The sweet and sour pork was crispy on the outside and tender within, the spicy stir-fried beef was satisfyingly chewy, and the stewed silver carp soup was a creamy white. A side of small, verdant greens added a crisp, refreshing crunch.
Devouring the three dishes and soup, Qi Yun rubbed his slightly bulging stomach and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
'Ever since I transmigrated, this is the first real meal I've had!'
Before he became a reserve talent for the Holy Sect, he ate steamed buns and pickled vegetables. After becoming a reserve talent for the Holy Sect, he ate pickled vegetables and steamed buns.
Next, it was time to get down to business.
Picking up a cloth from the table to wipe the grease from the corners of his mouth, Qi Yun's gaze cleared. He got up, went downstairs, and followed an inconspicuous path in the inn's backyard. After several twists and turns, he arrived before a cluster of jagged, grotesque rockeries.
Without breaking his stride, he walked straight into the rockeries.
The path began to slope downward, and the light grew dim.
After navigating a few winding turns, the view suddenly opened up. A massive plaza, as if hollowed out from beneath the earth, appeared before him!
Rows of wooden buildings, each with a distinct style—some delicate, others rough-hewn—were situated in this subterranean space. Atop massive wooden stakes so thick it would take two people to encircle them, Fierce Fires blazed. Faintly, human figures could be seen howling in agony within the flames, illuminating the sunless underground as if it were day.
A medley of strange, heavy, and murky auras permeated the air, clashing with one another.
Among them were auras distinctly different from those of the Human Race.
Wuji Holy Sect Marketplace Number 735!
Qi Yun's heart stirred as he scanned the wooden sign at the Marketplace entrance.
According to what the Black-clothed Servant had said, although this Marketplace was built and managed by the Holy Sect, any Cultivator could rent a space here to conduct business and trade.
As a result, the entire Marketplace was a melting pot of all sorts of people.
As long as you didn't rob or fight within the Marketplace, the Holy Sect wouldn't get involved.
"This isn't a Marketplace, it's a straight-up black market."
He chuckled. Knowing it was a black market actually made Qi Yun all the more satisfied as he walked inside.
'A black market is perfect.'
'If it weren't a black market, how could I fence these goods?'
'And if I can't fence the goods... how am I supposed to bait that little wolf...'
The interior of the Marketplace was a bizarre, dazzling sight. The wooden buildings varied in form. Some were adorned with Flowing Lights and vibrant colors, gaudy and garish, wafting a decadent fragrance that made one's heart itch. Others shimmered with golden light and blasted hot air into the street, from which shouts of anger or ecstasy would periodically erupt.
Wine, women, wealth, and wrath—it had everything.
The Marketplace was home to both simple trades and established businesses.
Qi Yun was observing the vibrant, tantalizing scene with great interest when a soft, smooth arm wrapped around his.
"Hey, handsome~ Come on in and have some fun~" a coquettish voice purred, laced with seduction.
Qi Yun's body stiffened slightly. Feeling the soft touch on his arm, he instinctively swallowed.
But unfortunately, he was completely broke.
He had no choice but to politely decline the advances of the warm, fragrant beauty clinging to his arm and quicken his pace toward the quieter trading area deeper in the Marketplace.
The deeper he went, the more the clamor faded, and the crowds thinned.
Qi Yun came to a stop before a quaint, proper-looking wooden building with a large character for "Pawn" written by the door.
After a glance to his left and right, Qi Yun stepped into the pawnshop.
「A quarter of an hour later.」
Qi Yun emerged from the pawnshop with a look of satisfaction, his robes bulging. Clearly, his gains had been substantial.
At that moment, across from the pawnshop, in the shadows of an alley between two wooden buildings, a figure with bloodshot eyes was staring daggers at Qi Yun as he exited. A crimson Sword Qi faintly flickered in his palm.
If not for the Marketplace's rules, Tang Shun would have already unleashed a blast of Sword Qi and cut him down.
Suppressing the rage in his heart, Tang Shun strode quickly into the pawnshop.
A moment later, he emerged. The anger on his face was gone, replaced by a killing intent as cold as thousand-year-old ice.
'I really underestimated you... Qi Yun!'
