The Black Market? Jiang Qiao's heart gave a jolt. This was a place he had wanted to visit all along, but he had never been able to find the entrance.
"I want you to come with me to the Black Market. I'm counting on you to help me with something, and it will cost you at most twenty thousand Spirit Stones. That's not too much to ask, right?"
"How do I know you aren't tricking me?"
Li Wentian was instantly infuriated. "If you don't trust me, then don't go."
Jiang Qiao frowned and thought it over. This fellow named Li Wentian gave him an unreliable vibe. If he followed Li Wentian, he felt there was a serious risk of getting his kidneys harvested.
Yet not going felt like missing an opportunity.
Sensing Jiang Qiao's hesitation and naturally unwilling to let a fish slip off the hook so easily, Li Wentian said:
"Sigh, forget it then. It seems you don't care much anyway. You still don't understand how terrifying that woman Mu Qinggan is.
"Since you're her new Dao companion, it's only natural that she brings you meals and you're temporarily blinded by romance."
"But she isn't my Dao companion," Jiang Qiao said helplessly.
"Ha! Male disciples who get close to Mu Qinggan invariably vanish without a trace within half a month—it's spooky as hell. Back in the day, Mu Qinggan and I were fellow disciples for a spell. If you don't believe me, go check the sect's registry yourself."
"You really do know something," Jiang Qiao said thoughtfully.
He had previously tested the waters with other disciples, but no one else thought there was anything unusual about Mu Qinggan. This Li Wentian was different, however, and even mentioned missing-persons cases he knew nothing about.
It seemed those other collectibles Mu Qinggan mentioned when she killed him before must be...
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Qiao made a decision. "In that case, when we head to the Black Market, we'll forge a symbiotic pact that lasts for two hours, and break it as soon as the time is up."
"A symbiotic pact? Bro, we're not sworn brothers, is it necessary to go to such extremes?!"
A symbiotic pact allowed the contracting parties to share all damage from external sources. In other words, if one was poisoned, both were poisoned; if one bled, both bled; if one died, both died.
Jiang Qiao crossed his arms. "If I lose an arm or a leg or die, I'll definitely drag you down with me. I'm only in the Qi Refining Stage while you're in the Golden Core realm. Take it or leave it."
If Li Wentian refused, then this trip to the Black Market was off.
"Fine, fine, fine. I already said I just need to use your money to get things done, I never said I wanted your life."
Li Wentian nodded. After all, he had only been after money from the start.
...
Mu Qinggan walked out of the Confinement Tower and headed toward the Sect Master's Manor.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door with a solemn expression and entered the Sect Master's reception hall.
The Sect Master was still eating grapes. She crossed one leg over the other, her delicate, fair, bare feet overlapping as if dusted with a layer of gray shadow.
Seeing Mu Qinggan arrive, the Sect Master spat out a grape skin with practiced elegance, took a few shallow sips from her tea cup, and leaned back against the couch. "You went to the Confinement Tower today?"
"Yes." Mu Qinggan kept nothing from the Sect Master; even if she tried to hide it, the Sect Master knew her whereabouts like the back of her hand.
"That disciple's name is Jiang Qiao, isn't it? Normally, I wouldn't want to interfere in your affairs. When those male disciples went missing before, you claimed it had nothing to do with you, and after taking the time to investigate, there was no evidence either, so naturally I believed you were in the right.
"However, how could you delay the task assigned to you time and time again?! You even violated the rules and entered the Confinement Tower without permission!!!"
With the final sentence, the tea cup slammed onto the table with a loud crash, sending water splashing across the floor.
The sudden pressure made it difficult for Mu Qinggan to breathe. She dropped to her knees and said, "Mas... Master, it was this disciple's negligence that delayed the task you entrusted to me."
"If you hadn't forgotten your original aspiration, with such fine talent, rising up steadily would have been enough. I'm not asking you to cut off all emotions, but letting yourself be overly ruled by them will ultimately be your weakness. From now on, you are forbidden from entering the Confinement Tower to visit under any pretext."
Without continuing further, the Sect Master let out a long sigh and collapsed tiredly onto the couch.
"Yes, this disciple will strictly obey Master's teachings."
