9: Chapter 9 The Midnight Black Market Behind the City God Temple

The numbness and stinging pain in his right arm lasted for an entire day, feeling as if countless fine needles were slowly wandering through his meridians. Lin Yuan tried to use the meager Power of Faith he had recently accumulated to nourish it, but the effect was minimal. The backlash from that Ancient Battlefield Talisman seemed to carry a stubborn 'malevolent residue' that required professional treatment or time to slowly dissipate.

He couldn't afford to wait.

The countdown ticked down coldly. 27 days, 10 hours, 44 minutes.

Most of the funds from Zhang Qiming had already arrived, so his sister's medical expenses were temporarily covered, but the gap in Faith Points remained enormous. The 'mark of conquest' and 'Chaos Essence Fragment' he had obtained from that evil spirit lay quietly in his system's temporary inventory, their uses unknown. He needed information and channels to convert his secular currency and special loot into tangible power that could deal with crises and accelerate his growth.

Midnight was approaching. Lin Yuan gripped the rough-edged, dark wooden sliver—the 'Black Market Fragment Token'—and stepped once more into the labyrinthine alleys of the old city. This time, his destination was the area behind the City God Temple.

Exactly at midnight, the City God Temple had long since closed its doors to visitors. The vermilion gates were tightly shut, and the stone lions cast long shadows under the moonlight. Lin Yuan circled to the back of the temple, where he found a narrower alleyway cluttered with construction waste. The air carried the faint scent of sandalwood from leftover incense, but deeper down, it was mixed with many chaotic and weak spiritual fluctuations, some cold and others burning hot.

The alley seemed to end, but as he approached a mottled old wall while holding the wooden sliver, the wood grew slightly warm. The surface of the wall rippled like water, revealing a subtle distortion. A 'door' just wide enough for one person to pass through appeared quietly.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The scene before him changed abruptly.

It wasn't the shady bazaar he had imagined; instead, it looked like an old tea-house-style space folded into reality. The area wasn't large—about a hundred square meters—and was dimly lit with smoke from low-quality incense sticks drifting through the air. A dozen or so square tables were scattered around, with various 'people' sitting or standing by each one.

There was an elderly man in old Taoist robes resting with his eyes closed; a young man in a business suit with eyes shimmering with data streams, tapping rapidly on a tablet; a shadow shrouded in gray mist whose face could not be seen; and even a stall displaying several vibrating clay jars sealed with talismans, presided over by a scrawny man in small round sunglasses who was carefully cleaning a skull with a brush.

There were quite a few customers, most of whom were silent or spoke in low voices, conducting transactions in hidden ways. The air was thick with complex scents: incense, herbs, rusted metal, overheated electronic components, and a faint smell of blood and decay. Low whispers in various languages, encrypted mental fluctuations, and strange electronic-synthesized tones were all mixed together.

Lin Yuan's appearance drew a few scanning glances. He restrained his aura, trying to look like a newcomer who knew a few tricks but possessed low strength, as he calmly surveyed the room.

The 'goods' traded here were bizarre and varied:

· One stall displayed several small glass bottles containing different colors of 'Qi'—milky white 'Peaceful Aspiration Shards,' dark red 'Wrath Crystals,' and grayish-black 'Despair Dust,' all clearly priced and settled in Faith Points.

· Another stall owner was selling 'information': coordinates of newly born weak spirits, the periodic fluctuation patterns of malevolent energy in certain haunted houses, and even 'Tips for Evading Non-Tax Revenue Inspections by the Heavenly Court (Limited to low-rank deities).'

· Someone was buying 'Pure Joyful Memories' (requiring no stray thoughts); another was seeking 'Century-Old Pagoda Wood Core (must be lightning-struck)'; and someone even hung a sign: 'Buying Incense Theft Guide techniques or finished products at high prices, source irrelevant.'

Lin Yuan roughly understood the rules here: anonymity, mixture, bartering or Faith Point settlement, with a default of not questioning origins but offering absolutely no guarantees.

He first found a stall in a corner where the owner was an old woman with a face full of wrinkles and fingers as withered as chicken claws. Before her were various herbs, bottles, and jars. Lin Yuan showed her his still-swollen, bruised fingertips and the faint dark-red malevolent veins on his arm.

'Backlash from an ancient battlefield's malevolence, with some foul resentment residue,' the old woman glanced at it, her voice raspy. 'Drink a decoction of "Heart-Clearing Grass" to clear the meridian blockages, and apply "Moonlight Moss" mixed with rootless water externally to draw out the malevolent residue. It will fade in three days. I have both the grass and the moss; a set is 150,000, or 1.5 Faith Points.'

Truly expensive. But Lin Yuan didn't hesitate and chose to pay with cash. As he took the two packages of herbs wrapped in oil paper, the old woman added: 'Kid, next time you use that kind of lethal weapon, it's best to feed it with your own blood first to establish a temporary connection. It'll reduce the backlash by thirty percent.'

Blood sacrifice? Lin Yuan noted this down, thanked her, and left.

Next, he went to a relatively quiet stall where the owner was a young man wearing thick glasses, using a portable device to inspect a strange ore. He smelled faintly of machine oil and spiritual flux.

'Excuse me, do you... buy special energy fragments? Or help with identification?' Lin Yuan lowered his voice.

The young man looked up, a sharp light flashing behind his lenses. 'Let me see the goods.'

Lin Yuan cautiously channeled a wisp of the 'Chaos Essence Fragment's' aura—that pitch-black yet pure negative energy—from his person (actually manifesting it through the system).

