42: Chapter 42 Disguised Entry into the Market and the First Signs of Undercurrents

The cold mountain wind blew down his collar, stinging his face, but the sharpness in his eyes that belonged to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was perfectly masked by this layer of sallow ointment. At this moment, he looked like nothing more than a destitute Loose Cultivator at Qi Refining Stage 5, scraping a living in the deep mountains for a few Spirit Stones.

Crossing the last ridge of jagged rocks, the faint, flickering outline of Liuyun Market finally appeared at the edge of his vision.

Although called a market, it was actually just a long street built against the mountain.

The bluestone-paved ground had been polished smooth by years of boots, and the buildings on both sides were mostly half-wood, half-stone structures, exuding the rugged air of the Jianghu.

The air was filled with a rich and complex scent: the mellow aroma of low-quality spirit wine, the charred smell of freshly forged Magical Artifacts, and the bitterness of various herbs mixed together.

Lin Chen did not rush to go deeper. He deliberately slowed his pace, lowered his head slightly, and habitually rubbed his fingertips, which were hidden inside his sleeves.

This kind of market was often where the eyes and ears of major factions were most densely gathered.

He looked up and scanned the area.

In the most prominent position at the entrance of the street, several imposing pavilions stood in a tripod formation.

The plaque of "Huichun Hall" was outlined in red gold, appearing particularly glaring under the overcast sky. Cultivators entered and exited in an endless stream, most walking with hurried steps. In front of "Bailian Workshop" hung several models of massive black iron heavy swords, and the clanging sounds of forging could be faintly heard from the backyard. Further in was "Wanfu Pavilion," its doors and windows tightly shut, with only a string of fire-avoidance talismans hanging under the eaves, swaying in the wind.

Lin Chen noticed something unusual.

The attendants or clerks of several large shops were not soliciting customers as enthusiastically as usual. Instead, they stood on the steps in twos and threes with their hands tucked into their sleeves, their sinister gazes scanning every unfamiliar face on the street.

Whenever a new face entered, their gazes would wrap around the person like a viper flicking its tongue, only moving away with disinterest once they confirmed the person's cultivation was mediocre and posed no threat.

"The Qi Family's reach is longer than I imagined." Lin Chen sneered inwardly.

He passed through the noisy stall area for Loose Cultivators.

There were hawking cries everywhere: low-grade Magical Artifacts with chips, mortal-grade herbs covered in mud, and scraps claimed to be "left behind by some ancient expert" that were actually worthless.

He skillfully avoided a stall owner trying to grab him, turned into a narrow alley called "Shelter Corner," and walked into a dimly lit, crude teahouse.

"A pot of the cheapest Cloud Mist Tea, and two Spirit Rice Cakes." Lin Chen chose a seat in the corner by the window and ordered in a hoarse voice.

The tea was made of aged stalks, slightly bitter to the taste and devoid of any Spiritual Qi, but this was the only pastime for a Loose Cultivator of his standing.

He sipped his tea unhurriedly, but his peripheral vision remained fixed on the alley entrance.

Before long, a thin, small man wearing a felt hat and smelling strongly of herbs walked in, hunching his shoulders.

He was Old Xu, the slipperiest middleman in this market.

Old Xu did not walk directly to Lin Chen; instead, he lingered at the counter for a while before casually sitting down opposite Lin Chen.

Without looking up, he pulled a small package wrapped in coarse burlap from his bosom and silently pushed it to Lin Chen under the table.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, the things you wanted." Old Xu lowered his voice, his tone sounding like it had been rubbed against gravel. "Six taels of Green Gang Stone powder, one box of Mica Crystal fragments. The quality is only mid-to-low grade, and it cost me quite a few favors."

Lin Chen took the package calmly. A light squeeze through the burlap told him by touch that these Materials were full of Impurities. If used to set up a delicate grand array, it would certainly go wrong, but it was barely enough to deal with his current predicament.

"What's this? Have the prices in Liuyun Market risen so ridiculously lately?" Lin Chen placed five Low-Grade Spirit Stones on the table, his tone calm.

Old Xu quickly swept the Spirit Stones into his sleeve, gave a bitter smile, and leaned in closer to Lin Chen. "It's more than just a price hike. The big shot from the Li Family has spread the word: recently, all high-quality talisman-making and array-setting Materials must first pass through the eyes of 'Huichun Hall,' supposedly to prevent people from hoarding goods and disrupting the market. But in reality? Everyone knows clearly that this is just to lock all those hot-selling items into their own warehouse."

