The black market had existed in Feiyun City for a very long time. Initially, it was just a gathering place for Martial Artists to fence stolen goods of dubious origins. As unidentified Martial Artists and those from major families began trading shady items, the crowds grew over time, eventually forming the black market. However, due to the recent disasters in the Central Plains and the skyrocketing price of grain, the black market—which used to cater exclusively to Martial Artists—had started opening up to ordinary people.
Xu Guang had known the location of the black market for a long time, but he had never actually been inside. In South City West Long Street, he bypassed a locust tree and turned into an alley. Flickering lights illuminated the pitch-black pathway, making it look like a ghost alley.
At the entrance stood a bearded burly man on guard. Expressionless, he announced, "One Small Blade Coin to enter. To go deeper, you must pay another Large Blade Coin. Once inside, fighting is strictly prohibited. If caught, you will bear the consequences."
Xu Guang wore all black, his face wrapped in cloth with only his eyes exposed. This was a completely normal getup in the black market, so he silently paid the fee. Acting like a first-time visitor, he casually looked around the silent alley.
This was the outer periphery. The items sold here were mostly ordinary goods—predominantly roosters, eggs, various grains, and seasonings. Surprisingly, prices were settled in silver taels. Just a single hen cost three maces of silver, the equivalent of thirty Large Blade Coins. It was astonishingly expensive. Most of the stall owners didn’t look very friendly. They were mostly gang members with fierce, meaty faces and tattooed arms.
The people in the alley were largely silent. Even when they spoke, they didn’t raise their voices, opting to whisper between themselves, which created an eerie atmosphere. Xu Guang observed silently. Most of the people here, whether buyers or sellers, likely held some status in the outside world. The prices in the black market were simply too high; the meager savings of ordinary commoners could never afford the grain sold here.
Looking down to check the grain locations displayed on the Searcher, Xu Guang walked toward his target. It was located in the middle of the alley. He didn’t know if the placement of black market stalls held any special significance, but he did know that this location would make it difficult for him to make a move.
As he was observing, someone suddenly patted his shoulder. Xu Guang instinctively clenched his fist, ready to counterattack.
"Little brother, I’ve seen you looking around for a while. You’re a Martial Artist, aren’t you?"
Xu Guang stayed silent and turned around to see a sneaky, tall, skinny man leaning against the wall, looking like a thief.
"I have a Martial Arts Secret Manual here, complete with instructions for brewing the Secret Medicine. Do you want it?"
Xu Guang scoffed internally. Just as he was about to turn and leave, a thought suddenly struck him. "How much?"
The man was overjoyed. "Thirty taels of silver!"
Xu Guang frowned. He didn’t believe a single word about the Secret Manual this person was selling. The value placed on a Martial Arts Secret Manual in this era was beyond an ordinary person’s imagination.
Such a manual was likely obtained through murder and robbery. The original owner of a manual carried on their person would have definitely set traps within it—such as various code words or deliberately omitted crucial movements. As for the so-called Secret Medicine brewing method, a ruthless person might simply alter a single ingredient, turning the Secret Medicine into deadly poison. These were all highly probable scenarios. Even when a master taught a disciple, it was usually like Old Zhao: the Cultivation Technique could be taught freely, but the method for brewing the Secret Medicine would never be dictated until the master was on his deathbed. If someone foolishly bought the manual this man was selling and blindly practiced it, they wouldn’t even know how they died.
He only stopped the man because he remembered asking his sister’s husband a few years ago about buying Cultivation Techniques in the black market. He had said that many techniques sold there were peddled deliberately—the sellers needed guinea pigs to practice the techniques so they could decipher the hidden codes! It was the exact same principle as Alchemy practitioners finding people to test their pills. The real reason he engaged the man was to... establish a persona!
"Thirty taels of silver? That’s too expensive. Can you make it a bit cheaper?" Xu Guang scratched his head, asking in a naive and simple-minded tone.
The man sized Xu Guang up and down, wondering if this guy was a total greenhorn. "Brother, you look like a good guy. I’ll give you a discount—twenty-five taels!"
Xu Guang shook his head. "My family only gave me twenty taels of silver, and they still expect me to buy grain."
