### Chapter 137: The Black Market

"Very well. If there's another opportunity in the future, I will certainly return to trade with you again," He Song said, though deep down, he had already made up his mind.

He would never set foot in the Ten Thousand Blossoms Immortal Market again.

Fang He had willingly given up a hundred spirit stones in profit just to earn He Song's goodwill and encourage him to return for future transactions.

Moreover, Fang He hadn't even hinted at taking a kickback.

This was highly unusual.

Back when He Song had first sold spirit rice at the Spirit Rabbit Immortal Market, the manager there had casually demanded a kickback during their negotiations.

Yet here, Fang He hadn't asked for anything. Such abnormal behavior immediately put He Song on guard.

However, He Song's wariness didn't show on his face.

He remained calm and composed, but internally, he had already marked this place as off-limits.

After today, he would never return to the Ten Thousand Blossoms Immortal Market. He also decided to keep a close eye on Fang He.

Once he finished disposing of his loot, he would need to be extremely cautious to avoid any mishaps. He had to leave immediately after the transaction.

With these thoughts in mind, He Song's gaze toward Fang He remained steady, as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual.

He appeared completely at ease, showing no signs of suspicion.

Seeing He Song agree, Fang He's face broke into a smile. The subsequent transaction proceeded smoothly.

He Song successfully obtained ten thousand spirit stones, significantly boosting his savings.

Meanwhile, Fang He stored the eleven thousand pounds of spirit rice in the Spirit Medicine Pavilion's warehouse.

After personally escorting He Song out of the pavilion, Fang He's smile gradually faded.

Watching He Song's retreating figure, a glint of calculation flashed in his eyes.

"Eleven thousand pounds of spirit rice, and he's not from a Foundation Establishment family. Who is this man?" Fang He pondered, recalling everything he had observed about He Song since his arrival.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come to a conclusion.

"Ten thousand spirit stones..." Fang He sighed, his voice trailing off as he disappeared into the shadows. His figure vanished from the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, leaving no trace behind.

Ten thousand spirit stones were enough to tempt even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator to take risks.

---

After leaving the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, He Song maintained a calm exterior but remained vigilant, constantly checking to see if anyone was following him.

However, after observing for a while, he found nothing suspicious.

Relieved, he concluded that he didn't need to worry about being targeted within the immortal market.

This was good. He could now focus on disposing of his loot.

Once that was done, he would head to an inn and leave the market, just as he had done at the Spirit Rabbit Immortal Market.

Following the map in his memory, He Song soon arrived at the market's trading area.

He currently had three low-grade storage pouches, one small cargo storage pouch, four low-grade magical tools, some pills, and various other miscellaneous items.

The trading area was the perfect place to sell these items.

It was a chaotic place filled with all sorts of people. Even if He Song had the entire fortune of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he could easily sell it here.

As he wandered through the trading area, He Song quickly spotted several stalls with black cloth as their base.

Having spent years in the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, he knew that these black-cloth stalls were where stolen goods were bought and sold.

Because they typically used black cloth as a base, they were known as the Black Market.

These stalls operated in major immortal markets and cities, dealing in all kinds of illicit goods. The people running these stalls usually had powerful backers.

They wouldn't ask where the goods came from, nor would they make sellers worry about potential risks. This line of work had its own rules.

Of course, the reason they could operate like this was because it was highly profitable—extremely so.

The prices offered here were much lower than those in legitimate magical tool shops.

For example, a low-grade magical tool that would normally sell for around a hundred spirit stones in a proper shop would only fetch about sixty spirit stones here.

A forty percent difference. Such high profits ensured that these stalls existed in every immortal market, and even in immortal cities.

However, in cities, these operations usually rented shops instead of setting up stalls.

Approaching one such stall, He Song discreetly took out two low-grade storage pouches, briefly showing them to the stall owner before putting them away.

Seeing this, the stall owner's eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, he packed up his stall and left.

He Song smiled slightly and followed.

Selling stolen goods couldn't be done openly in the trading area.

Outside the trading area, in a small teahouse, the stall owner was already seated in a corner by the time He Song arrived.

Spotting He Song, the owner quickly waved him over.

After scanning the surroundings and confirming that the area was too public for an ambush, He Song entered the teahouse and sat down across from the owner.

Once seated, neither spoke.

The owner looked at He Song, who casually placed three low-grade storage pouches and one small cargo storage pouch on the table.

He then added four low-grade magical tools, some pills, and various other items to the pile.

Of the three low-grade storage pouches, one had been obtained by Wei Fan after killing Chen Zhou and later gifted to He Song.

He Song had used it until he joined the Earth Sect, at which point he replaced it.

The other two pouches had been taken from the unnamed corpse near the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market and from Chen Zhong, whom He Song had killed.

The small cargo storage pouch had been purchased by He Song in the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, but now that the spirit rice had been sold, it was no longer needed.

As for the four low-grade magical tools, pills, and miscellaneous items, they had been taken from the unnamed corpse and Chen Zhong.

Both were rogue cultivators at the mid-stage Qi Refining level, each possessing one offensive and one defensive magical tool.

Now that they were dead, their belongings had naturally fallen into He Song's hands.

When He Song finished laying out all the items he wanted to sell and gestured for the stall owner to inspect them, the owner's expression shifted from excitement and anticipation to one of deep seriousness.

The sheer volume of items He Song had brought was overwhelming for a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator like him.

It was rare to see someone casually produce four storage pouches and four low-grade magical tools, even in the Black Market.

Moreover, He Song was cloaked in a black robe, his aura completely concealed.

Such behavior inevitably led the owner to wonder: Could this man be a demonic cultivator?

(End of Chapter)

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