Black Market Rumors

The lazy warmth of the afternoon sun filtered through the classroom windows, casting clear patches of light across Xiang Yi's open math workbook. At the podium, the teacher explained methods for solving basic equations in an even rhythm. Xiang Yi held a pen between his fingers, its tip hovering over his scratch paper. He appeared to be thinking intently, but his gaze was fixed on the pale-blue system interface within his mind.

[Mental Power: 110/110 (Full)]

[Energy Points: 50]

[Hero: Lanling King (Loyalty: 120%, Status: Concealed Reconnaissance)]

The muscle soreness from practicing Star Scar last night had yet to fade. Even the slightest movements tugged at his deep exhaustion, yet his mental power was unusually full. The rustle of leaves outside stirred by the breeze, the faint sighs of irritation from classmates in the front row struggling with problems—all reached his ears clearly.

Suddenly!

A scarlet, flashing exclamation mark abruptly appeared at the center of the system interface! Like a warning light, it spun and flashed wildly, instantly seizing all of his attention!

Emergency mission issued!

Mission: Locate the "Kunlun Ancient Jade"

Description: A high-purity Energy Crystal carrier—the "Kunlun Ancient Jade"—has been detected in this area. This item is a natural container for Pure Energy Crystal. Absorbing it can significantly raise the host's mental power limit and grant a large amount of Energy Points.

Objective: Obtain the "Kunlun Ancient Jade"

Time Limit: 7 days

Reward: Energy Points ×200, Mental Power Limit +20

Failure Penalty: None

Accept?

His heart clenched abruptly, and the fingers gripping his pen instantly stiffened! He immediately lowered his head as though studying the problem, concealing the sharp gleam bursting from his pupils behind his long lashes. At the same time, he forced himself to take a seemingly natural, deep breath. Pure Energy Crystal! Two hundred points! Twenty points added to his limit! The importance of the 300 Energy Points needed to summon Guiguzi, along with mental power, went without saying!

His will was iron. Accept!

The scarlet exclamation mark vanished, but a heavy sense of pressure remained in his heart. The seven-day deadline hung over him like a sword. Xiang Yi suppressed the turmoil within him and refocused on the math problem. His pen smoothly wrote down formulas while his mind raced at high speed.

Kunlun Ancient Jade... an Energy Crystal carrier... where could it be? A jewelry store? A museum? Or... one of those dark corners hinted at in the detailed outline?

He needed more precise, deeper intelligence! His will became a spike that instantly pierced the mental link connecting him to Lanling King, urgently issuing an order: Lanling King! Priority changed! Search with all your strength for clues about the "Kunlun Ancient Jade"! Target characteristics: ancient jade form, containing unusual energy fluctuations or strange patterns. Focus on underground deals, antique black markets, and smuggling channels!

As you command, my lord! Lanling King's mental reply was cold as a blade. His surveillance of Zhang Tianlin was immediately reprioritized, and the shadow assassin's path silently turned through the city's darkness.

Xiang Yi forced his attention back to class, his pen unconsciously sketching geometric construction lines. The urgency of the mission battered his mind like an invisible tide. Fifty Energy Points seemed so pitiful in the system store, while the three-hundred-point summoning threshold remained hopelessly distant. Time! What he lacked most was time!

The dismissal bell rang, and students streamed from the classroom. Xiang Yi packed his bag and walked out of the school building, only to feel a malicious, probing gaze stick to his back. He did not need to turn around to know it was Zhang Hao. After the alley incident, that guy's eyes were filled with fear and the furious rage of someone who had been offended, like a provoked hyena that had nowhere to bite.

Xiang Yi acted as if he had noticed nothing and headed straight for the school gates. He deliberately chose the broad main road, where there were plenty of people and abundant sunlight. Students leaving school and parents picking up their children surrounded him. Zhang Hao followed at neither too close nor too far a distance with two lackeys, his gaze gloomy. In the end, he did not dare make a move in broad daylight.

My lord, should I deal with them? Lanling King's icy voice sounded in his mind, carrying a trace of killing intent. He had sensed the annoyance of his lord being watched.

No need. Xiang Yi replied mentally, his steps steady. A clown can be ignored for now. Focus on the ancient jade. He had to concentrate all resources on the mission.

When he returned home, his mother's concerned gaze and a warm dinner were already waiting for him. Xiang Yi skillfully played the role of the "well-behaved, hardworking" son, sharing insignificant stories from school and making his parents laugh. He crunched through the cartilage on the ribs, as though chewing up and swallowing his anxiety. After dinner, he returned to his room and locked the door, but he did not immediately begin meditating or tempering his body.

He sat quietly at his desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the tabletop, like a frozen statue. His senses contracted inward, his mind intensely focused like a drawn bowstring, waiting for the arrow of information from Lanling King.

Time slowly passed. Outside the window, the sky shifted from orange-red to deep blue, then finally sank into an inky darkness. Every tick of the wall clock struck against Xiang Yi's taut nerves. He tried shallow meditation, but the urgency of the mission made it difficult for his thoughts to settle.

Finally!

When the city had been completely swallowed by night, the mental string deep within his consciousness was plucked!

My lord! Lanling King's voice carried a barely perceptible gravity and satisfaction. There's a lead!

Xiang Yi's eyes snapped open, and a sharp glint flashed through his dark pupils. "Speak!"

The clue regarding the target, the "Kunlun Ancient Jade," points to an underground black market called Ghost Ward. Lanling King's information flowed into Xiang Yi's mind like an icy stream. It is located deep within Warehouse No. 7 District at the West District Old Wharf. It opens every Friday from midnight to three in the morning. Admission is extremely strict: you need a specially made token, or an introduction from a regular customer who possesses one.

