The Secret

Such delicate and handsome features; aside from Chen Zhuo himself, he had only ever seen them on one other person.

Why was Zhou Sheng here?

Chen Zhuo suppressed the indignation in his chest, withdrew his gaze, and calmly took the remaining silver back from the Old Blind Man's hand.

"They're already sold out."

The Old Blind Man stowed away the remaining two bottles of fake blood right in front of everyone, speaking the lie with calm composure.

"You... don't you still have some there?"

Zhou Sheng was trembling with cold fury, pointing a finger behind the Old Blind Man.

"Where?"

The Old Blind Man shrugged nonchalantly and sneered, "Even if I did, I wouldn't sell them to you."

"You blind bastard, you..."

"You what? If you've got nothing to do, go play somewhere else."

"..."

Zhou Sheng's entire body shuddered, and a thin layer of blood-colored light seemed to emerge within his eyes.

His chest heaved like rolling hills, yet he never made a move, clearly struggling to suppress his rage.

Not far away, two Liansheng Sect members dressed in wide black robes happened to pass by, their gazes drifting toward this spot.

Zhou Sheng seemed to sense something; the blood-colored light in his eyes flickered before fading away.

He then let out a cold snort and flicked his sleeves as he walked away.

Hmm? Zhou Sheng has actually undergone a blood transfusion? This aura of blood... it doesn't feel right.

Chen Zhuo watched Zhou Sheng's retreating back, thinking of the blood-colored light he had just seen in his eyes, and clicked his tongue, feeling that something was off.

Thanks to Yan Ming, he had once bathed in true blood, so his sensitivity to demonic blood was different from that of an ordinary person.

Yan Ming's blood aura was like a torch—blazing and vast...

Zhou Sheng's, however, was completely different.

There seemed to be a madness, or even a paranoia, hidden within, enough to make one shiver at first sight.

It seems he really has taken a crooked path.

After a moment of thought, Chen Zhuo emptied all the silver from his person and handed it to the Old Blind Man, saying, "I want those other two bottles of demonic blood as well. I know this silver isn't enough; consider it a deposit. I'll come back later to pay the rest."

"Keep the donkey cart here as collateral for now..."

With that, he didn't wait for the Old Blind Man to respond. Watching Zhou Sheng disappear around the street corner, he quickened his pace to follow.

If heaven gives you an opportunity and you do not take it, you will suffer the consequences.

Such an excellent opportunity was rare.

The Old Blind Man said nothing, only the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Pfft~"

The Little Black Donkey snorted, glanced at the Old Blind Man, kicked its four legs, and lazily flopped onto the ground.

"If your master doesn't come back later, I'll have a feast."

The Old Blind Man smacked his lips, suddenly feeling a bit restless.

He sighed inwardly.

The mountains were still better; no need to be so restricted, and if one felt stifled, they could just kill to vent their anger.

"Hee-haw~"

The Little Black Donkey seemed suddenly startled, leaping to its feet in a flash.

Chen Zhuo wore a bamboo hat and a long robe, wrapping his body up tightly. Since he hadn't spoken earlier, Zhou Sheng naturally hadn't recognized him.

To avoid arousing Zhou Sheng's suspicion, Chen Zhuo followed from a distance, careful not to get too close.

Recalling the Long River Gang bladesmen he had seen not long ago, he vaguely sensed that there was more to this than met the eye.

Moreover, along the way, most of the places Zhou Sheng visited were stalls where one could buy beast blood—locations Yan Ming had already marked for him two days ago.

No wonder the price of fake beast blood has skyrocketed recently; so someone really is buying it up in bulk.

Chen Zhuo recalled what the Old Blind Man had once told him.

However, beast blood had always been a scarce commodity; even without anyone buying it in bulk, there wasn't much left on the market.

And there was only fake blood, never true blood.

Chen Zhuo saw it clearly: Zhou Sheng's harvest was not significant.

He had visited seven or eight stalls and only managed to buy two bottles of fake blood from one of them, and there was no telling what the quality was like.

