47: rumor

A sudden snow fell, and it was very eerie.

In previous years, the market was protected by a Constant Temperature Formation, so snow would melt into water before it even hit the ground. But tonight, the glow of that Formation flickered like a faulty lightbulb, and goose-feather snow fell unrestrained, wrapping the entire Qinghe Market in a deathly silent pale white.

The "Wannian Talisman Shop" closed its doors early.

A heater was lit inside, the charcoal burning bright red and occasionally letting out a "crackling" sound.

Zhou Wannian sat by the stove, playing with a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone he had just received from splitting the spoils with Chen Zhaozu, but his eyes stared through the crack in the window at the pitch-black street outside.

There was no one on the street, only squads of black-armored, expressionless Chen Family Guards patrolling through the snow like ghosts. Their footsteps were heavy and rhythmic, each step sounding like it was treading on one's heart.

"The energy of the city protection Formation is weakening."

Zhou Wannian thought to himself.

This wasn't because the Formation was broken, but because its energy was being siphoned away.

The "Black Vortex" looming over the Chen Family Ancestral Residence was like a greedy giant infant, crazily sucking the nutrients of the entire market. Spiritual Qi, Earth Veins, and even... the Life Qi of the living.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A series of urgent and excited knocks broke the silence in the room.

"Old Zhou! Open up! We're rich!"

Zhou Wannian sighed, put away the Spirit Stone, and stood up to open the door.

Outside, Chen Zhaozu was covered in snow, his face red from the cold, but his eyes sparkled with a light hotter than the charcoal fire. He clutched a heavy Storage Pouch tightly in his arms and poured it onto the table shivering as soon as he entered.

Crash—

A pile of Spirit Stones poured out like a waterfall, reflecting a charming glow under the firelight.

"Three thousand! A full three thousand Spirit Stones!"

Chen Zhaozu's voice trembled with excitement. "The Family side has gone crazy! That batch of Yin Soul Wood and Blood Spirit Grass we sent, they didn't even look closely, they just took it all! They even gave an extra twenty percent bonus because our volume was so large!"

Zhou Wannian looked at the pile of Spirit Stones with his trademark honest smile, but internally he sneered.

Of course they didn't look.

Would someone desperate to save their life care if there was a bit of dust mixed into the medicinal primer?

"Young Master Chen is impressive."

Zhou Wannian poured hot tea for Chen Zhaozu while asking nonchalantly, "But, did the Family... say anything? For instance, the quality of the Materials?"

"They did!"

Chen Zhaozu downed a mouthful of tea, beaming. "The Third Elder in charge of acquisitions even praised me! He said although the Yin Soul Wood looks a bit 'parched,' it's full of Yin Qi, exactly the top-grade stuff the Old Ancestor urgently needs! He even asked if I could get more!"

"'Parched'?"

The corner of Zhou Wannian's mouth curled up slightly.

That was the smell of lightning-struck wood charcoal powder.

Thunder belongs to Yang, while Yin Soul Wood belongs to Yin. When Yin and Yang clash, it naturally becomes parched.

But these members of the Chen Family were blinded by the upcoming 'Great Plan,' thinking it was just a sign of excessive Yin Qi. When they place these woods into the Great Formation and activate it, and the Yin Qi reaches its peak... the thunder energy hidden deep in the wood grain will teach them a lesson.

"And how did Young Master Chen reply?" Zhou Wannian asked.

"I said there's no more! These are unique items I tried my best to find in the Black Market!" Chen Zhaozu looked shrewd. "This is called hunger marketing! In a few days, we'll release them bit by bit, and the price can rise even more!"

Zhou Wannian nodded and gave Chen Zhaozu a thumbs up: "Brilliant, truly brilliant."

This fool was going further and further down the path of pitting his own Family.

"Here, Old Zhou, this is your ten percent!"

Chen Zhaozu generously counted out three hundred Spirit Stones and pushed them to Zhou Wannian. "We're brothers, we make money together! Follow this Young Master, and in the future, you'll walk tall in the Inner District!"

Zhou Wannian accepted them with a smile.

This money was hot to the touch, but he had a way to 'clean' it... After seeing off Chen Zhaozu, the smile on Zhou Wannian's face vanished instantly.

He watched the snow falling heavier and heavier outside, his eyes deepening.

"The Materials are in place."

"The Chen Family's 'explosive pack' is buried."

"Next, it's time to add some oil to this fire."

He changed into a night-suit and used the Turtle Breathing Technique. His figure flickered and he disappeared into the vast snowy night... midnight, Black Market.

Even on a snowy night like this, the underground Black Market was still bustling. In fact, because of the tension outside, it was even more crowded; countless outlaws gathered here, trying to find a trump card for survival.

A crowd gathered in front of Old Mute's stall.

But he wasn't selling "Thunder Duke Drills" today.

He was selling information.

