Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Black Market Underworld Envoy
"Ah ah ah!"
Song Jiling was face-to-face with the other party, nose-to-nose, able to smell the corpse-like stench emanating from him, causing his hair to stand on end, and he couldn’t help but scream.
"Why are you screaming like a banshee? What’s wrong? Did you see a ghost?"
A lazy drawl sounded as the ’corpse’ started speaking, his head wobbling and thumping against Song Jiling’s head.
Song Jiling winced in pain, stepping back a few paces, rubbing his head and grimacing, "Damn, what exactly is this thing? Aren’t you supposed to be a corpse?"
"Corpse? How rude! I’m a living person!"
The ’corpse’ did a backflip, firmly gripping a long whip that resembled a rope, and stood agilely on the ground, with tattered cloth hanging awkwardly on him, barely covering his nudity.
"Who are you?" Yu Nianzhao raised her eyes, immediately locking onto his distinctive gaze, where one eye was entirely black without a hint of white, appearing quite eerie in the night.
"I am the local prince of this Black Market, known as Mr. Jing, Jing Rui!" He wiped his thumb across his nose, arrogantly introducing himself.
"Black Market prince? Never heard of you." Song Jiling shrugged, "You look strange, not quite like a beggar, more like a ghost."
Jing Rui snorted through his nose, "That’s because you lack taste. Your clothes look quite extravagant. Are you looking down on me?"
Song Jiling put his hands on his hips, "I don’t know you, why should I look up to you?"
"You sure talk a lot; what are you standing here for?" Dongfang Chenyuan interrupted their conversation.
Jing Rui sauntered over with a cheeky grin, showing his palms to them, "What am I doing? I’m here at the entrance just to do some business. You all look either rich or noble, want to go to the Black Market, right? Coming to the Black Market for the first time, right? Surely you need someone to guide you. I’m the guide. Just a bit of silver, and I can take you inside for a spin."
"Tch, what prince! Turns out you’re a guide here to make money." Dongfang Chenyuan sneered.
Just about to refuse!
Song Jiling had already placed a silver ingot in Jing Rui’s palm, saying generously, "It’s just silver, here you go. You must take us safely into the Black Market and safely bring us out again."
Jing Rui’s eyes widened at the sight of the hefty silver, his inner joy nearly bubbling over, tempted to bite it for authenticity.
He barely regained composure, with a smile he couldn’t suppress, "Okay, okay, no problem. I’ll guarantee you’ll come out unscathed!"
Dongfang Chenyuan stared at the silver for a few moments, gloomily casting a glance at Song Jiling, "As expected of Mr Song’s grandson, with a mansion full of wealth."
"If it can be solved with money, why bother fretting?" Song Jiling replied magnanimously.
"Do we even know where this guy comes from, or if what he says is reliable? The people from the Black Market are usually slick-tongued and unscrupulous. They’re likely to take the money and run," Dongfang Chenyuan said with a hint of bitterness.
"So what? At most, we lose a silver ingot, no need to worry."
"Hmph, the air of nouveau riche!"
"Hey, what are you whispering about over there? Do you want to go to the Black Market or not?" Jing Rui safely stashed the silver, waved them forward.
"Of course, we’re going!"
They followed Jing Rui, taking the eerie and winding path forward.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
As they passed through the alley, they were greeted by a lively market, bustling with people. Right in front of them, they saw two burly men wearing grotesque masks performing fire-spitting, while a crowd—some masked, some bare-faced—cheered.
"Why are so many people wearing masks?" Yu Nianzhao casually asked.
Jing Rui laughed, "This is the Black Market; if those who come are prominent figures from Shangjing, do you think they’d dare to show their true faces? What would happen if they were recognized?"
"Prominent figures from Shangjing come to the Black Market?" Song Jiling asked, rubbing his nose, "What do they come to the Black Market for?"
"What else? You really are an innocent rich kid; don’t be fooled by their grand appearances, they’re actually quite shady inside. Some come to the Black Market for fun, some for lives, and some even for... sinister things." Jing Rui said, flashing a sinister smile, "What are your esteemed guests here for?"
"We..."
"Get us some masks first." Yu Nianzhao interrupted Dongfang Chenyuan, pointing to the nearby mask stall.
"Ten taels of silver, thanks for your patronage!"
"What kind of masks are these? So expensive! Daylight robbery!" Dongfang Chenyuan scoffed at the grotesque, ghost-like masks, feeling even one tael was too much.
"Buy it or don’t, it’s the Black Market, where nothing comes cheap." Jing Rui leaned lazily against the stall, casually playing with a mask.
"Come on, it’s just ten taels of silver!" Song Jiling tossed the money over and picked out the least frightening mask for himself.
"Tsk, now I understand why the king... ahem, why you brought him along, he’s like a walking money bag!" Dongfang Chenyuan sighed, suddenly finding Song Jiling more agreeable.
"Put them on; you never know who you might bump into amid all these people." Yu Nianzhao chose a sinister mask with an extended snout and two horns and casually wore it.
"Alright, alright, let’s all wear them."
Once the masks were donned, Dongfang Chenyuan asked in a lowered voice, "Where do we go first for clues?"
Yu Nianzhao looked at him wordlessly, "If I hadn’t come, how were you planning to find them on your own?"
Dongfang Chenyuan, "..."
He weakly made a gesture to mimic closing his mouth.
"Jing Rui, take us to the mail room!" Yu Nianzhao decisively said.
Jing Rui raised an eyebrow, "Planning to buy something? Just tell me, there’s no need for a broker fee."
"Isn’t it customary to buy things through the mail room in the Black Market?"
"Except when you’re new to the Black Market. The mail room connects downwards to allocate messages to the Messenger Netherworld Envoys, who then prioritize based on the incense money offered."
"Messenger Netherworld Envoy?" Yu Nianzhao frowned, a flash of cold light in her eyes.
"Yes, you mean you came to the Black Market not knowing this?" Jing Rui crossed his arms, appearing smug, "Lucky you met me, rest assured, as your guide I’m responsible and will tell you all about the Black Market."
"Then explain, what’s the deal with the Messenger Netherworld Envoy?"