95: Chapter 95 Black Market Channels

In early spring, the snow in the Tianzhu Mountain Range had not yet melted, and the new green had yet to sprout.

It should have been the season for all things to recover, but the Sanyang Sect felt not a shred of warmth.

The shadow of war was like this lingering spring chill, seeping into every corner and pressing down on everyone's hearts.

Inside the Hundred Talisman Hall, the atmosphere was even more oppressive than in mid-winter.

Lin Xuan pushed open the light screen of cubicle Ding-Wei 73, set down his wooden box, and looked at the latest announcement scrolling on the jade board on the wall.

"War-Time Material Control Order (Supplement)"

Effective immediately, the following Materials shall be subject to a "quota supply system":

1. Thirty-six types of strategic Materials, including Renyuan Fruit, Changqing Stone Milk, Geng Metal, and main medicinal ingredients over one hundred years old, are limited to one portion per month for Disciples in the Qi Refinement Stage.

2. High Grade Medicinal Pill above the first rank and Talisman Materials will be supplied according to production task completion.

3. The exchange quota for Mid-Grade Spirit Stone is adjusted to twenty per month.

4. All controlled Materials shall be prioritized for frontline combat units, core production departments, and Disciples with outstanding contributions.

Beneath the announcement was a long attached table, the text so small it was almost illegible.

Lin Xuan glanced at it, and his heart sank slightly.

Thunder-patterned stone powder—this was a special auxiliary material he used to draw the Thunder Shield Talisman. It could improve the success rate of Talisman making. It wasn't precious in peacetime, but in wartime, it was listed as a "military auxiliary material," requiring an extra application to exchange.

"Gold Bone Grass" and "Iron Vine Pith" for Body Refining—these two were indispensable main ingredients for the medicinal bath formula of the Thunder Body Refining Technique, and they were prominently on the control list, limited to three stalks and one bottle per month.

Even the most common "peiyuan pill" was now limited to eight bottles per month—and Lin Xuan currently needed five bottles just for his own Cultivate consumption, plus what he needed to supply the Pangolin.

"It's getting tighter and tighter."

He muttered to himself and spread out the purple-patterned paper.

It had been half a year.

From late autumn to early spring, the war had been going on for half a year without the slightest sign of stopping. Instead, it was like two bulls locked in a struggle, sinking deeper and deeper, entangling more and more tightly.

The Disciple in the Hundred Talisman Hall came and went.

Senior Brother Zhou had been transferred to Danding Peak to recover from his injuries three months ago; it was said that his Divine Sense was excessively depleted and he needed half a year of quiet recuperation.

After handing in her last Rejuvenation Talisman last month, Senior Sister Su had suddenly fainted and was sent back by the deacon to rest; she had not returned since.

Junior Brother Zhao was still here, but he had grown thinner, his eye sockets deeply sunken. His cousin's injuries were recurring, and he needed a large amount of Medicinal Pill every month to sustain his life. He was drawing Talisman with all his might, but his contribution points could never keep up with the consumption.

New Disciple came in batches, mostly looking terrified, their techniques clumsy.

The deacon's scolding was more frequent than before, and the burnt smell of Talisman paper in the cubicles was almost constant.

Lin Xuan's hand was steady as he drew, the Talisman patterns of the Thunder Shield Talisman extending on the paper.

When the fourth Talisman was finished, it was just past noon.

He packed up his Talisman and walked out of the cubicle.

There was a queue at the Talisman submission point. The deacon on duty today was a new face, checking things with extra care. Every Talisman had to be scanned with a special magic mirror to confirm the complete circulation of Qi before being recorded.

When it was Lin Xuan's turn, the deacon took the four Thunder Shield Talisman and checked them one by one.

"High Grade quality." The deacon nodded and recorded it on the jade board. "Quota completed, 88 contribution points, recorded in the account."

Lin Xuan handed over his identity jade token.

Just as the deacon was about to transfer the points, a slight cough came from the side.

Lin Xuan turned his head.

It was the Senior Brother from the neighboring cubicle, Ding-Wei 72—his surname was Feng, Qi Refining Stage 5, specializing in the Fire Rain Talisman.

Lin Xuan remembered him. This person didn't talk much and was always buried in Talisman making, producing six or seven Fire Rain Talisman daily, which was quite an excess.

At this moment, Senior Brother Feng looked sallow, his eye bags swollen, as he handed over six Fire Rain Talisman.

