The Venue I

"An arrangement was certain. It's just..."

The fat man looked troubled. What kind of people attended the Black Market Meeting?

Murderers, robbers, bandits, thieves—anyone of unknown origins could enter. If Brother Sheng accidentally got into a conflict with someone and was hurt, that would be truly unjust.

"It's just that I'd better keep a low profile, right?" Lu Sheng smiled. He understood the other man's concerns.

He did not merely represent himself; he also represented the Lu Family of Nine Links City. If he suffered any injury, the Lu Estate would certainly hold Zheng Xianggui accountable.

"It's good that you understand. Brother Sheng, your status is different. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't be so worried," Zheng Xianggui sighed.

"I understand. Make the arrangements for me. I must get my hands on this thing," Lu Sheng said firmly.

"Ah..." Zheng Xianggui had no choice but to agree.

Lu Sheng carefully confirmed the time when the Black Market Meeting would begin, then waited for Zheng Xianggui to have someone deliver a distinguished guest invitation.

Only after taking the invitation did he leave the wine shop.

"Fine rouge and cosmetics! Young ladies and misses, come take a look!"

"Top-grade goods, Central Plains merchandise just brought in from Purple Splendor City!"

"Purple Yang Flower Scent blush—something no other shop carries!"

Outside the wine shop, vendors pushed wooden carts laden with cosmetics, slowly moving along the street.

Lu Sheng swept his gaze over them. This street had always specialized in rouge and cosmetics.

Many women and female relatives liked to come here and browse.

The sun was setting. A fine drizzle had just fallen over the street, leaving the ground damp and gleaming with a pale red reflection.

Lu Sheng exhaled. The breath left his mouth and turned white, slowly dispersing.

He turned and glanced at the wine shop. The immense shadow of the Goldfish Wine Shop stretched out beneath the sunlight.

At this busiest hour, Nine Links City's largest wine shop was bustling. Guests came and went in an endless stream, entering to eat, and the noise was deafening.

Standing in the wine shop's shadow, Lu Sheng looked to either side.

Other than the entrance, the surrounding area was rather deserted.

Vendors pushed their cosmetic carts along at a slow crawl, constantly shifting through the shadows.

As Lu Sheng watched, he thought of buying some small gifts for Second Mother and Yi Yi while he was at it. These cosmetics were not expensive, and one could occasionally find fine goods among them. They would make decent presents.

He walked a few steps down the street, intending to see which vendor had the better wares.

As afternoon wore on, the street grew ever more deserted. Many shops had already shut their doors.

There were few pedestrians along either side of the road, with only an occasional person in sight.

What was strange was that, despite clearly seeing hardly anyone around, these cosmetic vendors were still calling out with smiling faces and great enthusiasm.

Their cries rose and fell, echoing through the empty street.

Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, but did not find it particularly odd. Perhaps it was some custom unique to this world.

After looking around, he spotted a vendor whose cart had been painted pale red. A cloth banner was planted on the cart, bearing the words: Central Plains Li Ji Cosmetics.

The vendor slowly pushed his cart onward. He wore a beaming smile, gray cloth robes, and a gray-white skullcap.

"I remember Li Ji Cosmetics being a fairly reputable old merchant house in the Central Plains."

Lu Sheng searched his memories, then slowly headed toward the vendor's cart. He intended to pick out some fine cosmetics for Second Mother and Yi Yi.

The vendor walked slowly onward, while several children nearby chased one another and played games.

The cart slowly passed the children, then turned into an alley within the shadows by the roadside.

Lu Sheng guessed the man was about to put away his cart, so he prepared to quicken his pace and catch up.

"Hey! Brother Sheng!"

A voice suddenly called out from behind him.

It sounded familiar, as though it belonged to someone he knew.

Lu Sheng turned around and saw a dark-skinned, sturdy scholar striding toward him.

"Lu Sheng?"

He hesitated before recognizing the man.

Lu Sheng Lu Junyi was, like Lu Sheng, a standard rich young master of Nine Links City. But unlike the others, this fellow had earned academic honors. Not long ago, he had passed the examination for licentiate, and it was said that his literary talent was quite good.

Lu Sheng Lu Junyi's relationship with him was actually ordinary. It was only because his name matched that of a hero from Liangshan that Lu Sheng had remembered it after hearing it once.

"Brother Sheng, save me in my hour of need! Save me in my hour of need!" Lu Sheng Lu Junyi hurried two steps closer, his face red.

Lu Sheng immediately understood why the fellow had come looking for him. Though he was a rich young master, this man was exceptionally fond of gambling and often gambled himself into an empty purse, borrowing money everywhere.

He had likely run out of gambling funds again.

With a smile, Lu Sheng took ten taels of silver from his Waist Pouch and handed them over.

"How has your luck been today?"

"Not bad, not bad! Hahaha, Brother Sheng, you really are loyal."

Lu Sheng Lu Junyi took the silver and hurried away.

Lu Sheng shook his head. Money was a small matter. The Lu Family had vast wealth; someone would send repayment over before long.

He turned back to look for the cosmetics vendor.

The vendor's cart had already entered the alley, with only a small section still visible outside.

He took three steps as two and quickly hurried over.

Then he turned into the alley after it.

"Eh?"

