Chapter 8: Chapter 7 Shadow Market
Golden Wild Goose Skill activated, Qing Yu landed softly on the street in front of the inn. To verify his previous suspicion, Qing Yu did not try to conceal his movements.
Someone among the few people ahead looked back and, faintly seeing a black figure emerging, he said something nonchalantly to his companion and then disregarded Qing Yu, continuing to walk westward.
"Indeed, there must be a market similar to a black market, and I've chanced upon it."
Qing Yu confirmed his suspicion and silently followed the group from a distance as they headed west along the street.
The group reached the western part of the city, an area completely uninhabited with only the mountain wall in front.
As a border of Daqian and built three hundred years ago, Yang City was not a fortress surrounded by wilderness. Otherwise, the enemies could have simply bypassed Yang City and entered Daqian from other places, making this border defense meaningless.
Yang City was built against the mountains, flanked on both the east and west by the Lianduan Mountain range that separated Daqian and the Southern Border. The Lianduan Mountains stretched from east to west, forming a major natural barrier against the South. It was said that many years ago, the site of Yang City was just a narrow valley path, barely wide enough for three people to walk abreast. Then for some unknown reason, on a certain day, there was a cataclysmic landslide. After everything settled, the narrow valley path had been incredibly widened, much broader than a hundred Great Dao highways, and the natural barrier against the Southern Border was breached with a big hole.
The Court of Great Zhou of that time mobilized a huge army and fought against the Southern Border for ten years, forcefully seizing this gap from the hands of the South.
Subsequently, they built Yang City as a border garrison and expanded and reconstructed it multiple times to become the current Yang City.
Qing Yu saw the black-clothed figures ahead feeling along the mountain wall for about a hundred meters; it seemed they found something like a rope and climbed up. Looking up, faint lights shone from dozens of meters up on the mountain wall.
But Qing Yu did not follow; instead, he remained hidden in the shadows and watched.
It was close to the end of the month, and only several incense sticks' worth of time remained until the beginning of the next month. With the new moon in the sky providing no light, Qing Yu, clad all in black, crouched down; even if someone passed by, they might not notice him.
After waiting for a while, several more groups of people arrived and climbed up using the ropes. However, Qing Yu still could not confirm whether there was indeed something like a black market above. If it turned out to be a blunder and he intruded into a hideout of some underground organization, he might as well declare an endgame.
At this moment, from afar, a conversation could faintly be heard, growing louder and approaching Qing Yu's location.
Qing Yu hastened to find a blind spot, crouched low, and even held his breath.
"Uncle, what do they sell at this Shadow Market? It's all so secretive; it's just a black market, isn't it?" The voice sounded young, but exactly how young, Qing Yu didn't have the skill to determine.
An experienced voice answered, "Don't compare those mediocre black markets with the Shadow Market. Do you know why it's called the Shadow Market and not the Ghost Market or Night Market? In this world, where there's light, there are shadows. The Shadow Market can be said to be the flip side of a regular market. As long as it's not some desolate place in Daqian, in that shadow, there's a Shadow Market—a Daqian within the shadows. What you can't find in a regular market, what they dare not sell, the Shadow Market will have. They sell everything, even military crossbows and deep secret books from various factions. As long as you want to buy, someone in the Shadow Market will dare to sell."
"Sss, they dare to sell contraband like military crossbows?"
"Sell, why not sell, as long as you can pay for it. However, these are only available at the auction that takes place once every three months. This time I've brought you here to broaden your horizons. The world is a big place."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Uncle."
"You little rascal..." The uncle laughed and scolded him.
The two walked past not far from Qing Yu.
Qing Yu dared not make any rash movements and even entered a meditative state similar to the turtle breathing of the Quanzhen Heart Method until the two had gone far away before he exhaled.
Midnight arrived, marking the beginning of a new month.
The system's prompt also timely sounded, "A new month has arrived, hosting one Character Card draw for the host. Would you like to draw now?"
"Go ahead, let's see what luck this month brings."
"Drawing starts. Ding, congratulations to the host. You obtained a One-star Character Card — Feng Buping.
Name: Feng Buping
Realm: Postnatal Sixth Realm
Item: None
Martial Arts: "Hua Mountain Swordsmanship," "Hua Mountain Heart Method," "Life-taking Continuous Three Immortal Swords," "Gale Swift Sword"
Evaluation: A bit player with not much screen time, not worth evaluating."
