The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Based on his father's vague description, Li Kaixin wandered around the outskirts of the city and finally found the back of an abandoned brick kiln.

Shadowy figures moved about in the dim light, and whispers rustled through the air; this was Pigeon City.

As he approached the shadowy entrance, two men with most of their faces covered by old scarves blocked his way, eyeing him warily at this unfamiliar face.

Li Kaixin's heart tightened, but he immediately put on a smile and deftly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

He pulled out two sticks and handed them over, saying, "Thank you both for your hard work!"

The two men exchanged a glance, took the cigarettes, and tucked them behind their ears.

One of them spoke in a hoarse voice: "Buy things, feel free to look around. Sell things, taking up space, two cents."

Seeing that Li Kaixin's hands were empty and he didn't seem to have any goods to sell, he waved his hand and disappeared back into the darkness to continue his stakeout.

Li Kaixin breathed a sigh of relief, and only then did he truly step into Pigeon City.

Li Kaixin's purpose for this trip was very clear: to use the more than four hundred yuan he had on hand to buy some scarce tickets, and then to find out if he could sell the deer in the secret space for cash.

However, after walking a few steps, they realized something was wrong.

Besides those engrossed in trading, some people in the market appeared to be strolling around, but their eyes scanned the surroundings like those of a hawk, and their gait carried an undeniable air of rigidity.

Li Kaixin's lips twitched, and four words popped into his mind: entrapment!

He immediately abandoned the idea of ​​selling the roe deer; it was too conspicuous, practically walking into the line of fire.

My father was able to travel back and forth safely before, probably because he only bought a small amount of grain each time, which fell within the scope of the law where officials would not investigate unless the people complained.

These people are probably targeting speculators who resell large quantities of goods.

After all, if they really wiped them all out, the pigeon market wouldn't be able to continue operating, and many people would have no way to make a living. They couldn't really force people to their deaths.

Li Kaixin suppressed his thoughts and pretended to be an ordinary buyer, slowly strolling through the crowd.

There were many vendors selling grain in the market, but the quantities were small. A few pounds of coarse grains or a small bag of potatoes were snapped up as soon as they were put out. The prices had indeed risen a bit more than my father had mentioned a few days ago.

There were also vendors selling wild game, but they mostly sold rabbits and pheasants, and the transactions were extremely quick and silent, with no one even hearing the price.

After searching for a long time, Li Kaixin found a ticket scalper. He didn't dare to buy too many tickets, but cautiously bought a few Class B cigarette tickets and Class B liquor tickets.

Not long after the transaction was completed and I left, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of several people peeking around and surrounding the ticket scalper, seemingly questioning him about something.

A cold sweat broke out on Li Kaixin's back; he secretly thought he was lucky!

After walking around for a while, Li Kaixin was very depressed.

They dared not sell the deer, nor did they dare buy many tickets; the trip yielded almost no profit.

Reaching the end of Pigeon City, they could vaguely hear the whispers of two men lying in wait in the darkness: "Damn it, it's so late already. If it weren't for a mission from the station, who would want to come here?"

"Stop talking nonsense, keep a close eye on things, and grab a few big shots to take back and report."

Li Kaixin's lips twitched again upon hearing this.

Well, it turns out it was officially approved, or maybe they even organized it! Those novels I read in my past life were really misleading; I oversimplified things.

Feeling there was no point in staying any longer, Li Kaixin prepared to head home.

Just as I turned into a dark alleyway leading back to the city, a sudden gust of wind swept up behind me.

Li Kaixin felt a chill and instinctively crouched down and pulled her head back.

"call!"

A thick wooden stick grazed his scalp and struck the earthen wall beside him with a dull thud.

Li Kaixin's anger flared up, and he turned around instantly, only to see four dark figures surrounding him, each holding a weapon.

"Damn it, you dare to ambush me!" With a low shout, he advanced instead of retreating, unleashing the power of a martial arts master in an instant!

In the darkness, only a few muffled thuds and cries of pain could be heard, and in the blink of an eye, the four thugs were cleanly and swiftly brought to the ground.

He paid special attention to the one with the stick; his arm was limp and hanging down, probably temporarily disabled.

Li Kaixin stomped on the less seriously injured man and demanded sharply, "Why did you ambush me?"