Lu Sheng's steps abruptly halted.

This alley was actually a dead end!

It was completely empty inside. There was no cart, not even a single person.

His eyes narrowed, and his body subtly went on guard.

From end to end and left to right, he carefully inspected the entire dead-end alley.

The alley was only a dozen or so meters long. Both sides were lined with the gray-black walls of houses, while the end was blocked by an aged-looking Black Wall covered with several seals.

The white-paper, red-lettered seals looked somewhat gloomy beneath the setting sun. Their corners had curled up, as though their adhesive had lost its grip.

"There's no hidden door in the wall. Where did that cart go?"

Lu Sheng thought back repeatedly. He clearly remembered that the little cart had entered this alley.

He backed out and saw several children still chasing and roughhousing by the roadside.

The children were plainly dressed and appeared to come from ordinary families.

Lu Sheng put on a smile, took a few copper coins from his pocket, and caught hold of a little girl who was chasing someone.

"Little girl, can I ask you something?"

"What do you want to ask, big brother?"

The little girl wore her hair in two horn braids. She looked nine or ten years old, with rosy cheeks. Perhaps because she often played in the streets, she was not afraid of strangers and answered generously.

"I want to ask whether you saw the Li Ji Cosmetics cart pass by here just now. Did it enter this little alley?"

Lu Sheng placed two copper coins into the little girl's palm.

The little girl immediately beamed.

"I didn't see any cosmetics cart. We play here every day. The cosmetics carts usually only come by to sell things in the morning. In the afternoon, they all go over to Antique Street."

"You didn't see it?"

Lu Sheng froze, thinking the child was deliberately lying.

Seeing his expression, the little girl widened her eyes and answered earnestly.

"I'm telling the truth. There weren't any carts on the street today. If you don't believe me, ask the others. The street was completely empty—there was nothing at all."

At that moment, the other children ran over and chimed in as well.

"Yeah, yeah! My mother was going to come buy some things, but not a single cart was around. It was really strange."

"This big brother said he saw a Li Ji Cosmetics stall just now." The little girl pointed at Lu Sheng.

"Where? Where?"

"I didn't see one. This street isn't even that big."

"Maybe big brother saw it in his dreams. Hee hee hee."

As they spoke, the little ones began laughing and playing again.

The smile on Lu Sheng's face gradually vanished.

He turned his head and looked toward the Goldfish Wine Shop.

The wine shop beneath its shadow was bustling with people, its business flourishing.

That side was overflowing with noise and activity, forming a stark contrast with the desolate street here.

"Then did any of you see—"

Lu Sheng turned back, but his voice cut off abruptly.

The children beside him had somehow all vanished.

The entire street around him was cold and empty at a glance. There was nothing there.

There were not even any pedestrians.

The children's racket had vanished in an instant. Children that age could not possibly have left so silently and in such perfect unison.

Lu Sheng was confident that, after training in the Black Tiger Saber, he could hear the wind and discern positions—even wild wolves could not escape his notice. Yet he had failed to hear several children leave.

Looking at the barren, deathly silent street, he suddenly shuddered and strode quickly toward the Goldfish Wine Shop.

Clap clap clap clap! His footsteps rang out with startling clarity. The nearer he drew to the wine shop, the more warmth spread through his entire body.

Whoosh!

It was as though he had suddenly burst from beneath the water's surface. In an instant, everything around Lu Sheng came alive, brimming with vitality.

Warm-bodied guests passed by him one after another. Someone accidentally bumped into him and hurriedly apologized.

Female relatives stepped down from carriages, smiling as they slowly entered the wine shop, where attendants welcomed them inside.

Standing before the wine shop, Lu Sheng looked again toward the street that sold cosmetics. Somehow, there were now several pedestrians on it.

It was entirely different from the desolation of before.

Lu Sheng sucked in a cold breath and quickly stopped a carriage.

"To the Lu Estate."

"Right away, sir! Sit tight!"

The driver snapped his whip, and the gaunt old horse slowly began to move.

Sitting in the carriage, Lu Sheng kept thinking over everything that had happened.

The vendor and the children had both been deeply abnormal.

Now that he recalled it, the smile on the vendor's face seemed not to have moved at all, carrying an intensely false air.

Thinking of the Xu Family massacre, he suddenly felt as though mountain rain was about to come, and the wind had already filled the tower.

"This city is becoming more and more dangerous..." he murmured.

The carriage soon arrived at the gates of the Lu Estate.

Seeing Lu Sheng seated in the carriage, the gatekeeper hurried forward to greet him.

"Young Master, you're back?"

The gatekeeper's surname was Wang, and he was eighth in his family. Everyone usually called him Xiao Ba. He was a clever young man of only seventeen, having inherited his father's work and come to serve the Lu Family as gatekeeper.

Xiao Ba was quite familiar with Lu Sheng and often told him amusing tales and strange rumors circulating inside and outside the city.

Lu Sheng enjoyed hearing such things.

"Is Father here?"

Lu Sheng got down from the carriage, paid the fare, and asked casually.

"Master has gone to the yamen again. The Prefect summoned him. It seems they're looking for something."

Xiao Ba smiled.

"Looking for what?"

Lu Sheng had been busy with his own affairs these past few days and had not paid attention to matters at the estate.

"What thing?"