Yanjing, as Huaxia's most culturally resonant city, stands with a particularly strong presence, a spot of indelible pride in the hearts of any Huaxia children.

In such a region where cultural depth and fashion merge, there lies an unknown alley. This alley has no name, or perhaps it once did, but people have forgotten it for so long that no one remembers its street name.

The alley is approximately over a hundred meters long, and from end to end, it's rare to see people coming and going. Because it's narrow, if someone passes by pushing a bicycle, the person coming towards them must turn sideways and squeeze past. If they encounter a stout person, they can only retreat.

No vehicles pass through here, nor do peddlers, making it relatively quiet and clean. You might question how such a street can be clean. The reason is simple. This alley is swept every morning and evening by an old man, and in summer, he sometimes uses a water cart to wash it, maintaining its freshness.

There are no residents in the alley, only shops with tightly closed doors. On the ground by the bluish stone-paved road are green grasses, symbolizing that spring has quietly replaced winter, and the damp cold air rises from beneath feet, making passersby feel as if they are still in the severe cold.

Because the sunlight never reaches here, the tightly closed doors have begun to rot, with the wood shavings becoming part of the old man's daily work, to sweep them into the small cart behind him time after time.

At dusk, after the old man sweeps through the entire alley from start to finish, he silently disappears with his small cart, and the quiet belonging to the alley miraculously begins a turning point.

Heavy-looking wooden doors swing open inward, revealing that this seemingly uninhabited alley has its own vitality. Despite this, it still remains out of place with the city.

1924!

The old name of this alley, originating from some source that's now impossible to trace, is known by no one today, as the older generations have all turned to dust, leaving it as a symbol of the dark era.

From the Dragon Soul records, there are only this few clues.

The owner of the entire alley died of cancer a few years ago. The person replacing him is said to be very young and has never shown his face on this alley. After maintaining the original rules, he reshuffled the game, combining everything big and small into one unified world, known as the Dark Realm.

The name sounds somewhat mystical and terrifying, but on the surface, it is just a chaotic street, selling everything and anything. Whether they have courage or not, all who come seldom leave empty-handed.

Xiao Lin is not hearing for the first time about the existence of such a world in Yanjing. On this land, there are many hidden talents, but these people do not favor bright appearances.

He knows what Shou is hesitating about; from the time he met him, he knew such a world existed, and Shou, who coincidentally escaped from within, encountered Xiao Lin and was recruited into the Five for a bowl of beef noodles.

Shou can be said to be the last of the five to join and also the most silent among them. Perhaps others wouldn't understand, but Xiao Lin knows that Shou is suppressing something, and this long suppression has now been pierced through.

Gazing at the hundred-meter-long alley, Xiao Lin squints his eyes. Dark Realm, huh? He really wants to take a look. What kind of place could make Shou so oppressed?

'No Buy No Sell,' looking at the shop's name, Xiao Lin repeated it with interest before stepping into the hall. A few tables, a few chairs, the vintage setting gives a somewhat immersive time-travel feel, with the clock in the hall ticking away; in five minutes it will be seven in the evening.

Standing in the hall, looking around, there's no one else, just him, and the hospitality is indeed lacking. No wonder there's no business; unlike the lively shops nearby, he entered out of curiosity and now feels a little regret.

'No Buy No Sell,' doesn't that mean no business at all? Xiao Lin muttered to himself, planning to leave the shop. But as he turned around, his finger found a protruding part on a pillar, and upon closer inspection, it was an old-fashioned electric bell, like those used in the eighties on the outside of doors, with a black plastic base and a red dot on top that makes a bell sound somewhere when pressed. Quite interesting.

With this discovery, Xiao Lin pressed the red dot twice with his slender fingers, but no particular sound echoed in his ears, which puzzled him. Is it just for show? Unrelentingly, he pressed it twice more, still with no response, so he shrugged at the device before leaving.

"What kind of person, pressing incessantly like a messenger of death, doesn't know the rules here?"

Immediately entering Xiao Lin's view was a hunched old man with gray-white goat whiskers curled upward. It was unclear where the old man emerged from, but by the time Xiao Lin turned back, he was already behind him, without Xiao Lin even noticing, his shock veiled under a carefree smile.

"Your face is unfamiliar; a newcomer?" The old man scrutinized Xiao Lin up and down, his triangular eyes exposing a naked glint.

"First time here!"

"What do you want to sell?" The old man randomly found a stool to sit on, wearing black cloth shoes, tied shorts, and clothes from the beginning of the republic period, smoking a dry tobacco pipe. Add a braid, and it would echo a time-travel comedic effect further.

"I'm not selling anything; I want to buy something."

The old man took a puff, his triangular eyes glancing askew at Xiao Lin: "This is a pawn shop, nothing for sale." He flatly rejected Xiao Lin's request.

"Old man, are you pulling my leg!" Xiao Lin sat beside the old man, smiling playfully: "How come the outside world says differently, that in the Dark Realm, nothing is unobtainable?"

Xiao Lin blinked at the old man, deliberately emphasizing 'Dark Realm,' fearing the old man might be hard of hearing.

"Why so loud?" The old man shouted angrily, jumping from his stool, glaring at Xiao Lin with a vigilant expression. Though his smile was harmless, it held an unspeakable danger. He slowly approached Xiao Lin, who remained motionless, circling at a measured pace. "You've got the scent of the dead on you." (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.