Yin Yang Soul Searcher

After leaving Boss Hou's stall, Tang Weiwei, who was completely masked, couldn't help but ask, "Who are you? How did you know that herb was fake?" Tang Weiwei didn't change her voice.

"I'm the one who got all the empty promises you made." Bai Jueming smiled. "We met a couple of days ago when Miss Tang delivered the letter."

Tang Weiwei revealed a look of sudden realization: "Oh, it's you, that Yin Yang..."

Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Yanbing covered Tang Weiwei's mouth and scolded her, "What did I tell you when we came out? Keep your identity a secret!!!"

Taking the opportunity, Bai Jueming whispered to Han Xueshan, who was standing beside him, "These two are important figures from the Craftsmen's Hall. The pill that saved you that day was given to you by them."

It turned out she had run into an acquaintance. Han Xueshan nodded slightly. Then, remembering the scene of Bai Jueming saving her, her face darkened.

"To be honest, I used to make a living in the black market, so I'm familiar with this place. That Boss Hou often uses this method to deceive other cultivators. But because of the money he pays to the black market, no one dares to cause him any trouble."

"Thanks to Brother Bai this time, otherwise we would have fallen into his trap." Cheng Yanbing bowed and thanked him.

"Brother Cheng, you flatter me. May I ask what brings you to the black market?" Bai Jueming asked casually.

"I happened to have some free time these past two days, and I also sent over the pills that the Imperial Preceptor had just refined. So I thought I'd come to the black market to see if there were any rare herbs," Cheng Yanbing explained.

Look, even the disciples of the Craftsmen's Hall are coming to the black market to pan for gold. Can this black market be shut down just like that?

As they spoke, the group arrived at the entrance to the attic.

"In that case, I won't disturb Brother Cheng's black market gold rush any longer. I also have some important matters to attend to." Bai Jueming concluded by saying, "Brother Cheng, you must be extra careful when trading on the black market; there are too many counterfeit goods."

Cheng Yanbing felt a little embarrassed by these words. "Brother Bai, if you need anything, you are welcome to come to the Craftsmen's Hall to find me."

Bai Jueming thanked him first, then lowered his voice and asked, "By the way, Brother Cheng, if I may ask, what rank are you?"

Although it's impolite to directly ask someone's cultivation level, Cheng Yanbing clearly didn't care and said, "Fourth Rank!"

Early? Even stronger than Brother Shan? Actually, it's not hard to understand. To be able to refine pills for someone of the Imperial Advisor's level, one needs a strong foundation in cultivation.

While Bai Jueming was lost in thought, Cheng Yanbing had already grabbed his junior sister by the scruff of her neck and left. They continued shopping on Taobao.

The two then took their leave and entered the attic lobby.

At the far end of the gate, there stood something resembling a newsstand. Several men in black were tearing down the notices on it.

Looking around the lobby, four beams support the dome in each corner, and tables and chairs are set up inside, with waiters serving drinks and snacks to seated guests. If everyone weren't dressed up, it would look more like a restaurant.

The wooden staircases on both sides of the lobby creaked slightly. Several people who had torn down the notices went up to the second floor, which attracted another group of drinkers who followed them into the rooms.

The long, quiet corridor on the second floor contrasted sharply with the hustle and bustle of the first floor. Rows of doors were tightly shut, and the identities of the disguised individuals and the secrets behind those doors were shrouded in mist, enveloping every corner and making one eager to explore further.

Bai Jueming led Han Xueshan to sit in an inconspicuous corner.

Soon, a waiter with a towel draped over his shoulder came to the table and, before Bai Jueming could speak, placed a pot of wine, two wine cups, and a stack of peanuts on the table. Of course, paper and pen were also provided.

Seeing Han Xueshan's puzzled expression, Bai Jueming had no choice but to explain the rules of the black market to her.

There are only two types of people who come here: those looking for someone and those looking for work. You can write down the person you're looking for, what the task is, and the reward afterward on a piece of paper. Then stick it on that wooden board.

Bai Jueming pointed to the thing that looked like a newsstand. If someone accepted your job, you could go to a room on the second floor to discuss it in detail.

"But before you leave, you need to settle the bill for the drinks and the money for this item, five taels!"

"Why didn't he just rob it?" Han Xueshan exclaimed in a low voice, stunned.

The customers at several nearby tables turned around upon hearing this. Some looked at the two with unfriendly expressions; those who came here were generally not good people.

"Grandma, keep your voice down," Bai Jueming quickly gestured for her to shut up. He was trying to steal it anyway.

These days, isn't running a platform the most profitable business? Buyers and sellers are essentially working for the platform...

Bai Jueming took the paper and pen and began to write. "Find a cultivator of rank five or higher. Tonight, on the outskirts of the capital, kill a demon cultivator. Upon completion, you will receive a rank four demon core. The one who facilitates this will be rewarded with a rank six Taoist talisman."

Han Xueshan sat to the side, looking at what Bai Jueming had written, somewhat incredulous. "You really dared to write that? Where did you get that demon core?"

The demon core is something that only fourth-grade demon cultivators possess. Demons who specialize in cultivating their inner core have all their cultivation within it.

