Return to Commandery City, Mangshan Black Market

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, another day had gone by.

Ever since the people from the Wang Family's main branch arrived, that very afternoon, the leader among those visitors—who was also the Third Branch Master of the Wang Family, Third Master Wang—personally led a group to the Black Wind Stronghold on Beicang Mountain to reason with them.

No one knew the details of that discussion, but when Third Master Wang returned, his expression was calm. He said the matter had been resolved, and the Black Wind Stronghold had promised never to trouble Wang's Pharmacy in Beicang County again. He instructed the highest-ranking Instructor Master among the pharmacy's remaining personnel to quickly gather the survivors, as the main family would soon send people to rebuild the Beicang branch of Wang's Pharmacy.

Seeing this, the remaining members of Wang's Pharmacy were overjoyed, repeatedly thanking the main family for their great kindness. Third Master Wang, however, paid it no mind. After offering a few brief words of encouragement, he set off early the next morning with Lin Yi, who had rested well, and the entire Medicine Escort Team, heading back to the prefecture city.

Before they left, the young maidservant Xiao Zhi, her eyes brimming with tears, wanted to follow Lin Yi back to the prefecture city to serve him as a maid or slave, repaying the great debt of gratitude for saving her life the night before.

But Lin Yi himself had yet to find stable footing in the prefecture city—how could he have the mind to take on a maidservant?

So he gave her a token, telling her to come find him in the prefecture city if she ever ran into trouble, and then promptly followed Third Master Wang and the others back.

"Hah! We're back! Finally back!"

"This trip really wasn't easy!"

"Yeah! After going through all that, I don't want to escort any medicine for the rest of the month. I'll just recuperate in the prefecture city and wait until next month to work again!"

In the evening, as soon as they returned to Guangling Prefecture City, the members of the Medicine Escort Team began sighing and exclaiming one after another.

Lin Yi took the opportunity to bid them farewell: "Brother Wang Chuan, and all you big brothers, thank you for looking after me during this time. After this ordeal, I've found I don't want to escort medicine for now either. As for the future, I probably won't have the time. So today, I'm formally withdrawing from the Medicine Escort Team. I'll head to the Wang Family later to complete the official resignation procedures. But even though I'm leaving, I'm still friends with all you big brothers. When I have free time, I'll still drink with you."

"Haha! Brother Lin Yi, you're straightforward!"

"Brother Lin Yi, you're a real man!"

As soon as Lin Yi finished speaking, the escort team members burst into laughter.

They had drunk too much that night and didn't know about the things Lin Yi had done, but even if they did, they would understand. After all, many members of the escort team weren't Wang Family retainers—they were hired from outside, just earning wages. How loyal could they be to the Wang Family?

It was only because they'd been drunk that night, provoked by the Black Wind Stronghold, that they'd jumped into the fight on the spot. When they sobered up afterward, every one of them was both terrified and regretful, cursing that old bastard Liu Fusheng for making them drink so much that night and getting them into such a mess.

But Liu Fusheng was already dead, so cursing him was useless, and they had to let it go.

"Haha! Big brothers, we'll meet again!"

Lin Yi smiled. He first went back to the Wang Family to handle the resignation procedures, then returned home to greet his mother, saying he'd be staying at the Martial Arts Academy tonight to practice with his blade. After that, he found a shop, bought a set of Night Clothes, and practiced at the academy until the hour of Hai before finally stepping out.

The Mangshan Black Market was the largest underground black market in all of Guangling Prefecture City.

The black market had dozens of entrances scattered across the prefecture city, and Lin Yi had learned of one from an Eighth-Rank Criminal he'd once captured.

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It was a quiet Old Street, winding and secluded along Blue Stone Slabs. Old walls on either side were covered in fine moss, casting deep, heavy shadows, and few people passed by.

At the end of the Old Street stood a pawnshop lit by a dim candle. Its vermilion wooden door was smooth and unblemished, and the plaque above the lintel read "Hengyu Pawnshop," its surface worn to a mellow patina. On either side of the door, a pair of faded couplets were neatly posted, bearing the words: "Pawn goods to relieve hardship, sell items to meet urgent needs."

"Creak—"

Seeing this, Lin Yi, clad in black Night Clothes with only his eyes exposed, pushed open the heavy vermilion door and stepped into the pawnshop.

Inside, the light was dim. Only a single lamp burned behind the tall counter, casting half-light and half-shadow over the face of an old, wizened Steward whose features were etched with deep wrinkles. As Lin Yi entered, the Old Steward didn't lift his head, as if he cared nothing for who had come in. He simply wiped an inkstone with a soft cloth, unhurriedly, and his parched lips moved slightly as a routine-sounding line drifted down:

"Guest, are you here to pawn or to redeem?"

Lin Yi didn't approach the counter. He stood in the darkest shadow of the hall, his voice hoarse but clear as he uttered five words:

"Deep in the Clouds."

Hearing this, the Old Steward's hand, wiping the inkstone, paused almost imperceptibly.

He finally raised his eyelids, his murky eyes resting on Lin Yi for a moment. Then he set down the inkstone, and his withered fingers tapped the countertop three times in a rhythm—two light, one heavy—as if confirming something.

"Since you've entered the Clouds,"

the Old Steward said, his voice lowering with a unique cadence, "then may I ask, guest, do you wish to 'Seek Seclusion and Explore Wonders,' or to let the 'Tired Bird Return to the Forest'?"

Lin Yi knew the critical choice had come.

This was a unique code within the Mangshan Black Market. "Seek Seclusion and Explore Wonders" meant entering the black market on one's own to browse and trade, while "Tired Bird Returns to the Forest" was a metaphor for selling treasures directly to the black market, seeking a safe and clean exit.

As the largest black market in Guangling Prefecture City, the Mangshan Black Market was a mixed bag, gathering not only many experts from Guangling Prefecture but also strong practitioners from other prefectures.

Lin Yi had no idea whether there were any Fourth Rank Experts within the black market, but Fifth Rank powerhouses were certainly not in short supply. With his own meager strength, selling it directly to the black market was naturally the safest course.

"Tired Bird Returns to the Forest, seeking only peace."

Lin Yi answered without the slightest hesitation.

The Old Steward gave a slight nod, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to loosen a fraction. He said no more, leaning back just a little, triggering some mechanism unknown.

Then, the towering antique shelf behind him, along with all the jars and vases upon it, let out an extremely faint grinding sound. It slid slowly to the side, opening just wide enough for a door, revealing a narrow stone staircase that descended into the depths, lit by the faint glow of fluorite.

"Please."

The Old Steward extended a hand in a vague gesture toward the secret path leading underground.

"A guide awaits you in the 'forest.'"

"Many thanks!"

Lin Yi clasped his fists briefly toward the Old Steward, then with a flicker of movement, he vanished into the dim entrance.

The antique shelf closed behind him, fitting perfectly, as if it had never opened.

In the pawnshop's main hall, only the Old Steward remained. He picked up the inkstone once more and resumed his seemingly endless polishing, as everything returned to utter silence.