The proof of Emperor Wu began with daily rewards for diligence.

The next morning.

Chen Jue asked his uncle He Yuanshan for the exact location of the Kaiyang black market and handed over all the remaining capsules and pills to him.

Thanks to the double dose of spiritual food last night, his internal energy and blood have expanded to 162.5% of that of an ordinary martial artist. He can even perform the Three Circulations of the River Chariot and simultaneously circulate the Three Gates of Five Elements Internal Skills.

Although the number of Qi and blood vessels in the third meridian is clearly insufficient, its efficiency is only 70% of that of the other two meridians.

However, with such a massive amount of Qi and blood, the quantitative change eventually led to a qualitative change, and ordinary Qi-boosting capsules and Qi-blood pills could no longer be effective for him.

It would be better to use it to help Uncle Lin re-cultivate his true energy, so that he would not suffer from qi and blood deficiency and shorten his lifespan.

When He Yuanshan heard that Chen Jue was going to the black market, he wanted to go with him, but Chen Jue persuaded him not to, saying that there would be too many people around and he wanted to keep a low profile.

Do you have enough money on you? I'll transfer some to you.

Before leaving, He Yuanshan transferred 100,000 yuan to Chen Jue, saying it was compensation from Zhang Wei for today.

Chen Jue didn't stand on ceremony with his uncle. After receiving the money, he headed towards the "Kaiyang Black Market".

Today he was dressed in plain, old gray clothes, with a baseball cap covering his eyes. He concealed his sharp edges and quietly blended into the city, unnoticed by anyone.

The Kaiyang Black Market is located in five old alleys in the Kaiyang district. It is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and opens randomly in the five old alleys on other days.

The black market is a mixed bag, and it is said to be Wu's own business, unrelated to his family.

Now that the Rat Gang, which spanned the two major communities of Kaiyang and Yangcheng, has been destroyed, the black market has doubled in size, becoming a golden goose in Wu Yue's hands.

You asked why the health station in Yangcheng community doesn't get involved in the black market business.

If they really had connections to running a black market, they wouldn't be being bullied by the Rat Gang.

This shows that Wu Yue has effectively become the head of both districts, someone who has influence in both the legal and illegal worlds.

After many twists and turns, Chen Jue arrived at an office building that was an unfinished construction project.

The office building has not yet been decorated inside, its exterior is dilapidated, and it is surrounded by a fence made of blue corrugated steel sheets, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering.

Wearing a mask and with his hat brim pulled low, Chen Jue paid the old gatekeeper two hundred yuan for the entrance fee.

The old man, puffing out welding smoke, used the key fastened to his belt to open the flimsy fence gate made of corrugated steel sheets.

Chen Jue walked into the site full of construction waste with his head down. At the entrance of the office building, there were two or three buyers smoking, and a boss with a bag under his arm was making phone calls to raise money.

Chen Jue slowed his pace, his ears perked up slightly, and he heard the scattered conversations of several people at the door.

"That boss is really stubborn. He said he'd pay 150,000 for a 35-year-old ginseng, and he wouldn't budge on the price..."

"The manager only gave us a budget of 180,000. The brothers came all this way, and the remaining money is only enough for a foot massage and a prepaid membership card..."

"Sigh, was that thing sold at stall number ten just now the 'Flesh Spirit Mushroom' from the Medicine King Sect? I heard that thing can grow just by watering it, and eating one raw slice every day can infinitely strengthen your physical body..."

"You dare touch the Star Demon's things? Don't forget, the Medicine King Sect is still wreaking havoc in Henan Province. They're ruthless people who can resurrect the dead from their graves..."

"Hey! Sixth Brother? It's your Brother Kun. I've got my eye on a source stone at the Kaiyang black market. I'm planning to use it to celebrate Master Tang's birthday. Can you lend me some money quickly before someone else gets there first..."

……

Listening to the rumors, Chen Jue climbed the sloppy cement stairs to the even sloppier second floor.

This floor is still unrenovated. With a ceiling height of over five meters and a drab, bare-bones style, it feels as empty as a large warehouse.

Chen Jue blended into the bustling crowd on the second floor, as if he had accidentally wandered into a long shopping street in a scenic area. He walked along the pedestrian passage and looked at hundreds of stalls.

The things sold here are incredibly diverse.

There were ancient weapons covered in verdigris, medicine bottles with a pungent aroma, and even black, slimy liquid trapped in a glass jar, constantly writhing and deforming...

Chen Jue stopped at a weapons stall, his gaze falling on a broad-backed horse-slaying saber with a blade length of three feet and one inch and a handle length of one foot and six inches.

"How much is this knife?"

The stall owner was a middle-aged man, about 1.65 meters tall, wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt with several charred holes on his chest from sparks.

"Fifty thousand cash." The middle-aged man rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat anxious.

Chen Jue's eyebrows twitched.

"Even the standard-issue 'sword-cutting horse' of the Jiangnan Wanhu Prefecture costs no more than this. If the garrison soldiers were to sell it privately, it would only be a mere 40,000 coins."

"Why are you selling this knife for 50,000?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man hurriedly said, "How can that be the same? The garrison commanders almost all provide their own weapons. The standard-issue swords issued to them free of charge only need to meet the acceptance standards."

"And this knife of mine is made of high-quality steel that has been forged a hundred times. The blade is thickened and made heavier, unlike those standard-issue battle knives that are just made to get by."

Chen Jue remained silent upon hearing this, reached out and grasped the handle of the knife, which was made of steel wire and blue rope, and weighed it in his hand.

It must be said that this is indeed a fine battle sword.

The blade has a smooth, flowing curve, a thick and solid spine, and the blade gradually narrows from the guard to the tip, where it suddenly elongates and curves upward, making it sharp and menacing.

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the materials themselves, even with thicker and wider blades, this knife still only weighs ten pounds.

"Never mind, it's not handy."

Chen Jue loosened the hilt of his sword and turned to leave.

"well?!"

The middle-aged, burly man had been setting up his stall all day, selling a pile of scrap metal worth three to five hundred coins each. Finally, a customer asked about a high-priced, fine knife, and the man quickly interjected, "If you're truly interested, I can sell it to you for forty thousand!"

"I have no money, I don't want it." Chen Jue said without turning his head.

"Thirty-five thousand!"

Seeing that Chen Jue was about to leave, the middle-aged burly man became anxious: "...Thirty thousand! No, twenty-five thousand! Twenty-five thousand is the lowest I can accept!"

Chen Jue stopped in his tracks, returned to the stall, and readily scanned the code to pay.

"Young man, you've struck gold. The materials alone are worth 25,000, top-grade hundred-refined steel, and I didn't charge you a penny for your labor..."

Chen Jue chuckled and said, "Even if this knife is forged from a thousand-times-refined steel by a master blacksmith, would you spend a single penny on materials if it fell into your hands?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback by these words, then chuckled awkwardly, "You can't say that..."

"You're all government officials. Give me a scabbard, or I'll anonymously report your Craftsmen's Bureau."

Chen Jue was wearing a mask, and it was unclear whether he was joking or serious.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged burly man was stunned, thinking to himself that there could never be such a shameless person in the world.

"If I had known this knife would be sold to someone like you, it should have just rotted in the furnace..."

The middle-aged man muttered to himself, then took out a black alloy scabbard that he had prepared beforehand from under the stall.

This was something that came off the assembly line. He originally intended to sell it to a Yuan dynasty person who wanted to buy a knife for two thousand coins.

As a result, the money got stuck with the loss, and I lost two hundred.

Chen Jue tied the ten-pound longsword to his waist. Its length of four feet and seven inches made people automatically keep a certain distance when he walked.