Who gave you permission to refine demons like this?

The man with the hooked nose mingled in the crowd, turned into an alley, and came to a hidden door. After making sure no one was behind him, he knocked on the door.

A burly man with a scarred face opened the door and looked at the man with ill intent.

The man handed over a copper plate with the number "九" (jiǔ) printed on it.

The big man took it, confirmed it, and returned it to the other party. He then let the person in and checked again to make sure no one was following them.

Then he led him to a small hut, lit a small torch and handed it to him: "There's been some trouble with Entrance Nine leading to the black market recently."

"Just take the torch and walk down, then hand it to the other person when you get there."

Looking at the winding, long stone steps, the man took the torch and went down.

Footsteps accompanied by the sound of a few drops of water made the tunnel seem exceptionally quiet, with the occasional faint crawling sound passing by.

Upon reaching the bottom floor, one sees someone guarding a stone wall.

The man handed over the torch, and the guard took it, then turned to the side, making a hand gesture. The stones forming the stone wall gathered towards the center, melting into a gray stone, which fell into the guard's hand.

Behind the wall was a bustling main street, where the light from oil lamps and braziers illuminated the ground. There were stalls and goods piled up haphazardly, and the air was filled with a mixture of various smells.

Although the black market doesn't feel comfortable, this place wasn't meant to be comfortable.

Once inside, the stone wall was restored, and seeing new people arriving, the surrounding stalls began to recommend items to the man.

The Nine-Sword Heart Sutra, the Auxiliary Internal Energy Cultivation Technique, the Corpse Puppet Refining Technique, the Secret Method of Precious Flesh...

A dazzling array of items are displayed here; while not every item may be of high value, every single one certainly carries a risk.

Either their origin is unknown, or they are highly dangerous...

After scanning the street, the man quickly arrived at his destination—"Baihua Office".

Just as he was about to enter, he was stopped. After the man said a few words, the person at the door turned and went into the store, but soon returned to invite the man in.

A thin, pale-skinned man looked at the man with a smile and said, "Brother Huang, your transformation technique is quite impressive. You must have put in a lot of effort."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and showed Huang Sha the frog he was holding between his fingers. In the blink of an eye, the frog let out a miserable cry and turned back into paper, which then tore to pieces and fell to the ground.

Huang Sha remained calm and sat down, saying, "It's just a trivial trick, not worthy of Mr. Bai's attention."

"Your methods are far from insignificant."

Bai Ming recalled the scene just now. He was drinking tea when a frog jumped onto the table. Before he could figure out where the frog came from, it started talking and began to talk about trading.

Bai Ming didn't actually care about the Transformation Technique; no matter how much he practiced it, it was just a minor spell. What he cared about was how the other party managed to get the frog to sneak in.

"Every entrance is guarded, and without removing the sealing stone, outsiders cannot enter."

"It is precisely because of its secrecy that the black market can exist; if there were unknown channels for entry and exit..."

Bai Ming stopped thinking about it. Although he was very tempted by this way of sneaking in and out, his intuition told him that this was not something he should know.

"Don't put yourself in unknown risks for unknown benefits"—this is one of Bai Ming's core beliefs in doing business.

He then turned his attention to the pecans that Huang Sha had brought out and decided to complete the transaction.

After all, he had seen all sorts of contact and delivery methods, so one more trick wouldn't hurt.

After observing for a while, Bai Ming slowly said, "Brother Huang's pecans are indeed of very good quality; both their color and aroma are excellent."

"In the past, it could fetch a high price."

"However, the price of pecans has indeed dropped recently, otherwise it could be as low as sixty taels."

"Well then, Brother Huang, as you said before, since it's an introduction from an acquaintance, I'll raise the price for you. How about forty taels?"

"Can."

"Just give me ten taels, and please arrange for the remaining thirty taels to be delivered to Manager Wang of Shuangxi Rice Shop, Mr. Bai."

"Don't worry, I understand."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Huang Sha got up to leave.

Bai Ming bowed and said goodbye.

After Huang Sha left, someone approached him, puzzled, and asked, "Boss, forty taels isn't much, but we still gave him some. Huang Sha is new here; was it really worth it?"

He knew his eldest brother was a master at bargaining; even the most valuable items would be discounted by two ounces here.

Bai understood what he meant and said, "This is none of your business."

As he spoke, he took out the pecans he had just eaten and began to examine them.

He certainly understood his subordinates' thoughts, but behind their actions lay Bai Ming's second belief in doing business.

I only associate with people of value, and I don't even look at those of no value!

Regardless of its value, whether large or small, as long as it doesn't result in more loss than gain, Bai Ming is happy to make friends with anyone and will give them some leeway.

This applies to cultivators as well as mortals.

It was this belief that gradually made Bai Ming the first choice for recycling in this underground market.

Pecans are nothing special; he can sell them for a higher price. The key lies in the value of the person.

Huang Sha not only has secret means of entering and exiting the black market, but also, based on previous conversations, has a history of ongoing transactions, making him a worthwhile person to befriend.

Staring in the direction the yellow sand had left, Bai Ming pondered:

"Ah, being a mountain hiker, what a wonderful profession."

"Like a mouse, inconspicuous, yet always able to find something interesting and valuable in some corner."

"Which hiker recommended him?"

With a "crunch," Bai Ming chewed up a pecan and swallowed it before turning around and returning to his room.

.......

Huang Sha emerged from the black market's passageway into another bustling marketplace, where people bought and sold goods in an endless stream.

No one would have imagined that another trading market existed on the land beneath their feet.

Suddenly, Huang Sha felt something was wrong with his face. He tapped his finger lightly, and a smear of seven-colored liquid appeared at his fingertip.

Without lingering, he quickly walked to a secluded corner, pressing his face as he went.

When Huang Sha saw the parade, his eyes lit up. He quickly bought a mask from a man, put it on despite the man's displeasure, and followed the procession.

As the parade turned into another street, Huang Sha emerged from it, removed his mask, and revealed Lin Sheng's face.

"Senior Brother Cao's ink-dyeing technique is indeed very useful. I estimate that I will be able to last even longer once my cultivation level increases."

Watching the few drops of colorful liquid in his hand gradually vaporize after falling to the ground, Lin Sheng decided that he would also like to learn some magic at the Martial Virtue Division in the future.

The Wude Division suppressed and consolidated numerous sects across the land, amassing a vast collection.

But what attracts Lin Sheng even more right now are the three pecans and ten taels of silver in his arms. By simply finding the right person and passing them on, he can easily obtain the silver that an ordinary person would have to earn in several years, as well as the most important treasure plant.

For a moment, Lin Sheng had the idea that making money was so easy, but he quickly corrected himself. He knew that he had only contributed three-tenths of the effort, and the remaining seven-tenths of the effort was all thanks to his senior brother Cao Xingxing.

This also gave him new expectations for his future spiritual practice.

If my senior brother is so amazing, wouldn't I be able to become just as good as him if I cultivate diligently?

Su Ren will be back in a few days, and he has decided to ask his master for advice then.