We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 106 Black Market, Iron Shirt Advancement, Recommendation

The black market is located in an abandoned village about 30 miles north of the city. Its former name is unknown, but it is now called Black Stone Village.

Su Chen changed his clothes, wrapped himself in a black robe, and made up his face to look like he had 'four eyebrows'. However, this time he did not lose an arm, and he had a new steel knife at his waist.

There were quite a few people dressed like Su Chen. Before even arriving at the black market, Su Chen spotted several disguised people heading there on the road.

Not long after, Su Chen arrived at the black market.

From a distance, the black market was teeming with people, stretching as far as the eye could see, with two guards in black robes standing at the entrance.

"It takes ten taels of silver to enter the black market."

Su Chen paid the silver in full and then followed the crowd into the black market. There were stalls on both sides of the street, mostly individual martial artists selling things, and of course, a few shops.

This scene reminded Su Chen of the vegetable market in his previous life, which was remarkably similar to this place.

Along the way, you can see all sorts of things for sale, including rare antiques, exotic animals and meat, elixirs and herbs, martial arts manuals, and weapons of all kinds... but most of them are hard to distinguish as genuine or fake.

Su Chen searched for a long time before finally finding a stall where someone was selling Qi and Blood Pills. Several people were gathered around, all there to buy them.

From these people, Su Chen learned the price of Qi and Blood Pills on the black market: three hundred taels for one pill. Even so, people still gritted their teeth and bought them.

"Guest, how many Qi and Blood Pills would you like?" the gray-robed man asked hoarsely when it was Su Chen's turn.

"How many do you have here?" Su Chen glanced at the stall and only saw the sign for Qi and Blood Pills, so he asked.

Upon hearing this, the man in gray was visibly taken aback. After a moment of thought, he said, "I only have ten left. If you want them, I can offer you a discount of fifty taels of silver, making it two thousand nine hundred and fifty taels."

"Will there be any quality issues?"

"Customers can buy one to take home and try first."

"Give me one first."

Su Chen took out one hundred taels and handed it to the gray-clad man. The gray-clad man accepted the silver without ceremony and then produced a small bottle from somewhere, which he handed to Su Chen.

Su Chen took the bottle, opened it, and saw that the color of the pill inside was the same as the Qi and Blood Pill he had obtained before. So he took the pill and ate it in front of the gray-robed man.

Such behavior naturally displeased the gray-clad man, but he did not show it and simply waited quietly. Fortunately, Su Chen did not make him wait long.

"Fifty taels is too little, how about one hundred taels? I might come again in the future, so let's just consider it as making friends."

Upon hearing this, the man in gray pondered for a moment and then nodded, saying, "Alright!"

Pay the money in one hand and deliver the goods in one hand.

After obtaining ten Qi and Blood Pills, Su Chen did not leave the black market, but instead went to a shop without a sign.

"What kind of information do you want to buy?" a clerk looked up and asked, then handed over paper and pen. "Write it down."

Su Chen nodded, picked up a pen and paper, wrote a line of text, and then handed it to the waiter.

The waiter picked up the paper, glanced at it, turned and left. A short while later, the waiter came out and said, "It costs fifty taels."

After taking fifty taels from his pocket, Su Chen took the note, glanced at it, and then put it away and left.

After settling his two concerns, Su Chen continued to wander around the black market. He originally wanted to find a sword technique, but unfortunately, the manuals in the black market were either incomplete, of unknown authenticity, or did not meet Su Chen's expectations.

Complete sword techniques do exist, but not many. After browsing dozens of stalls, he only found one or two, and they didn't even meet the requirements of the panel. They were all sword techniques without the method of entering the internal energy, which were useless to Su Chen.

After browsing for almost an hour, the people in the black market gradually left, and Su Chen didn't plan to linger any longer. Apart from the Qi and Blood Pill and news of Qin Xue, he hadn't gained anything else tonight, but the Qi and Blood Pill alone was enough.

"There's someone ahead."

On the way back, everyone deliberately quickened their pace, and Su Chen was no exception. However, before they had gone far, Su Chen heard a commotion ahead. He stopped and stared, only to see a group of masked men in black fighting with another group of men in black.

