Fang Xing sighed when he saw how frightened the man was. "You don’t have to be so nervous. I don’t intend to expose you, I just really admire your craftsmanship. I mean, look at this Flying Sword—it’s no different from a real one! And this spirit pellet, how did you do it? The color, the smell, and—my god—is that a trace of Qi intertwined within? It seems more real than the actual thing…."
What Fang Xing said was half true, half false. He really did admire the man’s craftsmanship, and the counterfeits really could be passed off as genuine, but the items themselves weren’t perfect. For example, this Flying Sword was actually a real one with spells that no longer worked, but the man had used a unique technique to put in limited-use spells in case someone decided to test the Flying Sword out. The Flying Sword seemed to function just fine, but once the limited-use spells ran out, it would be left broken and unusable.
Not perfect, but impeccable for the sake of a quick scam.
As for the Spirit Pellet, although its look and smell was very close to the real thing and it was even overflowing with Qi, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone with knowledge in alchemy to distinguish the difference. Even people who didn’t know any alchemy could break open the pellet and see that the Qi within wasn’t enough.
The man had no idea what Fang Xing’s intentions were and grew incredibly stressed. "Shixiong, please stop mocking me…. It was just a moment of weakness, that’s all!"
Fang Xing waved his hand. "A moment of weakness? You mean these skills can be mastered half-heartedly?"
The man was nearly in tears as he nervously looked around and began to softly plead, "Quiet, just tell me what it is you want! It’s my bad luck for running across an expert, so if you want something, just take it…."
"What I want... is your craft," Fang Xing replied with sincerity. "I’ll tell you the truth. In my previous home, there was an elder who also specialized in this. He wasn’t as good as you and could only counterfeit ordinary things from the mortal world, but I was reminded of him when I saw your work. Please be at ease; not only will I not tell anybody about this, I might also want to make use of your business. There’s plenty of money to be made, after all…."
"Uh…." The man stared at Fang Xing, uncertain whether he was telling the truth.
Fang Xing whispered, "I’m planning something specific. Shixiong, please allow me to know your name…."
"What are you after?" the man questioned nervously. Nobody in the Black Market ever asked for another person’s identity—this was a rule that had existed from the beginning. He’d dared to sell these counterfeits in the first place because as long as nobody figured it out immediately, how would they find him later without knowing who he was? Furthermore, he never immediately took out his counterfeits right away; he always sold some real items first, and only started to mix in some fakes little by little when he was sure it was safe. For someone to ask for his name immediately put him on full alert.
"Don’t be so nervous. How else would I contact you?"
The man’s eyes shifted back and forth in hesitation before he whispered, "Let’s not do this then, Shixiong. The Black Market has its rules, and since you’ve seen through me, just take your pick of what I have—I do have some real things here, too. As for my name… I don’t intend on doing anything bigger than what I have, and I won’t be selling anything at the Black Market anymore, either…."
When the man refused, Fang Xing just gave low chuckle and asked, "You really don’t intend to continue?"
The man was resolute and decisive. "I will not!"
Fang Xing suddenly stood up and shouted out loud, "Oh my! All of the stuff here—"
The market itself was quiet, and even if someone was to talk, it would be hushed down to almost a whisper. When Fang Xing abruptly raised his voice, the surrounding people were all shocked and a countless number of eyes began to look his way. The man in front of him was scared stiff and nearly fled then and there, but he stayed when Fang Xing continued.
"—is so good! It took me so long to finally find this! My dear, dear shixiong, you have been a great help! Thank you so much; here, please take this Spirit Stone!" Fang Xing threw a Spirit Stone towards the man and grabbed a random item from one of the piles. Fang Xing pretended to be excited as he tossed the item back and forth between his hands while sending a meaningful look towards the counterfeiter.
"Pfft, must be a country bumpkin! Getting so excited over a Slumber Pellet!" Someone nearby cursed low before turning around in disinterest. Slumber Pellets were common medicinal pellets that helped improved sleep and restore energy—it wasn’t something worth getting so excited over.
While most of the people turned to continue on with their business, a guard walked forward and whispered, "Please control your emotions, Shixiong. This is the Black Market and everyone is being cautious; you shouldn’t be so loud…."
