Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Black Market Netherworld
"Underneath the Black Market, there’s an underground fortress, known as the Netherworld. It is said to be ruled by Yan Jun, who is elusive like a dragon. Meeting him requires significant wealth. Under Yan Jun are seven Netherworld Envoys, each possessing unique skills. The Messenger Netherworld Envoy might be the weakest among them, while others, such as the Punishment Netherworld Envoy, the Evil Extermination Nether Envoy, the Reincarnation Nether Envoy, the Judgement Netherworld Envoy, and the Preaching Nether Envoy, are exceedingly powerful. If you encounter them, you must kneel to welcome them; otherwise, you are disregarding the Netherworld, which is punishable."
"How audacious!" Dongfang Chenyuan was stunned upon hearing this. "There’s such a thing under the capital? They consider themselves like local emperors, requiring people to kneel in welcome? It’s truly shocking."
"Netherworld? Yan Jun? Netherworld Envoy?" Yu Nianzhao repeated each term, snorting coldly. "Audacious? It’s pure madness. I’ve never heard of a living person being Yan Jun; this guy sure has guts."
[Not just guts, it’s impersonating our master’s identity! There’s only one Netherworld, yet this realm dares to call someone Yan Jun. Truly, they disregard our master.]
[Consume him! Let Jiu bite him until his soul is shattered.]
[Seven Netherworld Envoys, I scoff! More like seven specks of dust!]
[Master, we can’t tolerate this. Leaving this realm’s Netherworld standing is a betrayal of our Jiu Ying’s prestige.]
[Leave Yan Jun to me; I’ll swallow him whole!]
[Seven envoys and one Yan Jun, that’s just eight souls. How do we divide among our nine heads? I scoff! Why aren’t there nine? It’s unfair distribution.]
[Ugh! Whoever grabs slower eats less then.]
[No way! Each head must feast.]
Yu Nianzhao pressed her temples, "Can you shut up now?"
Jing Rui looked puzzled; he hadn’t said anything.
"This is the Black Market; even if you speak ill, keep your voices down. Everyone here is a follower of Yan Jun. If they hear, you might not be able to leave unscathed." Jing Rui warned them in a lowered voice.
"Followers? No wonder there’s a Preaching Nether Envoy. What does he preach? Eternal life for believers?" Yu Nianzhao scoffed.
Jing Rui widened his eyes, "How did you know? Isn’t this your first time at the Black Market?"
"..." Yu Nianzhao twitched her lips helplessly, "I was just blabbering. Did I guess right? Such a scam technique, yet so many believe? Foolish bunch."
"Well, you’d better believe it; I saw a dying man, coughing up black blood, get his rotten organs extracted by Yan Jun with bare hands, and he sprung back to life—miraculous." Jing Rui exclaimed.
"Really? Dongfang Chenyuan was skeptical, "That’s even beyond a miracle healer."
"Isn’t it? A bunch of us witnessed it firsthand, so yes, Yan Jun’s status in the Black Market is absolute. He speaks, and no one dares contradict him; his followers are far more terrifying and obsessive than you think."
"What about you? Aren’t you his follower?"
"Me?" Jing Rui pointed at himself, saying flippantly, "I believe in no one, just myself. In this world, who helps you unconditionally? You gotta grind through life yourself. I’ve been hustling here in the Black Market for over a decade, and I’m aware of this."
"Aren’t you the Black Market’s Crown Prince?"
"Cough, cough, cough, keep it down, low profile! Low profile!"
"Black Market Crown Prince? Hahaha, Jing Rui, have you been swindling people again outside? Don’t mess it up and anger the Nether Envoy; no one will help you then." The mask seller overheard and teasingly remarked.
"Old man, can’t you give me some face? I bring you business." Jing Rui’s ears turned red, grumbling unhappily.
"Alright, let’s pretend I said nothing then!"
"Ugh, your Crown Prince’s identity wasn’t held for long. Dongfang Chenyuan shrugged, "That silver was spent for nothing."
"Don’t say that. Whatever you want to buy, just let me know directly."
"Human organs," Yu Nianzhao said plainly.
Jing Rui shuddered, "Miss, you look radiant, yet straight away you want to buy organs?"
"What else? This is the Black Market. Would I be here for cats and dogs?" Yu Nianzhao coldly eyed him, "Show us the way or lead us to a drop box; we’ll find it ourselves."
"Don’t say that; since you’ve paid me, of course I’ll lead you."
Jing Rui pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands, saying, "I know a place that surely has what you want, follow me."
The Black Market was ablaze with lights. Jing Rui was indeed a local, navigating through the market with ease, greeting several people along the way.
"There’s a ’butcher’ in the Black Market; he might have what you’re looking for." Jing Rui led them to an inn, beside which there was a dark alley with sparse lighting at the end.
"How many butchers in the Black Market?"
"Just one, so even if you send a request, you’ll end up here." Jing Rui pointed toward the alley, where the person resided.
The music from the inn was incessant, contrasting sharply with the deserted alley.
Dongfang Chenyuan felt uneasy, "Entering blindly like this, I feel some danger. The malevolent aura in this Black Market surpasses Shangjing, making me anxious."
Such anomalies often predict trouble!
If he were alone, he wouldn’t care much, but with the princess present, he bound to protect her.
Though in the end, who protected whom was unclear.
"Jing Rui, walk ahead."
"Alright, alright, don’t worry; I merely want to earn money, and wouldn’t harm you."
Jing Rui casually stepped into the alley first.
"No need to fret; entering the Black Market worrying about safety?" Yu Nianzhao followed suit, with Dongfang Chenyuan and Song Jiling trailing behind.
At the alley’s end, in the lit store, numerous whole pigs and pork strips hung from beams. A muscular man with a brushy beard was bare-chested, it had a butcher knife, gleefully cutting meat.
"Butcher, you got business." Jing Rui called out, prompting the butcher to drop the knife and glare at them with hostile eyes.
"What? Buying meat?" The butcher stabbed the knife into the pork forcefully.
Yu Nianzhao smirked behind her mask, "Not buying pork, buying human."