“From your sect?” Mister Black Cloud stared at Wen Hu.
Wen Hu had always been tight-lipped about his sect.
Zhang Dongyun did not ask any questions about this.
If he was loyal to Chang’an and did not harbor evil intentions, Zhang Dongyun could put him to use.
As for whether it meant the loss of a certain amount of connections and resources, Zhang Dongyun was not worried about wasting them.
If it was an enemy, Fortress Lord Zhang could not wait for the other party to visit him.
If it was an ally, as Wen Hu’s understanding of Chang’an deepened, he would naturally take the initiative to contact his sect.
Or his sect members would contact him. For example, right now.
At this point, it would be unreasonable for Wen Hu to conceal the name of his sect.
As expected, Wen Hu himself realized this. “Senior, please allow me to report this. I am a disciple of the Yellow River Dragon Gate. Please forgive me for hiding this earlier.”
The tall man bowed to Mister Black Cloud, whom Zhang Dongyun incarnated into.
“The Yellow River Dragon Gate…” Zhang Dongyun nodded silently.
Wen Hu’s previous caution was not unreasonable.
The Yellow River Dragon Gate was not a nobody in Eastern Tang. On the contrary, it was a famous sect alongside the Forgotten Truth Temple and other Daoist sacred grounds.
The so-called ‘Four Daoist Schools’ in the ‘Three Courtyards, Four Daoist Schools, Five Martial Arts Sects, and Six Clans’ included the Forgotten Truth Temple and the Fortune Celebration Temple.
The ‘Five Martial Arts Sects’ referred to the five famous sects with the Martial Dao as their foundation.
The Yellow River Dragon Gate was one of the five sects.
In Eastern Tang, there were the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, one in the south and one in the north.
The Yellow River in the north was also known as the Dragon River, and Longbei County was north of the western section of the Dragon River.
There was a pass from the Dragon River downstream to the middle section of the river. The river currents were rapid, and the terrain was steep. It was called the Dragon Gate in ancient times.
The ancestral home of the Yellow River Dragon Gate was located there. It had grown and developed since then and had now become a famous sect prominent at the Yellow River.
Its business spread all over the north and south of the Yellow River. Especially the boatmen who sailed in the middle of the river, all of them basically worked for the Yellow River Dragon Gate.
This sect had high prestige in the Yellow River basin. Most of its members were chivalrous, righteous, and helped those in distress, and it especially had an excellent reputation among the people.
Wen Hu was only a passerby passing through Longbei County when the people were in turmoil, but he had been willing to take extraordinary risks to help the refugees.
This was due to his personality, as well as having been taught by his master from a very young age.
He reached the fourth realm of the Martial Dao at such a young age, all thanks to the martial arts anthologies of the Dragon Gate and the teachings of a great master.
When Zhang Dongyun intercepted the secret letter from the Secret Cabinet that stated that Wen Hu had an accent from Shangnan County’s Yuqiu Prefecture, he had guessed his sect.
That place was within the sphere of influence of the Yellow River Dragon Gate.
“I was afraid my serious offense would implicate my sect. Thank you for intercepting the secret letter from the Secret Cabinet,” Wen Hu thanked from the bottom of his heart.
The Yellow River Dragon Gate had always been a chivalrous and righteous sect, but because of this, it was very much in the spotlight in Eastern Tang.
In recent years, the Eastern Tang Dynasty’s royal family had been purging all internal forces.
If news got out that Wen Hu helped the refugees to fight against the Tang Dynasty army, it could go two ways.
Mister Black Cloud did not allow the other party to come immediately but asked Wen Hu, “Why did someone from your sect come?”
Wen Hu replied, “Aunt-Master came here only to thank Senior and Chang’an for saving my life and accepting the people into the fortress.”
Zhang Dongyun laughed in his heart. She was probably worried that the Demon Dao experts in Chang’an Fortress had taken the people in to kill them to get their blood and refine their souls for cultivation.
He did not point it out and said calmly, “Let her come in.”
Wen Hu was delighted and took his leave.
A moment later, he led a middle-aged woman into the fortress to meet Mister Black Cloud.
“Sir.” The middle-aged woman introduced herself. “Greetings from Shang Jie of the Dragon Gate.”
“You may dispense with the formalities,” the old man in black on the seat said calmly. “I’ve already heard from Wen Hu why you are here. Now that you are here and have seen whatever you need to, what plans do you have next?”
The Yellow River Dragon Gate’s Elder Shang Jie took out a bundle. “This is a small token of our appreciation. I hope that Chang’an will become more prosperous.”
Wen Hu received the bundle, opened it, and presented it to Mister Black Cloud.
With the system in place, Zhang Dongyun knew what it was without looking.
The inconspicuous seeds and seedlings in the bundle were actually of various herbs.
The gift from the other party was not any miracle pills. If Chang’an planted and cultivated them properly, it could produce a large number of flowers and plants with great medicinal value.
In particular, several of them were not herbs that mortals could use to cure illnesses and injuries. Instead, they were for cultivators to use.
The Cold Mountain Sect also collected related herbs from inside and outside Qinzhou.
However, Qinzhou was limited, and the Cold Mountain Sect was not as powerful as the Yellow River Dragon Gate.
The quality of the medicinal herb seeds that Shang Jie brought was significantly better than what the Cold Mountain Sect had collected.
“It is inevitable that many people in the fortress have fallen sick from eating grains. I hope this can help.” Shang Jie looked at Wen Hu. “Disciple-Nephew Wen is here. Please take care of him and guide him.”
Mister Black Cloud waved his hand and put away the bundle. “Anyone who abides by the rules of Chang’an Fortress can live here.”
Wen Hu bowed, and Shang Jie smiled. “Chang’an is a blessing to the people of Longbei.”
After a few more moments of sitting, Shang Jie took her leave.
Mister Black Cloud did not keep her and waved his hand for Wen Hu to see her off.
Wen Hu accompanied Shang Jie out of the fortress and wanted to say something but hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Shang Jie asked him with a smile.
“Aunt-Master Shang, I mentioned to you before that there are mineral veins of turquoise crystals here in Chang’an. I’m looking for a buyer right now.”
After hesitating for a moment, Wen Hu still said, “The martial artists of our sect can also use the turquoise crystals for their cultivation…”
Shang Jie gently shook her head. “A partnership is indeed good for both sides. But first, we still don’t know the details of Chang’an Fortress. Second, it may not trust our sect.
“Furthermore, talking about business during our first meeting might arouse suspicions. You still have to stay in Chang’an for a long time.”
Wen Hu smiled bitterly. “I have no intention of making our sect suffer a loss, nor do I intend to take advantage of Chang’an Fortress. We can slowly discuss the price and other details. Isn’t it good to have a fair deal and get paid for the goods?”
“Of course.” Shang Jie smiled. “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet. There is no harm in talking about it later.”
She restrained her smile and gazed back at the top of Chang’an Fortress. “This place is too mysterious, and it makes people feel a little apprehensive after all.
“However, if it can treat the people well and fight against the tyranny of the Eastern Tang Dynasty, it may be accepted as a pure land of the human world…”