Xue Shen sent people to clean up the area around the inn, and personally checked the defensive arrangements around the inn to make sure there were no oversights before stepping onto the street.
He was heading to the black market, the gathering place for information in the village.
Although it's called a black market, it's not a shady place in the village. On the contrary, it's the most densely populated area in the entire village.
However, this kind of place is more dangerous than other places, and double-crossing is commonplace, which is why it has earned the nickname "black market".
Xue Shen was dressed in fine clothes. Although he could have dressed in a rougher style, the quality of his clothing, accessories, and even the sword at his waist all indicated its considerable value. As soon as he stepped into the black market territory, many people's eyes were drawn to him.
When they saw that he didn't even bring any guards, many people's eyes took on a different meaning.
A scantily clad prostitute twisted around him like a water snake, smiling as she leaned against him: "Guest, is this your first time here? Would you like me to be your guide? In this black market... if you don't know anyone, you'll be eaten alive, leaving not even bones."
Xue Shen nimbly dodged her, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe with a bone-scraping intensity, and said coldly, "I need a guide, but I don't need a woman."
Upon hearing this, the woman's expression turned serious. She put away her overly flamboyant smile, opened her palms upwards and stretched them out, saying with a smile, "No one knows this black market better than me, Feng Shiniang. I guarantee that all your wishes will come true. Fifty taels of silver per hour."
Feng Shiniang saw that he was dressed in rich clothes and assumed that he was a wealthy man, so she thought she would rip him off and asked for a high price.
To everyone's surprise, Xue Shen tossed the purse to her without even blinking and said, "Lead the way, I need to find Shunfeng'er."
Feng Shiniang took the purse and checked it; there wasn't a penny more or less. She swayed her hips and led the way, asking with a smile, "Guest, you've really come to the right person. In this black market, besides me, no one knows where Zhao Erduo is hiding."
Zhao Erduo is Shunfeng'er's real name.
Because of his extensive network of information, he could find out all sorts of secrets that were unknown to others, which is why he was known as "Follow-the-Wind Ears." However, it was precisely because he knew too many secrets that he shouldn't have known that Follow-the-Wind Ears had to hide in the black market in order to save his life.
Xue Shen came to Shunfeng'er this time to inquire about Shen Mingjiang and Shen Xiuyi.
Feng Shiniang led the way. She didn't boast, but she was very familiar with the black market's roads. She led Xue Shen through the winding, messy, and narrow paths, greeting all sorts of people along the way. After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at an inconspicuous little door.
Feng Shiniang cleared away the clutter piled up in front of the door, kicked open the wooden door with a bang, and called out, "Zhao Erduo is receiving guests." Then she turned to Xue Shen and gestured for him to come in: "This is Zhao Erduo's residence. Please come in, guest. I've accomplished my mission and will take my leave now."
After saying that, she turned to leave, but unexpectedly Xue Shen suddenly drew his sword from behind, the gleaming blade pressed against her neck: "I believe in doing things for money. Anyone who takes my money but doesn't do the job, whether they live or die depends on the sword in my hand."
Feng Shiniang's face darkened: "What do you mean by this, guest? Is Zhao Erduo inside?"
Xue Shen sneered, "You haven't found them if you haven't seen them." He pressed the tip of his knife against Feng Shiniang's back, "You go in first."
Feng Shiniang's expression changed slightly, and she could only resign herself to her fate and walk inside.
The house looked dilapidated from the outside, but the interior was furnished with wealth and elegance. Although Xue Shen was not an expert in mechanisms, he could still discern many cleverly arranged traps and weapons at a cursory glance.
If he had listened to Feng Shiniang and come in alone, even with his skills, he would have been in serious trouble.
Xue Shen sheathed his sword, closed the door, and leisurely pulled out a chair to sit down, then looked Feng Shiniang over again.
Feng Shiniang realized something, pursed her lips, and reluctantly sat down opposite him. She slumped into the softly carpeted chair like a snake and asked lazily, "What do you want to know?"
Xue Shen showed no surprise: "You are All-Hearing."
Feng Shiniang twirled a strand of hair with her fingers with a seductive air and smiled charmingly, "What does it matter if I have super hearing or not? It's just a name. As long as the guests can find out the information they want, that's all that matters."
Xue Shen nodded in agreement and, without wasting any more time, asked directly, "I need to know the whereabouts of Shen Mingjiang and Shen Xiuyi."
Probably not expecting him to ask this, Feng Shiniang looked surprised and scanned him up and down, as if she wanted to peel off his skin and examine him inside and out.
Why are you asking about these two people?
"You don't need to worry about that, I have my own use for it."
Feng Shiniang chuckled: "You're not the first person to come to me with questions. The others before me, I did get the news, but I heard they all never came back, their bodies eaten by wild wolves somewhere."
Xue Shen remained unmoved: "Where are those two?"
Feng Shiniang's gaze shifted for a moment before she said, "Although my name is Shunfeng'er (meaning 'ears that can hear everything'), I don't know everything. I only know that the two of them are currently in the Tibetan royal court."
This answer did not surprise Xue Shen. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know anything about the three princes of Tibet?"
"I wouldn't dare say I understand," Feng Shiniang chuckled, casually lifting her legs and placing them on the armrests of the chair. "But, she's just one of my intimate guests."
She glanced at Xue Shen's muscular chest and said with a seductive smile, "After being in this godforsaken place for so long, it's rare to see a man with decent looks. If you can spend the night with me, I can even tell you how many moles the Third Prince has on his butt."
She swung her feet: "How about that? Not just anyone can be my intimate guest."
Xue Shen looked up at her and shook his head without hesitation: "I already have a family."
Feng Shiniang was taken aback, and then she saw him take out a stack of silver notes: "Five thousand taels, I want all the information about the Third Prince."
Five thousand taels is no small sum on the black market, and there aren't many people who can pull out five thousand taels of silver without batting an eye.
Feng Shiniang sat up straight, took the five silver notes and counted them one by one. She was overjoyed and said, "The guest is not only handsome, but also generous." Then she sighed, "Why didn't I meet such a devoted and good man sooner?"
Xue Shen ignored her ramblings, tapped the table with his finger, and urged, "I'm in a hurry."
Feng Shiniang took the silver and, in a good mood, didn't mind his rudeness. She left him with a "wait" and then gracefully got up and went upstairs.
A moment later, she came down with a stack of papers covered in tiny, densely written characters and handed them to Xue Shen: "Here, everything, big or small, is on this. This five thousand taels is absolutely worth more than its price."
Xue Shen took the document and flipped through a few pages. Seeing that there were no records related to Aye, he said, "Really? I did hear that the Third Prince recently gained a capable assistant named Aye. Why isn't he mentioned in the official records?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