"Also, for this task—sneak into the Black Market to gather intelligence. You must return to report within five days, and your cover must not be blown."
...
That night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.
There was an insomniac in the Confinement Tower.
Jiang Qiao didn't dare to sleep at all; he wanted to face Mu Qinggan with a clear head.
Since Mu Qinggan had said she would come, how to deal with her when the time came remained a major problem. He didn't want his favorability to increase while he was fast asleep without even realizing it.
He could already simulate the rough scenario: [System Prompt: #The junior brother's sleeping face is so pretty# Mu Qinggan favorability +5.]
Although this increase in favorability was hard to avoid, he still couldn't sleep. The mere thought that the person who had once killed him might come to watch him while he slept deeply gave Jiang Qiao the creeps.
Though he was flipping through a manual by lamplight, his mind was not on the text at all.
"Stop reading. It's this late, Mu Qinggan isn't coming. The Confinement Tower has a curfew anyway. You don't really love her to the bone and insist on waiting for her, do you?"
"?" To think someone could come up with such an absurd piece of imagination—Jiang Qiao could only be impressed.
"I already told you, that Mu Qinggan woman is weird. Even a fool wouldn't just blindly stick close to her.
"I can leave the Confinement Tower tomorrow, and you only have three days left. Once you get out, we'll hurry to the Black Market."
"Fine."
Yet three days later, when Jiang Qiao walked out of the Confinement Tower, he still didn't catch a glimpse of Mu Qinggan. Such a safe situation made him think only one thing: his decision to enter the Scripture Pavilion this time had been dead on.
Could it be that he was finally cracking the solution to this galgame?
He still had room to raise his favorability by 35 points.
After forging the symbiotic pact with Li Wentian, Jiang Qiao and Li Wentian arrived at a secluded corner of the sect's pool.
"The Black Market is right here?"
"Yes, but you need a secret password to enter. Each person with the password can only bring one extra person into the Black Market. Here, put this on."
Li Wentian produced a black robe and a mask from his Storage Ring and handed them to Jiang Qiao. "Remember to always conceal your identity once we're in the Black Market."
No sooner had he spoken than Li Wentian briskly donned his own disguise, then began muttering an incantation. The curtain of water gradually rose, and a whirlpool slowly grew from small to large in their field of vision until it became distinct.
"Let's go in."
Even though it was a spatial gate formed entirely of water, when Jiang Qiao stepped through it, his clothes remained neat and dry, entirely free of any icy, damp sensation.
After stepping through the gate leading to the Black Market, his vision went black for a moment before the full picture of the Black Market unfolded before him.
The sky of the Black Market was gloomy, seemingly trapped in an eternal state of sunlessness. Jiang Qiao found himself standing on a stone bridge, with peddlers setting up their stalls along both sides of the walkway.
Naturally, these merchants did not show their true faces either; they too were clad in masks and black robes.
Jiang Qiao looked back at Li Wentian. "Why don't you tell me the password to the Black Market, too?"
"Forget it, brother. This is how I earn my living and keep myself alive. If I tell you, how will I make money in the future?"
"Alright. So, can you hire powerful assassins here?"
"Hmph, who are you trying to kill? To hire an assassin in the Black Market, besides wealth, you need to value connections and power; otherwise, if you kill someone without backing, you'll be exposed sooner or later. With your current standing, the best you could hire are a few third-rate hacks.
"Look, I need money too, but I wouldn't dare take on assassination jobs. It's tragic to make money only to have no life to spend it."
Jiang Qiao nodded. He had previously tried to find people from other sects to kill Mu Qinggan, but they hadn't agreed either. As expected, his current strength was simply too limited.
Even with wealth at home, lacking high status meant running into limitations.
Although Li Wentian was talking to Jiang Qiao, his gaze constantly scanned the surroundings, as if waiting for someone.
"Once we finish my business, you can wander the Black Market however you like—provided you don't stir up trouble. The symbiotic pact is still in effect; I don't want to get injured for no reason, and I certainly don't want to court death."
Jiang Qiao nodded and followed behind Li Wentian as they moved forward. Unexpectedly, the Black Market was crowded, and as he walked, he collided head-on with someone.
