Translator: CinderTL
The first day of the following month.
Night had fallen, and Shangchu City was shrouded in a deep, mysterious darkness.
Moonlight was scarce, casting vague shadows across the streets and alleys.
It was already midnight. Except for the pleasure districts, most shops in Shangchu City had closed for the night.
There were few people on the streets.
Yet, at a mansion on the edge of the market, people were constantly entering and exiting.
Song Wen, wearing a bull-headed mask, appeared at the mansion's gate.
Two guards stood before the entrance.
To Song Wen's surprise, judging by their auras, these guards were both cultivators at the Divine Transformation Stage, even stronger than he was.
A ghost market guarded by two Divine Transformation Stage cultivators? Song Wen couldn't help but feel intrigued.
After presenting the Passage Token given to him by Jiang Yushan, he was informed that "fighting was strictly prohibited within the ghost market." He then passed through the mansion's gate without any trouble.
The seemingly ordinary mansion concealed a world of its own.
The first thing that caught Song Wen's eye was a barren stone mountain.
The mountain was only a hundred feet tall.
Scattered stalls were scattered across the mountain.
Mountain paths connected the stalls, and figures occasionally flickered along them.
At the foot of the mountain, a ring of brightly lit shops bustled with a constant stream of customers.
At that moment, Song Wen finally understood why Jiang Yushan hadn't dared come in person.
The ghost market before him was likely entirely controlled by the three great families. Most of the customers were probably members of those families as well.
Jiang Yushan always traveled with two guards, making him easily recognizable. He must have had an experience of being recognized in the ghost market before.
Song Wen circled the mountain's base, comparing shops before entering one called the Spirit Herb Hall.
"Senior, what are you looking to purchase?" a young attendant greeted him.
"Do you have any Yin-Sinking Water?" Song Wen asked.
The attendant looked bewildered, clearly never having heard of it. He turned to the counter at the side of the shop.
Behind the counter stood a male cultivator at the peak golden core stage, presumably the shopkeeper.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper emerged from behind the counter and approached Song Wen.
"Senior, would you mind elaborating on the 'Yin-Sinking Water'?"
Song Wen shook his head slightly, ceasing his inquiries about the Yin-Sinking Water. He changed the subject, asking, "Does your shop carry Withered Essence Grass?"
The shopkeeper replied, "This humble shop does not have Withered Essence Grass. However, junior knows where some might be found."
At this point, he stopped speaking, his eyes fixed on Song Wen with a half-smile playing on his lips.
Song Wen immediately understood the shopkeeper's meaning. A hundred mid-grade spirit stones suddenly materialized before him, floating toward the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper waved his hand, and the spirit stones vanished.
"Thank you for your generosity, Senior," the shopkeeper said with a wide smile. "Six months ago, a rogue cultivator's stall had a Withered Essence Grass plant with a medicinal age of seven or eight hundred years. Later, it was purchased by a man wearing a blood-red ghost mask."
Song Wen's exposed eyes suddenly turned icy.
"Are you toying with me?"
This news held almost no value for Song Wen. There was no way he could track down the Blood-red Ghost Masked Man.
The shopkeeper smiled faintly. "Senior, there's no need to rush. I happen to know the person who bought the Withered Essence Grass."
Song Wen understood the shopkeeper's game. He flipped his hand and produced five high-grade spirit stones, offering them to the shopkeeper.
"Now can you tell me?"
After accepting the spirit stones, the shopkeeper finally stopped playing coy.
"The person who bought the Withered Essence Grass was Manager Ye of the Pill Cauldron Pavilion."
"Where is the Pill Cauldron Pavilion?" Song Wen asked.
"It's right here in the ghost market, on the other side of the stone mountain," the shopkeeper replied.
Song Wen eyed the shopkeeper skeptically. This information had come too easily.
"Are you trying to deceive me?"
"Senior, rest assured," the shopkeeper said. "There's not a word of falsehood here. Just ask around at the Pill Cauldron Pavilion, and you'll see for yourself. If I'm lying, I'll return ten times the spirit stones."
Song Wen left the shop and followed the base of the stone mountain.
Before long, he arrived at the Pill Cauldron Pavilion, a shop specializing in medicinal pills.
"May I ask where your shopkeeper is?" Song Wen asked a maid.
"Senior, please wait a moment. I'll go fetch him right away," the maid replied before heading down a corridor inside the shop toward the back courtyard.
A moment later, an old man in the Nascent Soul Stage emerged and approached Song Wen with a polite greeting.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask what business you have with this old man?"
Song Wen replied, "I heard Fellow Daoist Ye possesses a Withered Essence Grass and have come to inquire about purchasing it."
The old man's friendly expression vanished, replaced by a cold edge in his voice.
"Who are you, Fellow Daoist? How do you know my name and that I possess the Withered Essence Grass? Have you been investigating me?"
"Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. It was the shopkeeper of the Spirit Herb Hall who told me. He witnessed you purchasing the Withered Essence Grass firsthand," Song Wen thought with a hint of satisfaction. The shopkeeper's words had indeed been true. However, without hesitation, he betrayed the man who had twice demanded spirit stones. After all, why should he care?
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly. "So it was him."
Song Wen asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you willing to sell the Withered Essence Grass?"
The old man said, "That depends on whether Fellow Daoist can offer a price that satisfies this old one."
Song Wen asked, "Would it be convenient for me to examine the Withered Essence Grass first?"
"Of course." The old man suddenly produced a jade box.
He gently opened the box, revealing a five-inch-tall Spirit Herb.
The Spirit Herb was completely black as ink, exuding a chilling aura.
"Please name your price, Fellow Daoist," Song Wen said, feigning an abundance of spirit stones.
The old man replied, "Five hundred high-grade spirit stones."
Song Wen countered, "Fellow Daoist, that price seems a bit inflated."
The old man smiled faintly. "Treasures are meant for those destined to possess them. If you can't produce the spirit stones, then fate has denied you this opportunity."
Song Wen offered, "Fifty high-grade spirit stones. While Withered Essence Grass is an extremely rare fifth-tier Spirit Herb, it contains potent poison. If you can't sell it, it will just sit in your inventory."
The old man countered, "Four hundred."
After several rounds of haggling, Song Wen finally purchased the Withered Essence Grass for one hundred and sixty high-grade spirit stones.
After Song Wen finished his transaction, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Ye, have you ever heard of Yin-Sinking Water?"
The old man frowned slightly, pondering for a moment. "I seem to recall hearing of it long ago, but it's been so long that I can't quite place it."
"Please, Fellow Daoist, try to recall," Song Wen urged. "This matter is of great importance to me. If you can provide any clues, I will be deeply grateful."
"It's not about seeking rewards," the old man said slowly. "I remember now. Over a century ago, I heard about it from an elder in my family. However, even that elder had only heard rumors of it. Moreover, he heard it mentioned in Cloudveil City, not here in the Qianchang Wilderness."
Song Wen knew Cloudveil City—it lay at the other end of the Chi Family's Teleportation Array.
This meant that to find Yin-Sinking Water, Song Wen would first have to leave the Qianchang Wilderness.
"Thank you for your guidance, Fellow Daoist," Song Wen said, cupping his hands in gratitude.
(End of the Chapter)
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