Bogou Hall

He left the Long Wind Escort Agency, and night had fallen completely.

FIVE TAELS AND SIX QIAN IN COPPER COINS WAS AWKWARD TO CARRY.

So Lu Cheng had asked Fatty to exchange them for six whole taels of silver.

Don't ask why it was six taels.

Because the bond between Brother Fat and Lu was worth a thousand gold pieces.

Lu Cheng had only taken four qian from it to pay for the carriage.

But even so...

Lu Cheng rubbed the silver in his pocket and couldn't help cursing under his breath.

He really wasn't cut out for robbing the rich to help the poor.

When he dealt with You Lanchuang, he'd nearly forgotten to search the body.

And when it came to the Fish Gang's Young Gang Leader and Liu Daozi, he'd actually forgotten to search them!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been left with so little to his name.

With a sigh of regret, Lu Cheng hurried toward South City.

Yang City had no curfew.

So even at night, North City was still bustling.

But South City was an entirely different story.

After crossing Three Bridges, he had taken only a few steps before all the clamor and bustle abruptly vanished.

The three rivers and three bridges were like an invisible barrier, splitting half of Yang City into two different worlds.

Lu Cheng walked through five or six streets and alleys without seeing a single passerby.

Even the beggars had to hide in their shacks once night fell.

Lu Cheng was now at the Early Stage of Strength Refining, and his legs were nimble and quick.

In the time it took an incense stick to burn, he had reached the Medicine King Temple Hu Ming had mentioned.

Beneath the night sky, even the temple's gates were firmly shut.

Past the Medicine King Temple, he had walked only a few steps before, sure enough, he found a narrow alley.

It was so cramped that even two people walking side by side would have felt squeezed.

High gray-brick walls lined both sides, with no windows, and the alley was pitch-black.

Looking at the alley, a thought suddenly crossed Lu Cheng's mind:

This really is the perfect place to hold the pass against an army.

People coming to the Black Market either had money on them or were carrying goods.

Set up a checkpoint here, and getting rich would be a sure thing.

But Lu Cheng was only idly musing.

A place like the Black Market was certainly no spontaneous gathering.

The power behind it was likely no weaker than forces like Heavenly Spring Temple and Emerald Cloud Abbey.

If anyone dared to pull a stunt like this right under their noses, they probably wouldn't make it out of the alley.

After covering his face with the cloth mask he had prepared in advance, Lu Cheng slowed his pace and proceeded cautiously, his attention fully focused.

If he had thought of this, then other people would have too.

What if he ran into someone looking to pull off a single job and make a getaway?

Wouldn't that be his rotten luck?

He had to be cautious—more cautious than ever.

Fortunately, the alley wasn't long.

After thirty-some steps,

the view suddenly opened up.

Across a street one zhang wide stood a low, dilapidated opera stage.

Most of the red paint had peeled from its pillars, revealing blackened wood beneath.

One corner of the raised platform had collapsed, leaving the whole stage leaning crookedly.

The remaining boards were pockmarked, their painted decorations long since worn beyond recognition.

Only the curtain separating the front and back of the stage remained remarkably intact.

Compared with the rest of the stage, it even looked almost new.

On either side stood ruined covered galleries, stretching all the way to the courtyard walls at both ends.

Lu Cheng looked around, but couldn't find a gap he could use to go around.

The two doorways in the curtain, marked "Enter the General" and "Enter the Minister," were dark as holes.

Lu Cheng glanced at the collapsed corner, pushed off the ground, and landed by the more distant "Enter the General" doorway.

The backstage was a little different from what he had expected.

In the small space stood an octagonal pavilion.

A person wearing an Asura Mask sat at the stone table inside.

A basket rested on the table.

Other than that, there was not a person or thing in sight.

The Asura Mask seemed not to notice Lu Cheng's arrival.

He kept his face lowered, staring at the stone table before him.

It was as if he were the only one there.

Helpless, Lu Cheng lowered his voice and asked in a gruff tone:

"Brother, are you heading to the Black Market too?"

Only after hearing him did the Asura Mask look up at Lu Cheng. He still said nothing.

He simply pointed at the basket on the stone table.

Lu Cheng stepped closer and saw several black veiled hats stacked inside.

