Even in South Phoenix, black markets were places where dragons and snakes mingled. In other words, they were a mix of good people and scumbags.
Considering that Seven Blood Eyes was an apex power in South Phoenix, it was no surprise that wicked people could be found in it. Given that, and also how cautious Xu Qing was in general, there was no way he would go into a black market without being disguised. He now looked like a gaunt, middle-aged man, and he even made sure to conceal his aura.
The Captain, being the smooth operator that he was, now looked like a hunch-backed old man. He seemed sickly, but at the same time, clearly wasn’t the kind of person to casually trifle with. In fact, his disguise was actually better than Xu Qing’s.
Glancing at him, Xu Qing realized that he still had a thing or two to learn about disguises.
Looking around Rimeshade, the Captain cleared his throat and then, in a very raspy voice, said, “What a nice place. I have a few items to take care of. Once we’re both done, let’s meet back here.”
Strolling over to the group of children, he chose a young boy to hire as his guide. The boy’s eyes lit up as he raced to join the Captain.
Xu Qing chose not to get a guide. He had Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior, who was very familiar with black markets. As Xu Qing walked off, a number of malicious gazes followed him. Some of them shifted away from him, but others seemed to be completely focused on him.
“Brilliant plan, milord,” the patriarch said fawningly. “As you know, black markets are full of greedy people, and getting their attention early is good. That way, when it comes time to sell your goods, you can make even more profit. I suggest that you take your time offering things for sale. That way you can avoid attracting the attention of Gold Core cultivators, and stick to the trashy Foundation Establishment people. Milord, these jackals all have very fat purses.”
The patriarch had really been feeling useless lately. One reason for that was that the Captain had been around the entire time, giving him few opportunities to come out. The other reason was that the bratty shadow had really been throwing its weight around. All of it left the patriarch feeling very wary. And thus, he decided that this black market trip was the perfect opportunity to make the Fiendish Xu realize how important he was. Under no circumstances could he allow the Fiendish Xu to think that he was worthless.
“Sure,” Xu Qing said, looking around at the shops and crowds. Most people present were hiding their identity. The majority wore voluminous clothing, and some even had masks on their faces. The truth was that Xu Qing was more focused on his surroundings than the patriarch, and hadn’t even been listening to him.
However, his simple answer left the patriarch feeling incomparably shaken.
The Fiendish Xu only answered with a single word. That means he’s not pleased. Don’t tell me… I just said the wrong thing? Or does the Fiendish Xu not want to simply sell a few things? Maybe he’s not satisfied with me personally! No. I can’t let this stand. I have to think of something to do, otherwise I’m going to be turned into cannon fodder!!
As an intense sensation of crisis caused the patriarch to tremble, he said, “Milord, I’ve been thinking. If we just sell the magical devices outright, we might not get that much money. I have a better idea!”
Xu Qing had been just about to enter a rather busy equipment shop. But upon hearing the patriarch’s words, he stopped curiously. ．
“Honest people don’t do underhanded things. So we shouldn’t try to pass off defective wares. Instead, let’s explain what they are when we sell them! I’ve thought it all through. You see, this can be our specialty! This place has all sorts of people, all working on their own plots and schemes. Some people come here, not to buy things for themselves, but in order to lay treacherous traps for others! Our magical devices are exactly what people like that need! Therefore, we shouldn’t sell our items to a shop. No, we should set up our own vendor stall!”
Upon hearing this, Xu Qing thought about it for a bit and then came to the conclusion it wasn’t a bad idea. As the saying went, the rarer something is, the greater its value. There were always people with unique needs looking for unique wares. Thus, Xu Qing accepted the patriarch’s advice and headed to Rimeshade’s open market area, which was full of even more cultivators than the area he’d just been in.
Thankfully, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior was very familiar with the process. With his help, Xu Qing rented a space in the market, where he erected a large wooden sign.
Xu Qing didn’t need to write on the sign. The patriarch did so with the iron skewer, carving out four characters in calligraphy as flamboyant as dancing dragons and swirling phoenixes.
Weapons for Treacherous People!
When Xu Qing saw the finished calligraphy, he raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything. Sitting down cross-legged, he waited. People came and went in the market, and the hubbub of shopping echoed out in all directions. Before long, people noticed his sign, but no one approached. Xu Qing was already starting to get impatient.
“Keep calm, milord. We can do this! I’m very confident. Completely certain! Remember, I used to go to black markets all the time, specifically to look for things like this. Items like this aren’t very common, so I’m sure there are people here willing to buy them.”
The patriarch was so wrapped up in the current situation that he didn’t notice the shadow off the side, eying him like it was looking at its arch-nemesis. At the same time, it was studying the patriarch and learning a lot.
Xu Qing didn’t say anything in response. He just closed his eyes. Time passed, and the patriarch started getting more and more anxious. After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, the patriarch’s eyes glittered. Xu Qing noticed the same thing the patriarch had, and opened his eyes.
A tall cultivator stood over him, wrapped in a black cloak with a hood that made it impossible to see even a hint of the facial features within. The cultivator glanced at the sign, then spoke in a hoarse voice.
“How treacherous?”
Xu Qing didn’t say a word. He just tossed the cultivator a jade slip and took out a fan-shaped magical device that he placed on the ground in front of him.
The black-cloaked cultivator took the jade slip and examined the contents.