The deacon finished checking, recorded it, and transferred the points.

The two left the submission point one after the other.

When they reached the corridor in the hall, Senior Brother Feng suddenly slowed his pace and walked side by side with Lin Xuan. His eyes were looking ahead, his lips moved slightly, and his voice was extremely low.

"Junior Brother Lin."

Lin Xuan's heart stirred, but he remained calm on the surface. "Does Senior Brother Feng have something to say?"

"I've observed that for the past half year, Junior Brother has had a stable output of Thunder Shield Talisman every day, the quality is High Grade, and you never miss your quota." Senior Brother Feng's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against something. "You are a reliable person."

Lin Xuan did not reply.

"Now, material control is getting stricter and stricter." Senior Brother Feng continued, his voice even lower. "It's getting hard to get Thunder-patterned stone powder, right? Many medicinal herbs are also restricted?"

Lin Xuan did not stop walking, only giving a soft "Hmm."

"I have some connections." Senior Brother Feng turned his head and glanced at Lin Xuan quickly. "I can get things on the control list. Thunder-patterned stone powder, Gold Bone Grass, Iron Vine Pith... even peiyuan pill, I can get them all."

Lin Xuan's heart jumped, but his face remained calm. "And the price?"

"Fifty percent higher than the market price." Senior Brother Feng paused. "But I guarantee they are genuine goods, and the source is reliable."

Fifty percent higher.

Lin Xuan calculated quickly in his heart. Thunder-patterned stone powder was 30 points per bottle on the market, so 50% higher would be 45 points. Gold Bone Grass was 80 points per stalk, so 50% higher would be 120 points...

Expensive, but if he could buy them, it would save the trouble of applying, queuing, and not necessarily even getting them.

"How do we trade?" he asked.

"If Junior Brother is interested, meet me at the Listening Bamboo Pavilion behind the Hundred Talisman Hall at the fourth quarter of the You hour three days from now." After saying this, Senior Brother Feng quickened his pace, turned into the material exchange office next door, and disappeared into the crowd.

Lin Xuan stopped in place, watching his back disappear into the entrance of the exchange office.

Black market.

He was no stranger to this term. During wartime, the stricter the official channels were controlled, the more active underground trading became.

He just didn't expect it to infiltrate core production departments like the Hundred Talisman Hall so quickly.

He did not make a decision immediately.

Over the next three days, Lin Xuan kept a sharp eye out in the Hundred Talisman Hall.

He deliberately slowed down his Talisman-making speed to leave more time for observation.

He indeed discovered clues.

During the noon break, several familiar Disciple would gather in the rest area at the corner of the hall, seemingly chatting, but in fact, their fingers were quickly gesturing some kind of secret code under the table.

Outside the exchange office, when someone received a bag of Materials from the deacon, they would slip a small cloth bag over—judging by the shape, it looked like Spirit Stone.

Once, Lin Xuan even saw with his own eyes a Senior Brother at Qi Refining Level 6 secretly stuffing three finished "Armor-Piercing Talisman" into the interlayer of a specially made wooden box in his cubicle, instead of taking them to the submission point.

These transactions were very covert, almost touching and separating, leaving no traces.

The participants were mostly production-type Disciple like Lin Xuan who had stable output but lacked sources for Advanced Materials.

There were also friends and relatives of Disciple in the frontline combat units who were in urgent need of specific Materials and had to use special channels.

By the afternoon of the third day, when Lin Xuan was queuing at the exchange office, the whispers of two Disciple in front of him drifted into his ears.

"...The peiyuan pill is gone again. My quota for this month is used up, and I have to wait for next month."

"I have connections, I can get it, but it's expensive."

"How expensive?"

"Market price is 120 per bottle, they want 180 there."

"Hiss... that's too greedy."

"Take it or leave it, plenty of people want it. The frontline is crazy for Medicinal Pill; people in the combat units are buying it privately, and the price goes up to 200."

"Then help me get two bottles, I'll pay you back when my contribution points come in at the end of the month..."

Lin Xuan listened silently.

When it was his turn, he asked for two stacks of purple-patterned paper and a jar of Thunder-patterned cinnabar.

The deacon took his jade token and deducted the points, expressionless: "205 for a stack of purple-patterned paper, 105 for a jar of Thunder-patterned cinnabar, totaling 515 contribution points."

It had gone up again.

Lin Xuan paid, picked up the Materials, turned around, and left.