Chapter 149: Underground Slave Market (Part One)
Chapter 149: Underground Slave Market (Part One)
In the eerie silence of the night, a carriage made its way through the wilderness before it finally came to a stop after entering the perimeters of the woods. The curtain was lifted and Xin Cheng was the first to climb down before Dao Ming followed right behind him.
Xiang Ling was the last one to climb down and join the duo. The night was pitch dark as the moon hadn’t made its appearance yet. However, all three of them were able to see clearly because of their enhanced eyesight.
"We have traveled for about half an hour. I think it’s more than enough. We are already far enough from the city." Dao Ming informed as he moved his long sleeve, and the very next second, the carriage disappeared into thin air.
Xiang Ling only gave a little nod in response. The reason they wasted half an hour traveling through carriage was to not cause any suspicion by suddenly disappearing from the manor and then appearing there the next day with a bunch of slaves. In this situation, traveling through the carriage was their best cover.
"I forgot to ask. Where is this Underground Slave Market located?" Xiang Ling asked as she scanned her surroundings, taking a closer look at the woods around them.
"The Black Market," replied Dao Ming as he moved toward her and took hold of her hand. The very next moment, the two of them disappeared from their spots into thin air. Barely a second later, Xin Cheng also followed after them.
Dao Ming and Xiang Ling materialized outside the gates of the famous Black Market of the Mortal Realm. Xin Cheng also appeared beside them merely a second later.
The Black Market was located at the shore of the Northern Sea, and it was known as the most dangerous place in the entire realm of mortals. Despite being in the Mortal Realm, this black market contained treasures and people from all five realms. Thinking about it, Xiang Ling could see why such a place would be perfect for slave business. The Black Market had its own owners, its own rules and regulations, and no government authority had any sort of power on this place.
All kinds of beings were entering and coming out through the huge entrance. There were mortals, demons, fairies, people from beast and water Realms. Xiang Ling even sensed the presence of some Immortals.
"Let’s head inside." Xin Cheng said and took the lead. The three of them stepped through the main entrance and entered the Market. As Xiang Ling had only heard about the Black Market but had never been here before, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but the huge buildings standing on both sides of the long street was definitely not it.
The street itself was wide enough for visitors to walk freely. There were several stalls standing on the sides of the street. The view of the Black Market was no different from the markets of big cities. Since they had nothing to buy from the Black Market, they made their way toward the end of the main street to find the entrance of the Underground Slave Market. It was not until they were almost at the end of the street, did Xiang Ling’s attention fell on a particular shop.
"Wait!"
Both Xin Cheng and Dao Ming came to a halt as soon as they heard her voice. As they both turned to look at her, they found her staring at the five-storey building standing on their left. As they read the board, they realized it was a Herb Hall.
"What are you planning to do?" Dao Ming asked as he turned his attention back on Xiang Ling who was carrying a smirk on her lips.
Xiang Ling shifted her attention toward the men as she answered, "Since we are already here, we shouldn’t waste the chance given to us. Right?"
"You want to buy something from here?" Xin Cheng asked much to Xiang Ling’s surprise because these days, despite spending lots of hours in each other’s company, they barely talked much.
Xiang Ling shook her head in negative before speaking, "Why would I buy anything? I’m going to sell something." Not wasting another moment, she headed straight inside the building, leaving behind the two men who had no other option but to follow her.
It was at this moment both Xin Cheng and Dao Ming realized that they had never seen or known a better bargainer than Xiang Ling. Even though the shop manager had a huge smile on his face by the time they sealed the deal, the two of them could see clearly that the woman had made a fool out of the poor manager.
"Why I feel like you are even scarier than Chen Xiang Ling?" Dao Ming asked the woman who was brimming with happiness after earning a hundred golden taels only by selling two jar of pills. That much money was enough for the residents of the Chen Manor to live in luxury for the next couple of years.
Placing the money safely inside the Summer Cottage, Xiang Ling turned her attention toward the Spirit Beast King. "I will take that as a compliment."
Before Dao Ming could have responded, Xin Cheng reminded them the reason for which they had came to the Balck Market. Shaking his head, he and Xiang Ling silently followed the Demon Lord into the Inn located at the very end of the street.
Xiang Ling watched as Xin Cheng showed some sort of token to the Inn’s manager who immediately led them toward the back of the Inn. They passed through several halls and rooms before they finally ended up in front of what looked a mechanism built to transport them to the underground market.
The four of them stepped inside and Xiang Ling felt the thing moving downwards. Couple of seconds later, it finally came to a stop and the door opened, revealing a brightly lit street filled with even more people than what they saw on the street of Black Market.