OBS Chapter 58 Outside the Venue, Everyone Has Their Own Hidden agendas
Chapter 58 Outside the Venue, Everyone Has Their Own Hidden agendas
Wangjiang City, Dongcheng District.
At the end of Ping'an Street, there is a coffin shop.
There was a dry well in the backyard of the coffin shop. The bottom of the well had long been hollowed out and connected to a downward-sloping tunnel.
At the third quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), dark clouds obscured the moon.
Chen Yu finally arrived at the backyard of the coffin shop.
Before we even reached the dry well, three hoots of an owl suddenly rang out.
"Gurgle—"
"Gurgle."
"Gurgle!"
The first tone is long, the second tone is short.
The third sound abruptly cut off, as if someone had been choked.
Chen Yu knew this was the Night Owl Society's code, so he squatted down beside the dry well and spoke into the well according to the coded message Xiahou Fei had taught him:
"Brother, you've worked hard. I don't have any hidden weapons, nor am I an official. Please make way so we can come to the kiln for a transaction."
After a moment of silence in the well, a thin figure emerged.
The figure was dressed in a black robe, completely covered from head to toe, with only its eyes showing.
Chen Yu looked up and saw that the eyes were very clear, but at first glance, they gave off the impression of a foolish college student.
"Brother, please throw some firewood!"
The woman in black spoke, her voice clear and distinct, suggesting she was a young woman.
The phrase "抛柴马" means asking for money.
Making Chen Yu pay the entrance fee is also a way to test their financial strength.
Chen Yu took out five taels of silver from his waist and handed it over.
After all, this is a place guarded by Night Owls; you can only enjoy the corresponding services if you obediently pay up.
These are just the entrance fees. If you want to set up a stall in the outdoor area, you will have to pay an additional five taels for the stall.
If goods are auctioned inside the venue, a cut of one-tenth of the silver must be kept.
The man in black reached out and took the money, then a moment later pulled a strip of black cloth from his pants.
"Blindfold yourself and follow along."
Chen Yu took the black cloth strip and smelled a fishy odor on it.
It doesn't taste like blood; it smells more like fish glue.
I heard Xiahou Fei say before that this is the mark of a water rat.
A water rat is someone who leads the way in a hidden ditch.
They are born crawling in tunnels, relying mainly on their nose and ears to perceive rather than their eyes.
The man in black in front of us must be Water Rat.
Chen Yu blindfolded himself with a black cloth.
Yet, it was still able to see the surrounding scenery clearly.
A mere layer of tattered cloth was indeed no match for a person with sharp hearing and eyesight.
The man in black grabbed his wrist.
Chen Yu felt that the hand was as soft as cotton and as smooth as jade.
Although my palms felt nice to the touch, they were sweating quite a bit.
It made my wrists feel sticky and a little disgusting.
"This guy seems to be a newbie; he looks a bit nervous."
Chen Yu thought to himself.
"I say lift your foot, and I lift my foot; I say bow your head, and I bow my head."
The man in black gave instructions.
"If you... if you trip, then... then you can go back yourself."
Although his tone was very serious, Chen Yu couldn't help but feel like laughing.
It twists and turns, going uphill and downhill.
We stepped over gravel and waded through ankle-deep water.
I smelled a strange fragrance three times, which seemed to be the location markers of the secret door.
Every time it smelled the fragrance, the water rat leading the way would count to one.
"one two three."
After three times, she stopped.
"We're here. Take off the cloth."
"Don't open your eyes too wide, and don't be surprised by anything you see."
Chen Yu removed the black cloth.
Before us lies a vast space transformed from an abandoned underground riverbed.
It runs east to west, with no end in sight.
The dome is made of blue bricks.
An oil lamp was hung every ten feet.
The lamps were made from human skulls.
Drill a hole in the top of the head, pour in fish oil, and twist a cotton thread into a wick.
The skull lamp symbolizes the rules of the Owls Society.
The lights being on means this place is protected, even if you're doing business here.
If the lights go out, it means the government is coming to sweep or enemies are coming to smash things. Everyone should run for their lives, and the owner will not be responsible.
Today, all the lights were on, more than three hundred in total, making the whole market look dim and gloomy, like a ghost market in the underworld.
As Chen Yu entered the venue, the various smells in the air made him frown slightly.
It smells of alcohol, tobacco leaves, rust, donkey-hide glue, cinnabar, and musk, along with a lingering stench of excrement and urine.
Above this underground riverbed is the culvert of Wangjiang City, where sewage seeps down from time to time.
There were at least three to five hundred people coming and going in the venue.
Some were wrapped in tattered sheepskin coats, some wore silk but deliberately smeared a layer of dust on the ground, some were shirtless and covered in knife scars, and some were wrapped up so tightly that only their eyes were visible.
It was impossible to tell who was carrying real gold and silver and who was carrying a deadly dagger.
