25: Chapter 25 New Identity

The black market of Qingyang County was forever hidden in the most remote and shadowy corners of the town; only after sunset would it peel back its veil of secrecy to welcome guests of all sorts, each harboring their own motives.

Following the route in his memory, Lin Qing navigated the winding, moss-covered alleys with practiced ease.

Compared to before, his attire had undergone significant changes.

He still wore a voluminous black robe that completely concealed his physique. On his face was a plain bronze mask, devoid of patterns, revealing only a pair of cold and sharp eyes. His hands were encased in thick black leather gloves, covering his palms and wrists entirely.

Today's goal was somewhat different from his previous visits, so he had hidden himself even more deeply.

Arriving underground, he walked straight toward the Myriad Beast Shop.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, the shrewd-looking middle-aged shopkeeper immediately broke into a smile and hurried forward to greet him warmly.

“Please come in, honored guest! Our Myriad Beast Shop has a complete inventory. We have both First and Second-Order Vicious Beast meat, as well as many Vicious Beast parts. Please, take your pick!”

Lin Qing nodded slightly. His voice, deliberately suppressed to sound low and raspy to avoid revealing his age, went straight to the point.

“Shopkeeper, how much for Second-Order Vicious Beast meat?”

The shopkeeper replied with a smile:

“Our Myriad Beast Shop has fixed prices and treats everyone fairly; Second-Order Vicious Beast meat is ten taels of silver per jin.”

Before Lin Qing could respond, the shopkeeper continued:

“To be honest, honored guest, we have an ample supply of First-Order Vicious Beast meat recently, and the price is only half of what it usually is—one tael for two jin. If you aren't in a hurry to Breakthrough your Realm, why not consider the First-Order meat? If it’s just for regular replenishment of blood and Qi, the First-Order meat is extremely cost-effective right now.”

The shopkeeper's suggestion was sound. The primary difference between First-Order and Second-Order Vicious Beast meat was the concentration of blood and Qi per unit.

If it were purely for replenishing blood and Qi, ten jin of First-Order meat could completely replace one jin of Second-Order meat.

With the First-Order meat at half price, it was naturally the most cost-effective choice.

Furthermore, Second-Order Vicious Beast meat was considered a high-end commodity in Qingyang County and never lacked buyers. Therefore, the shopkeeper was more willing to look out for the customer's interests by recommending the First-Order meat.

Lin Qing naturally knew this, but he wasn't swayed in the slightest, remaining firm in his choice of Second-Order Vicious Beast meat.

He knew the First-Order meat was a better deal, but he was even more aware that this black market was still far too dangerous for him.

The last time he left the black market and encountered a robbery, it was pure luck that none of the three men were formal Martial Artists, allowing him to resolve the situation easily. But if he encountered a formal Martial Artist blocking his path next time, given his current strength, he might not be able to escape unscathed.

One shouldn't assume formal Martial Artists were rare in Qingyang County just because the masters of the four major martial arts halls only had First-Order cultivation.

In reality, the number of Second-Order Martial Artists in Qingyang County was not small; it was just that most of them didn't involve themselves in the town's trivial matters, spending their years active within Qingyang Mountain.

These people were the Monster Hunting Teams who made their living by hunting Vicious Beasts.

Every established Monster Hunting Team would have at least one Second-Order Martial Artist as captain, leading several or even a dozen First-Order Martial Artist members.

In particularly powerful Monster Hunting Teams, there might even be two or three Second-Order Martial Artists working together, possessing considerable combat power.

This was also the core reason why the Qingyang County Zhenwu Division was permanently garrisoned with a large number of First and Second-Order Martial Artists, and even had the Third-Order Centurion Xiao presiding over it.

The Zhenwu Division's primary defensive targets were never the martial arts halls or Family Martial Artists in town, but rather the Monster Hunting Teams of Qingyang Mountain. They aimed to prevent these powerful Martial Artists, who lived on the edge of a blade, from clashing within the town, which could spark unrest and jeopardize the safety of the townspeople.

Beyond that, Lin Qing's own blood and Qi consumption was the key reason he had to choose Second-Order Vicious Beast meat.

The amount of blood and Qi replenishment Lin Qing required daily was staggering; if he used only First-Order meat, he would consume a full ten jin every day.

