Black Market

Early morning, Outer City Black Market.

Fang Han wore old clothes, a battered straw hat, and a grayish-white mask over his face.

The mask was crudely made, exposing only his eyes and mouth while concealing the rest of his face completely.

He had specifically bought this mask from a general store after dealing with Zhou Dabao that day, just in case he ever needed it.

Only a scattered few early-rising vendors were arranging their wares in the Black Market that morning.

There were few pedestrians on the road as well. Everyone hurried along, and no one gave anyone else a second glance.

Like Fang Han, some people wore masks and cloaks, hiding both their figures and faces.

In the Black Market, concealing one's identity was commonplace.

No one wanted to reveal their true face and invite unnecessary trouble.

Fang Han lowered the brim of his straw hat, kept his head down, and walked deeper along the street.

Without stopping, he crossed two side streets and turned into a narrow alley.

At the end of the alley stood an inconspicuous herbal shop.

If one had not come here before, it would have been difficult to discover that a herbal shop was hidden here.

Fang Han pushed the door open and entered.

Behind the counter, a gaunt old man held a yellowed old book in his hands, utterly absorbed in reading it.

Hearing the door, the old man did not even raise his head. His voice was hoarse.

"What do you want?"

Fang Han stepped forward and lowered his voice.

"Do you have any medicinal herbs that can restore energy? Preferably something that wakes you up immediately when you're sleepy."

Only then did the old man lift his eyelids. His cloudy old eyes swept over Fang Han, and he frowned slightly.

He seemed to feel that something was off, yet could not put his finger on it.

The other man's voice sounded somewhat familiar, but he could not recall where he had heard it.

Still, curiosity was curiosity.

The old man had done business in the Black Market for most of his life, and he knew the rules here better than anyone.

Ask less, speak less, pry less!

Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!

Don't look at what you shouldn't look at!

He quickly withdrew his gaze, set down his book, and walked over to the medicine cabinet.

The old man opened a medicine box and took out several blackish lumps, placing them on the counter.

"These are the roots of ten-year-old Fo-Ti. Chew two of them and you'll be full of energy. They work better than strong tea."

Fang Han glanced at them without speaking.

The old man opened a second medicine box and took out a handful of dark-red grass leaves.

"These are Blood Lingzhi leaves. Steep them in water to refresh your mind and sharpen your senses. They can also replenish Blood Qi."

"This is Golden Thread Grass. It strengthens your qi and restores your energy. It works better than either of those."

Fang Han looked over them one by one, his expression as calm as still water.

Seeing that Fang Han remained unmoved, the old man gave a chuckle and opened the last medicine box.

This medicine box was larger than the previous ones, and what it contained made Fang Han pause slightly.

It was a pair of eyeballs.

A pair of eyeballs as large as quail eggs.

They were dark brown, with vertical pupils. Even dried out, they still gave off an eerie gleam.

"These are the eyeballs of a demonic bird, the Sleepless Eagle."

The old man pinched the pair of eyeballs from the box with two withered fingers and held them in his palm, his tone solemn.

"This item can keep a person awake for ten days and ten nights, full of energy and never tired!"

Fang Han's gaze fell on the pair of eyeballs, and beneath his mask, he frowned slightly.

This sounded like exactly what he needed.

The Martial Soul Avatar required a great deal of energy to support its practice. With this thing's help, the Nine Flood Dragon Palms would surely progress by leaps and bounds...

Seeing Fang Han stare fixedly at the eyeballs, the old man gave a dry chuckle and changed his tone.

"However, I must warn you in advance. While this thing can greatly boost one's energy for a short time and keep someone awake for ten days and nights, it also has terrifying side effects."

He paused and lowered his voice.

"One slight mistake, and the blood vessels in your skull will burst, killing you! The corpse will be a horrifying sight, bleeding from all seven orifices.

I've done business in this Black Market for decades. I've seen no fewer than eight or ten people die from eating this stuff."

Fang Han rolled his eyes at the old man and cursed inwardly.

What medicinal herb? This was clearly poison!

