With no copper coins and no steed, Ye Cheng had no choice but to travel on foot.
The road east was long and crooked, winding through low hills and patches of bamboo forest. As he walked, he passed two villages, much smaller than Taishou town.
Two hours later, the dirt road widened and the trees thinned.
Ye Cheng reached the top of a hill, and below him stood Qingshi Town. Qingshi Town was much larger than Taishou Town. Its outer walls are built from reinforced clay and shinny resistant stones. Banners fluttered from gateposts, and the chatter of voices and the clang of metal echoed even from a distance.
Lan Huo landed on a tree branch near the road and observed its surroundings:
"This place has few more cultivators compared to other areas. There are at least two Orange realms near the eastern quarter, and One Yellow realm deeper in."
The cultivation ranks in this world are color based. Each rank corresponds to a color, symbolizing the spiritual energy and purity of the cultivator's core. As one ascends, the color deepens, and becomes more refined. This can also influence the aura, and elemental affinity of the cultivator.
The realms are: Gray, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violent, White and Black. Each
Realms have nine levels.
Three rough men leaned by a wine stall. One was gnawing on dried sticks, while the other two were drinking wine. They wore brass knuckle rings etched with minor array patterns and had a snake tattoo curling around their throat, a symbol of their gang.
Ye Cheng's eyes sharpened.
The black market might hold more than just information.
If the rumors of Nether Vitalis were true, fragments might have already been circulating in the underground trade.
He adjusted the sword at his side, smoothed his expression, and began walking toward the gates of Qingshi Town.
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The sky had long since darkened, and Qingshi Town's once lively streets quiet down. The normal businesses were closed for the night. The street was a little bright thanks to the moonlight. Small flickering lanterns marked the winding alleys. From time to time, someone would sneak into the alley suspiciously.
Ye Cheng observed for a while, as if he'd confirmed something, he pulled his black cloak tighter around his frame and made sure the ordinary fake iron sword at his waist looked more like a rare-tier weapon.
Lan Huo perched quietly under the folds of his hood, gave a lazy hum: "Your fake sword looks surprisingly intimidating. But if you meet someone with a higher level…, you might as well kill yourself than to make them go through the trouble."
"Just shut up…" Ye Cheng replied helplessly.
This dumb bird is full of sarcastic remarks.
His steps were light as he slipped into the alleys of the Lower Eastern Quarter. He met an old hawker selling roasted sweet potatoes. Ye Cheng knew that the roasted sweet potato was just a disguise. Sure enough, he was stopped by the old hawker. The old hawker asked him a few questions and let him through after confirming that he had no ill intention.
The old hawker tapped twice on a hidden stone, and the stall's entire back wall shifted with a click. Revealing a damp narrow passageway. There were familiar blue flame lamps hanging along the way.
Qingshi town's black market was built in the hollowed tunnels beneath the town and was part of an old mine. Even though it has been in the town for over a hundred years, only a handful of town folks knew about it.
The merchants that sell goods, and most of the buyers are all from different places. A black market in a small town is safer than those in big cities that are being monitored by powerful sects.
Merchants stood behind thick iron grates and tables with their goods laid out. There were beast cores, rear and ordinary beasts, severed claws, vials of rare poison, pills, talismans, spirit beasts, herbs, gangs, and even slaves.
Ye Cheng's expression didn't change, though his jaw was tense. After all, this was his first time in such a place. Although he had an impression of a black market, he didn't expect it to be this lawless. Anything and everything can be sold here!!!
"Anything and everything," He murmured
Just like him, everyone that came in were wearing either a coat or a mask to hide their appearance. Ye Cheng passed several stalls and quietly inquired about Nether Vitalis Fragments. He didn't know how far the news of the demonic parasite had spread.
Unexpectedly, no one knew about it. They only shrug in confusion.:
"No such item."
"Haven't heard of it."
"Is it a rare specimen? How much is it in demand?"
"Explain yourself."
"Is there such a thing?"
"Try the Bone Circle, maybe, but they don't sell to strangers."
The news was tightly covered up which made Ye Cheng a little relieved. Lan Huo said to him: "Seems it's still too early. If the news of Nether Vitalis spreads, the whole continent would've been in chaos by now.
Ye Cheng nodded in agreement , and moved on.
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At the far corner of the market, he found a short, oily-skinned merchant seated on a square platform surrounded by swirling runes. His beard was braided with white strings, and his table was layered with exchange slips in strange languages.
"A traveler from the north?" The merchant asked, eyeing the coin Ye Cheng placed down.
Ye Cheng answered simply: "Demon Realm currency, Shadow-forged coin, Grade B. I want an exchange."