Instantly, a string of beads snapped, scattering all over the ground and rolling about with a fluorescent glow resembling pomegranate seeds.
Jiang Qiao felt a dull ache in his waist, and naturally Li Wentian, walking ahead, felt the pain too because of the symbiotic pact.
[System Prompt: Luck value +0.1]
? Jiang Qiao thought he was hearing things. What on earth was a luck value? In his fluster, he didn't immediately pull up the system to check, but instead said to the person he had collided with: "I'm so sorry, so sorry. Let me help you pick them up."
The person merely glanced coldly at Jiang Qiao, expended great effort to gather up the beads, and hurried away, muttering before leaving: "Damn it, there should be twenty-four, but there are only twenty-three now. Still one short."
Watching the retreating figure, Jiang Qiao stood in a daze. When they were picking up the beads together just moments ago, he had distinctly realized that the person's eyes looked somewhat familiar, and judging by the voice, it was a girl.
Opening the system panel, he found that a "Luck" column had somehow appeared, with his current luck value at 0.1.
"Brother, what are you daydreaming for? Let's go. Good thing we only bumped into someone." Li Wentian beckoned Jiang Qiao forward, his expression excited as if he were anticipating some momentous good news.
The bridge in the Black Market was very long, and each stall was lit by a few orange-yellow oil lamps, adding a solemn touch to the gloomy atmosphere of the Black Market. The intermingling sounds of haggling made the place noisy and bustling.
The Black Market was a mixed bag of tricks, Li Wentian explained; people from both the righteous paths and the Demon Sect mingled here. If a buyer and seller had a falling out, drawing blades against each other was entirely possible.
Along the way, Jiang Qiao had already seen many dilapidated street carts and wood chips scattered across the ground. He stepped carefully on the bridge, avoiding the debris of previous fights.
"We've arrived. Do me this favor first." Li Wentian pointed to a large roulette wheel nearby.
A vendor approached them and enthusiastically introduced the attraction to Jiang Qiao: "Esteemed patron, we're holding a special event right now! New customers have a chance to win a grand prize of ten thousand Spirit Stones. All you need to do is channel a sliver of spiritual energy into this teapot and give the wheel a spin~"
Ten thousand Spirit Stones wasn't all that tempting to Jiang Qiao, seeing as he wasn't short on money.
The prizes displayed on the wheel were 10,000 Spirit Stones, 9,999 Spirit Stones, 999 Spirit Stones, and 99 Spirit Stones. Logically speaking, the chance of winning was one in four.
"Is this the favor you wanted me to do?" Jiang Qiao looked at Li Wentian expressionlessly.
Li Wentian scratched his head sheepishly. "Actually, this is just a little favor on the side. The real favor I need is coming up later. Since we're friends, help me with this little task first."
Every word and action of his screamed unreliability, and Jiang Qiao felt a strong aversion to agreeing. However, before Jiang Qiao could react, the vendor brought the teapot close to his hand and effortlessly drew away a wisp of spiritual energy.
Jiang Qiao hadn't released any spiritual energy of his own accord; rather, that wisp of spiritual energy seemed to possess a natural attraction to the teapot.
To harvest his spiritual energy before he even agreed felt somewhat off-putting to Jiang Qiao—it smacked of forced buying and selling.
Meanwhile, Li Wentian dragged him toward the roulette wheel. "You only gave up a sliver of spiritual energy, and you're guaranteed at least 99 Spirit Stones. It's completely safe, go ahead and try the wheel."
Jiang Qiao couldn't help but complain inwardly: this wasn't worth it at all! Suppressing his anger, he gave the wheel a random spin, and the pointer finally landed on 9,999 Spirit Stones.
"Esteemed patron, 9,999 Spirit Stones is a huge prize! But our shop rules state that you must accumulate a full 10,000 Spirit Stones before the reward can be issued to you. If you invite a friend over, you can draw for ingots again—10,000 ingots can be exchanged for 1 Spirit Stone! You'll be able to take those 10,000 Spirit Stones home in no time."
Jiang Qiao instantly understood why Li Wentian had dragged him along.
