The more chaotic the world became, the better business was in the black market.
Li Cunxiao clutched the Demon Meat in his robes with his left hand and strode across the long street.
There were stalls selling servants, weapons, secret manuals, and even pregnant women crammed into cages. A vendor beside them shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Nine months pregnant—freshly harvested placenta! First come, first served!"
He frowned and quickened his pace, yet a gaze settled on his back.
"Isn't that the one who often buys meat from my stall?"
Sha Ping still wore his usual lazy look. As he haggled half-heartedly with a customer, he secretly cast a glance in that direction.
He was also an old hand who had been at Blood Qi Perfection for years. Though his road ahead had long since been cut off, years of fighting men and hunting demons in the mountain forest had given him an exceptional eye for people.
He had never seen Li Cunxiao's face, but details such as his height and gait were easy enough to recognize. Including last time, this was the second time Sha Ping had seen Li Cunxiao emerge from a Firewood Gang shop.
Last time, he had returned empty-handed. This time, it looked as though he had gained something?
A fat sheep?
That was how people in the underworld operated. When they could not win, they ran stalls. When they could, they became bandits.
Why go through the trouble of hunting yourself when buying stock directly from your peers was so much easier?
Yet only a few breaths after his gaze fell on Li Cunxiao, the other man seemed to have been pricked by a needle. He suddenly turned around, his eyes fixing directly on him. Sha Ping was startled and hurriedly looked away, focusing on bargaining with his customer.
Only after the customer had bought everything and the stare had vanished for quite some time did Sha Ping raise his head and let out a quiet breath.
"Damn, he's pretty damn intimidating. If he can sense someone watching him, he's at least on my level."
"Forget it. Opportunities to get rich are everywhere. I, Old Sha, don't take jobs I'm not sure about."
Demon Meat had always sold well in the black market, and business had been especially booming lately. Sha Ping had not even been at his stall for half an hour before he packed up his empty bundle and prepared to leave.
But just as he was about to reach the exit, he inexplicably recalled Li Cunxiao's vicious eyes and, as if led by ghosts and driven by gods, switched to a smaller path out.
What if the man held a grudge? It would be bad if he lay in wait for him.
The waning moon hung like a hook, its scant clear glow seeping into the alley.
Sha Ping carefully slipped out through the side path. Only after confirming that no one was lying in ambush or following him did he breathe easy and hurry onward.
But after only a few steps, his body suddenly stiffened, and the twin sabers at his waist were already drawn.
The shadows cast by the buildings twisted and swelled as several people emerged from them. Sha Ping's eyes spun wildly.
"Gentlemen, I was merely passing through."
He wanted to say a few more words to stall for time, but suddenly felt someone pat his shoulder.
Damn it!
His Blood Qi erupted in an instant, his gaunt body swelling by a full circle. Killing Intent surged in Sha Ping's eyes, and his twin sabers crossed as they stabbed backward with lightning speed—
Clang, clang.
Two soft rings sounded. The sharp steel blades seemed to have struck an iron plate, leaving both his hands numb from the shock.
"Naughty."
A deep voice entered his ears. Sha Ping suddenly felt his neck get pinched, and in the next moment, he lost all consciousness.
When he woke again and opened his eyes, an oil lamp flickered in the cramped room. The sight of matching white robes and black hats made his scalp tingle.
"The Ming Cult?! Aren't you— No, heroes, I have no grudge against you!"
Terror filled Sha Ping's eyes. Though he changed his words before finishing, someone among the group still caught his meaning and snorted coldly.
"You wanted to say that we were all seized by that dog official Murong, so how did we dare return to Chuqiu City?"
"Sooner or later, we'll slaughter that dog thief and use his blood to consecrate our banner!"
"That's right!"
Seeing everyone's gazes turn hostile, Sha Ping suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"If a Bringer of Light rises in this world, he shall enlighten all living beings and free them from every suffering. Brothers and sisters, be calm. The sacred flame of light will sooner or later sweep across this city."
"But before the Altar Master arrives, we must wait patiently."
The speaking man clearly held considerable prestige. The crowd called him Fragrance Master and obediently quieted down.
