Xiamen city had many temporary black markets. They sprang up in street alley’s, escape tunnels, and the basements of brothels alike, but only the five year tournament market was held openly without fear of officials. Backed by so many powerful sects and clans, there was little the city lord or his guards could do to stop it from forming.
With items born of questionable morality sold, such as poisons and so-called cursed weapons, the black market attracted a number of unsavory characters that rarely left their dark, obscure holes. Unfortunately, they were hard to track even after they made a purchase. The city lord would send a number of men to infiltrate, but very few would successfully enter.
When Liang and the old man arrived at the large alley, they faced a sealing barrier that only allowed entrance to people carrying a black card with silver stripes, which the old man somehow acquired. Despite their best efforts to arrive early, there were still close to 20 booths already setup, with most selling pills and spirit weapons.
Although nearly every person seated at a booth wore a mask, they all wore their robes proudly, displaying whom they affiliated with, as if advertising their group’s strength. “Everything’s a competition with sects”, said the old man while they passed other booths. “Each of them trying to outdo the other. The people at the tables are disciples, but I’ll tell you, the real merchants are the elders.”
As they walked further into the alley, the old man pointed to a few weapons and explained, “To a Nascent cultivator, a mid-grade spirit weapon isn’t worth much, but to core cultivators, it’s a treasure worth fighting over. These elders are using the tournament to offload weapons they don’t use at a high price.”
Liang asked why they did not sell at the beginning of the tournament, but the old man told him the number of weapons they have are limited. The 50 fighters remaining in the second round combined with the 15 that already passed was still a large number. In the market, there were likely only a dozen mid-grade spirit weapons, so selling now to the wealthiest of fighters would net the most profit for them.
Once they reached a suitable spot in the alley, the old man removed a shoddy looking table from his ring and a rickety chair for him to sit on. Before they left the inn, the old man told Liang they were trying to look mysterious. He changed his appearance to match an old hermit he said he once met, with a long, filthy beard, a weathered brown robe, and a half cloak pulled over his head to hide the top of his face. Liang thought he looked like a beggar, but he was too worried about his own appearance to bother with the old man’s.
Using Liang’s illusion ring, the old man made him look like a young woman so he could draw in a crowd. With dark, intricately braided hair, fair skin as flawless as jade, bright pink lips, and an emerald Qipao that accentuated his curvy body, he stood out. It was all an illusion, but his appearance still left him feeling uncomfortable. However, after suffering the old man’s guilt trip and the promise of splitting the profits evenly, he finally gave in and agreed.
In order to complete the mysterious feel, the old man took out several incense burners to place around the table and finished the look with a purple stone that gave off a slight, pulsating glow. After draping a banner that read World’s Greatest Talismancer over the edge of the table, he instructed Liang to remove his cloak so everyone could see him, and wave at all the men who passed by.
Almost immediately, a number of young and middle-aged men walked over, attracted to both Liang’s appearance and the old man’s claim. Talismancer’s held a high position in the martial world, so saying he was the world’s greatest was a bold claim, enough so that many people challenged it, angrily.
“Old man, what’s the meaning of your sign? You saying you’re number one under heaven? You have any proof? Or did you just wake up today and scribble b******* on your bedsheet?” The young man wearing gold robes with dragon hems acted offended, and soon many followed with shouts of “prove it”, and “take down the banner”, but the old man did not mind.
Chuckling at their responses, the he took out a talisman and told Liang to place it around his neck. He called out to one of the middle-aged men, telling him, “You’re a Nascent cultivator, but my disciple’s only a core level cultivator, how about you test my talisman. Strike her as hard as you can, and watch as my work deflects your attack. That is, unless you’re not confident in your strength.”
The cultivator’s lip twitched at the provocation, but he answered, “You want me to hit such a beauty? Old man, I’m not some hot blooded youth that loses his mind over a few words.” It was not the reaction the old was looking for, but eventually after taunting the crowd, another Nascent cultivator agreed to attack.
The large man wearing red robes, who had short hair and dark skin took out a great sword from his ring and held it to his side. He apologized to Liang, but told him that at least it would be quick before striking forward with all of his strength. However, outside of the expectations of the crowd, the sword was unable to penetrate closer than a hand’s length from him, leaving everyone amazed.
