Wu Wen Tower

"Enter this door, and speak not of your origins or history!"

"Anything sold from my hands, bear the karma, fortune, and misfortune yourself!"

"Ask neither east nor west!"

The moment Chen Heng entered the stone house, a couplet that vividly embodied the black market's rules met his eyes.

Shortly after.

A black-robed figure carrying a dim yellow lantern approached him of his own accord and said indifferently, "Welcome to Wu Wen Tower. Fellow Daoist, are you here to buy or sell?"

Chen Heng gave him a once-over. The person before him had no fluctuations of aura whatsoever, like an inanimate object.

But what did that have to do with him!?

"Either," he replied simply, his tone equally indifferent and devoid of emotion.

"Since that is so, Fellow Daoist, follow me."

With that, the black-robed man turned and left, showing not the slightest awareness that he ought to guide a guest.

Yet Chen Heng had no objections. Instead, he felt that those of the black market ought to be like this.

Before long.

Chen Heng entered a room clearly meant for receiving guests. Its entrance was likewise separated from the outside by nothing more than a curtain of black cloth.

Inside the room, a black-robed man was leisurely sipping tea, with another dim yellow lantern placed atop the table.

Seeing someone enter, the black-robed man spoke calmly. "Fellow Daoist, please take a seat."

Compared to the other one, this man was clearly more alive.

He also had a proper sense of boundaries and did not ask Chen Heng to drink tea with him.

After all, no cultivator would likely dare drink an unknown substance in the black market.

Chen Heng slowly sat down, directly taking out several robes belonging to Luo Yu Lei, each bearing conspicuous Luo Family markings, and pushed them before the black-robed man.

The meaning of this gesture was quite obvious.

The black-robed man was first stunned, then gave Chen Heng—a figure cloaked in black robes with his face hidden behind a mask—a meaningful look.

"Fellow Daoist, your way of doing things is truly one of a kind."

Without waiting for Chen Heng's reaction, he immediately began inspecting the quality and condition of the sets of robes.

Not long afterward, he named a price of three hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.

That was roughly the price of a mid-grade first-tier artifact, but it was within Chen Heng's acceptable range. After all, selling stolen goods that could not see the light of day in the black market naturally meant taking a discount.

He nodded slightly, indicating his acceptance of the price.

The black-robed man promptly took three hundred low-grade Spirit Stones from the storage pouch at his waist and stacked them on the table, but did not rush to push them toward Chen Heng.

Instead, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, is there anything you wish to buy? So long as Wu Wen Tower has it, and Fellow Daoist can afford the price, anything can be sold."

"Even virgin cultivation furnaces at the Qi Refinement realm are available at Wu Wen Tower."

Upon hearing this, Chen Heng's brows furrowed slightly. In this world, only cultivators with certain special constitutions or those who cultivated certain special techniques needed to preserve their pure yang without leakage.

For ordinary cultivators, so long as they did not casually leak their vital essence, it would not affect their cultivation.

But having lived two lives, he still harbored considerable resistance toward the trade of human lives.

Chen Heng ignored the black-robed man and changed the subject. "Do you have any items that came from the former residence of Water Fire Superior over a century ago?"

This was his main purpose in coming to the black market.

The cultivation technique Water Fire Defense Scripture suited his constitution extremely well, and he dearly hoped to gather the later portions of the technique.

Although Chen Heng did not hold much hope for Wu Wen Tower.

Still, what harm was there in asking?

Moreover, after the former residence of Water Fire Superior had appeared, it had drawn countless cultivators into a scramble. Quite a few items had flowed out from within, so he was not afraid that someone would follow the vine to find the melon and uncover his true origins.

What was more, Wu Wen Tower's ambitions should not be so small.

Nor had he revealed any spiritual treasure worth making them take desperate risks for.

After hearing him out, the black-robed man took out a jade slip and began searching through it carefully. He did not think much of it, just as Chen Heng had expected.

But this matter had already passed many years ago. Neither of them knew whether Wu Wen Tower had collected any related items.

Thus.

One waited quietly, while the other searched slowly.

It was rather harmonious, as though they were two old friends who had not met in years.

After quite some time, the tea-loving black-robed man finally raised his head to look at Chen Heng and said unhurriedly, "Fellow Daoist, your luck is quite good. The tower has indeed taken in several items related to Water Fire Superior."

At those words, Chen Heng's heart leaped with joy, and he was just about to ask what those items were.

When the man before him continued, "However, those items are currently stored at the main tower, and we do not have them here. I do have a catalog, though. If Fellow Daoist is interested, you may first pay a deposit."

"When the Ghost Alley Entrance market opens next month, return to Wu Wen Tower to collect them. Would Fellow Daoist be willing?"

Having said that, the black-robed man lifted the teacup before him and took a small sip. He then set it down and looked at Chen Heng, seemingly waiting for his decision.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Heng said calmly, "In that case, let me see the catalog first before deciding."

The black-robed man nodded slightly, then took out a blank jade slip and imprinted the relevant information he had found into it one item at a time before handing it to Chen Heng.

Chen Heng accepted it and pressed the jade slip to his forehead, examining it carefully.

Wu Wen Tower did not have many items related to this Violet Palace Venerable—merely one artifact, two techniques, and three materials.

"Water-Fire Jade Belt, low-grade second-tier auxiliary artifact. Worn at the waist, it can automatically absorb water-fire spiritual qi, slightly increasing the success rate and power of water-fire spells. It also contains a low-grade second-tier defensive spell called [Water-Fire Barrier]. Price: two thousand low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Quenching Fire Water Nourishing Body Tempering Art, a body-tempering art. Draw upon the Killing Intent of earthfire to temper the muscles and bones, then soak and nourish them with the chill of a cold spring. Repeated thus, once mastered, the body will not only become formidable, but resistance to water-fire spells will increase markedly. Three levels in total; can be cultivated up to the Violet Palace realm. Price: three thousand low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Water-Fire Counter-Surge, a mid-grade second-tier spell. Draw water with one hand and Gathering Fire with the other, forcibly merging them. Amid the turbulent clash of water and fire, its killing power is immense. Price: one thousand five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Crimson-Azure Carp Jade, a top-grade first-tier treasure material, often found where cold and hot twin pools meet. Held in the hand, it can balance conflicts between water and fire spiritual power. Suitable for cultivators possessing Water-Fire Spiritual Roots. Price: five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Two lotus seeds from the high-grade second-tier spiritual herb Ice-Fire Lotus. They retain vitality and must be planted where earthfire and cold springs converge. Once mature, they may be used in alchemy or artifact refinement. Price: two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."

"One piece of nameless incomplete jade, exceptionally hard. Price: one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."

After reading the contents recorded on the jade slip, the corners of Chen Heng's mouth twitched several times beneath his mask.

Good heavens, not only are Wu Wen Tower's prices higher than outside, they only talk about the good aspects and never breathe a word about the bad ones.

Leaving aside everything else, that body-tempering art capable of reaching the Violet Palace realm definitely has major flaws. Otherwise, it would not be sold so cheaply.

Most of the other items are overpriced as well. Take that nameless incomplete jade—Wu Wen Tower dares charge one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones based solely on it being exceptionally hard.

The Water-Fire Jade Belt is a low-grade second-tier auxiliary artifact, yet its price is nearly on par with defensive artifacts of the same tier...

They are simply black-hearted beyond all bounds...

Having lived two lives, this was Chen Heng's first time mentally finding so many things to complain about. One could only say that his experience was still too shallow.

He slowly lowered the jade slip and looked at the black-robed man opposite him.

Though the man's face was concealed by a mask, he was presumably sneering smugly...