But when Sha Ping saw the two slits on either side of the waist of his white hemp robe, he instantly recognized him as the man who had caught him as easily as catching a chick.
"Do not be afraid, benefactor." The man stepped from the shadows, revealing six burn scars atop his smooth bald head. His smile was gentle, yet it made people shiver. "We merely wish to ask you a few things—about the black market, about the Firewood Gang."
"If you answer honestly, perhaps you may even become one of our brothers and sisters."
"Strange. He didn't take the bait?"
Li Cunxiao was still disguised as a dark-skinned man with blackened skin, crouching quietly amid ruins near the black market exit.
From here, he could take in all the paths leading out of the exit at a glance.
"There was a fat sheep right there, and he didn't snatch it. No wonder he can only sell meat from a stall."
Li Cunxiao waited for a quarter of an hour without seeing anyone come. He guessed the man had given up. Though it was a pity that he could not use the Vajra Scepter to gain another chunk of charge, he could only put away the poison darts, flying stones, and quicklime laid out in a row, then swiftly turn and leave.
Because their essence was full and their qi abundant, martial artists at Blood Qi Perfection had sharpened senses, though the effect was not overly exaggerated.
More importantly, after Li Cunxiao began practicing the Visualization Method, he gradually discovered that his perception was slowly growing stronger.
Thus, the moment Sha Ping's ill-intentioned gaze fell on him, Li Cunxiao sensed it. Seeing that it was the familiar meat seller, he decided to return the favor and waited at the black market exit first.
He had not expected the other man to be an old hand as well. Sha Ping had likely weighed the risks and decided they were too great, so he gave up.
But Li Cunxiao was not one to give up easily. He had already made up his mind that after advancing to the Muscle and Tendon Realm, he would come visit again and let this stall owner share in his good fortune.
Sha Ping: Thanks a lot.
The night watchman struck the drum for the third watch. Amid the clacking of his wooden clapper, Li Cunxiao returned to his courtyard.
After entering the house and securing the doors and windows, he nervously took out the Demon Meat worth seven hundred taels.
The oil lamp was lit, and its bean-sized yellow glow spread outward, casting enticing luster over the bright-red meat. Li Cunxiao's throat bobbed involuntarily at the sight.
A strange fishy odor and fragrance assaulted his nostrils at once. Within the enclosed room, Li Cunxiao sensed even more clearly that the meat's natural scent itself had an effect that made saliva flow.
And when he leaned closer and inhaled the mixed scents, an empty hunger immediately rose from his stomach. Saliva flooded his mouth, making him want to grab a knife, slice off a piece of raw meat, and throw it straight into his mouth.
The Vajra Scepter flashed faintly.
"Is there so much Killing Intent that it's overflowing?"
Li Cunxiao was shocked. The Killing Intent within this meat was more than he had ever encountered. It had reached the point where it could quietly influence a person without even being eaten. Though the effect was exceedingly weak and the urge to eat could easily be restrained, it was on an entirely different level from anything he had touched before.
Excellent!
Others feared Killing Intent as they feared tigers, but for him, the more the better!
Not wanting to make too much noise by cooking in the middle of the night, Li Cunxiao simply built a small campfire, sliced the Demon Meat thin, skewered it on wooden sticks, and roasted it.
The flames licked at the raw meat. A layer of fat seeped from the surface, and a fishy stench mixed with an unusual fragrance drilled into his nostrils. Li Cunxiao swallowed his saliva, sprinkled on a little salt, then, after the skewers had cooled slightly, opened his mouth wide and stripped the meat into it.
The meat of this unknown Second Order Demon had a faint sweet aftertaste. The fishiness faded the more he chewed, while the fragrance only grew richer.
Then a scorching current coursed through his entire body along his blood vessels. At some point, Li Cunxiao had broken into a sweat. His skin had already turned crimson, and in the firelight, his sweat reflected a warm glow that sharply contrasted with his thick black veins.
At some point, his eyes had turned blood-red. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, the frenzy in his gaze breaking through its restraints as Killing Intent gradually welled up in his heart.
