The Nine Cauldrons
chapter-246

The two guards who were specially hired by Old Zhang and the other merchants watched their horses and goods while Teng Qingshan and the other four squeezed into the crowds.

“Don’t squeeze!”

“Don’t f*cking squeeze.” Some of the people who were pushed away cursed.

However, no matter how much they cursed, more people who wanted to join the bustle squeezed in, and Teng Qingshan easily squeezed into the innermost areas.

“The official bounty document!” With a single glance, Teng Qingshan saw an official document stuck on the wall. At both sides of the wall, two armored guards were standing. It was obvious that no one was allowed to destroy this official document.

Teng Qingshan perused the document——

“Teng Qingshan, seventeen years old. Ranked first on the «Hidden Dragon Ranking» , commander of the Black Armored Army, and a Gui Yuan Sect Enforcing Law Elder. He has betrayed Gui Yuan Sect and is no longer part of the sect.

"This Teng Qingshan used insidious skills to kill the Law Enforcing Elders of Qing Hu Island. He possesses the ability of a True Dan Innate Expert and is also adept in changing his appearance to the point that he can change his height.

"He is adept at Spear Arts, boxing, flying knives. and concealed weapons. He could kill an expert of the «Earthly Ranking» easily just by using pebbles as concealed weapons.

"Currently, he is on the run. He should have the Reincarnation Spear with him. The Reincarnation Spear has a silver shaft, a black spearhead and a red tassel!

"He also has an enormous black axe with him.

"His Innate True Origin is fiery red.

"This person is extremely insidious and sly. If anyone notices a mysterious expert carrying this Reincarnation Spear or the enormous axe, as long as you can be sure that it’s Teng Qingshan, you must notify one of the stationary points of the Eight Supreme Sects of the Nine Prefectures. Once Qing Hu Island confirms that the person is Teng Qingshan, Qing Hu Island will reward the informant with a thousand taels of gold. If anyone can catch or kill Teng Qingshan, Qing Hu Island will reward that person with ten thousand taels of gold, a Heaven Class secret technique, and the possession of Tiannan County's Fengyang City. As long as Qing Hu Island exists, three hundred Li within the territory of Fengyang City will belong to the one who kills Teng Qingshan!”

After reading the document, Teng Qingshan gasped.

“Motherf*cker! Ten thousand taels of gold.” He could hear loud noises and quiet whispers around him.”Even if I had ten lives, I wouldn’t be able to use up all that money, and there’s a Heaven Class secret technique? Also Fengyang City? As long as Qing Hu Island exists, Fengyang City will belong to the person who kills Teng Qingshan? That’s a local despot!”

“If I knew where this Teng Qingshan was, I must use any means necessary to kill him.”

“What the F*ck..You want to kill Teng Qingshan? Just one breath from Teng Qingshan can kill you.”

Everyone besides Teng Qingshan was sighing in surprise and discussing the official bounty document while Teng Qingshan himself showed a surprised expression. However, he felt a chilly sensation deep down in his heart.

“Qing Hu Island is really fierce! Now, this is troublesome.” Teng Qingshan began to feel worried, “Ten thousand taels of gold! A Heaven Class secret technique! These two might be very tempting, but they don’t have much use to the real experts. Yet, the last of the three rewards is the possession of Fengyang City as long as Qing Hu Island exists. This would even attract some Golden Dan innate experts!”

Teng Qingshan knew clearly that there are some powerful hidden masters in the land of the Nine Prefectures.

Because the land of the Nine Prefectures was dominated by the Eight Supreme Sects, it would be very difficult for an ordinary Golden Dan innate experts to occupy these territories to establish sects.

Qing Hu Island’s promise was announced to the world, thus, it must be true.

As for Qing Hu Island, Yangzhou was very big. Fengyang City was just one of the cities in Tiannan County and one of the thirteen counties of Yangzhou, so it wasn’t very important to Qing Hu Island. However…..to someone who wanted to establish a sect, obtaining the control of a territory that was populated by two to three million was a dream come true!

“Ten thousand taels of gold might make many ordinary people search for me like crazy and attack me using insidious methods!”

“As for the Heaven Class secret technique, it would make the experts with no secret techniques attack me.”

“As for the Fengyang City, it would be enough to make some super strong experts without a sect attack me. Maybe it wouldn’t be tempting for all the super experts with no sect, but it would at least attract some.”

Teng Qingshan understood.

Qing Hu Island’s official bounty document was making the people of the entire world go after him.

“The document also said that once they confirmed it was me, they could notify any stationary point of the Eight Supreme Sects?” The other seven supreme sects might not lend any manpower to catch him, but giving Qing Hu Island some help was very normal.

Since Teng Qingshan purposely drew forth the flood dragons, both sides suffered a great loss.

Those sects did not completely blame Teng Qingshan for their loss, but they no longer felt indisposed towards Teng Qingshan!

“Ten thousand taels of gold, Heaven Class secret technique, and a city with an area of three hundred Li.” The big bearded young man Hei Zi sighed and said, “If I could possess a city and be a local despot some day, I would not mind dying 30 years early! Ten thousand taels of gold! It’s gold! That could be more than enough to marry numerous wives.”

“I want to practice inner strength! I want to kill Teng Qingshan!” Hei Zi intentionally shouted.

“Hei Zi, stop dreaming.” Old Zhang laughed.

“Hei Zi, we haven’t even started drinking yet.” Teng Qingshan laughed. Teng Qingshan himself understood that……Qing Hu Island really hated him to their bones! A seventeen years old who possessed the ability to kill a True Dan innate rxpert made them worry. Therefore, Qing Hu Island offered such generous bounty.

