The "Ghost Market" in the Marketplace

Lu Yuan practically dragged Lin Xiao through the last patch of bushes.

"It stinks."

Animal excrement, rotting fur, cheap liquor, and the sour, putrid smell of mud fermenting from countless trampling people all mixed together into a turbid wave that crashed down on him. Lu Yuan squinted, his vision stretching along the black ditch, an endless expanse of messy shacks and stalls. The noise was deafening, like a pot of mushy porridge that would never boil.

We've arrived at Gray Stone Market.

Lin Xiao's weight was mostly on his shoulder, his head drooping, his breath hot against his neck. His amber vertical pupils were unfocused and out of focus.

"Wake up." Lu Yuan lowered his voice, helping him blend into the crowd crawling along the ditch. He hunched over, making himself look like he was supporting a drunkard.

Gazes. Many gazes. Behind the stall, in the crowd, like cold hooks, scraped across their dusty clothes and pale faces. Here, two disheveled young Soul Master weren't too conspicuous, but they were certainly not safe either.

He needs the medicine, immediately.

He touched the hard objects in his inner pocket—the ribs and spine of Iron Thorn Wild Boar, "spoils" from his last counterattack. He had originally intended to keep them for research, but now he could only use them to save his life.

He helped Lin Xiao move deeper into the market, to a darker and more chaotic corner. The light was worse, the shacks were so cramped they looked like they were about to collapse, and most of the stall owners had shifty eyes.

Found it.

In the cramped space between two crooked shacks, a lean man squatted, wearing a greasy leather vest. In front of him, on a tattered cloth, were several rough earthenware jars and withered herbs. He didn't call out, his eyes flickering like a snake's forked tongue as he watched passersby.

Lu Yuan pinched Lin Xiao's waist.

Lin Xiao groaned, his body swayed, his head drooped even lower, and he mumbled something indistinctly.

"Boss," Lu Yuan said, his voice deliberately hoarse, "Do you have any medicine for external injuries or to reduce fever? My brother got drunk, got into a fight, and got injured. He has a fever."

The stall owner raised his eyelids slightly, sizing them up, his gaze lingering on Lin Xiao's face. "We have anti-inflammatory and hemostatic powder, five Silver Soul Coin a packet. And fever-reducing powder, three packets."

"Dark. Really dark." Lu Yuan's face showed difficulty. He took out a deflated money pouch and poured out three Silver Soul Coin and two copper coins. "That's all... Could you do me a favor and give me some dry rations?"

The stall owner pursed his lips and didn't take the money. But his gaze was fixed on Lu Yuan's slightly open collar as he reached for his purse—a corner of a long, coarsely cloth-wrapped object was peeking out.

What is that?

Lu Yuan seemed to instinctively cover his mouth, then hesitated for a moment. "I picked it up on the road... a little bone. I was thinking of making some small gadgets."

"Bones?" The stall owner's interest was piqued. "Take a look."

Lu Yuan cautiously looked around before pulling out his cloth bag and opening a corner. Grayish-white, dense bones were revealed, gleaming with the unique luster of Soul Beast materials.

The stall owner squinted, tapped the bone with his finger, then brought it closer to smell it. "Iron Thorn Wild Boar ribs and spine, not short-lived, decent quality. Did you kill it?"

"I picked it up. It was from a fight between Soul Beast; I got lucky."

The stall owner stared at him, grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Kid, you're in luck." He rubbed his fingers together. "I'll take the bone. In exchange, you'll get the medicine you wanted, plus three hard biscuits and a sachet of water. Interested?"

Lu Yuan's face showed struggle. He looked at the money, then at the bones, then at the "dazed" Lin Xiao, and finally gritted his teeth. "... Add another packet of hemostatic powder. The wound is deep."

"Become."

The transaction was quick. Lu Yuan handed over the bones, took two packets of straw paper, a water pouch, and three hard, dark cakes. He stuffed the items into his robes, lifted Lin Xiao up again, and turned around.

After taking a couple of steps, he seemed to remember something, turned back, and said casually, "Boss, it must be tough making a living here, right? Anything interesting lately...? Don't accidentally run into trouble."

The stall owner, who was happily fiddling with the bones, looked up when he heard this, glanced left and right, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.

"Something new? Heh, there really is." He lowered his voice to almost nothing. "The Hundred Refinements Pavilion, you know it? The one in Nuoding City."

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. "I've heard of it. What's wrong?"