Some demon cores, after being refined by a martial artist, can greatly increase their cultivation level, or be stored within their body as a life-saving trump card. Inner cores can become even stronger by absorbing similar demon cores and merging with the martial artist's blood and energy... In short, demon cores have many uses; some can even utilize the innate supernatural abilities of the demon race...

"I've already said, it doesn't matter whether I have a demon core or not. As long as I can convince them that I do, that's enough."

"Think about it, if I give a sixth-grade talisman to the person who facilitated this, I'm very likely a Taoist disciple. And Taoism is famous for subduing demons and monsters. It's not surprising that they have a demon core."

"You really are despicable." Then Han Xueshan added worriedly, "Will your method even work? Will people fall for it?"

Bai Jueming, however, was confident: "What rogue cultivators lack most is cultivation resources, and such opportunities are rare even in the black market. There will be desperate criminals."

At this point, Bai Jueming felt a surge of emotion. When he was a rogue cultivator, which mission didn't involve taking risks in order to obtain silver and cultivation resources?

In contrast, the tomboy next to her, because of her good background, or rather, her good fortune, doesn't need to take much danger to obtain a huge amount of cultivation resources, nor does she need to have a powerful protector.

Bai Jueming handed the written paper to the waiter, indicating that he should post it.

Bai Jueming picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "The message has been sent out. We need to wait here overnight. Otherwise, someone who accepts the mission won't be able to find us."

"Are we just going to sit here and wait all night?" Han Xueshan rested her chin on her hand, somewhat bored. She felt that Bai Jueming didn't need to bring her along; she could handle things on her own.

"We also have food and wine here, but the price is ten times that outside," Bai Jueming said with a smile. "By the way, Miss Han, I don't have any money on me."

Wearing a veil, Han Xueshan gritted her teeth and cursed, "You bitch, you brought me here to pay you, didn't you? No, get out!"

......

When the waiter posted the paper with Bai Jueming's writing, it caused quite a stir among the crowd. Such a large transaction was rare even on the black market.

Several men in black, confident in their abilities, stared intently at the contents of the paper, their eyes filled with greed! However, reason quickly brought them back to reality. Did someone who dared to spread such information fear being double-crossed?

Not far from Bai Jueming, in a corner, sat two disguised men in black. One, dressed in a wide black robe that concealed his figure and face, revealing only a goatee and the corner of his mouth, was an elderly man. He was drinking from a wine cup.

Another man in black robes, dressed in black tight-fitting clothes with his face covered, only revealing a pair of greedy eyes.

After reading the above, the masked man in black said, "Sir, this is a rare opportunity."

The old man in black robes slowly set down his wine cup: "I entrusted you with the task of stealing the mines, and you just failed. Now this kind of thing is right in front of you. Don't you think it's aimed at you?"

"There are quite a few officials of the fifth rank and above here. They might not necessarily be after me." The masked man was none other than the assassin who sent people to kill Bai Jueming. Chu Jiangyuan! "The mining case failed. Am I still worth them going to such lengths for?"

After the mining case failed, Chu Jiangyuan went into hiding. In the end, he returned to his former employer and worked under him.

The employer took in Chu Jiangyuan because he feared that Chu would be captured by the Yin-Yang Palace and subjected to a soul search, which would expose his identity.

"Worth it!" The old man in black robes slammed his wine cup down. "Because their target wasn't you, it was me! If you were captured by those people from the Yin-Yang Palace, could you have escaped the soul search?"

"Then I won't go. Sending someone to test the waters will do, right?" Chu Jiangyuan waved his hand, and a man in black hiding behind a pillar understood.

"Miss Han, if someone accepts the mission later, you can go to his room to discuss it in detail. I won't go." Bai Jueming took a sip of wine.

"What? Got scared?" Han Xueshan sat to the side, a slight sneer on her lips.

"My main concern is being recognized," Bai Jueming said nonchalantly, shrugging. "Just now at the herb stall, I almost got caught. If I were exposed, many people in the black market would recognize me. The mission would definitely fail."

"But you're different. Even if your identity is exposed, no one will connect it to me."

"Alright then," Han Xueshan nodded reluctantly.

Just then, Bai Jueming raised an eyebrow as a man in black tore off a quest. "The fish has taken the bait."

"Have you ever thought about how you would handle things if it wasn't Chu Jiangyuan who took over, but someone else?" Han Xueshan asked, expressing her concerns.

"If not, take him to the demon clan and let them fight like dogs. We'll find an opportunity to double-cross them." Bai Jueming stroked his chin.

"You're so vicious!" Han Xueshan felt that even the word "despicable" was insufficient to describe Bai Jueming.

"If it's Chu Jiangyuan, I'll contact Hall Master Li for help." After saying that, Bai Jueming touched the Yin-Yang Palace token in his pocket, which could be used to contact Li Zhengshan.

"Remember, if he is a fourth-rank official, let him demonstrate the strength of a fourth-rank official. If he is here to mediate, let him take the person to the room immediately. Do not give him the talisman too early."

Am I that stupid? Han Xueshan's forehead was covered in black lines as she got up and followed the man in black to the second floor.