The Greenwood Black Market

"There's nothing special about this black market."

"After all, wherever there are people, there's the martial world."

"There are always some deals that have to be done in secret."

"Rare resources like Exotic Beast Meat are hard for private individuals to buy openly. The martial arts schools and various factions have monopolized them. Only in the black market can you try your luck."

Zhang Meng picked his teeth as he spoke at length.

"What do you say, senior brother? Could you take me to see this black market?"

"Not for the next few days. Ram City is too small; the black market only opens once every half a month."

Zhang Meng counted on his fingers.

"Next time should be in September. That's... five days from now. I'll take you then."

"Great! Thank you, senior brother."

Time flew by, and September arrived.

Tonight was the night Li Beichen and Zhang Meng had agreed to go to the black market together.

Zhang Meng had warned him beforehand that killings and highway robberies were commonplace in the black market.

He told him to be careful to conceal his identity.

Li Beichen put on the Tiger-Head Mask he'd worn the night he killed Zhou Zhongru, then donned a black cloak. He also rubbed on some grass juice to disguise his build and scent.

He had the [Hunting] skill, and even though he hadn't hunted in the mountains for some time, he hadn't grown rusty.

He was also skilled at hiding his tracks and lying in wait.

He had prepared plenty of specially made Locust Stones to carry beneath his cloak.

He also strapped a Refined Iron Dagger to his body.

With five hundred taels in banknotes tucked away, he headed to the meeting place he'd agreed on with his senior brother, Zhang Meng.

As it happened, a familiar, burly figure, as imposing as a black bear, strolled out of the shadows wearing an Ox-Head Mask.

That Ox-Head Mask was the one beside Li Beichen's Tiger-Head Mask.

Zhang Meng had shown it to him at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

"Senior brother?"

Li Beichen called out softly.

"Old Seven, follow me."

The familiar voice came from beneath the Ox-Head Mask.

"Okay!"

Li Beichen followed Zhang Meng eastward.

Before long, the city gates of Ram City came into view.

There were still more than two hours before the gates would close.

"Senior brother, the black market isn't inside Ram City?"

"Of course not. The martial artists in the black market come from all walks of life, a motley crowd. It's perfectly normal for wanted criminals to be among them."

"They naturally wouldn't want to trade inside Ram City."

"I see..."

They chatted in low voices as they walked, without slowing their pace.

Soon, they were outside the city.

As the night grew darker, Li Beichen thought of something else.

"Then, senior brother, are we spending the night out here? We could go to Clear Creek Village. I still have a thatched hut there where we could make do for the night."

"No need. Someone will leave the gate open for us tonight."

"Whenever the black market opens, the east gate of Ram City is left ajar. We can slip through."

"So it's gotten to that point..."

"Of course. Every martial artist in Ram City who's reached the Eighth Rank knows the black market exists. They have connections among both the officials and the merchants."

"Leaving a gate open for easy passage is naturally a simple matter."

Li Beichen nodded.

From a glimpse of the whole, he could see the bigger picture.

Ram City was one of Jiangnan Circuit's major cities. And yet its defenses were left open all night just to make it easier for black market visitors to come and go.

That was a crime punishable by the destruction of one's family and clan.

It would never have happened when the dynasty was at its height.

But now, it was commonplace.

This showed just how little control the Great Liang dynasty still had over the Nine Provinces. Even Ram City, a major city in the prosperous Jiangnan region, was like this. The situation elsewhere, in remote regions, could only be worse.

Li Beichen had always felt an underlying sense of urgency.

He paid close attention to details like these.

They told him how much longer he might be able to live in peace.

Li Beichen didn't care whether the Great Liang dynasty was on the brink of collapse. Nor could he concern himself with the fate of tens of millions of commoners.

Though he had memories from two lifetimes, his previous life had long since faded into the past, and in this life, he had long been alone.

His parents and closest kin had all died in misery amid famine and hardship.

Li Beichen didn't want to go through that a second time in this life.

Yet in times of chaos, if a person wanted to live with dignity, he could only rely on his fists and his blade.

To live—to live with dignity, free and unrestrained.

Ever since Li Beichen began practicing martial arts, that conviction had been his constant support.

Night deepened, but the sky was clear.

A crescent moon hung high in the heavens, and countless stars glittered brilliantly.

By the light of the moon and stars, the road around them was faintly visible.

Li Beichen followed Zhang Meng through the darkness for about half an hour.

Then, he saw points of lamplight appear in the woods ahead.

Zhang Meng's voice suddenly rang out.

It sounded somewhat muffled through his mask.

"Old Seven, we're almost there. It's just up ahead."

"This stretch of woods is the biggest gathering place for the black market in Ram City these days."

"Friends in the martial world call this place the Greenwood."

Beneath his Tiger-Head Mask, Li Beichen raised an eyebrow.

"Greenwood, black market."

"Those names do suit each other."

As they spoke, the two of them entered the Greenwood Black Market proper.

Li Beichen glanced around.

He saw that more than half the trees in the Greenwood had been cut down, leaving the area quite open.

Lanterns hung from the few trees that remained, serving as streetlights.

The ground had also been leveled.

The vendors trading goods in the black market had each picked a tree stump to sit on, spreading their wares out in front of them.

They waited quietly for the right buyer to come along.

By now, the place was already bustling with people.

Some wore masks, like Li Beichen and Zhang Meng, while others had covered their faces with cloth.

Most had concealed their true appearances.

But there wasn't a single frail-looking person among them.

Every one of them was tall and burly.

They all looked like martial artists.

"Old Seven, do you want to come with me or look around on your own?"

"Senior brother, I'd like to have a look around by myself first."

"That works. If anything happens, just shout. I'll come right away."

"We won't go looking for trouble, but we won't be afraid of it either."

"I can handle this black market."

Though this was the largest black market gathering place in Ram City, it stretched for only about a mile.

If Li Beichen shouted, Zhang Meng would be able to reach him in no time.

So Zhang Meng was comfortable letting Li Beichen go off on his own.

As a senior brother, Zhang Meng was quite dependable.

He had brought Li Beichen here, so he would do his best to keep him safe.

Li Beichen could naturally sense that.

"All right, senior brother!"

"Go on. Remember this old elm tree with two lanterns hanging from it. We'll meet here in half an hour."

"Wait, there's also a special auction later. I'll take you to see it!"

"The things out here are just appetizers. The real good stuff is inside!"

Hearing Zhang Meng's reminder, Li Beichen hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.

He quickly nodded, then parted ways with Zhang Meng.

Li Beichen's main goal this time was to buy Exotic Beast Meat.

Everything else was secondary.

He kept an eye on the stalls around him as he walked.

He found that all sorts of bizarre things could be seen here.

There were manuals of martial arts techniques, grave goods dug up from tombs, animal bones, and even women's belly bands.