Chapter 441: Chapter 228: Citywide Manhunt, Sky-High Bounty_5

Immortal Niu, with a mix of kindness and authority, spoke.

He knew the preciousness of this batch of spirit herbs and elixirs. To obtain more, and to gain the support of cultivators, he had no choice but to use the name of the Seventh Prince to intimidate the people in front of him.

"Being able to work for His Highness is an honor for us. Immortal Niu, rest assured, I’ll personally tally my shop’s inventory. If I find any of these herbs, I wouldn’t mind giving them to His Highness for free, let alone at double the price."

"I have a group of medicine gatherers under me. I will have them set aside their tasks and focus on finding the herbs His Highness needs."

"We owe our standing in the black market to His Highness, and now that he needs something from us, we will naturally go all out. Isn’t that right, everyone?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The shopkeepers of various medicine shops and stall owners echoed in agreement.

Even Jiang Feng nodded and smiled within the crowd, appearing simple and honest, unwilling to fight against authority.

"On behalf of the Seventh Prince, I thank all of you."

Immortal Niu clasped his hands toward the crowd.

Afterward, everyone left the courtyard and returned to their shops to count the herbs or use their connections to help the Seventh Prince find spirit herbs and elixirs.

Jiang Feng returned to his own shop, pretending to search, but naturally, he found nothing. His shop remained open as usual, seemingly unaffected.

Late at night.

There were more night owls.

The black market became lively again.

Chu Tianhe appeared in Shopkeeper Zhao’s Golden Needle Poison Medicine Shop.

He was meticulously selecting various unique hidden weapons, traps, and mechanisms in the shop.

As the commander of the Zhenbei Prison’s prison army, not long ago, he had visited Jiang Feng’s shop to buy the prescription used by Han Dong back then. Now he came to Shopkeeper Zhao’s shop to purchase poisons and hidden weapons, which piqued Jiang Feng’s interest.

He wondered what had happened to Chu Tianhe.

Eventually, Chu Tianhe left with a large bag of unique hidden weapons, and Shopkeeper Zhao gained significantly. He greeted Jiang Feng, "Shopkeeper Chu, what medicinal herbs are you selling! Why don’t you sell some unique hidden weapons like me? I have some connections I can introduce to you."

"Thank you, I’m used to selling medicinal herbs."

Jiang Feng replied casually, without paying much attention to him. He tidied up his shop, and as soon as the hour was right, he closed up and left, returning to Black Alley.

Sitting in his room, Jiang Feng kept pondering about whom Chu Tianhe was buying the medicine for earlier, and today, for whom he was purchasing so many poison needle hidden weapons.

Jiang Feng remembered clearly that Han Dong was an expert in setting traps and using poison needle hidden weapons. She managed to retreat safely from White Tiger Mountain, not only because of his covert assistance but mainly due to the traps and mechanisms she set up in advance.

Could she really be in trouble?

"Even if Sister Dong is in trouble, I cannot act rashly; it might be a trap set by the Divine Sect and the Royal Family to lure me out."

"No, if they wanted to lure me out, it should have been done openly; why is there no news at all?"

Jiang Feng was baffled.

"Oh no, it’s the bounty notice!"

However, thinking carefully, his expression suddenly changed dramatically.

Jiang Feng had almost forgotten the Divine Sect’s bounty notice.

He suddenly realized that the Emperor releasing Han Dong from the Imperial City was not to lure him out. On the contrary, the Emperor and the Divine Sect’s purpose was to use Han Dong to attract those cultivators who traveled from afar to Dragon Capital for the bounty notice.

Once those people discovered the relationship between Han Dong and him, they would hold Han Dong and Uncle Huo hostage, tempted by the Spirit Stone Magical Artifacts and the Dragon Bone Bow, they would definitely take the risk.

Chu Tianhe purchasing so many unique hidden weapons was probably under Han Dong’s instructions. She had apparently realized the danger, knowing that cultivators would hold her hostage, using her to find Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng wasn’t sure if his deduction was correct.

But it was all he could think of.

"If Sister Dong really gets kidnapped by cultivators because of me, what should I do?"

Jiang Feng didn’t know what to do.

Appearing to rescue them would fall right into the Emperor and the Divine Sect’s trap.

If he continued hiding in the black market, indifferent, Han Dong, Uncle Huo, and their family would surely die.

Cultivators were merciless.

As long as there was a chance to find him through Han Dong or Uncle Huo’s family, countless people would try.

Jiang Feng was facing a dilemma.

