In the dark alley, the damp air carried a nauseating mix of mold and decay. I ran with all my might, while the jeers of Young Master Li's thugs and Su Yao's sharp curses echoed closely behind me like a death sentence.
Fortunately, I was familiar enough with the terrain, and after darting through several turns, I finally managed to shake them off. I leaned against a wall, panting heavily, my chest feeling as though it might burst.
Young Master Li, Su Yao, I, Lu Chen, swear I will not rest until I have my revenge!
I touched the jade pendant inside my tunic. It was my family's only remaining heirloom and my sole clue.
"If you want to know the truth behind your family's destruction, go to the Black Market."
Su Yao's cold glance as she left, along with those words, echoed relentlessly in my mind.
The Black Market was rumored to be a cesspool where all sorts of shady characters mingled, but it was also the place where information flowed most freely. For the sake of my family's unjust fate, I had to go!
As night fell, on the other side of town, a dilapidated temple stood neglected, completely out of place amidst the bustling streets around it. This was the entrance to the Black Market.
I pulled down the brim of my hat to conceal most of my face and moved with the stream of people entering the temple. Under the dim lights, a few ragged beggars lay lazily on the ground. One of them spotted me, instantly switched to a flattering expression, and reached out a hand, whining, "Good sir, have pity, spare a coin for a meal..."
I sidestepped his hand and walked straight toward the depths of the temple.
"Hey, kid, you're new here, aren't you? Don't know the rules?" Seeing that I ignored him, the beggar instantly changed his tune, his voice turning fierce.
I stopped in my tracks and looked at him coldly.
"Hehe, if you want to enter the Black Market, you have to pay the toll first!" The beggar said, taking a step closer to me. From the shadows behind him, two burly men emerged, staring at me with malicious intent.
It seemed this Black Market was indeed no benevolent place...
I took a deep breath and gripped the dagger hidden in my sleeve.
"Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over what you've got..." Before one of the thugs could finish, I abruptly pulled out my dagger, pressed it against his neck, and said coldly, "Take me to the Black Market!"
The cold gleam of the dagger flashed across the thug's face. His arrogant demeanor vanished completely, and he froze in place, too terrified to move. Seeing this, the other thug tried to step forward, but I thrust the dagger slightly further forward, pushing his companion back as I spoke in an icy tone, "Don't move if you don't want to die!"
"Hero, spare our lives! We'll take you to the Black Market right now!" Perhaps sensing my murderous intent, the thug begged for mercy with a trembling voice. Only then did I relax slightly, though I remained vigilant, making them lead the way.
Passing through the dilapidated temple's backyard and twisting through several turns, we finally arrived at a hidden underground door. The two thugs pushed it open, and a wave of damp, rotting air rushed toward us, accompanied by a deafening roar of crowded voices.
"This is the Black Market," one of the thugs muttered in a low voice. "We brothers are just trying to make a living, so please, in your great mercy..."
"Get lost," I interrupted him coldly, putting away my dagger and turning to walk through the hidden door. The two thugs acted as if they had received a pardon and fled in a panic.
The Black Market was even more chaotic than I had imagined. The narrow space was packed with all sorts of people, and the sounds of shouting, bargaining, and fighting blended together, making my head spin.
I gritted my teeth against the discomfort and wove through the crowd, desperately searching for any trace of a clue regarding my family. Suddenly, a deep voice sounded right beside my ear, "Are you looking for the truth behind the destruction of the Lu Family?"
I whirled around to see a figure completely shrouded in a black robe standing behind me, their face hidden from view. Seeming to sense my wariness, the person spoke in a hoarse voice, "Don't be nervous. I know who killed the Lu Family, and I know the secret of the jade pendant in your hand."
A shock ran through my heart. Could the truth behind my family's injustice finally be coming to light?
The figure in the black robe seemed to read my thoughts and gestured for me to follow. I hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to trust him.
He led me to a secluded corner where almost no one passed by. I lowered my voice and asked, "Who on earth are you? Why are you telling me this?"
Just as the black-robed figure was about to speak, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind, "Lu Chen, watch out! He's a liar!"
I jerked my head around and saw Su Yao standing not far away, glaring furiously at both me and the black-robed person.
Su Yao's sudden appearance startled me. Why was she here? And what did she mean by calling this black-robed person a liar? Doubts swirled even more intensely in my mind, and I didn't know whom to trust.
"Su Yao, why are you here? What do you mean by saying he's a liar?" I asked in a low voice, my gaze shifting back and forth between Su Yao and the black-robed figure.
Su Yao hurried over to my side, grabbed my arm, and said anxiously, "Young Master Lu, don't believe him! He's just a swindler who specializes in spreading rumors in the Black Market to scam people out of money. I've seen him several times before, and he always uses the exact same trick!"
The black-robed figure let out a cold laugh and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Young lady, you can eat your words casually, but you can't just accuse people blindly. When have I ever scammed anyone? As for you, you've ruined my plans time and time again—what is your real motive?"
Su Yao retorted without showing any weakness, "My conscience is clear, so how could I be ruining your plans? You're the one sneaking around in the dark—if you're not a swindler, what are you?"
The two of them argued back and forth, leaving me completely bewildered and utterly clueless as to whom I should believe. The black-robed figure claimed to know the truth about my family's destruction and the secret of my jade pendant—things Su Yao could not possibly know. Yet, Su Yao insisted he was a fraud who had been caught multiple times. How was I to explain this?
Just as I was hesitating, a group of fierce-looking thugs suddenly rushed out from the crowd. At their front was a bald, burly man with a fierce face and a gleaming saber in his hand.
"What are you bickering about? Don't you know this is the Black Market? Whoever dares to cause trouble here again, don't blame me for being unpolite!" The bald man's voice was like a booming bell, making my ears ring.
Seeing this, the black-robed figure cursed under his breath and turned to slip away. Upon seeing this, Su Yao quickly pointed at the black-robed figure and told the bald man, "It's him! He's a swindler trying to scam Young Master Lu out of his money!"
The bald man coldly swept his gaze over both the black-robed figure and me, waved his hand, and ordered his subordinates, "Grab them all!"
A sense of dread washed over me, and I turned to run, but there were simply too many people in the Black Market, making it impossible to push through. In my panic, I spotted a narrow alley nearby and dove straight into it, hoping to shake off those people.
The alleyway was pitch black and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I stumbled forward, running blindly for I didn't know how long, until I finally reached the end of the alley, only to find a towering wall blocking my way—there was no road ahead at all.
My heart instantly turned half-cold as I realized I had blundered into a dead end and was trapped like a turtle in a jar. Just as despair set in, I suddenly heard a faint sound coming from directly above my head...