Now, It Is Dead (Third Update)

Noticing someone approaching, the old man opened his eyes. His gaze swept over Su Ming, revealing a hint of surprise, but after a few careful looks, he closed them once again.

Su Ming stared at a blue object on the beast skin. It looked like a plate with very sharp edges, though it was marred by several cracks, the deepest of which seemed almost to pierce through the entire item.

It lay quietly on the beast skin, occasionally emitting a faint, flickering light that gave the illusion, to anyone who saw it, that the object possessed a life of its own.

Amidst the crisscrossing cracks, Su Ming could faintly discern some carvings—a hideous, terrifying ghost face.

"This is a defective Barbarian Artifact; you cannot afford it." As Su Ming observed, an aged voice reached his ears. Su Ming looked up; the speaker was none other than the old man sitting cross-legged.

"A Barbarian Artifact?" Su Ming gasped. He had already harbored some suspicions. From the Beast Skin Book, he had learned that Barbarian Artifacts were extremely precious items, possessed and forged only by experts in the Dust Opening Realm. As for those in the Blood Condensation Realm, it was difficult to obtain one; even if they did, it was usually a tribal heirloom, and only if the tribe was strong enough to protect it from being forcibly taken by a Dust Opening expert.

"This item is damaged and cannot be used, but since it was forged by a Dust Opening expert, it sells for one thousand stone coins," the old man said slowly.

Su Ming looked at the blue plate, his eyes filled with longing and envy, but he had only five stone coins on him—to him, it was simply unaffordable.

Sighing inwardly, Su Ming took a few more glances at the blue plate before walking away with great reluctance.

"I wonder when I will have a Barbarian Artifact of my own..." Su Ming muttered to himself as he walked through the Tribal Market. There were many people using beast skins to set up stalls throughout the market, but after walking a full circle, Su Ming did not see any other Barbarian Artifacts for sale.

He did, however, see some Luoyun Leaves being sold by various people. The price was slightly high—one stone coin per leaf—making them roughly equivalent in value to Black Dragon Saliva.

The sky was dimming, nearing dusk. The setting sun in the distance cast its remaining light across the land, yet the Tribal Market grew more crowded and lively.

Checking the sky, Su Ming continued to wander, even stepping into some of the grass-and-skin tents. These tents also sold goods at high prices, but they appeared to guarantee quality, and many people were seen entering and exiting them.

Under Su Ming's observation, he noticed some Barbarian tribesmen who didn't seem to be there to buy things; like him, they carried baskets on their backs and entered the tents to sell items to the owners.

Seeing this, a smile touched the corners of Su Ming's mouth. He had spent the entire afternoon observing, and now that he had integrated all these details, he understood most of the trading rules of this place.

As the sky grew almost completely dark and the Tribal Market began to light numerous torches, Su Ming quietly made his way to a secluded corner untouched by the firelight.

After checking his surroundings vigilantly, Su Ming quickly took off his basket, wrapped himself in the beast skin he had brought, and then layered on several more skins he had prepared inside the basket. Finally, he pulled out a black, robe-like beast skin and layered it over everything, wrapping his body tightly.

In this way, Su Ming's appearance was now hidden, and his frame looked incredibly bulky, a complete transformation from his previously thin and weak stature.

He shifted his body, tightening the layers of beast skin, and glanced at the basket. There was one more thing inside that he had prepared specifically for this trip; although it had been heavy to carry, it served a purpose.

He lifted the basket onto his back, lowered his head, and walked a few steps before pausing. After a moment of contemplation, he hunched his back to look like a hunchback and quickly walked toward a grass-and-skin tent he had selected earlier.

That tent had the dimmest light, and most of the people who had been entering and exiting it throughout the afternoon were like Su Ming—hiding their faces, seemingly unwilling to be recognized.

Although this was Su Ming's first time at the Tribal Market, his afternoon of observation had allowed him to grasp most of the details. He did not enter the chosen tent immediately, but instead lingered in a nearby dim area, occasionally observing the tent.

Before long, the tent was opened from the inside, and a person with a hidden face hurried out and left the market.

Su Ming had seen many such people throughout the afternoon. Once he was certain that no one pursued those who left, he took advantage of the moment when the tent was empty of customers to walk quickly to the entrance and step inside without hesitation.

As soon as he entered, Su Ming felt a gaze fix upon him. It was a middle-aged man, bare-chested, sitting cross-legged by a campfire that crackled and popped as it burned.