"They've recently offered a reward for information leading to someone's arrest." The stall owner's eyes gleamed with schadenfreude and greed. "The reward notices have been sent to several surrounding markets. The amount is this much." He held up five fingers and waved them.

"Five hundred?"

"Five hundred Gold Soul Coin!" the stall owner spat. "That's generous. But the description is vague. Just say you're looking for a young Soul Master, Martial Soul might be Trash Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass, and who might have an injured companion... something like that. Quite a few desperados have been tempted and are loitering around here." He chuckled, sizing up Lu Yuan. "I think you two are about the same age, but your martial Martial Soul definitely isn't Blue Silver Grass, right? Otherwise, I would have just..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Lu Yuan's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. His facial muscles tensed, then he forced a smile, managing to force a strained one.

"No way. If I were lucky enough to have a 500 gold bounty on my head, would I need to trade bones for medicine?" He shook his head, tightening his grip on Lin Xiao. "Thanks, boss. This information... is quite valuable. Let's go now."

After saying that, he didn't linger, quickened his pace, and disappeared into the chaotic crowd.

After turning past a few shacks, the piercing gaze behind him seemed to disappear. Lu Yuan's fingertips were icy cold.

Blue Silver Grass. An injured companion.

The description is vague, but the implication is too strong. Teacher Sun and the Hundred Refinements Pavilion... they acted swiftly. Five hundred Gold Soul Coin are enough to drive a desperate criminal mad.

He took a deep breath. He got the medicine; the first step was complete. He had to find a place to stay immediately and leave as soon as possible. This place was already riddled with holes.

My gaze swept across the area and settled on a crooked, dilapidated wooden shack not far away. A dirty wooden sign hung at the entrance, with a circle drawn on it, and an old man squatting there, dozing off.

Lu Yuan helped Lin Xiao over, took out a Silver Soul Coin and threw it into the old man's arms. The old man opened his eyelids a crack, picked up the silver coin, bit it, and stepped aside to make way.

The shack was even darker, filled with the stench of mildew and sweat. Several dark figures were huddled on the dry straw on the ground, their snores rising and falling. Lu Yuan found a corner at the back and carefully put Lin Xiao down.

The moment Lin Xiao touched the ground, his body went limp, and his consciousness became even more blurred. His forehead was burning hot.

We can't wait any longer.

Lu Yuan untied the makeshift bandage. The area around the wound was red, swollen, and black, with dark green lines spreading around it. The skin and flesh were as hard as tree bark, oozing pus and blood.

He took out the medicine. First, he sprinkled anti-inflammatory and hemostatic powder. The pale yellow powder landed on the ulcer and made a slight "sizzling" sound. Lin Xiao's body trembled violently, and he squeezed out a suppressed groan of pain from his throat.

They pried open his mouth again, poured in fever-reducing powder, gave him water, and held his chin to make him swallow.

After finishing all this, Lu Yuan was exhausted and leaned against the damp earthen wall. He took a bite of the hard biscuit, the rough texture scraping his throat, and swallowed it with difficulty. He then drank a few mouthfuls of water.

Outside the shack, night had fallen, but the noise hadn't subsided; instead, it seemed to grow even more unrestrained and lively. Laughter, drinking games, and the clanging of metal could be faintly heard.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, letting his Soul Power flow slowly to relieve his fatigue. He dared not sleep too deeply, keeping his ears perked up.

I don't know how much time passed.

A series of heavy, orderly footsteps, accompanied by low, local-accented directions, approached the shantytown from afar.

Lu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

He quietly moved to the edge of the crack in the shack's broken wooden planks and looked out.

In the dim torchlight, a group of people walked along the dirt road. There were seven or eight of them, dressed in dark gray, fit outfits, and they moved with a brisk pace. The leader was a local guide who bowed and scraped. The group had sharp eyes that swept over the shacks and stalls on both sides of the road like a comb.

The torches leaped.

Lu Yuan saw it clearly.

On the left chest of those dark gray outfits was a small pattern embroidered with dark red thread.

Crossed hammers. Below, a cluster of flickering flames.

The emblem of the Hundred Refinements Pavilion.

They stopped in front of a shack, and the guide knocked on the door. A panicked response came from inside, and the two were roughly led out and interrogated by torchlight.

Lu Yuan held his breath, pressing his body against the cold earthen wall.

They are not "possibly" nearby.

They've arrived. And they're searching house to house.