19: Chapter 19 Black Market

Beneath his feet were rough, rammed bluestones, cold and damp to the touch. The air was thick with the metallic tang of beast blood, the bitterness of medicinal herbs, and a faint mustiness, exuding a secretive atmosphere unique to underground transactions.

He had thought an underground venue would be cramped, narrow, dark, and oppressive, but upon actually stepping inside, Lin Qing realized how utterly mistaken he had been.

This underground black market was an unimaginably vast space, as if a corner of an entire city on the surface had been forcefully relocated deep underground.

Candles flickered on every supporting pillar. Though not as bright as daylight, it was enough to illuminate the entire area, allowing passersby to see their surroundings clearly.

The space was cleverly divided into different zones. On one side were permanent shops of varying qualities—some crude, others exquisite—with various obscure signs hanging at their entrances, exuding a mysterious aura. On the other side, lining a wall, were countless street stalls stretching far into the distance. The chatter of people, the sounds of bargaining, and the clinking of goods intertwined, making it every bit as bustling as a market on the surface.

"This is Qingyang County's underground black market. Keep your eyes peeled when buying things. It's a mixed bag here, and it's very easy to buy fakes," Wang Yuan whispered a warning to Lin Qing.

Lin Qing nodded slightly, his gaze quickly scanning the surroundings as he made his plans. His primary goal in coming here was to find Stance Trainings.

Having agreed to meet at the entrance in two shichen, Lin Qing plunged straight into the bustling stall area.

The items on display at the stalls were highly diverse: rusty weapons, herbs of unknown age, fragmented ancient books, and unidentified beast bones and crystals—everything one could think of.

Lin Qing's gaze fell upon the stalls displaying Cultivation Techniques and ancient books, and he examined them one by one.

Squatting in front of a stall filled with worn, thread-bound books, he asked in a low voice,

"Boss, do you have any Stance Trainings?"

The boss tossed him seven or eight thin booklets.

"They're all here. Take a look yourself. Two taels of silver each."

Lin Qing picked up the booklets and flipped through them one by one. These booklets had very little content; the thinnest were only five or six pages, while the thickest were barely over ten, and some were even incomplete. At a glance, their level of sophistication was about the same as the Health-Nourishing Technique. Relying on these Stance Trainings, one would likely never become an official Martial Artist in a lifetime.

As he flipped through them, these Stance Trainings were directly recorded by the System and integrated into his instincts. However, Lin Qing did not feel any changes in his body, and after browsing three or four of them, he lost interest.

After visiting seven or eight stalls in a row without finding any Cultivation Technique he liked, Lin Qing gradually ventured deeper into the stall area.

Then, behind one of the stalls, he spotted a familiar figure. Although the person's body was also shrouded in a loose black robe, he only wore a black bear-face mask on his head, and his neat buzz cut allowed Lin Qing to recognize his identity at a glance.

Wasn't this Master Shi Jian, the master of the Panshi Martial Arts Hall? Looking at the stall again, there were several identical blue-covered booklets with four large characters written on them: "Panshi Stake Technique".

Lin Qing thought to himself, "Wow, he's not even trying to hide it." Naturally, he didn't go over to greet him, but Master Shi Jian's presence greatly boosted Lin Qing's confidence. It seemed he had finally reached the area where the real goods were sold.

He continued to weave through the stalls in search. Sure enough, in just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he saw a booklet with "Flowing Cloud Pile Style" written on it at a stall. A booklet like this was not as simple as just a dozen pages, making it hard to read for free. After a quick flip through to confirm it was the real deal, he took out six taels of silver to buy it, and then continued his search.

An incense stick's time later, Lin Qing stood at the entrance of the stall area, deeply satisfied. By now, he had five booklets tucked into his robe. Not only did he have the "Flowing Cloud Pile Style", but he had also successfully acquired the "Azure Cloud Pile Style" and "Jinglei Stake Technique" as he wished. He had even bought the "Coiling Dragon Pile Style" and "Mountain-Suppressing Pile Art" from two out-of-town Martial Artists.

