Upon entering the city, Shen Xiang saw a large crowd gathered in front of a long wall. He walked over to take a look and found that the wall was covered with various notices and information, including a detailed map of the city showing the locations of inns, famous shops, the royal palace, and the addresses of martial arts families.
The map was very detailed, and Shen Xiang quickly located the Yao Family, which was very close to the royal palace. He also noticed the recently posted notice about the Xue Family, which was in the process of moving to the royal city.
This long wall had more than just maps; it contained various messages such as lost and found notices, buy/sell requests, and job postings, allowing newcomers to the royal city to quickly find work.
As Shen Xiang skimmed through the notices, he was surprised to find a job listing left by his great-uncle.
"Recruiting alchemists, location... left by Shen Luzong."
Shen Xiang remembered the place and quickly found it on the map.
"Great-uncle works fast; he just arrived in the royal city and already found a good shop!" From the map, Shen Xiang could see that the location was excellent, situated at a crossroads and housed in a large three-story building.
After memorizing the route, Shen Xiang headed straight there.
Soon, he arrived in a bustling area and spotted a shop with closed doors. However, the entrance looked terrible, marked with many knife scars and signs of vandalism.
Frowning, Shen Xiang knocked lightly on the door.
"Who?" A voice filled with anger came from inside.
"Great-uncle, it's me!" Shen Xiang replied in a low voice, already sensing what was going on.
As soon as the door opened, he saw Shen Luzong's aged and furious face.
Inside, Shen Xiang was shocked to find the place in disarray: broken chairs, walls marked with knife wounds. His fists clenched tightly, the sound of cracking knuckles filling the air, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Who did this?" Shen Xiang asked coldly, vowing to make the culprit pay tenfold.
"Come in and talk!" Shen Luzong said.
Once inside, they moved from the first floor to the third, discovering that every wall, floor, and ceiling had been damaged with sharp tools. The tables and chairs were all ruined, with nothing intact.
The more Shen Xiang looked, the angrier he became, but he maintained an eerie calm that surprised Shen Luzong.
On the third floor, Shen Xiang and Shen Luzong sat on the floor.
"The back yard is still fine. I had hired two attendants to look after the shop, but they got injured. I just went to deliver some pills and spirit money to them," Shen Luzong sighed. "I bought this shop a long time ago, and it has been vacant. After I went out this morning, a group of people burst in... and it turned into this."
"Who did this? I'll go find them now!" Shen Xiang's eyes were filled with murderous intent. He had already eliminated the elders and geniuses of the Yao Family; who else would dare to stand in his way?
Shen Luzong explained, "I was going to teach that guy a lesson too, but he is the manager of a major alchemy force here. If we offend this alchemy force, it will be difficult for us to buy pills in the future."
Shen Xiang snorted, "Uncle, you don't need to worry about that! As soon as our Shen Family arrived in the royal city, we were bullied. If we don't show some strength, how can our Shen Family survive here?"
Shen Luzong continued, "I know this... the manager wanted this prime shop, but I refused to sell. Once I posted the job listing, he made his move, hoping I would back down."
Shen Xiang rolled his eyes, "Uncle, you're an alchemist. How can you let a mere shopkeeper bully you?"
Shen Luzong forced a smile, "I'm doing this for the greater good! We've already offended the Yao Family."
Apart from the Yao Family, another alchemy force in the royal city was the Danxiang Medicine House, which had branches in several other cities and operated in a low-profile manner. Yet now, they had committed such an outrageous act.
"Is it the Danxiang Medicine House? I'll go find that manager! Which one is it?" Shen Xiang stood up, brushing dust off his pants, showing no sign of backing down.
Shen Luzong, with no better options, recognized his nephew's strength and pride. "The one to the south. But remember, don't kill anyone! There are no good outcomes from killing in the royal city! I'll go with you."
Shen Xiang nodded and left the shop with Shen Luzong.
"Uncle, what's your current strength?" Shen Xiang asked, unable to sense the full extent of his uncle's martial aura.
"Heh, I'm not a pushover. While I'm not as strong as your grandfather," Shen Luzong replied, not disclosing too much.
"Kid, the royal city is full of hidden talents. Even I wouldn't dare to act recklessly."
Shen Xiang nodded, "I understand. Hearing you say this means you must be quite strong! Willing to endure the humiliation like this."
Shen Luzong laughed, "You'll learn that sometimes enduring humiliation isn't a bad thing. Like now, no one knows the exact strength of this old man. If I get provoked, heh..."
Shen Luzong's sinister grin made Shen Xiang shiver. Hiding one's strength could indeed give the enemy an unexpected blow, a very insidious tactic.
Before long, Shen Xiang and Shen Luzong arrived at a compound surrounded by high walls. This was the Danxiang Medicine House. They entered a large two-story building, the main location for selling pills.
"Kid, just don't go overboard," Shen Luzong whispered.
Shen Xiang nodded and shouted, "Manager of this place, come out!"
His voice, infused with powerful martial energy, reverberated, causing the building to tremble slightly. Everyone inside was stunned that a youth dared to stir up trouble in the Danxiang Medicine House!
The business at the Danxiang Medicine House was doing well, but after Shen Xiang's shout, everyone immediately rushed outside to witness the commotion.
Shen Xiang's shout startled everyone, and many guards quickly surrounded him.
These guards were all at the fourth and fifth levels of the Martial Realm. Shen Xiang could sense their weak martial aura; his own level in the sixth stage made him a rarity, especially among the young, giving him an advantage.
Looking around, Shen Xiang noticed that Shen Luzong had already vanished into the crowd, clearly not wanting to be involved.
"Do you know where this is? How dare you cause trouble here!" A handsome man in his thirties approached, wearing exquisite white attire with a translucent jade pendant at his waist, signifying his high status.