The Old Blind Man was right about one thing: trading in monster blood relies entirely on one's conscience. Even if someone were to cut it with pig or dog blood, the average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Unless a Blade-Catcher used a secret technique to discern the truth.

"Speaking of secret techniques..."

Chen Zhuo's eyes flicked toward Zhou Sheng, suddenly recalling Yan Ming's warnings.

He had already studied the first two pages of the Inheritance Manual in depth, but had forced himself not to glance at the rest.

The first page was the general outline, and the second page detailed the method of refining monsters...

The third page and those that followed likely contained the secret techniques for capturing them.

Chen Zhuo shook his head; now was not the time to be distracted.

Zhou Sheng visited several stalls selling monster blood in succession, but came up empty-handed each time. He looked up at the sky, turned a corner, and headed in a different direction.

Chen Zhuo hurried to follow.

They hadn't gone far, and were still within the Ghost Market, when Zhou Sheng stopped at the entrance of an alley.

He exchanged a greeting with the burly man standing at the mouth of the alley before slipping inside alone.

We've arrived.

Chen Zhuo's spirits lifted. Just as he was about to give chase, he saw another burly man emerge to stand guard. Together, the two hulking figures completely blocked the already narrow entrance.

Such secrecy only confirmed that Zhou Sheng's actions were far from ordinary.

Chen Zhuo blended into the crowd without drawing attention, lingering at various stalls near the alley while secretly keeping watch on the entrance.

He circled the area several times, only to find that the two men remained rooted to the spot, vigilantly eyeing everyone who passed by.

No good.

Chen Zhuo abandoned the idea of entering through the alley mouth. A thought struck him; he gauged the terrain, took two wide detours, and arrived at the back of the alley.

However, the street behind was even more bustling, filled with noise and prying eyes, making it even harder to act.

Forcing my way in isn't realistic, and scaling the walls won't work. It seems I have to find another path.

Fortunately, based on his earlier observations, although these rows of thatched huts were connected, there had to be passages inside—and more than one.

Finding peace in the midst of chaos; he really did pick a good spot.

The more mysterious things became, the more curious Chen Zhuo grew.

He scanned his surroundings, pondered for a moment, and walked toward a stall selling jade, feigning a raspy voice: "Stall owner, how are these things priced?"

The owner didn't even look up, saying flatly, "Prices are clearly marked. If you like something, pay for it."

Chen Zhuo swept his gaze over the wares, paused deliberately, and chuckled, "Trying to fool me with cheap goods?"

The owner was an old man, and his face fell the moment he heard this.

Before the man could speak, Chen Zhuo stepped in: "If I'm not mistaken, the top-tier goods are kept inside the hut, right?"

"Don't worry, I have the coin."

Chen Zhuo's voice was firm and resonant. The owner looked up, half-doubting, and gave him a thorough appraisal.

Perhaps it was because he saw that Chen Zhuo had a lean build and, despite the bamboo hat obscuring his face, possessed the unique bearing of a martial artist.

After a moment of thought, the owner led him into the hut behind the stall.

The owner rarely let outsiders inside, as the items in the back room were valuable.

However, the Liansheng Sect controlled the Ghost Market, and few dared to cause trouble. Since it was just one person, he wasn't particularly afraid.

For a big spender, a little risk was worth it.

"Follow me in."

As soon as they entered, the owner turned to retrieve the treasures from the corner.

Yet, the moment he turned his back, a whisper brushed his ear.

"My apologies."

With a dull thud, the owner felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He turned to face Chen Zhuo and opened his mouth, but before a single word could escape, he lost consciousness and slumped to the floor.

Chen Zhuo scanned the room, but his gaze didn't linger on the jade. Instead, he carefully inspected the gaps in the walls and floorboards.

Sure enough, he found a clue.

On the wall, two wooden planks were misaligned and showed a difference in color.

"This is it."

Chen Zhuo easily pried away a plank, revealing a narrow passage behind it that led directly toward the alley where Zhou Sheng had disappeared.