The black market down here was different from the one above.
The market upstairs had its share of... unorthodox wares, but most had come through legitimate channels. Down here, though...
Zhou You watched a man hawking his wares. He was smiling, but his eyes were growing colder by the second.
The man seemed utterly oblivious. He held up his merchandise and launched into an enthusiastic pitch.
"Look at this. It's good stuff. We took an infant with a ghost-spirit fate from its mother's womb, then prepared it with the Silver-Crossing Method. That's the only way to make one of these. If a Sinister Object comes within ten li of you, it'll start wailing at once and give you time to escape..."
In the man's hand was a shriveled, miniature infant no bigger than his palm. It was crying without pause. When Zhou You showed little interest, he immediately pulled out something else.
"Don't like it? Then take a look at this Soul-Shaping Bone. We fed six hundred and sixty-six people to a Great Strange to produce this treasure. Whether you're refining pills or forging weapons, it's first-rate material..."
Perhaps the man recognized the Eight-Treasure Arhat, or perhaps he was simply like this with everyone. Either way, he was remarkably eager to sell. And the more eager he became, the colder Zhou You's gaze grew.
Was the man selling fakes?
No. Quite the opposite: everything he sold was genuine.
Unquestionably genuine.
Fortunately, as the mood grew increasingly tense, the Eight-Treasure Arhat hurried over to defuse the situation. "Go on, get out of here. Can't you take a hint? We don't want any of it. Now scram."
The man seemed ready to say more, but the Eight-Treasure Arhat glared at him, and he slunk away.
Once the two of them were alone,