At the East Port of Black Water, a place full of mixed company, all walks of life frequent.

This is the "Black Market".

"Mountains and rivers have their masters; if you think about it, my animal pelts are 'black goods' and can't be openly sold. So I have to come to the black market!"

A corner of the black market.

There was an inconspicuous little stall. Li Xian laid out a cloth bag on the ground and sat down. Tiger skins, tiger teeth, tiger bones, deer antlers... all neatly arranged in front of him.

The sales in the black market are unchecked, unregulated, and instances of exorbitant pricing and fleecing are common.

But Li Xian's tiger skins and bones were unmistakably genuine. There was no way to falsify them; they were solid goods!

So it didn't take long before buyers came forward to inquire about prices.

"Young brother, your tiger skin looks genuine."

The buyer was a housekeeper of a wealthy family. He touched the tiger skin, felt the fur, and showed a joyful expression. The master would definitely like it.

"Nine hundred Wen coins," Li Xian stated directly.

Authentic tiger skin would sell for two or three taels, but if a private buyer asks for too high a price, the seller is accused of poaching, unable to sell and inviting trouble instead.

Therefore, in the black market, tiger skin sells for around "nine hundred Wen coins".

"Nine hundred Wen..." The buyer said, "That's a bit steep; I'll take it for eight hundred Wen."

"After all, you don't know where you caught it. If seen by others, they might pursue you for it, heh heh, and you might get into serious trouble."

Li Xian wasn't intimidated, calmly said, "Eight hundred fifty Wen."

"Alright then."

Thus, after a bit of negotiation.

The first sum of money was earned. Li Xian weighed the copper coins, feeling quite pleased inside.

"With these eight hundred fifty Wen, I now have two taels of silver."

Li Xian remained calm and composed, waiting for more customers.

The furs of these animals were most popular. People continuously inquired about prices. Several people, seeing Li Xian's young age, tried to intimidate him into lowering the price.

Li Xian was unmoved, holding his ground.

Tiger skins, leopard skins, deer skins all sold eventually, totaling two taels of silver in earnings.

Besides, animal bones and claws were also in high demand.

An hour later, the stall was clear of animal goods, and he had amassed five taels of money.

His pockets were full, and his spirits were high.

"With money, even devils push the mill."

"Money is especially important!"

Though Li Xian rarely left the house, from these small events he understood the difficulty of having no money and the opportunities when you have it. Every time money came in, there was an indescribable joy.

Seeing that it was still early, he strolled around the black market, looking for anything he might need.

The black market had many miscellaneous items.

There were animal goods, weapons, and even martial arts for sale. However, such items were extremely expensive, deterring many potential buyers.

It was also easy to be scammed.

It was better to look at little trinkets, such as jade, emeralds, porcelain... various items, although they also mixed the good with the bad, there was the potential to find something valuable.

"Hm?"

Li Xian suddenly stopped, looking at a black clay figurine.

The figurine was endearingly simple, unique in design, but it was the color and texture of the material that really caught Li Xian's attention.

It bore an eighty-percent resemblance to the black lion at the entrance of the Black Water Gang's hall.

"How much for this?" Li Xian asked.

"Two taels each."

The vendor was a thin man with a large mole beside his mouth, wide palms, and feet.

He was likely a fisherman from the area around the Black River, skilled in water, having retrieved these from the water.

"You're mad for money. Even a hundred Wen for this little figurine would be too much!" Li Xian cursed, starting to walk away.

The fisherman's eyes lit up, "My lord, my lord, please wait."

"I see fate brought us together, I'll sell it for just a hundred Wen, alright?"

Li Xian sneered, "It seems it's not even worth a hundred Wen, twenty Wen, sell it or not?"

"Sell, sell!" The fisherman grinned, "I'll sell it for twenty Wen."

He was a fisherman on the river, fishing and retrieving catches. A few days back, he fished up this item, finding it interestingly crafted, hoping to try his luck at the black market.

Unexpectedly, he was able to sell it.

Li Xian didn't know its use, buying it merely for its novelty.

...

After that, Li Xian continued to wander but didn't make any hasty purchases.

