Yue City.
Night.
No stars, no moon.
So dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Zhu Ju, dressed in night-traveling clothes with his face covered by a black cloth, hurried through a narrow alley and arrived at a bustling district.
Flower Street!
Night had already fallen, but Flower Street was still bustling with an endless stream of people coming and going.
The street was lined with storefronts on both sides, their lanterns illuminating the road and the various figures entering and exiting.
It was different from what he had imagined.
Flower Street wasn't just for romantic and illicit business; it was involved in all sorts of industries, including porcelain, tea, sugar, grain, and flour.
Of course,
the biggest businesses belonged to the Seven Workshops of Flower Street!
These "Workshops" weren't marketplaces, but seven large establishments, each running businesses like gambling dens, brothels, and opium dens.
It was said that the Seven Workshops of Flower Street were backed by multiple factions, with local powers, gangs, and even the Government Office involved.
His gaze paused on the guards patrolling the street before Zhu Ju ducked into a dark corner.
'The Ghost Market…'
Deep within Flower Street, there was a Ghost Market.
The area had once been submerged by a flood. After the waters receded, they left behind a low-lying marsh, which was then redeveloped into the Ghost Market.
Because most of the goods traded here couldn't see the light of day, even people from Flower Street were usually unwilling to come.
"Please, come in!"
Shopkeeper Wang took a long drag from his pipe, his eyes narrowing as he watched the black-clothed man walk in.
Dressed in black and masked, unwilling to show his face. 'Does he have something good on him?'
His interest piqued, he sat up straight.
"Sir, are you here to look at goods or to redeem a pawned item?"
"To pawn an item!" Zhu Ju said, his voice intentionally low. He took the bundle from his back, placed it on the table, and slowly unwrapped it.
A Jade Three-Color Carved Guanyin Bodhisattva Statue!
Hiss…
Shopkeeper Wang sucked in a sharp breath. His body tensed instantly, and his wrist trembled as he picked up the oil lamp beside him.
"A seven-inch jade carving?"
His fingers trembled as he gently stroked the Bodhisattva statue in front of him, the suspicion in his eyes quickly turning to fervent excitement.
It was authentic!
And it was definitely the work of a master jade carver.
From the topknot and hairpin above, to the high waist and sash in the middle, down to the ornamental chains and monk's robes below, the folds of the clothing were realistic, natural, beautiful, and fluid.
The carving of the clothing was already extraordinary, but it paled in comparison to the face.
The Bodhisattva statue had a broad face with a solemn and dignified expression, full, rounded cheeks, and plump, well-proportioned features. The technique was simply unparalleled.
Although it was three-colored jade, it didn't look impure in the slightest. Instead, the brilliant craftsmanship had fused the colors into a harmonious whole.
"Sir."
Swallowing hard, Shopkeeper Wang asked with a serious expression:
"A redeemable pawn or a final sale? How much are you asking?"
"A final sale. One hundred taels!"
"Done!"
"I meant gold."
"..." Shopkeeper Wang's expression stiffened, and he spoke dryly,
"You must be joking, sir."
In the Zheng Kingdom, the exchange rate for gold and silver didn't follow the old standard but was set at a one-to-ten ratio, though in practice, there was always a price difference.
One tael of gold could be exchanged for twelve taels of silver.
One hundred taels of gold was twelve hundred taels of silver!
This was no small sum. Even for the wealthy elite of the city, it was a considerable amount.
"Joking?"
Zhu Ju's voice was cold.
"I'm not joking. Or do you think it isn't worth that much?"
Compared to Daqi, the Zheng Kingdom was backward in every aspect. Not to mention clothing, food, housing, and transport, the same was true for jade carving.
The master carvers of Hejian Prefecture included many experts at the Inner Qi Realm.
The eyes and skills of such people far surpassed ordinary carvers. Even a Jade Artifact they made casually would be considered a top-tier item here.
Forget a place like Yue City; even in the entire Jade Carving Realm of the Zheng Kingdom, this Jade Artifact would be considered mind-blowing.
Of course.
Jade was a luxury item enjoyed only by the rich. One or two pieces were fine, but when there was a large supply, it was difficult to raise the price. It was far less practical than Gold or silver.