The needle on the young man's instrument jumped violently! He immediately became interested and took the small jade box Lin Yuan handed over—a low-quality item he'd just bought with cash at the market entrance, temporarily reinforced with Power of Faith to act as insulation. He opened a tiny crack and probed it carefully with his device.

'Interesting... highly concentrated "Resentment" source, but the structure was violently destroyed, losing its vitality. Only the most basic "Chaos" rule fragments remain. This stuff... would be good as a base material for one-time "Chaos Scrolls" or "Curse Mediums," or as a supplement for those practicing unorthodox cultivation methods. But the quantity is too small.' The young man pushed up his glasses. 'How do you want to handle it?'

'Sell it. Or exchange it for things I need,' Lin Yuan said.

'If you sell it, for this amount, I'll offer 0.8 Faith Points. If you want to trade...' The young man looked at him. 'What do you need?'

'Information on how to accumulate Power of Faith quickly and safely, or... effective methods or items to defend against or even purge low-level foul spirits. Preferably consumables or reusable items with low costs,' Lin Yuan listed his requirements.

The young man thought for a moment. 'Information isn't worth much; I can give you a few general tips for free: do more good deeds (to earn gratitude-based aspiration), find a fixed location to receive worship (to establish a stable channel), or become an "Enshrined God" for some major families (high risk, high reward). As for what you want...'

He pulled out a palm-sized, rust-covered bronze bell from under the stall, engraved with distorted cloud patterns. 'The "Heart-Clearing Soul-Tranquilizing Bell." It's damaged; the remaining "Purity" Dao-charm inside is less than one percent of its peak. When rung, it emits a weak shockwave targeted at soul bodies and resentful spirits, interfering with them and having a certain repelling effect on low-level ones. It can't actively kill them, but its advantage is extremely low consumption. It can be triggered with your own spirituality or a tiny amount of Faith, and it's reusable. I'll trade it for your fragment plus... 200,000 in cash, or 0.2 Faith Points.'

Lin Yuan took the bell; it felt slightly heavy and cold to the touch. He tried injecting a microscopic amount of Power of Faith. The bell trembled slightly, emitting a faint hum that was almost inaudible but made his spirits lift. It worked! Although the power might be small, it was exactly the kind of sustainable self-defense tool he needed right now.

'One more piece of information,' Lin Yuan bargained. 'Regarding the "mark of conquest," do you know what this is?'

The young man's eyes flickered as he sized up Lin Yuan again, seemingly re-evaluating his strength. 'A "mark of conquest"... is usually a "loot credential" generated when you frontally defeat or suppress some kind of "Rule Manifestation" (like a formed spirit, evil spirit, or even certain regional consciousnesses) and plunder part of its source. It isn't energy itself; it's more like a "Permission Fragment" or an "Achievement Marker." Its specific use depends on the situation—some can strengthen your deterrence against similar targets, some can be used as chips in special rituals or trades, and some might even unlock hidden inheritances or contracts... Yours is too weak, almost useless. Just keep it as a souvenir.'

Lin Yuan understood. It seemed this item had little value for now, but its potential might be extraordinary.

'Deal. The fragment plus 200,000 cash for the bell,' he decided.

The transaction was completed. Lin Yuan lost the fragment and 200,000, but gained the damaged bronze bell and precious information. He felt it was worth it.

Just as he was preparing to leave and check other stalls, a low voice called out to him.

'That new little brother over there, please wait a moment.'

Lin Yuan turned to see a middle-aged fat man sitting at a square table in the center. He was dressed in a well-tailored Tang suit, with a ruddy face and a genial smile. A set of purple clay tea-ware sat on his table as he leisurely sipped tea, looking completely out of place in his surroundings. However, Lin Yuan's spiritual sense sent a faint warning—this fat man's aura was unfathomable, and he felt much more substantial than the evil spirit or even the old man from the antique shop.

Beside the fat man stood two silent attendants, their eyes sharp as hawks.

'Is something the matter?' Lin Yuan stopped, maintaining his distance.

'Haha, don't be nervous.' The fat man smiled broadly, pouring a cup of tea and pushing it toward the empty seat opposite him. 'My surname is Qian; friends give me face and call me Boss Qian. You look like a new face, little brother, but your methods are quite unique. To dare walk the obscure path of a "God of Ruins" and even get your hands on a "Chaos Fragment"... are you interested in sitting down for a chat? Perhaps there's a business deal that could be a timely help for your current situation.'

Lin Yuan's pupils constricted imperceptibly.

He knows my divine title? And he knows my current 'situation'?

Was it revealed by the old man at the antique shop? Or... is this black market itself under some kind of surveillance?

He looked at the steaming cup of tea, then at Boss Qian's impeccable smile.

He knew that this cup of tea might be even more 'scalding' than the Ancient Battlefield Talisman.

But he didn't refuse immediately.

27 days, 09 hours, 58 minutes.

He didn't have many choices.

Lin Yuan walked slowly to the table but did not sit down, simply standing as he looked at Boss Qian.

'What kind of business does Boss Qian want to discuss?'

The fat man's smile widened. He signaled his attendants to step back slightly and lowered his voice, saying something that shook Lin Yuan to his core:

'I have a client who has encountered some trouble that cannot be "Optimized" away. He is willing to pay this much...' The fat man made a gesture, indicating an amount of Faith Points sufficient to pay off the first installment of the Divine Interest with plenty to spare. '...to hire someone truly capable to perform a thorough "environmental cleaning and energy Optimization" for his "industry."'

'It seems to me, little brother, that you are very skilled in this area?'

Lin Yuan's hand, gripping the bronze bell, tightened slightly.