The Black Market, Minotaur

Back when he was at Song Academy, Lu Yuan had heard Chen Pi and the others mention the existence of the black market many times.

He knew that in this black market, one could not only trade in illicit goods that couldn't see the light of day, but also purchase all manner of contraband.

If one were lucky enough, they might even be able to buy cultivation techniques.

However, the black market was a place where all sorts of people mingled, and one could find anyone there.

If one lacked the strength to sufficiently protect themselves, it was best not to go there lightly.

If one only went to take a look and broaden their horizons, it would be fine.

But if one went to conduct large-scale transactions or flaunted their wealth, it was highly likely they would be targeted.

It was precisely because of this that although Lu Yuan had been curious before, he had never set foot in the black market.

Yet now, he finally possessed sufficient confidence.

After these days of nurturing and tempering, the blood and qi within his body were several times more robust than before.

Even if he were to unleash the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique at the perfection stage to manifest blade radiance, he should be able to sustain it for at least a dozen strikes.

Coupled with the Flick Finger Technique, which had also reached perfection, he might not necessarily lose a fight even if he faced a master of the Transformation Realm.

If he were truly targeted, it would be hard to say who would end up robbing whom.

After nightfall, Lu Yuan made simple preparations and headed out with a large bundle on his back.

Although it was just the beginning of the night, there were already very few people to be seen on the streets.

The houses on both sides had also, for the most part, long since shut their doors and windows tight.

Even the refugees who could usually be seen by the roadside seemed to have all vanished.

It was unclear whether this was because the end of the year was approaching and the authorities had cleared them out, or for some other reason.

After turning left and right through several alleys, Lu Yuan finally arrived at the entrance of the black market.

Looking at it from the outside, it appeared to be nothing more than a large courtyard, albeit one more spacious than the lair of the Black Tiger Gang.

Two burly, imposing men stood like door gods on either side of the courtyard gate.

"Entry fee, two hundred wen!"

As soon as Lu Yuan reached the gate, one of the men spoke directly.

This entry fee of two hundred wen alone is probably enough to deter most ordinary people! Lu Yuan thought to himself, before taking out two small pieces of silver and handing them over.

"Remember, fighting is not permitted in the black market, and you are strictly forbidden from seizing the property of others. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences yourself!"

After the man took the silver, he spoke again.

Lu Yuan nodded and walked into the courtyard with his bundle on his back.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he felt as if he had arrived in an entirely different world.

Not only was it brightly lit, but rows of stalls were arranged in an orderly fashion.

The people moving between the various stalls were mostly draped in cloaks and wearing masks; not only were their figures and appearances hidden, but it was even difficult to distinguish their gender at a glance.

Lu Yuan turned his head to look at a nearby stall, and seeing that they happened to be selling cloaks and masks, he took out some money and bought a set at random.

With the black cloak draped over his body and a mask covering his entire face, he doubted even those familiar with him would be able to recognize him.

As Lu Yuan ventured deeper, he discovered that the items on the stalls were gradually becoming more precious.

He could even see contraband such as crossbows and armor.

On several of the stalls, he could also see quite a few ancient artifacts that carried a distinct scent of damp earth.

Lu Yuan naturally had no interest in these.

"Friend, do you have anything you're looking to sell?"

At this moment, a stall owner suddenly stood up and blocked Lu Yuan's path.

"I do!"

Lu Yuan circulated the blood and qi in his body, making his voice sound much deeper and coarser.

"What a coincidence, I buy everything here. I don't ask about the origin, I don't haggle, and it's cash on the barrelhead—an honest transaction!"

The stall owner smiled quickly and said, "If you're willing, you can let this humble one inspect the goods first; I will certainly give you a good price!"

Lu Yuan didn't waste any words; he simply set the bundle down and let the other party open it.

"These are all high-quality goods in excellent condition!"

After opening the bundle, the stall owner's eyes lit up, and he began to count the items quickly.

"Friend, let's round it up to three hundred taels of silver, how about that?"