The man had only one eye, the other socket a hollow void, but his remaining eye held a piercing, sharp light. He stared at Su Ming, saying nothing.

"The firelight is a bit harsh," Su Ming said, his voice slightly hoarse and different from his normal tone, his body still wrapped in the beast skins so he didn't worry about his face being seen.

The one-eyed man studied Su Ming for a long time before withdrawing his gaze. To him, other than the lack of blood energy, Su Ming was no different from the others who came here.

Although he couldn't sense any blood energy, anyone who could enter this tent without hesitation and clearly knew the rules was no nobody.

He raised his right hand and pressed it against the campfire, causing the flames to dim silently, which in turn dimmed the light inside the tent.

"Take it out. If it's good, I'll give you a fair price," the man said slowly, withdrawing his hand.

Su Ming's gaze drifted from within the beast skin covering his face as he sized up the man. Suddenly, he laughed—a hoarse sound that echoed in the tent and caused the man to frown.

The moment the man frowned, Su Ming raised his right hand and flicked it. A waft of medicinal fragrance curled through the air as a round object flew toward the man. The man caught it and brought it before his eyes; the moment he saw it, his right eye shone with a bright light, and he couldn't help but gasp.

"How many stone coins is this worth!" Su Ming's hoarse voice rose slowly.

"What medicine is this? Where did you get it? What are its effects?" The man stared at the object in his hand for a long time before looking up at Su Ming with a grave expression, a strange light flickering in his pupil.

"On my way to this market, I saw this beast." Su Ming did not answer the questions. Instead, he set the basket aside, reached into it, and after a brief struggle, pulled out a bound Diao Li and placed it on the ground.

The Diao Li looked listless, but its eyes burned with ferocity. It had several unhealed wounds on its body, and being bound, it could not escape.

The man was stunned, clearly not understanding the meaning behind Su Ming's words. His gaze swept over the Diao Li; it was just an ordinary wild beast and did not warrant much of his attention.

"So I caught it on the way. Look, it's still alive..." Su Ming's voice was slow and hoarse, sounding somewhat eerie in the dim tent.

"What are you talking about?" The man frowned.

"I'm saying it's still alive. Do you know why I caught it? Because it was a bit too curious and followed me for a long time..." Su Ming raised his left hand and stroked the Diao Li. But the moment his hand brushed over the unhealed wounds on the beast, the Diao Li's entire body shuddered!

There was no scream, no roar. In that single tremor, its entire body suddenly dissolved into a mist of blood, as if its blood had been ignited. Before the man's stunned eyes, the beast's body vanished, leaving behind only a pile of black and red bones.

"Now, it is dead..." Su Ming touched the remaining bones with his left hand, and they immediately crumbled into dust, scattering across the floor.

The man gasped, instinctively standing up and retreating several steps. His eyes were filled with undisguised terror and shock. He stood frozen for a long time, and when he looked at Su Ming again, his gaze was filled with fear and awe.

"Evil Barbarian..."

"Hm?" Su Ming hummed.

The man shivered and was about to explain, but he saw Su Ming wave his hand, looking impatient.

"Tell me, how many stone coins is the item in your hand worth! The effect is simple: it increases the efficacy of any medicinal herbs you consume by ten percent! As for your other questions, your curiosity is a bit too heavy." Su Ming said slowly.

The man's face turned pale. The scene he had just witnessed left him terrified; he hadn't even sensed any blood energy circulating from the other party, yet the beast had turned into a mist of blood right before his eyes.

"This item..." The burly man calmed his thoughts for a long moment, lowering his head to examine the circular medicine in his hand.

"Senior, I have never seen this item before... this..." The burly man spoke with hesitation. Had it been an ordinary customer, he would never have acted this way, but having been shaken by the scene just moments ago, he dared not cause offense.

"You may test it on the spot. If it has no effect, I shall rise and leave. If it is effective, we can discuss its value then." Su Ming's tone was unhurried as he sat there and spoke slowly.

The burly man breathed a sigh of relief. After respectfully acknowledging the order, he took a small bell from his bosom and gave it a light shake, causing a clanging sound to ring out immediately.

Su Ming's gaze flickered imperceptibly as he glanced at the bell. His left hand, hidden within his fur robe, tightened slightly; there were still traces of Blood Powder remaining on that hand.