The four donned prepared black cloaks and demon masks, and strode towards the entrance of the black market with an air of utter indifference.
The entrance to Ning'an City's black market is inside a very inconspicuous bookstore. Anyone can enter as long as they pay money. However, the black market is full of all sorts of people, and most of them are cultivators who, like Ye Sisi and the others, have hidden their true identities.
Whether you get what you want and whether you can get out safely depends entirely on yourself. No one knows who the black market owner is; the only rule is that you can't fight in public.
This rule is quite peculiar. Listen to it: it says you can't fight in public, not that you can't fight at all. So, whether you die in a fight or not, nobody cares.
The black market was different from what she had imagined. She had thought it would be a dark, underground market, but it was brightly lit and had all sorts of magnificent and splendid buildings.
It's practically an underground city.
This was Ye Sisi's first time in a place like this, and she felt inexplicably excited.
I wonder if her talismans sell well here, and if they can help supplement her family's income.
Su Jiuli had a clear goal. She led the three of them forward until they stopped at a stall at the end of the street.
The stall owner was wearing a gray robe and a monkey mask on his face; to be honest, he looked quite cute.
The gray-robed man's voice was very young, sounding like he was sixteen or seventeen years old. He looked up at the four people standing in front of the stall and asked enthusiastically, "What would you four like to buy?"
Su Jiuli slightly changed the tone of her voice, making it sound more calm and deep: "Four invitations to the Qinglan Auction."
The stall owner nodded and took out four golden invitation cards, saying, "A total of two hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones."
Ye Sisi's eyelids twitched, thinking it was damn expensive, so she transmitted her voice and said, "Senior Brother, why don't you just buy one? It's too expensive."
Each invitation only allows one person in, and since she didn't feel she needed to buy anything right now, she figured one person could go in alone.
Su Jiuli shook her head and readily paid the money. It was her first time in the Spirit Realm and her first time attending an auction. It was good to broaden her horizons and see if there was anything she needed. She couldn't let herself suffer if others suffered.
The stall owner was also very happy. After receiving the money, he was about to hand the invitation to Su Jiuli when, as if remembering something, he took out an even more exquisite invitation.
"Fellow Daoist, I feel a connection with you. How about this, this is a VIP invitation, the kind with a private room. One invitation is enough for all four of you to go in. Would you like to change it?"
Ye Sisi always felt that this person was setting a trap, trying to trick them into spending more money.
VIP invitations are definitely more expensive, so she secretly tugged at Su Jiuli's sleeve, signaling him not to fall for it.
Su Jiuli's lips curled up behind the mask as he looked at the stall owner and said, "Young man, be careful not to get robbed."
Everyone was stunned, not expecting Su Jiuli to say that.
The stall owner quickly shook his head: "Fellow Daoist, don't misunderstand. What I mean is to exchange it directly without having to pay extra."
Su Jiuli's lips twitched. This guy must be missing a screw in his head. Isn't doing this just making him more of a target?
Could this person be an innocent naiveté, unaware of the principle of not flaunting wealth? Although he may have some status, this is the black market. There are plenty of people who would simply rob him and take his place if they encountered someone with ill intentions.
However, since they were being so kind as to do a loss-making business, Su Jiuli naturally wouldn't refuse.
After confirming that the invitation was genuine, I decisively exchanged four regular invitations for the VIP invitation. For the same price, I was getting better service; only a fool wouldn't switch.
The stall owner stared blankly at the four people's departing figures, feeling inexplicably lost.
He acted so innocent and adorable, why didn't these people rob him? Was it because he didn't act rich enough?
Forget it, let's wait for the next group of customers.
After walking a section, Ye Sisi complained, "Is that guy stupid? Is he afraid that people won't remember him? I don't know how he's survived until now."
Su Jiuli said meaningfully, "How do you know he didn't do it on purpose? Sometimes a wolf may be hiding behind a rabbit's skin."
Ye Sisi shuddered. "No...it shouldn't be like this, what is he after?"
"Who knows?"
The four of them stopped talking and instead looked around to see if there was anything else they needed.
When Ye Sisi walked into a brightly lit house, she felt completely distraught.
The entire room was filled with iron cages, not much bigger than birdcages, layer upon layer, densely packed together.
In each iron cage huddled a thin, small child, dressed in tattered clothes.
They all looked quite young, around six or seven years old, mostly girls, but there were quite a few boys as well.
But their eyes were so numb; their big eyes, which should have been full of innocence and joy, were filled with a deathly stillness that didn't belong to them.
Ye Sisi stood motionless at the door, her fingers clenched tightly under her sleeves, her nails digging into her flesh, but she was completely unaware of it.
She's not naive; she understands the future fate of these children.
The children who are placed here must all have spiritual roots. Regardless of their aptitude, it shouldn't be difficult for them to draw in spiritual energy.
Girls could very well be bought by evil cultivators and used as slaves, and boys could be too.
As for other methods like drug testing, torture, or kidnapping and training them to become Deadpool, those are all acceptable, but no matter which one, these children's lives will be ruined.
Human trafficking is a despicable profession in any era and in any world.
Su Jiuli and the other two naturally noticed Ye Sisi's gaze, but their reaction was not as strong as Ye Sisi's.
It's not that they're heartless; when they first witnessed these scenes, they were even less forgiving than Ye Sisi.
Back then, they rushed in and fought the human traffickers on the spot. However, in Cangjing at that time, you could do whatever you wanted and wouldn't have too many worries even if you offended someone.
Moreover, the world is so big; where there is light, there is darkness. Otherwise, where would so many evil cultivators come from? Otherwise, why would we need to eliminate demons and defend the righteous path?
Su Jiuli patted Ye Sisi's shoulder and shook her head slightly.
There's a Void Refinement expert in charge here; no matter how powerful the others are, they can't defeat him.
Ye Sisi nodded slightly. Although she was angry, she was still rational. She couldn't drag her senior brothers into this mess.
The people inside had noticed them long ago, but seeing that they didn't intend to come in, they didn't bother to come out and greet them.
Ye Sisi took a deep breath, looked at the numb, pale faces, and still stepped inside.
Without hesitation, Su Jiuli and the other two followed them inside.
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