Before long, the stall owner looked up at Lu Yuan and asked with a smile.

"Agreed!"

Lu Yuan nodded; his previous estimate was roughly the same value.

"Then it's a deal!"

The stall owner's face lit up with joy, and he quickly counted out three hundred taels in silver notes for Lu Yuan.

"Friend, if you have more items of this quality next time, I'll take as many as you have. As for the price, I will never let you suffer a loss!"

Lu Yuan nodded and tucked the silver notes away.

He was in no rush to leave and continued to browse the market.

Whether it was prime meat, Vitality-Supplementing Soup, Qi-Supplementing Soup, or even Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, everything could be purchased at Guangchun Hall.

Therefore, he was not currently lacking in resources to assist his cultivation; rather, he was lacking in techniques.

Both the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique and the Flick Finger Technique had already reached perfection, requiring no further practice.

The Five Animals Fist, which had also reached perfection, required continued practice to nourish and temper his blood-qi, but even at a pace of three sessions a day, he still had plenty of time left over.

It wasn't that he didn't want to practice more often, but even though the Vitality-Supplementing Soup helped him recover quickly, he still needed at least an hour or two of rest.

Thus, he wanted to see if he could buy a new technique in this black market to make use of his resting time.

Ideally, it would be a movement technique, which would fill the final gap in his repertoire.

In terms of internal energy, the perfected Five Animals Fist was sufficient to support him in nourishing his blood-qi to the Transformation-Jin level.

In terms of combat, he had the perfected Wind-Breaking Blade Technique for close range and the perfected Flick Finger Technique for long range; both were sufficient for now, so there was no need to rush into learning new ones.

Only a movement technique was what he needed most at the moment.

With a movement technique, he could handle both pursuits and retreats with ease.

However, after walking a full circle, Lu Yuan did not see a single stall selling techniques.

It seems that if I want a new technique, I will have to find another way!

Lu Yuan shook his head in disappointment and turned to walk toward the exit.

"Hey... friend, are you looking for techniques?"

He hadn't walked more than a few steps when a somewhat thin, small figure suddenly blocked his path.

The person was also wearing a black cloak and a rabbit-head mask.

"What kind of techniques?"

Lu Yuan's gaze narrowed as he asked.

"I have the Tiger-Subduing Fist from Sanhe Martial Hall, the Blazing Sun Palm from Blazing Sun Martial Hall, and the Five Animals Fist from Master Song Tingwei... Today, I am selling them at a loss, all for just fifty taels of silver!"

The rabbit-head person pondered for a moment before whispering.

"Can I take a look at the Five Animals Fist?"

Lu Yuan's heart stirred, and he asked.

He hadn't expected that Master Song's Five Animals Fist could actually be bought on the black market.

"You can only look at one page!"

The rabbit-head person nodded.

Immediately, he took out a small booklet and opened it to the first page.

Half-true, half-false!

Lu Yuan only had to glance at it before shaking his head inwardly.

Having already cultivated the Five Animals Fist to perfection, he could easily see that at most half of the content in the booklet was genuine; the rest was randomly cobbled together and fabricated, making it impossible to practice.

If anyone were to actually buy it and try to train, they would likely not only fail to master it but also potentially ruin their body entirely.

Without needing to look further, Lu Yuan was certain that the other techniques this person had were likely the same.

Without a word, he simply stepped forward and continued on his way.

"Wait!"

The rabbit-head person hurriedly reached out to grab Lu Yuan's arm.

"Scram!"

Lu Yuan let out a low shout, easily shaking off the other person's hand before striding away.

The black market truly had all sorts of people; to think they would try to scam him with fake manuals. It was fortunate he had been cautious.

"Dark... Dark-Jin!"

The rabbit-head person looked down at his own stinging, numb hand, his eyes filled with horror.

"Bull-head... wait a moment... Bull-head..."

Just as Lu Yuan was about to exit the black market, the rabbit-head person actually hurried to catch up with him.