Buying First-Order meat would mean he'd have to visit the black market almost every two days. Frequent trips to such a den of vice would increase the chances of encountering danger exponentially.

If he bought over a hundred jin of First-Order meat at once, he lacked storage equipment; carrying such a massive quantity of meat out of the black market would undoubtedly make him look like a fat sheep in the eyes of others.

Taking everything into account, Second-Order Vicious Beast meat was the optimal choice for now.

One jin of Second-Order meat was equivalent to ten jin of First-Order meat. Buying just ten jin would suffice for his next ten days of Cultivation. Visiting the black market once every ten days could satisfy his Cultivation needs while minimizing risk as much as possible.

Having made up his mind, Lin Qing no longer hesitated and said to the shopkeeper:

“No need. Weigh ten jin of Second-Order Vicious Beast meat for me.”

Seeing that Lin Qing's mind was made up, the shopkeeper didn't press further and briskly sliced ten jin of Second-Order meat. Lin Qing immediately pulled out a hundred taels of silver and handed it to him.

The shopkeeper also threw in a sealed iron box. The blood and Qi of Second-Order meat were pure and dense; if it were wrapped only in ordinary oil paper, the scent of blood and Qi would easily leak out, which could easily attract unwanted attention in this black market.

With the meat purchased, Lin Qing carried the sealed iron box and turned to leave the Myriad Beast Shop. He headed toward the mysterious shop he had noticed during his first visit—Zangxiao Pavilion.

Unlike the exquisite storefront of the Myriad Beast Shop, the entrance to Zangxiao Pavilion was extremely simple and narrow, inconspicuously tucked away among the various shops. If one didn't look closely, it would be easy to overlook it entirely.

However, once Lin Qing entered Zangxiao Pavilion and went deeper inside, he discovered it was like a different world.

The internal space was far larger than it appeared from the outside, but it was partitioned into many independent small rooms. Each room had its own entrance, offering high levels of privacy.

Lin Qing was led to one of the small rooms by a young attendant in green. He pushed open the door to find a cramped space with dim lighting, illuminated only by a faint oil lamp whose yellow glow barely lit the immediate area.

In the center of the room sat a plain wooden table. Behind it sat a person also completely enveloped in a black robe, with even their head covered by a hood, making their features impossible to discern.

Sensing Lin Qing's entrance, the person slowly raised a hand, gesturing for him to sit on the stool before the table. Their voice was flat and devoid of emotion:

“Please sit, honored guest. I wonder what information you seek today?”

Lin Qing sat down, feeling a bit nervous, but without any nonsense, he asked directly:

“I want to know where I can browse a large number of Second-Order Cultivation Techniques.”

He said 'browse' rather than 'learn.' When ordinary people chose high-level techniques, they would prioritize those with high compatibility with their previous techniques to help them comprehend faster. Finding such a technique naturally required extensive browsing. Thus, his inquiry was reasonable and wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.

Upon hearing this, the black-robed person didn't answer immediately but instead spoke slowly:

“This is your first time at Zangxiao Pavilion, isn't it, guest?”

Lin Qing's heart tightened instantly. He subconsciously tensed his body, his aura becoming stagnant as he asked in a low voice:

“How can you tell?”

The black-robed person gave a light chuckle, their tone composed:

“Because you are very nervous. There is no need for such wariness, honored guest.”

“Zangxiao Pavilion has stood for hundreds of years. The reason it has survived is based on the word 'reputation.'”

“Whether you are royalty, a commoner, or a heinous murderer, once you step into Zangxiao Pavilion, we will not question your identity or your past.”

“After a few more visits, you will realize that Zangxiao Pavilion is a place even more relaxing than a brothel.”

“Here, you can drop all disguises and defenses and speak freely. Even if what you say is a shocking plot for rebellion, once you step out of this small door, what happened today will be known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me.”

After hearing this, Lin Qing's body involuntarily relaxed.

Without waiting for Lin Qing's response, the black-robed person continued:

“Your question is very simple. I will answer it for free today as a welcoming gift for a first-time customer.”

Lin Qing immediately followed up:

“Please, tell me.”

