Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Selling Loot at the Secret Shop

The shop was called "Artifact Repair Pavilion."

It was quite far from the "Xu Family’s Pharmacy" in the South District, located instead in the North District.

As the name suggested, it repaired broken or damaged artifacts, and also bought used ones to refurbish and resell.

Lin Changheng went inside to ask about the price, but shook his head and left.

The pavilion seemed to have guessed that Lin Changheng’s item was hot property and gave him a deliberately low offer.

They were only willing to offer a buyback price of three hundred Spirit Stones for an Upper Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact.

A price cut in half.

How could Lin Changheng agree to be such a sucker?

Finding the offer unacceptable, he let out a cold laugh, said nothing more, and left directly.

He went to a few more shops. The highest offer was only three hundred seventy Spirit Stones, about sixty percent of its original value.

But the item was practically new. There was no damage, and barely even any signs of use.

’It seems that Tribulation Cultivator from the Chen Family either bought it recently or was extremely careful when using it.’

The offers were unacceptable.

Just as Lin Changheng walked out of the last relevant shop in the Marketplace, still unable to sell his item, his expression had already turned sour.

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to sell a Magical Artifact?"

At that moment, a low voice came from behind Lin Changheng, who had only walked a short distance away.

Lin Changheng turned to see a scholarly-looking cultivator standing not far off. It was clearly the one who had just spoken.

"Fellow Daoist, are you following me?"

Lin Changheng’s cold voice, filled with hostility, echoed on the street.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand."

The scholarly-looking cultivator was startled and quickly waved his hands in denial.

"Then... how did you know what I was planning to do?"

Lin Changheng’s tone was aggressive, his Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer strength flaring out for all to see.

It carried the clear message: ’If the Marketplace rules didn’t forbid Magical Combat, you’d already be in deep trouble.’

"This junior is actually a cultivator employed by a Secret Shop. I often wander the Marketplace streets, looking for potential customers for the Secret Shop..."

The scholarly-looking cultivator was merely at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation; how could he have ever encountered a Late Stage Qi Cultivation cultivator?

Terrified, he immediately spilled the beans, explaining the whole situation.

"Looking for customers for the Secret Shop... to earn a commission, is that it?"

A thought stirred in Lin Changheng’s mind, but his voice remained cold.

He didn’t know much about Secret Shops and had never heard that this Marketplace even had one.

"Senior is perceptive."

The scholarly cultivator scratched his head and smiled, not daring to lie.

"Since you know I want to sell an artifact, can your Secret Shop take it?"

Lin Changheng shot the scholarly cultivator a cold glance, signaling that the matter wasn’t over, before his faint voice drifted over.

"Yes, we can. The Secret Shop can be seen as the Black Market within the Marketplace, but it still maintains order."

The scholarly-looking cultivator had a prepared speech ready.

"It’s set up inside the Marketplace?" Lin Changheng asked again.

"Yes."

The scholarly-looking cultivator nodded eagerly, a thrill of excitement rising in his heart. This meant the Late Stage Qi Cultivation senior before him was interested. Bringing a Late Stage Qi Cultivation customer to the Secret Shop would earn him a very handsome amount of Spirit Stones!

"Don’t the Liu and Xu families, the masters of this Marketplace, just turn a blind eye?"

"Rest assured, Senior. The owner of the Secret Shop has already smoothed things over with them. Without the two families’ approval, how could they dare open up inside the Marketplace?"

The scholar smiled and offered a few more words of explanation to reassure Lin Changheng.

"Lead the way. I’ll go take a look."

Lin Changheng’s interest was piqued. ’I’ll go see it for myself.’ "If you’ve exaggerated or are trying to deceive me, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

"Rest assured, Senior, this junior wouldn’t dare!"

The scholar immediately puffed out his chest and made a guarantee. Seeing no objection from Lin Changheng, he immediately started walking ahead to lead the way.

The two walked one after another for the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, eventually arriving at an area of low-lying bungalows on the edge of the Marketplace.

Following the scholar, he ducked into an ordinary alley. It was overgrown with weeds and rather desolate, a place that clearly saw little foot traffic.

"Senior, it’s just inside."

The scholar, seeing the cultivator behind him frown, immediately spoke with respect.

"It’s certainly well hidden."

The two walked along a moss-covered wall for a while before a small door set into it came into view.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK!

The scholar stepped forward and knocked on the door, using a specific rhythm.

CREAK.

Soon, the small door opened from the inside, and an old woman’s head peeked out, looking at the two of them.

Her face was a dense web of wrinkles, and with the shadows cast by the wall, she appeared rather sinister. Her cultivation wasn’t high, only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

"Granny Wu, it’s me."

The scholar spoke up quickly. "This Late Stage Qi Cultivation senior has a need and intends to visit our Secret Shop."

"Oh?"

The old woman sized up Lin Changheng, who was concealed under a bamboo hat. Seeing that his cultivation was indeed genuine, she immediately squeezed out a smile. "Please come in, guest."

"Senior, the Secret Shop is inside. This junior, however, cannot enter. I wish you a successful visit."

The scholar quickly stepped aside to let Lin Changheng pass, not forgetting to add his parting words.

Lin Changheng stood his ground and gave them both a cold look, making their hair stand on end, before finally stepping inside.

"This way, Senior."

The old woman closed the door and hurried to the front to lead the way for Lin Changheng, not forgetting to recite the Secret Shop’s rules. "Inside the Secret Shop, you are still under the protection of the Marketplace’s Law Enforcement Team. Magical Combat, causing trouble, injuring, or killing are all forbidden. Otherwise, it will be considered a violation of Marketplace rules and will be severely punished."

Lin Changheng nodded slightly, unsurprised, indicating that he understood.

’I was just pondering the necessity of this Secret Shop’s existence.’

’It’s likely to prevent the existence of things like an external Black Market, allowing them to share in the profits, cover all demands, and monopolize the whole business.’

’But the reason for setting up a Secret Shop is to make it less blatant, so as not to damage their reputation. It can be seen as a front.’

’Most Marketplaces operate this way; it’s just a matter of how well they conceal it.’

’Back when the Purple River District was about to be abandoned, they opened their Black Market directly in the shantytown outside the Marketplace. They didn’t even bother putting on an act.’

The space inside wasn’t large, just a small courtyard house. In an east-facing woodshed, a pile of firewood was moved aside to reveal a secret passage.

The old woman was surprisingly agile, jumping straight down.

Lin Changheng glanced down. Light was shining up from within, and it looked to be about two meters deep. He followed and jumped down as well.

’If there’s any danger, I can use the [Earth Escape Demon Technique] to get away.’

Upon landing, he saw that the space opened up dramatically.

It was a surprisingly vast underground area.

To the left, against the wall, was a row of small cubicles made of wooden planks, and opposite them was an area of market stalls.

To the right was a simple wooden platform with many stone stools set up below it. It seemed to be an auction area.

There was no one standing off to the side right now. On the auction platform stood three masked individuals at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, currently conducting an auction.

Below, forty or fifty people were seated, seemingly in the middle of bidding. All of them had concealed their appearances, revealing nothing.

Listening for a moment, he could tell the auction had just begun.

"How do I consign an item for auction?"

A thought stirred in Lin Changheng’s mind, and he asked the old woman beside him.

"Guest, it’s just ahead."

The old woman pointed to a fairly large wooden house to the side of the auction area.

"Thank you."

Lin Changheng said, then quickly entered the house. A cultivator was inside consigning an item, so he was signaled to wait outside the curtain for a moment.

When the burly male cultivator from inside came out, Lin Changheng went straight in.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know the rules for consignment?"

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