As the afternoon wore on, just as he was about to head home, another item caught Li Xian's attention.

It was a tattered book. The cover was broken, yellowed in color, bearing the gnaw marks of a mouse.

It was very inconspicuous in the black market. Li Xian, having a keen mind and a casual browsing mindset, paid attention to it.

He picked it up nonchalantly and started to browse through it. His heart surged with joy.

The cover was so damaged that nothing could be discerned.

But browsing the content of the book revealed it was about the... "Medicated Bathing Method".

Titled "Hundred Day Bath".

Though not advanced, it was quite effective, using herbs harvested from the mountains to brew medicinal soup. Soaking for a hundred days, each day enhances qi power a bit, strengthens tendons and bones, and invigorates muscles and blood a bit.

After a hundred consecutive days...

The medicated bath method loses its efficacy.

Li Xian glanced at the vendor, who wore a confident look, clearly sure of this item's value, knowing that if he inquired about the price, it would surely be marked up—these black market merchants are experts at hiking prices.

Thinking swiftly, he decided to do the opposite.

He spat sarcastically, "Pah, what a piece of crap," then turned to look at other items.

"Sir, you must not recognize quality," the vendor whispered, looking around, "This is a medicated bathing method, look, the book mentions 'Hundred Day Bath', a treasure for Martial Artists!"

"Pah, pah, pah!"

Li Xian, hearing this, felt inward joy, as the vendor seemed barely literate, knowing the words "Hundred Day Bath" but not understanding the book's true meaning.

"This is a method for soaking feet, talking about foot baths," Li Xian said, "Who would buy this from you for foot washing? Hahaha, I'm laughing to death."

The vendor's face turned ugly, filled with doubt, carefully examining the book but being barely literate, it was in vain.

"This jade is not bad," Li Xian picked up a piece of yellow jade nearby, "This kind of thing is at least decent. As for this book, if you give it to me to burn as fuel, I'd be willing."

"How much for this jade? I quite like it." Li Xian deliberately expressed affection for it.

The vendor's eyes rolled, he said, "Sir, the jade and book come together, if you want to buy, you must buy both. Otherwise... I won't sell you the jade either."

"You're kidding me!" Li Xian said angrily.

"That's how it is, take it or leave it," the vendor shrugged.

"Fine, you win," Li Xian said, "One tael of silver for both the jade and the book. Deal or no deal."

"Deal, deal, deal."

The vendor smiled obsequiously.

After Li Xian paid, he spat and pretended to leave indignantly. Once out of the black market, he stored the "Hundred Day Bath" securely under his clothes, treating it as a prized possession.

"Martial arts are rare."

"Medicated bathing methods are even rarer!"

"Commander Pang once told me there's a method for medicated baths that forges a dragon and tiger physique, commanding awe and envy. This Hundred Day Bath has mild medicinal properties, and its daily enhancements are extremely useful in my current situation!"

As for the yellow jade, it would make a fine ornament.

One tael of silver, and I hit it big!

When Li Xian left the port, it was near dusk. Passing by the "Human Body Banner", he looked up again, marveling at the Black Water Gang's power, and concurrently reminded himself to be cautious in all dealings.

"Today's harvest was good. It's time to head back."

Li Xian bought two baskets of dumplings.

Taking advantage of their warmth, he ate as he headed back. His steps were light and quickly carried him far away.

...

...

Elsewhere...

Uncle Fu led seven or eight men on their way back to the village.

The old ox had been sold to a tavern, slaughtered with one slice in front of Uncle Fu by the butcher, mooing twice before death, shedding a tear.

Afterwards...

The butcher broke down the old ox into eight pieces.

Removed the hide, drained the blood. Weighed meat by the tael, exchanged for money, handed to Uncle Fu.

When the money was in hand, Uncle Fu was dazed.

An old companion of many years had become cold hard copper coins.

Until he purchased bags and bags of coarse yellow millet.

Smiles gradually appeared on his face.

"Having grain is good, having grain is good."

"We'll survive in the end."

Uncle Fu wiped away old tears, urging everyone to carry the coarse grain, this was the livelihood of the whole village.

Then a whistle blew.

"Boys, grab your gear!"

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.