Strolling the Black Market with His Sister-in-Law

Beyond the slaughterhouse, behind the village, lay a small mountain hollow.

Several large wooden cart-boxes blocked the entrance to the hollow, leaving only a gap less than a meter wide in the middle. Martial Warriors guarded both inside and outside, and an entry fee was required to get in.

Su Xinghe followed the pedestrians ahead, slowly moving forward until he soon reached the gap.

At once, blazing firelight and the faint clamor of hawkers reached him.

Through the gap between the carts, he saw that it was lively inside tonight, much like one of Eight-Zhang Street's night markets. The only difference was the additional guards among the crowd, blades at their waists as they patrolled vigilantly.

Clatter!

Su Xinghe tossed a silver ingot into the basin placed before the guard at the entrance. This was the black market's admission fee; whether one bought anything or not, this ticket had to be paid.

He casually estimated tonight's traffic as well.

About half a basin's worth—probably close to two hundred people.

In the glow of the bonfires, a dirt slope some ten meters wide rose along the foot of the mountain before disappearing around the bend of the valley.

Stalls lined both sides, with pedestrians wandering around and browsing.

Su Xinghe had come here several times, so naturally he was not curious. If he were still a greenhorn, the items for Martial Warriors here might have suited his taste perfectly.

But now that he had entered Ninth Rank, he naturally had no interest in these martial arts manuals whose authenticity could not be told apart.

He followed the twin-tailed figure ahead from a distance, pretending to browse the stalls while secretly observing her movements.

Gradually, the stalls on both sides of the dirt slope grew fewer.

The pedestrians on the path were also reduced to burly men carrying sabers or swords, their steps steady as they prowled near the stalls in search of things they fancied.

Only a small portion of them covered their faces.

Su Xinghe grew even more cautious. He kept a distance of around twenty zhang, just at the edge of the range where his current Listening to Tides Art could sense fluctuations.

Just as the valley was about to come to an end, Yang Huaiyu suddenly turned into a dilapidated little earthen house beside the mountain.

"Xiaoyu, why have you come!"

Not long after her figure vanished, the fluctuation of a somewhat weary male voice came from within the little earthen house.

Su Xinghe froze.

The person inside actually recognized his younger brother's wife.

He hurriedly stopped and pretended to select something from the stall beside him.

These little earthen houses were permanent stalls in the black market, most of them belonging to several unaffiliated gangs outside the city.

They were Martial Warriors who disliked restraint and could not stand Lin County's countless rules and regulations. Or perhaps they were wanted criminals who had already made it onto the Martial Dao Bureau's blacklist.

When he had sought to buy true martial arts manuals in the past, he had entered one of these places too. But before he could even speak, he had been driven out.

Leaving him with no choice but to pan for gold in shit among the outdoor stalls.

"Uncle Nine, it's been many days. I came to see you all."

Yang Huaiyu's crisp voice carried out.

Then came the sound of tables and chairs shifting, along with chaotic footsteps.

Several other voices exchanged greetings, followed by chatter about everyday family matters. It was clear that the people inside were very familiar with his sister-in-law.

After the pleasantries, the middle-aged man spoke again.

"You came this time. Is anything happening in the city?"

"The city has been fairly quiet. I only dealt with a few little rats."

Another bout of rustling followed.

"It's inconvenient to keep these things at home, so I brought them to Uncle Nine while I was at it."

After taking inventory, Uncle Nine spoke again.

"The silver and large coins come to twenty-two taels and six qian altogether. These medicinal herbs and weapons are worth around six taels as well. Tell me, what would you like to exchange them for?"

"Then... Uncle Nine, give me eight Qi-Replenishing Pills. Put the remaining twenty taels toward that advance payment."

"Sigh, you child. Those twenty taels from last time were Uncle's wedding gift to you."

"Now that you're with child, the Qi-Replenishing Pills are too potent. I'll exchange them for ten Qi-Nourishing Pills instead. They'll benefit the child too."

"What are Qi-Nourishing Pills? Are they expensive?"

"Qi-Nourishing Pills... they're about the same as Qi-Replenishing Pills. Their medicinal strength is simply gentler and won't harm the body. Remember to take one every seven days."

"This... wouldn't that be too wasteful?"

"It's fine. A few bottles happened to arrive from the prefectural city."

"Thank you, Uncle Nine. Is everything all right in the mountains?"

"Things are good in the mountains. Don't worry."

