Chapter 51: One Piece of Information
The Blacklist was a list of wanted martial artists compiled by the barbarian court’s Six Gates.
Only those in the top one hundred had their names and rankings displayed. Those below one hundred, although on the Blacklist, weren’t ranked.
Some on the list were truly heinous criminals, while others were simply “rebels” who opposed the barbarian court.
Initially, the Six Gates created the Blacklist to offer bounties for the capture of these fugitives.
But later, some martial artists even considered it an honor to be on the list.
And among the lower ranks of the martial world, people often discussed who had made it onto the Blacklist and whose ranking had risen.
The Six Gates considered themselves the righteous path, labeling those on the Blacklist as villains.
But some of these “villains” were actually revered heroes in the martial world.
Although the Six Gates were despised by many righteous martial artists, their Blacklist was generally considered fair.
The ranking was based on the individual’s strength, influence, and the threat they posed to the court or the righteous path. The higher the ranking, the higher the bounty.
And the man who had removed his two-horned demon mask, revealing the scar on his face, was number nineteen on the Blacklist… Zhao Xian, the “Peerless Sword.”
The young man took three steps forward, knelt before Zhao Xian, and kowtowed three times, “Zong Jie greets Master!”
Zhao Xian, the “Peerless Sword,” nodded slowly, “Good! Good! Good!” He extended his hand, helped the young man up, and had him stand beside him.
Silence fell over the underground garden. The raspy voice came from behind the red veil again, “Congratulations to Hero Zhao on taking on a disciple! Now, there are three of you remaining. Do you have any valuable information?”
Besides the mysterious figure behind the veil, there were nine people present. Two had proposed trades.
Three had offered items for sale, including Zhao Xian, the “Peerless Sword,” who had removed his mask.
The young man had also been allowed to stay. The remaining three hadn’t spoken yet: Shi Hao, wearing the Chiwen mask; Xu Xiaoyan, with the snake demon mask; and a fat man with a “(Bixi)” mask, who resembled a large turtle due to his size.
The fat man coughed and said, “Sheng Menghui, the Manor Lord of Lotus Manor in Chu Yin Province, will heed Hero Fu Shiyuan’s call and rise up against the barbarians today.” He said nothing more.
Chu Yin Province was far from here. The fact that he knew about the upcoming rebellion there clearly indicated his connection to Lotus Manor.
News of Lotus Manor’s rebellion would soon spread throughout the martial world.
But at this moment, it was indeed “unknown to the martial world,” so this information qualified him to stay.
The others looked at the young man with the Chiwen mask and the snake demon girl.
The snake demon girl raised her hand and asked, “Does anyone know who the master of the Three Tassel Ghost Cave is?”
As Shi Hao wondered what the “Three Tassel Ghost Cave” was, everyone else, including Zhao Xian, looked at her.
The raspy voice behind the veil trembled slightly, “Who is it?”
All eyes were on the snake demon girl, and even Shi Hao, who had no idea what the “Three Tassel Ghost Cave” was, couldn’t help but look at her.
The snake demon girl looked around, smiled sweetly, and then said, slightly embarrassed, “I don’t know!”
Shi Hao looked at the others.
He saw someone clenching their fists, someone taking a step towards the snake demon girl as if about to strike her, someone’s chest heaving as they struggled to contain their anger.
Even Zhao Xian gripped his sword before slowly releasing it.
The snake demon girl smiled, “But I do know that someone entered the Three Tassel Ghost Cave and came out alive.”
Everyone looked at her again.
The snake demon girl said, her voice melodious, “That person is…” She paused.
Shi Hao sensed the rising tension.
She paused for a long moment, letting the silent fury build, and then smiled, “…Ming Yueshu, the ‘Divine Infant,’ number three on the Blacklist!”
The assembled crowd exchanged glances, their eyes wide with shock and surprise.
If they weren’t all wearing masks, concealing their identities, they would have erupted in discussion.
Clearly, the information she had revealed was incredibly significant.
Silence descended upon the underground garden as everyone processed this shocking news.
After a while, the raspy voice from behind the veil said, “There’s one more.”
They looked at the young man in the white robe and the Chiwen mask.
He stood there, his figure straight and imposing, his aura radiating power, despite his face being hidden.
He paused, then said slowly, “Recently, someone hiding in the Vast Sea has been secretly purchasing and gathering a large number of children, sending them to Blood Bolt Canyon. Their purpose is unknown.”
Silence. This news wasn’t as shocking as the snake demon girl’s revelation.
But these experienced martial artists knew who was hiding in the “Blood Sea.”
This news meant that a great enemy of the Chinese martial world was still alive and likely plotting something.
Shi Hao looked around, relieved that no one spoke… He was worried someone would say, “That’s not a secret,” and he wouldn’t have any other information to offer.
Fortunately, since the Six Gates were involved in this matter, they were keeping it quiet.