It was the first time the system gave such a lackluster evaluation of a character. No way around it, Feng Buping was essentially a transitional character who, after not much exposure, got beaten so badly that he questioned his life and had no choice but to retire. Just by the name of his swordsmanship, "Gale Swift Sword," it's clear that it's of the same style as Tian Boguang's Gale Blade. The defeat of Lao Yue, who still considered himself a man, served to introduce Ling Huchong's swordsmanship and to fuel Lao Yue's doubts, as well as to become one of the catalysts for Lao Yue's decision to stop living as a man. So, after the fight at the dilapidated temple, he just went straight home.
Actually, Feng Buping wasn't too bad; at least, if Qing Yu received his inheritance, he could have a respectable swordsmanship technique. Quanzhen Swordsmanship is decent, but to truly exert its power, one needs profound Inner Strength, or a girl to practice "Jade Maiden Swordsmanship" for some double cultivation. Alternatively, you could practice the "Heavenly Gang Beidou Formation" with six buddies, or even the "Big Beidou Formation" with more friends — the more, the merrier.
Since luck was on his side, Qing Yu decided to check out the Shadow Market. That's right, the reason for the draw was to gauge his luck for the day. If he felt out of luck, the superstitious Qing Yu would turn around and leave, even the previous small-time thugs knew the art of preserving oneself; Qing Yu would be even more keen on it.
He pulled out a piece of cloth from his chest and tied it around his face. Qing Yu had torn it from some old clothes before leaving the inn; how could one lack this nighttime accessory when going out in the evening? If he were like the heroes in dramas who simply tear the hem of their clothes, it would be embarrassing for someone to notice a large piece missing from the bottom. He prided himself on being at least somewhat dignified.
"Breathing is a bit difficult, no wonder stylish bosses all wear masks; the comfort level is definitely several notches higher."
Qing Yu approached the cliff with ropes hanging from it, looked at the uneven surface filled with handholds and footholds, and immediately leaped upward, stepping on several indents for leverage to reach a platform.
"The only worthwhile thing from the Quanzhen Sect is the Golden Wild Goose Skill," Qing Yu dusted his hands off, taking the opportunity to belittle the Quanzhen Martial Arts, which were nearly impossible to obtain.
The platform was about ten square meters in size, with a smooth surface, as if carved out by a single knife. At the other end of the platform, a large cave about six meters wide and seven meters tall loomed, with two holes on either side, each housing a blazing fire basin.
Qing Yu walked into the cave. Inside, it was pitch dark. With his right hand against the cave's wall, he walked about ten steps before reaching a dead end. Feeling around for a moment, he turned left, took two or three steps, then turned right, and saw light ahead. After a few more steps, he stepped out of the cave mouth.
Suddenly, the space opened up before him — a large area had been hollowed out to form a spacious plaza, with the entire space arranged in a circular fashion, much like the cave entrance, with holes carved out on the walls housing fire basins.
Under the dim lights, figures clad in black, some wearing masks, others draped in cloaks, hid their identities.
In the plaza, some set up stalls, others haggled over prices, much like an ordinary vegetable market. However, nobody here wanted to attract attention; hence, they kept their voices down. The whispering merged into a murmur, which to Qing Yu sounded like countless eerie murmurs.
Qing Yu watched the scene, which appeared ordinary yet mysteriously odd.
"This is the Shadow Market?!"
Chapter 9: Chapter 8 The Real Shadow Market
"Is this the real Shadow Market?!"
It must be said that despite the marketplace scene, with stalls everywhere, it was seriously a bit low. It left Qing Yu, who had previously overheard a conversation between an uncle and his nephew, somewhat disappointed.
But sometimes, a large crowd is a spectacle in itself. No matter the occasion or place, once people gather, the standard invisibly rises. Though raising the standard of a marketplace would only do so much.
"This isn't the real Shadow Market."
The deep voice came from behind Qing Yu. Without turning, Qing Yu leapt forward instead. The entrance to the cave was higher than the square and required descending stairs to the right. Directly in front of Qing Yu was the end of the entrance platform, hovering in the air.
Qing Yu, in mid-air, tumbled down to the square, and then "Divine Transformation" changed his shape, darting six meters to the left front. Only then did he turn around, curious to see who the owner of that deep voice was.
"Not bad, very cautious. Cautious people, without saying anything else, definitely live longer." The voice was still deep, lightly tinged with approval, yet very clear, as if emanating from right behind Qing Yu.
Qing Yu's pores tightened, and his motion to turn around froze. After a while, he slowly turned back, his expression normal.
The person behind him had approached silently, his presence only noticed when he spoke. And like a shadow, he had followed Qing Yu down to the square unnoticed, without making a sound. His martial arts were so advanced that Qing Yu couldn't confront him at his current level.
So, he had to play the dutiful junior.
Qing Yu's thoughts raced, eventually realizing he had no chance of resisting. He decided he could only face the situation head-on. Now, he understood the thoughts of gang leaders he had previously duped.
