Chapter 21

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"Please, s.h.i.+xiong, what are your plans here?" One of the guardians stepped in Fang Xing"s path to question him.

"To exchange for things I need. Why else would I be here?" Fang Xing replied in a casual manner.

The guard wasn"t expecting such a flippant response from Fang Xing and gave a bitter smile. "You are not wrong, s.h.i.+xiong, but the Black Market has had some changes since the last time since there had been a robbery. It"s been less than three months since that occurred, so we must be extra careful this time around to avoid something similar happening. So, please, kindly let me know what exactly it is that you will be looking for or what item you"ll use for exchange before I can let you in."

Hearing the explanation, Fang Xing thought to himself in relief, "Thank G.o.d I"ve got something of value with me today; if I came today empty-handed with only the snuff bottle like last time, they"d certainly find out what I"m up to."

"Why are there more and more rules for the Black Market? I may as well exchange things with the sect, then!" Fang Xing questioned the guard impatiently while pretending to be annoyed. "Well, since I"m already here I"ll just follow whatever rules you have. I"m here to exchange for a Flying Sword. My Spirit Stones; have a look for yourself!"

As Fang Xing spoke, he took out a handful of bright red Spirit Stones.

"Since you"ve brought plenty of Spirit Stones, it"s unlikely you"ll cause problems. Thank you, s.h.i.+xiong, for your understanding!" Seeing as Fang Xing had plenty of Stones, the guard gestured for him to enter the market at will.

Fang Xing waved his hands and smiled. "No, I completely understand. It"s all the fault of that hateful bandit! Thank you for your hard work!"

Fang Xing"s words of appreciation had left the guard almost in tears. He had been ordered to check everyone who intended to visit the market, but not all of them were so understanding; most had had no reaction or were just downright rude and uncooperative. It was so rare to have someone finally appreciating their hard work!

If only they were to know that this sole understanding person was the same exact bandit who had caused this whole inconvenience!

Inside the market, the area was noticeably larger with many more disciples present. Even the average tier of cultivation was slightly higher than last time, with most of the disciples in their second tier and quite a few others in their third. Though nearly everybody could be seen in the middle of a trade, they all appeared to be cautious and reticent while the exchanges themselves were unfl.u.s.tered and calm.

"Looks like after last time, all of the newbies have become too scared to come. It"s all old foxes this time around. Looks like it"ll be a lot more difficult…." Fang Xing strolled around the entire market while observing the surrounding people. "Ah well, fair enough. Let"s just do a normal trade today, then."

There was an interesting sight this time around: some people had placed the items they were looking to exchange neatly in front of them as though they were a street store and waited for pa.s.sersby to drop an offer.

Some of these trades were for specific items, but when this could not be agreed upon, Spirit Stones or golden leaves would usually be the next likely preference.

Most of the items listed in the Black Market were either consumables or other necessities for cultivation; if these were to be exchanged in the mortal world, the amount of gold and silvers required would be phenomenal. Spirit Stones would be the best example of such an item.

After completing a full circuit around the market, Fang Xing noticed something very different compared to his last visit. In the previous Black Market, the exchanges had mainly been with Spirit Stones and common gold, but this time there were all manners of spirit tools, weapons, Flying Swords, talismans… even cultivation and skill manuals, spells, medicinal pills, elixirs, and so on could be found. It was like a flea market, where anything and everything could be exchanged or purchased.

Of course, there were those that had only one or two items in front of them, and then there were also the ones that had so many items to exchange that they truly appeared to mean business.

"Hey, s.h.i.+xiong, come check out my stuff over here! I"ve got some of the best in the market." As Fang Xing walked past, one of the people softly called for him. No one in the market yelled or screamed, otherwise this would really appear to be like a genuine flea market.

"Maybe when I come around again." Fang Xing"s main purpose was for a decent Flying Sword. Since there were plenty of them in the market, he had decided he would have a look at all the other different and interesting things on offer and not worry about the sword purchase until later.

"Do you really think of this as a flea market?" the man mumbled without bringing extra attention to himself.

As Fang Xing swept his gaze across the items the man had in front of him, he let out a small sound: "Oh?"

"Is there anything that has caught s.h.i.+xiong"s attention?" The man smiled with a quick change of expressions.

Fang Xing crouched down to have a closer look at the items and didn"t speak.

