Even Jiang Wen was astonished by the scale of the black market in Chuyun Port. He spent the better part of a day just exploring the first underground level, and he didn't even see half of it.
He heard that this market had five more levels underground.
The deeper one went into the black market, the better the items one could find. It was said that on the sixth underground level, even mermaids were auctioned off.
This piqued Jiang Wen's interest, and he wanted to see what the legendary mermaids looked like.
Were they as beautiful as the myths described, the epitome of beauty in the world?
Unfortunately, when he went there, the auction house staff said that no mermaids had been caught in the past six months. Those alien creatures from the outer seas rarely appeared in human settlements these days.
Jiang Wen wasn't disappointed, as he had already anticipated this. Mermaids usually lived in the outer seas, a place few cultivators ventured to. It was said that ferocious beasts roamed the outer seas, and妖族 (demon race/monster race) hid within the waters.
Tens of thousands of years of peace had long made the Dagan people forget the existence of the妖族 (demon race/monster race), and the妖族 (demon race/monster race) rarely appeared openly before the world.
Not seeing the mermaid he desired, Jiang Wen exchanged the jewelry he brought for the commonly used copper coins.
Perhaps his jewelry was of good quality, because judging from the black market owner's smiling expression, he knew the owner had made a considerable profit.
Jiang Wen didn't dwell on it too much. After all, that's how black markets were. If there wasn't enough profit, who would be willing to take the risk to trade?
After putting some of the money into his storage ring, he left a small portion in his money pouch.
After buying some things in the black market, Jiang Wen planned to find a place to stay first.
Just then, a child in ragged clothes brushed past him, and Jiang Wen suddenly reached out and grabbed the child's wrist.
"Let me go!" the child cried, struggling. "What do you want! Let me go!"
"How old are you?" Jiang Wen asked, looking at him.
"What does my age have to do with you? What do you want? Are you bullying a child?! Or are you trying to kidnap me?! Help! There's a kidnapper here!"
The child was quick-witted, putting all the blame on Jiang Wen.
Passersby stopped and looked at the two of them. No one would miss a chance for some entertainment.
"If you keep grabbing me like this, I'm going to call the guards!" The child pushed Jiang Wen's hand with all his might, not forgetting to utter threats.
Jiang Wen quietly looked at him, then reached into his arms with his other hand.
A money pouch was pulled out and waved in front of the child.
"Yours?" Jiang Wen smiled at the child.
The crowd dispersed with a roar, everyone knowing that this was just a story of a thief being caught. Such things happened every day in the black market, and the people who came here were used to it.
"I-It's mine!" The child was still stubborn, but a hint of fear appeared in his eyes as he looked at Jiang Wen.
Jiang Wen wasn't annoyed by this, and he dragged the child towards a secluded place.
The more the child walked, the more frightened he became. Seeing the gradually thinning crowd, he couldn't help but cry.
He cried and begged for mercy, trying to move Jiang Wen with his pitiful state.
But the other party was unmoved, dragging him to a deserted corner.
"Let your accomplices come out," Jiang Wen said, releasing the child's hand and casually looking around. His calm voice echoed in the dim, narrow alley, sounding particularly clear.
This kind of corner was the easiest place to commit crimes. The dim underground also made it difficult to see what was happening. Often, it would take a while for someone to be discovered after succeeding. Therefore, people who came to the black market would not risk passing through here.
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard light footsteps approaching.
Although the sound was very faint, Jiang Wen heard it clearly.
Suddenly, a chill came over him. Accompanied by the dim light, a sharp dagger stabbed towards him from the darkness.
The angle of the assassination was extremely tricky, making it difficult for ordinary people to dodge.
But Jiang Wen didn't move at all. He stood there waiting for the dagger to stab him.
"Got him!" A surprised voice came from the shadows, but it stopped abruptly in the next moment.
The extremely sharp dagger stabbed Jiang Wen, as if it had hit an iron plate. Besides piercing his cloak, it couldn't penetrate any further.
"What!" The girl's voice became astonished. Before she could react, Jiang Wen reached out and grabbed towards the darkness.
Slender, weak.
This was Jiang Wen's impression of the attacker.
Jiang Wen grabbed her neck and sized her up before letting go.
Looking at her gasping for breath on the ground, he asked, "How long have you been following me?"
"Cough cough..." The girl coughed, rubbing her neck, and looked at Jiang Wen with a fearful expression. Hearing his words, she was silent for a moment before speaking. "We've been watching you ever since you entered Chuyun Port."
"Why were you watching me?" Jiang Wen asked curiously.
"Because you're very rich..."
The girl explained what happened. It turned out that when Jiang Wen first arrived at Chuyun Port, he gave the boatman a tael of gold, and that tael of gold aroused the covetousness of the thieves in Chuyun Port.
Giving away gold taels was something ordinary people couldn't earn in a year. An ordinary family of four in Chuyun Port would be lucky to earn two taels of gold a year. Being so generous, he naturally became a rich fool in the eyes of others.
However, the gang of thieves didn't know Jiang Wen's background, so they sent two children to investigate the situation.
"That's what happened. Can you let us go?" The girl knelt on the ground, looking somewhat fearful.
The previous test made her understand that the man in front of her was someone she couldn't provoke. If he wanted to kill them, it would be an easy task.
"I can let you go," Jiang Wen said, looking at the girl and playing with the dagger in his hand. "Can you tell me, who are you?"
"Although it's a low-grade spiritual weapon, it's not something you can obtain."
He leaned close to the girl, staring intently at her. Seeing the panic in her eyes, he couldn't help but find it interesting.
"As far as I know, the Dagan royal family usually has a special pair of eyes. And after they are born, they will have a mark unique to the Dagan royal family on their hands."
Jiang Wen grabbed the girl's wrist and lifted her sleeve. Amidst her terrified expression, he tore off her wrist guard.
A beautiful seal script appeared, faintly glowing with a dark golden light.
That was the symbol of the Dagan Li imperial family, the bloodline proof left by the Dagan founding emperor to his descendants.
"Tell me, what is your name?" Jiang Wen asked, looking at the girl.
"A descendant of the Li imperial family."
