CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 46: THE BLACK MARKET (PLEASE FOLLOW)

"Every Martial Artist has their own way to make a living. We Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists mostly come from good households. As for me, I have nominal affiliations with major shops, collecting a considerable nominal fee. Some become retainers for wealthy families, engaging in equitable trade. The Martial Artist works for the family, and the family provides ample Silver Taels."

「Pingling County.」

「Night falls.」

The bright moon hung high, and the streets gradually emptied of people.

Qi Yuan took out a white-faced monkey mask and a cloak from his room, handing them to Jiang Shu. "Put these on," he said. "Where we’re going, you must not reveal your true identity."

As he spoke, he also draped a cloak over himself and donned a black bear mask. He cleared his throat, and when he spoke again, his voice had deepened, sounding like that of a man in his forties. "The cultivation resources required by Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists are beyond what ordinary affluent households can support."

"The resources needed for the Bone Forging Realm are even greater. Most heads of martial arts schools have already experienced a decline in their Qi and blood, which is why they only charge ten taels of silver, accumulating wealth bit by bit. Those who can truly advance further all come from wealthy families. If it’s like this for the Bone Forging Realm, can you guess how many cultivation resources the County Magistrate of Pingling County, our only Refining Internal Realm expert, requires daily?"

"Relying on the imperial court’s stipend?"

"The reason the black market has always existed is because, behind it..."

Qi Yuan didn’t finish his sentence and walked out of the small courtyard.

Jiang Shu held his breath and followed closely.

Indeed, some secrets are never known unless one reaches a certain Realm and status. The forces behind the black market must be the county government and the prominent families. The apparent stability of Pingling County is merely a tacit understanding between these two powers. Therefore, as long as the prominent families don’t overstep, the county government will unconditionally side with them.

Qi Yuan’s footsteps were light. He navigated many alleys before arriving deep within one, at an ordinary-looking house that seemed uninhabited. With a familiar gesture, he pushed the door open. The interior was tidy but bare. He walked to a wall and, with a slight push, a secret door swung open.

Suddenly, a whole new world appeared before Jiang Shu’s eyes.

Two wooden pillars stood firmly, with several lanterns hanging high from them. In front of the pillars, two men, their faces covered, stood with sabers in hand. Their Qi and blood surged powerfully, and their blades glinted menacingly under the moonlight.

"Those standing guard are all Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists," Qi Yuan spoke softly. "They prevent outsiders from entering. The minimum requirement to enter the black market is to be at the Skin Grinding Realm. Of course, if someone like me leads you, as is your case, you can also go in and take a look." He walked up to the two men with sabers, stood before them, and threw a punch into the air, the force of it resonating.

After receiving a nod of approval, he led Jiang Shu into a passageway wide enough for two people.

After several twists and turns, they reached a large square resembling a small marketplace.

"There are five such small trading posts in the black market. We entered from the east. There’s one in each of the other three cardinal directions as well, providing Martial Arts cultivation resources for the Skin Grinding Realm," Qi Yuan explained in a low voice, pulling Jiang Shu into a corner. "As for the very center, only Bone Forging Realm experts can enter."

He had only officially entered the black market after reaching the Skin Grinding Realm. It took him several months of feeling his way around to learn this basic information. If Jiang Shu hadn’t been so congenial, and if he hadn’t often brought strong liquor, Qi Yuan wouldn’t have shared this information so easily.

"The black market opens regularly, usually once a month on the fifteenth. Here, common items can be bought with gold and silver. Rare items are mostly bartered. The goods traded are of mixed quality, and authenticity is hard to guarantee. The principle is ’goods paid for, accounts cleared’—no liability afterward."

"Are you going to stick with me, or would you prefer to explore on your own and we meet up later?"

"I’ll go by myself," Jiang Shu replied, his voice deliberately low and disguised.

From a safety perspective, since he hadn’t yet reached the Skin Grinding Realm, sticking with Qi Yuan was the most sensible choice. However, the black market wasn’t open every day, and Qi Yuan, being a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist, also needed to procure his own cultivation resources. Bringing him here was merely a convenient way to let him gain some experience. If he were to stick around, it would inevitably make Qi Yuan feel somewhat constrained when purchasing resources. After all, who would reveal all their personal matters in front of someone else?

