Chapter 9: Dark Arts

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Dark Arts

Deep beneath Qingqiong City, hidden from the bustling streets above, lay another area.

Unlike the lively marketplace on the surface, the underground black market was eerily quiet. The narrow stone paths were dimly lit, and the damp air carried a faint metallic scent. There were only a handful of stalls open for business, with every customer hiding their identity beneath robes or masks.

Among them, a young man dressed in black walked through the market with a clear destination in mind. He ignored the surrounding stalls and headed straight toward a small shop tucked away in one of the darker corners.

The figure entered and a few minutes later, he emerged carrying a few small jade bottles.

No one knew, but beneath the black hood was an exceptionally handsome face.

It was Yizhou.

Earlier, he had told Bai Suichen and Sui Sui that he had a few errands to take care of. In reality, that had only been an excuse. His true destination had always been the black market.

He lowered his gaze to the jade bottles in his hand. Inside them, two tiny worms slowly wriggled—one male and one female.

They were Gu insects.

Recently, he had begun dabbling in Gu arts. Though regarded as an evil path by most cultivators, he cared little for such opinions. As long as it could increase his strength, whether righteous or demonic made little difference to him.

These two Gu insects were simply the beginning of an experiment he wanted to try.

A faint red glint flashed across his eyes before quickly fading.

Without lingering any longer, Yizhou tucked the jade bottles away and disappeared into the darkness as quietly as he had arrived.

Unbeknownst to him, several pairs of eyes had been watching his every move.

Not long after he left, a group of burly men stepped out from a nearby alley. Judging by the scars on their faces and the crude weapons hanging from their waists, they were clearly no ordinary cultivators. Around the black market, they were infamous for targeting lone buyers, robbing them of their valuables before dumping their bodies somewhere no one would ever find.

One of the men, a burly cultivator with a scar running across his left eye, looked toward the old man tending the Gu stall.

"Old Gu, how is he? Strong or weak?"

The old man didn’t even bother lifting his head as he packed away the remaining Gu bottles.

"Just a Golden Core cultivator," he replied lazily. "Should be easy enough. Wait a bit. I’ll have my Gu’s send you his location later." He chuckled before adding, "And judging by how he bought several pairs without batting an eye, he’s probably loaded."

The scar-faced man’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Good."

"The fatter the sheep..."

"...the bigger the harvest."

The group exchanged knowing smiles before quietly slipping into the darkness, their movements practiced and silent.

They had hunted countless lone cultivators this way.

Today...

They believed they had found another easy target.

Unfortunately for them—

The prey they had chosen was far more terrifying than any hunter.

—

By the time Sui Sui and the others finished shopping, the sun had already disappeared below the horizon, leaving only the faint glow of dusk behind.

Along the way, they reunited with Yizhou, who had just finished taking care of his so-called "errands." Seeing that it was already too late to return to the Bai Estate, Bai Suichen decided that it would be safer for everyone to spend the night in Qingqiong City instead.

After discussing it briefly, the group headed to Xingwang Hotel, the largest inn in the city.

Before heading to their rooms, the group first had dinner on the first floor of the inn. While waiting for the dishes to be served, they chatted leisurely.

"By the way, Sui Sui," Bai Suichen asked, setting down his teacup, "now that you’ve recovered, are you planning to return to the sect? Although you’re only a probationary disciple of Wenjian Sect, it’s still better than staying locked up at home all day. It would do you some good to see more of the world."

Hearing this, Sui Sui suddenly remembered that he indeed had such an identity.

A few months ago, when Wenjian Sect held its once-every-three-years disciple recruitment, the original Bai Sui Sui had begged his parents to let him join. Of course, it wasn’t because he wanted to cultivate, but because he wanted to get closer to Yizhou.

Normally, becoming even an outer disciple required passing several examinations and meeting strict requirements. However, as one of the Ten Great Families, the Bai family is given a special quota during every recruitment period, allowing members of their younger generation to enter the sect directly without going through the usual selection process.

Originally, the Bai family had no intention of using that quota. Bai Suichen was already a disciple of the Wenjian Sect, and there were no other juniors in the Bai family who had reached the appropriate age for enrollment.

However, after Bai Sui Sui threw a tantrum and refused to eat for three days and three nights, Father Bai and Mother Bai could only give in to his wishes.

And so, Bai Sui Sui entered the Wenjian Sect as a probationary disciple.

As expected of someone whose head was filled with nothing but love, Bai Sui Sui never seriously cultivated after entering the sect. Instead, he spent his days following the protagonist around like a little tail.

Fortunately, the protagonist had always been kind-hearted. Although he never understood why Bai Sui Sui was so attached to him, he had never found the little fool annoying and simply indulged him whenever he could.

Thinking about his own plans to change the ending, Sui Sui felt that returning to the sect wasn’t a bad idea.

If he wanted to change Yizhou’s fate, then staying close to the protagonist was the first step.

"I want to go!" Sui Sui immediately replied. "I must go!" Seeing his eager expression, Bai Suichen couldn’t help but chuckle.

Of course, this wasn’t Sui Sui’s only reason for returning.

After realizing that this body might not be the cultivation waste he had originally believed it to be, he wanted to investigate it properly. He remembered that the Wenjian Sect possessed one of the largest libraries in Tiānqióng, containing countless ancient records and cultivation manuals. If there was anywhere he could find information about the Extreme Yin Constitution or discover whether this body had another secret, it would be there.

Before long, the dishes were served.

The group chatted while enjoying their meal, and only after everyone had eaten their fill did they head upstairs to rest for the night.

—

Footnotes

Gu (蛊) – Mystical insects raised through secret techniques and infused with spiritual energy. Depending on the type, a Gu can poison, heal, spy, curse, control minds, or strengthen its master. Because Gu arts often require cruel methods to cultivate and can easily be abused, most orthodox cultivators regard them as a demonic or forbidden path.