The patriarch had created the contents of the jade slip. It explained how the fan worked, notably how it was essentially an empty shell that looked normal, and even operated normally, but would explode at a critical moment of usage. The description was very vivid and lively. The jade slip made it seem like the device had been specifically created for this purpose, and was the perfect item for a treacherous person.
“The price is good. Not too expensive. What an interesting little device….” The black-cloaked cultivator deliberated for a short time, then took out a spirit note and handed it to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing accepted it, then flicked his sleeve, sending the fan flying to the black-cloaked cultivator. When the cultivator reached out to take it, a single glance at her hand made it obvious she was a young woman. After examining the fan, she seemed pleased, and disappeared into the crowd.
Xu Qing was pleased at the transaction, and off to the side, the patriarch breathed a sigh of relief.
“Don’t worry, milord. I’m an expert when it comes to people like this. Our special magical devices might seem useless to some people, but to other people, they’re perfect for treachery. They’re not common, and thus not easy to guard against. If you can figure out a way to get one of these things into the hands of an enemy, you can kill them before they realize what’s happening.”
“Not bad,” Xu Qing said encouragingly.
His words thrilled the patriarch.
The Fiendish Xu actually upgraded to two words this time! He really thinks I’m helpful!
The patriarch’s previous assessment was completely correct. Not everyone who came to this black market came to buy things for their own use. Each person had their own unique circumstances, and for many, things that could be used treacherously weren’t very common.
It didn’t take long before Xu Qing got a second customer, a nonhuman. After examining the jade slip Xu Qing provided, he unhesitatingly bought three items.
And thus, the day passed. By the time evening fell, Xu Qing had sold all eight of the items he had prepared. After settling accounts for the vendor stall, he started walking through the market with the intention of finding the Captain and heading back to the sect.
As the city got darker, more cultivators arrived in the market. And as Xu Qing walked along, he scanned some of the items for sale at various stalls. Suddenly, he noticed something and stopped walking.
There were no items on display, just a wooden sign with two characters on it.
Soul Pills? he thought.
The vendor wore a black cloak that made it impossible to tell if they were male or female. Furthermore, a mask covered their face. Seeing Xu Qing approach, the cultivator looked at him coldly and said, “100,000 spirit stones per pill.”
Xu Qing frowned. He knew that soul pills were expensive. They could be used in equipment forging, in special cultivation methods to open dharma apertures, as well as in other nefarious ways. That said, unless these pills were extremely high quality, they shouldn’t be that expensive.
Seemingly guessing what Xu Qing was thinking, the vendor coolly said, “They’re high quality. All were concocted using Foundation Establishment souls.”
Xu Qing mulled it over. If the pills were made with Foundation Establishment souls, and there were enough of them, they could be helpful in opening dharma apertures. And right now, he only needed to open 11 apertures before he could ignite his third life flame.
Xu Qing had to admit that he was in a hurry to do that, so he tossed out a roll of spirit notes. The vendor scanned the notes, then handed him a jade box.
Xu Qing examined them, and his pupils constricted.
They were indeed Foundation Establishment souls, and what was more… they were Seazombie Foundation Establishment souls! There were some random Qi Condensation souls as well, but even those were also from Seazombies.
Xu Qing looked more closely at the vendor. Whoever they were, he didn’t detect any of the Captain’s aura on them. But considering that this person had so many Seazombie soul pills, it seemed highly likely they were from Seven Blood Eyes. Only someone from Seven Blood Eyes could have so many Seazombie souls.
“How many more do you have?” Xu Qing asked. He remained casual, but kept the black iron skewer ready in the fold of his robe.
“A lot,” the vendor replied, looking up at him with icy arrogance.
Xu Qing thought about it for a bit longer. “I want forty more!”
The vendor was so surprised that the icy arrogance vanished, and they inhaled hesitantly. “I don’t have that many. But if you wait a moment, I have some friends nearby. If we pool our collections, we can give you that many.”
“Fine, but considering I’m buying so many, you’d better throw in a few for free,” Xu Qing said, sounding very serious.
The vendor was clearly a straightforward person. Nodding in response to Xu Qing’s words, the vendor took out a jade slip and used it to send a voice message. Before long, six similarly dressed individuals approached from different directions, all of whom took time to size up Xu Qing. Among them was a tall cultivator with powerful energy fluctuations, whose gaze lingered on Xu Qing the longest.
Xu Qing looked back at them.
After a short time, the tall cultivator chuckled quietly. “Seventh Peak?”
“First Peak?” Xu Qing replied calmly.
The tall cultivator laughed again. Not asking any more questions, he took out a bag of holding and handed it to Xu Qing.
Forty pills!
After inspecting them, Xu Qing handed over the spirit stones he had made from selling his magical devices, then turned and left.
The black-cloaked figures watched him leave, then squatted together to confer. The vendor quietly said, “Second Elder Brother, who do you think that Seventh Peak fellow was? The sect hasn’t handed out any rewards for the war, so how could he be so rich?”
“It’s hard to say. Seventh Peak disciples are experts at deception…. After we’re back, we can ask around. Someone with that much money surely needs dao protectors, right? Maybe we can get him to hire us for long-term work. There are less fat cats nowadays, which make them more of a target. He’ll probably be happy to hire us.”
“Forget that for now. We need to sell the rest of our loot. The war is almost over, so after we get back, we probably won’t even need to go to the battlefield again.”