The two of them laid everything out in the open, and the atmosphere immediately became quite harmonious.
He had to admit, Wei Jie was a remarkably impressive young man. He reminded Jiang Chen of Ye Rong, the Fourth Prince of the Tiangui Kingdom, back when Jiang Chen was in the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance.
That said, Ye Rong was ultimately just a prince from a mortal kingdom — in terms of knowledge and bearing, he couldn't hold a candle to Wei Jie.
Moreover, compared to Ye Rong, Wei Jie possessed a stronger sense of dominance in his character. It wasn't the brash, domineering kind of arrogance that showed on the surface, but rather the sort of commanding presence that emerged when faced with real challenges — the kind of man who shouldered responsibility and acted as though no one else was fit to lead.
Thinking of Ye Rong made Jiang Chen feel a twinge of concern for the Tiangui Kingdom. And the Treasure Tree Sect — he wondered how things were there now?
He had sent Ye Chonglou back to the Treasure Tree Sect in advance. They should have been able to make preparations.
As long as Ye Chonglou had set up defenses ahead of time, there was still real hope of weathering this disaster. Jiang Chen figured the people of the Treasure Tree Sect had likely already taken preemptive action.
Otherwise, knowing the sort of people from the Undying Heaven's Gate and the Nine Suns Heaven's Sect, they would certainly have seized members of the Treasure Tree Sect to use as leverage against him.
Since he hadn't heard anything about that, it meant the people of the Treasure Tree Sect were safe for the time being.
"Brother Jiang, I've heard some things about what happened in the Myriad Elephant Domain. The Undying Heaven's Gate hunting you down — that's become the talk of the whole world now. But apparently, they've figured out that you're bound to come to Glazed Royal City, so they've been setting up ambushes along every route leading here? Why is that?" Wei Jie asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
Since Jiang Chen had already opened up to Wei Jie, there was no point hiding something like this from him. Besides, he would ultimately need the Wei family's help to track down Gouyu and the others.
"Young Master Wei, I won't lie to you. The Chiding Central Domain was manipulated by the Undying Heaven's Gate into invading the Dan Qian Palace. They seized a large number of our people. Later, they sold those captives to forces within Glazed Royal City. They calculated that I would come to Glazed Royal City to rescue them, so they've been setting up blockades along the way."
Wei Jie's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. "They were actually sold to Glazed Royal City? Is that information reliable?"
Jiang Chen nodded. "The information should be absolutely certain."
He had gotten this intelligence not only from Wu Ji, but had also made inquiries at the imperial capital of the Chiding Empire, where he happened to overhear it directly from one of the empire's princes.
Seeing how certain Jiang Chen was, Wei Jie's expression turned grave. "If they really were sold to Glazed Royal City, rescuing them is going to be extremely complicated."
"Young Master Wei, what do you mean?" Jiang Chen asked, his interest piqued.
"Glazed Royal City is a land of freedom. Within Glazed Royal City itself, human trafficking is absolutely forbidden. In truth, there are very few factions within Glazed Royal City that engage in it. However, the handful of factions that do are not to be trifled with." Wei Jie's tone grew somber as he spoke of this.
Jiang Chen said, "Young Master Wei, if this puts your family in a difficult position, there's no need for the Wei family to get involved. If you could simply help me find out which faction the captives were sold to, I can handle the rest on my own."
Wei Jie quickly replied, "It's not that I'm afraid of the trouble. It's just that these factions aren't easy to deal with. Let's wait until we get back to the Central City of Glazed Royal City before we discuss this further."
Though Jiang Chen was anxious, he knew this wasn't something that could be resolved in a snap.
"Brother Jiang, whatever you do, don't rush into this. And above all, don't try to use brute force. In Glazed Royal City, resorting to violence will only make things spiral out of control. Offending the Undying Heaven's Gate may not cost you much — they may not be able to touch you. But if you offend a major faction in Glazed Royal City, the trouble you'll face will be ten times worse."
Wei Jie's tone was earnest and measured, making it clear he was not simply trying to scare him.
"Don't worry, Young Master Wei. A rescue like this calls for strategy, not force. Ideally, I'd work out some kind of trade. I'm willing to pay twice the price — three times, even five times, if necessary."
Wei Jie nodded. "Once we get back, we'll see how the situation plays out. Until then, Brother Jiang, it's best not to reveal your identity. You should remain Dan King Zhen Shi for now, so we don't spook anyone. Besides, if the Undying Heaven's Gate or the Nine Suns Heaven's Sect find out you've already slipped into Glazed Royal City, they'll likely send assassins after you. Glazed Royal City may prohibit outside factions from causing trouble on its turf, but every power has its blind spots — places where the light doesn't reach."
"Mm. Rescuing them is the priority."
Jiang Chen knew perfectly well what was at stake. In the end, it all came down to strength. If he had enough power, would he need to skulk around like this?
If he commanded sufficient force, the Undying Heaven's Gate and the Nine Suns Heaven's Sect wouldn't dare breathe a word of protest.
A few days later, Jiang Chen and the Wei family's entourage arrived safely at the Central City of Glazed Royal City.
When Jiang Chen stood before the gates of the Central City and gazed upon the legendary Glazed Royal City stretching into the distance, he was genuinely struck by its prosperity and grandeur.
It wasn't that Jiang Chen had never seen anything impressive — it was that Glazed Royal City simply outclassed every other city on the Divine Abyss Continent by an overwhelming margin.
Compared to it, the likes of Ta'a City, the Chiding Imperial Capital, Longxing City, and Wanyi City might as well have been small villages.
"Dan King, do you see it? That tower piercing the clouds — that's the Glazed Royal Pagoda. Legend has it that it enshrines the Heavenly Mandate Decree of the ancient Glazed Royal King, along with the Glazed Royal King's Heavenly Mandate Relics. The Glazed Royal King's radiance has blessed Glazed Royal City with one hundred thousand years of fortune…"
Jiang Chen followed Wei Jie's gesture and looked. Rising from the endless sprawl of the city, a towering pagoda reached into the sky, radiating a seven-colored brilliance that bathed all of Glazed Royal City in its glow.
From afar, the entire city seemed cloaked in an aura of solemn sanctity.
"Come on, let's go in." Wei Jie waved his hand and headed toward the city gate.
"Halt!" As they reached the gate, they were stopped by the city guard.
Wei Jie's brow furrowed. "What's going on? I've only been gone a few days — have the rules of Glazed Royal City changed? Since when do Ninth-Rank family entourages need to be stopped at the gate?"
The city guard clearly recognized Wei Jie and cupped his hands. "Young Master Wei, my apologies. Please dismount and enter on foot. This isn't me causing trouble for you — it's for your own good."