nownovels Chapter 57, September 3rd, Black Market Fair
Chapter 57, September 3rd, Black Market Fair
[Blood-Drinking Deer-Slaying Knife]
【新增「嗜血暴鹿」效果：1.消耗20％的当前生命值进入「暴鹿」状态，期间每次造成伤害的25%转化为生命值恢复；2.若生命值已满，则转化为「血怒」层数（最多10层），每层+5%攻击速度和+3%伤害；3.「暴鹿」状态最多持续7秒，每3个小时最多使用1次。】
【Core Materials】: 1. Venom sacs of Abyssal Vampire Worms ×2, which are the venom glands of a subterranean blood-sucking creature; 2. Bloodthirsty Vine Juice ×100 ml, produced from the Bloodvine Cliff in the Southern Wilderness, which is the essence of a demonic plant that feeds on flesh and blood; 3. Meteorite Blood-Patterned Steel ×600 g, which is a meteorite metal that was stained with the blood of countless living beings when it fell.
[Auxiliary Materials]: None
After reviewing all three new effects, Chen Yu was undecided.
"I feel that they each have their own strengths, so it's hard to say which one is stronger."
Looking at the forging materials, most of them are quite rare.
"Sulfur essence and cold iron ore are clearly held in the manor's mine warehouse."
"I've never even heard of the other materials, and they're probably not even in the manor. Even if they were, I wouldn't have access to them."
Chen Yu pondered for a moment, and suddenly thought of the black market.
Back when we were in the outer courtyard, my master Xiahou Fei once mentioned that there was an underground black market in the neighboring Wangjiang City where you could buy all sorts of items that were hard to find on the market.
Some time ago, Chen Yu had planned to go to the black market to find a cultivation technique for perfecting the Body Refinement, but he was delayed by Han Feilong's matter.
Fortunately, I later found the "Primordial Embryonic Breathing and Flesh Refining Method" in the library and successfully broke through to the perfection of flesh refining, so I no longer needed to spend more money on the black market.
However, these fine forging materials are different. Fire-patterned mithril and cold iron ore are relatively easy to find, as they can be found within the manor.
However, you probably won't find these special plants and animals, such as blood-sucking worms and ice-heart lotus seeds, in the resort.
The reason is simple: the villa mainly produces standard weapons, so there's no need for these things.
"I guess I'll have to try my luck on the black market."
"According to Xiahou Fei, the black market's small market days are the 3rd, 13th, and 23rd of each month."
"There is also a large market every three months, which takes place on the third day of the lunar month. At that time, people of higher status will come to trade with their goods."
"Today is already August 27th, so I'll miss this month's market. I'll have to wait until next month."
"Next month is September, which will be just in time for the big market that happens to be held every three months."
……
At 6:45 PM, in the dining hall of the central courtyard.
It was lunchtime, and the canteen was bustling with noise.
Chen Yu sat at a wooden table in the corner.
Directly opposite is Senior Sister Luo Ninghai, to her left sits Senior Brother Fang Ke, and to her right sits Senior Sister Ouyang Qing.
Several dishes of home-style cooking were laid out on the table.
A plate of glistening, tempting braised pork, a plate of vibrant green stir-fried vegetables, a bowl of steaming seaweed and egg drop soup, and some other dishes.
Fang Ke picked up a piece of braised pork, his brows furrowing slightly: "Have you heard? There's been another war on the border between Liang and Wei. The imperial court has issued three urgent edicts to requisition weapons from armories across the country. Master was summoned to the council hall by the head of the academy today, probably for this very reason."
Ouyang Qing put down his soup bowl and said softly, "I'm more worried about the manor itself. Have you noticed that the rewards received by the disciples of the Central Academy have been 30% less than in previous years? Yesterday, when I went to the mine to retrieve ore, I overheard some managers whispering that something was wrong with the flow of ore in the manor's warehouse."
At this point, she lowered her voice even further: "I suspect... some smuggling gangs are still operating!"
Sitting opposite him, Luo Ninghai, with his mouth full of rice, mumbled a reply.
"If you ask me, let's finish this meal first! Xiaoqing, are you still going to eat that plate of sweet and sour pork ribs? If not, give it to me—"
Before he could finish speaking, Luo Ninghai's hand was tapped down with chopsticks by Ouyang Qing.
Chen Yu remained silent, but everyone's attention gradually turned to him.
Just yesterday, Guiyan City, in alliance with Luori City, decisively defeated 5,000 elite cavalry of the Canglang tribe.
On the same day, the City Guard launched attacks in all directions, destroying the branch altars of the Cold Crow Sect that had been set up in Sunset City for more than ten years, severely injuring the altar master Lu Tianzhong, and also killing three incense masters.
The Canglang tribe suffered heavy losses and is temporarily unable to launch another attack.
The Raven Cult suffered heavy losses, and its members at all levels were only concerned with fleeing for their lives.