The thug grimaced in pain and begged for mercy.

"Big brother...big brother, spare me!"

"We...we saw you wandering around the pigeon market alone, looking around."

"Like...like a new sparrow returning home, thinking...thinking it's a fat sheep..."

"Where are you going to dispose of the stolen goods? Tell me!" Li Kaixin said fiercely.

"The black market... the black market! Just go past the cemetery, there'll be a bunch of dilapidated houses! Nobody cares about that place!"

Li Kaixin kicked the man with the stick a few more times before letting them go, and then crept towards the direction the thugs pointed out.

This black market was located in a more remote and eerie place, and the entrance was also guarded by masked men.

"Entrance fee: buy for one cent, sell for three cents," the guard said coldly.

Li Kaixin was only allowed to pass after paying the money.

This place is even more chaotic than Pigeon Market. There are fewer grain vendors; instead, there are mostly antiques, paintings, and old items of dubious origin scattered on the ground.

The buyers all had their heads down and were in a hurry.

This atmosphere actually made Li Kaixin feel a little more at ease; at least it didn't seem to have such a strong official feel.

Li Kaixin quickly found a ticket scalper whose supply was significantly more abundant than that of the pigeon market.

This time, Li Kaixin was smarter; he deliberately used a rural accent when bargaining.

In the end, I practically bought up all the tickets on the stall: 4 Class A liquor tickets, 15 Class B liquor tickets, 5 Class A cigarette tickets, 20 Class B cigarette tickets, as well as grain tickets, sugar tickets, meat tickets, cloth tickets, and so on. I even managed to get two extremely rare milk powder tickets! I spent a total of 105 yuan.

The ticket scalper made a big profit and was all smiles.

Taking the opportunity, Li Kaixin lowered his voice and asked, "Brother, you have many connections. I'm just a hunter from the mountains. I've shot a roe deer and want to sell it quickly. Who should I contact?"

The scalper's eyes lit up even more, and he patted his chest, "Brother, you've come to the right place! I buy them right here! One yuan and sixty cents a pound for the whole thing, how about it?"

Li Kaixin pretended to hesitate for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Using the excuse of retrieving goods, he walked to a secluded corner, and on a whim, took the 30-plus-pound roe deer from the secret realm space, carried it on his shoulder, and returned.

After weighing the ticket and paying, Li Kaixin received fifty-six yuan and the scalper warmly saw him off.

However, as soon as Li Kaixin left the black market area, the feeling of being watched returned, even stronger than before.

I turned around abruptly and vaguely saw several furtive figures following me.

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Li Kaixin quickly slipped into a narrower side path. In the blind spot of the pursuers, he instantly entered the secret realm.

Almost at the same time Li Kaixin disappeared, several thugs chased him to the alley entrance. Looking at the empty alley, they cursed and swore:

"Damn it! Where's that fat sheep? I clearly saw him run this way!"

"Running that fast? That's unbelievable!"

"He's lucky! Damn it, he wasted his time here!"

Inside the space, Li Kaixin breathed a sigh of relief. He had initially suspected that the ticket scalpers were double-crossing him, but after hearing this, he realized that it was another group of thugs who were after money.

Once the outside was completely quiet, Li Kaixin quietly left the secret realm, took a long detour, and returned to the courtyard house only after confirming that no one was following him.

He gently bolted the door, returned to his small room, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and almost instantly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, deep within the black market compound, as Li Kaixin walked away...

The ticket scalper stood respectfully before a middle-aged man who was playing with walnuts and resting with his eyes closed, and reported his transaction with Li Kaixin.

He whispered, "Boss, that kid looks like a greenhorn, but he's throwing money around. He must have some money on him. Should we send someone to follow him and take him out?"

The man called the boss slowly opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing across his face.

His voice was calm yet authoritative: "Little Six, how many times have I told you not to be so impulsive? Besides, he said he's a hunter. If he can supply us long-term, a steady stream of income is better than killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."

Seeing that Xiao Liuzi remained silent, he paused and then said, "The situation isn't as tense as it was a couple of years ago. Harmony is the key to making money. Breaking the rules and cutting off the supply is tantamount to cutting off your own path to survival. Go now!"

Xiao Liu lowered his head dejectedly: "Yes, boss, I understand."

......