Kyoto Black Market

Life in Sweetwater Lane, the capital’s pleasure district, was finally drawing to a close. For the past six months, Ye Qingyun had almost grown accustomed to it, but he knew it was always meant to be temporary.

A faint smile touched Ye Qingyun’s lips. The following day, he handed over the majority of his earnings to Li Yulian, intending to buy back his freedom.

He had amassed a considerable fortune during the Flower Queen Competition, and Sweetwater Lane had profited immensely as well. Now, he finally possessed the capital required to leave this place.

The moment Ye Qingyun stepped out of Sweetwater Lane’s main entrance, a system notification chimed.

[Notification: Player Ye Qingrou has escaped his predicament, becoming the second player in the martial world to successfully enter a main questline. Reward: One self-selected cultivation manual fragment.]

This news delighted Ye Qingyun. If he could gather all the fragments for the complete ‘Seven Emotions and Six Desires Art,’ his future endeavors would be considerably smoother. After receiving his reward, he arranged to meet Qin Yun at a tavern in the capital, feeling it was only right to greet him now that he was free.

Naturally, Qin Yun was already aware of Ye Qingyun’s newfound freedom.

When they met, Qin Yun initially intended to offer Ye Qingyun a congratulatory embrace, celebrating his brother’s escape from their predicament. However, upon seeing Ye Qingyun before him, he hesitated awkwardly, ultimately retracting his outstretched hand.

Observing his conflicted expression, Ye Qingyun let out a soft sigh. He understood that the longer they remained in this world, the more they would assimilate into their assigned identities.

“What’s wrong? Were you planning to hug me?” Ye Qingyun asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Cough, cough, isn’t it just a habit?” Qin Yun chuckled, lowering his hand. “It’s a shame, though; you’re not a man right now. This appearance makes me a bit conflicted. Never mind. Congratulations on your freedom.”

Ye Qingyun settled into a seat, then sighed again.

“I am free, yes, but I never expected it to come so soon,” Ye Qingyun explained. “Mainly, it’s because I got along well with the madam of Sweetwater Lane. She actually spent a fortune to buy back my indenture from the government. Otherwise, I doubt I could have escaped with just my own abilities.”

“That just means you know how to play this game,” Qin Yun remarked. “Unlike me, my quest is more troublesome. I need to distinguish myself among my brothers; otherwise, my restrictions won’t be lifted.”

Ye Qingyun nodded in understanding. For players in this world, the system imposed identity restrictions. Even with the status of royalty, limitations still applied.

“Alas! I don’t even know what to do now,” Ye Qingyun lamented. “My Creation Art has reached the ninth level, and there’s no further progression.”

He desperately needed a stronger cultivation technique, as the nine-layered Creation Art could no longer satisfy him.

Ye Qingrou: Strength [Novice], Internal Cultivation [Creation Art, Ninth Level], Attributes [Arm Strength 14, Physique 20, Agility 30, Internal Energy 20, Astral Qi 15]

Yet, as he voiced his concern, Ye Qingyun quickly offered a suggestion.

“You haven’t acquired a new cultivation technique yet?” Qin Yun asked, genuinely surprised.

His words piqued Ye Qingyun’s interest. He paused, then opened Qin Yun’s information panel.

Name: Qin Yun.

Age: 19.

Strength: Highly Skilled.

Internal Cultivation: Slaughterbreaker Art, Twelfth Level.

Attributes: [Arm Strength 40, Physique 30, Agility 20, Internal Energy 15, Astral Qi 12]

Seeing this, Ye Qingyun realized that Qin Yun had already begun cultivating a new internal art.

“Huh? Where did you get this Slaughterbreaker Art?” Ye Qingyun asked, his curiosity piqued.

At this, Qin Yun grinned.

“Hehe, you know I’m the son of The Capital’s prefect!” Qin Yun teased, winking. “It’s naturally easier for me to get my hands on internal cultivation manuals than it is for you. How about it? Want your big brother to get you one?”

Ye Qingyun suspected it wouldn’t be that simple.

“Is it really easy to get?” Ye Qingyun inquired.

“Uh, to be honest, it’s not particularly easy. It’s a bit troublesome,” Qin Yun said with a dry laugh. “I’d need some time.”

Noticing his difficulty, Ye Qingyun dismissed the idea of having Qin Yun acquire a technique for him. He felt it was a task he needed to handle himself.

“Alright, then forget it,” Ye Qingyun said. “Do you know anywhere else I can get cultivation techniques? I have money now.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yun actually knew a place. After all, he enjoyed far more freedom than Ye Qingyun and understood The Capital much better.

“The imperial court controls these things very strictly. Do you want to come with me to the black market?” Qin Yun suggested. “They should have such items for trade there, but they’ll be extremely expensive.”

Song was a nation that valued scholars over warriors, a policy designed to prevent rebellion. Therefore, cultivation techniques, apart from those within established martial sects, were officially forbidden from being openly sold. Yet, underground, people undoubtedly traded them.

“The black market? Have you been there?” Ye Qingyun asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.

However, Qin Yun shook his head.

“No, I haven’t. What would I do there? But I know how to get in,” Qin Yun stated.

Ye Qingyun decided it was definitely worth a visit, so he asked Qin Yun to lead him to the black market’s entrance.

The black market entrance was located within an antique shop, though it certainly wasn’t the only one.

Qin Yun approached the shop owner and spoke a few words to him.

The owner quickly understood Qin Yun’s meaning and led the two into the back, eventually arriving at an underground passage.

“Young Master Qin, and this young lady,” the owner warned, “this is the entrance to the black market. But I must caution you, the people down there are not to be trifled with. You must be careful.”

Qin Yun tossed him a few silver taels, then led Ye Qingyun inside.

[Notification: New map discovered: [Black Market]. This is a high-risk zone.]

Upon hearing the system’s voice, Ye Qingyun frowned. A high-risk zone meant danger lurked below.

The two descended the steps and soon arrived in a vast underground cavern. Many people filled the space, mostly martial artists as far as Ye Qingyun could see. To him, all of them were marked with ‘red names’.

This indicated that these individuals had no restrictions here. If provoked, they were highly likely to attack.

“So many people! I never imagined such a place existed beneath The Capital,” Ye Qingyun marveled.

“Heh, you’ve been confined to Sweetwater Lane all this time, so naturally, you wouldn’t know the specifics of The Capital,” Qin Yun explained. “This is my first time here too, but my elder brother has visited.”

Once in the black market, they began searching along the stalls. The area was filled with vendors selling all sorts of bizarre and wondrous items: various rare treasures, medicinal herbs, and even strange artifacts and weapons.

Ye Qingyun and Qin Yun’s gazes swept across the stalls. Soon, they found a stall overflowing with books, which appeared to be cultivation techniques.

“Number Two, come take a look! These are all cultivation techniques. See if there’s anything suitable,” Qin Yun called out to Ye Qingyun.

Ye Qingyun hurried over and glanced at the books. They were indeed cultivation techniques, but none were particularly high-grade. Martial arts in this game were categorized into six tiers: Wood, Iron, Bronze, Shadow, Gold, and Jade.

All the techniques sold at this stall were Wood-tier, whereas his own Seven Emotions and Six Desires Art fragments were all Jade-tier.