The black-robed person didn't keep him in suspense and replied directly:

“If you wish to browse a large number of Second-Order Cultivation Techniques, there is only one place in the entire Great Xia that can satisfy your needs: the Zhenwu Division. Even those great Sects that dominate their regions have a collection of techniques that is insignificant compared to the Zhenwu Division.”

Lin Qing fell into silence, his fingertips lightly tapping the table as he quickly weighed the pros and cons of joining the Zhenwu Division.

To enter the Zhenwu Division and browse techniques, he would inevitably have to join and become a member. The minimum standard for recruitment was being a First-Order Martial Artist—a threshold he would reach soon at his current Cultivation speed.

The problem, however, was that his real age was only fifteen.

A fifteen-year-old First-Order Martial Artist wasn't just rare in Great Xia; it was unheard of.

Joining an official power like the Zhenwu Division would surely involve a detailed background check. At that time, ordinary lies wouldn't withstand scrutiny, but if he joined under his real identity, he would certainly attract the attention of countless people.

After a moment of thought, Lin Qing looked up at the black-robed person and asked in a hushed voice:

“I don't want to enter the Zhenwu Division with my real identity. Can you help me forge a fake one?”

“Forge a fake identity? No.” The black-robed person refused without hesitation, but before Lin Qing could feel disappointed, they added slowly, “However, we can give you a real identity.”

“A real identity? What do you mean?” Lin Qing was somewhat puzzled.

The black-robed person explained slowly:

“Zangxiao Pavilion never deals in the crude business of forging fake identities. What we sell are solid, real identities. The identity you buy can be found in official archives; from birth to growth, all experiences and records are complete, traceable, and flawless. Even if someone follows the information to your birthplace, there will be corresponding villagers and childhood playmates who will step forward to testify for you.”

“In other words, what you buy from Zangxiao Pavilion is not a false persona. Rather, from now on, you will have a brand new, flawless real identity. You can walk the Jianghu openly with this identity without any hidden dangers.”

Lin Qing's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, “What is the price?”

“That depends on which identity you choose; the prices vary wildly.” As the black-robed person spoke, they reached under the table and pulled out a thick ledger, placing it gently on the table and pushing it toward Lin Qing. “You can browse through this first. It contains general information for various identities. Once you decide to buy, I will give you the detailed history and supporting items for that identity.”

Lin Qing picked up the ledger and examined it carefully by the dim light.

The identities in the ledger were varied, ranging from ordinary commoners and merchants to scions of noble families in the county, minor officials, and even the heirs of princely estates in remote regions.

However, those top-tier identities were exorbitantly priced; the identity of a princely heir cost five hundred thousand taels of silver.

Quickly skipping over those expensive and conspicuous identities, Lin Qing eventually stopped at a rural identity: Eighteen years old, raised in a remote mountain village since childhood, came to Qingyang County alone at fifteen to apprentice and learn martial arts, practiced hard for three and a half years, and has just broken through to become a First-Order Martial Artist. Parents died early, no relatives or friends, living alone in the county.

This identity was extremely ordinary and wouldn't stand out in a crowd. It fit the strength setting of a First-Order Martial Artist and had no complex social relationships, perfectly matching his needs.

The price for this identity was two hundred taels of silver, which was within his budget.

Lin Qing pointed at this identity and said to the black-robed person, “I want this one.”

“Good eye. This identity is clean and simple, the most worry-free,” the black-robed person nodded. “Please wait here a moment while I go fetch the related items.”

With that, the black-robed person stood up and exited through a hidden door on the other side of the small room.

In less than the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, the black-robed person returned, holding a thin booklet and a wooden identity tablet, handing both to Lin Qing.

Lin Qing took them and first flipped through the booklet. It recorded in detail the name, place of origin, and growth history of this new identity, even including minor childhood events and the process of learning martial arts with meticulous detail.

The wooden identity tablet was an officially recognized proof of identity, carved with the name and origin of the new persona. The patterns were regular and certainly not forged.

After confirming everything was correct, Lin Qing took out two hundred-tael silver notes and handed them to the black-robed person.

With the transaction complete and no further small talk, Lin Qing carefully stowed the identity booklet and tablet in his robe. Carrying the sealed iron box containing the Second-Order Vicious Beast meat, he walked out of Zangxiao Pavilion and quickly left the black market.

On his way back, aside from seeing two corpses in the outer alleys of the black market, he encountered no other trouble.