So this Asura Mask was the "guide" here.

The veiled hat was the "head covering" Hu Ming had mentioned.

But was this thing really any good at hiding your face?

The moment Lu Cheng put it on, he realized how shallow his understanding had been.

A circle of black gauze hung around the hat, and in theory, he should have been able to see the ground through the gap beneath it.

But as soon as he put the thing on, his vision plunged into darkness.

This thing was a little terrifying.

Lu Cheng forced himself not to take it off right away.

But his legs quietly shifted into a steady stance, and he gathered strength throughout his body.

"Heh."

A contemptuous snort suddenly sounded beside his ear.

Then, accompanied by a series of clanks from hidden mechanisms, the scrape of stone slabs came from nearby.

At the same time, a current of air brushed past his calves.

"Kid, if you want to go to the Black Market, don't do anything. Release the strength in your body and follow me down obediently."

"If you understand, nod."

A deep, booming voice came through the veiled hat.

Only then did Lu Cheng release his strength. His right hand, hanging by his side, remained spread in a claw-like pose.

After Lu Cheng nodded, the Asura Mask pulled him along.

They went down more than ten steps before the scrape of stone slabs sounded overhead again.

By the time the sound stopped, the ground beneath their feet had leveled out.

The Asura Mask kept pulling him forward. After turning more than ten corners, they came to another flight of steps leading upward.

This time, there were no clanks or scraping sounds.

"Once you're in the carriage, you can take off the veiled hat. Though whether you do or not makes little difference."

Before Lu Cheng could figure out what he meant, he was shoved into a carriage.

Then a force of inertia hit him, and Lu Cheng realized the carriage had already started moving.

That fast?

But why couldn't he hear anything at all?

Lu Cheng yanked off the veiled hat, but everything before his eyes remained pitch-black.

He couldn't just see nothing—he couldn't hear anything either.

This carriage was countless times more mysterious than the veiled hat!

In such an environment, even the passage of time became blurred.

He had no idea how long had passed before another force of inertia pushed him in the opposite direction.

"Get out."

Had they arrived?

Before Lu Cheng could react, a small door suddenly opened in front of him.

Dim light spilled into the carriage.

By its light, Lu Cheng quickly glanced around.

He discovered that it was no different from an ordinary horse-drawn carriage.

When he stepped down, Lu Cheng couldn't help being astonished.

Before him was a vast natural cavern.

A dozen or so stone houses were arranged in orderly clusters throughout it.

A brazier stood every twenty steps or so, providing light.

Scattered figures moved among them.

Beyond the stone houses, the cavern was pitch-black.

By the faint firelight, he could just make out passageways of varying widths stretching in every direction.

The sound of hooves clattering came from behind.

Lu Cheng turned and saw that the carriage that had brought him here had already turned around and was heading back the way it had come.

In an instant, it entered the darkness. Soon, even the sound faded away.

Lu Cheng took a deep breath and walked toward the light.

After a few steps, he saw a sign standing before the first brazier.

It bore three lines:

One: Fighting is prohibited anywhere the light reaches.

Two: All buying and selling here is unrestricted.

Three: Three gong strikes signal the market's closing. After closing, every area except the stone houses will be plunged into darkness.

The sign was signed by Bogu Hall.

Lu Cheng read all three rules word by word.

After considering them carefully, he drew three conclusions.

First, while the market was open, this place was completely safe, whether for trading or seeking shelter.

Of course, that was only relative.

If a Qi Refining Realm martial artist showed up, this so-called absolute safety might not hold.

Second, the Black Market was managed by someone—or some force—called Bogu Hall.

They must be powerful. Otherwise, the first two rules wouldn't have been posted without even bothering to explain the consequences.

Third, once the Black Market closed, anyone with designs on others could make their move.

But the stone houses would still be protected by Bogu Hall.

The first two rules mattered a great deal to Lu Cheng; the third didn't do much for him.

He was going to buy Blood-Activating Powder and leave.

There was no way he'd still be here when the market closed.

Lu Cheng walked around the sign and headed toward the stone houses.

Dozens of flames flickered and swayed.

They stretched the shadow beneath his feet, making it alternately long and short.