Li Cunxiao thought of those high and mighty wealthy households, of his two brothers starving with hunger, of glittering gold and silver and warm, lustrous precious jade, of the smooth, tender breasts of beautiful young women—
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
The Vajra Scepter released a cool current in time. Li Cunxiao shuddered violently and discovered that his carrot-thick fingers were resting on the door, with the bolt already pulled halfway open. Fear instantly flooded his heart.
If not for the treasure protecting his mind, he would likely have already charged outside to slaughter in every direction, only to be exterminated by the county yamen upon hearing the news.
"How many people in this world want to improve as I do, yet have no Vajra Scepter to protect them?"
"And how many fiends are there in this world, ready at any moment to step beyond the fences of the human heart?"
Li Cunxiao felt fortunate once again, but that was not the urgent matter at hand.
With the Second Order Demon Meat, the Vajra Scepter's light finally began growing rapidly again after so long. Compared to the Demon Meat he had eaten before, its charging speed was nearly five or six times faster, like an air gun inflating a balloon—visibly swelling before his eyes.
Li Cunxiao was overjoyed and hurriedly picked up his knife to cut more meat, skewer it, and roast it. But this time, after eating a little over four taels, not quite half a jin, he could not force down another bite.
His abundant Blood Qi felt as though it would burst his skin apart. Overflowing energy poured into all four limbs and his torso, leaving his entire body stiff and hard. Even horse stance training and boxing could not wear much of it down. He was like a block of "wood."
Fortunately, the results were still gratifying. This not-quite-half jin of Demon Meat increased the Vajra Scepter's charge by a full tenth. In other words, if Li Cunxiao could eat one jin a day, it would be fully charged again in five days.
"Unfortunately, my body can't handle it. The Vajra Scepter helps me digest the Killing Intent, but the Blood Qi is still the Blood Qi of a Second Order Demon. Flesh and blood of this level were never something a martial artist at Blood Qi Perfection could endure."
"But breaking through in ten days is already extremely fast. Zhang Yuelu said that she spent two or three months preparing in order to improve her odds. Ye Chengxiao only obtained the Demon Seduction Method a little over ten days before I did."
"Now I only need to proceed step by step and wait quietly for the fruit to ripen."
Over the following days, Li Cunxiao's life became exceptionally regular.
During the day, he read in the storeroom and occasionally guided Qin Yu and He Bi. After returning home, he consumed Demon Meat. Every three days, he practiced the Tiger Demon Visualization Method, and the next day he went to the escort agency under the pretext of reporting work to seek guidance from Zhang Lishi.
These days, although Wood Fork's public identity was still that of a book boy, he could move freely through the residence. Almost every day after lessons ended, he would carry his schoolbag over to find Li Cunxiao.
Wood Fork was clever and quick-witted. He progressed rapidly in reading and writing, gradually even surpassing Li Cunxiao, who had attended a private school for only one year.
Li Cunxiao was also unashamed to ask questions. Whenever he encountered something he could not read or understand, he simply asked Wood Fork to consult the Zhang Residence's teacher on his behalf.
Thus, the two brothers learned and taught each other for a time. This feeling of being a "little teacher" was more interesting to Wood Fork than watching stage shows or eating candied hawthorns, so after school each day, he simply changed locations and continued studying.
When such diligent conduct reached the residence, Que'er's days immediately became miserable. Yet Zhang Yuelu and Zhang Lishi, father and daughter, seemed busy with something these days and had no time to attend to her. Que'er could only silently endure everything, her baby-fat little face turning as bitter as a bitter melon.
"The Chief Escort and Third Lady?"
As Li Cunxiao listened to his younger brother gossip about the residence, he immediately formed a guess.
Zhang Yuelu had likely made sufficient preparations and was breaking through to the Muscle and Tendon Realm.
While eating preserved fruit, Wood Fork happened to notice the book in his elder brother's hands and unconsciously read the cover aloud.
"Traveler Monk's Journal? Brother, what is this book about?"
"It's about a big monk from a temple wandering all over the place and writing down what he sees."
Li Cunxiao smiled and rubbed his younger brother's head. During the two months Wood Fork had spent in the Zhang Residence, he had also grown rapidly. His little face had matured, becoming increasingly handsome and refined.
If the world had not fallen into chaos, Wood Fork might even have become a Jinshi someday. What a pity...
