Chapter 17

Creak—

He pushed open the wooden door; amid the morning light and thin mist, a strand of golden sunlight leapt from the mountain stream and brushed his face.

The air, carrying a hint of chill, slipped into his lungs, refreshing Yunhe.

He glanced around outside the door.

He saw nothing different from usual, nor did he spot any suspicious figures.

"It seems the death of the Shi surname cultivator has attracted no attention."

That makes sense.

If the death of a mid-Qi Refining cultivator could cause such a stir, then the Heshui Market would probably be in chaos every day.

Recalling last night's events once more, Yunhe lightly pinched the bridge of his nose.

"At that time there was no one around, and the battle traces were entirely outside the market; even if that Shi surname cultivator had relatives or friends seeking revenge, they would hardly notice my measly Qi Refining beginner's spirit-bee farm."

"No need to overreact; just carry on as usual."

With that thought, Yunhe tidied his clothes and closed the door.

When encountering familiar cultivators on the road, he greeted them as usual, or exchanged a few casual words.

He leisurely made his way to the market's designated beekeeping area.

Until there was no one around at all.

Only then did his steps finally quicken.

He cautiously approached the vicinity where he and the Shi surname cultivator had been chased by the black-ring hornets the previous night.

The ground was littered with debris.

But because there were signs of wild animal activity, the traces left from last night were no longer very clear.

"In another two days, all traces should be completely erased."

While keeping a slight watch on the direction of the black-ring hornet nest, he surveyed the surroundings.

He returned here again.

On one hand, Yunhe worried that the traces he had left in his haste last night might lead others to him.

On the other hand, he also wanted to see whether the Shi surname cultivator's slaughter of many black-ring hornets the night before had left any scraps to scavenge.

"No wonder they say eighty-one percent of killers return to the crime scene after murdering someone; I didn't believe it when I watched movies in my past life, but now I find myself doing exactly that."

After checking and confirming everything was fine, Yunhe gave a self-mocking low laugh.

The good news is he left hardly any trace that could link back to him—not even a single spirit-bee wing.

The bad news is that not even a fragment of the black-ring hornets' corpses remained.

He guessed they must have been taken back by the hornets as food.

Scavenging failed.

Yunhe wasn't too disappointed; he turned and walked toward another direction.

Heshui Mountain, amidst a forest of lush branches and leaves.

A cave concealed by a tangle of vines.

"The road turned out to be safer and smoother than I imagined; is it because more cultivators travel it, so demon beasts dare not approach casually?"

By now, Yunhe had naturally changed into a different outfit.

The bamboo hat, wooden mask, wide nightclothes, and the padding stuffed inside made it impossible to discern his stature or appearance.

He pushed aside the vines and stepped into the dark, narrow cavern.

As soon as he entered the cave, he sensed a person hiding in the shadows inside.

But the other party showed no surprise at his entry.

"Ten spirit crystals."

A hoarse voice came.

Yunhe honestly placed ten spirit crystals on the ground.

"You have to pay to enter; just this profit alone is quite considerable, right?"

"Combat is forbidden within the black market, and we take no responsibility for the authenticity of any goods inside."

After a few brief words, that person handed over a coal lamp.

"Follow the light."

Yunhe took the lamp; a wisp of flame ignited automatically and pointed the way.

He said nothing, merely walking slowly into the cavern.

Not long after, he discovered that this place was another world.

An extremely intricate network of long tunnels, much like the escape passage he had dug with his Demon Beast Body on Huanhu Dao.

Without the guidance of the coal lamp in his hand, he probably couldn't enter the true black market even if he found its entrance.

At the same time, these tunnels surely lead to various exits, making it convenient for cultivators to leave and hard to track.

It can be said that the arrangements were made very thoroughly.

"No wonder this place has operated for years without being eradicated."

As he continued deeper, Yunhe stood before a blocking stone wall.

There was no road ahead, yet the lamp's flame pointed straight at this spot.

"A formation?"

He reached out and wiped it away.

He passed straight through.

The stone wall before him dissipated like gray mist, revealing a broad platform ahead.

Dozens of buildings of various sizes stand there, but most are stalls of loose cultivators.

All kinds of cultivators who cover their heads and faces, hiding their forms, wander about.

The liveliness is far less than that of a market, but there are still plenty of people.

Everything looks rather crude, but the items on the stalls are all kinds of strange.

All sorts of demonic path materials, fringe techniques, magical artifacts, and even female cultivator furnaces—at least four or five shops openly display and sell them.

Among them, there are no shortage of some rather heaven-harming, principle-violating cults.

Yet this myriad of things is exactly the significance and value of the black market's existence.

"The corpse-refining in the Extreme Yin place is comparable to mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation base, harmless and with no possibility of rebellion."

"Top-quality furnaces, for sale cheap!"

"One-time-use magical artifact, bone-piercing nail! The unsurpassed artifact for sneak attacks—any fellow Daoist interested?"

Yunhe walked around and saw many items he had never seen before.

Some of them, he even found his scalp tingling.

"'Just consider it broadening my horizons.'"

He straightaway walked toward a building in the black market.

When Pan Hongwei was showing off his "experience" to him, he briefly described the situation inside the black market.

He also gave warnings at the same time.

If you want to sell something, try to find those big shops as much as possible.

Although the price might be a bit lower, the advantage lies in safety.

Even the big shops won't cause trouble over a few or several dozen low-grade spirit stones.

