Chapter 374 - 243: Golden Stone Gang Realm

Chapter 374: Chapter 243: Golden Stone Gang Realm

If he had to pinpoint his first contact with the dark side of the martial arts world, it would be the time the Illuminati invaded Tianning County. He could still remember the bloodthirsty look in those thugs’ eyes.

Then came the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition, and life at Shenhan University, which felt like a martial arts sanctuary.

He thought he had understood the fundamentals of this world, but today, he was seeing a completely different side of the extraordinary.

As they walked further, Yu Fei saw a shop that traded in live people.

He saw men and women locked in cages, all of them attractive. There were even ordinary people among them. The one with the highest cultivation level was actually an Inner Qi Martial Artist.

She looked no older than thirty. Her hands and feet had been severed, and she was hung naked on a rack, displayed like a piece of merchandise.

Beneath his cloak, Yu Fei’s fists clenched. His steps halted as he paused for a moment.

An uncontrollable rage surged within Yu Fei. He couldn’t imagine that such a dark scene could exist within the Yu Kingdom.

Suddenly, Taolang grabbed Yu Fei’s arm firmly.

His expression was grave. "Don’t be reckless. This won’t solve the problem. Even if you slaughtered your way through the Half-Mountain Black Market today, the people behind it would still be at large. Trust us, the Security Bureau has a detailed plan!"

Yu Fei looked at him grimly. He could sense that the disgust in Taolang’s heart was no less than his own.

Yu Fei took a deep breath and said slowly to Taolang, "Whenever you make your move, count me in!"

"Deal!"

"I mean, from now on, for anything like this, you can call on me. I don’t want any reward!"

"Deal!"

Yu Fei turned his head, taking a long, hard look at the depraved shop. Its name was "Super Entertainer."

A scantily clad young woman was bent over at the entrance, pushing up her ample cleavage and inviting him in with a deeply seductive voice. She twisted her hips, revealing the pale, peach-like curve of her backside, at the center of which was a heart-shaped plug.

Yu Fei felt not a trace of lust, only an unsuppressible rage. He could see the hollowness in the woman’s eyes—it was the agony of utter despair.

"Are there... many places like this?"

Taolang said calmly, "A lot. Even more in the borderlands. Under the Megrez Association’s territory, they’re all over the place!"

The two of them fell silent, walking all the way to a shop that sold super-powered weapons. Yu Fei went inside and looked around for a long time. Most of the merchandise consisted of level-one firearms; level-two weapons were rare, and all were standard models.

The owner was a bald, tattooed man. Yu Fei sensed his aura was at the Gang Qi Realm.

Yu Fei didn’t say a word the entire time, leaving Taolang to handle the purchase.

The moment they entered the shop, Taolang’s demeanor suddenly became... utterly flamboyant.

Yu Fei froze. He realized Taolang seemed to have instantly switched operating modes. He raised his pinky, naturally tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, swayed his hips with a casual twist, and his voice became coquettish.

"Honey~ you got any big toys?"

The timbre of his voice was the same, but the moment the words reached Yu Fei’s ears, goosebumps erupted all over his skin. He couldn’t help but lower his head and silently take two steps back.

The bald, tattooed man was initially wary, but when he saw Taolang’s posture, which didn’t seem feigned in the slightest, he relaxed.

In his line of work, the biggest thing to worry about was running into someone young and powerful. They were either undercover agents fishing for a bust or just magnets for major trouble.

But... with a bonafide femboy like the one before him, most of his caution evaporated.

"Big toys? Think you can handle it?"

The owner let out a lecherous laugh.

Taolang reached out, gave him a light pat, and whined coquettishly, "Naughty~"

"Hahaha... Come on, into the back room. I’ll show you the big toys! They’re real thick and long!"

Watching the two of them enter the warehouse in the back, Yu Fei still didn’t follow. He had assumed Taolang was just putting on an act, but it didn’t feel like it. The expression, the mannerisms—they were all too real.

He thought back on his interactions with Taolang over the past few days. The man hadn’t shown any strange quirks or said anything odd, which finally put his mind at ease.

’My senior is really making a huge sacrifice to buy this super-powered firearm.’

After a short wait, Taolang emerged carrying a black case. He gave Yu Fei a nod, and they left.

On the way back, the same masked man led them to an elevator to go down, but it was in a different location; this wasn’t the path they had taken to get here.

"Here. A level-two enhanced ’Soul Devourer,’ complete with 500 rounds of ammunition."

Yu Fei gave Taolang a long, hard look. Now that they were out of the Half-Mountain Black Market, the guy was back to normal.

"What are you staring at? That’ll be 250,000 merit points. Pay up!"

Taolang feigned composure. Thanks to his past experiences, he had a natural advantage when negotiating with people from these gray areas.

People tend to let their imaginations fill in the gaps, and individuals with deviant behavior find it easier to get into their circles.

Yu Fei transferred the points to Taolang directly.

"Senior... you’ve worked hard."

The atmosphere on the way back was a little subdued. Yu Fei steered the conversation back to the black market, and it was then that he learned the real story.

Black markets like this always have a patron, or someone who keeps things in line. Behind the Half-Mountain Black Market is an unknown Grandmaster. According to internal intelligence, this secret owner comes to check the books about once a quarter. That will be the Security Bureau’s window to act.

"Yu Fei, do you know what my biggest takeaway is after spending more than half a year in the Security Bureau?"

"Please, enlighten me, Senior."

"The martial arts world has become extremely dangerous. I’ve looked at the data from recent years; the crime rate is rising annually, and the number of illegal organizations is growing.

"I have a theory. The resources we obtain from the borderlands each year are finite, yet the average cultivation level of Martial Artists is climbing, and that includes high-level Martial Artists. The cake is only so big, but more and more people are showing up to claim a slice.