A few days later, during evening Teng Qingshan and the other merchants arrived Hua City, the northernmost city of Xuyang County.

“Hua City!”

Teng Qingshan stared at the familiar city gates and couldn’t help but sigh. When he went to fight for the Black Fire Spirit Fruit, he stayed in Hua City for a while. He could still remember the time he fought for the Black Fire Spirit Fruit, killed the innate expert Sima Qing, and obtained the scaled armor of the Red Scaled Beast.

And now…..

After he took revenge and left the Gui Yuan Sect, he started to travel alone.

“Tomorrow morning, we will gather at the West City Gate at the usual time. Don’t arrive late! We won’t wait for anyone! Now, everyone scatter. Those who want to drink, gamble, and visit the brothels, all of you have fun…..” As the organizer shouted, the merchants and the guards separated.

Teng Qingshan walked with the other six merchants.

“Brother Qin, we will be staying in Hua City today. We don’t have anything to do at night so let’s just eat and drink to the fullest.” Hei Zi guffawed.

“You don’t have anything to do tonight, but I do.” Old Zhang said as he grinned.

“You big pervert. You are visiting a brothel again?” Hei Zi laughed as he scolded Old Zhang.

Old Zhang and Baldy Jia exchanged a look and they immediately started to ridicule Hei Zi, “Hei Zi, you are still young. You are always thinking about that ‘Hua’ of yours, but when that ‘Hua’ of yours becomes an annoying and yellow-faced woman…..you will understand.” Most of the merchants who risked their lives while travelling visited the brothels instead of gambling.

tThese merchants understood that if they entered a gambling house, no matter how much they earned, they would be giving it to the gambling house.

“Qin Wei, are you joining us tonight?” Old Zhang smiled and said, “It’s rare to stay overnight in the city.”

“I….I am going to buy some goods tonight.” Teng Qingshan smiled, “Wasn’t there a big tea house built in Hua City recently?”

“Yes. Buying goods is more important. We won’t stall you.”

……

When Teng Qingshan first met with these merchants, he mentioned that he came to Yangzhou to buy some goods and to see his friends. There were many places in Yangzhou that sold tea bricks. Such things were rare and precious in the northern areas but a lot cheaper in the southern areas.

The merchants even ordered two jugs of wine and some dishes for the two guards who were watching the goods.

After that, Teng Qingshan and Hei Zi started to eat in the restaurant, while the other three merchants went to the brothel.

In the restaurant, sounds of talking could be heard, and many of the discussions were about Teng Qingshan.

“There are really a lot of people discussing Teng Qingshan now.” Hei Zi sighed and said.

“Everyone wants to be rich and own a city.” Teng Qingshan laughed, “However, I wouldn’t even dare to think of killing Teng Qingshan. He could turn us into muddy flesh with one punch. It would be better to work steadily.”

“Yeah, thinking about those things is useless.” Hei Zi nodded in agreement.

Teng Qingshan had heard numerous discussions. Actually, the feeling of listening to the whole world discussing him was quite peculiar.

“Brother Qin, look! Is that Teng Qingshan?” Hei Zi suddenly touched Teng Qingshan’s shoulder.

Teng Qingshan?” Teng Qingshan turned to look.

At the door of the restaurant, three people were walking in. The leading one was a handsome young man. He wore a black cloak and was holding a long spear with red tassel and black spearhead. The handsome young man stepped into the restaurants with his spear in his hand and the two guards following behind him.

“Server, drinks and food!” The young man shouted loudly.

“That long spear looked like the Reincarnation Spear.” Hei Zi whispered, “He seemed to be the same age as Teng Qingshan too.”

Teng Qingshan couldn’t hold his laughter.

There was actually someone pretending to be him, and even the fabricated spear looked alike.

“Mr. Wu San, do you really think that you can be Teng Qingshan just by holding a big spear?” said a tall and big young man with two maids who was sitting at the other table. The tall and big young man pointed at the young man holding the spear and laughed, “Look at you! That Teng Qingshan was just someone destined to be pursued by the whole world. Yet, you still dressed up like this and purposely bought a ‘Reincarnation Spear?’ Haha, I am dying of laughter!”

The two maids at the side covered their mouth as they laughed.

“Bang!” The young man smacked the table and glared at the tall and big young man. He pointed angrily at the tall and big young man and shouted, “Mei Laoer, you shut up! You dare look down on Teng Qingshan?”

“Mr. Mei Laoer.” At the corner, a lonely traveller drinking wine laughed, “This Teng Qingshan reached the True Dan of the Innate Realm at the age of seventeen. Since thousand of years, no one could be compared to him! It was said that Qing Hu Island lost over ten elders and even an elder who was a Golden Dan innate expert! It was mostly because of Teng Qingshan! That is the reason why Qing Hu Island offered such a great bounty……Does a rich man’s son like you have any right to look down on him?”

When the tall and big young man heard what other man said, he was extremely angry and humphed, “He was just a criminal wanted by the whole world.”

“Mei Laoer, if you keep saying such nonsense, be careful when my Reincarnation Spear leaves a few holes on your body.” The young man yelled angrily. As soon as he said that, the two guards behind him stood up.

That Mei Laoer saw that he only had two maids with him and thought that it was a mistake that he did not bring any guards with him.

……

“Brother Qin, although I do want to kill Teng Qingshan and be a local despot, I also admire him for being able to make the Qing Hu Island offer such a bounty.” Hei Zi remarked emotionally, “If I, Hei Zi, could make the Eight Supreme Sects offer such a bounty and be famous, I am willing to die tomorrow.”

When Teng Qingshan heard, he could only lower his head to eat and drink while saying, “Yes. Teng Qingshan is powerful. I admire him too.”