With five Stance Trainings in hand, he had spent a total of thirty-six taels of silver, shrinking Lin Qing's assets to just twenty-five taels. He felt both a pinch in his wallet and a sense of satisfaction; half the purpose of this trip to the black market had already been achieved.

Suddenly, he caught sight of an inconspicuous small storefront. The storefront was extremely narrow, utterly out of place with the bustling stalls and shops around it. A pitch-black plaque hung at the entrance, engraved with three ancient, simple characters—Zangxiao Pavilion.

Those entering and leaving were all dressed in loose black robes with hoods pulled low, completely concealing their faces. They moved in a hurry, speaking to no one.

Thus, Lin Qing squatted in front of a stall, pretending to examine the goods, and casually asked,

"Boss, what kind of business does that Zangxiao Pavilion over there do? Why is everyone entering and leaving so secretive?"

Hearing this, the stall owner looked up at Zangxiao Pavilion, then turned back to Lin Qing and said with a look of disdain,

"You don't even know about Zangxiao Pavilion? They're known as the know-it-alls of Great Xia. Not just in our county, but in the black markets of all major cities, they have branch shops. Their influence is immense. As long as you have the money, from the whereabouts of top martial arts experts down to street gossip, they can give you the answers."

Seeing Lin Qing listening intently, the stall owner continued,

"Do you know about the hidden dragon list and the Heaven List? Those are compiled and released by this Zangxiao Pavilion."

Lin Qing understood and silently made a mental note of this faction. Then, he put down the item in his hand, stood up, and walked away, leaving the stall owner grumbling behind him.

After buying the Stance Trainings, Lin Qing's next target was Vicious Beast meat. Buying Vicious Beast meat would be a long-term endeavor, so the street stalls were obviously not suitable.

Following the thick, metallic tang of beast blood in the air, Lin Qing quickly found a shop named "Myriad Beast Shop". The storefront was spacious, with several fresh chunks of Vicious Beast meat placed at the entrance. They were dark red in color, radiating a faint fluctuation of vital energy and blood.

Stepping into the shop, a shrewd-looking middle-aged man came forward to greet him. Lin Qing got straight to the point and asked,

"Shopkeeper, how much is the First-Order Vicious Beast meat?"

The shopkeeper chuckled, his tone cheerful.

"You've come at the perfect time, customer! The great battle at Qingyang Mountain a couple of days ago killed many Vicious Beasts, and a large number of Vicious Beast carcasses flooded the market. Our shop's cold storage can't even hold them all, so the price of Vicious Beast meat has dropped significantly recently, to just half of the usual! For First-Order Vicious Beast meat, you can buy two jin for just one tael of silver. It's an incredible bargain!"

Lin Qing was delighted. This price was far lower than he had anticipated, so he immediately asked,

"Once bought, how long can this Vicious Beast meat generally be preserved?"

Sensing that Lin Qing was a "newbie," the shopkeeper patiently explained,

"Don't worry, customer. This Vicious Beast meat is rich in vital energy and blood, so ordinary insects and pests wouldn't dare go near it. Even in this kind of weather, it won't spoil for three or four days."

He then took out several finely crafted, sealed iron boxes from behind the counter and eagerly recommended them,

"If you need to store it long-term, you might want to consider this specially made iron box. Put the Vicious Beast meat inside and sink it to a cool bottom of a body of water, and it will keep for ten days to half a month without any issue. It's only one tael of silver each."

Lin Qing picked up the iron box and weighed it in his hand. The material was sturdy, and the seal was excellent; it was indeed a practical item. One box could hold about ten jin of Vicious Beast meat.

Thus, Lin Qing immediately bought one box and ten jin of Vicious Beast meat. An ordinary First-Order Martial Artist consumed about one jin a day, so Lin Qing didn't dare buy too much at once, lest he arouse suspicion.

With all his goals for this trip to the black market accomplished, Lin Qing was no longer in a hurry and simply wandered around the black market at leisure. Looking at the diverse traders and the wide variety of curious items around him, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of the Martial Artist world.

Only when the agreed-upon time drew near did Lin Qing slowly make his way back to the entrance of the black market.