"Alright. Let’s meet here in one hour."

"Okay."

Nodding in agreement, they separated.

Qi Yuan headed towards a familiar spot, while Jiang Shu began browsing from the first stall in the square. Unlike the vendors in the county town, the stallholders here simply sat, not uttering a word unless questioned.

Jiang Shu crouched down and saw various small bottles on the little stall. Stickers on the outside of the bottles read: "Poison," "Stupefying," "Aphrodisiac," "Nourishing," "Fortifying," "Enhancing..."

The first three were easy enough to understand.

Jiang Shu skipped over the first three and whispered, "What do ’Nourishing,’ ’Fortifying,’ and ’Enhancing’ mean?"

The stallholder, head lowered and face obscured by a large hat, replied after a few seconds, "Nourish vital essence, fortify blood, enhance the body."

"These three bottles all contain medicinal powders. The ’Nourishing’ powder is for ordinary people, the ’Fortifying’ powder is for Martial Artists, and the ’Enhancing’ powder is for Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists. The ’Nourishing’ type is one Silver Tael per dose, the ’Fortifying’ is five Silver Taels per dose, and the ’Enhancing’ is twenty Silver Taels per dose."

"Mm."

Jiang Shu nodded, asked no more questions, and turned to leave.

Placed alongside poisons, stupefying agents, and aphrodisiacs, could these items truly be genuine? He just wanted to ask and get familiar with the prices.

He didn’t go to the second stall. Instead, he walked straight ahead until he was sure the first stallholder was no longer watching him. Only then did he crouch down again, turning his attention to a nearby stall.

Oddly shaped cured meats were displayed on this stall. In front of the cured meats, paper labels bore notes: "Leopard Flower Horse meat, Fox Bear meat, Cliff Crossing Python meat, Iron-seeking Rat meat..."

Clearly, these were various kinds of beast meat. If the animals on Xuanxing were still in the process of mutation and evolution, then the animals in this world had already been evolving for who knew how many years. These names he’d never heard before must belong to exotic beasts, each possessing unique abilities. Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists who wanted to increase their Qi and blood could only do so by consuming these exotic beast meats over a long period. Difficult. So very difficult! Who knew how many years old these cured meats were? Even if he bought them, how could he bring himself to eat them? Eat them, and endure the agony. Don’t eat them, and his Martial Arts progress would stagnate. Xuanxing was still better. The Academy... Soon. By the time he got to the Academy, he would likely be a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist. Never mind Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine; exotic beast meat would definitely not be in short supply there. Although he didn’t know what the exotic beast meat at the Academy would be like, surely it wouldn’t be these clumps of cured meat from the stalls.

Without lingering, Jiang Shu moved on, observing as he walked and taking in the sheer variety of goods in the black market. There were stalls selling beast meat, others selling Martial Arts manuals, and some even peddling intelligence.

Finally, Jiang Shu stopped.

Before him, a row of weapons was laid out.

A dagger, its cold gleam sharp and chilling, caught his eye.

Things like lime powder and the stun baton were gradually becoming inadequate as his strength grew. With his Qi and blood now circulating throughout his entire body, the enemies he would soon face would be Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists. Perhaps, in a surprise attack, lime powder might still have some effect. The stun baton, however, while sufficiently intimidating to ordinary people, could likely be handled by a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist with a slight dodge and a well-timed kick to his wrist. Even if it hit them, the injury probably wouldn’t be as severe as a heavy blow from a martial artist of the same Realm. Before sparring with Qi Yuan, Jiang Shu had thought that if he faced an ordinary Ox-hide Realm martial artist, a surprise attack with lime powder would give him a fighting chance. But after several days of sparring, Qi Yuan’s strength had made him fully understand: the gap between himself and a Skin Grinding Realm expert was comparable to the gap between himself and an ordinary person. With such an overwhelming difference in Realm, all petty tricks were useless. To win against a higher Realm opponent, a dagger capable of truly enhancing his combat power, one that could pierce the tough hide of a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist, was indispensable.