The Black Market

Li Guanqi arrived at the nearest city and, through a local informant, tracked down the location of a black market. However, this black market only operated at night, so he had no choice but to wait until dusk. When night finally fell, Li Guanqi followed the informant's directions and came to a secluded alleyway. To his surprise, the burly man guarding the entrance was a Core Formation expert! Not wanting to invite unnecessary trouble, Li Guanqi crisply handed over ten spirit stones and stepped inside. The pitch-black alley was illuminated only by the flickering flames of faint oil lamps. Nearly all the stallholders lining the alley wore black robes. This was his first time visiting a black market. From beneath his own dark robe, he activated his mind's eye, carefully observing the movements and expressions of everyone around him. He soon noticed that the people here made bids using a very peculiar set of hand gestures, with both parties' hands concealed beneath a black cloth so no onlooker could see. Even so, by extending his divine sense, he quickly figured out what those gestures meant. There were not many people milling about, yet every single one possessed a powerful aura. In the mere thirty-some zhang he walked, he sensed four or five Core Formation cultivators. There was even a faint, indistinct pressure comparable to the Nascent Soul realm! This made him tread all the more cautiously. The vendors along the alley kept a tacit distance of a zhang or so between their stalls, ensuring that even if a crowd gathered around one, it never became congested. Before long, Li Guanqi spotted what he was looking for at a curious stall. He walked straight up to the black-robed figure and pointed at the four human-skin masks laid out on the ground. Deliberately lowering his voice, he said, "I'll take them all." With that, he reached out his hand. The black-robed vendor showed no surprise, extending his left hand and draping a black cloth over both of their hands. Li Guanqi first attempted a hand gesture, signifying four hundred low-grade spirit stones. Yet the slightly withered hand clamped straight onto his fingers and gave them a light shake. Li Guanqi understood at once: the elder was saying that price would not do. He spoke up, "Any higher, and it will be getting a bit expensive." The reason he knew their approximate value was that the Points Pavilion of the Great Xia Sword Sect had similar items in stock. Based on the sect points required, it was easy enough to deduce their market worth. Immediately, the old man's voice reached his ears. "Little brat, these human-skin masks aren't ordinary mortal trinkets. "Every one of them is a rare dharma artifact capable of copying anyone's appearance at will. "You only need to press it against a face. For killing, robbing, framing, or planting evidence, there's no better tool." Li Guanqi was not surprised that the elder called him a little brat. After all, their hands had made contact, and smooth, youthful skin could hardly escape the old man's notice. The elder then signaled a gesture beneath the black cloth. Li Guanqi gripped the elder's hand and said softly, "Deal!" He handed over a storage bag. The elder cast a cursory glance inside, then handed over all four human-skin masks. Taking the items, Li Guanqi briskly departed the black market. After reaching a deserted alley and confirming he was not being followed, he vanished from the city in a flash. What Li Guanqi did not know was that after he left, the eyes beneath that black hood watched his departing back, a mysterious smile playing at the corners of the vendor's mouth. Then, the black-robed figure simply packed up the stall, turned, and walked away. Once outside the city, Li Guanqi erased his tracks along the way, even changing directions several times. It was not that he was paranoid by nature; rather, Su Xuan had shared countless tales of the outside world with him, teaching him that he had to be cautious when dealing with the unknown. Cultivators easily lived three to five hundred years, and those at higher realms spanned thousands or even tens of thousands. From his grandfather, he had heard more than once of people who nursed vendettas, biding their time for a millennium solely to see their vengeance through. For cultivators, the easiest thing to lose track of was time. Li Guanqi took out a map, glanced around, picked a direction, and skimmed low across the terrain. His destination was the direction of Changfeng Villa. Along the way, he pulled out one of the human-skin masks, placed it over his face, and kneaded it gently several times. In the blink of an eye, the handsome youth with a face like polished jade transformed into an utterly unremarkable young man. Using primal energy, he altered his voice, then circulated the Breath Concealment Art to disguise his aura as middle Foundation Establishment. He pulled out a mirror to check his reflection, trimmed a bit of hair to paste on as stubble, and finally nodded in satisfaction. Concealing his presence beneath the cover of night, his black robe blended seamlessly into the darkness. Soon, he arrived among the mountain ranges where Changfeng Villa was situated. *Hum!* His divine sense expanded outward, carefully probing his surroundings. The roars and cries of wild beasts echoed ceaselessly through the forest. He bypassed the auras of numerous demonic beasts along the way until he reached a mountain peak. This spot lay directly behind Changfeng Villa, offering an unobstructed view over the entire estate. Perching on the branch of a large tree, Li Guanqi looked down. Spread out before his eyes was a massive villa ablaze with lamplight. The villa spanned well over three thousand zhang, appearing far grander than Ye Feng's clan estate. Numerous figures were flying out on swords one after another, streaking in all directions. Clearly, they were out searching for him and the others. Holding his breath, Li Guanqi carefully studied the villa's layout. Changfeng Villa was open from front to back, its structures built symmetrically along a central axis centered on the grand hall, exuding a certain imposing majesty. Yet from the front courtyard to the rear grounds, he saw nowhere specifically suited to imprisoning someone. It seemed such a place could only be hidden deep within the interior. Thus, like a patient lone wolf, he lay motionless on the tree branch, meticulously observing everything within Changfeng Villa. He did not budge until the morning sun crested the horizon the following day. During that time, figures repeatedly flew over his head, but he never made a move. Striking now would only alert the enemy; without absolute certainty, he would not act rashly. Suddenly, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and murmured inwardly, *Is that it...?* It was time for the villa's patrol guards to change shifts. Only then did he notice a squad of Foundation Establishment guards slowly emerging from the shadows. They had been obscured by the rooftops, leading Li Guanqi to assume that spot was merely a storehouse or something similar. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, still not entirely certain whether that was where Zhao Yang was being held. Just then, a young man cursing under his breath flew slowly overhead. "Those bastards vanished without a trace ages ago, yet they're forcing us to search. Search for what? A pile of shit? "I'm taking a leak and heading back. I'll just find a spot to sleep through the day." Hearing this, Li Guanqi could not help but chuckle silently. *Talk about a pillow handed right to someone looking for a nap.* A moment later, his figure slipped away like an agile serpent, vanishing from the branch!