Hard to Tell Truth from Falsehood
The two arrived at the entrance of the pharmaceutical company, where they were stopped by security guards.
"Gentlemen, the company is closed for the day and no longer handles business with the public. Entry is not permitted for non-employees."
"They're all off work before 7 PM? What a conscientious company!" Luo Jun complained.
Ling Xin stepped forward, releasing her inner energy, and said, "Life is full of regrets, like water flowing eastward forever."
The security guard nodded upon hearing this. "I see. This way, please."
As he spoke, he led them to the side, and about a third of the way down the closed gate, the security guard raised his hand and swung it open, revealing an oval-shaped Space Gate more than a meter tall.
"This is..." Luo Jun was quite surprised. Ling Xin gave him a look, signaling him not to say anything more, and then led him into the Space Gate.
The moment they stepped through, the surrounding scenery changed. The electric gate that had been locked shut was now wide open, and the courtyard behind it was no longer empty and quiet. As far as the eye could see, there were all kinds of stalls. Some had already set up various magical artifacts, while others were still busy setting up their stalls. Even the office building was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, filled with a festive atmosphere.
"This is... Different Space?" Luo Jun's eyes widened in surprise.
"A miniature Different Space," Ling Xin explained. "It only covers the compound of Yuanqiang Pharmaceutical Company. Some of the stall owners are independent Rogue Cultivator affiliated with Zheng Yuanqiang, while others have paid rent and were allowed to set up stalls and shops here... The black market officially opens from 6 PM to 6 AM the next morning. It's not even 7 AM yet, so the black market has just started. Most of the stall owners here are those who arrived early to prepare. After 9 PM, the number of tourists will start to increase."
"More? How many?" Luo Jun looked around and saw that there were probably a hundred or so stalls, with a few dozen tourists wandering around among them.
"How many Cultivators there in the entire Ningdong? Let alone Rogue Cultivator?"
"Who said only locals from Ningdong come here?" Ling Xin glanced at Luo Jun: "Yuanqiang Black Market is very famous throughout Zhendan. Every time it opens, not to mention those from far away, most of the Rogue Cultivator from within the province come to the market, and some even travel thousands of miles from Lingnan... Just wait, after midnight is the liveliest time here. If there aren't thousands of customers by then, it'll be considered a cold market."
"Such a large-scale operation, doesn't the Yuan Cultivation Society care?" Luo Jun asked in surprise. "With just a coded ancient poem, it's too easy for the Yuan Cultivation Society members to infiltrate, isn't it?"
"Do you think there aren't many government officials attending the black market?" Ling Xin sneered. "How could such a large-scale underground market be established without official approval?"
"But doesn't the Yuan Cultivation Society explicitly prohibit all black market transactions?" Luo Jun asked in surprise.
"Trading magical artifacts is not inherently a harmful act. The official reason for its explicit prohibition is to avoid potential conflicts and Violence. Therefore, the Yuan Cultivation Society not only turns a blind eye to large, organized, and regulated markets like this, but may even provide some support."
"Of course, everyone knows this is a secret, since it's still prohibited by law."
Luo Jun nodded. "I understand. If the Yuanqiang Black Market is officially recognized, the smaller black markets that were shut down will definitely object. Without a clear basis and standard, it will be difficult to convince the public. The best way to solve this problem is to introduce clear systems and rules to legalize those qualified black markets. Firstly, this would make it easier for the Yuan Cultivation Society review and supervise them, and they could even negotiate to take a cut of the profits; secondly, with a way for people to trade privately, they wouldn't frequent those smaller black markets so often..."
"I've actually heard about that..." Ling Xin said, "The Yuan Cultivation Society might issue business licenses or something similar to those more formal private markets in the future... but the specific rules are still being drafted, and it's still unknown when it will be implemented."
"I'm afraid it won't be so easy to implement..." Luo Jun shook his head. "The Main World has only been cultivating Yuan Qi for a little over a hundred years, and many of the problems that have arisen are unprecedented. In many cases, there are no precedents to follow. The introduction of a new rule will inevitably be accompanied by all sorts of troubles... I feel a bit sorry for the higher-ups of the Yuan Cultivation Society. Managing such an organization is quite a test for those in power."
Ling Xin glanced at Luo Jun with some surprise. "I hadn't noticed before, but you seem to have quite a knack for management."
"Ahem..." Luo Jun coughed lightly twice. "No, no, I recently read two political intrigue novels, and these are just some immature opinions..."
"Really?" Ling Xin looked at him, then shook her head. "Let's go see what we sell. Remember to stay close to me. Although this place is relatively formal, it's not an academy after all, and there are still quite a few dangers."
"Don't worry, I'll stay by your side every step of the way!" With that, Luo Jun stepped forward, almost pressing himself against Ling Xin.
"There's no need to get this close..." Ling Xin took a step back. "Take a good look at the treasures. Even if we don't get into the Exchange Meeting, we still have to try our best so we don't end up running around naked at school..."
"Naked..." Luo Jun was taken aback. "You still remember that?"
"How could I forget?" Ling Xin sneered, a rare sly glint in her eyes. "I'm quite looking forward to it."
As the two were strolling around the Yuanqiang Market, a man dressed in a long robe and cloak arrived in front of the pharmaceutical company in the Main World outside.
"Sir, the company has already..."
"Life's regrets flow endlessly like the eastward flowing river."
Just as the security guard was about to stop him, the man gave the code signal. The guard glanced at him, walked aside, and opened the Space Gate.
The Cloaked Man stepped through the Space Gate, glanced around, and remarked, "This is Ningdong's largest night market; it's certainly quite large."
Beneath the shadow of the hood, a black Half-Face Mask could be vaguely seen—it was Midnight Mask!
That's right, the mysterious Cloaked Man is Luo Jun himself, while the one who was with Ling Xin all along was actually Ailongtan in disguise.
If his main body were to shop at the black market with Ling Xin, Luo Jun would have virtually no chance to sell any of his treasures. Therefore, he chose to have Ailongtan accompany Ling Xin in his place, while his main body followed behind, planning to find a way into the black market and then act alone.
To be honest, the scale of this black market exceeded Luo Jun's expectations. With so many stalls, it was a bit dazzling to look at.
However, seeing that there weren't many people in the black market yet, Luo Jun took the opportunity to browse through each stall one by one. He could easily obtain specific information about the treasures displayed in the open by simply scanning them with his spiritual energy.
However, compared to other Cultivators, Luo Jun has another advantage: his special vision, which comes from his perception Attributes Exceeding Hundred, is more sensitive than ordinary Vital Energy Vision. If he observes carefully, he can see the "aura" of those treasures with just his naked eye. Although he can't see through the specific effects, he can still tell at a glance which treasures on the stall are of the highest grade and which are just white and green junk.
This special skill saved Luo Jun a lot of time. While others had to squat in front of the stalls, picking up and scanning the treasures that interested them, he didn't even need to stop. He could get a general idea with just a glance. Seeing that the stall was full of Blue Sky White Clouds, he turned and left.
Although it was a black market, most of the treasures on the stalls were basically limited to the Rare-level. Luo Jun scanned half of the stalls before finally stopping in front of one of them.