“The black market is inside, but once we enter, it’s best not to mention the word ‘black market’ again,” Tang Chonglou kindly reminded them.
He then stepped forward and led the five of them straight up to the third floor.
The third floor was noticeably quieter, with only a few attendants scattered about.
Tang Chonglou found one of the attendants and made a few hand gestures to him.
The attendant sized up Tang Chonglou and said, “You’ll need to pay one thousand low-grade spirit stones as an entry fee. Once you’re inside, you must come out within five hours—otherwise, you’ll be trapped in there forever.”
“Also, fighting is not allowed inside. If someone provokes you, do not fight back—because if you do, you’ll be detained. If someone attacks you, don’t worry; the enforcers will step in immediately to protect you.”
“Furthermore, all transactions inside are based on mutual consent; no one may force a buy or sale. Of course, as long as you haven’t paid for something, it doesn’t belong to you.”
Throughout his speech, the attendant’s face remained expressionless, his eyes hollow, as if his very soul had been extracted.
After hearing him out, Feng Qingran felt a flicker of surprise.
The rules here were extremely similar to those in Qingzhou, but here in Blazing Fire Province, the regulations carried an underlying sense of danger.
Baili Wenyue stepped forward and handed the attendant six pieces of top-grade spirit stones. “I don’t have any low-grade spirit stones—will these do?”
The attendant nodded, accepted the spirit stones without any change in emotion, and handed Baili Wenyue sixty tokens.
Baili Wenyue looked exasperated. “I only need six.”
The attendant paused for a moment, returned five pieces of top-grade spirit stones to Baili Wenyue, and then gave him four thousand low-grade spirit stones as change.
Baili Wenyue had never encountered such an honest attendant before and was momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Tang Chonglou took six tokens from the sixty floating in the air and thanked the attendant.
The attendant nodded and said, “These tokens also function as storage spaces. Before you go in, you can deposit your spirit stones into them and bring them inside.”
After speaking, the attendant walked over to a wall, pressed a certain spot, and a hidden door opened in the wall.
He said coldly, “Six guests, follow me. I’ll take you to the entrance of the black market.”
Tang Chonglou was the first to follow the attendant.
Baili Wenyue was utterly confused and wanted to say something, but Ning Shiyue shook her head at him, signaling for him to follow.
And so, the six of them followed the attendant into a dimly lit area.
The place reminded Feng Qingran of Li Niang’s Tongwen Pavilion.
The six walked in silence behind the attendant.
After about a quarter of an hour, the attendant stopped and pushed open a door.
The room inside was exquisitely decorated, with everything one could need fully provided.
After the six entered the room, the attendant warned coldly, “Guests, don’t forget—you must come out within five hours, or you’ll bear the consequences.”
“The teleportation arrays are right beside you. Simply step onto one, sit cross-legged, and you’ll be transported inside. If you want to come out, just chant ‘I want to come out’ three times to your token.”
“If you encounter danger inside and the enforcers don’t show up, drip a drop of blood onto your token, then silently chant ‘danger,’ and the enforcers will appear immediately.”
“I’ll be waiting outside for you all. The room is very well soundproofed—I won’t be able to hear anything you say, so there’s no need to worry.”
With that, the attendant closed the door.
The six of them simultaneously extended their spiritual senses and confirmed that the attendant was indeed standing just outside.
They exchanged glances with one another. Why were the rules of this black market so bizarre?
And that attendant was also acting strangely…
Baili Wenyue looked around and noticed six teleportation arrays on the side of the room.
“Did you all notice how odd that attendant was? He actually refused to take extra spirit stones! Who does business like that?” Baili Wenyue couldn’t help but complain.
“Sixth Senior Brother, that attendant is a puppet—he doesn’t have any human emotions,” Feng Qingran explained, blinking her apricot-shaped eyes.
“A puppet? How can a puppet be so lifelike?” Baili Wenyue asked in astonishment.
“They’re made from cultivators whose souls have been extracted,” Feng Qingran said seriously.
Puppetry is an extremely cruel art.
In many provinces, creating puppets from living humans is strictly forbidden.
Of course, in some provinces, it is permitted—as long as the person signed a consent form before death, puppeteers are allowed to use their bodies to create puppets.
Both Baili Wenyue and Ning Shiyue looked shocked.
Ning Shiyue’s bell-like voice took on a cold edge. “These people really will stop at nothing to keep their secrets.”
Qin Hanyan’s ethereally beautiful face turned slightly pale, her entire aura becoming icy cold. She lowered her eyes slightly, revealing a trace of resentment.
Tang Chonglou showed no surprise at Feng Qingran’s words. In the demon realm, turning people into puppets was a common occurrence.
Mo Jinghong’s unparalleled countenance remained cool and detached, though his captivating phoenix eyes grew deep and unfathomable, concealing an extremely dangerous glint.
“So are we still going into the black market? It feels a bit unsettling,” Baili Wenyue asked.
Tang Chonglou spoke gravely, “There’s one more thing the attendant didn’t mention—after our souls enter through the teleportation array, the location we appear in will be random.”
Baili Wenyue was shocked. “What? Our souls are leaving our bodies!? Then what if someone harms our physical bodies while we’re gone?”
Soul separation is an extremely dangerous act. With even the slightest mistake, not only could it threaten one’s life, but it could also cause irreversible damage to the spiritual sense.
Basically, cultivators below the Void God stage wouldn’t dare to separate their souls so easily.
“As long as we follow the rules, nothing will go wrong,” Tang Chonglou explained.
“Maybe we shouldn’t go in? It feels too dangerous,” Ning Shiyue said, sounding a bit scared.
“There are enforcers inside, so there shouldn’t be much danger. Besides, these tokens are made of a special material specifically designed to protect the soul—you’ll be safe,” Tang Chonglou reassured the group.
“Brother Tang, how do you know so much about the black market?” Baili Wenyue asked curiously.
Tang Chonglou paused briefly, then glanced at Feng Qingran. “Tongwen Pavilion is currently investigating the black market, so naturally, I received some information about it as well.”
Baili Wenyue slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot—you’re the young master of Tongwen Pavilion. Since you say it’s safe to go in, then let’s go.”
Tang Chonglou’s sharp, sword-like brows lifted slightly, his eyes showing a hint of astonishment.
He hadn’t expected that just a few words from him would be enough to make Baili Wenyue trust him.
Such a thing had never happened in his past life.
In his previous life, he had regarded Su Yanran as his only trusted person.
But even then, Su Yanran had always maintained a degree of skepticism toward his words.
“Well, since we’re already here, it’d be a waste not to go in and take a look,” Baili Wenyue said as he took out his token, withdrew a large pile of top-grade spirit stones, and divided them into six portions. “This should be enough for you all to buy whatever you want.”
