Chapter 162: Turmoil in the Black Market

Wangfujing was originally a famous wealthy district in Beijing.

In the black market, however, it was the name given to the street selling snacks.

Only the Black Store Manager likely knew why a street selling snacks was specifically named Wangfujing.

It was one of the black market's famous attractions, partly because customers, hungry from wandering the night market, tended to gather there.

And also because it sold all sorts of bizarre foods.

Giant centipedes, scorpions, diving beetles, flying squirrels fried with limbs and wings spread wide, spiders the size of your palm, various long larvae, unidentifiable insects, and more.

Of course, among these, only certain items actually sold well.

These were the pupae called cheonchung, a common snack found anywhere in the Central Plains.

The same pupae enjoyed by the Korean people.

However, the Chinese people? They tended to eat them after they had reached the beondegi stage—the king pupa stage of evolution—making them slightly larger than the Korean variety.

Roughly the size of a woman's thumb.

The food in Wangfujing, from the source of its ingredients to its freshness, was utterly untrustworthy, so one shouldn't carelessly buy and eat just anything.

However, the pupae weren't adulterated with anything else and were considered a clean snack, verified through sericulture.

The group companionably held a skewer each.

Even the Namen Sect martial artist, Namen Yi, grimaced as he held a skewer, yet couldn't tear his gaze away, gulping down saliva—he seemed to find it appealing after all.

Tang Nanah wrinkled her nose. "Fried centipedes... Are there really people who eat that?"

"No one eats those, Sister," Zhuge Ihyeon replied. "Ptui."

"But it says it's a specialty?" Tang Nanah persisted. "Ptui."

That wasn't the sound of spitting, but of ejecting the tough outer skin. Eating only the savory insides and then, according to preference, chewing the skin or spitting it out is the basic way to enjoy the pupae snack.

For reference, Tang Nanah, being a precious young lady, couldn't settle for just one skewer of pupae and held one in each hand. Sichuan's specialty wasn't mala, but silk, and after weaving the silk, miraculously and mysteriously, pupae were left behind.

"People get duped if they don't know better," Zhuge Ihyeon explained. "There are always idiots among the newcomers who try something just because it's labeled a specialty... Ah, Sister, look, over there."

He hastily pointed to one side.

A man with long, disheveled hair pushed back, even his bangs tied up haphazardly. He had a somewhat destitute look, his face unclean with a poorly shaven, dark stubble. He had the appearance of a common ronin, the kind that makes you feel like you've seen them somewhere before. Ronin—sword-for-hire types—usually tied their hair back carelessly, were genuinely poor, and were erratic about shaving.

His realm seemed to barely touch the Transcendent Realm? Qing assessed. He was above the Peak Realm, but something felt slightly off for a full Transcendent Realm master, suggesting he likely hadn't achieved it long ago. Quite a high level for a ronin, though...

The Transcendent Realm ronin held a spider skewer, hesitating for a long while, before finally, cautiously bringing one leg to his mouth.

"Ugh." "Urgh." "Guh." "Nngh."

All four members of the group groaned simultaneously. In fact, it wasn't just Qing's group; everyone on the street was either openly staring or sneaking glances. A strange phenomenon occurred where the large crowd collectively grimaced!

The ronin's expression was peculiar. It seemed it wasn't entirely tasteless. Perhaps emboldened by this, he took a bite of the body, chewed it—

"Uweegh!"

—and promptly doubled over, emptying the contents of his stomach. A moment of defiance against heaven, as something that should not have ascended reversed its course.

Barely pulling himself together, the ronin pointed an accusatory finger at the stall owner. "Are—Are you crazy! Selling this crap for three silver pieces!"

"Ain't you the one who bought it, customer?" the owner retorted. "Did anyone force ya to buy it? You ate it yourself, now you're giving me shit?"

"Wh-What! Do you know who I am! I am the Tael Yaksha, Yik Taikong!"

"Tael Yaksha, Dog Yaksha, what do I care?" the owner scoffed. "If you ain't buyin', piss off."

It was an astonishing sight. A mere stall owner was talking back to a Transcendent Realm martial artist. The Tael Yaksha's face turned bright red as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Why, gonna draw it?" the owner challenged. "You gonna cut down a black market member right here in the black market? Fine. Go ahead."

At that, the Tael Yaksha froze, his hand trembling. Then, with a sharp turn, he stormed off, looking furious. Just as he was about to brush past them, Qing glanced at Zhuge Ihyeon and asked loudly, "So, you're saying we shouldn't mess with nasty merchants like that? But is it okay to mess with them when it's not the black market? Like, wait somewhere until it closes, follow them, and... shhk?"

"Hmm," Zhuge Ihyeon replied, playing along. "Of course, they'd want to protect black market members, but they can't possibly escort every single member home, can they? After dawn, when the market closes, everything will be packed up anyway."

"Still," Qing pressed, "won't there be repercussions later? Like them sending assassins because someone messed with their people?"

