Fat Sheep, Vicious Wolves

"I don't want your cultivation technique!"

Looking at the Rabbit-Headed Man blocking his path once again, Lu Yuan frowned slightly and said directly, "Could it be that you intend to force a sale?"

Although fighting was forbidden in this black market, that did not mean he had to let himself be bullied.

"Minotaur, please don't misunderstand!"

The Rabbit-Headed Man shook his head hurriedly and said, "I am not trying to force a technique on you, but rather I have a piece of information to sell you, and it concerns a cultivation technique."

"I will sell this news to you for only one tael; whether you believe it or not is up to you!"

After saying this, the Rabbit-Headed Man stood there quietly.

"Speak."

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, then took out a piece of silver worth one tael and tossed it directly to the other party.

"Ten days from now, the black market will hold an auction. At that time, not only will there be many precious treasures for sale, but a special cultivation technique will also appear as the grand finale."

The Rabbit-Headed Man quickly stuffed the silver into his robes and continued.

"An auction, the grand finale!"

Lu Yuan's gaze flickered; a technique deemed worthy of being the grand finale at an auction would certainly be extraordinary.

However, even with the three hundred taels he had just obtained, his total net worth was only five hundred taels. He feared that might not be enough to secure this special technique.

Unless he could come across another windfall, perhaps that would be enough!

"By the way, I'll give you one more piece of information for free: you are already being watched!"

Having said that, the Rabbit-Headed Man quickly departed.

So, I am being watched after all?

Lu Yuan frowned, yet he felt no panic, nor was he surprised.

This was the black market, where all sorts of people gathered, and there was certainly no shortage of wicked scoundrels looking to kill and loot for a quick fortune.

He had just openly displayed wealth worth three hundred taels; how could he not have attracted the attention of such people?

However, who was the hunter and who was the prey remained to be seen.

Without delay, Lu Yuan walked quickly out of the black market.

Only a street away, he spotted two dark shadows following him from a corner behind.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Yuan suddenly quickened his pace.

"We finally found a fat sheep; don't let him get away!"

"Rest assured, this guy is clearly a novice who just stepped into the world. He doesn't even seem to have learned any movement techniques. Even if we let him run another hundred paces, what of it? We can catch up in the blink of an eye!"

Two men wearing black cloaks, one with a Monkey-Faced mask and the other with a Pig-Faced mask, quickly caught up.

Their speed was significantly faster than Lu Yuan's, and they were on the verge of closing the distance.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan turned sharply and stepped into a side alley.

"Stupid, daring to enter a dark alley alone; he's found a perfect burial ground for himself!"

The two men did not hesitate in the slightest and followed him into the alley.

"Run... why aren't you running anymore?"

Seeing Lu Yuan standing there quietly, both men could not help but laugh.

"There are so many people in the black market, why pick me?"

Lu Yuan asked with some curiosity.

Although he had obtained three hundred taels, looking at the entire black market, there were surely many others with even more.

"My eyes are sharp; I can see clearly who can be touched and who cannot, which is why I have never missed."

The Monkey-Faced Man smiled and said, "As for you, although you have hidden your entire body well, you still cannot mask the aura of a novice. Now, from your eyes, I can tell that not only are you not a veteran of the underworld, but you are definitely under twenty years old. You probably haven't been in contact with the martial path for long, possessing at most the strength of the Ming Jin realm. Am I right?"

"Right, and also wrong!"

Lu Yuan laughed upon hearing this.

He was indeed no veteran of the underworld, he was indeed under twenty, and he had only been in contact with the martial path for a month, but his strength was far beyond the Ming Jin realm.

"Enough nonsense. My Brother Monkey never makes mistakes. If you're smart, hand over all your silver, and perhaps we can give you a quick death."

The Pig-Faced Man said coldly.

"Fine, take it, take it all!"

Lu Yuan nodded and reached directly toward the small pouch at his waist.

"Swish! Swish!"

In the flick of a finger, two iron beads, wrapped in powerful and sharp blade-like energy, tore through the air and arrived instantly before the Pig-Faced Man.

"Watch out!"

The Monkey-Faced Man let out a loud shout, reaching out to push the Pig-Faced Man aside.

However, it was already too late.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two iron beads easily pierced through the Pig-Faced Man's mask and drilled deep into his brain.

He had no power to resist, nor even time to let out a scream, dying instantly.

"The mark is tough... retreat!"

The Monkey-Faced Man did not dare to hesitate for a second, turning around and retreating at full speed.

Clearly, he had misjudged the situation; this was no fat sheep, but a wolf—a true, vicious wolf.

To guard against the iron beads, the Monkey-Faced Man pushed his movement technique to the limit.

He kept his body extremely low, dodging left and right with incredible speed.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

As Lu Yuan flicked his fingers in succession, three more iron beads shot out at high velocity.

After reaching perfection, the Flick Finger Technique allowed the iron beads to not only strike targets a hundred paces away but also significantly increased their speed and power. The qi-infused aura they carried possessed lethality comparable to a blade's edge.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

While two of the iron beads struck the ground, they still managed to bore deep holes into the earth.

The remaining bead, however, sank solidly into the Monkey-Faced Man's body.

"Bang!"

The Monkey-Faced Man's entire body slammed heavily onto the ground, unable to move a muscle.

Lu Yuan stepped forward and looked down at the Monkey-Faced Man.

"Cough, cough, cough... if I said I was just joking with you earlier... could you spare me this once?"

The Monkey-Faced Man lifted his head with great difficulty, his voice trembling as he coughed up blood.

"Don't be foolish. As a veteran of the underworld, you shouldn't be asking such questions!"

A playful look appeared in Lu Yuan's eyes as he spoke indifferently.

If one dares to attempt an ambush, they must be prepared to be killed in return.

"Wait, if I am willing to tell you where my money is hidden, can you spare my life?"

Seeing that Lu Yuan was about to strike, the Monkey-Faced Man said in a panic.

"Lead the way!"

After first searching the Pig-Faced Man's body, Lu Yuan grabbed the Monkey-Faced Man and carried him out of the alley like a chick.

Before long, under the guidance of the Monkey-Faced Man, he arrived at a dilapidated, abandoned courtyard.

There, in a pit beside the latrine, he dug up an earthenware jar.

Opening the jar, he saw not only broken silver and banknotes but also two booklets that appeared to be martial arts manuals.

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up; this was another unexpected windfall!

"Spare me, and all of this is yours!"

The Monkey-Faced Man said hurriedly.

"If I kill you, all of this will be mine anyway!"

Lu Yuan turned his head to look at the Monkey-Faced Man and said calmly.

"You... you have no martial honor, you clearly promised..."

The Monkey-Faced Man's eyes were wide with rage, feeling as if the sky were collapsing.

"Then go find 'Clearly' and complain to them!"

Lu Yuan extended a finger and asked, "How many is this?"

"One, it's one!"

The Monkey-Faced Man roared in response.

"You know too much!"

Lu Yuan uttered these indifferent words, then brought his blade down in a single stroke.