The merchant whistled: "That's a rare coinage … but authentic. I'll offer you a one-to-one ratio. One B-Grade Shadow coin is equivalent to one thousand gold pieces. What do you say?"
Ye Cheng thought for a moment and placed more coins on the table: "I have 150."
The merchant grinned, flicked out a scroll, and stamped it: "Done. Pleasure doing business."
The merchant handed a pouch over. The pouch was very heavy. Ye Cheng could only trust that it was filled with 150,000 gold. After all, it would take him all night to count such a huge amount of coins.
"What do you want to do next?" Lan Huo asks
"What do people who have money do? Let's go shopping." Ye Cheng pointed ahead and walked in large steps.
Now that his pocket was loaded, Ye Cheng wasted no time to start shopping.
In his previous life, after the death of his parents, he was living with a relative and didn't have enough to eat.
Therefore, he didn't have the luxury of buying what he wanted. When he became the young demon prince, he had everything and didn't experience the joy of shopping either… but now, it was different.
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He found a beast tamer's stall and inspected several horses before settling on a sturdy Cloud-Stepping Stallion horse. The dealer asked for 2,000 gold, but after a few sharp words and exaggerated exposing of its flaws, Ye Cheng walked away paying only 1,500 gold.
Next, he went to the herbalist stalls. There were tons of rare herbs and the price was very considerate. As an alchemist, he needed as many herbs as possible.
He stocked up on dried Yin Dew Flower, Seven Needle Grass, a sealed bundle of Sky Cured Vetch and many others. These are ingredients used for both healing and temporary aura suppression pills. That cost him another 4,200 gold.
At a rune-engraving stall, he purchased three mid-grade talisman pens, a few dozen sheets of talisman papers, and a vial of cinnabar ink mixed with crushed spirit pearls. Total: 4,300.
He also bought many rare fruits. After all purchases, Ye Cheng's pouch was lighter—but he still held 98,000 gold. Enough for the road ahead.
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As Ye Cheng made his way out of the underground market, he noticed several eyes in the dark were fixed on him. This group had been following him since he exchanged the money. But they didn't make any scene and only followed him quietly, Ye Cheng didn't bother with them either. The only reason he was relaxed is because the highest level among them was orange rank level 3.
Ye Cheng pretended not to see their little movements.
"They are following us out." Lan Hou reminded him.
Ye Cheng exhaled through his nose: "It's expected, they want to rob. After seeing such a huge amount of money, it'll be strange if they did nothing."
One man and one bird chatted as they left the passageway with calm steps. At this time of night, Qingshi's streets were darker now, most of the lanterns snuffed out.
The faint clink of armor echoed half a step behind him. He ignored their deliberate noise and continued walking. He led them into a narrower road lined with storage sheds and broken carts. Once he reached a dead end, Ye Cheng paused beside his horse, and casually adjusted the reins.
In a few seconds, the expected footsteps approached.
A gravelly voice chuckled behind him: "Mighty nice stallion, brother. Riding out of town this late?"
"You don't look like a local from around here." Another added
"You're missing your way. If you'd asked us brothers for help, we'd be glad to show you the way." Another one added.
Ye Cheng slowly turned. "I don't need help. Thanks for the offer."
The three men stood in the open space blocking the entrance. The leader was flipping a large blade in his hand.
"You've got quite the purse after tonight's shopping," he sneered: "Hand it over, and we'll make sure you don't get hurt."
Seeing that they didn't want to beat around the bush anymore, Ye Cheng smiled slightly with cold eyes: "I'm in a good mood tonight. Leave now, and I'll only break your legs."
The men blinked, looked at each other then laughed.
"Oi, you hear that? He's gonna break our legs!"
"Hahahahahaha…."
"He's a spoiled young master. They always think they run the world."
"After getting the money, we brothers should play with him to teach him some manners."
They lunged together in a group attack.
Ye Cheng was disgusted by their perverted looks. His hand moved faster than sight.
In a blink of an eye, one man was down instantly, blood trickling from a pressure point strike behind the ear. The second stumbled as a palm to the gut knocked the breath from him. The leader tried to draw a hidden dagger, but Ye Cheng was already behind him.
He struck the man's wrist, then shoulder, then neck. Within three precise moves, the man fell like a sack of rice.
Ye Cheng dusted off his robes and looked down at the groaning heap.
"Noisy rats, don't know when to run."
He left them in the alley and mounted his horse, riding off into the blackness before the town guards arrived.
The wind was cool as it stirred his hair. He was in a good mood after protecting public safety.
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