Chapter 53: Nether Return Powder
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Herlyee Translations
It was not until the voices gradually boiled and the bamboo raft docked again that Lin Yan slowly calmed down. He couldn’t wait to jump onto the shore from the bamboo raft before he felt relieved.
In front of him was a long underground cave. On the right was the Netherworld River flowing with a faint light, and on the left was a wide riverbank.
Zhang San pointed at a checkpoint made of stones that looked like a low city gate in front of him. “Sir, this is the entrance checkpoint of the Ghost Market. Everyone has to pay a hundred copper coins to enter the Ghost Market. The exit is at the other end, so it also costs a hundred copper coins. Therefore, after entering the market, we usually won’t enter and exit casually.”
Lin Yan nodded. “Let’s go.”
There were special guards at the checkpoint. Lin Yan and Zhang San paid the fees one by one. The guard said coldly, “In the Ghost Market, it’s strictly forbidden to use force. Those who violate it will be killed without mercy. That’s an example!”
The guard pointed at the three tall wooden pillars facing the river. A person hung from each of them. Their bodies were twisted and every inch of their bones was broken. They were in a miserable state and swayed like tattered linen.
“It’s said that there are martial artists in the Noble Realm guarding the Ghost Market. There are also martial artists in the Tough Realm guarding many A and B Cave Shops, so it’s considered safe and stable.”
Under Zhang San’s lead, Lin Yan really entered this underground Ghost Market.
The Ghost Market was built along the Netherworld River, but in the end, it was just a commercial market.
However, there were no buildings. They were all replaced with natural caves of irregular size, area, and location. With the cold light of the Netherworld River, they had a cold and gray color.
There were many different sizes in the cave. There were dim yellow lanterns hanging from the top of the cave, illuminating the rugged rock walls. In addition, most of the customers and owners were wearing black robes and masks. At first glance, they looked like ghosts walking through the underground ghost cave.
“The cave shops in the Ghost Market are divided into four levels. From high to low, they are divided into A, B, C, and D. Each level is numbered. The higher the level of the shop, the more comprehensive items there are.” After the introduction, Zhang San finally said, “Sir, what do you want to buy?”
“There’s no hurry. How long will the Ghost Market last?”
“Usually, eight hours.”
“Then show me around first.”
“Alright!’
Then, Lin Yan followed Zhang San around the entire Ghost Market. According to the scale, the Ghost Market was a little like a simplified version of the food street in his previous life. The shops were in the caves.
Not to mention the illegal business of poisons, slaves, weapons, and so on, even many entertainment places like food, brothels, and beast fights had many characteristics that stimulated the bloodiest and filthiest desires in people’s hearts.
“Zhang San, do you know which faction is supporting the Ghost Market?” “I don’t know. I just heard that many masters in the inner city often come here to have fun.”
Zhang San pointed at the largest cave in the Ghost Market and swallowed a few times.
That was the cave marked Al. According to Zhang San, it was a place on earth. It was the true money-squandering cave in Ding’an City. No matter what men or women wanted to play or how they wanted to play, they could enjoy the most extreme pleasure in the world when they entered the cave.
After bypassing the entire Ghost Market and briefly understanding the terrain of the Ghost Market, especially the location of the exit, Lin Yan asked, “I came here mainly to buy poison. Since you’re familiar with the Ghost Market, why don’t you tell me where to buy it?’
“Poison?’
Zhang San subconsciously shrank his neck, feeling a little afraid.
However, he did not ask further. He thought for a moment and said, “There are many caves selling poison in the Ghost Market. Most of them are in the C-D division. For example, the 17th, 9th, 5th, and 4th shops of the D division all sell poison, but there are very few types and their quality is ordinary.
“There are also two in the C-rank. They’re number six and number three. It’s said that they’re opened by two large medical centers in the Inner Circle. They’re complete and their quality is guaranteed.
“Of course, the largest should be the B2 cave. The poisons sold in this cave are all unique poisons. There’s no antidote anywhere else, but they’re very expensive.”
Altogether, there were seven shops.
Lin Yan nodded. This guide was worth it. The layout of the Ghost Market was very chaotic. It would take a lot of effort for him to find it himself.
“Let’s go. We’ll visit them one by one.”
First, there were four cave shops in the D division. They were extremely small and looked more like stalls. They were lit by a small lantern and were narrow and closed.
Lin Yan shopped at each cave and realized that the four poisons sold were different. They were Wooden Powder, Centipede Leech Water, Emerald Wind Powder, and Nether Return Powder.
Back then, Lin Yan had asked around in the pharmacy. There were only these four common poisons in Ding’an City.
The prices of the four shops were not cheap either. A bottle cost between 300 copper coins and one tael of silver. Emerald Wind Powder was the cheapest, and Centipede Leech Liquid was the most expensive.
After comparing the three shops, Lin Yan went to the C-rank shops. Their scale was clearly larger. Not only were there four poisons, but there was also an additional special poison. However, it was extremely expensive, about two taels of silver.
As for B2, this shop specialized in poisonous substances. Lin Yan only went in for a while and immediately came out.
“Five taels for Spring Ring Water? Why is a bottle of aphrodisiac so expensive?
“This is 10 taels of silver? Aren’t you robbing me?
“There’s also that Impermanence Pill and Life Breaking Pill. He’s going crazy thinking about money!”
