My disciple, you are now invincible. Go down the mountain and wreak havoc on the world!

midnight.

It is a paradise in the underworld.

Entrance to the black market.

It is hidden in an abandoned old factory area in the east of the city.

It looked dilapidated from the outside, but there were more than a dozen bodyguards and thugs in black suits standing at the entrance, with bulging waistbands. Without asking, they were all carrying weapons.

Ye Xunhuan stood at the intersection, staring down at his phone's navigation, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

"What the hell is this? Turning left again? I just crashed into a wall when I tried to turn left!" He angrily tapped the screen, almost biting off the stick of his lollipop. "Where's Warehouse Number Three? This sign looks like scribbles."

Su Qingyuan, watching from the side, didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and reached out to tug at his arm.

"Stop looking and come with me. I came here once before with my father."

Ye Xunhuan immediately put his phone back in his pocket, looking completely matter-of-fact: "You should have said so earlier, you wasted my time."

Su Qingyuan: "...You didn't even ask!"

The two walked inside, but were stopped by a burly man at the door after only a couple of steps.

"Halt! Please show me your invitation!"

The burly man spoke in a deep, muffled voice, his eyes sweeping over the two men.

Seeing Ye Xunhuan dressed in a hoodie and jeans, with flip-flops on his feet, a look of contempt flashed in his eyes.

This is the top black market in the five provinces of Jiangnan. Those who come here are all rich and powerful. Where did this poor kid come from? Who gave him the courage to wander around here?

"Invitation? No." Ye Xunhuan said casually, a lollipop dangling from his mouth. "I heard they sell grilled sausages inside. I'm planning to go in and buy two sausages and a lollipop, and also use the free restroom."

The burly man's face instantly darkened. "Buy sausages and lollipops? Get lost!"

"This is not a place for you. If you don't leave, don't blame us for being impolite!"

As he spoke, he reached out and pushed Ye Xunhuan's shoulder with all his might, seemingly intending to send him flying.

Su Qingyuan's expression changed, and she was about to speak when she saw Ye Xunhuan slightly shift his body and lightly dodge away.

He crunched the lollipop in his mouth, the stick swirling in his mouth, and then a soft "snap" was heard.

The burly man's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his eyes wide open, before he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

He's unconscious.

The other burly bodyguards were so frightened that their pupils shrank. Just as they were about to reach for their weapons, Ye Xunhuan flicked his finger, and the half-eaten lollipop stick in his mouth flew out, hitting them precisely between the eyebrows.

With a "thud," the second one also fell down.

Ye Xunhuan stopped wasting words and flicked his fingers in the air, unleashing a series of invisible sword-like attacks.

The once formidable black market entrance guards fell one after another, silently losing their fighting ability.

The whole process took less than two seconds.

Ye Xunhuan patted his dust-free hands and clicked his tongue as if nothing had happened. "If even the gatekeepers are this weak, then Youge really has no one left."

Su Qingyuan opened her mouth, but after a long pause, she managed to stammer out, "Can't you just speak properly...?"

"Speak properly, they won't listen." Ye Xunhuan shrugged and stepped inside.

"Let's go, wife. If we go in too late, Binglian will be snatched away, and your grandfather will be doomed."

Helpless, Su Qingyuan could only hurry to catch up.

Passing through the dilapidated factory gate, a hidden world unfolds inside.

The long corridor was covered with a red carpet, and bodyguards dressed in black stood on both sides. At the end was a gilded door, from which came a cacophony of voices.

Pushing open the door, one enters a huge auction hall, brightly lit and filled with people, all of whom are wealthy and powerful, wearing expensive watches and accompanied by bodyguards, exuding an air of grandeur.

On the stage, the auctioneer was enthusiastically introducing an antique vase, while the sounds of bidding rose and fell from below.

Ye Xunhuan glanced around, found an empty seat in the back row, and as soon as his bottom touched the chair, he sniffed, "Hey? I was right, they really do have lollipops and sausages?"