The old man displayed his protection, strengthening, and illusion talismans on the table, along with his eight rings and cloak from the trash causing a bidding war to break out. Although there were some that still voiced skepticism, few people would pass up a life-saving treasure, and soon, the old man had taken in over 12,000 mid-grade spirit stones.
With only one invisibility talisman and two strengthening talismans left, the old man announced there was one talisman he had not taken out yet, and it was the greatest talisman he had ever created. Of the near 100 people now surrounding them, every one of them quieted and waited to hear what it was.
The old man signaled for Liang to help him up as part of his act, then raised a purple talisman with thousands of golden symbols and marks above his head. The complex designed fascinated the crowd, with many enchanted by the sparkling reflection of the purple orbs pulsating light, each in awe of the talisman’s beauty.
Pleased with the crowd’s reaction, the old man sat back on the chair and said, “The talisman in my hand can be used three times. One at a time, or all three at once. With a distance of three dozen Li for each use, this talisman is a life-saving treasure that took me over 200 years to research and another 40 years to collect the materials needed.” With the old man shouting and playing the talisman up, every cultivator rushed forward with questions on its use, but he raised his hand to tell them to wait.
“After braving countless trials, numerous savage beasts, and persecution from powerful sects, I present my one and only, space distortion talisman.” Liang rolled his eyes at the old man’s pitch. There were several more space talismans in the old man’s ring, and he knew well that he made them in less time than it takes an incense stick to burn with paper sheets and cheap alchemic supplies.
However, none of that mattered. Space distortion and travel was the stuff of legends, with only the most powerful and talented of cultivators capable of bending reality over great distances. The starting price was 1,000 mid-grade spirit stones, a low opening, but before anyone had a chance to bid, a young man interrupted by projecting his voice over the crowd.
“The world’s greatest Talismancer, is that so? All I’ve seen is a bunch of cards on strings and fools throwing money in your direction old man. To have the elders of so many sects fighting to spend money on your so called space talisman, you must be quite the good con man.”
The arrogant young man wore silver robes and ordered four guards at the peak of the nascent realm to split the crowd so he could walk forward, giving no face to the other sects and clans. Each of his steps was slow and deliberate, and as he walked towards the old man’s booth, he raised his nose to the air as if he was above everyone, much to the dismay of the crowd.
Trailing close behind, a beautiful young woman whose looks rivaled the city lord’s daughter stepped forward with an expressionless face. It was a windless night, but her dark hair that flowed like a waterfall down her back fluttered gently, and exposed her thin, pale neck to the crowd. Fairy Xu looked no different from the first time Liang had seen her, wherever she went, so too did the breeze that displayed her beauty.
Within the crowd, the name Huang Yun scornfully rolled off the tongues of many elders and disciples. Though they all came from powerful sects, none of them were future sect masters or clan leaders, so no one stopped him from pushing through. They felt disrespected, but were not willing to start a fight with Huang Yun and his guards.
The young man’s brash attitude surprised Liang, but after sensing his strength, he understood where his sense of superiority came from. Compared to the fighters he fought so far, Huang Yun was a cut above them. However, in no way did he feel inferior to him, and though Liang agreed the old man was a bit of a con man, he was insulting his master. For the first time, Liang decided not to hold back on his thoughts.
Stepping forward, he crossed his arms over his chest and mockingly said, “Oh…, your robes must be quite amazing to make everyone bow down to you. With such a sharp tongue, I’m guessing you’re used to saying what you want without consequences, but I wonder, what makes you think you can insult my master and leave unharmed?” The open threat surprised both the crowd and Huang Yun, but oddly, the old man was covering his mouth trying to stifle his laughter.
Liang was normally quiet, rarely speaking out of place and not overly confrontational, so he thought, maybe his choice of words made the old man laugh; however, that was not the case. It was the first time Liang stood up and openly challenged someone, but unfortunately, his appearance did not match his words.
With a pleasant voice and a body that embodied the dreams of men, the harsh words from Liang’s mouth sounded more seductive than threatening. Instead of shouting back in anger as Liang expected, Huang Yun turned towards him with a twisted grin and said, “You ought to be careful little girl. If you think my robes are making people act this way, I have no problem taking them off and having you bow before me later.”
It took a few moments for Liang to take in his words, but once he realized what happened, his face turned bright red in embarrassment, which only enhanced his beauty. He scowled in the direction of the old man, whose body was now trembling while trying to control himself, and swore that even if meant his death, he would somehow get back at him. However, for now he needed to deal with Huang Yun.