Ten days and ten nights without sleep sounded tempting.

But if the blood vessels in his head burst, he would be starting life over again...

"I don't want that."

Fang Han decisively shook his head, his tone crisp.

The old man was not surprised. He put the Sleepless Eagle's eyeballs back into the medicine box.

After pondering briefly, Fang Han asked, "Do you have any ready-made pills? Something that can restore energy without damaging the foundation or causing side effects."

"Yes."

The old man nodded without further nonsense. He rummaged beneath the counter, took out a porcelain bottle, and placed it on the counter.

"This bottle contains Nourishing Essence Pills. There are fifteen in total, and the price is five taels of silver.

Take one, and you'll remain energetic all night without fatigue, and there won't be any side effects."

Fang Han picked up the porcelain bottle, pulled out the stopper, and peered inside.

It contained more than a dozen grayish-white pills, each the size of a soybean and carrying a faint medicinal fragrance.

Five taels of silver for fifteen pills.

Fang Han secretly clicked his tongue. Damn, these were expensive!

They cost far more than Blood-Qi Pills.

With a note from a martial arts school, one tael of silver could buy five Blood-Qi Pills from a herbal shop.

But despite his inward grumbling, Fang Han was very straightforward with his hands.

He took out five taels of loose silver from his clothes, placed them on the counter, and tucked the porcelain bottle into his chest.

Expensive things had their reasons for being expensive.

The Nourishing Essence Pills had no side effects and would not damage his foundation. The money was well spent.

After putting away the porcelain bottle, Fang Han turned to leave.

When he reached the door, he stopped. He suddenly turned around and returned to the counter.

The old man was putting away the medicine boxes. Seeing Fang Han return, he raised his eyelids to look at him but said nothing.

"Do you have any... colorless and odorless poison?"

The old man's hands paused. He raised his head, and a glint flashed through his cloudy old eyes.

A moment later, the old man gave a sinister chuckle, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"You've come to the right person."

He turned and carried out a small wooden box from beneath the counter, then opened it.

Inside were seven or eight porcelain bottles arranged neatly, varying in size and color.

The old man set the bottles out one by one on the counter and introduced them as if reciting family treasures.

"This bottle is Drunken Spring Breeze. It is colorless and odorless, dissolves in wine or water, and takes effect half a quarter-hour after being consumed.

The poisoned person falls into a drunken sleep and will not wake for three days. Without an antidote, they will never wake again."

"This bottle is Three-Step Fall. Its effects are fierce. Within three steps, the victim will collapse and die bleeding from all seven orifices.

However, it has a smell. Though faint, someone with a sharp nose will be able to detect it."

"This bottle is Soft Tendon Powder. It is colorless and odorless when dissolved in water. The poisoned person's limbs become weak and limp, leaving them unable to exert any strength no matter how strong they are. It is best suited for dealing with Martial Artists."

"This bottle is..."

The old man explained each one carefully, completely unlike his earlier lazy demeanor.

Fang Han listened quietly, his gaze passing over each porcelain bottle.

Poison was not meant to harm others, but to protect oneself.

Chen You was hiding in the shadows and could come for him at any time.

It was best to prepare early. Carrying poison on him could prove immensely useful at a critical moment!

Once the old man had finished his introduction.

Fang Han pointed at the smallest, drab-gray porcelain bottle.

"How much for this one?"

"Boiling Blood Powder. Toss it at the other person's face. So long as they aren't a Manifest-Force Martial Artist, one breath of it will make their blood boil within three breaths, leaving their entire body burning hot and their mind briefly agitated, unable to steady their thoughts. The effect lasts only ten breaths... As for the price, I'll take just thirty copper coins."

Fang Han nodded. "This one."

He took out thirty copper coins and handed them over, accepting the drab-gray porcelain bottle and tucking it into his chest.

Though it could not deal with a Manifest-Force Martial Artist, it was enough to handle Chen You, unless he had already become a Manifest-Force Martial Artist!

Fang Han put away the porcelain bottle, left the herbal shop, and quickly vanished into the depths of the alley.