The vendor produced another roulette wheel, this one for 10,000 ingots, 9,999 ingots, 999 ingots, and 99 ingots.
"Forget it, I'm not inviting anyone. Let's just end it here."
Jiang Qiao experienced a sense of déjà vu, recalling the complicated feelings of being asked by people in the real world to help slash prices on e-commerce apps.
Li Wentian, however, eyed the wheel with glowing eyes and said, "I've invited someone, so I get an extra draw. Let me try my luck."
Jiang Qiao's face grew gloomy, ready to erupt at any moment.
Meanwhile, at another stall not far from the roulette wheel setup, Mu Qinggan had just opened for business. Humming a tune, she arranged the hairpins and jade ornaments she was selling on her counter.
After Li Wentian spun the wheel once with no result and returned, Jiang Qiao confronted him: "I can help you out, but don't pull me into scams. A wheel like this is obviously a con, yet you dragged me into it—what's the big idea? Hurry up, I've got my own business to attend to later."
Jiang Qiao still wanted to find a place that took custom pill orders, but since he had never browsed the Black Market, having Li Wentian—a seasoned regular—by his side certainly made things much more convenient.
Only, Li Wentian kept mentioning that he had to get his own business done first, and if this dragged on any longer, his patience would wear entirely thin.
"Hey, brother, don't you want to know Mu Qinggan's secret? Once I finish my business, I'll tell you right away, alright?"
Li Wentian was walking a bit unsteadily, and he articulated the name "Mu Qinggan" with excessive clarity, his voice far too loud. It quickly reached the ears of Mu Qinggan herself at the hairpin stall.
Mu Qinggan was instantly filled with doubt. She was certain she hadn't misheard. A secret—what secret could she have, unless...
She instantly grew vigilant, concealed a dagger in her sleeve, and approached the direction of Li Wentian, who had just spoken.
Her cheeks flushed, and her throat felt tight and dry. What secrets could she possibly have, aside from that incident?
She would rather kill a thousand innocents than let a single guilty person slip through the net.
Anything that threatened her future could not be tolerated for even a second of hesitation. Perhaps the fellow who had just spoken had witnessed her commit murder back then, or perhaps he held some kind of evidence!
Countless fragments flashed through Mu Qinggan's mind: how she had been rejected by many sects and cast out because she was an illegitimate daughter, and how, after wandering from place to place, she had finally been accepted as a disciple by the Sect Master.
If all the glory she had earned were to be destroyed overnight just because she had killed a few people, she would never resign herself to it!
The crowd on the bridge was dense and chaotic. Fixing her gaze on Li Wentian like a hunter stalking its prey, Mu Qinggan strode forward, rapidly closing the distance between them.
Jiang Qiao and Li Wentian had yet to realize that danger was approaching.
"If you take me to one more unreliable place, I'll use the symbiotic pact to pull stunts that harm us both. At worst, we'll just destroy each other."
Jiang Qiao knew he couldn't beat Li Wentian in a fight anyway, so the two-hour symbiotic pact was his only umbrella of protection.
Used well, this period of time would be relatively peaceful.
In terms of cultivation, he truly couldn't compare to this veteran sect scoundrel right now.
"Big brother, don't be so crazy. Do I look like an unserious person?" Deeply valuing his own life, Li Wentian bent over, waved his hands in a placating gesture, and motioned Jiang Qiao aside. "Look, we get off the bridge right here and head to the auction house."
"Your original intention was to have me go to the auction house to bid on something for you?"
"Smart! That's what I had in mind."
"Then how can you be sure that item will only cost twenty thousand Spirit Stones?"
"The market price for that item never exceeds twenty thousand. It's never broken the twenty-thousand mark in all these years. It's equivalent to using your money to buy Mu Qinggan's secret—totally worth it, right?"
The layers of stone steps had a rough texture, uneven and bumpy to walk on. With every few steps Jiang Qiao took, he could feel several stone bricks shifting underfoot.
At that very moment, the distance between Mu Qinggan and Li Wentian had become exceptionally small. Making a decisive judgment, Mu Qinggan let the short blade in her sleeve slide out instantly, thrusting it straight toward Li Wentian's neck.