Chapter 52 – The Black Market

For now, she wanted to go and try what the people of Xiaohan Town called the Ghost City.

For one, the Ghost City was rich in Yin energy, and since she cultivated the Pure Yin Bones, there would be some benefit. For another, even cultivators from Cangyun Ravine would venture inside, so the opportunities there were surely not small—perhaps she could find clues to restoring her physical body.

By midnight, the heavy rain had eased into a drizzle.

Zhan Changfeng opened the door, and the Coachman was already waiting outside holding an umbrella.

Yang Ci’an, who had been huddled in the kitchen, was startled awake by the sound of the wooden door opening. He poked his head out and, seeing that the two of them seemed to be heading out, asked nothing and wisely retreated back inside.

Zhan Changfeng, however, called out to him, “Xiaohan Town is not difficult to enter. In the Dao of cultivation, one must reach the Postnatal realm’s Qi Refinement stage; in the Martial Dao, one must reach the Postnatal realm’s Heart Enlightenment stage and sense the primordial energy of heaven and earth—only then can you see it. If you cannot make progress in Qi cultivation, then go cultivate the martial path. In the end, they are both paths to the Dao.”

Yang Ci’an stood stunned for a long moment, then turned her words over in his mind and hurriedly bowed toward the departing figures, “Many thanks, little Daoist.”

“Boy, my master says both the Dao of cultivation and the Martial Dao can lead to enlightenment—weigh your options carefully.”

The Coachman chuckled, then seemed to recall something. “Your Highness, speaking of the Martial Dao, these past few days several groups of martial artists have arrived in town, all led by Prenatal Grandmasters bringing their younger disciples with them.”

“It seems Xiaohan Town is no secret among those in the Prenatal Grandmaster circle. As for the younger generation, they’ve most likely come for the Heavenward Path.”

It was said that the day the Heavenward Path opened was the day the six great monasteries of Cangyun Ravine held their recruitment, accepting only children under the age of thirteen.

Yet for mortals to walk the Heavenward Path, they needed an Arrow Token. Apart from the few who could be taken directly inside by an emissary from Cangyun Ravine, the rest could not even see where the path was.

But the truth of any matter is rarely as simple as what appears on the surface. Where there is interest, there is a market.

What they were going to tonight was the black market.

Those who had lived in Xiaohan Town long enough all knew of its existence. Normally it traded in items of dubious origin, but during this particular period of time, its main offerings were quite different.

Right now, what it sold were Arrow Tokens and Yin Pearls.

Arrow Tokens had already been explained. Yin Pearls, as the name suggested, were beads refined from the bodies of Yin souls.

The Ghost City could not be entered by the living—one would likely be devoured by ten thousand ghosts before even drawing close. But these Yin Pearls, extracted from ghost bodies, could conceal the aura of the living.

Zhan Changfeng had no need for either of these two items. She had an Arrow Token, and as for Yin energy, she had more than enough. She was here to sell Yin Pearls.

As it happened, she had an excess of Yin energy, so condensing a few Yin Pearls was no problem at all.

Entering Xiaohan Town, they wound their way through seven twists and eight turns before arriving at a run-down alley that no one ventured into during the day. Two Postnatal realm cultivators stood guard before a small, paint-chipped door, and a motley assortment of people were lined up paying the entry fee.

At this black market, whether you came to buy or to sell, you had to pay an entrance fee.

Two spirit pearls per person, or items of equivalent value.

When it was Zhan Changfeng’s turn, the Coachman produced a century-old wild mountain ginseng he had dug up from the hills, which was just about sufficient.

Inside was a dilapidated courtyard. People kept entering the rooms, yet none were seen coming back out.

Zhan Changfeng was nearly choked by the turbid air the moment she stepped inside.

“Everyone head underground, everyone head underground! Inside here it’s fair trade—buy and sell in good faith. Once you leave, whether you live or die is none of our concern!”

The guiding attendant shouted like he was herding ducks, startling the newcomers. They hadn’t even gotten in yet, and already he was contemplating their fates.

No matter how you looked at it, this did not seem like a reputable establishment.

Entering the underground passage, they heard someone shout: “Sellers, find yourselves a stone chamber and hang a sign on the door listing what you have to sell. Whether you trade through the door or come inside to negotiate in detail is up to you!”

