To be honest, I hadn't planned to post this chapter. It was pretty much optional, so feel free to skip it if you're not interested! The internet got into my head, and after thinking it over, I figured I'd already written it, so I might as well post it. Maybe someone will enjoy it!
Human Race Trade City
After all these years of development, Trade City had grown into a massive metropolis. You could find most of the races in the Primordial World here. Even the technology weapons that the Human Race had all but abandoned were still in use, making this the most technologically advanced city in the Human Race. High-rises filled the skyline, and if you didn't look too closely, you might think you were in a modern metropolis!
Trade City had become what it was because it was home to so many different races, each with all kinds of needs that could only be met with technology! So Jiang He had preserved the city's unique character, partly to see just how far technology could advance.
The battle between the Sage and the Heavenly Dao had affected Trade City, the Human Race's border city closest to the battlefield. Fortunately, only part of the city walls and some buildings had collapsed, and no one had been crushed to death. But the races affected by the battle in the surrounding area had all fled here for refuge. Even many cultivators from the disbanded Anti-Demon Alliance had come.
The current City Lord of Trade City was Su Bai, formerly of Tianyuan City. Over the years, Su Mo had been striving to reach the Great Luo Realm at Jixia Academy. Thanks to the Dragon Clan's submission and the resulting surge in the Human Race's fortune, Su Mo had broken through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm.
In the Human Race, anyone who reached the Great Luo Realm would be sent to govern a region. Since Su Mo had previously served as City Lord of Tianyuan City, he was assigned to Trade City, whose leadership was due for a change.
Things were different from before. Back when he was a student and the Human Race was in its early stages of expansion, there had been a shortage of personnel, so Su Mo had rotated out of his position in Tianyuan City every hundred years. Now the Human Race was stable, and he had reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm. As a city guardian, he could expect to hold the post for ten thousand years or so, barring any major problems.
City Lord's Mansion
Su Mo was troubled by the large number of races stranded in the city. Their numbers kept growing by the day, leading to frequent large-scale brawls and disturbances. The City Lord's soldiers were nearly overwhelmed, and requests for reinforcements were pouring in from everywhere!
"Minghui, how did the previous City Lord deal with situations like this? We never seem to have enough people!"
Su Mo complained to his deputy.
As Trade City's second-in-command, Zhang Minghui was the deputy city lord. He'd risen through the ranks from a small border city, but he'd taken office long before Su Mo and knew the city well. The reason he'd kept quiet these past few days was that he hadn't figured out Su Mo's personality and hadn't dared offer his opinions lightly. After all, Su Mo wasn't just his superior—he was also the personal disciple of the Dean of Jixia Academy. His connections far surpassed Zhang Minghui's!
But after working with the new City Lord for a while, Zhang Minghui had found him easy to talk to and not at all haughty. He was just a little softhearted!
The previous City Lord would've taken care of this on the very first day!
"Um... City Lord Su, before, we used to get the Alchemy Academy and the Artifact Refining Academy involved," Zhang Minghui said cautiously.
"...What are you talking about? Those two academies could handle this? My soldiers can't?" Su Mo asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"Ahem... Well..."
"Doesn't our Trade City have three main pillars of industry? Alchemy, artifact refining, and selling technology..."
Zhang Minghui hinted.
"When did we only have those three pillars? What about Talismans?" Su Mo asked, confused.
Zhang Minghui gritted his teeth and said it outright. "The three pillars of the underground economy: Demon Cores, beast hides, and puppet crafting!"
Seeing that Su Mo still didn't understand, he explained directly. "It's the Alchemy Academy, the Artifact Refining Academy, and the Technology Academy. They buy Demon Cores, beast hides, and beast bones, no questions asked." He put special emphasis on the last four words!
"Yikes!"
Even Su Mo could figure out what that meant. This was basically... right?
"Won't this cause trouble?" Su Mo asked cautiously.
Zhang Minghui perked up at the question. Aha, there was hope! He immediately replied, "What trouble could it cause? Most of the ones who come to Trade City have run away from their own races. We don't touch the ones who actually do business with us! Besides, we only buy the goods. It's usually the villagers settled outside the city who do the killing."
"City Lord Su, our city is a mixed bag. People come here for all kinds of reasons. We can't expect everyone here to follow the rules we enforce in the inner city! We have just two goals here: protect the safety and interests of the Human Race within the city, and make money!"
Su Mo understood now! It was much like Tianyuan City, except that Tianyuan City only targeted Fierce Beasts from the sea and didn't allow any other races to stay long-term, apart from the Dragon Clan!