A wooden sign stood in front of the stall, with bloody red words written on it:

[Exclusive Insider Info: 'Spirit-Devouring Demon Formation' appeared at Chen Family Ancestral Residence, missing Loose Cultivators from the Outer District suspected to be sacrificed. Chen Family is buying large amounts of 'Soul-Attracting' Materials, intentions unclear. For details, ten Spirit Stones per copy.]

This news was like a depth charge, causing a stir in the Black Market.

"Real or fake? The Chen Family wants a blood sacrifice?"

"I knew it! No wonder so many people went missing in the Outer District lately! They were caught for sacrifice?"

"Shh! Keep it down! Haven't you seen the Chen Family buying Yin Soul Wood like crazy lately?"

Fear is the easiest plague to spread.

Old Mute collected the Spirit Stones expressionlessly. With every piece of news sold, he added: [Run fast, or... buy some Thunder Talismans for self-defense.]

Just then, the crowd parted.

Several Cultivators in Chen Family Enforcement Team uniforms rushed in aggressively. The leader was the sinister-faced Chen Li.

"Who's spreading rumors?!"

Chen Li's gaze was like a knife, scanning the scene, finally staring fixedly at Old Mute's stall.

The surrounding Loose Cultivators scattered instantly, fearing trouble.

Old Mute sat there, neither dodging nor hiding, even slowly tidying the clutter on his stall.

"Old thing, it's you?"

Chen Li stepped forward and kicked over the wooden sign. "Daring to slander my Chen Family? I think you're tired of living!"

Old Mute looked up, his cloudy old eyes showing no fear, only the indifference of looking at a dead man.

He reached out and slowly pulled a black iron box from his robes.

The box opened.

Zzzt—

A heart-palpitating purple electric arc jumped in the air.

It was a... Second-Tier Poison Thunder Drill.

This was the trump card Zhou Wannian had given him, and the "grand finale" of tonight.

Chen Li's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

He felt the terrifying Aura emanating from that Talisman. That was a destructive power capable of threatening a Foundation Establishment Cultivator! And that dark green glow on it... that was deadly poison!

"You..."

Chen Li subconsciously took a step back, his hand on his sword hilt but not daring to draw it.

In a narrow place like the Black Market, facing such a lethal weapon, even as a Qi Refining Ninth Layer, if it exploded, they would all perish together.

Old Mute didn't speak.

He just used that Talisman to lightly tap the table.

The meaning was clear: either get lost or die together.

Chen Li's face changed repeatedly, and finally, he snorted through gritted teeth: "Fine! Very well! We'll see!"

He didn't dare gamble.

The Chen Family's Great Plan was at a critical moment; he couldn't trade his life with a crazy old man here.

Watching Chen Li and his men leave in disgrace, a suppressed cheer erupted in the Black Market.

Observing all this from the shadows, Zhou Wannian nodded slightly.

"Very good."

"The rumor has been planted, and fear is beginning to sprout."

"The Chen Family's prestige, like this kicked-over wooden sign, is beginning to collapse."

...By the time he returned to the Inner District, it was the darkest hour before dawn.

Zhou Wannian walked on the empty street and suddenly stopped.

Not far ahead, a thin, small figure was huddled under the eaves of a shop, shivering.

It was the young grandson of Granny Wang, who sold spiritual tea.

The little fellow's lips were purple from the cold, and he was clutching a worn-out rag doll in his arms.

"Shopkeeper... my grandma... hasn't come back..."

Seeing Zhou Wannian, the little fellow cried out with a sob, "She went to the Outer District to deliver goods yesterday... and she hasn't come back yet..."

Zhou Wannian fell silent.

The Outer District.

It was now a lockdown zone for the Chen Family Enforcement Team, and a collection site for "Materials."

Granny Wang, a Qi Refining Second Layer old woman, by now probably... "Go back."

Zhou Wannian walked over and pasted a "Body-Warming Talisman" on the child, his voice somewhat raspy. "It's cold outside, go back inside and wait."

"But grandma..."

"She'll be back."

Zhou Wannian told a lie, or rather, gave a vague hope. "Maybe the snow is just too heavy and the road is hard to walk."

He watched the child enter the house, looking back every few steps, and closing the door.

That door shut out the wind and snow, but it couldn't shut out the impending fate.

Zhou Wannian stood in the snow for a long time, unmoving.

He clutched the blood-stained Spirit Stones he had received from Chen Zhaozu, feeling them exceptionally hot.

"This is the world of cultivation."

"Some count money indoors, others wait for death in the snow."

"And I..."

Zhou Wannian looked up at the sky above the Chen Family Ancestral Residence.

In Xiao Cao's vision, it was dark clouds pressing down on the city. But in the eyes of ordinary people, it was still brightly lit, with singing and dancing, as if it were the only paradise in this snowy night.

"I'm just an ordinary person... who wants to survive."

Zhou Wannian took a deep breath, his gaze becoming cold and hard again.

He turned and strode toward his small courtyard.

Since this world won't let people live, then flip the table and let everyone reshuffle the deck.

This night, the snow fell even heavier.

It covered the sins and nurtured the killing intent.