The Strange Mysterious Key

Of course, Su Ziyu had no idea he had become a Forbidden Entity in some people's eyes.

Holding Ruan Xiaoqi's little hand, they finally entered the night market.

This night market was practically like a masquerade ball. Everyone wore all kinds of masks—tigers, black cats, white bears, and many others whose names he did not know.

Numerous small vendors had set up stalls on both sides, all wearing various masks as well. Quite a few Beyonders stood before the stalls, asking questions and chatting.

The bustle here reminded Su Ziyu of the night markets from his previous life.

His taut nerves gradually relaxed at that moment.

As he wandered among the various stalls, Su Ziyu searched for the things he needed.

During his search, he also relied on the All-Seeing True Eye to see whether he could pick up any decent treasures.

Most of the items sold at the night market were herbs or monster corpses, and the system's ratings for them were not particularly high.

However, after making a round, he did notice something interesting.

An old man wearing a goatee mask sat in front of that stall.

"Sir, how much is this?"

Su Ziyu crouched down and picked up an ancient bronze key. Its shaft was covered in intricate patterns, while its handle formed a circular arc resembling an octopus head. Overall, it had the air of an old antique.

The old man with the goatee mask chuckled. "You've got a good eye, little brother. This is a fresh find that was just fished up a few days ago. Judging from its material and patterns, it might even be an antique from several hundred years ago."

After a pause, the old man held up five fingers. The goatee on his mask seemed to twitch.

"Fifty thousand! One price!"

Meeting the old man's eyes, Su Ziyu smiled.

"Sir, you're treating me like someone who doesn't know his stuff, aren't you? How could this key be worth fifty thousand? Look at the material—it's just ordinary bronze. The craftsmanship isn't anything special either, and the key's head even looks creepy. Could it be some pirate's token?"

Su Ziyu was quite skilled at talking nonsense. It was true that he had money, but he was no fool. If an item could be bargained down, he certainly would not stupidly buy it outright.

Seeing how eloquent Su Ziyu was, the old man with the goatee mask was about to haggle when another bid suddenly rang out.

"One hundred thousand. I'll take it."

The voice was muffled and hoarse, as though its owner had swallowed a piece of charcoal.

Su Ziyu and the goatee-masked vendor turned their heads at the same time. A tall, dark-skinned, stern-looking middle-aged man wearing a Black Bear mask stood there.

The instant he saw this person, Su Ziyu unconsciously frowned. Ruan Xiaoqi, beside him, clutched Su Ziyu's sleeve nervously.

The goatee-masked vendor was immediately delighted and was about to agree when someone suddenly grabbed his wrist. Facing Su Ziyu's murderous gaze, the vendor forcibly swallowed the words he had meant to say.

"Boss, shouldn't there be a first come, first served rule when selling things?"

Su Ziyu said softly.

At first, the goatee-masked vendor tried to break free from Su Ziyu's grip, but after making a slight attempt, he realized that he simply could not do it!

More importantly, from this close distance, his eyes caught sight of the yellow robe Su Ziyu was wearing.

He had not noticed it before, but upon seeing that yellow robe, the vendor's lips began to tremble and his throat went dry.

As someone over fifty, he had grown up hearing those ancient secrets!

What was wrong with this young man?

Why would he wear something like that outside?

Was he insane?

As these thoughts flashed through the goatee-masked vendor's mind, the dark-skinned middle-aged man in the Black Bear mask spoke.

"Two hundred thousand. I'll take it."

Su Ziyu was displeased. He had clearly spotted this item first. Did this guy not understand first come, first served?

The man in the Black Bear mask glanced at Su Ziyu and said in a deep voice.

"I want this thing. Get lost first."

His tone and manner were as though he were looking at an ant.

At this point, Su Ziyu was no longer angry. It seemed the other party had him figured out.

He rose to his feet as well, an eerie gaze shining from beneath his pale mask.

Their eyes met, and the tension was palpable.

The goatee-masked vendor panicked too. This key had been sold to him by a pirate at a half-sale, half-giveaway price. He had later taken it to several powerful Beyonders for appraisal, but every conclusion had been the same: it was just an ordinary key!

Moreover, the pirate's half-selling, half-giving attitude had made the vendor uneasy. In addition, he had encountered a string of bad luck over the past few days. At the time, he had wondered whether there was something wrong with the key, but even after having it appraised again, it was still just an ordinary key.

So the vendor had simply thought he might as well turn this thing into cash. The bronze key's material and patterns looked quite decent, so he might be able to fool an amateur and make a tidy profit.

But who would have thought that a key that had sat here for a week would suddenly be fought over by two customers today?

The vendor was dumbfounded, and more and more Beyonders gathered around to watch.

It was their first time seeing someone cause trouble in the night market.

Everyone watched with the mindset of enjoying the show, forming a circle around the tiny stall.

Still, while they watched, they left a large open space, because they felt there was a high chance these two would start fighting.

The man in the Black Bear mask could no longer hold himself back. Veins throbbed on his forehead like earthworms as he advanced toward Su Ziyu step by step.

Su Ziyu was completely unafraid and simply watched him approach in silence.

"Brat, I've taken a liking to that thing. Did you hear me?"

The Black Bear-masked man's voice remained hoarse and low. His fist flickered with an earthen-yellow glow, wrapping it in a layer of yellowish rock.

An elemental ability user!

Some sharp-eyed Beyonders nearby were already discussing it in low voices.

"He seems to be an elemental ability user! They're publicly recognized as the strongest faction below Morning Star!"

"Don't you know Big Bear? Several Beyonders nearby fought with him over items before, and they got beaten badly. The ones who died died horribly!"

"Gasp... No way. That young man looks so frail—he's probably going to get beaten up too..."

"No need to watch. Black Bear will definitely win. If he doesn't, I'll eat shit upside down!"

"You said it! Heh, I don't believe it. I think the guy in the white mask will win!"

"..."

"Brat, it's not too late to regret it now."

The man in the Black Bear mask pulled his lips into a cold smile, his gaze falling on Ruan Xiaoqi.

"I often can't control my strength. If I accidentally beat you to death, wouldn't that be a pity for that little girl?"

Su Ziyu shrugged, crooked a finger at the Black Bear-masked man, and said indifferently.

"Enough nonsense. If you're going to make a move, hurry up. I'm in a rush."

"Gasp... How arrogant! Truly, if you court death, you'll die!"

"Elemental Beyonders are invincible below the Awakening level! Sigh, that young man is definitely going to suffer!"

"I can't bear to watch..."

"By the way, are they really going to fight here? What if Chief Steward Wang comes over?"

"Hehehe, aren't we just here to watch the show? If Chief Steward Wang comes over, wouldn't that make it even more entertaining? Hahaha!"