He turned his head and saw a small stall at the end of the corridor. An old man wearing a baseball cap was grilling sausages on a stove. The sausages were sizzling and the aroma filled the entire hall.

"Grilled sausage!"

Ye Xunhuan's eyes lit up, and he tugged at Su Qingyuan's arm, "I want a grilled sausage!"

Su Qingyuan: "...We're here to film the Thousand-Year Ice Lotus!"

"You can't film ice lotus on an empty stomach."

Ye Xunhuan, with a straight face, got up and walked towards the stall, saying, "Wait here, I'll go buy two and bring one back for you."

"If you're not satisfied with your meal, there's more when you get home tonight..."

"Get lost!" Su Qingyuan sighed, and could only watch him run off happily.

When Ye Xunhuan arrived at the stall, he was dumbfounded as he touched his pocket.

The old man looked up at him: "Young man, how many would you like? Spicy or plain?"

Ye Xunhuan fumbled around for a while, then pulled out a silver ingot and slammed it on the table: "Give me two, extra chili."

The old man stared at the silver ingot for a moment, then his lips twitched slightly: "Young man, we don't accept silver here. You pay by scanning a QR code with your phone."

"Scan a QR code? Scan what QR code?" Ye Xunhuan was stunned, taking out his phone and looking at it over and over. "You can buy sausages with this?"

"Yes, WeChat and Alipay are both fine." The old man pointed to the QR code on the table. "Just scan this."

Ye Xunhuan stared at the black and white square for a long time, poking at the screen with his finger, but still couldn't figure it out.

He's really good at playing Candy Crush; Su Qingyuan taught him once, and he remembered it.

He really didn't know what QR code payment was.

The old man's face darkened when he saw him fiddling with it for several minutes without figuring it out.

"Young man, are you going to buy it or not? Don't delay my business."

"Buy it! Why don't you buy it?" Ye Xunhuan was getting impatient, and pulled out another gold ingot and placed it on the table. "This one will do, won't it? It's pure gold!"

People passing by instinctively looked over and covered their mouths to chuckle.

"Is this kid from outer space?"

"Why else would he be so naive?"

"You don't even know how to use WeChat Pay?"

Ye Xunhuan frowned, about to lash out, when a fair and soft hand reached out from behind him, holding a phone and scanning the QR code with a "beep".

"Two spicy ones, please," Su Qingyuan's voice rang out from the side.

Ye Xunhuan turned around and saw Su Qingyuan blushing, glaring at him with a mixture of anger and amusement: "Can you please stop embarrassing yourself!"

"It's not my fault. Who knew buying a sausage would be so troublesome?" Ye Xunhuan muttered, taking the sausage from the old man and taking a big bite. The aroma of oil filled the air, and his eyes narrowed instantly.

She murmured "Mmm" in enjoyment, "Mmm, delicious! It's even better than the roasted pigeon from the mountains!"

Looking at his satisfied expression, Su Qingyuan couldn't stay angry and could only shake her head helplessly.

The two returned to their seats with the sausages, and as soon as they sat down, they heard a strange, sarcastic voice coming from in front of them.

"Oh, isn't this Miss Su? What's wrong? The Su family is almost bankrupt, and you still have the leisure to browse the black market?"

The speaker was a young man in a floral shirt, with slicked-back hair and a heavily made-up woman in his arms, looking at Su Qingyuan with a mocking expression.

He is Wang Hao from the Wang family, a young master from a second-rate family in Jiangcheng. He used to pursue Su Qingyuan but was rejected, and he has held a grudge ever since.

Wang Hao's gaze swept over Ye Xunhuan, noticing his plain clothes and the greasy sausage he was eating, and his contempt deepened.

"Could this be the country bumpkin loser that Miss Su has been rumored to be dating lately?"

"Hey, you really live up to your name, can't even afford a decent set of clothes?"

"I really don't know who gave him the guts to dress like that and come to a place like this?"