"How much is this?"
Chen Ping'an squatted down, pointing at a palm-sized, pitch-black piece of leather paper on the stall.
"This?"
The Gray-robed man's voice was hoarse, whether intentionally or naturally so.
"Ten taels of silver."
"Ten taels?" Chen Ping'an smiled.
He picked up the palm-sized leather paper from the stall. The paper felt cool to the touch, seemingly made of some special material, completely different from the feel of sheepskin or cowhide.
On the drawing, lines were etched.
Chen Ping'an carefully distinguished them and found that it seemed to be a treasure map.
Only… the leather paper was incomplete, missing exactly half.
"Just a piece of leather paper, and you dare to ask for ten taels!?"
Although he wasn't short of ten taels of silver now, he wasn't a fool either, Chen Ping'an bargained.
"One tael of silver, I'll buy it!"
The Gray-robed man looked up at Chen Ping'an. Just as Chen Ping'an thought the other party was about to express displeasure, he heard a hoarse voice in front of him.
"Deal!"
Huh?
Chen Ping'an's expression froze, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Was he scammed?
He started bargaining at a direct 90% discount, and it turned out he still offered too much.
Where could he go to reason about this?
However, since the price was already agreed upon, Chen Ping'an didn't go back on his word.
It was just one tael of silver, after all.
This leather paper was special, so keeping it as a collection was also good.
Money and goods exchanged hands, completing the transaction.
Before leaving, Chen Ping'an also asked the Gray-robed man where this leather paper came from.
The other party didn't say much, only that it was found in the mountains, and he didn't know if it was true or false.
Chen Ping'an didn't mind, put away the drawing, and got up to leave.
Inside the black market, in addition to the regular stalls, there were also many temporary vendors walking around, soliciting business.
"Self-defense sharp blades, want to take a look?"
A Thin man with his head wrapped in black cloth approached Chen Ping'an mysteriously to promote his wares. He pulled aside his clothes, which were densely hung with daggers and short blades, gleaming brightly.
"No need."
Chen Ping'an smiled and waved his hand.
These so-called self-defense sharp blades, to be honest, were not very meaningful to him.
With his current martial Dao strength, a mere raise of his hand or foot held immense power; his hand blade, in terms of power, was far stronger than ordinary daggers or short blades.
"When you're out and about, there's danger everywhere. It's very necessary to buy a dagger for self-defense."
The Thin man still wanted to continue his sales pitch.
Chen Ping'an showed a slight smile, turned, and left.
"You…"
A hint of annoyance flashed across the Thin man's face, which was wrapped in black cloth.
But before he could make any more moves, he saw a sturdy young man following closely behind Chen Ping'an.
"A follower?"
A hint of doubt flashed through the Thin man's mind.
Watching the two walk towards the exit of the black market, out of curiosity, he also followed them.
As he approached the black market exit, he froze.
He saw a large group of people standing outside the black market. They wore sabers at their waists, looking strong and imposing.
When these people saw the Young Master walk out, they all made way and greeted him repeatedly.
Seeing this scene, the Thin man's mind instantly cleared. He dispelled that unrealistic idea that had arisen in his heart.
This scene outside the black market was seen not only by the Thin man but also by some ill-intentioned men.
These men had originally seen Chen Ping'an looking like a novice and thought about whether they could follow him out and gain some benefits. But they never expected to rush out only to see such a scene.
With such a large group of guards, why would they need to wear masks?
Fortunately, fortunately…
Someone secretly rejoiced.
Watching Chen Ping'an and the others leave, the man outside the black market ultimately didn't speak.
"Once you leave the black market, safety is not guaranteed, and risks are assumed by yourself."
Among the people following this Young Master, some had martial Dao Realms no worse than his. With such a large group of people around, who would be so reckless as to jump out and seek death?
...
When Chen Ping'an returned home, Chen Er'ya was reading in the house, with Shaoyao standing gracefully beside her.
The Xiao Yatou was reading very seriously, incredibly quiet.
It wasn't until Chen Ping'an walked into the house that the Xiao Yatou reacted.
"Brother is back."
The Xiao Yatou jumped up, where was the tranquility she had while reading just now?
"Young Master."
Shaoyao bowed respectfully, greeting him.
"Hmm."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
"It's so late, and you're still not sleeping!"
"Waiting for Brother." Chen Er'ya narrowed her eyes. "Anyway, there's nothing much to do during the day, so it's fine to stay up a bit late. Besides, today is Brother's big day."
The Xiao Yatou was as clingy to him as ever.
Chen Ping'an walked to the Xiao Yatou's side and just happened to see the book title on the table.
"Six Strategies."
This was a book about the Dao of governing a country and strengthening it, profoundly deep.
Could the Xiao Yatou understand it?
"Do you understand it?" Chen Ping'an asked.
"I don't understand it very well, many parts are unclear." The Xiao Yatou was a bit troubled, but her expression quickly brightened.
"But I feel what it says is very interesting."
Seeing Chen Er'ya's genuine liking, Chen Ping'an thought to himself.
It was time to let the Xiao Yatou attend school.
There were also schools in Nanquan Lane, but their standards were very ordinary. He felt it wasn't very suitable for the Xiao Yatou to attend these schools.
"I'll go to Southern City Alley another day to take a look."
Chen Ping'an made up his mind.
The siblings, just like before, chatted for a while, then went to sleep.
Now that there were more rooms in the house, they also started sleeping in separate rooms.
...
The next day, when he went to work, near noon, Chen Ping'an received a gift from the Nancheng Suppression Office.
The gift was from Mu Wanjun, as a present for his coming-of-age ceremony.
It must be said that Mu Wanjun was truly generous, making a grand gesture right away.
The gift was a hundred pattern blade, forged through a thousand refinements and made from hundred-forged steel.
It was a top-grade fine iron blade, reaching the sharp blade level.
The Great Qian Dynasty was founded on martial arts, and all aspects were meticulously categorized. Similar to Cultivation Techniques and martial arts, weapons also had ranks.
Ordinary farming tools like hoes and sickles used by common farmers and citizens were not considered weapons.
The most basic weapons were those forged in ordinary blacksmith shops, which were the lowest quality.
Above that were the exquisite weapons crafted by skilled blacksmiths with great effort.
For example, what a normal Chief Constable used were fine weapons of this level.
And a sharp blade, its specification level was even above that of fine weapons. It was a true martial Dao weapon, capable of withstanding the full force of a Qi and blood outburst when wielded with full power.
The hundred pattern blade Mu Wanjun gifted was a sharp blade.
In the entire Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, only Tian Fuliang possessed one.
Sharp blades also had ordinary and fine distinctions.
As for above fine sharp blades, those were the legendary Treasure Artifacts.
Treasure Artifacts, as the name suggests, were the ultimate treasures among weapons. Even the lowest quality Treasure Artifacts were beyond the reach of even general Internal Energy masters.