"Miss Huang'er, you're here!" Jiang Chen was overjoyed at the sight of Huang'er. After spending so much time together, the two had grown accustomed to each other's presence.
Several days apart, and Jiang Chen had felt a vague sense of loss.
Now, seeing Huang'er return, his slightly deflated spirits instantly swelled to the brim.
It was clear that Huang'er hadn't made any effort to dress up, but even in casual attire, she always had an unexpectedly captivating effect.
"Young Master Jiang, I followed your markers here. Do you have any news of Sister Gouyu?"
Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze from Huang'er and gave a slight nod.
"There are some leads, but nothing confirmed yet. I was just about to go investigate."
He recounted the entire chain of events.
Hearing this, Huang'er's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "In that case, there's no time to waste. Let's go take a look together."
"Mm."
Huang'er was about to step out when she suddenly remembered something and let out a soft giggle. "Let me change my appearance first."
With that, she swept a hand across her face, and it was as though a mask had settled over her features, concealing her stunning beauty.
Jiang Chen smiled, knowing that Huang'er wasn't being whimsical — she was avoiding trouble. The Fish-Dragon District was a chaotic, mixed place. If Huang'er appeared in her true form, there was no telling how many problems it would cause. Her doing this was clearly also to avoid burdening him.
The two quickly returned to the Fish-Dragon District. To avoid suspicion, they circled the slave market several times before heading toward the Myriad Puppet Hall.
As a major establishment in the slave market, the Myriad Puppet Hall was indeed different from ordinary shops.
The moment they stepped inside, they were struck by an overwhelming sense of luxury. Compared to the scattered stalls outside, they almost wondered if they had walked through the wrong door.
There was not a single slave in sight inside the shop — a complete contrast to the scene outside.
Seeing customers enter, a shop assistant immediately came forward to greet them.
"Welcome, honored guests. What merchandise are you interested in?"
Before entering, Jiang Chen had already prepared himself mentally. In a place like this, the more nervous you acted, the more they looked down on you. You had to appear calm and composed, letting them see through none of your depth. Only then would they take you seriously.
"What merchandise do you have?" Jiang Chen strolled about, then sat down in a chair with the casual ease of a man in charge.
"What tier are you looking for, honored guests?" The assistant at this grand establishment didn't suffer from the common affliction of looking down on customers. Seeing that this guest appeared to carry himself with presence, he didn't dare be negligent.
"The higher the tier, the better," Jiang Chen said with a faint smile. "Ideally, I'd like to see the goods in person."
"Seeing the goods is no problem, of course. However, this trade has its rules. To view merchandise, a deposit must be paid first," the assistant replied with a smile.
"Money is no issue." Jiang Chen waved his hand casually.
"Heh heh, you've misunderstood, honored guest. Our establishment never questions the financial capability of our patrons. For our larger transactions, we often don't accept Ling Shi."
"Don't accept Ling Shi?" Jiang Chen's brow furrowed. He had more Ling Shi than anyone. After the battle in Infant Wailing Valley, he hadn't managed to loot many good items — cultivators on missions never carried valuables with them. But Ling Shi, being everyday currency, was something everyone had plenty of.
When it came to Ling Shi, he was now an absolute tycoon.
"That's correct. Our large-scale trades are among the very best in the Royal Capital. Special merchandise calls for special methods of exchange. If you cannot offer something that interests our establishment, our finest goods will absolutely not be sold lightly."
Hearing this, Jiang Chen's brow furrowed slightly. So conducting business had so many peculiarities?
"Let me see the goods first."
Huang'er suddenly spoke from the side, casually placing an item on the counter.
The assistant took a closer look and nearly dropped his jaw. This... was actually a Spirit Marrow?
Spirit Marrow was also Ling Shi, but it was the essence within Ling Shi — the refined, concentrated core.
The spiritual energy contained in a single Spirit Marrow could equal ten thousand, even a hundred thousand regular Ling Shi.
But while a hundred thousand Ling Shi could be acquired with effort, a single Spirit Marrow was exceedingly rare. Its uses far exceeded those of regular Ling Shi — in formation inscriptions, pill refinement, talisman crafting...
Powerhouses might not so much as twitch an eyebrow at Ling Shi placed before them. Often, wealth meant little to truly formidable cultivators.
But Spirit Marrow — once one appeared, even the strongest would be tempted.
That was the advantage of Spirit Marrow.
Even a single Spirit Marrow carried more weight than a hundred thousand Ling Shi.
With a hundred thousand Ling Shi in the martial world, you might still be considered poor. But with a single Spirit Marrow, you were undeniably wealthy.
Spirit Marrow was absolutely not something an ordinary poor person could own.
Sure enough, the moment the Spirit Marrow appeared, the assistant's eyes lit up. Up to this point, it had only been this one assistant attending to them...