"Hey bro, do you need any cover clothing?"
The man in black seemed to suddenly remember something and whispered in Chen Yu's ear.
"What kind of security clothing?"
Chen Yu asked, puzzled.
"That's it. If guests don't want others to know their identity, our Night Owl Club can provide a black robe free of charge, which you can wear until the end of the event."
"I'm already inside, so many people have seen me, what's the point of wearing it now?"
Chen Yu countered with a question.
The man in black gave an awkward smile, his expression slightly embarrassed.
"According to the rules, they should have asked before entering, but I forgot..."
As she spoke, she took out five taels of silver and stuffed it into Chen Yu's hand.
"I'll pay your admission fee, just don't tell the venue owner!"
"..."
Chen Yu looked at her strangely, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Since we're already here, let's not worry too much about it.
It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost; you still have to wear what you need to wear.
In a corner, the man in black helped Chen Yu put on a black robe.
He then covered his face with a black cloth, leaving only his sharp eyes visible.
The two walked along the south side of the market, and a row of stalls made of coffin planks came into view.
The stall owner at the far east end was an old man with only one eye and missing half an ear.
He didn't have many items on his stall.
There were only three broadswords, two daggers, and one crossbow.
Chen Yu looked at them one by one without saying anything.
A man dressed in a soap shirt walked up to the stall.
Following Chen Yu's example, he touched each of the knives with his fingers.
When he touched the third one, his fingers stopped.
The hilt of the knife was wrapped with old strips of cloth, and dark red patterns could be faintly seen underneath.
The one-eyed old man suddenly lifted his eyelids: "That's a weapon that's been used to kill people. Seventeen cuts, each one piercing through the armor. If you can't stand not seeing blood, this one is just right."
The man in the black shirt spoke, his voice very soft: "What's your background?"
"This is a fine knife passed down from the White Iron Manor; it can cut a hair in two and slice iron like mud!"
"A Blood Refining Realm martial artist using it can even kill a Skin Refining Realm cultivator! If you want to take it, you'll have to pay at least three strings of cash!"
"I'll fuck your grandma's leg!"
The man chuckled.
"Your blade has two chips, which means you've killed someone, but you've over-sharpened it. The edge is crooked. It's worth at most one string of cash and two taels of silver."
The old man then raised his one remaining eye and sized up the man: "An expert?"
He extended his right hand, hooking his thumb over his middle finger, making a hand gesture.
That was a code word used in the blacksmith's trade, meaning "You make your living this way too?"
The man pointed his thumb and then tapped his chest with his index and middle fingers together.
This hand gesture means, "Half a bowl of rice won't kill you."
The old man grinned, revealing a set of uneven, yellow teeth.
"Since we're brothers, take Yi Guan Er. I'll also throw in a leather cord to wrap the handle and a whetstone."
The man took out a string of coins from his pocket, counted them, and threw them onto the stall.
The coins are Yongchang Tongbao coins, but the edges are all rounded off, and each one has a hole punched in it.
This is "anti-money," specifically for the underground black market. Once it enters the market, it can be easily identified as stolen goods.
The deal is done.
The man tucked the knife into his belt, stood up, and left.
The old man slowly added behind him, "That knife has a strong evil aura. For the first seven nights, you have to put it under your pillow to keep it down, otherwise it will make a sound in the middle of the night."
The man paused for a moment, then walked away without turning back.
Watching the man's departing figure, Chen Yu couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
He checked the equipment inventory just now, and the knife was a piece of junk.
Let alone a whole string of cash, even selling half a string would be considered expensive.
The man thought he had gotten a good deal.
"As expected of the black market, it's really murky."
"The ones who get scammed are the so-called veterans who think they have a wealth of experience and unique insight, but little do they know they've already fallen into a trap."
Chen Yu gave the one-eyed old man a deep look, then stopped and continued walking.
The middle section of the market is where the lively atmosphere is strongest.
One of them was a stove made of bricks.
A chipped iron pot sat on the stove, bubbling with medicinal herbs inside.
Behind the stove sat an old woman, as fat as a Maitreya Buddha, but her hands were as thin as chicken claws.
The contrast between the fat and thin figures is particularly unsettling.
The old woman's face was covered with a thick layer of powder, which looked deathly white under the oil lamp, making her look like a paper doll from a paper craft shop.
A girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old was squatting next to her.
His face was sallow and his lips were purple.
It's obvious that years of taking medicine have damaged his health.
The girl didn't say anything; she was only responsible for collecting the money.
Most of the customers who came covered their faces and squatted down in front of the stove.
Instead of directly stating what they want, they specify the cut.
"Mother-in-law."
A middle-aged man in a gray robe squatted down and lowered his voice: "Do you have 'pleasure' on you?"
"Kuaihuo" is the name given to Wushisan in the market.
