My Apprentice Is Too Diligent

Chapter 21: Black Market

Gang leader, government official, martial arts school master.

Three individuals with different identities but high status secretly meet.

Even a fool can tell that they have some issues!

The strange jade plaques found on Xiong Zengtong and Yang Qin, it's highly likely that Zhao Feihu also has one!

Zhao Feihu is only at the Body Refining Seventh Layer, whether it's capturing or killing him, it's not a problem for Chen Wuji.

The problem is whether Zhao Feihu has cultivated a secret method to control his own blood and self-destruct.

Chen Wuji admits to being interested in these jade plaques.

But he won't take any risks.

So, before extracting the secret of the jade plaques from Zhao Feihu's mouth, he must ensure that Zhao Feihu cannot self-destruct.

The Dreaming Incense becomes the best choice.

Chen Wuji is unaffected by the Dreaming Incense because he discovered the trick beforehand and held his breath.

If it were someone else, they would have already succumbed to the Dreaming Incense.

And to obtain the Dreaming Incense, one must go to the black market!

...

While contemplating, Chen Wuji asked a few more questions.

When there were no more questions to ask, Liu Ji also didn't know, and Chen Wuji struck his heart with a palm, killing him completely.

Although he is a constable, Liu Ji is not a good person.

In the afternoon, Chen Wuji found out that this guy took advantage of his position, not only being greedy for money but also forcing a virtuous tofu-selling girl's family to suffer. Her father's leg was broken, her younger brother fell into the water several times, and her stall was splashed with gold juice. She had no choice but to marry Liu Ji to end the calamity.

For this kind of person, Chen Wuji has no psychological burden when killing him.

As usual, he throws the corpse into a mountain stream and declares it missing.

Chen Wuji returns to the county town.

As the head of the Hidden Dragon Gate and the former young master of the Chen Family, Chen Wuji naturally knows where the black market in White Water County is.

It is located in an abandoned village ten miles northwest of the city.

It opens on the first and fifteenth of every month.

The opening time is not at night but during the day.

Chen Wuji is lucky. On the third day after his return, it is the fifteenth of the month.

...

Early in the morning on this day.

Chen Wuji wears black clothes inside and a long robe outside as he leaves the Chen Family compound.

After walking two streets, he finds an alley and enters it slowly.

When he comes out of the alley, he changes his appearance.

Continuing to walk, he finds another deserted alley and changes his figure when he comes out.

From this point on, he feels it's about right and heads straight to the city gate.

Leaving the county town, he heads to the black market.

When he is close to the place, he shortens his height again and takes off his robe.

From head to toe, he becomes a different person, with his face covered by a cloth, before entering the black market.

Early in the morning.

The black market has already gathered many people.

Each person either wears a mask or covers their face with cloth.

Everyone walks in the middle of the abandoned village, the only street, speaking softly.

Both sides of the street are filled with stalls.

Weapons, martial arts techniques, medicinal herbs, rare meats, children, beauties...

Everything is being sold.

Chen Wuji walks slowly, scanning each stall, using his enhanced perception and heightened hearing to carefully listen to his surroundings.

Soon, he hears the information he wants.

Third Master!

A man wearing a monkey-faced mask, at a stall filled with bottles and jars, wants to buy a certain poison but is told by the stall owner that they don't have it and to go find Third Master.

After hearing this, the man with the monkey-faced mask stands up and walks towards the end of the street.

Chen Wuji calmly follows behind until he sees the man with the monkey-faced mask enter a wooden house.

Standing ten steps away from the wooden house, Chen Wuji listened to the sounds inside.

Confirming that "San Ye" was indeed inside the house, Chen Wuji patiently waited outside.

After a cup of tea, a monkey-faced mask emerged from the wooden house.

Upon seeing Chen Wuji, the masked figure first froze, then maintained a distance, cautiously circled to the other side, and quickly walked away.

Chen Wuji waited for a moment before stepping forward and entering the wooden house.

As soon as he entered, he smelled different scents.

"What does the guest want?"

With a deep and sharp voice, the question echoed in the room.

Chen Wuji held his breath and looked towards a corner of the room. Under the dim thatched roof, a man wearing a mask and with an indistinguishable appearance sat behind a worn-out wooden table. Only a pair of distinctively white eyes were visible, gazing at Chen Wuji in the darkness.

"Mist Incense."

Chen Wuji lowered his voice and spoke, "I want two portions of Mist Incense. How much does it cost?"

"One portion of Mist Incense costs three hundred taels of silver," the man responded in a low voice, "but I don't have any in stock at the moment. It will take a month to replenish."

"A month?"

Chen Wuji was slightly surprised, "Can't you restock faster?"

"No."

Chen Wuji remained silent.

"In addition, Mist Incense is in high demand. Every time before the stock arrives, it has already been reserved by someone," the man said in a low voice, "this time is no exception. There are already three people who have placed orders in advance."

"So, do I need to make an advance reservation too?" Chen Wuji remained composed, "How much is the deposit?"

"One hundred taels of silver," the man replied calmly, "If the guest is unwilling, you can wait until the stock arrives. However, the quantity of each batch is uncertain, sometimes more, sometimes less."

"If there is an excess, it won't be a problem. If there is a shortage, then you'll have to wait another month."

"...Alright."

Chen Wuji sensed the fluctuations in the man's emotions and confirmed that he was not lying. He took out a one hundred tael silver note from his pocket and placed it on the table two steps away.

"See you in a month."

With that, he turned and left the wooden house.

Inside the house, the man in the darkness looked puzzled and fell into deep thought.

...

Returning to the stall area.

Chen Wuji walked slowly on the street, looking at each stall and scanning for interesting things.

Rarely visiting the black market, Chen Wuji didn't mind buying something good if he came across it.

For example, martial arts techniques related to swordsmanship.

A set of "Storm Sword Technique" was not enough for Nan Jinyu to practice.

Which Sword Dao genius didn't cultivate multiple Sword Dao skills?

So, Chen Wuji stopped at the stall selling martial arts techniques and carefully examined each one.

However, he found that these martial arts techniques were either incomplete, fake, or of low grade.

After searching for a while, there wasn't a single one that satisfied Chen Wuji, so he had to give up.

Having visited all the stalls, Chen Wuji left the black market.

But outside the abandoned village, he made a detour and returned to the black market, stopping in a secluded corner ten zhang away from San Ye's wooden house. He suppressed his aura to the lowest level and patiently waited.

This wait lasted until it was dark.

The moon rose above the willow branches.

San Ye in the wooden house finally emerged from another half-collapsed thatched hut about five or six zhang away from the wooden house.

Chen Wuji saw it from a distance and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Using his peripheral vision, he occasionally glanced.

Then, he leisurely followed behind San Ye, shuttling through the countryside paths.

Watching the other person change clothes and equipment.

All the way back to the county town, displaying lightness skills, quickly stepping on the walls, and returning to the city.

Chen Wuji followed all the way.

Until he watched San Ye enter a large courtyard.

"I knew it was him!"

(End of this chapter)