"From the black market's perspective," Zhuge Ihyeon explained smoothly, "rude and insolent merchants who provoke customers are a nuisance. Especially if they're bold enough to provoke a Transcendent Realm master, imagine how they treat other customers. They wouldn't care if someone like that ended up dead on the street."

The deliberately loud conversation hit its mark. The Tael Yaksha stopped dead in his tracks. He then bowed his head slightly to Qing and Zhuge Ihyeon before turning back, plopping down on the ground opposite the stall, and crossing his arms firmly.

The delinquent merchant selling insects visibly paled with anxiety. Most likely, by tomorrow, an unfriendly, delinquent merchant who had accumulated plenty of evil deeds through unknown side businesses would meet his end.

Tael Yaksha, huh. Sounded familiar? Of course, Qing never held back her curiosity.

"Tael Yaksha?" she asked Zhuge Ihyeon. "Is he famous?"

"Sister, how could a ronin in the late Peak Realm not be famous? Tael Yaksha is counted among the top masters among ronin."

"Ah, maybe I heard of him back when I was briefly a ronin?" Qing mused. "Anyway, he's going to get even more famous. A First-Rate Realm expert's insight wouldn't catch it, but this Transcendent Peak Ximen Qing can see he's just entered the early stages of the Transcendent Realm."

"Astonishing," Zhuge Ihyeon commented dryly. "Both Tael Yaksha's progress and your arrogance are astonishing, Sister. Perhaps he might be called the Ronin King in the future."

Hearing this, Tang Nanah, who had been alternating bites from the pupae skewers in both hands, asked Qing with wide eyes, "What, you... you were a ronin?"

"A long time ago," Qing confirmed casually. "After trying both, I found there wasn't much difference between a beggar and a ronin. Both are broke, dirty, suffer in the summer heat, and freeze pitifully in the winter. People assume they'll do anything if you offer to buy them food. They look at you with this pitiful gaze, a mix of fear and disdain?"

She then thought— Huh? Isn't that just a graduate student?

While Qing thought little of it, for Tang Nanah listening, it was another chilling tale of hardship. "Oh, um... Sorry," Tang Nanah mumbled, offering her half-eaten skewer. "Want this?"

"No, why are you giving me something you were eating?" Qing snapped, snatching the skewer with the two remaining pupae anyway. "Am I a beggar?"

After that, the typical night market dining area unfolded, with tables spread out and various food stalls encircling it.

"Zhuge-ah," Qing asked, pointing, "what on earth is 'nameless meat'?"

"Things considered too lowly to eat, Sister," he explained. "Smelly beasts like weasels, wildcats, and raccoon dogs."

"They really eat everything with four legs..." Qing muttered, disgusted.

"They eat things without legs too, Sister," Zhuge Ihyeon added, gesturing. "Those coiled things over there are snakes, and the ones laid out are prepared snakes. The coiled one next to it looks like a snake but is a mountain goat's... ahem," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "apologies, Sister."

"Wow, it's longer than the snake," Qing noted, morbidly curious. "Is that..."

"They say it doesn't taste good," Zhuge Ihyeon quickly cut in. "It's so unpopular that even the claim it's good for men doesn't help."

The source was unknown, the hygiene and precision of the butchering questionable, and worse, it was simply seasoned haphazardly and cooked over a fire, making it tasteless. Qing readily gave up and passed through the Wangfujing street.

As they ventured deeper, supposedly dealing in more secretive goods, there was no categorization for the displayed merchandise, resulting in a jumble of all sorts of miscellaneous items. To Qing, it just looked like a common flea market.

Then, when they reached an area selling poisons, Tang Nanah decided to stay behind and look around. Zhuge Ihyeon also couldn't tear himself away from the antiques section, so Qing told them to go ahead and look, leaving them behind.

In truth, Zhuge Ihyeon had firmly emphasized caution, so Qing had only been planning to politely inquire within the black market. She hadn't expected any gruesome sword fights or ominous events, so it wasn't strange for her to feel like she was on an outing.

Honestly, these guys, Qing thought irritably. We came here to get Old Man Ban's grandson, not to sightsee.

"Hey there, beautiful lady!" a voice called out. "Whoa, the incarnation of a Divine Maiden! The greatest beauty in the martial arts world was right here! Come over here and take a look at these martial arts manuals, ye know!"

"Oh, they're selling martial arts manuals," Qing said to Gyeon Pohee. "Sworn Sister, let's go look."

"Okay!" Pohee agreed eagerly. "Maybe there's a peerless martial art?"

"As if something like that would be here..." Namen Yi muttered under his breath.

Qing shot him a fierce glare. "Oh? Found your tongue, have you?"

"Gasp." Namen Yi clamped his mouth shut, looking utterly breathless. It was because Qing's beauty was dangerously stunning.

Interpreting his reaction as fear, Qing swaggered confidently towards the martial arts manual merchant. "Oh! Yangui Jin'gong! Hmm? Was this the name?"

Just in case, Qing picked up the book, but the Martial Arts Window remained silent—it was clearly a fake.