"Twenty taels?! No way."
"Then I won’t buy it."
"Fine, fine. If you didn’t look like such an honest guy, I really wouldn’t sell it to you for twenty taels," the man said, acting as if he were taking a huge loss.
Xu Guang’s exposed eyes crinkled in a foolish smile. "Brother, you’re a good person."
"A good person? Heh..."
The black market operated on immediate exchange, guaranteeing a fair trade. Xu Guang received the Secret Manual, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
Xu Guang muttered under his breath, "Blue Sky Gang, look at this fat, juicy mark right here..."
A short while later.
He arrived at the Blue Sky Gang’s stall. His eyes darted around shyly as he asked in a low voice, "You sell grain here, right?"
The person sitting at the stall was, of course, not Chen Sandao, but a dark-skinned man who also had his face covered. He cast a cold glance at Xu Guang. "How much do you want?"
Xu Guang leaned in slightly and whispered, "Five hundred catties!"
"Hmm? You want that much? Do you even know what we sell? Do you know the price of five hundred catties?"
Xu Guang nodded. "Brother, don’t worry. I just bought a twenty-tael Secret Manual without even blinking. How expensive can five hundred catties of grain be?"
The stall owner revealed a mocking smile, wondering if this guy was an idiot.
"Everything I sell here is new rice. It’s ultra-premium round-grained rice specifically meant for the nobles in the city, along with flawlessly white, finely ground pure flour. It was transported all the way from the Shennong Sect in Baoshan County. It’s incredibly precious. Five hundred catties of such refined grain, according to current market rates, will cost you two hundred taels of silver. Do you have it?"
Hearing this, Xu Guang immediately looked troubled. "I... I don’t have it on me. But brother, if you trust me, you can bring the grain to my house. My family has money." Pausing, as if worried the man wouldn’t believe him, he added in an incredibly secretive tone, "Don’t be fooled by my shabby clothes. I just found out yesterday that my dad found a lot of gold when he was young. Come with me to my house, and I’ll give you the money."
Inwardly, Xu Guang was highly skeptical. Shennong Sect? Yeah, right. The black market sold fakes, using flashy gimmicks to scam the foolish young masters of wealthy households.
The man listened to these words and confirmed once again that this kid was a complete idiot. Coming to the black market for the first time, casually buying a Secret Manual, and freely spilling his family’s financial secrets to a stranger—he was an absolute fool. With these thoughts in mind, he looked at Xu Guang with unmistakable greed.
As if sensing the malice, Xu Guang suddenly showed wariness. "Brother, let’s get one thing straight. At most, two people can follow me home to get the money. Otherwise, I’ll buy from someone else!"
He had some vigilance, but not much. But this was enough to make the man drop the last sliver of his guard. After all, even an idiot’s family would have some smart people in it.
"Alright. Wait for me to get my big brother, and we’ll go with you."
Xu Guang immediately gave a foolishly honest smile. "Great!"
Half an hour later.
To avoid drawing attention, Xu Guang and the men from the Blue Sky Gang moved the five hundred catties of grain out in three separate trips. Xu Guang carried a single gunny sack, while the two men behind him carried two sacks each, yet they looked much more relaxed than he did.
[Chen Sandao (Human), Combat Power: Bone Forging Realm Ordinary Level]
He was slightly stronger than Xu Sanduo, but he was still only at the Ordinary Level.
As for Xu Guang... After his Realm advanced, his Combat Power had also changed.
[Xu Guang, Combat Power: Bone Forging Realm Elite Level]
"Alright, little brother. The five hundred catties of grain are all here. Lead the way."
Xu Guang freed one hand and gave a thumbs up. "You’re very straightforward, brother."
"Little brother, I haven’t asked you yet. This looks like your first time at the black market, right? Why did you come out all alone?"
Xu Guang’s face displayed sorrow. "My dad got injured. He’s bedridden and can’t get up."
Chen Sandao and the dark-skinned man exchanged a glance, confirming once again that this was a fat mark. Seeing how he struggled to carry a single hundred-catty grain sack, it was obvious he wasn’t a Martial Artist either. But thinking about it, that made sense. If he really were a Martial Artist, he wouldn’t have bought a Secret Manual.
