Jiang Chen had broadened his horizons, experiencing the wonders of a formation firsthand. In one dizzying instant, the world spun around him, and he stepped out of a modern, upscale residential complex into a world reserved exclusively for unusual persons and unusual adepts.
"Oh, right. Here, take this." Chen Xue handed him a black mask.
"You're not wearing one?"
"I'm from the Chen Family, and Jiangbei City is our turf. By the rules of the great families, we don't wear masks in our local Black Market. It's a way of asserting our authority, telling everyone that on this turf, we aren't afraid of any trouble!" Chen Xue said confidently.
She took out a strip of cloth and tied it around her left arm. The armband bore an archaic character for "Chen."
And that really was the case.
Some unusual persons at the stalls on either side had been looking their way, trying to see whether the two newcomers were easy marks.
Once they saw the Chen Family armband, they all looked away, not daring to entertain any shady ideas!
Jiang Chen nodded and put on the mask.
Chen Xue had a great family backing her, but he did not. All he had at home was Old Zhang, who already had one foot in the grave. Now the old man had disappeared, and Jiang Chen did not even know whether he was alive or dead.
Thinking of Old Zhang, worry crossed Jiang Chen's face.
Over the past few days, he had been considering reporting him missing to the Public Security Office, but then he would remember the nonsense the old man had spouted before leaving, something about his sect being in trouble.
What if he belonged to some faction in the Dark Alliance? Wouldn't reporting him missing amount to exposing him?
"Let's look around. Whatever you want to buy, make sure you examine it carefully. Things are cheap in the Black Market, but there are plenty of scams."
With that, Chen Xue strode forward on her long legs.
Jiang Chen headed toward a stall as well.
After browsing for over an hour, he had gained a basic understanding of the Black Market.
All sorts of bizarre things were sold here. Magical artifacts, talismans, and elixirs were only the basics. There were even unwashed stockings worn by female ghosts, gossip about expert unusual persons, and so on...
But there were also plenty of fakes. Jiang Chen had taken a liking to a Fine-Steel Horse-Cutting Saber covered in engraved runes. When the stall owner activated it with true qi, ghostly blue flames immediately sprang up along its blade. The heat warped the air, making it look quite powerful.
The seller claimed it was a mid-tier Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, selling for just 3,000 Underworld Points or forty million in Nine Provinces Currency.
That was less than half the price listed in the Underworld App's store.
But as soon as Chen Xue came over, the seller immediately backed down, chuckled sheepishly, and put it away.
Scamming someone from the Chen Family was not something to do lightly. Local powers like them were even harder to deal with than powerful outsiders.
"This is one of the most common counterfeiting tricks in the Black Market. He stuck a Yin Fire Talisman on the saber. For the brief time it's active, it really can generate incredible heat, but once you take it home, all you'll have is a pile of scrap metal," Chen Xue explained.
Jiang Chen nodded. "Lesson learned."
He had actually spotted a few problems himself and would not have fallen for it, but Chen Xue really was a good person. Seeing him about to get scammed, she had put down what she was examining and come straight over.
"Mm!" Chen Xue raised her chin slightly, putting on the air of a big sister. "Stick with your big sis here, and I guarantee you won't get ripped off."
Then she pointed out, "If you want to buy a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, don't bother with these stalls. Go to the places with actual storefronts. Even graded items are rare at the stalls. Hardly anyone here has a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact to sell."
The two were about to continue browsing when a commotion suddenly broke out ahead.
A group approached, each wearing an archaic character for "Yang" on their left arm.
At their head was a young man in a white suit, with a sword slung diagonally across his back. Both hands in his pockets, he swept a casual gaze over his surroundings, a faint smile playing at his lips.
He looked like a frivolous rich young master, but only unusual persons could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from him.
People hurried out of his way wherever he went.
"Yang Ziyun!" Chen Xue pulled Jiang Chen to the side of the street as well and whispered, "He's the strongest member of the Yang Family's current generation, and the heir to the family head. Across all of Jiangbei City, he's one of the leading figures of the younger generation. Both his strength and his talent are frightening."
Seeing Chen Xue's solemn expression, Jiang Chen opened his mouth. Something about this felt oddly out of place. How had a perfectly normal modern world suddenly turned into one of those fantasy stories full of "terrifying beyond belief"?
He turned his head and found the unusual persons beside him whispering as well, saying things about exceptional talent and limitless future achievements.
Not wanting to seem out of place, Jiang Chen considered for a moment, then joined in. "Terrifying beyond belief! For this young man to possess such strength at such a tender age, his talent is astounding. He will surely forge a peerless legacy!"
His ringing declaration drew several approving looks.
Even Yang Ziyun paused slightly and cast him an appreciative glance. Anyone would have felt pleased to hear those words.
The corner of Chen Xue's mouth twitched.
She had been worried that Jiang Chen, newly arrived in the Unusual Person World, might be young, rash, and prone to causing trouble.
After all, geniuses like him often seemed easygoing on the surface but were deeply proud and defiant within, unwilling to concede to anyone. Seeing Yang Ziyun making such a grand entrance, he might have felt the urge to compete.
As it turned out, she had worried for nothing.
Jiang Chen had an excellent grasp of social niceties, winning the favor of the Yang Family heir in an instant.
"Heh, you flatter me." Even the normally unruffled Yang Ziyun cupped his hands toward them before continuing on his way.
Jiang Chen noticed a familiar face among the Yang Family group. Dressed in a sky-blue tracksuit was Lin Youwei's Best Friend, Yang Chan.
Before the Yang Family had gone far, another group entered through the Black Market entrance. Leading them was a fair-skinned youth who toyed with a butterfly knife, brazenly surveying the unusual persons around him.
Everyone he looked at felt a chill run down their spine, as though a deadly venomous snake had fixed its gaze on them.
"Zhao Sanlong, the youngest peak D+ expert in Jiangbei City!" Chen Xue introduced him to Jiang Chen. "Before, he could have been called the greatest genius of this generation."
"But apparently his second brother returned in the past couple of years. He joined the Dragon Elephant Temple as a child, so his strength is probably unfathomable. It's just that very few people have seen him."
"The Three Outstanding Zhao Brothers all have immense potential."
Chen Xue's expression was even more solemn than when she had seen Yang Ziyun.
Jiang Chen was slightly taken aback.
Erhu, Sanlong?
Could this be Zhao Erhu's younger brother?
As Zhao Sanlong passed, he gave Jiang Chen an extra glance. While surveying his surroundings, he had actually been studying everyone's qi, searching for weaknesses. It was an assassin's ingrained habit.
When his gaze settled on Jiang Chen, his heart jolted. He felt like a hunter who had stumbled upon another hunter. It was as though a fierce tiger lurked inside the other man's body!
This had nothing to do with strength. There were older C-Class experts present, but none gave Zhao Sanlong that same sense of danger, like facing a primordial beast.
"Heh, interesting."
Zhao Sanlong gave a barely audible chuckle and walked on.
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