The merchant, who had books spread out before him, spoke up. "Please don't open it, beautiful customer. If ye open it, ye gotta buy it, ye know."

"I won't," Qing replied. "Besides, why are these martial arts manuals so clean? They should be tattered to feel authentic."

"That's 'cause I transcribed 'em neatly so they're easier on the eyes for customers like yerself, ye know," the merchant explained.

Isn't that illegal? Qing tilted her head and picked up the manuals one by one. Wisdom Sword of Tai Chi, Cherry Blossom Twenty-Seven Hands, Sky-Rending Dao, Heavenly Step Divine Fist, King Zhou Heart-Washing Sutra, Wudang Face Technique, and so on... The titles all seemed slightly off, and the books were brand new and shiny, making them completely unbelievable.

"Merchant Uncle," Qing asked skeptically, "do these things actually sell?"

"They sell surprisingly well, ye know."

"This uncle's way of speaking is a bit..." Qing murmured to Pohee.

"Unique, ain't it?" the merchant beamed. "I'm the peddler known as Jeon Daeyong, the Jack-Of-All-Trades Merchant!"

"Jack-Of-All-Trades Merchant!" Qing shouted obligingly. She felt a strange sense of duty, thinking Zhuge Ihyeon would have shouted if he were here. As surrounding gazes focused on them, Qing decided to verify the facts first. "Um. Are you famous?"

"Nope, just made it up, ye know," he admitted cheerfully. "How can someone's name be Jeon Daeyong? Doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Hehe, you're funny," Qing chuckled. This really felt like being at a marketplace. It was truly uncanny how all sorts of strange merchants were gathered here. She used to bring her lovers here for sightseeing whenever she got a new one. Ah. Those were good times. Thinking about it made her feel a bit lonely...

Perhaps his claim that they sold surprisingly well wasn't a lie, as the stall, which had been empty when he called out to Qing, now had quite a few other customers gathered around.

"Ahem," one customer cleared his throat, "Shopkeep, give me one of these. How much?"

"How much d'ye know about it already?" the merchant countered.

"...?" The customer looked confused.

"Divine arts inherently have destined owners," the merchant elaborated. "Ain't it the way that those who recognize their value acquire 'em?"

"Normally, the seller sets the price..." the customer started.

"Gotta give me two gold pieces, ye know?" the merchant demanded. "Too expensive? C'mon, how cheaply d'ye expect to get yer hands on the greatest movement technique of Wudang, nay, the entire martial arts world? What's this? Not gonna use it? Hey, ya damn customer, d'ya think I got nothin' better to do than sit here? Argh, this pisses me off! Wanna get hit, customer?"

And then he revealed his aura—whoa, what, Unrestrained Realm? Why is an Unrestrained Realm master sitting here selling fake books? Seriously, every Tom, Dick, and Harry is in the Unrestrained Realm.

In the end, the poor customer was coerced into buying the clearly fake Wudang Face Technique manual for two gold pieces.

"Just letting you know beforehand," Qing said firmly to the merchant, "I only came to look."

"Oh my, that's fine, ye know," he waved dismissively. "Beauties look for free. Hmm, take this and look around for another quarter-hour, will ye?" The self-proclaimed Jeon Daeyong offered two copper coins.

Only then did Qing realize she'd been had. This uncle was using people as advertisements! With her veil off, all sorts of gazes followed her, so just having her linger at the stall was practically like a flashing neon sign. Indeed, it was a scene of a peerless beauty wearing a sword, looking intently at the manuals with a serious expression. Naturally, everyone couldn't help but wonder if there was actually something real there.

Unable to refuse the pocket money offered by an Unrestrained Realm master, Qing obediently accepted the coins. Of course, since Jeon Daeyong showed no particular hostility, Qing, though internally prepared, didn't let her mouth remain idle.

"You just earned two gold pieces and you're trying to fob me off with just two coppers?" she scoffed. "Wow, cheap, so cheap. Like total seawater."

"That's pretty good too, ye know?" the merchant mused. "Next time, I should call myself the Coastal King of Salt Fields, ye know."

"Coastal King of Salt Fields!" Qing dutifully shouted again.

"...Do ye really have to shout that?" he asked, slightly exasperated.

"I heard it's polite to do so?" Qing replied innocently.

"Seems kinda right, ye know?" he conceded. "Yeah, it's nice meeting a polite customer. Can't give ye more money, but ye can open the books and look for that quarter-hour."

"It's not like looking will yield anything nutritious anyway," Qing grumbled. Still, just in case, she picked up every single book, one by one.

Then suddenly, the Martial Arts Window flashed.

"Oing?"

It sparkled, indicating that a new technique, the gold-level Shadowless Divine Hand, had been registered.

Qing didn't know it, but this was precisely the moment to let out an exclamation of awe that would echo through the heavens and earth. My god!!! Shadowless Divine Hand!!!! The Divine Thief!!!!!

The Shadowless Divine Hand was the exclusive martial art of the legendary, one-man lineage thief of the martial arts world, the Shadowless Divine Thief!

But how would Qing know that?