Behind all these successes is a man named Chen Yu.
Without the secret letter intercepted by Chen Yu, the current battle situation would be quite different.
His contributions were so great that his senior brothers and sisters had to reconsider their own positions.
Fang Ke, holding a bowl of soup, was the first to stand up.
He was usually calm and composed, but his voice sounded a little strained at this moment.
"Junior brother, this bowl is a toast to you. For your contributions to the manor and Sunset City, I... I am ashamed of myself."
Ouyang Qing smiled and gently placed a chicken leg into Chen Yu's bowl.
"Eat slowly, don't choke. You've really saved our resort's reputation this time."
She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes obscuring her expression.
"It's fortunate that you discovered Han Feilong's smuggling of weapons. If it had been discovered by the City Guard, the manor would have been in big trouble, and the manor owner might have been implicated."
With food in his mouth, Luo Ninghai said with admiration, "Junior Brother, did you really kill the leader of the Cold Crow Sect? I still can't quite believe it!"
"If you really did it, then won't you be moving into the inner courtyard? Won't you be becoming the head of the main hall?"
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table burst into laughter, their laughter carrying a deeper meaning.
"Not at all, not at all. I owe my success today entirely to the help of my fellow disciples."
Chen Yu exchanged a few polite words and continued eating with his head down.
It wasn't until the meal was almost over that Fang Ke slowly revealed his true request.
"Junior brother, is your Raven Slaying Furnace... still short-handed? If so, could I join?"
Before Chen Yu could answer, Ouyang Qing chimed in.
"Junior brother, if there are any spots available, don't forget your senior sister."
"Me too! Me too!"
Luo Ninghai quickly added.
Chen Yu was well aware of the reasons why everyone was so eager to join the Crow-Slaying Furnace.
Compared to the rough forging workshop in the outer courtyard, the workload in the fine forging workshop in the middle courtyard is not that large.
Therefore, most disciples in the middle courtyard have relatively ample free time.
The academy head's original intention was to let them use this time to improve their martial arts skills and forging techniques.
But what they really want are contribution points.
After all, improving martial arts skills and forging techniques requires a long process; it cannot be done quickly and lacks sufficient positive feedback.
Contribution points are directly linked to position and salary, with each point having its own purpose, making the results more intuitive.
In the Central Court, the only ways to earn contribution points are by crafting high-quality weapons and completing bounty missions.
The forging of exquisite weapons is often a matter of chance, requiring a large amount of special materials, as well as favorable timing, location, and a moment of inspiration.
Bounty missions are either too difficult or offer very few contribution points, making them not cost-effective for disciples of the Central Academy.
The Crow-Slaying Furnace that Chen Yu has now established is a new path, where one can earn contribution points through forging skills.
The Crow Slayer can conduct business independently, only needing to pay a 10% cut to the manor.
If Han Feilong's sale of weapons was an illegal private job...
Therefore, selling weapons to outsiders is legally considered taking on private jobs.
The benefits are obvious, and it's not just about contributing points.
Therefore, ever since Chen Yu obtained the qualification to establish the furnace, people have been coming to request to join.
However, there are only five spots available in the Crow-Slaying Furnace, and Chen Yu has not readily agreed to accept any offers.
The Crow-Slaying Furnace should indeed be put into production now, and reliable manpower is indeed needed.
Compared to others, Chen Yu was more willing to trust his fellow disciples.
After spending so many days together, he didn't find any moral failings in these senior brothers and sisters.
"Then I'll have to trouble Senior Brother Fang to come and be my assistant furnace master and get the Crow-Slaying Furnace up and running."
"Of course I want both of my senior sisters as well."
"Based on everyone's strengths, how about Senior Sister being the hammer bearer and Senior Sister Qing being the fire protector?"
Chen Yu gave his answer.
"good!"
"Whatever my junior brother says, we'll do!"
After a moment of silence, everyone agreed, their joy evident in their expressions.
"Eat your food, eat your food, it's getting cold!"
Ouyang Qing stood up and continued to serve food to Chen Yu.
Luo Ninghai suddenly laughed and said, "After observing for so long, I've come to realize one thing: following our junior brother, you're guaranteed to have something to eat!"
Fang Ke, however, remained silent. He had already begun planning the raw materials, products, and sales channels for the Crow-Slaying Furnace.
They chatted and laughed, and the meal was quickly finished.
Just as Chen Yu was about to get up and leave, he suddenly heard someone mention his name in the corner.
"Is he Chen Yu?"
"That's him!"
Three disciples from the middle courtyard sat around a wooden table by the window.
One of the fat men whispered, "He's really lucky. He just happened to stumble upon Han Feilong and the Cold Crow Sect making a deal, and thus performed such a great service."
"Ha, how naive."
Another young man in blue let out a sneer.
"Luck? How do you know someone didn't leak the information beforehand?"
Before he could finish speaking, another female disciple chimed in.
