Chapter 623 - 621: Chenxi Pavilion

Xingyuan City was an ancient city in the Tang Kingdom, one of the six vassal states of the Divine Wind Empire.

This ancient city was extremely famous.

Although it wasn’t the Capital of the Tang Kingdom, it was even more renowned than the Capital itself, Tang City.

This was because Xingyuan City was home to Artifact Refining Clans whose skills were considered at their peak, even within the Divine Wind Empire.

Legend had it that the Artifact Refining Technique originated in the ancient city of Xingyuan.

A legend was just a legend, but it was undeniable that most of the Magical Treasures used by Martial Cultivators throughout the Divine Wind Empire came from Xingyuan City.

That’s right. Xingyuan City was most famous for its Artifact Refining Technique and its powerful, esteemed Artifact Refiners.

And in Xingyuan City, there were two great Artifact Refining Clans: the Zuo Family and the Han Family.

These two great families controlled over eighty percent of all artifact refining resources in Xingyuan City.

The other, smaller families and factions could only scramble for the limited resources left over between the Zuo and Han Families.

As a result, every day in Xingyuan City saw new Artifact Refining Clans or factions rise, and just as many disappear.

It was all a matter of survival of the fittest, where the weak were eliminated.

Amidst it all, only the Zuo and Han Families grew ever stronger and more dominant.

Whether they were from the Divine Wind Empire, the Fire Sparrow Kingdom, the Wind Sea Kingdom, the Snow Kingdom, the Qianye Kingdom, or the Tang Kingdom itself, most Martial Cultivators purchased their Magical Treasures from the Zuo and Han Families.

On this particular day, the weather was fine and sunny.

On the bustling Celestial Water Street, a new Artifact Refining Pavilion appeared.

An Artifact Refining Pavilion, as the name implied, was a place that helped Martial Cultivators refine Magical Treasures and also sold them directly.

"Chenxi Pavilion!"

"Huh, looks like Xingyuan City has another place selling Magical Treasures."

"Yeah, it looks like it just opened."

"Come on, let’s go check it out."

Soon, many people who had heard the news began to flock to the newly opened Chenxi Pavilion.

Anyone with an eye for a good deal knew that a new shop opening definitely meant there would be some kind of special offer or discount.

’If I happen to need something, buying it now would be a steal, especially if I can find a Magical Treasure I really like.’

As the crowd poured in, they saw two men standing like guards on either side of the entrance.

One of them had black, curly, shoulder-length hair and a somewhat gloomy, hawk-like face.

He stood there with extreme arrogance.

He looked at the crowd rushing in with a cold indifference, as if everyone owed him money.

Across from the man with the black, curly, shoulder-length hair stood a big, burly fellow with fiery red hair.

The man’s muscles were taut and his frame was solid.

He radiated a heroic, vigorous aura.

Neither of them said a word.

"Hey, customers are here! You two should at least make a sound."

Just then, a voice called out.

Following the sound, they saw a young boy in a white straw hat, sitting in a chair like a lord and bossing the two big men around.

The man with the black, curly, shoulder-length hair felt his face twitch.

Only then did he lower his noble head and shout to the incoming customers, "Welcome to Chenxi Pavilion."

As the black-haired man spoke, the red-haired man immediately piped up as well.

"Chenxi Pavilion has a wide selection of Magical Treasures. Feel free to browse. Since it’s our grand opening, there are absolutely no discounts."

What?

Hearing the guard’s words, some customers were instantly displeased.

"Hey, Chenxi Pavilion is a brand-new shop. It’s not right to not have any kind of special offer, is it?"

The red-haired man waved his hand dismissively. "Take it or leave it."

This infuriated the customers.

"What kind of attitude is that? What kind of attitude?!"

"Is this any way to run a business?"

The black-haired man said, "If you’re not buying, then leave. What are you standing around for? Did we invite you?"

A customer turned and left Chenxi Pavilion on the spot.

The boy in the straw hat couldn’t watch anymore.

"Dammit! Fire Dragon, Fire Crow, are you two looking for a beating?!"

"Is this how you treat customers? Our Young Master just opened for business, and you’ve already scared people away before they could even get in the door! You’ve got a death wish, don’t you? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you two punks to death!"

The red-haired man was called Fire Dragon, and the black-haired man was Fire Crow.

The two of them felt extremely aggrieved.

’What kind of job is this?’

That master of theirs had summoned them here only to make them doormen. It was enough to make them want to cry but have no tears.

The red-haired man was, of course, the Beast King Flame Dragon from Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain in his human form.

And Fire Crow was none other than the Black Fire Crow.

’Two dignified Martial Emperor Experts, reduced to mere doormen?’

Forcing the two of them to speak deferentially to those Martial Cultivators with their low Cultivation was utterly humiliating.

As for the owner of this Chenxi Pavilion, it was, naturally, the great Young Master Jiang Chen.

Of all the things in the world, that master of theirs had to go and learn another incredible skill: the Artifact Refining Technique.

And he’d actually managed to whip up some Magical Treasures.

And so, after practicing more or less enough in the Fire Sparrow Kingdom, he had traveled all the way to Xingyuan City to sell them.

Fine. Flame Dragon and Black Fire Crow had tolerated it.

Now, they were stuck as doormen.

Today was the first day of business.

They were helpless against the boy in the straw hat, because that boy was Xiaotian. His Cultivation was higher than theirs, and he tormented them until they screamed every single day.

"Welcome to Chenxi Pavilion."

"We have every Magical Treasure you could want."

Over at the counter, there was a manager.

He wore a black manager’s hat and sat behind the counter, handling the accounts.

The manager looked utterly exasperated.

’As the dignified President of the Alchemist Guild, I, Mr. Qiu Shui, have actually become a mere accountant.’

’This is simply maddening.’

’But when you follow that master, you have no choice.’

However, while many people rushed in, not a single one bought a Magical Treasure.

This was despite Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao talking until their mouths were dry.

Many were just there to watch the spectacle.

Even many of their competitors were keeping a close eye on the new shop.

"The Magical Treasures in this shop are all really expensive."

"And no discounts for the grand opening. Seriously... Let’s go. We’ll check out Bright King Pavilion instead."

A few people who were also in the Magical Treasure business looked at the newly opened Chenxi Pavilion.

They couldn’t help but sneer.

"Business is getting harder and harder these days."

"Yeah, the Zuo and Han Families have monopolized everything. We can barely afford to eat, and yet here’s someone else trying to steal our business."

"If you ask me, it’d be better for them to just go bankrupt and shut down sooner rather than later."

Watching people come and go without a single one buying a Magical Treasure, Flame Dragon, Black Fire Crow, and even Xiaotian all felt dejected.

They all looked toward Mr. Qiu Shui, who was managing the accounts at the counter.

Mr. Qiu Shui, however, remained calm and composed.

But inwardly, he was also anxious for their master.

Before long, a young man in coarse linen clothes came out from the back room, covered in sweat.

He glanced around the shop and was quite pleased to see that it was crowded.

He walked over to Mr. Qiu Shui and asked casually, "Manager, how many have we sold?"

Mr. Qiu Shui looked at the man in coarse linen with a troubled expression. ’Isn’t this the master himself?’

He gave a bitter smile. "Young Master, we have plenty of lookers, but no buyers."

"We haven’t sold a single piece. It’s a miserable sight."

The man in the coarse linen clothes was, of course, Jiang Chen.

Hearing Mr. Qiu Shui’s words, his face couldn’t help but twitch a few times.

He asked, puzzled, "Aren’t the Magical Treasures I refined all pretty good?"

"Why isn’t anyone buying them?"