Qing Xue

"Very well, I await news from Senior Sister..."

Chen Qiuyu left as if fleeing.

Chen Han watched the direction in which she departed. "You should be thankful that Chen Lei is on your side, so you won't run into me at the Martial Arts Grand Ceremony..."

Chen Han had long since planned how to shine brilliantly at the ceremony, defeat every opponent, and finally, settle his personal vendetta by unilaterally beating her to a pulp.

Alas, things are unpredictable; his grand plan for revenge had changed, so he had to seek another opportunity.

Chen Han felt somewhat depressed. He was a man who held grudges, and he could not sleep or eat in peace without venting this pent-up anger.

At the hour of Zi in the deep of night, he arrived once again under the large locust tree outside the city. There, the broker of the Black Market stood on his wooden boat, waiting as usual.

Chen Han took out ten taels of silver, feeling a pang of heartache. Although he was no longer as destitute as before, he was still a pauper.

These ten taels of silver had been borrowed from his family.

Once the time was right, Chen Han and the others boarded the small boat together to head to the Black Market.

The mist in the Black Market was thick, with everything beyond ten paces appearing hazy. Perhaps due to the change in seasons, it was even more humid than before.

Following the information Wang Yue had given him, Chen Han found a specific shop.

The shop was very tidy, and the shelves were filled with all sorts of strange and peculiar items: a lifelike beast eye, a skull glowing with an eerie phosphorescence...

"Greetings, customer. This Humble One is Zhang Hao, though you may also call me Zhang Ritian. Come, come, feel free to look around. This shop has everything, and ninety-nine percent of what you desire can be found here."

Chen Han's mouth twitched. It seemed that not a single person in this Black Market had a normal name.

The shopkeeper was a young man, appearing only a few years older than Chen Han, his brocade robes as neat as the shop itself.

Chen Han could not help but think of Aunt Xue'er, who was always covered in blood and looking disheveled. Aside from her long legs, beauty, charm, height, good figure, full chest, large buttocks, and flirtatious nature, she had nothing else to show for herself.

Whoever marries her in the future is in for a miserable time.

Returning to the present, Chen Han responded, "This Humble One has nothing to buy; I merely wish to ask the shopkeeper to appraise an item."

"Oh? Very well. This Humble One has traveled north and south since childhood and is quite knowledgeable, but as for the price..."

"How much..."

The shopkeeper chuckled, looking every bit the profiteer. "Not expensive, just ten taels of silver."

Chen Han's mouth twitched violently. Damn it, as expected of the Black Market. These black-hearted merchants dare to charge ten taels just for a look; they might as well be robbing me directly.

Chen Han expressed extreme disgust and disdain for such behavior.

"Two taels. Take it or leave it; if not, I shall go elsewhere."

Chen Han would not indulge him. If this didn't work, he would go elsewhere; it wasn't as if this was the only shop that could perform appraisals.

To his surprise, the shopkeeper revealed a confident expression, making Chen Han wonder if there was something amiss.

"Little brother, you don't come here often, do you?"

Chen Han's gaze narrowed slightly. The other continued, "This place is a mix of dragons and snakes, and the human heart is hard to fathom. If you feel safe going to other miscellaneous shops, by all means, go. They might see that you don't understand the market and fleece you even harder than I do."

"Furthermore, there is no guarantee of reputation. If you have any treasures in your hands, they might sell that information, and by then, you might even invite a fatal disaster upon yourself."

As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow at Chen Han. "But here, I have both reputation and word-of-mouth; otherwise, the broker who brought you in wouldn't have mentioned my little shop... Ten taels of silver is truly not expensive."

Zhang Hao was right. When Wang Yue introduced him, he had indeed mentioned this Zhang Hao.

He had followed merchant caravans north and south since he was a child, traveling through most of the Chu Kingdom, and was knowledgeable about the local customs and unique, rare artifacts or secret techniques of various places.

"I see... Very well, ten taels it is."