"Heh, you"ve come to the right man for sure. I have the greatest amount of items here—all of which are of great quality—yet the prices are cheaper by at least thirty percent!" Seeing that Fang Xing was now interested, the man began to grow excited. He wasn"t merely boasting, though; his "booth" did indeed have a very high sale rate.

Still without speaking a word, Fang Xing picked up a Flying Sword. The man started to brag about its abilities and how great the sword was, as though such a low-tiered sword was an extremely rare find.

"How many Stones for this?" Fang Xing asked, seemingly moved by the man"s words.

The man signed a figure with his hands hidden from the sight of others. "This price. It"s not too bad, yeah?"

"Seven Stones? It is indeed thirty-percent cheaper…." Fang Xing muttered under his breath in seeming agreement with the man. If it weren"t for the [Book of Revelation], it would have seemed to be an excellent price.

"So how about it? Did you want to trade?" the man asked again at the prospect of another deal made.

"You know, you"ve got some real craftsmans.h.i.+p right there…."

Fang Xing placed the sword back into its original position after he had another look. Then, with his eyes squinting and his mouth in a half-smile, "What do you think about me spreading the news about most of the counterfeit items you have for sale in front of you? What do you think those who purchased something from you will think? And the ones who have organized this Black Market in the hopes of regaining the market"s reputation again, what do you believe they will likely think?"

The man"s face darkened. He lowered his voice even more, speaking in a serious tone, "Don"t make such irresponsible remarks. If you want to buy something, you can; if you don"t, then don"t. But don"t make up rumors about what I"m selling!" The man then looked around to ensure no one had heard him, as though he had just become aware of something.

"Irresponsible?" Fang Xing sneered as he picked up several items from the ground and placed them neatly into two different piles. There seemed to be no particular order as to which items went into which pile, and both had a bit of everything.

"What do you think of this arrangement?" Fang Xing gently placed a bottle of medicinal pills on the left pile and dusted his hands with a smile.

After seeing how quickly Fang Xing was able to sort everything in front of him into the two piles, the man felt an overflow of cold sweat down his back from guilt. An awkward smile formed and he spoke with a s.h.i.+vering voice, "I… I see. On first sight, I instantly knew that s.h.i.+xiong had a good eye, and so I was wondering… how would you like to take this as a gift from me?"

As the man spoke, he pulled out a Flying Sword from the pile on the right as he spoke and respectfully held it in front of Fang Xing with both hands.

As it turned out, Fang Xing had appraised everything there within a few seconds. He"d placed the real items on the right and those with problems on the left.

Shocked, the man quickly tried to bribe Fang Xing with a Flying Sword, hinting that the price of the sword was to keep quiet about his shady business here.

The Black Market was different compared to antique trades in the world of mortals. If somebody purchased a fake antique, it would usually be blamed on bad luck or their own poor judgment. In markets like this for cultivators, however, no one had the time for such senseless deceptions; all resources were hard to come by, and any waste or loss did considerably more harm to its owners.

There were, of course, always exceptions, and the mustached man and his two sidekicks at the Pavilion of Spiritual Tools made a good example: although there were strict sect rules protecting new disciples, those without a background would be forced to choose between either going along with the bribery or being cheated. If the same thing was to happen at the markets, however, once the news was spread around it was not unlikely that everyone would band together to teach the swindler an unforgettable lesson.

Fang Xing looked at the man"s guilty gaze and grabbed the sword before throwing it mockingly to the side. "How much would a piece of junk like this be worth?"

The man was not lacking a temper, and as he saw Fang Xing"s actions he began to grow impatient. "Don"t you think you"re pus.h.i.+ng it a little? If we both take a step back, we can pretend nothing has happened and you get a free sword; we"ll still be on good terms even if we meet again next time. Besides, I really don"t like to be pushed around…."

The man released his Qi and—even without the [Book of Revelation]—Fang Xing could feel a powerful surge of Qi at around the third tier.

Fang Xing did not seem to mind the man"s threat with this cultivation level; instead, he continued to ridicule him. "This is the Black Market and n.o.body knows who anyone is. How do we meet again if you don"t even know who I am? Plus, you"re only in the third tier. It"s not bad, per se, but there are more than a dozen people here who have surpa.s.sed you. Now, if I was to let everyone know about your business here, what do you think will happen to you?"

The man finally tensed as Fang Xing explained the possibility of revealing him to everyone. Cold sweat drenched the back of his robe as he tightened his fist.

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