"Have there been any True Art Scrolls recently that need me to copy them?"

"Silly girl, stop dwelling on those twenty taels. We don't lack this silver in the mountains. Just stay peacefully with the Su Family, support your husband and raise your children. Otherwise, how could I face your parents?"

After a burst of suppressed sobbing.

"Uncle Nine, I have to hurry back, or my family will find out."

"I'll have Wang Ming escort you. Otherwise, I'm afraid there may be some trouble..."

"Thank you, Uncle Nine."

When Su Xinghe saw Yang Huaiyu again, the little bundle she had carried was already gone.

Seeing her hurried steps, she was probably anxious to get home.

At this moment, Su Xinghe had some guesses about his sister-in-law's identity. But her parents were supposed to be servants of the Lu Family, so how had she become entangled with an out-of-town gang?

He would probably have to ask his father about that after returning home.

"This... brother, you aren't thinking of... robbing me, are you?"

A stumbling voice sounded before him, and Su Xinghe hurriedly looked up.

Under the bonfire's light, the stall owner opposite him was watching him with a face full of vigilance.

Meanwhile, Su Xinghe's hand was absentmindedly playing with a short sword in a dark green fish-scale scabbard from the stall.

"I..."

Just as he was about to explain, he noticed several gazes sweeping over him from nearby.

There was nervousness, curiosity, and disdain.

Su Xinghe took a deep breath and suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart.

He asked in a low voice, "How much?"

"If... if you truly want it, then five... fifty taels of silver."

The stall owner perhaps had not expected him to ask the price and nearly failed to react.

Su Xinghe curled his lip. Damn, that was black-hearted.

He estimated the value of the short sword in his mind.

"Too expensive. One tael at most!"

"Deal!"

Now it was Su Xinghe's turn to fail to react.

As he looked at the stall owner before him, the man's face was still taut. But the delight leaking from those two words could never fool anyone.

For a moment, Su Xinghe had a sentence he did not know whether he ought to say.

The experience in his memories came from the strict prohibitions hanging over the city. Even when shops occasionally sold blades and swords, their prices were pushed toward the level of luxury goods.

Who would have thought...

Right. This was outside the city.

Feeling those several prying gazes behind him, he tossed down a one-tael silver ingot and turned to leave.

At the entrance of the little earthen house.

A wooden sign hung on the right, with the three words "Mountain-Chasing Gang" written crookedly upon it.

Since they were connected to his sister-in-law, Su Xinghe very much wanted to meet the Uncle Nine inside.

If the man's character was poor, then he would have to be more careful in the future. As the saying went, one who dwelled near ink would be stained black. This concerned his family, and there could not be the slightest carelessness.

Of course, if the price was suitable, he could also buy some pills to bring back.

Seeing that there were no customers inside, he lifted his foot and stepped in.

Under the candlelight, animal hides and skeletons of various sizes hung on the walls. A counter stood to the left, and an old man with two youths looked up at him.

None of the three concealed their appearances, so he took them all in at a glance.

One was a somewhat hunched old man, while the other two were half-grown boys with sleepy eyes.

The old man was plainly dressed, lean-faced, with a trace of shrewd worldliness amid his cautious gaze. If not for this black market, he would absolutely have been mistaken for an old farmer from the countryside.

"This brother, what would you like?"

Perhaps seeing his attire and knowing that he was a buyer who did not wish to reveal his identity, the old man did not bother with pleasantries and asked directly.

"Uncle, do you have any pills here?"

Having just heard Yang Huaiyu call this man Uncle Nine, Su Xinghe followed suit and called him uncle.

"Oh?"

Hearing that he wanted to buy pills, the two youths beside him immediately perked up.

Their eyes held curiosity along with a trace of reverence.

Just from his voice, this masked customer clearly was not very old, yet he was already a Martial Warrior. The two of them, meanwhile, were still tempering their strength.

"Pills aren't cheap. Which kind do you want?"

Su Xinghe thought for a moment, then counted on his fingers as he asked:

"Qi-Replenishing Pills, Qi-Nourishing Pills, Bone-Forging Pills—how much are these three?"

The old man's gaze gradually sharpened, as though he wished to see through the hood on Su Xinghe's face.

Within the earthen house, an indescribable aura began to spread faintly. It was somewhat like the feeling from the day Elder Xie had driven Lü Chenggong back with a shout.

"The fluctuations of an inner-force tide... This uncle is actually Eighth Rank!"