123: Use a black card

Walking towards Old Ghost Hall, Wang Han was still in high spirits, playing his role as the 'Black Market Encyclopedia'.

"See that guy selling skeletons on the left?"

"Don't go over there. That guy sells fakes, made from pig bones soaked in medicine, specifically to trick young people like you who don't know the ropes."

Lin Yu looked in the direction he pointed.

It was a stall selling various exotic beast skeletons. The stall owner was a scrawny old man, idly picking his teeth.

Lin Yu was familiar with this stall.

The old man's goods were indeed a mix of genuine and fake, but he had a sharp eye and specialized in swindling those self-proclaimed 'experts'.

As for young people, he didn't really cheat them much.

"And that one on the right, selling runes, don't even touch it."

Wang Han continued his on-site lesson, his voice full of the superiority of an experienced person.

"His runes are all Abandoned items picked from the trash, he just redraws a couple of strokes and sells them. They're useless, and they might even explode!"

Lin Yu glanced again.

He was also familiar with that stall, which sold some unstable, novelty runes, such as 'random farting runes' and 'flat-ground tripping runes'.

They were indeed not very useful, but they wouldn't explode.

Uncle Wang's intelligence... half of it was hearsay, and half was his own imagination, wasn't it?

Wang Qingxuan followed beside her father, initially a bit reserved due to the unfamiliar environment, but soon, her girlish curiosity was completely piqued.

Glowing mushrooms, singing plants, miniature storms in bottles... these strange sights, impossible to see in the outside world, captivated her.

She suddenly remembered when she was very young.

Her father, striving for his career, sent her and her mother overseas to a distant place to avoid his enemies.

Those days were peaceful, but also very lonely.

Later, her father achieved success and brought them back, always wanting to heap the best of everything in the world before her, as if to make up for the missing years.

His love, like him, was rough, direct, and even a bit clumsy.

Just like now, he clearly knew very little about this place, yet he insisted on putting on a front, describing a 'dangerous world' of his imagination to her and Lin Yu.

As she thought about it, Wang Qingxuan became less concerned with Lin Yu's unfathomable calm.

This bizarre world was clearly more interesting.

"Dad, what is that?"

She suddenly stopped, pointing to a string of wind chimes hanging at a stall.

The wind chimes were not made of metal or bamboo, but of thin, cicada-wing-like ice crystals. As they gently collided with the breeze brought by the crowd, they emitted an ethereal and pleasant sound, also radiating a hint of coolness.

"Oh! This!"

Seeing his daughter interested, Wang Han immediately perked up, leaning over to examine them for a long time.

"These are... these are wind chimes polished from 'Northern Ice Soul'! Hang them at home, and you won't need air conditioning in the summer! Good stuff!"

The stall owner was a veiled woman. Hearing this, she merely glanced at Wang Han without speaking.

Wang Qingxuan was amused.

"Is it real or fake?"

"Of course it's real! Would your dad lie to you?"

Wang Han patted his chest, assuring her, then grandly waved at the stall owner, "This one, and that one, that glowing stone, pack them all up for me!"

He was happy to see his daughter show such a lively side.

Wang Qingxuan, however, pulled his arm.

"Dad, I'll buy it myself."

Wang Han was taken aback: "What's the difference if you buy it or I buy it? Come on, put it on my tab!"

"It's different." Wang Qingxuan shook her head, her attitude firm, "I want to buy a gift for little sister Lin Yao."

She paused, then glanced at Lin Yu, who had remained silent beside them.

"And... and buy one for Brother Lin Yu too."

"This is our first official meeting, I can't come empty-handed."

Wang Han was stunned by her words, then burst into hearty laughter, laughing with immense joy.

"Good! Good! My daughter has grown up, she's sensible! Alright! You buy it yourself! Buy whatever you like!"

While he said this, he was secretly planning to buy a more valuable gift himself later, so his daughter wouldn't lose out on the 'gift' front.

Wang Qingxuan continued to pick and choose at the stall, finally selecting two bracelets.

One was an ice crystal bracelet made of the same material as the wind chimes, clear and translucent.

The other was woven from an unknown black metal, with intricate patterns carved on it, looking very cool.

"Just these two." She handed the bracelets to the stall owner.

The stall owner took them, scanned them with a peculiar instrument, and reported a number.

"Twelve thousand in total, Black Card transaction."

"Ah? Black Card..."

Wang Qingxuan's hand, which was about to take out money, froze.

"Can I pay with cash? I'll give you double." Wang Han casually pulled out his wallet. He was clearly a first-timer and didn't know the rules of the black market.

He thought money could solve all problems.

The stall owner looked up, her eyes under the hood showing a hint of impatience.

"Normally, yes, but now the manager's actions are a bit drastic, and no one knows what they mean. I'm sorry, only Black Card transactions are accepted."

Just now, he saw Chen Ao's gang of unregistered thugs acting aggressively and clearing a large area. He didn't want to make any risky moves at such a time.

"We are a legitimate black market, not some dilapidated street stall. We only accept Black Card transactions."

"If you don't have one, don't waste my time."

Wang Han's movements froze.

His face, which had been slightly flushed with pride, instantly turned even redder, but this time it was due to embarrassment.

He, a director of Tianqing Group, worth tens of billions, was actually being scorned here because he couldn't pay?

"I..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to say he could go exchange it, but felt he couldn't bring himself to do so.

He had just been boasting to the two youngsters about his wide connections and many avenues.

Now, he was stuck at a small stall due to the most basic payment issue.

This was a huge loss of face.

Wang Qingxuan was also a bit at a loss, she hadn't expected this, and looked at her father for help.

The atmosphere, for a moment, became extremely awkward.

Just as Wang Han was stammering, about to say something to save face.

A hand reached out from beside him.

In that hand, a pure black card was held. There were no markings on the card, only a small imprint in the corner.

It was Lin Yu.

He said nothing, only subtly slipped the card into Wang Han's hand.

His movement was so natural it was as if he was just tidying his sleeve.

Wang Han looked down at the cold card in his palm, completely stunned.

His 'poor nephew', whom he considered needing all sorts of care, actually had a black market exclusive Black Card?

And judging by the card's texture and imprint... a pure black card body, without any superfluous ornamentation, only a small, never-before-seen skull imprint that seemed to be burning with flames in the corner.

It was probably not an ordinary item.