"Senior flatters me too much. The path of the worldly society is long. Without extra caution, one might not even have a place to grow grass on one's grave." Qing Yu bowed with clasped hands, still wearing his mask, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealed he was smiling.
The owner of the deep voice, dressed in a Mystic Robe with a black veil and Douli hat, was marked by the dark gold patterns stitched on his garments, indicating he was someone expensive and high-ranking.
Moreover, this person was followed by someone else dressed in black tight-fitting clothing, a face shrouded with only two eye holes, without any other features, in a black mask. Qing Yu hadn't noticed this follower before.
From the position a step behind the masked man, it was clear that even this advanced expert was just an attendant. Qing Yu shivered inwardly and became even more cautious.
"You need to not be so formal. We actually have some connections," the Douli Man paused, "Qing Yu."
"..." Qing Yu's mouth beneath the mask opened, but he couldn't utter a word, filled with thoughts of "I'm dead, I'm dead..."
Vendors near the entrance noticed the commotion here and turned to look. The attendant in the black mask silently returned their gaze, making the onlookers quickly retract their heads, as if a moments delay would mean losing their eyes.
"This isn't the place for a conversation," the Douli Man waved his hand, "Follow me."
Qing Yu watched the vendors' reactions and reluctantly followed. There's a saying, life is like that certain thing, if you can't resist it, you might as well close your eyes and enjoy it. Even if it's get violated first and killed later, at least it's enjoying before dying.
On their way, everyone out shopping stepped aside, and vendors also bowed their heads, not daring to look directly at them.
"Disappointed? This scene looks no different from a regular black market, just larger in scale," said the Douli Man ahead.
"A bit. But senior previously mentioned this isn't the real Shadow Market. In that light, this setting does make sense."
"You are quite astute."
The trio continued without stopping, passing the bustling stall area and entering a street paved with blue stone bricks. Yes, a street lined with buildings constructed of black tiles and bricks, similar to those found in ordinary city marketplaces. At the end of the street, a magnificent black temple was visible.
"This area is where the real Shadow Market is located," the Douli Man gestured around.
Qing Yu surveyed his surroundings; the market in front of him was no different from any regular city market, except for maybe the surrounding buildings all being black. But this was in the mountains – the people of the Shadow Market might have even hollowed out part of Lianduan Mountain next to Yang City.
The Douli Man no longer spoke, just kept walking.
Reaching the end of the street, Qing Yu stared at the black temple in front of him. As he had stepped onto the street, he had seen the temple and felt its majesty. Now close at hand, it indeed radiated grandeur. Black is hard to make as glamorous as gold, but the temple stood out by its sheer size. Standing before it, one felt as insignificant as if facing the dark universe.
Qing Yu followed the Douli Man onto the temple stairs, climbing twenty-four steps to the temple doors. Carved on the columns before the temple were unknown ferocious beasts. On the temple's frontal doors, the left door bore a carving of a Demon God holding twin hammers, face fierce, while the right door depicted an armored figure, even the face covered in armor, without a weapon, but metallic gloves extended into long claws.
Very lifelike, the carver must have been a master, that much Qing Yu could say. As for the rest, sorry to say, he didn't know. Qing Yu, only self-taught in reading and still not quite literate, could hardly comprehend; if martial arts weren't system-injected, relying on this world's secret martial arts manuals, he might not even understand them. As for these ferocious beasts and Demon Gods carvings, Qing Yu, almost illiterate in this cultural realm, admitted complete ignorance.
The Douli Man didn't enter the temple but simply sat on the topmost step, "Sit," he patted the spot next to him.
Qing Yu sat about a meter and a half away from him, neither too close nor too far. Sitting here, looking at the street ahead felt different again.
"Pretty impressive, right?"
"Very impressive. It's hard to imagine what the scene would look like when the real Shadow Market opens. And this temple..." Qing Yu turned to look back at the temple behind him, "It's hard to imagine what it looks like inside."
The Douli Man scoffed and said, "If you find it hard to imagine, you could visit the Shadow Markets in other states. As for this place, ever since it was built, the real Shadow Market has never been opened."
"Never? But isn't there supposed to be an auction every three months?" Qing Yu questioned. He had thought that the reason the street area was so deserted was that the tri-monthly auction hadn't started.
"Auction? Who told you that? Me?" As he spoke the last two words, the Douli Man's tone changed, becoming a voice that sounded somewhat familiar to Qing Yu.
Qing Yu suddenly stood up, shocked, "This... you..."
He couldn't help his astonishment. The Douli Man's altered voice was exactly that of the "Third Uncle" Qing Yu had overheard outside the Shadow Market cave when he was keeping watch.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
9 Power
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