After glancing at it a few times, Su Chen stopped paying attention, guessing that someone had been targeted and was being murdered and robbed. He then took a side road and hurried towards Dafeng City.

After entering the city, Su Chen found a secluded spot and changed his clothes. At this time, the streets and alleys of Dafeng City were still bustling with pedestrians, and the nightlife seemed to be just beginning.

Back home, Su Chen couldn't wait to take out the Qi and Blood Pills. He had checked them during the transaction and there were no problems with the color or smell, which was why Su Chen dared to buy so many at once. But the real effect would only be known after testing.

I randomly picked a Qi and Blood Pill that looked rather poor, and its effect was surprisingly good, instantly advancing the progress on the panel by one unit. Then I picked up a Qi and Blood Pill that looked better, but this time the effect was worse and it didn't reach one unit, but it complemented the previous one.

He swallowed three Qi and Blood Pills in total, and only stopped when he felt that his body could not take it anymore. After swallowing the three Qi and Blood Pills, his blood felt like it was being cooked and was burning hot. Fortunately, this situation did not last long.

After a night, Su Chen got up after sleeping for less than two hours. He was full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue. After washing up, Su Chen practiced martial arts for an hour, finally suppressing the slight heat in his body.

As dawn broke, Su Chen didn't eat breakfast but instead took out a Qi and Blood Pill to continue using it. By now, he had consumed five Qi and Blood Pills, but his progress had reached about five and a half. He only needed to use four and a half more to upgrade his Iron Shirt skill.

After consuming the Qi and Blood Pill, Su Chen brewed and drank the remaining five doses of Boiling Blood Powder. It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that Su Chen consumed the eighth Qi and Blood Pill, and the panel refreshed accordingly.

"I've finally reached the second level of Iron Shirt!"

Su Chen let out a long breath, and a faint, light white gas exhaled from his mouth, leaving a twenty-centimeter trail in the air.

"The number of energy levels has not changed; it remains five levels of energy. However, the quality of the energy has improved significantly. As a result, the speed at which the internal organs are tempered has increased. Breathing has become longer and more steady, the heart has become more stable, and the liver, kidneys, and spleen have all been strengthened to varying degrees."

"And, most importantly..."

Su Chen looked at his palm with great surprise. The surface of his palm seemed to be covered with a thin film, like water vapor, which changed with the expansion and contraction of his palm. This was the force!

"The force can now adhere to the surface of the palm!"

This scene reminded him of Tao Dingfang. If he remembered correctly, Tao Dingfang's strength seemed to be able to attach to the weapon, thus catching him off guard. If it weren't for his strong physique, he would probably have been seriously injured at that time.

"Now, my level of cultivation should be similar to Tao Dingfang's back then, but my strength is far beyond what Tao Dingfang could match. According to Master Ye's calculations, conservatively speaking, I can beat five Tao Dingfangs!"

Having dispelled the glorious image of Master Ye from his mind, Su Chen calmed himself down, gradually regaining his composure from the increase in his strength, and began to think about other issues.

"However, just upgrading from the first level of Iron Shirt to the second level requires ten Qi and Blood Pills, and one Qi and Blood Pill costs three hundred taels on the black market. It's okay once or twice, but in the long run, it will be a huge burden for me."

The conditions for advancing from the second to the third level of Iron Shirt were displayed on the panel. It required twenty Qi and Blood Pills, which, according to the black market price, was six thousand taels. He only had a little over ten thousand taels left. He could only afford to buy more pills before he ran out of money.

In addition, since I am new here, I have many expenses. If I just sit around and live off my savings, it may not be a long-term solution.

"Tonight, while I was browsing the black market, I saw many drug dealers selling herbs and pills related to qi and blood. Their business was quite good. I could consider this option, since I have two types of prescriptions on me: one unnamed prescription and one Boiling Blood Powder."

A balance of income and expenditure is the key to long-term sustainability. During this period, Su Chen plans to prepare more Boiling Blood Powder so that he can sell it when the black market opens next time. Otherwise, he will always be spending money, and even if he has a lot of money, he can't afford to squander it.