Chen Han took out ten taels of silver and handed them over. The latter accepted them with a beaming smile and said, "Little brother, just take out whatever you wish to have appraised, and let this Humble One have a look."

Chen Han did not dawdle and immediately took out that second-rate martial art manual—Thunderbolt Extreme.

"Oh..."

Zhang Hao took the item and flipped through it. After only a moment, he had his answer, a look of realization appearing on his face.

"This item is the primary martial art of Thunderbolt Mountain within the Soul Heaven City of the Yue Kingdom. It is a bona fide second-rate martial art, but..."

Zhang Hao returned the item to Chen Han. "However, this manual is merely a fragment. It only contains the first half and can only be practiced up to the Martial Artist Realm. It is not rare, nor is it particularly precious—at least, not in the Yue Kingdom."

It's a fragment?

Chen Han felt deeply disappointed after taking it back.

"Since we have crossed paths, let me offer you a word of advice, little brother."

"This technique can be considered quite difficult to practice. The cultivation process requires the use of several strange medicinal herbs and objects in combination. If you are even slightly careless, you may end up suffering a fate of total annihilation."

Zhang Hao had expected these words to make the man fearful and thus grateful for his warning, but to his surprise, the man simply lowered his eyes, seemingly contemplating something.

Chen Han asked, "How strong is this Thunderbolt Extreme?"

Zhang Hao was stunned, then replied, "Very strong... When practiced to the pinnacle, one can move like thunder and run like lightning. Every movement involves the entire body, and every punch and kick carries the momentum of thunder!"

"Good."

Chen Han smiled and turned to leave.

In the narrow shop, only Zhang Hao remained. He lowered his brow, recalling the expression Chen Han had worn just moments before.

That was clearly a thirst for power; he believed this kid was truly fearless enough to dare attempt practicing this technique.

"Heh, most people in this world believe they are the chosen one, especially hot-blooded young men. This kid looks decent enough; I just hope he doesn't make a mistake that leads to eternal regret, ultimately getting himself electrocuted through sheer carelessness..."

Chen Han intended to head home; after all, Li Muyun was still in his solitary cabin, and he needed to arrange a place for her as soon as possible, as staying with him indefinitely was not a long-term solution.

Just then, Chen Han passed by Aunt Xue'er's shop and instinctively glanced inside.

What met his eyes was a tightly shut door.

"Aunt Xue'er isn't at the shop today..."

He didn't pay it much mind and headed straight out of the Black Market.

The moon hung in the firmament, yet the sky was overcast, the air so oppressive it felt as if it were about to solidify.

Just as Chen Han was nearing the inner city, a figure that had left a deep impression on him vaulted over a wall in the distance. With striking long legs, a height of eight feet, and long hair tied in a low ponytail, it was none other than Aunt Xue'er, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Chen Han's curiosity was piqued, and he immediately lowered his profile, following stealthily in her wake.

After about fifty breaths, Chen Han came to a halt.

He was now in a hidden spot within the gloom, quietly observing the two people not far away.

One was the fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged Aunt Xue'er, while the other was a sharp-featured, monkey-faced little old man covered in pockmarks.

"Lady Xue, I never expected it was you who had been tailing me all this time."

The little old man's lecherous gaze swept up and down over Qing Xue, as if he were trying to strip her clothes away with his eyes, and he chuckled with a strange, grating laugh.

The latter felt a wave of disgust, crossing her arms over her chest as she retorted sharply, "Old thing, you were the one who robbed me of that bead, weren't you? Daring to steal from me—are you courting death?"

Qing Xue's voice was like ice, cold and biting.

"Courting death? You bug-rearing harlot, who do you think you are? It is an honor that my master has taken a fancy to your things; you had best stop looking for trouble."

The little old man rubbed his fingers together, his lewd gaze deliberately lingering on Qing Xue's slender legs. "Why don't you serve this old man for a few months? I might just put in a good word for you with my master..."

"Old thing..."

Qing Xue was so furious she nearly shattered her own pearly teeth.

"Today, if you don't give me an explanation, then go to hell!"