Seeking Revenge

"That won't work. The people who can get inside either have connections or come from powerful backgrounds." Ma Xiaoliu lowered his voice.

Lin Qing's heart tightened. Without someone telling him, he would never have been able to find out about this.

"Fine. Take me inside." Lin Qing nodded.

"However, they'll need to verify your assets. Ordinary people need a hundred taels' worth to get in."

Lin Qing grew wary, but he had always been curious about the inner Black Market.

So he pulled out a bulging pouch.

When he opened it, the silver inside gleamed brightly.

"Is this enough?"

"More than enough." Ma Xiaoliu nodded quickly.

"But it'll cost you three taels for me to take you in," Ma Xiaoliu added.

Lin Qing hesitated for a moment, then handed over the silver.

After all, everyone pursued profit. If the other man had kindly offered to take him inside without charging a cent, Lin Qing would have suspected that he had some ulterior motive.

Then Lin Qing followed Ma Xiaoliu inside.

Ma Xiaoliu merely flashed the token in his hand, and they were allowed in.

They passed through a spacious, brightly lit cavern, and sure enough, another world lay beyond. In sturdy iron cages, each made with bars as thick as an infant's arm, were all kinds of towering, exotic beasts rarely seen elsewhere.

There were red lions with two heads, giant pythons whose bodies gleamed like jade, and enormous roc birds with golden wings.

Judging from the beasts' hard scales and feathers, ordinary martial artists would never stand a chance against them.

There were also slaves locked in some of the cages, including golden-haired, blue-eyed women from distant lands. They wore revealing clothes, with only a few scraps of cloth covering them.

Seeing Lin Qing's gaze fixed on the golden-haired slaves, Ma Xiaoliu chuckled.

"Brother, you've never seen anything like this, have you? These are female slaves from the Far West. Ordinary people shouldn't even bother looking. Even young masters from the Lineages might not have the means to buy them."

"Then who are they for?"

Lin Qing asked.

Ma Xiaoliu simply pointed upward.

"The ones at the top of Qingping County."

Lin Qing mulled that over and didn't press further.

There were only a handful of people who could be called the ones at the top of Qingping County.

They were beyond anything he could speculate about for now.

"Take me to the deer tendons."

"Right away."

Ma Xiaoliu led him past shop after shop. Most sold crossbows, armor, Fortune Paste, and other forbidden goods, and they were quite large.

None of the shops had signs. Their proprietors wore masks and kept watch inside.

Most of the people passing through were masked too, or had black cloth wrapped around their faces to hide their identities.

Ma Xiaoliu brought him to the entrance of an herbal medicine shop. Inside, it was stocked entirely with organs and medicinal materials from exotic beasts: tiger bones, lion hearts, leopard genitals, elephant tusks, and more.

Unlike the other shops, which had no signs, this one bore the words "Hundred Herbs Hall" in large characters.

"This is Hundred Herbs Hall, established by Prince Gong of Qingyang Prefecture. The court doesn't dare touch it. Since its business stretches across the land, its prices are set at the standard market rate. No one gets cheated," Ma Xiaoliu explained.

"Thanks." Lin Qing nodded and strode inside.

He looked at the dazzling array of medicinal materials and couldn't help feeling his horizons broaden.

But the prices of these exotic beast organs were steep.

Lin Qing shook his head and looked directly at the deer tendons. The cheapest were Silver Flower Deer Tendons, fifty taels apiece. Golden Flower Deer Tendons cost a hundred taels each.

The tendons of these beasts were thick, each about the size of an ordinary person's wrist. They were much better quality than those sold in the outer Black Market. Lin Qing estimated that he'd need only about a tenth of one to make a batch of Tendon Strengthening Powder.

But once he made it, he could take it regularly, so he didn't mind buying extra.

"Shopkeeper, I'll take two deer tendons."

Lin Qing set a pouch of silver on the counter.

"Certainly, honored customer."

The shopkeeper took the silver and counted it, then quickly brought out a long wooden box.

He had someone put the two tendons inside, then handed it to Lin Qing.

With a heavy bundle on his back and a box of deer tendons in hand, Lin Qing didn't dare linger. He immediately headed for the exit.

His lavish spending and bulging bundle naturally drew plenty of covert, probing looks.

Two men emerged from the gambling den in the Black Market.

At the head was a tall, lean man in black, a saber hanging at his waist.

Beside him was a short-haired man whose face was full of fear.

"Big Saber, don't hit me anymore. I've been keeping an eye out for that guy these past few months."

"But you know how it is—finding someone in the Brick Kiln Black Market is like fishing for a needle in the ocean."

"One of my men told me someone looked a lot like him. I don't know if it's the same person."

The short-haired man pointed at Lin Qing.

The tall, lean man's cold gaze swept over Lin Qing.

It paused for a moment on the saber at Lin Qing's waist, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He knew his younger brother's saber like the back of his hand. One corner of the pommel was worn down. He couldn't possibly mistake it.

A bone-chilling killing intent instantly spread from him.

He fixed his eyes on Lin Qing's back and silently followed him.

As soon as Lin Qing left the Black Market, he glanced behind him. Several groups of people were also lingering near the exit.

His heart tightened. He immediately quickened his pace, taking only the rugged, difficult-to-traverse paths.

As he went, Lin Qing looked back now and then. He saw a tall, lean man push through the crowd, charging straight toward him.

Lin Qing's heart clenched, and he quickened his pace.

But the person following him was faster.

With swift, pounding strides, he rapidly closed the distance.

"Stop!"

A sharp, icy shout came from behind.

Knowing he couldn't get away, Lin Qing spun around. His right hand had already slipped around a packet of poison powder, while his left rested on the hilt of his saber.

The tall, lean man had caught up to within ten paces. His eyes were cold as blades, fixed on the saber at Lin Qing's waist.

"Where did you get that saber?"

The man's voice was hoarse, his rage barely contained.

"My younger brother, Liu Xiaodao, went missing a month ago. Why is his saber in your possession?"

"Tell me! Did you kill him?!"

Lin Qing thought grimly, This is bad. Scarface's older brother has found me.

Judging by the man's bearing and speed, he was far stronger than his younger brother.

"I don't know. I bought the saber from someone."

Lin Qing shook his head.

Just then, the tall man planted a foot and lunged at Lin Qing.

Pfft!

There was no time for words.

Lin Qing's answer was a cloud of poison powder flung straight into the man's face. Better to strike first!

"You despicable bastard!"

The tall man clearly hadn't expected Lin Qing to act so decisively and viciously.

He swore and leapt backward.

At the same time, he drew his saber and swept it through a blaze of light, blocking most of the poison powder. But some still clung to his sleeve and face. The burning pain made him even more furious.

"You're asking for death!"

He roared and stopped asking questions, shooting forward like lightning.

His saber whistled through the air, slashing straight at Lin Qing's face.

His blade technique had the same origins as the Wave-Breaking Blade Technique, but was clearly more powerful and faster.

The blade light rose in wave upon wave.

Each wave crashed harder than the last, its momentum terrifying.