Su Heng, accompanied by his two protectors, walked down the street at the heart of the black market, his gaze sweeping over the stalls on either side, searching for what he needed.
The breakthrough in the Pure Yang Skill had brought about improvements across the board.
Not only his physique, Su Heng's senses had also become unusually sharp. He could smell the stale, moldy scent in the air, and beneath this decay, a more subtle scent of blood. This place was clearly not peaceful, with frequent bloody conflicts to the point that even the rains couldn't wash away the scent of blood, leaving a lingering shadow of gore.
There were still quite a few people coming and going in the black market, but everyone was in a hurry, heads lowered, even when they occasionally looked up to survey their surroundings, their expressions were very cautious.
Some wore masks, concealing their true faces.
If they found what they were looking for in the market, they would reach out and silently negotiate prices with the vendor under the cover of long sleeves. If they could not agree, they would leave. If they agreed, then they would quickly pay and leave. Everyone deliberately kept their voices low to shorten the transaction process, fearing it might attract attention.
A faint fishy smell wafted from a stall to the left front, drawing Su Heng's attention.
The vendor was a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat and dressed in hemp short clothes. Seeing Su Heng approach, the middle-aged man raised his head, revealing a waxen, sallow face under his broad-brimmed straw hat, resembling the face of a poor farmer accustomed to facing the soil.
In front of the farmer, the stall showcased only one item.
It was a large mass of pure white fat without a trace of red blood, muscle, or sinew. Despite its appearance, it didn't feel overly greasy; its surface was soft and elastic. If it hadn't been for the distinct smell of fat, Su Heng would have thought it was a chunk of jelly.
"What is this?" Su Heng asked, a curious look on his face, his voice lowered.
"Age-old flesh," the farmer replied, glancing at Su Heng's tall and robust figure. A flicker of fear crossed his dull, yellow face, but he seriously added, "Grows from the ground, eating it greatly benefits one's health and boosts vitality!"
If you want to sell herbs well, just blow hard in the direction of boosting vitality... Su Heng thought to himself. But complaints aside, the chunk of white flesh indeed seemed extraordinary. Apart from the fishy smell, Su Heng also detected a very faint, familiar fragrance.
He knew this scent well.
Not long ago, Su Heng had smelled the same scent from the flesh and blood of a demon.
"Does this flesh come from a demon?" Su Heng wondered. However, it seemed not quite the case, as the demonic scent on it was too faint; it must be some by-product from a demon.
"How much per pound?" Su Heng asked.
"One silver tael per pound," the farmer extended a finger.
"Deal!" Su Heng really needed this age-old flesh and was not in the mood to bargain, "How many pounds do you have? I'll take it all."
"Thirty pounds, thirty silver taels in total." The farmer's fingers trembled slightly, a flush of excitement appeared on his waxen face, impossible to contain.
Su Heng waved his hand and pulled out several pieces of broken silver from his bosom, tossing them in front of the farmer.
The farmer caught them, weighing them briefly and confirming the amounts were correct.
"All this meat is yours now." The farmer carefully tucked the silver into his robe, put on his straw hat, and turned to quickly disappear into the darkness. He left behind his stall and even the red lantern hanging there.
The age-old flesh appeared soft, but it actually had considerable toughness.
Su Heng packed it in his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
The two guards beside him offered to carry it for Su Heng, but he shook his head and refused.
On one hand, both guards were ordinary people, and it wasn't easy for them to walk more than ten kilometers on mountain roads with dozens of kilograms of weight on their backs.
On the other hand, the chunk of Tai Sui meat was suspected to be related to demons, and Su Heng was also afraid that they might be contaminated by unclean things. As for himself, he didn't mind, and dozens of kilograms of weight was really nothing for Su Heng; he felt no strain at all.
He continued to wander around the black market, from east to west.
Su Heng had spent nearly a hundred Silver Taels and bought several martial arts styles.
These martial arts were not inner strength techniques like the Pure Yang Skill, but instead consisted of various sword techniques and moves. Although they were considered exquisite, they were not on the same level in terms of value and effect as the Pure Yang Skill.
The reason for the purchase was,
mainly because Su Heng felt that some of the power-delivery techniques explained were worth learning.
Moreover, with the foreseeable future where demons would further revive and the world would become more chaotic, Su Heng planned to set up a small Scripture Pavilion at home, collecting martial arts from the Jianghu for the servants and protectors in his family to study.
Even if they couldn't combat the demons, handling some opportunistic ordinary people shouldn't be a big problem.
After all, the Su Family was large and prominent.
Once order collapsed, there would be countless people eyeing them with envy, so it was necessary to prepare in advance.
Not having collected any inner strength techniques like the Pure Yang Skill at the black market, Su Heng was somewhat disappointed. But acquiring these several sword and fist techniques still made the trip worthwhile. Especially the more than thirty kilograms of Tai Sui meat, which was a completely unexpected joy.
"The gains this time far exceeded expectations," Su Heng said as he left with his bundle.
Along the way, he bought books, spending lavishly and scattering large amounts of Silver Taels, which attracted quite a bit of attention.
Some of the masked individuals lingered subtly around Su Heng, clearly harboring malicious intentions. Su Heng was not intimidated, and even felt a bit of anticipation. If these people intended to take advantage of the situation to rob him, he would fight them fiercely.
Having crossed over to the Great Zhou Dynasty for over five years,
Su Heng lived in luxury, not having encountered any significant dangers or shed blood.
But having progressed in martial arts, especially after encountering demons, Su Heng's heart began to change gradually. He felt both nervous and afraid of the potential conflicts that might occur, yet there was also an inexplicable surge of impulse and excitement. These two emotions intermingled, but his desire for the latter was clearly stronger.
Unfortunately…
Su Heng, carrying more than thirty kilograms, strode briskly on the mountain road.
In addition, with the practice of Pure Yang Skill and devouring demon flesh, he had a physique far surpassing that of ordinary people.
Some of the greedy individuals in the black market, though, ultimately cherished their lives. Wealth was precious, but one had to be alive to enjoy it. Taking such a huge risk was not worth it.
Thus,
Su Heng and the two guards made their way back to the city.
Upon seeing the city gates close, the bright lights on the city streets, and the patrolling government officials, both guards let out a big sigh of relief. Although it was Su Heng who carried the thirty kilograms of Tai Sui meat, it was they who sweated profusely and panted with exhaustion.