Chapter 94: Chapter 93: Lady Li

Lu Zhao walked down the long bluestone street, his pace a little faster than usual. Stalls lined both sides, and the clamor of hawking and haggling was as loud as ever.

He turned into a quiet alley in the West District’s Black Water Lane. At the end of the mossy, slippery flagstone path was an old storefront with a wooden sign that read "Wu’s Grocery Store."

He pushed open the CREAKING wooden door. Behind the counter sat a young man in his early twenties. Dressed in simple gray clothes, with thick knuckles, he was hunched over, using a file to polish a piece of animal bone. When he heard the noise and looked up, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes and vanished. It was Wu Ping.

"Fellow Daoist?" Wu Ping set down the bone fragment and wiped the sweat from his brow. "What can I do for you?"

Lu Zhao nodded without saying much. From his sleeve, he produced a light-yellow Talisman folded into a triangle. The talisman paper’s edges were frayed, but in the center was an exquisite insignia of a pavilion drawn in Cinnabar. Wu Ping took it, rubbing the insignia with his fingertip for a moment before nodding. "Master Lin sent you? Follow me."

He stood up and pushed open a hidden compartment in the back wall, revealing a narrow gap just wide enough for one person. Lu Zhao followed close behind, stepping into a downward-sloping passage. Water beaded on the earthen walls, which were embedded with fluorite stones. Their eerie green glow barely illuminated the slippery stone steps below. The air was heavy, thick with the smell of damp earth and a faint scent of mildew. After descending for about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the path suddenly opened up.

An unimaginably vast space unfolded in the darkness.

The dome soared over a hundred feet high, embedded with countless Luminous Beads that cast a cold, clear brilliance, bathing the area below in light as bright as day.

Bluestone-paved streets crisscrossed below, lined with stone houses and shops with their banners fluttering. Throngs of people moved about, yet it was eerily silent, the only sounds being the soft SHUFFLE of footsteps on stone and hushed conversations. In the distance, the magnificent silhouettes of ornately carved pavilions were faintly visible. This place was even grander in scale than the main street of the Zhou Family Marketplace above ground!

Two black-robed Cultivators stood at the entrance, their auras as deep and still as an abyss. They were both at the Late-Stage of Qi Cultivation. Wu Ping gestured for Lu Zhao to step forward and whispered, "The rules. New faces pay five Spirit Stones to enter."

Lu Zhao did as instructed and presented the Spirit Stones. The black-robed man on the left impassively handed him a Black Iron Token. The front was engraved with "Yihai 78," and the back bore a complex Restriction Rune. "Use this token to enter and exit. Do not use your Divine Sense to probe others. Do not cause trouble. Violators ’die’." His voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion.

Wu Ping waited for Lu Zhao to put away the Token before leading him onto the main street. As they walked, he whispered, "This place is run by a few big shots from the Bixia Sect. Their connections are astronomical. Foundation Establishment Elders are on patrol here year-round, so Fellow Daoist, you must be careful with your words and actions. Otherwise..." He paused and gave Lu Zhao a meaningful look. "You won’t even know how you died."

A chill went down Lu Zhao’s spine, and he nodded in understanding. His gaze swept across the shops on both sides. Talismans, Pills, Magical Artifacts, and Spiritual Materials were available in a dazzling array. There were even a few shops specializing in rare books and Array Discs. Their storefronts were impressive, and the people going in and out all had extraordinary auras.

"There’s a ’Secret Auction’ here on the fifteenth of every month," Wu Ping said, pointing to a distant, three-story black building with flying eaves and interlocking brackets. "Lots of good stuff shows up. Even Foundation Establishment Pills have appeared before."

Lu Zhao’s interest was piqued. "How do you participate?"

Wu Ping glanced at him, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile. "Don’t even think about it. The Secret Auction only recognizes ’Xuan’ tokens, and you can’t get in without an invitation. If you’re really determined to go, you could try your luck at one of the bigger shops. They might have a few spots available, but only if... you spend enough Spirit Stones with them."

