Five Harms Technique

"What's the Ghost Market? What kind of place is that?"

Chen Jing froze mid-motion at the mention of it, then stopped practicing.

He'd come across the term "ghost market" in all kinds of novels in his previous life and knew what it meant, but this was the first time he'd heard of one in Red Rock County.

Zhuang Tao glanced around, then slipped an arm around Chen Jing's neck and lowered his voice to a whisper. "The Ghost Market... is where people sell things they can't bring into the light. Poison, techniques, pills, weapons, Exotic Beast Meat... you name it."

Chen Jing's heart skipped at the mention of techniques.

For the past month, he'd clearly felt himself stuck at a bottleneck.

He practiced his stances every day, threw punches, and honed his blood qi, but it barely grew. Reaching Blood Creek was out of the question; even making any further progress seemed a distant dream.

And now, with only two months left until the three-month deadline, the frustration of having no hope of breaking through was nearly suffocating him.

To make matters worse, Chen Jing had learned in the past few days that Yan Peng of the Black Crow Sect—the man who'd killed him once—was a Second Blood Martial Artist, equivalent to the Blood River level.

He hadn't understood what that meant before he started training. Now he did.

Yan Peng's strength, combined with how slowly Chen Jing's own power was growing, had made the hope of revenge seem impossibly remote.

Besides... his Exemption Bead was practically useless for River-Breaking Fist.

No matter how hard he trained, he was only improving through ordinary means.

So when Chen Jing heard the words "Ghost Market," he immediately thought of techniques that could rapidly build blood qi.

If there was a way to improve his cultivation, Chen Jing wanted it more than anyone!

"Senior Brother."

With that thought, Chen Jing lowered his voice and asked, "Are there any... techniques that can rapidly build blood qi?"

Zhuang Tao froze for a moment, then frowned. "Techniques that rapidly build blood qi? Of course there are. But they're mostly wicked arts! Practicing them comes at a price. At best, you'll be crippled; at worst, you'll lose your life! Don't mess around with them."

"I see..."

Chen Jing replied quietly, but his eyes shone brightly.

As long as they existed, that was enough.

As for the price?

He had the Exemption Bead. The harsher the price, the better!

Chen Jing made up his mind at once. "Senior Brother, please take me to the Ghost Market tonight. I'd like to see it for myself."

"Sure, sure. Meet me at the west gate at midnight."

With that, Zhuang Tao turned and left.

Watching him go, Chen Jing resumed practicing.

That night, at the hour of the Boar.

Chen Jing opened his eyes and glanced at Chen Sanwu, asleep beside the bed, then slipped quietly out of bed.

After spending these past few days with Zhuang Tao, Chen Jing had gotten a good sense of his senior brother's character. He was easygoing and curious, came from a wealthy family, and treated Chen Jing with genuine sincerity.

But the Ghost Market wasn't an ordinary place.

Just in case, Chen Jing took special precautions. First, he put some lime in the small pouch at his waist, ready to fling it if danger arose.

He also tucked two thin wooden boards against his chest and back, in case of hidden darts.

Only after he was fully prepared did Chen Jing slip out and head toward the west gate.

Nearly half an incense stick later, he finally spotted two lanterns swaying in the distance. Zhuang Tao arrived with two guards, strolling over at an unhurried pace.

"Junior Brother, you're early!"

Beneath the lantern light, Zhuang Tao greeted him with a cheerful grin.

"You invited me, Senior Brother. Of course I had to arrive early."

Chen Jing smiled back.

"These are my family's guards. The Ghost Market's a mixed bag, so I figured I'd bring a few people along to bolster our presence."

After introducing them, Zhuang Tao pulled two masks from his robe. He handed one to Chen Jing and put on the other.

"You have to wear a mask to enter the Ghost Market. It's the rule."

Once they had their masks on, Zhuang Tao led Chen Jing toward the Ghost Market.

As they walked, Zhuang Tao continued in a low voice. "The Ghost Market started out as a secret place where martial artists traded with one another. More and more people joined later, and quite a few scammers selling counterfeits slipped in. If you see something you like, tell me first. I'll help you check it out."

"But don't worry. People generally don't dare start fights in the Ghost Market, because if they did, no one would come here anymore."

At that, Zhuang Tao paused and lowered his voice even further. "Besides, the Ghost Market's now run jointly by three Third Blood Martial Artists. I've never seen anyone else dare cause trouble here."

They talked as they walked, and before long, they reached the Ghost Market.

Despite its name, the place was anything but gloomy.

Beneath the night sky, lanterns blazed and crowds bustled. Several guards stood at the entrance. Ordinary folk without money couldn't even get inside.

"Admission is two hundred copper coins per person. Since I brought you, I'll cover your fee."

As Zhuang Tao spoke, one of the guards handed the money to the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper counted it, confirmed the amount was correct, then raised a hand to let them pass.

