The rumors of the Shuangsheng Gang being completely annihilated in one night were indeed shocking, but people are forgetful by nature, so the commotion gradually subsided after a few days.
Zhao Ya’s life also returned to normal.
That evening, after finishing dinner and his daily exercises, Zhao Ya told Zui’Er that he would be going out for a while and asked her to lock the door and rest early.
Zui’Er never asked Zhao Ya what he was going to do, she only reminded him to be careful in everything.
Zhao Ya nodded in agreement, then left.
This time, Zhao Ya was heading to the Ghost Market to purchase dried meat.
Ever since advancing to the Second Realm, Zhao Ya’s demand for Exotic Beast Flesh had greatly increased.
The meat provided by the Tan Family was simply not enough, so Zhao Ya had to buy more at the Ghost Market to supplement it.
Upon reaching a nearby spot, Zhao Ya first chose a secluded place to cover his face with a black cloth before leisurely heading to the Ghost Market.
It was still early, so there weren’t many stalls open, and Zhao Ya wasn’t in a hurry; he started wandering around.
The Ghost Market sold not only Exotic Beast Flesh but also many miscellaneous items.
There were gold and silver jewelry, antiques from the previous dynasty, even clothing of the dead was for sale.
Clearly, the origins of these items were not proper, and it was hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Still, there were always those who coveted bargains or hoped to strike it rich overnight by relying on their eyesight and luck coming here to scavenge for goods.
Zhao Ya watched with interest.
As the night deepened, more people gradually filled the Ghost Market.
However, everyone was very cautious, concealing their faces and hurrying through the night, looking almost ghost-like from a distance.
The stall where Zhao Ya frequently bought dried meat had also set up by now.
The vendor was still the aloof masked man.
But today was somewhat different; as Zhao Ya was examining the quality of the dried meats, the vendor suddenly spoke.
"I got some good stuff today, though the price is a bit steep. Do you want it?"
Zhao Ya’s spirits lifted, "What good stuff?"
"A kind of dried meat with more robust blood energy."
"Let me see it first!"
The vendor took out a small box, and as soon as it was opened, a strong scent of flesh and blood wafted out, stirring Zhao Ya’s appetite.
The vendor handed over a piece, and Zhao Ya found that this dried meat was more than twice as thick as the Earthworm Dried Meat, its entire body a bluish-grey with faint patterns, feeling heavy in his hand.
"This is Cured Green Bamboo Snake, its quality far surpasses Earthworm Dried Meat. Even in the Inner City, this is top-grade stuff," the vendor confidently stated.
Zhao Ya was delighted inside.
His cultivation progress had recently slowed down again.
The reason being the Earthworm Dried Meat could no longer satisfy his vigorous blood energy demands.
The emergence of this more advanced Cured Green Bamboo Snake was indeed timely.
Though joyous at heart, Zhao Ya showed no emotion on his face.
"What’s the price?"
"Fixed price, ten taels of silver each."
This price did not surprise Zhao Ya.
After all, Exotic Beast Flesh was purely a seller’s market; as long as you had quality goods, they wouldn’t worry about selling, naturally raising the price.
Still, Zhao Ya feigned difficulty, frowning.
"Too expensive, I could buy more than three pieces of Earthworm Dried Meat with this."
"It’s not expensive; you know a single piece of this Cured Green Bamboo Snake can match three pieces of Earthworm Dried Meat, and its blood energy is purer, making it a bargain this way!" The vendor was particularly chatty today.
"True, but give me a discount at least; remember, I’m your regular customer, always buying a lot of dried meat from you, there should be some discount." Zhao Ya haggled tirelessly.
"How about this, the price can’t go lower, but if you buy ten taels of this Cured Green Bamboo Snake, I’ll throw in one tael of Earthworm Dried Meat for free, that’s the best I can offer." The vendor said.
Zhao Ya understood this was the limit, nodded, "Alright, deal!"
"How much do you intend to buy?"
"How much of this dried meat do you have?"
"Only about twenty taels in total."
"I’ll take it all!"
"Alright!"
All twenty taels of Cured Bamboo Meat with an additional two taels of Earthworm Dried Meat were packed, and Zhao Ya handed over a silver note for two hundred taels of silver.
This transaction attracted the attention of many around.
After all, that was two hundred taels of shiny silver.
Many people’s gazes toward Zhao Ya changed.
To produce such money to buy dried meat, who is this person?
Could he be a child from one of those big families in the Inner City?
But it shouldn’t be, if he were, why would he come to the black market in the Outer City to buy dried meat?
Zhao Ya knew this action exposed his wealth, attracting a lot of prying and covetous eyes.
But he had no choice.
Because from what the vendor said, this type of dried meat wasn’t always available, it depended on opportunities.
Zhao Ya didn’t want to miss out, so even if it meant taking a risk, he had to do it,
After settling the transaction, Zhao Ya secured the dried meat close to his body, then turned to leave.
Just as he started walking, a few shadows quietly followed him in the darkness.
The vendor naturally noticed this but only let out a faint sneer, then sat back down and closed his eyes to rest.
A moment later, in a small alley, a few people stopped in frustration.
"Damn, this guy’s slipperier than an eel, we couldn’t catch up with him despite being on his tail."
"Boss, I’m guessing this guy is from the Outer City, otherwise, how could he be so familiar with the roads?"
"Let’s go. I’ve remembered his outfit; next time he comes to the Ghost Market, he won’t get away." They cursed as they left.
Soon after they left, Zhao Ya emerged from the depths of the alley, his eyes narrowed, with a cold gaze.
If it hadn’t been for the Shuangsheng Gang incident just calming down, and Zhao Ya wanting to avoid further disturbances, those a few would have been dead already.
This served as a reminder; for now, the Ghost Market was a no-go.
Luckily, with the more advanced Cured Green Bamboo Snake now, plus the Tan Family providing twenty-five taels of Earthworm Dried Meat every month, it should suffice short-term.
Just as Zhao Ya was about to leave, his instincts warned him, then he saw a white mist rushing towards him.
Zhao Ya immediately activated his Grasshopper Body Technique, sidestepping to avoid the attack.
Though not hit directly by the white mist, Zhao Ya still felt a slight burning sensation in his nostrils.
It turned out to be quicklime.
Zhao Ya had used quicklime to deal with many people before, but this was the first time someone used quicklime against him.
In the darkness, someone let out a slight sound of surprise, seemingly amazed Zhao Ya managed to evade their sneak attack.
Zhao Ya’s mind spun, but his hands didn’t pause for a moment, raising them to shoot two Sleeve Arrows towards the source of the sound.
Thud!
A dull sound came from the darkness, reassuring Zhao Ya, indicating his opponent got hit by an arrow, then he drew his sword and rushed over.
Sure enough, someone was hiding in the dark corner, and without hesitation, Zhao Ya swung his sword down.