Chapter 79: The Black Market of Xizhou, A Divination (1/2)

Ye Qingning pondered for a moment, and a plan had already formed in her mind.

When Shen Xuanli asked her where she was heading, she simply answered with four words: “Xizhou Black Market.”

Upon hearing “Xizhou Black Market,” the three men, Lu Linyuan, and the others, were momentarily stunned.

To obtain the essence blood, they needed to find the direct daughter of the Ye family, but she wasn’t heading to the Ye family or to the sect where that direct daughter resided.

What was she going to the Xizhou Black Market for?

There was a black market in the Eastern Continent where their sect, the Penglai Sect, was located as well.

The three were puzzled, but they didn’t say anything.

They were only responsible for following along, taking action when necessary, but it was best to stay out of other matters.

The black market outside was, after all, a great place for illicit activities.

Could it be that she was planning something like that?

But how would she lure the Ye family’s direct daughter out of the black market?

The Xizhou Black Market was far from the Eastern Continent. Ye Qingning, along with the disciples of her family, had spent two days traveling to the Penglai Sect. If they took a flying boat to the Xizhou Black Market, it would take at least four or five days.

Originally, she had three days of rest, but because of the poison removal task, Pei Yin had specially granted her ten days. If she still hadn’t obtained the essence blood after ten days, they would discuss further.

Though there were ten days, she didn’t want to waste time on the journey, so the four of them decided to take a teleportation array to the Xizhou Black Market.

The teleportation array was a high-level formation based on the laws of space, built using specific materials, runes, talismans, and large amounts of energy sources, capable of connecting two different spaces to facilitate teleportation.

However, the maintenance of a teleportation array required a vast amount of spirit stones and manpower, so ordinary sects and families could not afford to build them.

Each of the four continents had one large-scale teleportation array, constructed jointly by the top forces of the immortal sects to facilitate trade and communication between the continents.

However, they couldn’t be used freely. Every time someone used a teleportation array, they had to pay spirit stones, and the teleportation points were guarded by people, meaning it wasn’t possible to use the arrays without paying.

Before her transmigration, Ye Qingning had always thought that entering a teleportation array meant instant arrival at the destination, but that wasn’t the case.

Although it saved a lot of time, it wasn’t an instant trip. For example, traveling from the Eastern Continent to the Western Continent still took about a stick of incense.

Ye Qingning paid for the spirit stones. Though the others also contributed spirit stones, obtaining the essence blood was her task, and they were helping her. It wouldn’t be right to let them pay and do all the work.

After arriving at the teleportation point in the Western Continent, the four of them headed towards the black market.

Ye Qingning was no stranger to the Xizhou Black Market, as it was not far from the Luoyun Sect, and she often came here to buy things.

The prices here were quite shocking as well. Among the four continents, the Eastern Continent where the Penglai Sect was located had the highest prices because all the large sects were in the Eastern Continent. The disciples of these large sects were generous with their spending, which drove up the prices in the entire Eastern Continent.

After receiving their outer disciple badges, they left the sect, which meant they were all wearing Penglai Sect disciple robes.

Ye Qingning remembered the Elder’s earlier advice to stay low-profile after leaving the sect and, if possible, change into their own clothes.

Coincidentally, there were several stalls near the entrance of the black market selling cloaks, hoods, and masks.

Each of them picked out a black cloak, embroidered with dark patterns. Though it looked plain, the lining of the cloak was made of materials that could block spiritual energy detection, preventing their true cultivation levels from being exposed.

Since it only had this one effect and wasn’t a powerful magical item, the price was also quite affordable—400 middle-grade spirit stones. It was quite popular at the black market, definitely a bestseller.

After donning the cloaks, the four of them had their faces covered by the hoods, leaving only half of their faces visible. When they lowered their heads, their entire faces were covered, and only their noses were visible.

It was nearly midnight now, and the cloaks blended seamlessly with the night.

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Chapter 79: The Black Market of Xizhou, A Divination (2/2)

Walking into the black market, despite the illumination, the lighting was still dim, but it didn’t affect the lively atmosphere of the place.

The black market was crowded, with the sounds of hawking and bargaining filling the air.

