CHAPTER 518: CHAPTER 519: THE CRISIS OF QINGHE CITY

Under the Underworld Market building, the military forces of Da Feng, Yong Country, and Xizhou had all been waiting there.

A clerk from the Underworld Market came downstairs and relayed Elder Liu’s words to the representatives of the Three Kingdoms, who were displeased upon hearing them.

The general from Da Feng spoke.

"What does the Underworld Market mean by this? Usually, when we deliver Heavenly Stones, they are directly weighed, and that’s enough."

The clerk spoke arrogantly.

"What happened before is in the past, and now is now. Our Elder Liu said that you Three Kingdoms do business dishonestly, with many Waste Stones among the Heavenly Stones sold to our Underworld Market previously. Our young master is very angry, so this time the stones must be personally inspected by Master Lu."

The military representatives from the Three Kingdoms were quite dissatisfied upon hearing this.

"You from Underworld Market are clearly bullying us because you run a big establishment. We’ve been doing business for so long, being the military from different countries, how could we have sold you Waste Stones? Isn’t it just that you want to drive down the price and are deliberately making excuses?"

The military representatives from the Three Kingdoms were all fuming with anger. If not for the inability of the Three Kingdoms to refine Heavenly Stones, why would they sell them to the Underworld Market at a low price?

The Underworld Market had reaped the benefits and yet acted cunningly, which further aggravated the dissatisfaction of the military from the Three Kingdoms.

"Take it or leave it; besides our Underworld Market, see who else dares to buy your Heavenly Stones."

The clerk said contemptuously before turning around and walking away.

The military personnel from the Three Kingdoms cursed under their breath upon hearing this.

The general from Da Feng who had spoken out earlier exclaimed.

"Knowing it would come to this, I should not have come to endure this damn nonsense and should have directly sold the Heavenly Stones to Phoenix Chamber of Commerce; they are not short on money to pay the price anyway."

Although the other two countries felt the same, they dared not voice their complaints since the Underworld Market was wealthy and powerful, and Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was just a small chamber of commerce, not worth offending the Underworld Market over.

They could only wait patiently outside the Underworld Market.

Just then, Feng Bailing happened to walk out from the Underworld Market and saw everything clearly.

After thinking for a moment, Feng Bailing turned to return to the inn. A quarter of an hour later, she folded back.

The representatives from the military of the Three Kingdoms were waiting all the time, but from noon until evening, Changsun Rou still did not appear.

The military personnel, quick-tempered, were already full of complaints by then.

Feng Bailing, on the other hand, was in no rush. She went to a teahouse across the street and leisurely waited while sipping tea, anticipating the appearance of Changsun Rou.

At this moment, in Immortal Moon Tower, Qinghe City’s largest restaurant, the Ten Countries Leaders had taken their seats separately, ten people per table, with both Manager Yue Shan from Qinghe City Soldier Inn and the young master of the Underworld Market, Changsun Rou, having been waiting for a long time.

Changsun Rou’s face was filled with anticipation. When Dugu Wu arrived, Yue Shan arranged for her to sit beside Dugu Wu.

"Miss Ouyang, please take a seat here."

But before Changsun Rou could sit down, Dugu Wu had already called for Ouyang Chenchen.

Ouyang Chenchen, unabashed, sat between Dugu Wu and Changsun Rou. Her solid body once seated covered Dugu Wu tightly, turning Changsun Rou’s face green with anger.

"Esteemed guests, I raise a toast to you all."

Yue Shan stood up to give a toast to the leaders, who all raised their glasses in response.

"Manager Yue, our visit to Qinghe City is to hold the Competition Among Ten Countries. Qinghe City’s terrain is complex, inevitably including deserts and to the north dense forests teeming with various beasts and bandits. Holding the Competition Among Ten Countries here could not be more appropriate."

Dongfang Yu was chosen as the representative leader of the Ten Countries. After sharing a drink with Yue Shan, Dongfang Yu stood up to explain his purpose.

"Yue has indeed heard about the Competition Among Ten Countries. Yue naturally supports everyone coming to Qinghe City, but, recently Qinghe City has encountered a troublesome matter that may delay the hosting of the competition."

After saying this, Yue Shan showed a troubled expression.

"What kind of trouble is it that even Manager Yue can’t handle?"

Dongfang Yu wondered.

The other leaders also turned their attention to Yue Shan.

"To be frank, this matter is related to the jungle to the north. Miss Zhangsun, since it also has some connection to Underworld Market, please trouble yourself to explain it to everyone."

Yue Shan nodded towards Changsun Rou.

The Underworld Market has cooperation not only with Qinghe City, but also with other Mercenary Cities, especially Qinghe City with its unique terrain. The northern jungle is very suitable for cultivating various medicinal herbs and has always been the main medicinal herbs supply base for Underworld Market.

Previously, with the help of the Earth Holy Seal obtained from the Three Kingdoms, Changsun Rou successfully cultivated Purple Ginseng that was over five hundred years old.

But recently, something strange happened in the jungle.

"A Black Fog appeared in the jungle, and all the Medicine Farmers who entered it disappeared. I immediately commissioned the Soldier Inn to send a group of mercenaries there, but none of the mercenaries returned. The Black Fog is growing thicker day by day, and the scale of it is expanding. Moreover, there’s the possibility of it spreading towards Qinghe City. The city lord is planning to ask for help, and it just so happens that everyone has arrived in Qinghe City."

After Changsun Rou finished speaking, the other leaders all frowned.

Xiao Junci said with a sneer.

"Miss Zhangsun, are you asking us to go and throw our lives away for you?"

This so-called mysterious Black Fog, no one who has gone in has come out, and so many mercenaries in Qinghe City are unwilling to enter. Why should the people of the Ten Countries go in?

The people of the Ten Countries are not easy targets.

The other leaders did not speak, but the meaning behind Xiao Junci’s words was the same as theirs.

"Do not misunderstand, we do not wish to make the competitors of the Ten Countries take risks, but rather we hope that the Ten Countries can help select some individuals and see if they can use the power of the Wenhua Seal to find out the truth behind the Black Fog."

Yue Shan hurriedly explained.

What exactly is inside the Black Fog? What has happened in the jungle, no one outside knows.

Yue Shan had been bothered by this issue for many days.

It just so happened that Changsun Rou mentioned that the teams for the Competition Among Ten Countries were about to arrive, and suggested that he could seek help from the Ten Countries.

The Wen Energy of the strong holders of the Wenhua Seal possesses extremely keen insight and enables one to investigate the true situation inside the Black Fog without entering the jungle.

"I am but a mere warrior, unable to use Wen Energy. I also thought about seeking other Kings of Soldiers, but it would take some time for the Kings from other cities to arrive. Coincidentally, in three days it will be the windy season for Qinghe City. Once the windy season starts, the north wind begins to blow, and the Black Fog in the jungle will spread faster."

Yue Shan truly had no other method, which is why he turned to the Ten Countries’ leaders.

The leaders had not expected to encounter such an issue upon arriving in Qinghe City.

"We wouldn’t let the Ten Countries take risks in vain. Regardless of the outcome, both Underworld Market and Qinghe City are willing to offer generous remuneration."

Changsun Rou also quickly added.

"We won’t need too many people. To use Wen Energy to explore the jungle, we just need to select three people out of the twenty leaders from the Ten Countries."

After Yue Shan finished speaking, the leaders from the twenty countries discussed among themselves. In the end, they decided to agree to Yue Shan and Underworld Market’s request. They would choose three individuals by drawing lots from among the ten leaders who possessed the Wenhua Seal.