"Eh, a first-tier low-grade magical artifact, the Hollow Bamboo Sword, made of spirit bamboo, maintained adequately, the blade edge shows no nicks, spiritual power flows smoothly, consumption is a bit high, but flaws do not hide its excellence—it's top-notch."

An attendant of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion held the Hollow Bamboo Sword, appraising it while casually speaking.

"A wood-attribute magical artifact, suitable for a wide range of cultivators, its power is not bad among first-tier low-grade artifacts; my Hundred Treasures Pavilion can offer twenty-five low-grade spirit stones."

"Isn't that a bit low? From what I've seen, a low-grade artifact of this Hollow Bamboo Sword's quality, especially a sword, never sells for less than thirty low-grade spirit stones."

Although he was already delighted with the price in his heart, Yunhe still adhered to the principle that not bargaining is a loss, "arguing based on reason."

But this also indirectly shows that Yunhe's understanding of the magical artifact market is insufficient.

Upon hearing this, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion attendant snorted disdainfully.

"Like those artifacts outside, dare you, fellow Daoist, to buy?"

"But fellow Daoist, you cannot deny that the quality of my Hollow Bamboo Sword is not ordinary."

Yunhe still bargained with the other party for a while, finally closing the deal at twenty-six low-grade spirit stones.

Although Yunhe felt he might still have lost, this price indeed far exceeded his expectations.

Moreover, the Hollow Bamboo Sword, to Yunhe, is not only showy but impractical, even a bit hot to hold; it would be better to exchange it early for spirit stones to increase self-defense ability or raise cultivation base.

"Fellow Daoist, do you need to purchase something?"

Seeing Yunhe not leaving immediately, the attendant's interest suddenly surged.

Yunhe gave a lukewarm bow.

"I don't know if your shop has a first-tier low-grade water-attribute or metal-attribute magical artifact? Preferably a sword."

Since the incident last night, Yunhe has clearly realized his shortcomings in magical artifacts.

The stinger of the black-ring hornet, though concealed, is truly somewhat pitiful in power.

Using it for sneak attacks might be okay, but if one wants to fight head-on—

He only knows the Water Arrow Technique; he should also give himself some more attack methods.

"That naturally exists!"

The attendant's eyes narrowed slightly, obviously not very satisfied with Yunhe's question.

However, his movements were swift; in a moment he took out three wooden boxes from the storehouse.

He opened them one by one.

"Water Spirit Sword, Gold Killer Sword—these two are low-grade magical artifacts. The last one, 'Gold Water Flowing Cloud,' is a first-tier medium-grade magical artifact. You can judge its quality and appearance yourself, fellow Daoist."

"Gold Water Flowing Cloud?"

From the name you know it's a water- and metal-attribute magical artifact.

Yunhe gazed at the long sword where gold clouds and flowing water intermingled, and tentatively asked, "I don't know... what's the price?"

The attendant smiled, narrowing his eyes, and raised a finger.

Yunhe's eyes widened.

This finger certainly does not represent a low-grade spirit stone.

But a medium-grade spirit stone!

One medium-grade spirit stone equals one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

"'This old man is probably just teasing me; do I look like someone who can produce a medium-grade spirit stone?'"

He muttered to himself.

Yunhe decisively gave up on the "showy but impractical" "Gold Water Flowing Cloud."

His gaze swept to the other two swords.

The Water Spirit Sword's blade is slender and elongated, its appearance quite good, but it does not resemble a male cultivator's sidearm; rather, it suits a female cultivator more.

As for the Gold Killer Sword, its blade is three fingers wide, one foot three inches long; faint blood energy seems to coil around it, the blade face has slight scratches, but overall it remains fairly well preserved.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, what is the price of this 'Gold Killer Sword'?"

The attendant also did not show contempt because Yunhe had been frightened by the price of the Gold Water Flowing Cloud; he merely sipped his tea and spoke slowly and deliberately:

Twenty low-grade Ling Stones.

Yunhe shook his head.

Too pricey—my Empty Bamboo Sword only costs twenty-six low-grade Ling Stones; this sword's quality is far worse.

What do you think, fellow Daoist?

Fifteen low-grade Ling Stones.

No, no.

Finally, Yunhe bought this 'Gold Slayer Sword' for eighteen low-grade Ling Stones.

He hastily concealed his joy and put away the long sword.

The Empty Bamboo Sword is fine, but it doesn't suit him.

Moreover, this Gold Slayer Sword not only matches his spiritual root and cultivation method, but also suits the Metal Controlling Technique.

'A flick of the finger sends the sword flying a thousand miles—this is no dream.'

Do you need anything else, fellow Daoist? My Hundred Treasures Pavilion not only has magical artifacts, but also magical robes, cultivation methods, spells, and so on.

No.

After Yunhe gave a bow, he left the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Although he had found a large shop selling magical artifacts, they wouldn't cause him trouble over ten low-grade Ling Stones.

But if he also wanted to buy the method for transplanting spiritual plants and the technique for controlling spirit bees, that would be another matter.

So he'd rather run to several shops than reveal all his resources at one place.

And after he left, the attendant who had just received him in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion glanced toward a corner and slightly shook his head.

At the early Qi Refining stage, one can only afford low-grade magical artifacts; it's not worth taking action.

Otherwise, why would he bring out that intermediate-grade magical artifact long sword?

Huh?

Hardly had he stepped out of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion when Yunhe was drawn to a stall.

Beneath the mask, his face showed surprise.

Because he saw the name of a spell.

'Blood Insect Sacrifice Technique'!

(End of chapter)