Chapter Twenty-Four: Wholesale

The ghost market around Qingshan County has existed for a long time. It opens on every third day of the month, and the location changes each time. Before the market opens, a group of carriages is specially hired to transport guests into the market. To obtain the location of these carriages, one needs special channels, and Jie Jia happens to have the means to secure an admission ticket.

As dusk fell, within a deserted village, Chen Mu was wrapped tightly in a hooded cloak, his face covered by a black scarf. Beside him was Jie Jia, dressed in the same manner. The two walked in silence along the streets of the desolate village. On both sides of the road, many people were setting up stalls, and from time to time, people would crouch down to whisper. Whether they were vendors or customers, everyone was bundled up tightly, and even when speaking, they subconsciously lowered their voices. The gathered sounds were like the whispering of countless ghosts.

"This is the place." Jie Jia led Chen Mu to a dilapidated house.

Chen Mu nodded at Jie Jia and walked into the room, clutching a scroll with trepidation. A person wearing a ghost mask sat quietly behind a gray-white square table.

"What does the guest wish to sell?" the masked person asked in a low voice.

At this point, Chen Mu no longer hesitated, gritted his teeth, and said, "I want to sell a manual for body-refining."

"Please, sit." The masked person could not hide the excitement in his voice. Body-refining manuals were valuable goods!

"May I have a look?" the masked person asked eagerly.

Chen Mu felt a surge of joy. The body-refining manual was indeed valuable. Thinking this, Chen Mu placed the scroll on the table and unfurled one-third of it.

The masked person stood up involuntarily: "Excellent craftsmanship!"

The more detailed and accurate a secret manual, the higher its value. Chen Mu grinned. It had been created using his Level 2 drawing skill; how could it be anything less than excellent? Compared to those rough manuals sketched with mere lines, his work could be considered a collector's edition. Selling such a precious manual for eight hundred or a thousand taels wouldn't be excessive, would it? With this sum of money, he could hoard grain and medicinal herbs, and hide at home to practice diligently. Once he leveled his body-refining technique to the Great Achievement stage, he wouldn't fear even ten Sheng Hongs!

Just as Chen Mu was fantasizing, he suddenly heard the masked person click his tongue: "Pity..."

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

"The item is good, it's just..." The masked person shook his head and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Chen Mu felt increasingly nervous.

"Please look." The masked person bent down and pulled a small booklet from a cloth bag on the ground, handing it to Chen Mu.

***

Chen Mu looked down and was immediately stunned. "Sheng Family Red Falcon Body-Refining Manual"? Sheng? Sheng Hong?! Damn it!

...

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Mu walked out of the ruined courtyard in a foul mood, followed closely by Jie Jia. The two found an abandoned shack and ducked inside. Chen Mu ripped the black scarf from his face in frustration.

"That cheap master of mine is truly ruthless!" Not only did he set a trap to swindle money, but he had also flooded the market with his own body-refining manual!

The masked person had told Chen Mu that the Red Falcon Body-Refining Manual had long been famous in the ghost market. Just within the knowledge of that masked man, five different shops already possessed this manual.

"A manual that could be passed down through generations sold for only eighty taels. Can you believe it?" Chen Mu complained indignantly. If not for his superior drawing skills, which made the content more precise than Sheng Hong's crude version, he wouldn't even have gotten eighty taels!

"Going back?" Jie Jia asked calmly.

"Going back?" Chen Mu suddenly chuckled. "The goods aren't sold out yet; why would I go back?" As he spoke, Chen Mu pulled another scroll from his oversized cloak. "Let's go, we'll sell it to another shop."

Jie Jia: "..." You two are truly master and apprentice!

A quarter of an hour later, the two returned to the dilapidated house.

"This time it actually sold for one hundred and twenty taels," Chen Mu mused. This meant his drawings still had value. His technique was better and more precise than Sheng Hong's version, making it easier for buyers to understand and cultivate. What was this? This was a business opportunity!

"Old Jie, go buy me some brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone," Chen Mu said suddenly.

Jie Jia, who usually kept his eyes narrowed, opened them wide. What? Selling to two places wasn't enough? You want to produce them on the spot?

"If Sheng Hong can sell to six places, why can't I sell to eight?" Chen Mu glared at Jie Jia. This was called the student surpassing the master! "Do you still want your twenty percent cut?!"

Jie Jia rolled his eyes, scanned Chen Mu, and spoke indifferently: "Three factions here collect various body-refining manuals. The young master of the Zuo family has been privately releasing news that he wants to purchase one. The Zhuyi Pavilion also collects them. The Bailiu Gang in the city intends to expand; they likely wouldn't refuse a body-refining heritage either."

Chen Mu: "..."

***

Good heavens! Now that you put it that way, I'm not sleepy at all! "Let's get to work!"

...

In a corner of the ghost market, inside a roofless shack, a young man in his twenties stood quietly. A white paper lantern hung on the wall. The dim, flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows across his fair face.

Before long, a ghost-masked person walked quietly into the room, full of joy: "Young Master Zuo, sorry to keep you waiting. This is what you wanted." As he spoke, he unfurled a scroll.

The young man stared at the scroll, his expression changing: "What skilled artistry!"

"This is the Red Falcon Body-Refining Manual," the ghost-masked man introduced enthusiastically. "My version is different from the others; theirs are all crude, shoddy imitations. Look at this craftsmanship, look at these detailed records. With such a manual, why worry about failing to master the technique?"

Young Master Zuo listened to the man's introduction while watching the scroll, his expression growing increasingly strange.

"Only one thousand taels. Just give me one thousand taels, and this body-refining manual, worthy of being a family heirloom, will be yours. Just think, with this, your Zuo family could pass down martial arts through the generations. In this chaotic world, only those with big fists have a say, don't you agree?"

"You are right." Young Master Zuo took back his gaze with a sigh.

"Then the payment..." The ghost-masked person was overjoyed. Body-refining wasn't like ordinary martial arts; a mistake could cripple a person. A manual that detailed even the changes in muscle lines was worth its weight in gold! Fortunately, the fool who sold it didn't know the market, and luckily the Red Falcon manual was already so common that he had dismissed the previous guy with a few words. Buying it for eighty taels and selling it for a thousand—this business was incredibly profitable!

Young Master Zuo clicked his tongue: "Pity..."

The ghost-masked man's heart skipped a beat.

"The item is good, it's just..." Young Master Zuo shook his head.

"How so..." The ghost-masked man was full of tension. Why did this scene feel so familiar?

Young Master Zuo sighed and pulled a scroll from a cloth bag on the wall. A sense of familiarity grew stronger, and a bad premonition washed over the ghost-masked man. Young Master Zuo silently unfurled the scroll. A row of lifelike figures appeared before his eyes, next to a column of elegant, flowing characters—"Authentic Red Falcon Body-Refining Manual."

The ghost-masked man: "..."

Damn it! Is this the treatment a body-refining manual should get? Are you people all selling these wholesale?!