"My cousin works in the City Guard. He said that Han Feilong and the leader of the Cold Crow Cult could not be considered as having been defeated by Chen Yu at all."
"Actually, they had already been severely damaged by the City Guard and were on the verge of death. Chen Yu just happened to be the one who got lucky."
"Moreover, I heard that there were no secret letters at all; they were all written by Chen Yu himself in order to gain merit."
The young man in blue said quietly, "You all don't know, do you? I heard that Chen Yu... was originally a member of the Cold Crow Sect."
"He was actually an undercover agent. Now he's successfully retired, silencing everyone who knew the truth, and has become a great hero of the manor!"
The fat man frowned slightly: "Senior Brother Xiao, you can't just throw around the word 'traitor.' Do you have any solid evidence?"
"Heh, when have I, Xiao Tianlu, ever said I was wrong? This is all inside information, it came from the inner courtyard. Only a fool like you would question me..."
Hearing these people's comments, Chen Yu didn't take them seriously.
With fame comes controversy, and some harsh comments are inevitable.
"Senior Sister, who are those people sitting over there?"
Chen Yu inquired with Luo Ninghai, who was more senior.
Luo Ninghai looked in the direction indicated and immediately recognized the three people.
"That fat guy is Zhong Dalu, the one in blue is Xiao Tianlu, and the woman in white is Lin Wan'er. They are all disciples of our Central Academy."
"What, Junior Brother, are you planning to recruit them into the Crow-Slaying Furnace?"
Unlike Chen Yu, Luo Ninghai did not have the ability to hear and see clearly, so he did not hear the conversation and therefore asked such a question.
"No, I'm just a little curious. How strong are they? What are their family backgrounds like? And what about their masters?"
Chen Yu continued to ask questions.
"Zhong Dalu comes from a fishing family and has mastered the art of meat refining. He has no background and just hangs around with Xiao Tianlu every day. He is Xiao Tianlu's number one underling."
"Xiao Tianlu is no ordinary person. His strength is already close to the initial stage of the Tendon Refining Realm. Moreover, it is said that he has a lover in the inner courtyard, and he has this lover protecting him in everything. Therefore, he acts arrogantly and recklessly."
"As for Lin Wan'er, her strength is only at the minor level of meat refining. She entered the Central Academy through back channels. Her father is a constable in the City Guard, and her cousin is also a constable in the City Guard. It can be said that she has a very strong background. Even our Academy Chief has to give her some face."
"The three of them are from the same sect. Their master is Chen Wenyu, who is not very capable and is a good-for-nothing."
Chen Yu nodded and didn't say anything more.
Luo Ninghai, however, became interested.
"What, Junior Brother, you've taken a liking to Lin Wan'er?"
"I know this woman very well. On the surface, she seems innocent and cute, but in reality, she is no ordinary person. Her ruthlessness far exceeds your imagination."
"Forget about her. Why not consider your Senior Sister Qing? In terms of looks and figure, she's just as good as her..."
As Luo Ninghai spoke, before Ouyang Qing could express his opinion, Fang Ke's expression changed somewhat.
"Stop! Stop! That's enough!"
Seeing this, Chen Yu quickly interrupted her.
"I'll head out first. You two can continue your conversation."
After saying that, Chen Yu quickly slipped away, no longer participating in their conversation.
After leaving the dining hall, he went to the library first.
It has been exactly ten days since I last borrowed a book.
He returned three books: "The Primordial Breathing and Flesh Refining Method," "The Tendon-Separating and Bone-Dislocating Knife," and "The Comprehensive Mirror of the Three Turbidities."
He then borrowed the unfinished "Nine Slashes of Madness" and "One Kill of a Thousand Blades" for another ten days.
Back in his dorm, Chen Yu began preparing what he needed to take to the black market.
First, there are the banknotes, but that's not a problem.
Five thousand taels of silver notes were seized when Xu Lingyan was killed. The manor awarded five thousand taels of silver notes as a reward, and with the government's five thousand taels of silver as a reward, the total amount was fifteen thousand taels!
Based on the purchasing power of rice, one tael of silver was roughly equivalent to eight hundred yuan in my previous life.
Fifteen thousand taels of silver is equivalent to twelve million yuan.
Of course, this is just a theoretical figure. If you want to practice martial arts, this amount of silver won't last for many years.
In this world, there is no project that costs more money than martial arts training.
"If there were no bandits, no wars, and no evil spirits, these silver notes would be enough for me to retire to the countryside and live a life of luxury."
Chen Yu muttered to himself.
"Unfortunately, the world is too treacherous; without strength, nothing can be protected."
"External wealth is illusory; only wealth that is transformed into real power is real."
In addition to the silver notes, Chen Yu also prepared several packages in case of emergency.
It was already the third day of the ninth lunar month, the day of the black market fair.
The autumn air is crisp and clear, and the sunlight is gentle.
Chen Yu packed his bags and set off for Wangjiang City.