Although he complained in his heart, Lin Yan still understood the logic of the poison market.
Poisons were not sold according to toxicity, but based on conspicuousness and usefulness.
For example, the four common poisons such as the Wooden Powder and Emerald Wind Powder were colorful and strong. Ordinary people would not be poisoned by this poison at all, so they were naturally cheap.
As for the poisons sold in Cave B2, although they were not colorless and odorless, they were also hidden. They could be added in specific food and were difficult to discover, so they were naturally expensive.
Lin Yan didn’t need the concealment of the poisons. Of course, he followed the strategy of buying the quantity at a low price and locked his gaze on the four basic poisons.
He returned to Cave Shop C6 again. First, he persuaded the shop owner to give him a high amount of every poisonous substance with half a tael of silver.
Then, he pretended to go to the toilet and found a hidden corner to taste it directly. He followed the thinking of controlling variables in his previous life and tasted and tested them one by one.
“The medicinal properties of this Emerald Wind Powder are actually stronger than the Emerald Wind Powder I ate previously.
“However, in terms of price-performance ratio, the Nether Return Powder is the most cost-effective. Number charges 350 copper coins a bottle, and Number C6 charges 400 copper coins a bottle. However, the medicinal effect is much stronger than the Emerald Wind Powder.”
As the name suggested, the Nether Return Powder was red in color and had a bitter sweet taste.
Then, Lin Yan went to Cave Shop D9 and Cave Shop C6 again. He bought a bottle of Nether Return Powder each and tested it secretly again.
“The poison in Cave C6 is obviously stronger, and the portion is a little more. You get what you pay for. The quality of the goods in small shops is easily uneven.”
He immediately went to Cave Shop C6 to buy the Nether Return Powder.
“Customer, not many people bought the Nether Return Powder. This is all we have in stock. There are a total of 16 bottles. There’s really nothing more. Why don’t you take a look at my family’s specialty, the Seven Insect Poisonâ
“There’s no need. Sixteen bottles it is. According to the price we agreed on, it’s a total of six taels.”
Lin Yan handed over the silver with a pained expression.
The shop assistant in the cave shop clearly didn’t expect to secure such a big deal today. He happily took the silver and thoughtfully took out a black cloth.
He wrapped the 16 bottles of Nether Return Powder tightly and handed them to
Lin Yan.
After leaving the shop, Lin Yan sighed slightly. Money really couldn’t be spent. Just this alone had almost depleted his savings.
His blood energy was boundless now, and he consumed a lot of it every day.
Originally, a bottle of Emerald Wind Powder could last him for half a month. Now, even a bottle of Netherworld Returning Powder could probably last him for four to five days.
If he waited for his blood energy to transform, a bottle would probably only last two to three days.
In that case, just the consumption of blood energy in a month would be at least three taels.
Including the Body Nourishing Soup, Bone Tempering Ointment, and so on, these truly expensive and precious medicines really cost an unknown amount of money.
Of course, according to the effect, if others wanted to do it, they would have to spend at least ten times more than him.
“Dragon Gate Pavilion has resources for genius disciples. After my blood energy transforms, I might be able to find an opportunity to enter the Guangchuan Mountains and lie about picking precious medicine to recover my energyâ
Shaking his head, he didn’t think about it for the time being.
He turned around and glanced at Zhang San, who was following behind him. This person was very reasonable and did not ask a word. He had an attitude of serving well.
It was still early after the main matters were settled. Lin Yan said, “Zhang San, is there any place related to martial arts in Ghost City?”
Zhang San replied at the right time, “Yes, there are martial arts pills and weapons sold in Cave A2. Cave A3 is a arena where martial artists fight.”
Lin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. “Let’s go take a look.”
The two of them first went to Cave A3. The space inside was huge and was filled with torches.
In the dim light of the fire, there were three arenas. Two of them were fighting with their lives on the line, while the third was a person fighting with two ferocious hounds that were like calves.
There was obviously a betting table in this arena, and the crowd below the arena was shouting angrily. Their breaths, feet, and sweat suffused the air, and it was foul and smelly.
There were many artificial seats on the stone walls on both sides. Many men and women in luxurious clothes sat high up, drinking and having fun while looking down at the arena. They were elegant and calm.
Speaking of which, this arena was a good place to train.
However, Lin Yan’s life was stable now. There was no need for him to risk his life to fight someone to break through.
After staying for a while, he couldn’t stand the noisy environment anymore. He retreated and went to Cave A2 to broaden his horizons.
A, B, C, and D were ranked according to size. Al, A2 and A3 were not near.
Cave A2 was not far from the exit of the Ghost Market and happened to be opposite Cave B2. Lin Yan had been here just now.
When he passed by the entrance of cave B2 again, Lin Yan saw that there seemed to be many passersby outside.
He looked inside and saw Poison Master Gan Yang sitting inside. There were two waiters serving him at the side. He did not know what they were doing, but it attracted the attention of passers-by.
“Let’s go.”
Lin Yan was not curious. He turned around and walked into Cave A2.
The environment in Cave A2 was clearly much more elegant. The cabinets were neatly arranged.
Although the interior was still a greenish-gray rock wall, there were many lanterns embedded with square nails. Coupled with the pale blue light of the Netherworld River, it illuminated the entire cave in a simple and elegant manner.
“Hello, customer.”
In the darkness, a plump woman in red walked out slowly..