Black Market, Masked Man

These past few days, Bai Yu couldn't help but feel that people were giving him strange looks whenever he went out.

Even when he bought a bowl of noodles, Wang the Elder would give him an extra pinch of scallions.

After he left, the other customers eating noodles would whisper amongst themselves.

"Did you see that? That's Bai, the guy who slept with a corpse afflicted by evil! He looks so refined, but who knew he was such a ruthless character."

Bai Yu's ears perked up, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

How did the story get so twisted?

But it wasn't without its benefits.

Wu the Unvirtuous, who had previously swindled Bai Yu out of five taels of silver, returned it all this time, without missing a penny.

After all, who wouldn't be wary of a Second-Rank Martial Artist who dared to sleep with a corpse afflicted by evil?

Bai Yu didn't pay it too much mind.

At least the news that he was a Second-Rank Martial Artist had spread.

The biggest problem now was that Jiang City might not be so peaceful, with an inexplicably heavy presence of evil energy.

Therefore, he needed to prepare some backup plans, at least enough to protect himself.

"Looks like I should draw some more Blood Talismans, just in case."

To deal with evil energy, Blood Talismans were naturally the most effective.

Bai Yu secretly began accumulating Blood Talismans, drawing a few each day to practice, but his success rate wasn't very high.

However, it only took a week before he couldn't take it anymore.

Blood Talismans consumed way too much Blood Essence.

"No, I really don't have a drop left."

"I, a dignified Fourth-Rank Martial Artist, am actually anemic."

After thinking it over, Bai Yu decided to go to the Black Market again to exchange some silver for Essence Nourishing Powder.

That night, he went out as usual and arrived at the Black Market.

In the Black Market, Old Diao was still selling the same antiques from last week, occasionally selling one or two very proper books.

He still opened with:

"I won't ask for too much, one price, eighty thousand!"

Bai Yu greeted him and then started setting up his stall.

"Take a look, come and see! Freshly made yellow talismans! Evil-Suppressing Talismans, Transformation Talismans, Banishment Talismans, three talismans for one course of treatment, guaranteed to cure your ills!"

Believe it or not, his shouts actually attracted a lot of people.

A young man in white squeezed through the crowd and said:

"Master, I was able to get rid of the evil energy on me last time thanks to your talismans."

"Give me another set of your talismans."

Without saying another word, he took out one tael of silver and bought three talismans.

Besides him, there were also many people who had used the talismans before, and they all came forward to buy them.

"I'll take a set too, I've been feeling uneasy lately."

"Hey, don't underestimate this master's yellow talismans, they're incredibly effective!"

"I'll buy two sets for backup, things haven't been too peaceful lately."

In an instant, the entire stall was bustling.

Twenty sets of talismans were sold out in one go.

Some people even wanted to pre-order future talismans, while others suggested that Bai Yu increase production.

In response, Bai Yu said that drawing talismans was very energy-consuming, and he could only make a maximum of ten sets a month, and these twenty sets were accumulated over a long period.

Although yellow talismans were in high demand now, Bai Yu didn't forget to stay vigilant.

A Second-Rank Martial Artist with too much wealth would inevitably attract attention.

After selling the talismans, Bai Yu casually flipped through the books on Old Diao's stall and critically appraised them.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a single genuine item on the stall this time, not even a fragment.

Old Diao surprisingly didn't argue with Bai Yu this time, but instead asked:

"Kun Kun, your yellow talismans are selling pretty well, can you give me a set too?"

Bai Yu glanced at Old Diao, figuring that he probably moonlighted as a tomb raider, so he could use them.

"Since you sincerely asked, I won't ask for too much, eighty thousand!"

Old Diao's face darkened, not expecting his own trick to be used against him.

But Bai Yu was just joking, he took out an Evil-Suppressing Talisman and said:

"This is the last one; I really don't have any more. If you really want it, I'll give you a friend's price of two hundred copper coins."

Old Diao bought the Evil-Suppressing Talisman without another word.

He stroked the talisman paper and couldn't help but praise, "Excellent craftsmanship! It's rare to see such a young Yin-Yang Practitioner."

Bai Yu took the money and didn't linger. He bought some medicinal herbs and left the Black Market directly.

Not long after he left, Scarface also hurried away.

In the darkness, he took out a carrier pigeon and released it into the air.

Meanwhile, Bai Yu left the Black Market and walked along a small path.

After walking for about half an hour, he suddenly saw a masked man standing on a small hill ahead.

He seemed to have been waiting there for a long time: "Please hold your steps, friend."

Bai Yu narrowed his eyes and quickly assessed the situation before him.

The masked man should be a Third-Rank Martial Artist, but he didn't know if there were any helpers around.

His brain worked quickly, and he instantly thought of several escape routes.

Bai Yu asked, "Are you waiting for me?"

The masked man nodded and said, "That's right. I want to discuss a business deal with you."

Bai Yu looked him over, confirmed that there was only one person around, and couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"It's easy to talk about business, but your interception on the road is easy for Cai to misunderstand."

The masked man replied apologetically, "I'm really sorry, but this business deal cannot be known to a third person."

"I wonder if you have any Gathering Affliction Talismans?"

"If you are willing to sell Gathering Affliction Talismans, I can buy them for five taels of silver apiece."

Five taels of silver apiece, that price was truly astonishing.

Even Bai Yu was a little tempted, but he quickly suppressed it.

When greed moves, life and death become uncertain.

With his apparent Second-Rank Martial Artist strength, he couldn't handle a business deal worth five taels of silver apiece.

What's more, the Gathering Affliction Talisman was not a good thing. It was probably used for wrongdoing, and Bai Yu didn't want to get involved in any vortex.

He smiled without changing his expression, "You overestimate me. The Gathering Affliction Talisman is a Blood Talisman, and its inheritance is very mysterious. How could I have that ability?"

"In the entire Jiang City, there probably aren't many who can draw Blood Talismans."

The masked man was a little disappointed and said, "Your talisman talent is truly extraordinary. It's a pity not to know Blood Talismans."

"Would you like to learn Blood Talismans? As long as you join us, you can learn Blood Talismans."

"Then it will be a business worth five taels of silver, and getting rich will be right in front of you."

Bai Yu flatly refused, "I am dull-witted and just want to live a quiet life and eat my meals. I don't want to join any gangs."

"Farewell!"

He bypassed the masked man and walked in another direction.

However, the masked man jumped and blocked Bai Yu's path: "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Do you think you can leave?"

Bai Yu narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean by this?"

The masked man snorted coldly, "You have to agree whether you want to or not!"

"Now that you know about the Gathering Affliction Talisman, you either join us or die!"

Bai Yu was also secretly angered.

He didn't look for trouble, but trouble came looking for him.

"Then I'll have to see how much you're really worth."