43: Entering the Ghost Market

Looking at the intelligence refreshed by the System today, Qin Feng's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

[(White) Xia Xue, the daughter of the City Lord's Manor, relying on her exceptional talent and ample resources, successfully broke through to the Grand Martial Master Realm yesterday at the age of eighteen. The City Lord, Xia Wuyin, was ecstatic and hosted a grand banquet for friends and guests.]

"An eighteen-year-old Grand Martial Master... that is a true Genius." Qin Feng couldn't help but sigh. Although he had reached the Mid-stage Martial Master Realm before the age of eighteen by relying on his Sword Heart, the System, and a pile of Medicinal Pills—a speed that was already world-shaking—he still paled in comparison to such a favored daughter of heaven. This made him even more determined to use all external help to improve himself.

[(Yellow) Xiao Chuns (Su Yuchun) recently secretly sought a craftsman to carve a mini wooden statue in the Host's likeness. Every night at the third watch, she holds it to sleep, suffering greatly from lovesickness. If the Host goes to 'comfort' her outside her window tonight at the zi hour, a special Opportunity might be triggered.]

"What the hell..." Qin Feng felt his scalp tingle and almost bit his tongue. The image of his Master Chu Yunhe's expressionless face instantly flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but shudder. "If Master found out, he'd skin me alive!" He quickly threw the information out of his mind; he could do without this kind of "Opportunity"!

[(White) Shadow Scorpion, due to a lack of progress in recent investigations and exhausted funds, tried to get a free service at the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion. He was exposed by the courtyard guards, beaten severely, and thrown into the street, losing all face.]

"Hmph, serves him right!" Qin Feng sneered, feeling refreshed. Knowing that this persistent assassin had suffered a setback eased his pressure slightly. "Once I Breakthrough to the Late Stage and find a suitable Opportunity, I will definitely kill you to eliminate future trouble!"

Pushing down his stray thoughts, Qin Feng took out a qi condensing pill he had painstakingly refined and swallowed it. The pill entered his stomach, turning into a pure and gentle yet powerful medicinal force that quickly merged into his limbs and bones, greedily absorbed and refined by the Primordial Unity Qi Art. He could feel the barrier of the Mid-stage Martial Master loosen a bit more.

Recalling the past few days of Alchemy, he couldn't help but sigh. With thirty sets of qi condensing pill Materials and various buffs, he had only succeeded with two batches, obtaining four finished pills. The success rate was appallingly low; every failure meant a large amount of gold coins down the drain. However, he also understood that for a beginner like himself, being able to refine yellow rank high grade pills was already a miracle, enough to make many senior Alchemists feel ashamed if it were known.

"I still don't have enough money..." He weighed the two thousand-plus gold coins he had "borrowed" from Steward Zhang; buying Advanced medicinal herbs was still like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.

Counting the days, today was Sunday, the time when the Ghost Market opens!

The night was deep, and the zi hour was approaching. Qin Feng changed into an unremarkable set of grey cloth clothes, wore an ordinary mask that could conceal his aura, and carried the cold Ghost Market token in his bosom. Like an ordinary person returning home late at night, he walked toward the Western Suburbs.

The Western Suburbs were desolate, with only a few dilapidated houses and abandoned fields. Following the intelligence's instructions, he found a long-dried ancient well located at a three-way intersection. The well's mouth was half-covered by a huge rock, and ordinary people would never give it a second glance.

He looked around to ensure no one was there, then circulated his Internal Energy, slowly pushing aside the giant rock to reveal the dark well opening below. A cold, damp breath rushed at him. Without hesitation, he leaped down.

The well was about three zhang deep. Upon landing, it wasn't a hard well bottom but a downward-sloping tunnel. After walking about a dozen steps, a glimmer of light appeared ahead, along with the faint, indistinct sound of a noisy crowd.

At the end of the passage was a heavy black door made of some unknown metal. Beside the door, two guards in black cloaks with obscure auras and unreadable faces stood like statues; they were at least at the Martial Master level.

"Token." The guard on the left reached out, his voice hoarse and dry, devoid of any emotion.

Qin Feng remained silent and handed over the skull-shaped token.

The guard took it and placed it into a groove beside the door. The token flickered with a faint light, and the black door slid open silently, leaving a gap just wide enough for one person to pass.

"Go in. Do you know the rules? No violence, no probing others' identities, voluntary trading, and life and death are up to fate." The guard handed back the token and gave a cold reminder.

Qin Feng nodded and stepped inside.

Stepping through felt like crossing an invisible barrier. The door behind him closed quietly, and the scene before him suddenly opened up, making his breath catch in his throat!

How was this the dark underground cave he had imagined? It was clearly a bustling underground world with dim lights and a surging crowd!

Above was not rock, but some kind of giant crystal that emitted a soft white light like a starry night sky, illuminating the entire space as bright as day without being dazzling at all. The space was extremely vast, with no end in sight, as if the entire ground beneath the Western Suburbs had been hollowed out.

Wide streets crisscrossed each other, and on both sides of the streets were stalls of various sizes. Some were just a piece of cloth spread out, while others had exquisite sheds built. The stall owners and passing pedestrians, for the most part, were like him—wearing clothes that hid their identities and various masks. Their auras were mixed, ranging from Martial Artists to Martial Masters, and he could even occasionally feel a few heart-stopping presences that were suspected to be Grand Martial Masters!

The air was filled with various strange smells—the fragrance of herbs, the rust of metal, the mustiness of antiques, the fishy smell of Yao Beast Materials, and even a faint, lingering scent of blood. The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and low whispering intertwined to form a strange and noisy rhythm.

"Come and take a look! A recently unearthed Magical Artifact from the previous dynasty. Although its spiritual light is dim, it's definitely the real deal!"

"A complete skeleton of a Blazing Flame Tiger, the main material for refining bone weapons, only eight hundred gold coins!"

"Ancestral Pill Formula, yellow rank high grade 'qi burst pill', instantly increases combat power by thirty percent, highest bidder wins!"

"Secret news regarding the true identity of the 'Ghost' outside the city, only five hundred gold coins!"

Qin Feng walked through the bustling crowd, his eyes sharp behind the mask as he scanned the stalls, his heart filled with shock. This Ghost Market truly lived up to its reputation! The items traded here were varied; many were things that couldn't be found outside at all, or even belonged to the category of contraband. And that hawking about the identity of the "Ghost" made his heart tighten; although he knew it was likely a scammer, it also reminded him that this place was a mix of dragons and snakes where information circulated extremely fast, and he had to be even more careful.

His main purpose for this trip was to find more Advanced Alchemy Materials and perhaps gather some intelligence on Shadow Scorpion or the Yin Demon Sect. He took a deep breath and blended into this bizarre underground world, beginning his first journey into the Ghost Market.