42: Ghost Market Certificates

Over the following week, Qin Feng entered a state of near-seclusion. Aside from essential clinic duties and consulting Doctor Chu on difficulties regarding the Dao of Alchemy, he devoted all his time to cultivation and Alchemy.

With the dual support of the azure flame furnace and his Sword Heart talent, his success rate in refining blood qi pills steadily rose to about forty percent, and the quality of the pills produced was quite good. Taking his self-refined blood qi pills daily, combined with uninterrupted diligent training, he felt the barrier to the Middle Stage Martial Master Realm begin to loosen slightly, and the Primordial Internal Energy within his body became increasingly full and surging.

However, he also clearly felt that the effects brought by the blood qi pills were gradually diminishing. For cultivation in the Martial Master Realm, especially when pushing for higher minor stages, the Yellow Rank Low Grade blood qi pills were indeed starting to feel inadequate. He urgently needed a more potent Medicinal Pill—the qi condensing pill.

But the difficulty of refining the qi condensing pill far exceeded his expectations. Even with the help of the azure flame furnace and Sword Heart, his first attempt saw all ten sets of Materials wasted, with not even medicinal dregs forming. He was not discouraged, carefully reviewing every failed step, adjusting the heat, and optimizing the order of adding ingredients. In his second attempt with five sets of Materials, although it was still a total loss, he finally obtained a waste pill with a strange color and chaotic medicinal power in the last furnace, which meant he had finally grasped some of the fundamentals.

For the third time, he gritted his teeth and invested the final five sets of Materials. His concentration was intensely focused, his Internal Energy nearly exhausted, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. When a faint but clear hum of pill completion resonated from within the furnace, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

With trembling hands, he lifted the furnace lid. At the bottom of the furnace lay a single pill the size of a longan, with a clear green luster and emitting a pure medicinal fragrance—the qi condensing pill was a success!

However, looking at this sole successful result, Qin Feng could not find it in him to be happy; instead, he felt a pang of heartache over the cost.

"Sigh... seven hundred gold coins for just one pill?" He calculated the losses, his heart bleeding. Purchasing thirty sets of Materials for the qi condensing pill had almost completely drained the savings he had accumulated from his "Ghost" operations; now, his pockets were once again empty.

"It seems I'll have to see if the System can point out another path to wealth." He pinned his hopes on tonight's intelligence refresh.

As the zi hour arrived, the light screen lit up.

[(Yellow) The army of the Qianyuan Kingdom's Emperor encountered an ambush by the main Barbarian force at Fallen Phoenix Slope and is engaged in a bitter struggle. Nearly half of the soldiers under the generals of the National Uncle's faction deserted their posts, causing a massive gap in the defensive line. Currently, the Emperor is relying on the Golden Guard, the Chief Internal Attendant, and the Great General among other experts to fight to the death; the situation is critical.]

Qin Feng had become somewhat numb to the bad news regarding the imperial family, merely confirming once again the turmoil in the distance.

[(Yellow) Steward Zhang of the City Lord's Manor has long embezzled procurement funds by taking advantage of his position. Recently, he hid a large sum of two thousand gold coins under the third rose bush in the flower bed at the northeast corner of his residence's backyard.]

[(Blue) On the western outskirts of Star South City, every Sunday after the zi hour (11 PM to 1 AM), a secret 'Ghost Market' opens, trading various items of unknown origin or rare goods. Entry requires a 'Ghost Market Credential'. Inside the interlayer of the pillow on the couch in Steward Zhang's study, a Ghost Market Credential is hidden.]

"Timely assistance indeed!" Qin Feng's eyes lit up instantly! It was truly a case of finding a pillow just as he was getting sleepy! Just as he was worrying about money, a 'sponsorship' of two thousand gold coins was delivered! Even better, there was a credential to enter the mysterious Ghost Market! He might be able to find the Alchemy Materials and Cultivation Techniques he urgently needed there, or even clues about the Shadow Scorpion or the Yin Demon Sect!

Target identified—Steward Zhang's house!

The next day, Qin Feng first used his last bit of funds to purchase another thirty sets of qi condensing pill Materials for future practice. Then, he began making preparations to scout the Zhang manor at night.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high. Qin Feng once again transformed into the "Ghost," disguising himself and donning a mask to mask his aura, quietly slipping into Steward Zhang's courtyard, which was not particularly luxurious but was fairly well-guarded.

He avoided the patrolling servants and felt his way to the outside of the master bedroom like a shadow. The sound of snoring from Steward Zhang and his concubine came from inside. He took out a section of specially made knock-out incense and gently blew it through a gap in the window paper. After a moment, the snoring in the room became even heavier and more prolonged.

Qin Feng slipped into the room, ignoring the two sleeping figures on the bed. He first walked to the study area and found the pillow on the couch. With a slight release of Internal Energy from his fingertips, he snapped the internal stitching and indeed felt a black token made of an unknown cold material. Carved upon it was an eerie skull pattern—it was indeed the Ghost Market Credential!

Subsequently, he went to the backyard and, following the intelligence instructions, found the flower bed in the northeast corner. Under the third rose bush, he easily dug out a sealed clay jar. Opening it, he found it filled with gold coins! A rough count showed it was exactly two thousand!

After putting both the credential and the gold coins into the System space, Qin Feng departed quietly, as if he had never appeared.

The next morning, Steward Zhang woke up and first noticed his pillow had been moved. Startled, he hurriedly checked it and found the Ghost Market Credential had vanished into thin air! He panicked instantly, scrambling out of bed and rushing to the backyard. Seeing the empty clay jar after digging up the flower bed, his vision went black!

"My money! My credential!!" He let out a shrill scream, his blood and qi surging in agitation. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted directly on the spot. After waking up, he didn't dare report the case and could only swallow his bitterness, claiming to the outside world that he had suffered a sudden illness, while in his heart, he hated that mysterious thief to the bone.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng, carrying the "replenished" funds and the credential to an unknown Domain, began planning his next Alchemy session and the upcoming Ghost Market trip, which was full of both opportunities and risks.