The two of them came to an unremarkable corner, where a figure wrapped in black stood waiting by the wall. It was the person Mo Li had arranged to meet.
Mo Li stepped forward and got straight to the point. "Where's the thing I asked for?"
The man clearly hadn't expected the person he was waiting for to be Mo Li. He had witnessed Mo Li's earlier display, and hurriedly pulled out a bundle and handed it over. "Lord Soul Master, it's all in here."
Mo Li took the bundle and gave it a quick inspection. He had a good idea of what was inside, but still asked in a low voice, "How do I know this stuff is real?"
The black-clad man immediately tensed at the question and hurried to explain:
"Y-Your Excellency, a relative of mine who works at the Count's Mansion brought it out. There's no way it's fake. I wouldn't dare deceive you!"
"You people certainly have some nerve," Mo Li said coolly, though he was already mostly convinced. Most Whale Rubber really was in the hands of the nobility.
"Your Excellency, I..." Cold sweat beaded on the black-clad man's forehead. The black market didn't ask questions about where goods came from. He had only confessed because of Mo Li's status as a Soul Master.
Though Mo Li looked young, the man didn't dare deceive him.
Jiang Zhu clearly didn't like this place, so Mo Li decided not to press him for answers. He promptly paid the agreed price, then left this den of trouble with Jiang Zhu.
As they watched the boy and girl walk away, many people in the black market quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
They left western Heaven Dou City and returned to the bright, spacious shopping streets. Only then did Jiang Zhu's taut nerves slowly relax.
But her hand, clutching the hem of Mo Li's clothes, still hadn't let go completely.
Seeing how downcast Jiang Zhu looked, Mo Li couldn't help feeling remorseful. "Sister Jiang Zhu, I..."
"Little Brother Mo Li, I'm all right now."
Jiang Zhu seemed to see what was on Mo Li's mind. She managed a smile.
"Actually, I had a rough idea of what kind of place it was when we were outside. But as your big sister, I couldn't just let you go in there alone."
She paused and blinked. Her pretty face was still a little pale as she patted her chest and said, still shaken, "But... you were really scary in there just now. I've never seen you look so fierce."
Mo Li smiled warmly. There was no trace of his earlier ferocity left.
"You came in with me, Sister Jiang Zhu. If I can't even protect you, I might as well run headfirst into a wall and die."
Mo Li's words made Jiang Zhu laugh.
Then her gaze fell on his hand. She pointed at the bundle and asked curiously, "What exactly did you buy? Why all the secrecy?"
Mo Li hadn't kept Jiang Zhu out of his conversation with the black-clad man in the black market. She knew this was what he had come for, and had learned from their conversation that it had come from a noble's estate.
Naturally, that made her curious.
Seeing her interest, Mo Li didn't hide it from her. He opened the bundle right up.
Inside lay five golden-yellow, gelatinous lumps, giving off a faint fishy smell.
The black market had been dim, so Mo Li hadn't examined them closely there. Now, in the sunlight, he could see that two of the lumps were clearly more lustrous and translucent than the other three.
They were Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber!
This unexpected windfall left Mo Li wearing a stunned grin.
It seemed the servant from the noble's household really didn't know what he had. He'd mixed such precious Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber in with ordinary goods and sold it all together, letting Mo Li snatch up a huge bargain at the ordinary price!
The man's desperation to unload it had probably played a part, but Mo Li had definitely made a killing this time.
These few lumps of Whale Rubber—especially the two that were ten thousand years old—might raise the age of his second Soul Ring to an astonishing level!
At the thought, Mo Li's lips curled upward.
Beside him, Jiang Zhu looked at the milky-white substance in confusion. Then she furrowed her delicate brows, leaned closer, and gave it a gentle sniff, as though confirming something.
The next moment, her pretty face flushed bright red. She looked up at Mo Li. "Little Brother Mo Li! You... why did you buy this?"