“Buyers, read the signs yourselves. If you can’t read, bon voyage—don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

“Heh, this is quite interesting.” the Coachman said. “My lord, shall we find a stone chamber now, or have a look around first?”

“Let’s browse.”

The underground passages crisscrossed in every direction, and along the walls were rows of small doors—some empty, others already bearing signs.

To enter the Ghost City, Yin Pearls were essential. The saying “the worlds of Yin and Yang are separated” was not without reason. Unless one had opened the Heavenly Eye, possessed a special constitution, had cultivated to a profound level of Dao, or practiced a particular technique, even a cultivator would not necessarily be able to see ghosts.

At the root of it all was the difference in the level of power.

Ordinary cultivators of the mortal world cultivated the most basic primordial mixed energy of heaven and earth—one could say it had no attribute at all, or that it blended all attributes together, making it the weakest of all. But ghost souls, having shed their physical bodies and cast off the Five Elements, retained only the “spirit soul”—a level of the soul, the height of which goes without saying.

Furthermore, ghost souls cultivated Yin energy, which was itself a special category within the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

Yin and Yang are like two sides of a mirror—each side sees the other only as a blur, because the laws governing them differ. Whatever your “Dao” cannot explain, you cannot comprehend it, and you cannot perceive it.

Now there were many cultivators in need of Yin Pearls, but few who could open the Heavenly Eye to capture ghosts, so Yin Pearls were naturally scarce.

Zhan Changfeng’s Pure Yin power came from the very source of the spirit soul, and ranked among the higher grades of Yin energy. The Yin Pearls condensed from this power seemed almost too perfect—bringing out one pearl would be fine, but bringing out too many would likely arouse suspicion.

Passing dozens of doors, only a little over ten bore signs advertising Yin Pearls, and only one bore a sign for an Arrow Token.

This particular door was surrounded by a dense crowd, blocking her way.

The person inside called out: “You all know the value of an Arrow Token. Unfortunately I only have one, and I cannot divide it among you. Place your bids—highest offer takes it.”

His words had barely fallen when a white-haired elder spoke up: “I offer one hundred spirit pearls!”

This person was undoubtedly a Prenatal Grandmaster. Those weaker than him would have to think twice—there was no point in spending a fortune on an Arrow Token only to be ambushed and robbed by him afterward.

A middle-aged man laughed cheerfully: “Senior Sun has quite the boldness—I can’t be outdone either. One hundred and ten!”

“So it’s Manor Lord Gao,” said Sun Xingyi, forgoing any elder’s airs, his manner warm and affable like a kindly grandfather from next door. “I didn’t know Manor Lord Gao had a child of suitable age.”

Gao Song was equally courteous and modest. “I cannot compare to Senior Sun’s good fortune in having flourishing descendants. My children are unworthy, so I can only take the Arrow Token myself and try my luck at Cangyun Ravine.”

A strand of his aura leaked out—and it was actually at the peak of the Prenatal realm, a notch above Sun Xingyi. That word “senior” he had just uttered carried a rather ironic ring to it.

Sun Xingyi smiled thinly. “Not for nothing is he called the Northern Flying Blade of Yan. But I cannot yield—one hundred and fifty!”

The Coachman explained to Zhan Changfeng: “That elder is named Sun Xingyi—the Iron Brush Judge, a celebrated figure of the previous generation of the martial world. He once fought against foreign invaders on the southern frontier and slew thousands of enemy troops; he is also known as the righteous Hero. I never expected that after years of retirement, he would appear here.”

The Coachman was a military man, and when speaking of this national hero, a trace of excitement crept into his voice. He paused briefly before continuing, “That middle-aged man is named Gao Song, the current Alliance Master of the Northern Wulin—one of the pair known as ‘Southern Xiao, Northern Gao.’ His martial arts are extraordinarily refined, and he is utterly devoted to the study of martial arts. In the mortal world, there is likely no one who can surpass him.”

By now the two had escalated from a bidding contest to a clash of power—the aura of two Prenatal realm cultivators collided, forcing the bystanders to step back several paces, instinctively yielding before their might.

Gao Song was unwilling to concede, and could not afford to. He had already reached a bottleneck, and could only seek a breakthrough opportunity at Cangyun Ravine. If he missed this chance, who knew how long he would have to wait.

“Two hundred spirit pearls!”

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(End of Chapter)