Chapter 53: Entering the Black Market
The entire black market was an octagonal space, covering an area of about one thousand square meters. At each of the eight corners stood a brightly lit small building.
The eight small buildings, when combined, formed a complete formation that maintained the stability of the entire space.
Ying Tong quickly scanned the surroundings and saw that each of the small buildings had a Nascent Soul cultivator stationed there to guard it.
In the black market, most people wore black cloaks to conceal their identities.
Ying Tong had seen these cloaks in the shop earlier. They were probably specially provided for cultivators entering the black market.
It wasn’t just ordinary cultivators who came to places like the black market—some demonic cultivators and even notorious criminals with blood on their hands frequented the market.
Hence, everyone kept their faces covered. It was better for all parties involved.
Another important reason was the fear of being assassinated.
However, while these cloaks could fool Nascent Soul cultivators, they couldn’t block Ying Tong’s perception.
Of course, there were some who were more confident, believing that their family was powerful enough that no one would dare target them, so they chose not to cover their faces. The people who came with them were an example of this.
The Su family’s group didn’t choose to conceal their identities, so when they appeared in the black market, they stood out quite obviously.
In an instant, Ying Tong sensed dozens of gazes fall upon their group of customers.
However, these people seemed unaware, continuing their conversations as if nothing was amiss.
“Brother, I heard the Ying family has been acting mysteriously lately. Do you think something’s going on?”
A young girl with a delicate appearance clung to the arm of a handsome young man beside her, asking coquettishly.
“I heard that even Father and the Elders aren’t clear about this matter. How could I know? But I did hear that all the members of the Ying family who were outside have returned. Maybe something big is about to happen.”
“All of them returned?” The girl frowned in thought. “I heard the Ying family came from the Upper Realm. Do you think it could be people from the Upper Realm who came to take them back?”
After a moment’s pause, the young man said, “I wouldn’t rule out that possibility.”
However, based on the recent behavior of the Ying family, it didn’t seem like they were preparing to go to the Upper Realm. Instead, it looked more like they had encountered something urgent, perhaps even something that threatened the survival of their family, which forced them to recall all their clan members in haste.
Seeing the look of longing in his sister’s eyes, the young man couldn’t bring himself to shatter her fantasy, so he chose not to voice his own suspicions.
Ying Tong and the others listened for a while, catching some gossip, before shifting their attention to other things.
They had arrived relatively late, and by the time they entered, the space was already filled with various meditation mats. In front of each mat was a cloth, upon which the items for trade were laid out by the vendors.
Those who could enter here, of course, were not like the small-time street vendors in the daytime markets, loudly hawking their goods. After all, everyone here had status.
Moreover, they weren’t here for money; they were here to exchange the resources they no longer needed for what they did need.
The lack of shouting made the black market much quieter than the daytime marketplace, but quiet didn’t mean there were fewer people.
On the contrary, even though the black market’s location was unpredictable, there were no shortage of people trying to find their way here.
“Strange, why are there no people at these stalls?”
After looking at a few of the stalls, Ying Shao’an noticed that the items on display were indeed rare and valuable, things that were hard to find outside, yet there was no one guarding them.
“Don’t they worry about being stolen?”
Ying Xuechen explained, “They’re definitely not worried, because this is the black market. Who would dare to make trouble here? Even without the victims taking action, the black market’s managers would step in to maintain its reputation.”
“Also, the things here aren’t easy to steal. There’s a protective barrier around every stall. The vendors write down what they want to trade in advance, and the barrier only disappears temporarily when someone holds the corresponding item.”
Upon hearing this, Ying Shao’an showed a look of realization. “I see now. That’s pretty convenient.”
Ying Tong added, “It saves time and also prevents bargaining. It’s a win-win.”
“Grand Aunt, um… I’d like to trade for some spiritual herbs,” Ying Shao’an said somewhat shyly.
Ying Tong nodded. “Go ahead.”
After all, Ying Shao’an’s talent was exceptional, and once he obtained the inheritance of the Medicine God, Ying Tong planned to hand him over to Lu Yi after they returned.
After receiving permission, Ying Shao’an eagerly began browsing the stalls one by one.
Seeing this, Ye Ying followed him.
In the black market, most transactions were based on barter. Spirit stones didn’t hold much value here, and, of course, Ying Shao’an didn’t have many spirit stones on him.
At this point, the most valuable item on Ying Shao’an was probably the pills he had recently acquired.
However, not everyone wanted to exchange pills, so Ye Ying had another role to play: acting as the “money pouch” for the transaction.
After the two of them walked off, Ying Tong turned to Ying Xuejian, who was being well-behaved by her side, and asked, “Is there anything you want?”
Upon hearing this, Ying Xuejian shook her head. She appeared uninterested in the items at the stalls.
Her talent was both the Demonic Heart and Demonic Bones, and cultivating these two supreme talents simultaneously meant that the items here simply weren’t sufficient for her. She decided to wait until they returned to the Ying family to figure it out.
As for Ying Xuechen, Ying Tong didn’t even bother asking. As the young master of the Ying family, he had seen everything, and nothing here would interest him.
The group continued walking in the direction where Ying Shao’an had gone.
As they passed a crowded stall, Ying Tong stopped to take a look at what treasure could attract so many people.
Because there were so many people gathered around, Ying Tong had no choice but to use her divine sense to investigate.
It turned out to be a Nine-Loop Golden Lotus.
She hadn’t expected to find something like this here.
She quickly checked the condition of the Nine-Loop Golden Lotus. It had already grown its ninth lotus seed, and the seed was close to maturity.
Ying Tong was surprised that someone would be willing to part with such a precious item.
Soon, she noticed a wooden sign next to the stall with the exchange requirements written on it: Nine-Loop Golden Lotus for a Sky-Repairing Purple Herb, no age limit.
After reading it, Ying Tong couldn’t help but click her tongue. It seemed the stall owner was quite ambitious—asking for a Sky-Repairing Purple Herb in exchange, something that was as valuable as the Nine-Loop Golden Lotus. Even if someone had it, they might not be willing to part with it.
Ying Tong also noticed that a cultivator in old robes was arguing with the stall owner, but the stall owner seemed to completely ignore him.
It appeared that the stall owner had a very firm attitude.
Ying Tong didn’t linger at the stall for long and quickly left.