But underground, it has another meaning.
The old woman glanced at him sideways: "Do you want to 'be happy' or 'be unhappy'?"
"Happy Powder" is actually "Five-Stone Powder," which makes you feel like you're floating on air; "Unhappy Powder" is "Crane's Crest Red," which makes you never happy again.
The middle-aged man was taken aback, then quickly waved his hand: "Have a good time, of course we should part on a happy note."
The old woman stretched out her claw-like hand and pulled out a small oil paper packet, about the size of a palm, from under the stove.
"Fifty taels."
"Too expensive. Last time I only paid thirty taels."
"Last time is last time, this time is this time."
The old woman held the small oil paper wrapper in her hand and bounced it back and forth.
The middle-aged man smiled wryly and pulled a large piece of silver from his sleeve.
The old woman took it, bit it, shone it in the skull lamp, and nodded.
The maid took the silver and handed over the oil paper package.
The middle-aged man got up to leave, but the old woman suddenly called him back.
"Hey, if you want to 'ascend to heaven,' I have some new stuff here."
The Ascension Pill is something else entirely.
It is an elixir made from datura flowers, aconite, and rhododendron.
If you eat it, you will see fairy mountains and pavilions before your eyes, but if you eat too much, you will really ascend to heaven and never be able to come down.
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment: "How much?"
"An ounce of gold, a single grain."
"Too expensive."
"Expensive? Think about it, how many things in this world that allow you to see gods while you're still alive are cheap?"
The middle-aged man didn't reply, turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
The old woman watched his retreating figure, scoffed, and turned to the maid, saying, "Xiao Feng, remember this face. Next time he comes, raise the price again."
"Someone like him, addicted to pills, can never resist the temptation of medicine."
After the middle-aged man left, Chen Yu stepped forward.
The man in black continued to guide him.
"This is Luang Phor. You can buy many rare medicinal herbs from her."
Upon hearing this, Granny Long stared intently at Chen Yu.
"Please feel free to ask if you need anything."
Chen Yu had done his homework before coming.
Among the fine forging materials I need, there are actually several that are related to medicinal herbs.
"Do you have any Ice Heart Lotus Seeds, Ice Bear Tendons, or the venom sacs of Abyssal Vampire Worms, or the sap of Bloodthirsty Vines?"
As the old woman listened attentively, a kind and gentle smile gradually appeared on her face.
"What a coincidence, sir! We have everything except the Ice Lotus Seed. How much would you like?"
"Let's take a look at the goods first."
Chen Yu said cautiously.
"Xiaofeng, take the things out."
Grandma Long called to the maid standing nearby.
Xiao Feng rummaged around in the box against the wall for a while.
Soon, the three kinds of goods were placed in front of Chen Yu.
Chen Yu checked them one by one and confirmed that they were all genuine.
"What's the price range for these items?"
The old woman blinked and replied, "One bear tendon costs fifty taels, one poison sac costs two hundred taels, and one bottle of vine sap costs one hundred and fifty taels."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yu didn't waste any more words and directly took out six hundred taels of silver notes.
This price isn't very high, so there's no need to waste time haggling.
"One bear tendon, two venom sacs, and a bottle of juice."
Xiao Feng took the silver note, carefully examined it, and then wrapped the item up and handed it to Chen Yu.
Just as Chen Yu was about to turn around, Granny Long's voice came from behind him again.
"Guest, would you like some 'Happy Powder'? In the entire Wangjiang City, the stuff here is the purest."
"No need."
Chen Yu didn't want to get involved with these things, so he quickly left.
Only after his figure disappeared from sight did the old woman's expression turn cold.
"Did you remember his scent?"
Xiao Feng nodded and said, "I'll remember. He has a bloody smell on him, which makes him easy to identify."
"And I put a scent-attracting insect on him, so I can find him no matter what."
The old woman's eyes gleamed with excitement, and her tone was quite smug: "This is a wealthy man. He took out six hundred taels of silver without even blinking an eye, which shows that he must have a lot of money on him."
"Once we're out of the venue, we'll drug him and take all the money and stuff, but remember, we can't kill anyone."
"We don't know who he is, so we can't kill him without warning, or we might bring trouble upon ourselves."
Xiao Feng didn't reply, but silently took out a Divine Ascension Pill and put it in her mouth.
From afar, Chen Yu overheard their entire conversation.
He truly never expected that spending a mere six hundred taels would attract someone's attention.
Are these guys desperate for money? Or am I just too rich?
This is a place where money is spent; if you want to buy good things, you have to spend a lot of money, so you can't be discreet.
With the Night Owls acting as guarantors, it's at least temporarily safe inside the venue.
However, once they leave the field, the situation becomes much more complicated.
Thinking of this, he asked the man in black who was leading the way, "What are the strengths of this old woman and her maids?"