Along the streets, various stalls lined the way, selling magic treasures, pills, and all sorts of strange materials, making it hard to keep up with everything.

One particular stall was surrounded by people. The stall owner was a man with a full beard and a rugged appearance, holding a pill that glowed faintly with golden light.

He was constantly calling out, “Don’t miss out! This is an ancient recipe for the Soul Reviving Pill! Take it, and even the dead can come back to life! It’s a must-have life-saving medicine for cultivators! Selling at a bargain tonight, come and take a look!”

“Fake,” Lu Linyuan muttered softly to Ye Qingning as he stepped aside.

In Lu Linyuan’s view, Ye Qingning hadn’t yet taken an official position as a disciple, so she likely couldn’t tell that the pill was a fake.

Back in the assessment mystic realm, his little junior brother had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage by using the Bi Yan Pill, which he received from her, all to help her.

Since she was his little junior sister, he absolutely acknowledged her, and from now on, he could teach her how to distinguish real and fake pills.

If there was one thing wrong with the Xizhou Black Market, it was that even fake pills could draw a crowd. Moreover, the vendor was trying to pass off something even faker. Did he dare to make it even more obvious?

Ye Qingning nodded, quietly thanking him. “Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother Lu. You’re amazing!”

Lu Linyuan cleared his throat, feeling a little proud to be praised by his junior sister. It felt pretty good… almost too good! (￣▽￣)~*

As a result, he patiently began explaining to Ye Qingning how to distinguish fake pills, completely ignoring Shen Xuanli and Wen Xingshu, who were standing nearby as if they were invisible.

But just as Ye Qingning was absorbed in listening, a voice suddenly interrupted them.

“Friend, wealth descends from the heavens, and fate connects us over a thousand miles! Let me read your fortune—one divination for twenty top-grade spirit stones! If it’s inaccurate, you don’t need to pay! Would you like to have a divination?”

The diviner was a young man with a fresh appearance, dressed in a green Daoist robe, wearing a white jade crown on his head, and holding a palm-sized divination board. He had a warm smile and a friendly demeanor.

The stall had a sign with dragon-like characters reading “Divine Calculations” and smaller text beneath it: “Fortune-telling and divination guaranteed to be accurate!”

Ye Qingning had a little obsession with fortune-telling. Even though she had seen so many mystics in the secret realm, she still couldn’t resist the urge to find someone to read her fortune. She wasn’t sure why she had such a strange compulsion.

“Twenty top-grade spirit stones for one divination? That’s too expensive! How about twenty middle-grade spirit stones?” she countered.

Twenty middle-grade spirit stones was the usual price. In her previous life, she’d often visited the Xizhou Black Market, and she’d even had a monthly divination subscription with this diviner. It only cost her twenty middle-grade spirit stones per divination.

This time, the price had increased.

The diviner sized her up, and although only her eyes were visible, he seemed to be able to see through her. “Friend, your forehead is full and round, your lower face is wide, and your eyes are bright and clear. It’s obvious you have deep luck and destiny. How about I give you a discount and only charge you ten top-grade spirit stones for the divination? If it’s inaccurate, I’ll refund you!”

Ye Qingning decisively shook her head. “Only twenty middle-grade spirit stones. If it’s accurate, you’ll have more chances to earn spirit stones from me. If it’s not accurate, I’ll consider it a loss on my part. What do you think?”

The diviner’s eyes flashed with a gleam of insight. He had seen so many people trying to haggle, but those who were knowledgeable about the prices were rare. Since she insisted on twenty middle-grade spirit stones, he knew she was no ordinary person.

“Alright! Twenty middle-grade spirit stones for one divination. However, I must remind you that even if my calculations are accurate, it still depends on the right circumstances. If your luck doesn’t align, the divination might not show clear results.”

Ye Qingning nodded in understanding, took out twenty middle-grade spirit stones from her storage bag, and handed them to the diviner. She then pulled out a familiar box.

The system, which had been watching Ye Qingning’s every move, suddenly reacted.

[Qingning, isn’t this the box that Dog Lotus gave you when you left the Yunshan Mystic Realm? Why are you bringing it out for a divination now?]