and speed up its cultivation. And this golden shell is equivalent to a hundred spiritual shells and a thousand wooden shells. Even if a great demon with more than 2,000 years of cultivation swallows it, he can clearly feel his own improvement."

Qin Huai didn't feel anything at first, but when he opened [A Glimpse] and took a look, he was immediately stunned.

[Shan Jin Bei]: Increases the awakening degree of any inheritance by 1%.

[Shen Ling Bei]: After being crushed and taken, the power of water magic is enhanced in a short period of time, and one can walk in the world of Yama with water inheritance, or gain something more from it.

[Qiong Mubei]: Contains the essence of plants and trees. After swallowing it, it can help animals and aquatic creatures become monsters and slightly improve the monster's Taoism and magic power.

"Excuse me, Shopkeeper Chan. I have some other spiritual materials here. Please help me exchange them for gold shells."

Qin Huai came across spiritual materials that could improve his awakening level at this time. Without saying a word, he took out a jar of [Qiquan Ju] and a small bottle of [Manqiu Water], and handed them over along with a few Qingwei talismans.

After tasting it, Shopkeeper Chan was also shocked by the abundant medicinal power of [Manqiu Water] and immediately offered a high price of fifty gold shells. Including other trivial matters, he counted out a total of seventy gold shells and six hundred spirit shells and handed them to Qin Huai.

After getting the gold shells, Qin Huai took one and played with it carefully.

This highest-grade shell coin is carved from coral with a golden texture. Although its shape is simple, the glow it emits is very gorgeous.

"I also need to ask Shopkeeper Chan something. I wonder if there are any lively places in Qianchuanhai Center? After all, we have come from afar, so we must find a place to appreciate the scenery of the deep sea."

Seeing that Zheng Zhaomin also exchanged a lot of gold coins from the shopkeeper Chan, Qin Huai thought of the purpose of this trip and asked casually.

"If we talk about the hustle and bustle, the first places to go are the Linyu Arena and Yuanyang Tower in Haizhong. In addition, the gambling houses in Nanyuan also have many gambling games for you to enjoy. If you are interested, you can go and have a look."

After carefully putting away the spiritual materials, the shopkeeper Toad paused and continued, "In addition, if you want to purchase some items for self-defense, or purchase medicinal herbs and spiritual herbs to improve your cultivation, it is best to go to the Wanbao Pavilion. The items purchased from the gold shop will also be supplied there after being processed and prepared."

"A Colosseum, a brothel, a gambling house, and a supermarket. Not surprising at all."

Qin Huai muttered a few words in his heart, said goodbye to the shopkeeper Chan in front of him, and walked out of the gold shop.

And in the blood coral reefs dozens of miles away, a giant toad that was sleeping soundly slowly opened its dark golden eyelids. The low toad cry echoed at the bottom of the deep sea, stirring up countless undercurrents.

"Hmm? A peak demon king with nearly 4,000 years of cultivation, with two pure dragon-bred demons, but they are so immature. Could it be that they are the juniors who came to join Qing Qiu?"

Toad Ancestor felt the news brought back by his tribesmen, but did not pay too much attention to it. After all, there were many demon kings and immortals traveling in Qianchuan Haiji, and there was nothing to worry about as long as they were not celestial demons.
-
By the time Qin Huai and his companions came out of the gold shop, it was already dusk, but the sea before them was brightly lit, illuminated by the magical lights of many monsters, making it look like daytime.

Although Qianchuan Haiji is just a market, it has become fully equipped with restaurants, wine shops, brothels and everything else after a hundred years of operation by the three clans.

Especially after the tide subsides in March every year, passenger ships and merchant caravans from all over the ten continents gather here, buying low and selling high, exchanging what they have and what they need, making Chenxing Island more prosperous and lively.

The air is filled with the aroma of meat, wine, and cosmetics, and the smell of worldly life is overwhelming, making people feel dizzy and intoxicated.

"Xiao Qin, which of those places you asked about just now should we go to first?"

Zheng Zhaomin was holding a bunch of skewers in his hand, eating while chatting with Qin Huai: "Why don't we go to the Linyu Fighting Arena first? The monsters are naturally strong, so there must be a lot of people going to watch the beast fights. Who knows, the clues might come to us on their own initiative."

"Brother Zheng, we can't fill our stomachs with just these snacks. I think we should go to the Yuanyang Tower to investigate at night. Then we can enjoy some good food and wine, and spend some money to get some information from the madam. It won't delay us at all."

Qin Huai himself had run a brothel and knew that brothels in many cases also served as places for intelligence brokers to trade information. He immediately shook his head and told them his plan.

"I don't mind, but it's inconvenient for Miss Ao to go like this, right?"

Zheng Zhaomin looked at the beautiful Ao Ling beside Qin Huai with a somewhat intriguing expression.

"Don't worry, Huailang. Ling'er will just change her clothes."

As soon as the words fell, a pink and white rainbow light flashed and disappeared. When the light faded, a handsome man with a green dragon and emerald hairpin branded on his forehead, red lips and white teeth, and unparalleled handsomeness appeared in his place.

Her eyes were dark blue, her skin was as white as jade, she was wearing a proper fairy dress with cloud patterns, a jade crown on her head, and in her hand she was holding a broken bamboo fan with a landscape painted in splashed ink.

She is tall and slender, and extraordinary.

"My goodness, it's true that clothes make the man. Why do I suddenly feel like I've changed from a big brother leading the team to the head of the guards?"

Zheng Zhaomin scratched his hair and looked at Ao Ling's gentlemanly attire, marveling at it.

"Then I am the accountant who manages the money."

Qin Huai laughed and joined in Zheng Zhaomin's joke.

"The accompanying painter, um, is responsible for recording Mr. Ao's romantic affairs."

Ze Yu patted the bag on his waist and spoke with humor.

Soon, the four of them arrived at the well-known den of brothel in Qianchuanhai Center - Yuanyang Tower.

(End of this chapter)