"It seems you're not interested in this jade carving." Zhu Ju reached out, picked up the statue, and stood.
"Farewell!"
"Wait!" Shopkeeper Wang quickly reached out to stop him.
"What is it?" Zhu Ju's voice deepened.
"Thinking of using force?"
"I wouldn't dare. You've misunderstood, sir." Shopkeeper Wang's eyes darted about. "It's just that one hundred taels of gold... that's no small sum. Even we can't gather that much on such short notice. And besides, I need to examine it more closely."
"?" Zhu Ju stared straight at him, then sat down slowly after a moment of thought.
"You have half an incense stick's time. When time is up, I'm leaving with either the gold or the jade carving."
"Half an incense stick?"
"Not enough?"
"Well..." Seeing Zhu Ju's firm attitude, Shopkeeper Wang could only give a dry laugh.
"It's enough, it's enough."
"Someone!"
He beckoned behind him and shouted,
"Get Sunx Chaofeng over here. There's an item that needs his expert eye."
"Yes!"
Sunx Chaofeng was an old man with a white beard. He initially looked reluctant, but his eyes lit up the moment he saw the item.
"One hundred taels of gold?"
"We can take it. There aren't many in Yue City who can pay this price, but if we take it to the Capital City, we'll have no trouble selling it."
「Not long after.」
One hundred taels of gold were placed before Zhu Ju.
...
The ten-tael gold pieces were wrapped in cloth to prevent them from clinking against each other, making the bundle inconspicuous.
The transaction complete, Zhu Ju did not linger on Flower Street, instead hurrying away.
As he entered an alley, he suddenly stopped, shaking his head and sighing.
"No wonder everyone despises the Flower Street Ghost Market. How can a business last when it's run with such little integrity?"
Sure enough, several figures had appeared before and behind him at some unknown point, blocking his path.
"Kid, what are you talking about?" the large man in front grunted. "What we do has nothing to do with the Hex Family. Just put your things on the ground, nice and easy."
'Nothing to do with them?'
'If you have nothing to do with them, how did you know I just came from the Hex Family's hidden shop?'
Zhu Ju sneered internally.
"And what if I say no?"
"No?" The large man raised an eyebrow, drew the long saber from his waist, and advanced on him with a cold smirk. "Put your things down, and we might spare your life. If you don't..."
"Then die!"
He raised his saber high, strode forward, and brought the blade down with a whoosh of air, the attack surprisingly powerful.
The others followed close behind, surging forward as one.
It was Zhu Ju's first time in such a situation, and he couldn't help but feel tense. Fortunately, he had anticipated this. He took a deep breath to calm himself, his body tensing as he turned his palm slightly upward. A layer of black energy suffused his palm as he struck out to meet the descending saber.
Mixed Element Iron Hand!
Mountain Shattering!
A surge of fierce Strength erupted from his Skin and Flesh, growing even more violent under the stimulation of his Qi Blood.
"BANG!"
"CLANG..."
Palm met saber, but the expected scene of gushing blood and a severed hand's scream didn't happen. Instead, the large man's saber snapped in two. Half the blade flew off and embedded itself in a nearby wall.
The scene fell silent.
The men who had been following stopped dead in their tracks.
The large man's face was pale as he stammered,
"Body... Body Tempering..."
The Martial Arts of this world were primarily based on the cultivation of Qi Blood. Whether at the Blood Strengthening or Blood Coagulation Realm, a martial artist was not much stronger than an ordinary person and certainly couldn't block blades with their Physical Body.
Therefore, even a Blood Coagulation Martial Artist facing a group of sword-wielding thugs would have to temporarily avoid a direct confrontation and plan their attack carefully.
Only a Body Tempering Martial Artist, whose Physical Body had been refined by Qi Blood, could become a Hundred-Man Enemy.
Shattering a saber with a single palm strike—he was undoubtedly a Body Tempering Martial Artist.
And a powerful one at that.
"Hmph!"
Zhu Ju didn't stop there. Seizing the man's moment of shock, he struck out with his palm again. The large man's chest caved in, and he was sent flying backward.
His shattered ribs pierced his heart and lungs. He had stopped breathing before he even hit the ground.
"A Body Tempering Martial Artist!"
"Run!"
"..."
