At least the Jade Skin Realm!
People in the black market enjoy preying on others and robbing one another, but they wouldnât throw their lives away recklessly. The Jade Skin realm represents the pinnacle of combat strength in the black market, and rarely do Blood Refining Realm folks frequent it.
After buying the Blood Nourishing Powder, Gu Sheng continued browsing the various stalls.
Unfortunately.
He still hadnât found any suitable martial arts manuals. Most of them were mediocre, or incomplete versions that couldnât be cultivated, or riddled with flaws like the Shapeshifting Manual.
The last time, Gu Sheng hadnât had enough silver coins and merely observed the stalls for a moment.
But now, upon closer inspection, it was evident that many manuals priced at ten or twenty taels were outright fakes.
They managed only to fool clueless individuals or martial artists with poor judgment.
Now that Gu Shengâs Iron Stone Fist had reached the perfect realm, his discernment had improved, leaving him somewhat regretful.
Suddenly.
Angry shouting erupted from the side.
"Fake! You bastard dared to sell me fake goods! Refund me! This manual is utterly uselessâI spent ten taels of silver on this trash!"
Many turned to look, and Gu Sheng was no exception. He quickly understood the situation.
The commotion came from the stall selling the Shapeshifting Manual. A burly, masked man was seething with rage, glaring at the stall ownerâa clear victim of the scam.
Gu Shengâs eyes held a trace of pity. Though the Shapeshifting Manual wasnât technically fake, for most people, it might as well be. This fellow was a poor fool to have spent ten taels on it.
The stall owner casually dug his finger into his ear, unfazed.
"Brother, itâs the first time weâve conducted business. Donât try to extort me. Tons of others sell this itemâwho knows where you bought yours from? You claiming it doesnât work and calling it fake just isnât fair."
"Itâs you! I donât careâreturn my money, or donât blame me for getting rough!"
The burly man wouldnât relent.
The stall ownerâs gaze turned icy.
"I tried reasoning with you, but you wonât listen. Go ahead, make a move. You broke fool! If you had any real money, youâd be at the black market auction, where the manuals are authentic. Blaming me for failing to snag a bargainâwho do you think you are? Cause any more trouble, and Lord Wang will snap your bones!"
He crossed his arms with unshakable confidence.
This was the black marketâtroublemaking was not allowed.
The burly man froze, noting that the patrolling guards nearby were inching closer. He glared venomously at the stall owner before retreating to sit in the distance, watching the stall intently.
It was foreseeableâonce outside the black market, there would surely be bloodshed.
Gu Sheng listened closely.
One term piqued his interest.
"Black market auction?"
Gu Sheng certainly wouldnât openly ask random people about it here. If he were to inquire, it would be with someone like Old Xu, the designated contact for the black market.
The mention of a black market auction suggested it was an even more exclusive venue than the regular black market. From the stall ownerâs few words, it was easy to deduce that the resources there were higher qualityâbut probably came at a steep price.
Gu Sheng tucked this detail away in his mind and wandered around briefly before leaving the black market.
He was no longer the fledgling martial artist he once was; his earlier subtle display of strength deterred opportunistic thieves from making a move.
Uneventfully, Gu Sheng exited Black Dog Alley and returned to the inn.
The next day.
Gu Sheng met with Old Xu, the contact for the black market, and finally gleaned details about the black market auction.
"The so-called black market auction is arguably the essence of the black market. A routine auction takes place every three months, and a grand auction is held annually."
"Divine weapons, manuals, spirit pills, secret techniquesâthey all occasionally appear, but their prices are steep."
Gu Sheng glanced at the black wooden token in his hand and grimaced. This token was the entry pass to the auction.
Two taels of silver.
Ridiculously overpriced.
A sheer profiteering scheme.
But he had no choiceâthose who controlled the resources made the rules.
"The next routine auction was held not long ago, so two to three months remain until the next one. Iâll need to find a way to gather funds. Otherwise, I wonât be able to snag any martial arts manuals even if I see something suitable."
Gu Sheng weighed his options.
Perhaps it was time to take bolder steps.
...
Three days later.
Gu Sheng returned to the black market once more.
Today was the day heâd receive his custom-made arrows. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened.
The stall owner showed up on time, without running off. Otherwise, losing four taels of silver would have been a minor setback; losing a weapon customization contact and having to find another wouldâve been a major hassle.
"Here are your arrows."
The stall owner handed over two bundles of arrows. Gu Shengâs eyes lit up as he reached out to examine them. The shafts were crafted from premium ironwood, combining toughness with lightness, while the arrowheads gleamed coldly, forged exactly as heâd specified.
They even exceeded Gu Shengâs expectations.
The stall ownerâs craftsmanship was impressiveâbetter than many of the weapon shops Gu Sheng had previously evaluated.
Gu Sheng handed over the remaining sixteen taels of silver. Both parties were satisfied.
"Pleasure doing business."
"Next time, if I need more custom weapons, Iâll come to you."
Gu Sheng stowed the arrows in his quiver and left.
However, he didnât head straight out of the black market. Instead, he wandered around its shadowy corners a few more times, and seamlessly changed his appearance, unnoticed.
A black scarf masked his face, revealing only a pair of peach blossom eyes. His pale complexion hinted at youth and carried an air of subtle elegance.
His quiver of arrows was discreetly hidden beneath his night attire. Gu Sheng strolled leisurely between the stalls, even stopping at the arrow sellerâs stall without arousing suspicion.
Occasionally, he bought some antiseptic medicine or powders, looking every bit the amateur black market visitorâthe type who might as well have "Iâm easy prey" tattooed across their forehead. Such people occasionally showed up in the black market and werenât unusual.
Soon, Gu Sheng felt greedy, predatory eyes lingering on him.
Gu Sheng pretended not to notice.
He stopped at the stall selling the Shapeshifting Manual. The stall owner was enthusiastically advertising his product. Seeing the "naĂŻve buyer," he immediately beckoned warmly:
"Young master, come take a look! The Shapeshifting Manualâa family heirloom! Only ten taels of silver!"
Gu Sheng chuckled lightly.
"Only ten taels? That cheap? Donât tell me itâs fake."
The stall owner wasnât angry but instead grew more excited, becoming even more hospitable.
"Young master, what nonsense! Take a closer lookâitâs absolutely genuine. I only offer it at this price because I feel a special connection to you. Normally, I charge twenty taels for others! If you donât believe me, buy it and try it on the spot. If itâs fake, Iâll refund you tenfold!"
Gu Sheng scoffed dismissively.
"The manual might be genuine, but its effectiveness is another matter. Donât take me for an ignorant fool. This manual likely requires accompanying techniques or special elixirs, doesnât it? I admit Iâm intrigued. If youâre sincere about selling the bundle, Iâll pay you a hundred taels of silverâhow about that?"
Gu Sheng suddenly lowered his voice.
The moment his words landed, the stall ownerâs heart skipped a beat.
A hundred taels of silverâsuch a windfall would swindle an unimaginable number of suckers!
Yet, he masterfully masked his excitement, replying cheerfully:
"Thereâs no such thing as accompanying techniques or special elixirsâwhat you see is what you get. Young master, if youâre interested, Iâd let it go for eight taels."