His gaze fell upon the book in his hands as well, and his eyes turned deep.
This Traveler Monk's Journal recorded an event of far-reaching consequence.
The Huichang Buddhist Persecution—Emperor Wuzong's anti-Buddhism campaign.
Ever since Emperor Taizong founded the dynasty, the imperial family had always placed Taoism first and Buddhism second. Many members of the imperial clan had even become ordained or received Taoist registers, their names entered into Taoist rolls.
Yet Taoism pursued longevity through Elixir and Mercury. Cinnabar and mercury alike were worth their weight in gold, far beyond the reach of poor commoners.
Buddhism, on the other hand, preached that everyone could become a Buddha and flung open the gates of convenience. For a time, its believers spread across the four seas.
When the female ruler Empress Wu governed from behind the curtain, members of Buddhism's Pure Land Sect had even waved banners and shouted for her. Even the Ming Cult, which Murong Bai had wiped out in one sweep some time ago, was in fact a foreign religion that had used that opportunity to twist scripture and blend into Buddhism, rising with the tide.
This momentum had not been checked even after Emperor Xuanzong set chaos right. After the Three Great Bodhisattvas of Esoteric Buddhism ascended to high positions, the popular worship of Buddhism only intensified. Practices such as mutilating one's own body to worship Buddha even became fashionable.
Burning one's crown, scorching one's fingers, severing one's arm, slicing one's flesh, stripping off one's clothes, scattering money—people followed one another in imitation. The tale of Third Prince Nezha scraping out his bones to return them to his father and cutting away his flesh to return it to his mother began spreading widely at this time.
But when things reached their extreme, they inevitably declined. By Emperor Wuzong's reign, the chaos of the regional military governors had already emerged, while the national treasury stood empty and yielded nothing.
The Sage Emperor was enraged. In the fifth year of Huichang, he launched a sweeping anti-Buddhism campaign. For a time, the Three Treasures suffered calamity, temples were destroyed and abandoned, and golden idols fell into dust.
It was said that those great battles shattered mountains and reversed rivers. On the ruins of certain temples, gigantic palm prints remained to this day, like abyssal pits left behind by falling meteors.
As Buddhism declined, large amounts of martial arts inheritances scattered in every direction. The Minor Yaksha Saber Art that made Zhang Lishi famous likely had some connection to this if one traced its origins.
"Both Taoism and Buddhism speak of subduing demons. I wonder whether those great sects with inheritances spanning centuries possess methods to suppress Killing Intent?"
"Otherwise, if even the Golden Immortal Buddha and his disciples have human faces but fiendish hearts, then this world would truly be absurd."
Li Cunxiao turned the pages. The more he read, the more he sensed countless undercurrents and raging tides lurking beneath this dynasty as the sun set over western hills.
Once a dynasty fell, apart from demons, demons among men would likely ravage the living as well. The catastrophe of people devouring people was close at hand. Amid the muddy current, no one could escape unharmed.
Several more days passed. Through Li Cunxiao's efforts, the golden light on the Vajra Scepter was about to fill completely, and he had become thoroughly proficient in the Tiger Demon Visualization Method. Even after consuming tiger insects and entering the state of visualization, he could control his frenzied Blood Qi.
Just then, the Flying Tiger Escort Agency received another piece of news that thrilled everyone.
Third Lady Zhang Yuelu of the Chief Escort's family had advanced to the Second Realm: Muscles and Sinews.
Friends, this book has reached its third round of recommendations. Thank you all very much for your support!
If possible, please continue following, voting, and supporting it. I do not dare hope for the Three Rivers, but we can still fight for a fourth round of recommendations. The author has built up a decent stockpile now, and after release, I will strive to update ten thousand words a day for a month so everyone can read to their heart's content!
Also, updating only one chapter a day seems to affect exposure a bit. To push for recommendations, starting tomorrow I'll return to two chapters a day, at one in the afternoon and seven at night. It will still be four thousand words daily, so nothing has been reduced.
Though the recommendation period may be brief, that glory will endure forever. This glory—I, Old Cat, will never enjoy it alone. Loyal! Faithful!
Before you continue