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I've been working myself to the bone these past few days!" Su Mo grumbled.
"Heh, I hadn't figured out what kind of person you were yet! After all, you're a scholar!" Zhang Minghui said with an ingratiating grin.
"Enough talk! Get those three academies to take care of this." Su Mo headed out. The past few days had worn him out, and he needed a good rest. Before leaving, he added, "And make sure they do it properly. Don't let them get too greedy!"
Zhang Minghui stared after Su Mo in astonishment. "Damn, this scholar's pretty ruthless too!"
A large number of destitute members of other races had fled to the city for refuge, crowding both sides of the streets. Some were lying down, others sitting.
It wasn't that they couldn't go outside the city. They just didn't dare. These days, if you slept outside, you weren't guaranteed to wake up!
Every so often, a member of one race would suddenly be snatched away by someone from another race. Before long, the Alchemy Academy would buy a fresh Demon Core! The other two academies did the same.
At that moment, Black Ape had just squeezed into the city with his people. He was a Mystic Immortal, putting him somewhere in the lower-middle ranks of the city's residents. He'd been here before to trade with the clan elders. This time, after the battle had wiped out most of his clan, he wanted to bring his people to Trade City to find work. After all, they resembled the Human Race more than most. Unlike other races, they still looked mostly human even after transforming.
On the way, he came to the restaurant owned by Bai Yezi, where he'd often done business before.
"Boss Bai, sorry to bother you this time!" Black Ape said to Bai Yezi with an ingratiating grin.
"Well, if it isn't my brother Black Ape! Long time no see. Got something good to sell me again?" Bai Yezi said with a hearty laugh.
"Heh, I'm sorry, Boss Bai. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you this time. Our clan was hit hard by the disaster, so I brought my people here hoping to find work with you," Black Ape said anxiously.
When he realized they weren't there to trade, Bai Yezi's smile slowly faded. He was about to send them away when he noticed the people behind Black Ape: a few young monkeys peeking timidly out from behind the adults.
Bai Yezi's smile instantly returned. "Hey, how could you call that a bother? No trouble at all! Come on in. Just look at how exhausted the little ones are!"
As he spoke, he ushered them into the restaurant, patting each of the little monkeys on the head and acting warm and friendly. But the cold glint in his eyes and the tusks jutting past his lips made his words seem deeply incongruous.
The single-minded Black Ape apparently didn't notice. He hurried inside, eager to see if the figure who had once captivated him was still there. She was Boss Bai's daughter, Miss Bai. She'd transformed almost completely, with only her tail and snout remaining! He'd always done business with her whenever he came by, and sometimes she'd even taken him out for a stroll. They'd shared a few intimate moments, too!
That night, Black Ape didn't see Miss Bai and was sorely disappointed. Just as he was about to lie down, someone suddenly knocked on his door.
"Big Brother Black Ape, open up!" came an urgent voice from outside.
It was Hei Yan!
Black Ape hurried to open the door and found Hei Yan and his wife standing outside, their eyes red from crying.
"What happened, brother Hei Yan?" Black Ape asked quickly.
"Big Brother Black Ape, Xiao Hei's gone! We can't find him anywhere!"
"What?!"
Black Ape exclaimed in shock.
"Quick, get everyone together and start looking!"
"Do you have anything Xiao Hei used often?" Black Ape asked, finally showing some sense. He remembered the Tracking Bird puppet they'd bought from the Human Race. It could find prey as long as it had a scent. They'd been relying on it to hunt lately!
"Yes, yes! This is the Monkey Doll you bought him from the Human Race. He always carried it!" Xiao Hei's Mother hurried off to fetch the toy.
Black Ape took it and let the Tracking Bird get its scent. Then he followed it.
They made their way to the back courtyard of the restaurant. This was already Boss Bai's private residence. His people had searched here before but hadn't dared go in!
Black Ape led his people straight inside. Following the Tracking Bird, they soon reached a cellar. He knew the place well. He'd once gone there on a date with Miss Bai!
He skillfully opened the mechanism and led everyone inside. They followed the long passageway, then suddenly heard a piercing scream. They rushed deeper in—and what they found was an image that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Xiao Hei was tied beneath a table, with only his head sticking above it. Boss Bai and his daughter, Miss Bai, were there: one holding a knife and fork, the other pouring boiling water over Xiao Hei's head!
(I won't describe the details. You can probably imagine them!)
At the request of many readers, VIP members can now enjoy an ad-free experience.
Click to view
Before you continue