"The Li Family's appetite is so ugly, does no one care?" Lin Chen asked, seemingly unintentionally.

"Care? In this Liuyun Market, the Li Family is half the sky, not to mention they have that person behind them…" Old Xu pointed to the sky, not daring to explain further, then sighed. "If you talk about caring, the Qin Family used to be able to say a few words. It's a pity, the world has changed."

"The Qin Family?" Lin Chen's heart stirred, recalling the contents of the account book. "You mean that Qin Family that used to run a medicinal herb business? I heard people mention on the road that they seem to have fallen from grace."

Old Xu sneered, his tone tinged with emotion. "Fallen from grace is an understatement. A few years ago, the old patriarch of the Qin Family tried to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, but his Heart Demon took hold, and he passed away on the spot. Except for eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, the sons in the family only fought for power and profit. In less than two years, they squandered the family fortune accumulated by their ancestors. Now in the market, there's only a girl from the Qin Family left, holding on to that 'Baicao Pavilion' which is about to close. The Li Family sends people to loiter in front of her door every day, claiming to look after an old friend, but in reality, they are just waiting for her to die so they can swallow up that plot of land."

Old Xu lifted his chin and gestured toward the end of the street. "Right over there, the most dilapidated one is it."

Lin Chen thanked Old Xu and got up to leave the teahouse.

He walked toward the end of the street, where the prosperity had completely faded away.

Beside a drainage ditch, he saw the severely faded signboard—"Baicao Pavilion."

Compared to the magnificence of Huichun Hall, this shop was pitifully shabby.

The threshold was half-rotted, the shelves were empty, and only a few shriveled low-grade Hemostatic Grass were slightly curling in the wind.

Behind the counter, a woman dressed in a pale green dress was looking down, organizing an account book.

Although her dress was washed until it was faded, and even the cuffs were patched, she kept it exceptionally neat.

Her delicate face wore the exhaustion accumulated over the years, but her eyes were not dead; instead, they revealed a near-stubborn coldness.

Her long, slender right fingers tapped rhythmically against the countertop, "Ta, ta, ta," the rhythm dense and hurried.

Lin Chen stepped inside.

"What does the customer need?" The woman looked up.

"Two stalks of Clearing Heart Grass, at least three years old; three qian of Cnidium, must be thoroughly dried." Lin Chen listed several very ordinary herbs, his gaze secretly observing the woman's technique.

Qin Ruowei moved deftly, precisely taking the herbs from the few remaining medicine drawers behind her.

She first sniffed them at the tip of her nose to confirm their medicinal properties, then carefully weighed them with a scale, and the price she quoted was extremely fair.

"A total of three fragments of Spirit Stones." Qin Ruowei wrapped up the medicine.

When settling the bill, Lin Chen did not take the medicine and leave immediately. Instead, he pointed casually at the mostly empty shelves: "Is Liuyun Market running out of even medicinal herbs? I saw that Huichun Hall over there was quite busy just now."

Qin Ruowei's fingers tapping on the table stopped abruptly, making a dull sound.

She looked up and stared directly at Lin Chen, a sudden burst of sharpness erupting in her eyes, which were like clear water. "If the customer is truly here to buy medicine, the medicine has already been prepared for you. If you are here to inquire about news, the Old Xu in the teahouse next door might be more suitable."

This woman was more alert than he had imagined.

The corners of Lin Chen's mouth curled up slightly, but without a smile.

He stopped wasting words. His right hand reached out from his sleeve, and a cyan jade token with a mottled texture and edges full of friction marks was gently pushed onto the counter.

On the jade token, a vigorous ancient seal character "Qin" appeared faintly in the dim light.

The moment Qin Ruowei saw the jade token, she froze in place as if cast under a petrification spell.

The fingers that had been rhythmically tapping the table pressed hard against the wood, her nails turning slightly white from the force.

Her hands trembling, she picked up the jade token, her fingertips rubbing over the carvings on it again and again—these were carved by her father's own hands.

"This thing… where did you get it?" Qin Ruowei's voice became extremely low, carrying a hint of uncontrollable trembling.

"In the Immortal Cave of a dead person, kept together with some old account books." Lin Chen's voice was steady. "I believe the owner of that Immortal Cave probably had a friendship with your father."

Qin Ruowei was silent for a long time, the expression on her face uncertain.

She took a deep breath and tucked the jade token into her sleeve. When she looked at Lin Chen again, the hostility in her eyes had dissipated significantly, replaced by a heavy scrutiny.

"Returning this item, what does the customer want?" She was very clever and knew that there was no goodwill without cause in this world.