Inside the Ghost Market, lantern-lit alleys crisscrossed and stretched into the distance. Stalls stood packed closely together, displaying all manner of strange and bizarre things. Most were things Chen Jing had never seen—or even heard of.

Whenever he came across something like that, Chen Jing stood among the crowd and listened to people talking, then asked Zhuang Tao for explanations so he could learn more.

At a corner, Zhuang Tao pointed to a small, detached building ahead. "I've got some business to take care of here. They don't let strangers inside. Why don't you look around nearby, Junior Brother? When I come out, I'll show you the other parts of the market."

"All right, Senior Brother. Go ahead."

Chen Jing nodded, then watched Zhuang Tao enter the little building. The two guards he'd brought stayed outside the door.

After that, Chen Jing began browsing the nearby stalls.

As he walked, one stall caught his eye.

Unlike the other stalls, which were cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends, this one had books neatly stacked on it. Yet hardly anyone had gathered around.

When Chen Jing stepped closer, he saw that they were all manuals of martial techniques.

The stall owner looked up at him. "Feel free to browse, but only some of the contents are on display. If you find one you like, make an offer. I'll give you the complete manual once you buy it."

Chen Jing nodded and began flipping through them. There were manuals on all sorts of fist techniques, leg techniques, and movement techniques.

But those weren't what he wanted.

"Do you have any... techniques that rapidly build blood qi?"

After looking through the stall, Chen Jing asked tentatively.

The stall owner paused, then gave Chen Jing a long look before reaching beneath the table and pulling out three thin booklets.

Five Harms Technique, Blood Coagulation Technique, and Blood Control Scripture.

"Let me make one thing clear, young man. These are all wicked arts. They're fast, but the price is steep. You could lose control and go mad, suffer backlash that damages your bones and sinews, or have your blood rot... Any of that could happen. If you ruin yourself, don't come blaming me."

"Of course."

Chen Jing replied casually, though excitement surged inside him.

After quickly looking through all three, Chen Jing decided that the Five Harms Technique improved cultivation the fastest and came at the greatest cost. It was the technique most suited to him.

He put down the other two manuals and pointed to the Five Harms Technique. "How much for this one?"

"Three taels of silver."

"Five hundred copper coins."

Chen Jing haggled without hesitation.

"Deal!"

The stall owner agreed almost at once and broke into a smile. The yellow teeth showing beneath half his mask gleamed alarmingly. Then, as if afraid Chen Jing might change his mind, he immediately pulled out the complete Five Harms Technique and shoved it into his hands.

Staring at the complete manual in his hands, Chen Jing was stunned.

That easy?

He'd thought he'd bargained too hard, but it turned out he'd still offered too much!

"Young hero, if you ever want another technique, come find me. I set up my stall here year-round."

With the sale completed, the stall owner's attitude changed completely. He'd upgraded Chen Jing from "young man" to "young hero" in an instant, his voice full of delight.

Now that he had the technique, Chen Jing said no more and turned away from the stall.

When he got back to the little building, Zhuang Tao had just come out.

"Junior Brother, did you find anything good to buy?"

Zhuang Tao looked at Chen Jing and asked with a genial smile.

Chen Jing shook his head. "I didn't buy anything. I was mostly just looking around."

"I see. Next time we come to the Ghost Market, I'll help you check things out."

Zhuang Tao glanced up at the night sky. "By the way, it's getting late. Let's head back."

"Mm."

Chen Jing agreed, then left the Ghost Market.

They walked back without a word. At the west gate, they wished each other good night and went their separate ways.

Back home, Chen Jing saw that Chen Sanwu was still fast asleep and quietly lit a candle.

They rarely used candles at home, but tonight was different. Now that he had the Five Harms Technique, he had to study it at once.

Beneath the flickering candlelight, Chen Jing opened the thin booklet.

The first page made his heart jolt: this technique used a secret method to forcibly widen the pathways through which blood qi flowed, making it surge at high speed and allowing blood qi to be gathered five times faster than through ordinary methods.

Once he reached minor mastery, he could accumulate blood qi and detonate it in an instant, unleashing several times his usual strength.

But the technique produced corrosive killing intent that traveled with the blood qi, damaging the five viscera and six bowels. At best, it would shorten his life; at worst, it would kill him.

Chen Jing read the entire booklet from beginning to end, then turned back to the line stating that it increased the speed of blood qi accumulation fivefold. He lightly tapped the page with a fingertip, his eyes gradually gleaming with a dangerous light.

Five times the speed of accumulating blood qi.

And he could detonate it for a brief burst of explosive strength.

And all it cost was some corrosion of his internal organs?

To others, this was a wicked art that came at a terrible price... but to him, it was a heaven-sent opportunity.

He had the Exemption Bead. That so-called price would be nothing more than a passing cloud!

He was going to practice this technique.