Her sudden reaction startled Mo Li. Then he saw Jiang Zhu's cheeks reddening as her eyes darted nervously over the Whale Rubber in his hands.
Jiang Zhu was innocent, but she understood certain things. She knew what this was.
And as far as she knew, it was something men used for... for sleeping together!
Mo Li immediately understood what she meant and hurried to explain. "Sister Jiang Zhu, don't get the wrong idea! This stuff is very useful."
"Pervert!"
Jiang Zhu's face was flushed with embarrassment. She didn't dare look at the thing in Mo Li's hand and muttered under her breath.
Very useful? Did that mean useful for that kind of thing?
Hearing her mutter, Mo Li felt as if he couldn't clear his name even if he had a hundred mouths. The more he explained, the worse it sounded!
"Dean Liu... she doesn't know you bought this, does she?" Jiang Zhu asked softly.
"I haven't told her yet," Mo Li replied, a little awkwardly.
How could he tell Liu Erlong that he'd asked her for money just to buy this stuff? Until he had confirmed what Whale Rubber did for himself, it was better not to let her know.
Otherwise, if it didn't work, he'd never be able to clear his name. Heaven only knew what Sister Erlong would do to him.
"What are you even talking about?"
Seeing that Jiang Zhu was still deepening her misunderstanding, Mo Li said earnestly, "I didn't tell Sister Erlong because it's still in the testing stage. I really think you've misunderstood, Sister Jiang Zhu! I bought this only for cultivation. If you don't believe me, I can give you some later."
Seeing Mo Li's completely serious expression, Jiang Zhu giggled.
"Then what does it do?"
"Can't say just yet."
Mo Li smiled mysteriously.
Jiang Zhu didn't press him. If Little Brother Mo Li had said so, he must have had his reasons.
"Come on, Little Brother Mo Li."
"Huh? Where are we going now?"
Mo Li was puzzled. He'd got what he came for and was eager to hurry back and test it.
Jiang Zhu, beside him, looped her arm through his and smiled sweetly. "Obviously, you're coming shopping with me. I went with you to a place like that. Can't you come shopping with me?"
"Besides, you don't want Dean Liu to find out what you bought, do you?"
Looking at Jiang Zhu's sly expression, Mo Li gave an awkward laugh. Jiang Zhu really was... learning to be a little wicked.
But he didn't mind. He could stroll around with Jiang Zhu and help ease the unpleasant feelings left by the black market.
So he let Jiang Zhu lead him along the bustling shopping streets of Heaven Dou City.
At the same time, on the other side of the street.
A girl with a black veil over her face walked alongside another girl with short, deep-purple hair. The two had also reached the entrance on the far side of the street.
The veiled girl showed only her large, blue eyes. She had a cool, otherworldly air, a slender figure, and long blue hair that fell like a waterfall.
The purple-haired girl had a more alluring figure. Her pretty face held a hint of seduction. The moment the two appeared, they drew plenty of eyes from the people on the street.
If Mo Li had been there, he would have recognized the veiled girl at once. She was Ye Lingling, whom he had met outside Heaven Dou City two years earlier.
"Lingling, why aren't you saying anything to me? I'm the only one talking."
Dugu Yan pouted and complained.
Ye Lingling gave her companion a helpless glance. "Yan Yan, do you think I've had a chance to get a word in?"
Thinking back on how she'd been the one talking nonstop the whole way, Dugu Yan laughed sheepishly.
"We didn't come out for fun this time," Ye Lingling reminded her helplessly.
"The auction is about to start. We should hurry there first."
"Oh."
Dugu Yan stuck out her pink tongue.
She had come to Heaven Dou City this time mainly to accompany Ye Lingling in buying something that might be important to her.
"I hope things go smoothly this time," Ye Lingling said softly.
Dugu Yan nodded, clasped her hands behind her back, and followed Ye Lingling toward the Heaven Dou Auction House.