The remaining men, already terrified, yelled and fled, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.
"Hooo..."
Zhu Ju, left standing alone, had a complicated look in his eyes.
'My first time killing someone. It really doesn't feel good.'
Muttering this under his breath, he quickly walked over to the large man's body, searched it, and left swiftly after collecting his spoils.
*
*
*
Not long after Zhu Ju left, a few figures appeared at the scene.
"Such powerful Palm Force."
A sallow-faced, middle-aged man turned over the corpse on the ground and said in a low voice,
"A single palm strike turned his Skin and Flesh, Tendon and Bone, and internal organs into a complete mess. The attacker is definitely an accomplished Body Tempering Martial Artist."
"But in Yue City..."
"...I don't think there are any Martial Artists who are experts in this kind of Palm Technique?"
"Interesting." Behind him, a young man in a bright red robe raised his eyebrows. "To think that a little place like Yue City would have hidden dragons and crouching tigers."
He reached out, pulled the broken half of the saber from the wall, and flicked it with his finger, causing it to hum.
"The material is average, and it's nicked, but it is a Forged Saber. To shatter it with one palm strike would require no less than twenty or thirty years of arduous Body Tempering training."
"Hall Master Xu, in your opinion, how many people in the city could do this?"
"Well..." Xu Qing thought for a moment before replying,
"Three at most."
"Shenn Hu, the master of the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts Hall; Ghost Foot Xiang Zhongyuan, the Gang Leader of the Caoo Gang; and that Thunderbolt Hand from the Wuh Family."
"Thunderbolt Hand Wuh Fang?" the young man asked.
"Yes." Xu Qing nodded, then added, "But, Young Master, the Thunderbolt Hand's Palm Force is overwhelmingly fierce but lacks refinement. If it were him, the saber wouldn't have just broken into two pieces."
"Besides... given his status, he wouldn't be sneaking around the Flower Street Ghost Market."
"Mmm." The young man narrowed his eyes, and with a sudden clench of his five fingers, he crushed the broken blade into fragments. "Interesting."
Xu Qing lowered his head, his attitude becoming even more deferential.
Everyone knew that each of the Seven Workshops of Flower Street had its own powerful backer and was not to be provoked.
But what they didn't know was that the reason the various factions of Flower Street could unite and operate for decades was that a mysterious and terrifying power was secretly backing and controlling them all from the shadows.
"An unknown expert..." The young man took a deep breath and asked, "The New Prefecture is arriving soon, isn't he?"
"Yes." Xu Qing nodded. "He has already left the Capital City and is on his way. Based on the usual travel speed, he should arrive to take up his post in about two months."
"Two months?" The young man narrowed his eyes. "This New Prefecture is no pushover. I hear he's accompanied by a Boxer from the Five Elements Sect?"
"Yes." Xu Qing looked up. "Flower Fist Fu Huanlian, the Sect Leader of the Five Elements Sect for this generation. It's said she's a direct blood relative of the former Grandmaster Fu."
"The Five Elements Sect and the Fu Family have really fallen on hard times." The young man flicked his wide sleeves and turned to walk into the darkness. "A once-great Fist Technique Grandmaster's legacy, now propped up by a woman who has to rely on the Court."
"Investigate whether any mysterious experts have appeared in the city recently. After all, we've been running this place for decades. We can't have any trouble."
"Yes," Xu Qing replied.
...
「Study.」
Zhu Ju put down his bundle and took out the one hundred taels of gold, laying them out on the table one by one.
The ten-tael Gold Yuanbao gave off an alluring glow.
'For now, I don't have to worry about money.'
Composing himself, he looked down at his own palm.
'A Qi Blood Burst at the Blood Coagulation Realm can increase the Physical Body's strength by nearly seventy percent. It's equivalent to myself at the Skin and Flesh Realm displaying the power of the Tendon and Bone Realm.'
'It's a pity the burst is so short-lived…'
That was right!
At this moment, Zhu Ju had already achieved Blood Strengthening Perfection and stepped into the Blood Coagulation Realm. It was precisely because of this breakthrough in his Qi Blood Martial Arts and the great increase in his strength that he had dared to go to the Flower Street Ghost Market.
Now that he had money, things would be much easier going forward.