He had learned from the pawnshop that his Storage Pouch had indeed been stolen by this country bumpkin he'd looked down on.
Tang Shun quickened his pace, heading in the direction Qi Yun had gone. He secretly resolved that no matter what it took, he would make him spit out what he'd stolen today!
But Tang Shun, consumed by his fury, was completely unaware.
On a small, two-story building in the distance, a figure with watchful eyes was silently observing his every move.
When he saw Tang Shun emerge from the pawnshop, a triumphant smile curled at the corner of Qi Yun's lips.
He then hurried downstairs and, staying ahead of Tang Shun, headed off into the distance.
...
Following Qi Yun, Tang Shun soon found himself back near the inn.
However, to Tang Shun's surprise, Qi Yun didn't go straight inside.
Instead, he stood in the shadows outside the inn, pretending to casually look around. He even glanced up at the inn's lit windows, and then...
He suddenly turned on his heel and headed for the city gate!
'What is this bastard trying to do?'
'Pawn my things and then just run for it?'
Seeing Qi Yun heading out of the city, Tang Shun was momentarily stunned, then a grim, cold smile spread across his face.
'Perfect!'
'It would have been difficult to make a move in the inn. You're digging your own grave!'
Already considering Qi Yun a dead man, Tang Shun didn't overthink it and quickly followed him.
'As for whether it might be a trap...'
'What kind of trap could a petty thief who only dared to act when my back was turned possibly set?'
'Besides, they had entered the city together today.'
'That bastard wouldn't have had time to prepare anything.'
The night was as thick as ink. The waning moon was swallowed by heavy clouds, and the stars were hidden.
Without the light of lamps or candles, the wilderness seemed particularly deep and dark.
He chased Qi Yun out of the city and along the main road heading east. As the hazy silhouette of the county seat vanished completely behind them, the coldness in Tang Shun's eyes intensified. The fiercely malevolent Red Night Sword Qi in his left hand began to glow.
Just as he was about to sever Qi Yun's legs with a single strike, he saw the audacious little thief suddenly dart into the woods beside the road.
'Trying to run?!'
Thinking he'd been discovered, Tang Shun snorted coldly, instantly accelerated, and gave chase.
Branches brushed against his face, a cool sensation against his skin. But when he too entered the forest, he found no trace of Qi Yun.
'He got away again?'
Tang Shun's expression was a mixture of shock and anger. Thinking Qi Yun had used Magic to escape, he was about to pursue when his ear suddenly twitched. He threw himself to the side.
A blast of Sword Qi grazed his forehead and, with a SNAP, severed a tree branch.
"Qi Yun!"
Spinning around in fury, Tang Shun stared in the direction the Sword Qi had come from.
"You didn't run?"
'It missed. The aim of this hastily learned Magic is still a bit off...'
'I was planning to take his head off with that one strike. I can't believe the fiend actually dodged it.'
Sighing inwardly, Qi Yun silently peeked out from behind a tree.
Looking at Tang Shun, whose eyes were filled with a vicious light as if he wanted to skin him alive, he shrugged and chuckled.
"I set this entire stage just for you.
I've been acting all night. The show's about to reach its finale, how could I possibly leave?"
"Hah! Are you trying to get on your knees and beg for your life?" The Red Night Sword Qi in Tang Shun's hand blazed even more intensely as he sized Qi Yun up.
Slowly shaking his head, Qi Yun looked at Tang Shun calmly.
"To kill you and silence you."
"Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!" An irrepressible laugh burst from his lips, startling countless birds into flight. Tang Shun laughed so hard he was bent over, tears nearly streaming from his eyes.
"Kill me? You?"
FWOOSH—
Before the words had even left his mouth, a blast of Sword Qi materialized from thin air, shooting straight for the space between Tang Shun's eyebrows.
His heart pounding, Tang Shun hurriedly raised his sword to block.
CLANG—
He blocked the Sword Qi by a hair's breadth.
Tang Shun stared in disbelief at the dissipating Sword Qi.
When he looked up again at Qi Yun, he saw him slowly dissolving into a Clear Wind and vanishing.
Only a cold, flat voice, yet one that contained boundless killing intent, echoed through the forest.
"That's right. Just me."
...