After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

The shopkeeper chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "I have my own methods. But why are you here at the black market at this hour, sir? And all alone?"

Lin Zhixu remained calm: "What? We can't access the black market anymore?"

"You can get in, but it's too dangerous. Evil cultivators are rampant these days, things are chaotic outside, and the black market is even more chaotic. If you come in alone and get targeted by some filthy thing, you'll be in big trouble."

Just then, a sharp scream suddenly came from outside.

Lin Zhixu suddenly turned his head and looked out through the half-open door.

Not far away on the main road, a cultivator suddenly threw down what he was holding, covered his head with both hands, and let out a roar that was not human.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins were bulging, and his fingernails scratched several bloody gashes on his face before he lunged at the surrounding crowd.

"Scatter! Scatter now!"

"Murder!"

Pedestrians screamed and scattered in panic, several stalls were overturned, and goods rolled all over the ground.

In the chaos, the man grabbed a vendor who couldn't dodge in time and bit the vendor's neck.

At the critical moment, several figures rushed from the street corner. With a flash of sword light, the head of the mad cultivator flew out and was struck by a talisman in mid-air, turning into a cloud of black mist and dissipating.

The men who made the move were dressed in black, close-fitting outfits, and wore black iron masks on their faces.

The leader sheathed his sword, raised his hand and made a gesture, and the rest of the men quickly stepped forward and carried the injured vendor away.

Then someone began to disperse the crowd of onlookers. Their movements were swift and efficient, indicating that they had dealt with the situation countless times before.

Lin Zhixu's gaze darkened completely.

"Who are those people?"

The pharmacy owner said, "That's the black market's enforcement team. In the past month, there have been more than ten such incidents in the black market. People suddenly go crazy, biting anyone they see, as if they're possessed."

As he spoke, he glanced outside again. Seeing that the enforcement team had finished, he turned back to Lin Zhixu and said earnestly, "Sir, I'm only offering this reminder because we have a connection."

"The black market is no place these days, especially for someone like you traveling alone. You're most vulnerable to being targeted by shady characters. Once you've finished your business, leave quickly and don't linger here."

Lin Zhixu looked away.

"Such a huge mess has occurred in the black market, and your master isn't going to do anything about it?"

The pharmacy owner leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Of course we manage it. But the black market is so big, even if the owner had three heads and six arms, he couldn't keep an eye on it all. That's why we set up an enforcement team to patrol day and night."

As he spoke, it was as if he remembered something worth boasting about, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "You missed the worst of it. Back then, evil cultivators ran rampant, committing all sorts of atrocities, from vandalism and looting to arson."

"It was the master who intervened and intimidated them. The scene was truly breathtaking! A black dragon, blotting out the sky, descended from the heavens with overwhelming power, instantly turning those ignorant evil cultivators into puffs of blood mist! That was so satisfying!"

"Many people in the black market saw it and only then did they realize that their master possessed a divine dragon war beast!"

Lin Zhixu knew it was Yu Linzhou as soon as he heard it.

But a black dragon? Wasn't its true form a black snake? When did it evolve into a dragon?

He suppressed his turbulent thoughts, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the pharmacy owner, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, I've got it in mind. However, I have urgent business to attend to and cannot delay, so I'll take my leave now."

Seeing his firm attitude, the shopkeeper didn't try to persuade him any further, but just sighed, "Then please be careful and don't go to places with few people."

Lin Zhixu nodded and slipped out of the pharmacy.

The streets had returned to their usual quiet state, with only a few vendors silently cleaning up their overturned stalls, their movements numb yet swift, as if they were already used to this sudden disturbance.

Lin Zhixu carefully put away the token, lowered the brim of his cloak, and walked quickly towards the Black Building, staying close to the shadows along the street.

He quickened his pace and finally saw the black building.

Two men stood guard at the entrance of the black building, wearing the same black iron masks as the law enforcement team. Their menacing aura could be felt from a great distance.

As Lin Zhixu approached, one of them raised his hand to stop him. Just as he was about to question him, Lin Zhixu had already revealed the black snake token from his sleeve.

The jet-black token gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the dim daylight, and the gold dust at the snake's eyes shimmered slightly.

The guard glanced at it, his pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately withdrew his hand. He and his companion bowed simultaneously and stepped aside, saying, "Sir, please."

Lin Zhixu nodded slightly and stepped inside.

The door closed silently behind me, shutting out all the noise from outside.

……

When Manager Liu sensed the aura of the token, his expression changed.

He subconsciously glanced back at the closed door behind him, hesitated for a moment, then straightened his clothes and quickly went out to greet them.

When he saw that it was indeed Lin Zhixu standing in the hall, he sighed inwardly, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

It's true what they say, what you fear most is what happens most often.

He put on his usual smile and stepped forward to greet him: "Young master, what brings you here? Is there something you need? Just tell me, and I'll have someone take care of it right away."

Lin Zhixu looked at him calmly: "I've come to see Yu Linzhou."

"Oh, you mean the master?" Steward Liu's smile remained unchanged. "Unfortunately, the master isn't at the black market; he went out a couple of days ago."

Lin Zhixu frowned: "went out? Where did you go? When are you coming back?"

Manager Liu hesitated, "I don't know about that. As you know, the master is always capricious and goes wherever he wants. We subordinates shouldn't interfere."

Lin Zhixu looked at him silently for a moment, then suddenly said, "Tell me the truth, has something happened to him?"

Manager Liu's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he laughed and said, "Young master, you are overthinking it. Our master is incredibly powerful. How could anything happen to him? There probably isn't anyone in this world who can hurt him yet."

"If he's alright, why didn't he return to Qiyue Peak? I sent him messages, why didn't he reply to a single one?"

Manager Liu was taken aback by the question, and a crack finally appeared on his flawless smile: "This..."

Lin Zhixu's gaze darkened completely.

He knew that Steward Liu was lying.

He stopped wasting words with the other party and reached out to pull out the black jade pendant that he always wore around his neck.

The jade pendant was entirely black and had a warm, smooth feel to the touch. It was a protective item that Yu Linzhou had insisted on giving him.

Lin Zhixu brought his fingertip to his lips, bit it without hesitation, and squeezed out a drop of blood onto the jade pendant.

The black jade quickly emitted a very faint glow, as if it had been awakened from a deep slumber.

Lin Zhixu gripped the jade pendant tightly and took a step away.

Manager Liu's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly followed, saying, "Young Master! Young Master! Where are you going? This Black Building is huge and its layout is very complicated. What if you accidentally trigger some traps while wandering around alone? It's very dangerous!"

Manager Liu was inwardly groaning.

If it were anyone else, he would have slapped them already. But the person in front of him was someone his master cherished, someone he couldn't afford to offend.

He wouldn't even dare to utter a harsh word, let alone lay a hand on this little brat, for fear of offending him and having him badmouthed.

We can't afford to offend them, so we can only offer advice.

But there's nothing I can do if I can't persuade him. I hope the owner won't blame him.