Ghost Ward! Xiang Yi's spirits lifted! He immediately asked, "A token? How do I get one?"

The token is a specially made copper coin. Lanling King described it. It is made of ancient bronze mixed with trace amounts of rare metals, using an archaic process. One side bears a coiled snake relief, with tiny ruby fragments embedded in the snake's eyes. The other side bears a twisted seal-script character for "ghost." Most holders are mid-level leaders of the local Black Serpent Gang, or reputable buyers who have successfully completed large transactions at Ghost Ward. The Black Serpent Gang maintains order on the surface, but from what this subordinate has observed, a deeper force seems to be controlling them from behind the scenes.

Snake-Pattern Ghost-Character Coin... Black Serpent Gang... Xiang Yi lightly traced the tabletop with his finger, as though outlining the coin. Given his identity and age, obtaining a token through normal channels was nothing more than a fantasy.

Only one path remained—take it!

The target had to meet several requirements: possess a token, be relatively weak, have an easily tracked routine, and create manageable consequences after being taken down. They had to be sufficiently "peripheral." Even if they vanished, within the Black Serpent Gang's vast lower structure, it would be like tossing a stone into a deep pool—at most causing a few ripples, without drawing the thunderous wrath of the higher-ups.

Lock onto targets possessing tokens. Xiang Yi gave the order mentally, his voice cold and decisive. Requirements: Black Serpent Gang members, low rank, preferably with bad habits such as drinking or gambling, frequent opportunities to be alone, and a fixed daily activity area. I need a "key" that is easy to take and difficult to trace.

Understood! Lanling King's voice held the calm of a hunter before locking onto prey. The search range has been narrowed to three people. The basis is their daily patrol routes, records of frequently visiting cheap bars and gambling dens, and their obvious marginalization within the Black Serpent Gang. This subordinate will immediately conduct detailed surveillance and assess the risks and feasibility. No later than tomorrow night, I will report the target information and an action plan!

"Good!" Xiang Yi felt somewhat reassured. With a top-tier assassin handling reconnaissance, the odds of success had increased greatly. He added, "Keep monitoring Zhang Tianlin and The Hand as well. The trip to Ghost Ward is approaching. I don't want trouble breaking out behind me. Warn me immediately if anything unusual happens."

As you command!

The connection ended. Lanling King's presence melted into the city's shadows like a drop of water entering the sea, silently beginning a precise hunt.

Xiang Yi leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. The mission target was clear, the clues were clear, and though the path was dangerous, he was no longer completely lost. He opened his black notebook and, on a fresh page, wrote the key information in sharp strokes:

[Mission: Kunlun Ancient Jade (Ten-Ring Pattern)]

[Location: Ghost Ward (West District Old Wharf · Warehouse No. 7)]

[Time: Next Friday 00:00–03:00]

[Key: Snake-Pattern Ghost-Character Coin (Target: Black Serpent Gang mid-level leader?)]

[Risk: Black Serpent Gang / Deeper forces / Mysterious buyers]

After writing, his gaze fell on [Energy Points: 50]. That cold number made him feel a trace of helplessness. The trip to Ghost Ward would be fraught with danger, and fifty points were not even enough to exchange for a life-saving potion. He needed more—for strength, and to protect the hard-won peace in his home.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

"Xiao Yi? Mom warmed up some milk." His mother, Lin Wan, spoke gently from outside the door.

Xiang Yi quickly closed the notebook and stuffed it into the inner compartment of his schoolbag. His expression shifted into one of obedient innocence as he opened the door.

"Mom." He accepted the warm cup of milk, feeling the warmth of the cup against his fingertips.

"Still studying?" Lin Wan looked at his slightly stiff shoulders—the aftereffects of body-tempering—and the faint traces of thought in his eyes—his plans for the mission. She tenderly touched his forehead. "Don't push yourself too hard. Your health comes first. Drink it and go to bed early, all right?"

"Mm, I know. I'll sleep after I finish this problem." Holding the milk, Xiang Yi gave her a reassuring smile. "You should rest early too."

Lin Wan gave him a few more reminders before leaving in relief.

Once the door closed, the smile faded from Xiang Yi's face. He walked to the window and looked into the heavy night, toward the vague outline of the old wharf in the distance. That filthy, corrupt place would also become the key point where he gained power and pried open his fate.

He took small sips of the warm milk, sweet with a faint milky smell. The warmth of his family and the dark world he was about to enter formed a stark contrast. He had to proceed with the utmost caution, as if walking on thin ice. He had to protect this warmth while seizing the capital for survival and growth from the shadows.

With a slight movement of his thoughts, the pale-blue system interface appeared again.

[Energy Points: 50]. It silently reminded him of his current situation while urging him onward.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he closed his eyes. He did not force himself into deep meditation. Instead, he immersed his thoughts in the light and shadows guided by Star Scar, repeatedly breaking down and deducing the exertion of each movement and the flow of energy in his mind. His physical exhaustion slowly recovered, while his spirit gathered strength for the coming action.

The night deepened. The city's clamor settled away. Only the evening wind blowing from the direction of the old wharf carried the smells of salt, rust, and a faintly discernible strange odor resembling stale blood mixed with cheap incense, whispering of the secrets of that dark place.

Those ten interlocking rings, like cold shackles, seemed not only branded upon the ancient jade, but also upon the path he was about to walk. Were they the key to unlocking power, or the beginning of a curse?

Like a hunter lying in wait, Xiang Yi kept all his senses stretched toward the boundless darkness outside the window beneath the cover of warm lamplight. He quietly waited for his shadow to bring that bloodstained "key," carved with a snake and a ghost, back to this seemingly peaceful harbor.