Reincarnated as a Divine Tree

"This time, when we enter the city, everyone must remain vigilant."

Before entering, Chen Tianjing reminded the group, and the clan members all acknowledged his words.

Soon, they arrived at the checkpoint outside the city gates. However, just as they were about to enter, they were quickly stopped by the gatekeepers.

"Stop! Where are you from, and what are you carrying? Don’t you know that selling goods in the city requires a fee?"

Chen Tianjing and the others exchanged glances, confused. They truly hadn’t known about this rule. But upon hearing it, they realized it wasn’t too different from how their own markets operated.

"Why don’t they have to pay?"

A clan member asked, looking at a convoy entering the city.

The guard chuckled. "That’s the Hua clan from Jiama City. Of course, they don’t have to pay."

Chen Tianjing pondered for a moment before asking, "How much do we have to pay?"

The guard glanced at the carts behind them and smirked. "That depends on what you’re selling. In Yong’an City, we have rules—if the total value of your goods is under five hundred jade coins, you must pay ten percent. If it exceeds five hundred, the tax is twenty percent."

Many clan members frowned upon hearing this. Twenty percent? That was too high, even more absurd than their own clan’s marketplace.

Ever since their clan had taken control of all the markets in Chaotic Burial Mountain, they only charged five percent. And more importantly, they didn’t have any jade coins on hand.

As Chen Tianjing and the others found themselves at a loss, a cold voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

"The Hua clan from Jiama City doesn’t have to pay, so why should the Chen clan from Chaotic Burial Mountain? Elder, these city rules are far too unreasonable. We should just sell elsewhere."

Everyone turned at the voice. The one who had spoken was none other than Chen Yihu, a trusted clan servant who had accompanied them.

Hearing this, Chen Tianjing hesitated briefly before nodding. "Very well."

The guard, who had been expecting an easy profit, was momentarily taken aback.

Although he didn’t know what kind of clan the Chen clan of Chaotic Burial Mountain was, he took a closer look at their clothing and the insignia embroidered on their sleeves. His expression subtly shifted.

Their attire wasn’t particularly luxurious, and they didn’t even have proper horse-drawn carriages. However, their bearing and those insignias suggested they were far from ordinary.

Yong’an City had its own set of unspoken rules—charging high fees for common merchants was one thing, but families of status were usually given more leniency.

Seeing that they were about to leave, the guard quickly put on a smile and tried to stop them.

"Wait, wait! I misspoke earlier. You may enter the city. According to Yong’an City’s regulations, esteemed guests like yourselves only need to pay five percent. However, since this is your first time here, we can waive the initial tax. You only need to register."

"Oh?"

Chen Tianjing raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The other clan members also remained silent, which made the guard visibly nervous.

If word got out that he had turned away a merchant group and possibly offended a notable clan, he’d be in serious trouble.

After a brief pause, Chen Tianjing let out a sigh and said with slight displeasure, "Fine! We’ll sell our goods here."

Hearing this, the guard beamed. After quickly registering their information, he led them into the city and explained the designated selling areas.

He then handed them a token marked with the emblem of Yong’an City before finally leaving.

Holding the tokens in their hands and looking at the bustling streets ahead, the clan members had mixed expressions.

Nearby, Chen Yihu stepped forward and said, "Elder, I apologize for speaking out of turn earlier. Please forgive me."

Chen Tianjing smiled slightly and praised him, "You did well. When we return, I will inform the clan leader."

Chen Yihu was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude. This was knowledge he had learned from studying those old, tattered books, and now he had finally put it to use.

Chen Tianjing, too, sighed inwardly. The clan leader truly had a keen eye—someone like Chen Yihu was exactly what the clan needed.

After entering the city, the group made their way to the designated marketplace.

The streets were packed with people, and buildings lined both sides.

Tea houses, taverns, inns, fabric shops, bookstores—each storefront caught their attention.

Though Chen Tianjing was also curious, as an elder, he maintained his composure. More importantly, their mission was not yet complete, and caution was still necessary.

Soon, they reached the trading district.

Unlike the neatly displayed goods inside storefronts, this was an open-air market filled with a variety of stalls. Iron tools, grains, unknown ores, rare plants, unique roots—an assortment of strange and miscellaneous goods covered the stalls.

After obtaining their tokens, the group quickly secured an empty stall. However, Chen Tianjing didn’t rush to start selling.

According to their clan’s prior discussion, none of them were sure how much their goods should be priced. So, he decided to first take a look around and observe the market rates before setting their own prices.

In addition to himself, he sent Chen Tianlu and Chen Yihu to gather information as well, while the others stayed behind to guard the cart.

Passersby could only see a cloth covering the goods on the cart, unable to discern what was being sold.

After making a full round of the market, the three of them returned. However, the results were less than ideal—their goods were not commonly seen here.

Their inventory mainly consisted of high-quality beast pelts. Since their clan hunted with their bare hands instead of using iron weapons, the skins were well-preserved. Alongside the pelts, they also had beast tusks and other unique body parts, as well as blood rice.

Some beast pelts were available in the market, though the quality wasn’t great. Yet, even those were being sold at decent prices.

A mid-tier Body Tempering beast pelt was priced around twenty jade coins, despite being incomplete. A late-tier Body Tempering beast pelt fetched at least thirty jade coins.

However, their own pelts were in much better condition, meaning they could likely set their prices higher. Rather than making a decision immediately, Chen Tianjing turned to Chen Yihu for his opinion.

Perhaps this man had a natural talent for trade.

Hearing the question, Chen Yihu pondered for a moment before replying, "Elder, I think we should set the price high at first. If no one buys, we can lower it later."

"Good!"

Chen Tianjing nodded in approval. That was a sound strategy.

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