"I need a path." Lin Chen looked directly into her eyes. "A channel for sourcing medicinal herbs that does not go through Huichun Hall and does not require looking at the Li Family's face. I want high-quality goods, and the quantity must be large. As for the price, I can offer twenty percent above the market rate."

A mocking, bitter smile appeared at the corners of Qin Ruowei's mouth. Her fingers began to tap on the table again, but the rhythm had slowed, appearing heavy and oppressive. "Bypass the Li Family? The customer speaks lightly. Nowadays in this Liuyun Market, any herb-gathering team that is remotely decent has signed a death contract with Li Mao. Offending the Li Family is equivalent to cutting off one's livelihood in this market."

She paused, staring deeply at Lin Chen's disguised face. "Moreover, since the customer can come to my door with this jade token, you must know what the Li Family has been searching for with such fanfare lately. Doing business with you, I'm afraid my life would be too short."

"I will bear the risk, and you will take the benefits." Lin Chen threw out his bargaining chip in a flat tone. "You only need to tell me, how much of the friendship remains with those old, secret regular customers of the Qin Family?"

Just as Qin Ruowei was about to speak, the light at the shop entrance was suddenly blocked by a burly figure.

"Yo, Miss Qin, this little shop actually has a customer today?"

An insincere and sarcastic voice came.

Immediately after, a middle-aged man dressed in a treasure-blue brocade robe with a huge jade pendant hanging at his waist walked in.

His face was fair and clean, but his eyes carried an indelible viciousness.

It was the manager of Huichun Hall, Li Mao.

Li Mao first glanced at Qin Ruowei with contempt, and then those two gazes, like vipers, locked firmly onto Lin Chen.

He circled Lin Chen for half a turn, deliberately releasing his Qi Refining Stage 6 pressure, attempting to force this unfamiliar Loose Cultivator to retreat.

"This Fellow Daoist, you look very unfamiliar. Is this your first time in Liuyun Market?" Li Mao cupped his hands with a fake smile. "Choosing medicinal herbs is like choosing a Dao Companion; you must recognize the Foundation. Some rotten shops that are about to close not only have moldy herbs, but perhaps even the people there bring bad luck. If the Fellow Daoist needs any good goods, why not move to Huichun Hall? I will personally give you a discount."

Lin Chen felt that weak pressure, his heart unruffled; he even felt like laughing.

This level of probing pressure was, to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like him, simply like a breeze brushing against his face.

He did not reveal his cultivation, just cupped his hands slightly awkwardly, his eyes revealing the mercenary and timid nature typical of a Loose Cultivator. "No need to trouble Manager Li. I'm used to being poor, so I just like to pick up some cheap deals. Miss Qin, the batch of 'Ten-Year Qingling Grass' mentioned earlier, the price is still a bit high. I'll go elsewhere to look around."

After speaking, he didn't give Li Mao a chance to continue questioning him, picked up the medicine package on the counter, and left in a hurry with his head lowered.

Li Mao stared at Lin Chen's slightly hunched back as he disappeared around the street corner.

"Just an ordinary Qi Refining Stage 5?" He turned to look at Qin Ruowei, his tone becoming cold. "Qin Ruowei, I advise you to be sensible. The Qi Family has issued a kill order on that fellow named Lin. If you dare to play any tricks at this critical juncture, the signboard of 'Baicao Pavilion' can be chopped up for firewood tomorrow."

Qin Ruowei ignored him entirely, only clutching the jade token in her sleeve tightly, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

That night, the dim oil lamp flickered in the empty shop.

Spread out before Qin Ruowei were those old account books left behind by Lin Chen.

Every transaction on them revealed the former glory of the Qin Family, and how the Li Family had used despicable means to erode the Qin Family's spirit fields and trade routes step by step.

Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the table unconsciously, and in her mind, she kept replaying that look in Lin Chen's eyes before he left.

That Loose Cultivator seemed cowardly, but the calmness and coldness revealed deep in his pupils when he met her gaze for that instant was definitely not something a destitute Loose Cultivator should have.

What the other party needed was not just medicinal herbs; he was looking for an ally who could tear open a gap in the Li Family's monopoly.

And what she needed was a chance to survive, and… a chance for revenge.

"Li Family… Huichun Hall…"

Qin Ruowei stood up abruptly and slammed the account book shut.

Two days later, just as the busiest morning market in Liuyun Market opened, an extremely secret piece of information was quietly passed toward Shiyuan Valley through Old Xu's inconspicuous teahouse.