186: Chapter 186 The Underground Black Market

Lin Tian wandered through more than half of the street in Yunzhou Prefecture, entering five or six Spirit Beast shops in a row.

There were shops selling spirit dogs and spirit cats, spirit eagles and spirit cranes, and all kinds of Spirit Beast feed—from common mixed spirit grain to meat paste for feeding spirit leopards, they had everything.

However, as soon as he asked for Treasure Fish feed, the reaction of all the shopkeepers was surprisingly consistent: first they were stunned, then they shook their heads, and some even retorted, "Young Master, which School are you from to be raising Treasure Fish?"

He gave a few casual replies before retreating, standing by the street watching the passing crowds with a slight frown.

The shopkeeper of the last shop was an elderly man with gray hair. Seeing him hit a wall repeatedly, he sighed and said a bit more, "Young Master, this thing you want is too rare."

"Those who can raise Treasure Fish are all from large Families or large Sects; they have their own Breeders internally, so they have no need to come out and buy feed."

"Very few shops outside sell this stuff because it simply doesn't sell—those who have Treasure Fish don't need to buy it, and those who want to buy it don't have Treasure Fish."

"Besides, Breeders who can create Treasure Fish feed are also extremely rare, even scarcer than Alchemists."

"Breeders can be considered a type of Alchemist; the things they refine are not Medicinal Pills for people to eat, but feed for fish to eat. The path is too niche, so they have been given the separate name of Breeder."

"Within a few hundred miles of the entire Yunzhou Prefecture, the forces that have Breeders can be counted on one's fingers."

Lin Tian walked out of the shop and stood by the street in silence for a while.

Before coming, he had thought it would be simple—he assumed Treasure Fish feed was like ordinary Spirit Beast feed and could be bought at any random Spirit Beast shop in a large city like Yunzhou Prefecture.

But now he realized that this item was simply not something traded on the open market.

His private fish pond had the water origin tree to provide spiritual water, the Black Crocodile to guard the entrance, and his Beast Taming Technique to precisely control the behavior of the Treasure Fish, but without a stable supply of feed, relying only on the meager naturally occurring plankton in the lake, it would be fortunate if those two Treasure Fish could barely survive; wanting them to grow rapidly and breed in large numbers was simply impossible.

He sighed and was just preparing to return to the fishery and think of another way when a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind him.

A middle-aged man turned out from the street corner and walked quickly toward him, waving his hand as he went: "Young Master, please wait a moment."

Lin Tian turned around to size up the person approaching.

The man was about forty years old, wearing a worn-out gray cloth long gown, with a faded jade pendant hanging at his waist.

He had a long, thin face with high cheekbones, and his eyes were small but very agile, the pupils constantly shifting slightly when looking at people.

He was not a Martial Artist—Lin Tian could not sense any fluctuations of Internal Energy from him; his footsteps were unsteady and his breathing was shallow, he was just an ordinary person.

He had seen many such people in the market, who specialized in running errands and guiding Martial Artists from out of town, introducing business deals and taking a small cut for their hard work.

"What do you want?"

The middle-aged man stepped closer, looked left and right at the passing crowds on the street, and lowered his voice: "Young Master, are you looking to buy Treasure Fish feed?"

Lin Tian's gaze lingered on his face: "You have some?"

The middle-aged man shook his head hurriedly and waved his hands in front of his chest: "I don't. But I know a place that does, and I can take you there."

His voice lowered another notch, and his tone carried a hint of mystery: "It's an underground shop, a type of black market. The things sold there might have some issues with their origin—for example, internal goods that flowed out from large Schools or large Families, or things that some Disciples secretly took out to exchange for money."

"But the goods are genuine, and they compensate ten times for any fake. The Treasure Fish feed you want should be there."

Underground shop.

Lin Tian narrowed his eyes.

He had stayed at the Yunhai Fishery for nearly two years and had dealt with all kinds of people; he was no longer the novice who knew nothing when he first left the Sect.

He had heard of the black market—every large city had one, hidden in the shadows of the legitimate markets, selling things that could not be openly traded on the market.

Stolen goods, prohibited drugs, Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals of unknown origin, and even some contraband Materials used by evil cultivators.

There were certainly risks, but the black market had its own rules—do not ask about the origin, do not check identities, exchange money and goods on the spot, and once the deal is done, both sides are clear and owe nothing to each other.

It was hard to buy this feed in the market, so the black market was indeed a viable channel.

"Very well. Lead the way."

Lin Tian took a small ingot of silver from his sleeve and weighed it in his hand, "However, we must arrive at the place first, and I must see with my own eyes that the place actually has Treasure Fish feed before I will pay you."

The middle-aged man's gaze lingered on that ingot of silver, and he grinned: "Young Master is cautious, that is as it should be. According to the rules, the guide fee is twenty taels of silver."

He paused and added, "The underground black market only opens at night. Young Master, I will take you to find a place nearby to rest first, and wait until it gets dark before I take you over."

The sky gradually darkened, shops on the streets of Yunzhou Prefecture closed one after another, and lanterns along the street lit up one by one.

The middle-aged man led Lin Tian through several streets that were becoming deserted, turning into a secluded alley.

At the end of the alley was an old tea house; the storefront was not big, hanging a faded blue cloth curtain, and a paper lantern at the entrance shone with a dim yellow light.

At this hour, there were no customers left in the tea house; a waiter was leaning on the counter dozing off.

Hearing footsteps, he lifted his eyelids to take a look, then lowered his head to continue dozing.

The middle-aged man did not stop in the front hall of the tea house, but went straight through the back curtain to the backyard.

The backyard was very small, paved with blue bricks, with several stacks of empty tea canisters piled in the corner.

By the courtyard wall was an inconspicuous small door, its paint peeling, looking like a storeroom for miscellaneous items.

The middle-aged man walked to the small door and raised his hand to knock three times on the door panel.

The small door opened from the inside.

An old man stood at the doorway, wrapped in a washed-out gray robe, his beard and hair completely white, but his figure was lean and upright, and his eyes shot out brilliant light in the dim lantern light.

Seeing the middle-aged man, he was stunned at first, then immediately frowned, lowering his voice to scold: "Didn't I tell you? Do not bring any random people here! The last person you brought almost caused big trouble. Are you tired of my old bones living too peacefully?"

The middle-aged man hurriedly apologized with a smile, his waist bending involuntarily by half: "Old Wu, the person I brought this time is absolutely no problem! It is an honored guest—you will understand once you take a look."

The old man snorted and turned his head to size up Lin Tian.

His gaze paused slightly when it landed on Lin Tian, and then his pupils shrank violently—he sensed the rounded and steady aura on Lin Tian, where light and dark were unified, and retraction and expression were controlled by the heart.

He blurted out, "Transcendent Martial Artist?"

Lin Tian did not speak, just nodded slightly.

The old man's face, which had been full of disdain earlier, instantly changed its expression, becoming polite and solemn.

He bowed to Lin Tian: "Young Master, please come in."

Lin Tian stepped over the threshold and casually slapped a twenty-tael silver note into the middle-aged man's hand.

The middle-aged man took the silver note, bowed and scraped, saying "Thank you for the reward, Young Master," before tucking the note away and disappearing in a flash at the end of the alley.