"How much further, little brother?" Chen Sandao asked from behind. He noticed that the path Xu Guang was taking seemed to be getting increasingly remote, and the number of people around them was dwindling.
"We’re almost there! It’s just up ahead."
Passing a corner, Chen Sandao suddenly realized that Xu Guang had disappeared from ahead!
"Where did that kid go?"
While he was puzzled, he led the dark-skinned man around the bend, only to be met head-on by a cloud of white mist. It was flour.
WHOOSH!
A massive grain sack flew out from the side. A hundred-catty sack crashing into someone was enough to snap their ribs. Xu Guang threw it directly at the dark-skinned man.
"Aargh!"
In a split second, the dark-skinned man—who was only at the Skin Grinding Realm—was smashed to the ground, unable to get up for a long time. Immediately after, amidst the white mist, Xu Guang suddenly lunged. His footwork was erratic and elusive, his fists striking like a torrential downpour.
Chen Sandao had Bone Forging Cultivation after all. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he braced for combat. His body instinctively ducked low, dodging Xu Guang’s punch, while he extended a leg to sweep Xu Guang’s lower body.
What a vicious leg sweep!
Xu Guang was overjoyed. Perfect timing! He lifted a foot high into the air. Beneath his clothes, speckles of black spots emerged. The very first bones he had refined during Bone Forging were the bones of his feet!
A stomp right on the toes!
THUD!
CRACK!
Chen Sandao couldn’t hold back a miserable shriek. He could feel that his toes had been shattered. Nerves in the digits are intimately linked to the heart; the sheer agony of shattered toes was unimaginable.
"You! Who the hell are you?! I, Chen Sandao, have never offended you, brother! Why are you setting a trap to kill us?!"
Xu Guang didn’t say a word. Strictly adhering to the principle of striking while the enemy is vulnerable, he threw his fists out once again.
Chen Sandao curled up his injured right foot, listening to the whistling of the air to judge Xu Guang’s position. A cold glint blossomed between his knuckles as he threw a heavy punch toward Xu Guang.
BANG.
Amidst an explosive clash, Xu Guang swayed slightly but steadied himself, whereas Chen Sandao was forced to retreat several steps.
Xu Guang narrowed his eyes and thought, "This man’s combat experience is incredibly rich. He truly is someone who crawled his way up from the bottom rungs of a gang. If I hadn’t launched a sneak attack, taking him down would have required a bitter struggle."
Chen Sandao was even more horrified. He could feel that the young man across from him was also at the Bone Forging Realm, but this physical strength... it was way too absurd!
"Who exactly are you?!" he demanded, pricking up his ears, trying to pinpoint Xu Guang’s exact location.
The next moment, Xu Guang suddenly let out a bizarre screech.
"WATAH!"
He immediately moved swiftly with the Golden Willow Step, revealing his figure in a completely different spot.
"WATAH!"
"WATAH!"
The alley was filled with Xu Guang’s bizarre kiais. Whenever the white mist began to dissipate, he would scatter another handful of flour.
Xu Guang knew the importance of finishing a battle quickly. When Chen Sandao could no longer bear Xu Guang’s teasing and launched a full-force strike, Xu Guang abruptly stepped forward, slipping past his footwork and hooking his arm around Chen Sandao like a long snake.
He exerted his strength abruptly! His other hand drew the woodchopping knife from his waist, slashing out ruthlessly yet as lightly as a dragonfly skimming the water.
Meanwhile, a dagger had also appeared in Chen Sandao’s hand. With incredible tacit understanding, the two had both chosen to decide life and death in a single exchange!
SQUELCH.
CLANG!
The woodchopping knife sliced his torso wide open. The dagger sliced through Xu Guang’s clothes, but it merely left a white mark on his skin, even emitting the sound of clashing metal.
Blood spilled from Chen Sandao’s mouth. Clutching the spurting wound on his neck, his face was filled with utter disbelief as he stared at the faint gray spots on Xu Guang’s pale belly. "An... Abnormal Person!"
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the one playing the bait would actually be an Abnormal Person!