578: Chapter 579: I've laid my cards on the table; this piece of junk is my trump card!

Yunyuan City.

Evening.

Su Chen was by the window on the top floor of the inn, eating a simple dinner.

Spirit Rice porridge served with a dish of pickled Spirit Radish.

Cheap and filling.

Qian Duoduo was nearby, reporting today's scouting results.

"Boss, I have completely figured out the rules of the black market."

"Speak."

"The market opens tonight at midnight in an abandoned mine west of the city."

"The entry requirement is bartering; they only accept rare space Materials and not Immortal Stones."

"There are at least three to four parties participating in the bidding. Among them, the strongest is the number one Family in Yunyuan City—the Baili Family."

The fat on Qian Duoduo's face squeezed together, and his voice was kept extremely low:

"The old patriarch of that Family, Bai Lichen, is an old monster at the Golden Immortal Nine Heavens level, known for being notoriously protective and overbearing."

"The Baili Family's target is also immortal marrow?"

"Yes! It's more than just a target; it's practically their lifeblood!"

"It's said that their precious darling, Young Lord Young Master Baili Xuan, has been stuck at a Bottleneck for centuries and is counting on this immortal marrow as a life-saving straw! I heard the Baili Family has already put out the word—they're determined to get these twelve portions of immortal marrow. Anyone who dares to reach for them will be an enemy of the entire Baili Family until death!"

Su Chen picked up his bowl and took a slow sip of the porridge.

"What about the other competitors?"

"The other two are less certain. One seems to be a Loose Cultivator Alliance from the North Frost Cold Continent; those people are desperadoes who live on the edge, not to be trifled with. The other's identity is unknown, and I'm still investigating."

Qian Duoduo paused here.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at 'Shen Que', who was standing by the door holding a teapot.

He leaned in almost touching Su Chen, keeping his voice so low it was nearly inaudible:

"Boss, that woman Shen Que went out this afternoon, saying she was going to buy daily necessities, but I secretly followed her for a bit. She didn't go toward the market; she went toward the branch of the Lingbao Trading Firm in the west of the city!"

Su Chen didn't stop drinking his porridge, but a playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Understood."

Qian Duoduo waited for two seconds, and seeing his boss remained unruffled, he became anxious and restless.

"Boss... aren't you going to ask more?"

"Ask what?"

"What was she doing at the Lingbao Trading Firm branch? Is she contacting someone? Should I sneak over tonight and..."

Qian Duoduo made a throat-slitting gesture.

"No need."

Su Chen put down his bowl and slowly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

"What could she be doing at the Lingbao Trading Firm branch? Catching up with old colleagues? Or buying discounted Spirit Stones? Let her be."

His tone was as casual as if he were talking about the weather.

But in his mind, the bullet-screen thoughts were scrolling frantically.

[Going to the Lingbao Trading Firm branch.]

[A fired deputy manager going to her former employer's branch, and at this specific juncture.]

[She's either contacting old connections, calling for reinforcements, or mobilizing resources to sabotage me at the black market.]

[But whatever she does, it has nothing to do with me.]

[Because I have the heaven-concealing void stone.]

[This thing is absolute currency in the black market, ten thousand times more useful than Immortal Stones.]

[As long as the seller identifies the true quality of this stone, at least three of the twelve portions of immortal marrow will be mine.]

[Whatever little tricks Xie Jinghong wants to play, let her. In the end, she'll realize that no matter how she tries to stir things up, she's just putting on a private performance to entertain me.]

Su Chen rubbed his chin.

He was thinking about a more interesting question.

Regarding Xie Jinghong going to the Lingbao Trading Firm branch.

Is it possible she was never fired at all? That she's still one of the Lingbao Trading Firm's people?

Were her 'falling on hard times' and 'being kidnapped' all part of a carefully designed act?

If that's the case, her goal isn't just to 'fish for information' but to go into long-term deep cover by my side.

Thinking of this, the corners of Su Chen's mouth couldn't help but rise.

He stood up.

He stretched.

"Duoduo."

"Here, Boss!"

"Get ready, we're going to the black market tonight."

"Bring that stone."

The flattering smile on Qian Duoduo's face froze.

"B-Boss... are you sure you want to use that stone? The one we spent a huge sum of 500,000 on... the one we dug out from the scrap pile in Peng City?"

"Yes."

"But... but that's just a dusty stone scrap! I thought you lost money spending 500,000 on it back then—and now you want to use it to compete for immortal marrow with local tyrants like the Baili Family?"

Qian Duoduo's voice cracked, sounding like he was about to cry.

"Shut up."

Su Chen gave him a sidelong glance.

"Your business vision is limited to what you can see."

"Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Qian Duoduo swallowed hard, his fat face twisting into a bitter expression. "Yes! Whatever the Boss says goes!"

Although he agreed readily, his heart had already sunk halfway.

Taking a 500,000 stone to the black market to exchange for top-grade immortal marrow worth tens of millions.

Isn't this like taking a brick to a jewelry store to trade for gold bars?

Inwardly, Qian Duoduo let out the piercing, silent scream unique to a CFO facing a crazy CEO.

He could already envision the miserable scene of him and his boss being beaten out of the black market with clubs.

But.

He had been with Su Chen for many days now.

Every time he thought the boss had gone mad.

In the end, it wasn't the boss who was crazy.

It was the enemies.