In the following days, Jiang Feng began to pay attention to the movements at Zhenbei Prison. He knew that no matter who held Han Dong or Uncle Huo’s family hostage, the aim was to find him. Once they were successfully captured, news would spread, and even in Black Alley, whispers would reach him.

He was now worried about what to do if Han Dong or Uncle Huo’s family truly got kidnapped.

Two days later.

Jiang Feng finally caught wind of some news.

But it was not about Han Dong or Uncle Huo’s family being kidnapped, rather, it was about him; there were rumors spreading again. It was said that he was once a Little Prison Guard at Zhenbei Prison, promoted to Little Prison Chief with Han Dong’s guidance, and ultimately, with Han Dong’s help, became the Vice Commander of the Zhenbei Prison.

These rumors had existed before.

Liu Chen had heard them back then.

He even returned to Dragon Capital from the Divine Sect Mansion, intending to hold Han Dong and Uncle Huo hostage, forcing Jiang Feng to leave the Divine Sect Mansion. However, the Emperor, with a guilty conscience, had already imprisoned Han Dong and Uncle Huo’s family in the Imperial City.

Causing Liu Chen to miss his target.

Now that he learned Jiang Feng had returned to Dragon Capital, the Emperor altered his strategy, proactively collaborating with the Divine Sect and handing Han Dong over to those cultivators who came for the bounty.

The Emperor wanted to see whether Han Dong and a few others could indeed draw Jiang Feng out.

So when Dragon Capital saw an influx of foreign cultivators, the rumors about Jiang Feng’s identity began to circulate again in the capital city.

On that day, Jiang Feng’s medicine shop opened an hour later than usual.

Night fell.

Jiang Feng was still watching over his shop in the black market, warmly greeting each customer who came in to get medicine. Until the early hours of the morning, when he would usually close and leave, Jiang Feng continued to stay in the shop, greeting everyone who passed by.

It was at this moment.

Outside Zhenbei Prison, three cultivators appeared.

These three had previously come to the black market looking for spirit herbs and elixirs, and Jiang Feng had interacted with one of the middle-aged men.

The middle-aged man held up a wanted poster and said, "The rumors say Jiang Feng once worked at this prison and had some unclear relationship with the Prison Director here."

"Big brother, stop hesitating, let’s do it!"

"We traveled so far to get here, our spirit rice and spirit stones are all used up. If we get nothing, how can we face anyone when we go back?"

The other two younger men urged impatiently.

"Alright, third brother, go in and bring the person out; even if it’s the wrong one, we won’t let them go."

The middle-aged man crumpled the wanted poster into a ball and decided.

"Yes!"

The third brother was a cultivator with several copper coin magical artifacts wrapped around his wrist. At a swift movement, he dashed into Zhenbei Prison.

As a cultivator, the prison’s defenses were like a sieve to him. Even when he entered, no one would notice him.

His spiritual sense extended into the prison.

In no time, he located Han Dong, hiding on the third floor.

"Creak!"

He moved swiftly, entering the third floor as if it were unguarded.

As soon as he entered, he walked into traps and hidden weapons.

"Child’s play!"

Unfortunately, no matter how sophisticated Han Dong’s traps and countless hidden weapons were, they were nothing in the eyes of a cultivator, posing no threat.

"Miss, come with me. I’ll take you to see your little lover."

The man chuckled.

"I am an official of the Great Tang, don’t act recklessly."

Han Dong’s face was ash pale.

She hadn’t expected that the meticulously arranged room filled with traps and mechanisms would be totally ineffective in front of her opponent. Was this the power of cultivators?

She exerted all her strength, trying to lift her two-handed sword, only to find her body couldn’t move at all.

"Don’t waste your energy. The extent of my abilities is beyond your imagination."

The man chuckled sinisterly, reaching for Han Dong’s shoulder.

"Ah!"

However, just as his hand was about to touch Han Dong’s shoulder.

A green light flashed behind Han Dong.

The copper coins on the man’s wrist emitted a humming sound, forming a halo over his arm.

The green light was ferocious.

It shattered the halo.

A bite mark appeared on the back of the man’s hand, and a chill surged into his body. Frost quickly formed on his hair and body.

His spiritual power and blood rapidly froze uncontrollably.

He barely managed to scream.

Before turning into an ice sculpture, he fell backward, shattering into pieces with a crash.

"This..."

Han Dong couldn’t believe her eyes, unsure of what had happened.

"Snake!"

Suddenly, a child’s voice came from the room.

"Commander Han, there’s a Little Cyan Snake behind you."

Uncle Huo covered Little Huowa’s mouth and reminded him.