And although Yue Ya’er knew the truth, since the Vast Sea involved the Zong Hai family, one of the four great barbarian families, even after destroying the Shu Tiger Gang and rescuing the children, she had to downplay the incident as much as possible.
After all, she didn’t dare to trigger a conflict between the powerful barbarian families.
So, this matter remained hidden from the outside world.
The raspy voice from behind the veil said, “Now, let the trading begin.”
The woman in blue with the human mask spoke first, “I have two Frost Immortal Milk, two Tri-colored Qilin Grass, and one Demon Subduing Spirit Bamboo. Anyone interested? The Frost Immortal Milk is three hundred taels each, the Tri-colored Qilin Grass two hundred and thirty taels each, and the Demon Subduing Spirit Bamboo two hundred and fifty taels.
“I can offer a discount if you buy them all together. I’ll also accept Centennial Vermilion Fruit or Dustless Dragon Gold in exchange.”
Shi Hao’s heart stirred. Tri-colored Qilin Grass was one of the ingredients he needed for the Immortal Formula.
But he didn’t have that much silver or silver notes.
Two hundred taels wasn’t much for wealthy families, but for ordinary people, it was a fortune, a sum they might never earn in their lifetime.
Many poor people had never even seen silver.
Shi Hao realized how expensive it would be to gather the ingredients for the Nine Ranks Immortal Formula on his own.
Of course, he understood the high price.
The Chongxian Sect, with the backing of the barbarian court’s laws, had monopolized the ingredients for the Nine Ranks Immortal Formula. He had merely inquired about them at an apothecary, and the information had been immediately reported to the Chongxian Sect.
Privately cultivating or trading these ingredients was a crime. And cultivating them required specific and often difficult conditions.
For Chongxian Sect disciples, obtaining these ingredients wasn’t difficult. But for the “unorthodox” like them, they could only rely on these secret gatherings, which naturally inflated the prices.
In that sense, two hundred and thirty taels wasn’t unreasonable. But he simply couldn’t afford it at the moment.
The tall, thin man with the monkey mask quickly said, “I’ll take one Tri-colored Qilin Grass and one Demon Subduing Spirit Bamboo.”
The man with the tiger mask said hesitantly, “I’ll take one Frost Immortal Milk… and…”
As Xu Xiaoyan had said, everyone attending this Red Hill Gathering was a Daoist cultivator, members of sects suppressed by the Chongxian Sect.
The ingredients for the Nine Ranks Immortal Formula were in high demand.
Shi Hao saw the man with the tiger mask hesitating. He clearly also wanted the remaining Tri-colored Qilin Grass but was short on funds.
Shi Hao whispered to the snake demon girl, “Do you have two hundred and thirty taels in silver notes? Can I borrow it?”
The snake demon girl glanced at him and whispered back, “With interest.”
Shi Hao, surprised she actually had it, was about to agree when the man with the tiger mask looked at them and quickly said, “And the other Tri-colored Qilin Grass!”
Shi Hao felt his heart sink as the ingredient was snatched away… Such rare items were hard to come by, and he wasn’t sure when he would have another opportunity.
Four of the five immortal ingredients were sold immediately. The woman in blue seemed quite pleased.
After all, it wasn’t always guaranteed she would find buyers for these specific ingredients at these gatherings.
As for the remaining Frost Immortal Milk, she could leave it with the organizer of the Red Hill Gathering to be sold, although she would have to split the profits, which pained her.
But considering the other four items had been sold at full price, she was satisfied.
Shi Hao watched as the woman in blue handed over the ingredients. The man with the tiger mask paid with a mix of silver notes, loose silver pieces, and a pile of copper coins.
A veiled maidservant came over, calculated the total, and handed the payment to the woman in blue. The man carefully pocketed the few remaining copper coins, his expression pained.
The man with the monkey mask, however, didn’t take out any silver notes. He simply looked at the red veil and said, “Deduct four hundred and eighty taels from my account and give it to her,” pointing at the woman in blue.
The raspy voice from behind the veil said, “No problem.”
The woman in blue also had no objections, handing over the Tri-colored Qilin Grass in its jade box and the black Demon Subduing Spirit Bamboo to the man with the monkey mask.
It seemed the organizer of the Red Hill Gathering also acted as a sort of bank.
***
T/N:
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Chīwěn (螭吻)
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Meaning: Chīwěn is a dragon-like creature known for its love of swallowing things. It is often depicted as a roof ornament on traditional Chinese buildings, particularly on the ridges and corners of roofs, where it is believed to protect the building from fire. It is said to be able to swallow evil spirits and ward off disasters.
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Bixi (赑屃)
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Meaning: Bixi is a dragon-headed tortoise, known for its strength and longevity. It is often depicted carrying stone tablets inscribed with important texts or historical records. It symbolizes strength, endurance, and the ability to bear heavy burdens.
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