"Ah, yes, of course. I’m sorry, Shixiong, I just got carried away," Fang Xing hastily apologized. Satisfied, the guard nodded and left.
As soon as the guard was gone, the man directly dropped to his knees in front of Fang Xing and looked up with helplessness. "What will it take for you to let me go?"
Without speaking a word, Fang Xing looked right back at the man and showed a meaningful smile.
Seeming to make up his mind, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a woodblock before passing it to Fang Xing.
Fang Xing didn’t even touch it. "Give me the real one!" he demanded directly.
The man’s lips twitched and his face darkened beneath his black veil. After a long time had passed, he finally pulled out another woodblock and dropped his head in silence. Fang Xing grabbed it and immediately read out the information: "Qing-Yun Sect outer court disciple Hua Qianzhi. Resident number twenty-one of Black-Rock Valley."
Fang Xing read through the man’s identity and firmly etched the name and residence in his memory before handing it back.
"What do you want me to do? Can you tell me?" the man weakly asked.
Fang Xing grinned wide. "I’ll let you know when I know!"
With this, Hua Qianzhi made a decision deep within his heart. After returning to his residence, he’d destroy all of these counterfeit items and never do something like this again to avoid being threatened by this guy.
"By the way, if you’re planning on destroying everything and not making items like these again once you get back, I promise you that your trading of counterfeit items will spread throughout the sect. You think if there’s no evidence, people will just let it go? When people get angry, they just want to find someone to vent their frustrations on; as long as they can get their vengeance, does it matter if there’s no evidence? Besides, the items are very realistic because of how good you are, but that’s only if you don’t look too closely. I doubt everything you’ve made is flawless, so if someone decides to check…."
Hua Qianzhi finally bowed and let out a long sigh. "Then I shall await good news from Shixiong!" The man packed up his items as he spoke. He really didn’t want to spend any more time with such a horrible guy, but just as he was about to go, Fang Xing suddenly extended his hand and laughed, "Return my Spirit Stone."
Furious, Hua Qianzhi whispered, "But that Slumber Pellet is real…."
"True, but everything else isn’t!"
Hua Qianzhi was left speechless. He handed the Spirit Stone back to Fang Xing and left in a hurry with his belongings.
—
Fang Xing continued his stroll around the rest of the Black Market, looking for a Flying Sword while calculating in his heart. He’d never been someone who followed the straight and narrow path, so when he saw through Hua Qianzhi’s counterfeits, he immediately started to work out how to make use of him. After getting his hands on someone so talented, it would be a waste not to get something out of it. As for the Flying Swords Hua Qianzhi had been selling, Fang Xing had found even the real ones to be quite lacking and of poor quality.
The Black Market itself wasn’t huge, so it didn’t take too long before Fang Xing had seen everything up for exchange. As he rounded one of the corners, he suddenly heard a pair of agitated voices.
"Shixiong, my offer of seventy Spirit Stones is already quite a bit. This pellet of yours is a rare find, but its quality isn’t the best; my offer is already very generous!"
‘Seventy Spirit Stones?’ Fang Xing’s ears subconsciously perked up, and he couldn’t help but to lean in closer. ‘That’s the amount an A-Rank disciple gets in three years! What kind of item would be worth so much?’
"Shixiong, seventy Spirit Stones is definitely a fair trade, but I have already told you I’ll only trade this Demon Pellet for Ore Essence Powder!"
When he heard the second voice, Fang Xing thought for a moment before he felt a sudden surge of anger. He knew who this person was: it was none other than Hou Qing.
Fang Xing was truly a vengeful person, the kind of person who wouldn’t forget his grudges even after ten years. Although it had been over half a year since the recruitment ceremony, Fang Xing immediately recognized that voice and who it belonged to.
With a quick turn of his head, Fang Xing could see a male youth sitting atop a large rock near the mountain cliff. A white headscarf covered his face and the rest of his body was hidden in the shadows cast by the moonlight, making him hard to notice. It was difficult to recognize who was under such concealment, but Fang Xing had heard his voice and looked closer until he saw the shape of his brows and was certain of it—this had to be Hou Qing.
‘Wow, must be my lucky day to bump into this bastard. Let’s see what he’s after!’ So saying, Fang Xing sat himself not so far away to listen in.