Lu Zhao silently made a mental note and asked no more questions. When they reached an intersection, Wu Ping stopped and jerked his chin toward a corner stall with a cloth banner that read "Hundred Knows." "Lady Li, business has arrived!"

"Coming."

A soft, melodious voice responded. A cloth curtain was pushed aside, and a woman in a moon-white ruqun dress emerged. She appeared to be twenty-one or twenty-two, her dark hair coiled in an elegant bun and held by a slanted White Jade Hairpin. Her features were as exquisite as a painting, her skin fairer than snow. Her figure was slender and graceful, and when she walked, her skirt swayed gently like a willow in the breeze. Yet, she carried herself with an air of sharp competence. Her eyes were especially striking—as clear as autumn pools, yet they held a hidden sharpness. What was more, her Cultivation had already reached the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer!

’A flicker of surprise passed through Lu Zhao’s eyes. The Black Market was a den of thieves where bloody, clandestine fights were common. A female cultivator of her beauty and cultivation level, even one who dealt in intelligence, would normally operate from behind the scenes, rarely revealing herself to meet new customers in person.’

’But this Lady Li not only appeared in person, she carried herself with such calm composure, as if she were in her own elegant study. The very air around her seemed to become purer just by her presence.’

"What information does this Fellow Daoist seek?" Lady Li’s gaze swept over Lu Zhao. She was perfectly poised, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

Lu Zhao steadied himself, met her clear gaze, and spoke with distinct enunciation, "The Ascension Ceremony." Even in the deliberately hushed environment, his voice was crisp and clear.

"The Ascension Ceremony?" A flicker of understanding crossed Lady Li’s face. She was obviously very familiar with the subject.

"The concise version is five Spirit Stones, but that’s just a collection of public information you could find almost anywhere. The detailed version is one hundred Spirit Stones. It includes the personalities and preferences of the three Inner Sect Stewards from the General Affairs Hall who are presiding over the upcoming Outer Sect selection."

"It also covers the unwritten rules of past ceremonies, the backgrounds of your competitors, crucial points for the interviews... and even how to avoid certain ’accidents’." She paused, her smile deepening. "I, Li Xuerou, have been doing business here for seven years, and I’ve built my reputation on a single principle: trust. Fellow Daoist Wu can vouch for that."

Wu Ping crossed his arms and nodded emphatically. "In the Black Market, Lady Li’s word is a golden guarantee."

’One hundred Spirit Stones!’ Lu Zhao was inwardly shaken. ’That’s enough to buy a Tier One Middle-Grade Magical Artifact.’ But thinking of how the Ascension Ceremony was crucial to his future path, he took a deep breath, counted out one hundred gleaming Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, and handed them to Li Xuerou.

With a light wave of her fair hand, Li Xuerou made the Spirit Stones disappear. She then produced a Cyan Jade Scroll and handed it to him. "You’re very decisive, Fellow Daoist."

Lu Zhao accepted the Jade Scroll and immersed his Divine Sense within it. The scroll began with the portraits and names of the three Stewards, followed by densely packed information detailing their backgrounds, past conduct, and even their particular preferences on certain matters.

Further in were detailed rundowns of the last five ceremonies and analyses of unexpected incidents... The information was far more exhaustive than he had anticipated. A section at the end with tips on "crucial interview points" was particularly insightful, cutting straight to the core of the Bixia Sect’s selection criteria. Every word was a pearl of wisdom.

"Thank you." Lu Zhao put the Jade Scroll away and bowed with cupped fists to Li Xuerou. He then turned to Wu Ping and handed him five Spirit Stones. "My thanks for guiding me, Fellow Daoist Wu."

Upon leaving that both clamorous and deathly silent subterranean world and seeing the sky once more, the noisy din of the Marketplace rushed to greet him. Lu Zhao clutched the Jade Scroll in his sleeve and walked without pause, heading straight for Guiyun Residence.

’The Ascension Ceremony is imminent. I need to make every second count and burn every bit of this hundred-Spirit-Stone intelligence into my mind.’

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