Pinned to the ground, Ye Chen struggled desperately to lift his head. His vision swam, but when he finally managed to look up, he saw a figure in a black robe floating above him. Just as he was about to speak, the man cut him off.
"What is the problem here? Why are you making a scene?"
The voice was calm yet carried an immense pressure that weighed down on everyone present.
The stall owner, who had initially tried to remain composed, immediately stepped forward, bowing deeply before responding.
"Senior, these individuals are from the Cloud Sword Sect. They demanded I hand over my goods for free and even threatened to kill me when I refused. They went as far as to question the rules of the Black Market," he said respectfully.
Hearing this, Ye Chen was stunned. Why was the stall owner telling the truth so openly? He had expected some level of evasion, but the man's honesty caught him off guard. Meanwhile, the Foundation Establishment cultivator shifted his gaze toward the three Inner Disciples, silently demanding their version of events. The suffocating pressure lifted slightly.
Ye Chen seized the opportunity and immediately explained, "As the stall owner said, the item in question belonged to my senior brother from the Cloud Sword Sect. Naturally, it should be returned to us." He deliberately emphasized the sect's name, hoping to intimidate the Foundation Establishment cultivator.
To his shock, the effect was the opposite. It's backfired completely.
"So, all of what the stall owner said is true." The cultivator's voice grew colder. "You dared to question the rules of the Black Market."
The pressure returned in full force, pinning them down once more.
"Do you think your Cloud Sword Sect holds jurisdiction here?" The more he spoke, the heavier the pressure became.
"Even your Supreme Elder must abide by the Black Market's rules when he sets foot here. And yet, you had the audacity to question the sacred laws of this place?"
The pressure reached its peak. Ye Chen and his two senior brothers were crushed against the ground, their faces pressed into the dirt, unable to move.
From a distance, even Lan Rui furrowed his brows. He turned to Sister Wei, silently asking for an explanation.
"All of what he said is true," she confirmed. "The Cloud Sword Sect, despite being the official ruler of this province, must follow the Black Market's rules whenever they step inside."
Lan Rui was visibly shaken. The Cloud Sword Sect,an unchallenged authority in this province had to submit to the laws of this underground market?
"But why?" he asked in disbelief. "If they wanted to, they could wipe this place out without even lifting a finger, right?"
Sister Wei chuckled. "That's what most people assume. They think the Cloud Sword Sect simply tolerates the Black Market because they occasionally need its services."
She shook her head. "No, that's not the reason. The real reason is that the Cloud Sword Sect does not want to provoke the organisation behind this Black Market."
She paused before continuing. "This Black Market isn't a single entity, it has branches in every market in this province. Wherever there is a market, there is also a Black Market. In other words, the entire underground market network in the Cloud Province is controlled by one organization."
"They call themselves 'The Dark Cloud.' That is the group even the Cloud Sword Sect dares not provoke." Her tone was grave.
Lan Rui inhaled sharply. "How strong is this organization?"
Sister Wei shook her head. "No one knows for sure. But for the Cloud Sword Sect to willingly follow their rules, they must have at least a Core Formation Realm cultivator backing them."
Lan Rui nodded, turning his attention back to the scene unfolding before them.
Ye Chen was speechless. He had assumed the man was bluffing. Their Supreme Elder was a Core Formation True Person, how could he possibly be bound by the rules of this so-called Black Market?
"Guards, seal their cultivation and take them away."
At the man's command, four black-clad figures emerged from the shadows. Moving with precision, they swiftly sealed the three disciples' cultivation and lifted them off the ground.
Just as they were about to be taken away, the Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly spoke again.
"Wait."
With a flick of his fingers, the storage bags of all three disciples flew toward him. Ye Chen and his senior brothers turned pale, but they were powerless to resist. They could only watch as their belongings were taken.
Once they vanished from sight, the surrounding crowd dispersed. The stall owner, still shaken, resumed his seat. Suddenly, a storage bag floated toward him, accompanied by a voice.
"Take this as compensation."
The stall owner was stunned. Realizing what had just happened, he quickly bowed.
"Thank you for your generosity, Senior."
Those around him looked on with envy and greed, but none dared to act. After witnessing such an incident, anyone who tried to stir trouble in the Black Market would be courting death.
With the conflict settled, Lan Rui and Sister Wei continued strolling through the market. As they wandered, Lan Rui suddenly stopped, his gaze fixated on a particular item.
"Sister Wei, let's go there."
They approached a stall where Lan Rui's eyes fell on an old book.
"How much for this, Fellow Daoist?" he asked the stall owner.
The vendor, a man with a scarred face, sat confidently, his expression unfazed. Unlike others, he wore no veil, seemingly unafraid of being recognized.
"This Talisman Manual? Fifty spirit stones."
The price was reasonable as it's a common things that can be found on the surface market, perhaps even slightly cheap from Lan Rui's perspective, but he couldn't let that show.
"Fifty spirit stones?" Lan Rui scoffed. "Why don't you just ask for five hundred? I'll give you…" And so, the bargaining battle began.
Even Wei Xin, who initially planned to help him haggle, stood in stunned silence.
In the end, Lan Rui managed to purchase both the manual and an additional First Rank Medium-Grade Talisman Brush for just Eighty spirit stones.
"Quite a bargain indeed. That stall owner was rather kind," Lan Rui remarked, nodding in satisfaction.
Beside him, Wei Xin stared in disbelief.
"This little brother of mine… is far more ruthless than I expected," she thought.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Lan Rui's voice.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. After you left my house, a man came to confront me." His tone remained casual. "He told me that if I didn't distance myself from you, I wouldn't even know how I died." He said nonchalantly.
The moment those words left his lips, Sister Wei's expression darkened. A cold aura surrounded her, and a faint killing intent flickered in her eyes.
"What did he look like?" she asked, her voice icy.
Lan Rui immediately described the man's features. Sister Wei's next words, however, took him completely by surprise.
"That bastard… How dare he threaten my little..." She abruptly stopped, glancing at Lan Rui before rewording her sentence and explained the origin of the man.