Besides, he only had ten thousand taels on him, which was nothing like being a rich man! (Sheng Mansion)

Located in the bustling Honglanfang area, spanning two streets from east to west, it exudes an air of grandeur and wealth.

"Stop, what are you doing?"

Before Su Chen could even approach the vermilion gate, a row of guards stood guard. They stopped him and stern eyes were fixed on him.

"I'm here to see Madam Sheng, Qin Xue!" Su Chen said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The leading guard sized Su Chen up and down, then asked, "Who are you?"

“A distant relative of Madam Qin Xue,” Su Chen said after a moment of silence.

"Is there any proof?"

Su Chen took out Hong Ming's contact letter from his pocket and showed it to him: "This is proof. Go and report it."

"Could you give me the letter so I can inform him?" the man asked thoughtfully as Su Chen produced the letter.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen hesitated for a long time before finally nodding and handing the envelope to the guard.

The guard went inside.

Su Chen waited at the door, unsure whether the other party would see him.

Although Hong Ming mentioned that Qin Xue was his childhood sweetheart, according to the information he had gathered, she had already married someone else, and not just anyone, but Hong Risheng, the leader of the Xuan Shui Gang.

One can tell just by looking at his residence; it is even more magnificent than the government office in White Stone City, exuding nobility inside and out.

The guard took Su Chen's letter and went inside, passing through the courtyard, the rockery, and heading towards the backyard.

"Master."

Suddenly, a handsome man walked towards them, dressed in light clothing, practicing martial arts in the courtyard. Seeing the guard's hurried appearance, he asked, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

"A distant relative of the lady has come to visit," the guard said, bowing deeply, not daring to raise his head even slightly.

"Distant relatives?" The handsome man exclaimed softly. Ever since his father became the leader of the Xuan Shui Gang, visitors had been coming in droves, including so-called distant relatives, but most of them were fake relatives who had nothing to do with each other.

Upon hearing this, he waved his hand impatiently and said, "What distant relative? Probably just another opportunist. Why bother my mother with this kind of thing? What are you good for?"

"Young master, please forgive me!" The guard hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, "I will drive him out right away."

As he was about to leave, the handsome man suddenly called out to him, "Wait, what are you holding in your hand?"

"It's that guy's letter. He said that if you show it to the lady, you'll know."

"Let me see!" The handsome young man frowned.

He took the letter, glanced at the guard, and snorted coldly, "Get out of here."

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Ignoring the guards, the handsome man opened the letter, glanced at it a few times, and then shouted, "Halt!"

"Is there anything else you need, young master?" The guard, who was walking quickly, stumbled and stopped when he heard the voice, almost falling over.

The handsome man remained silent, his face gradually darkening, his brows furrowing more and more, until finally, he even let out a cold snort.

The more the guard looked, the more uneasy he felt, and the more his scalp tingled. He had mentally cursed Su Chen countless times.

"Take him to the side hall and have him wait there."

After leaving a message, the handsome man hurriedly put on his clothes and left.

Boom boom boom!
"Come in!"

In the study, a refined middle-aged man spoke calmly, and seeing his son's frowning face, asked, "What's wrong?"

"Father, take a look at this letter." The handsome man placed the letter on the table.

The middle-aged man opened the letter with suspicion, gradually revealing the same expression as the handsome man when he read the letter.

"Father, who is this Hong Ming?"

After the middle-aged man put down the letter, the handsome man couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Hong Ming? Hmph, he's nothing but an arrogant loser who doesn't know his own limitations!" The middle-aged man sneered with an ugly expression. "I didn't expect that after all these years, he's still alive."

The handsome man read the letter and naturally knew about the relationship between Hong Ming and his mother, but that wasn't what he was concerned about at the moment.

“Father, no matter who this Hong Ming is, you absolutely cannot give the Xuan Shui Sect’s recommendation spot to this person.” The handsome man said with a pursed mouth.

Besides reminiscing, the letter also contained a request: that Qin Xue recommend Su Chen, something he absolutely could not accept.

The recommendation quota of Xuan Shui Sect is extremely precious. Even his father, as the hall master of Xuan Shui Gang, only gets one quota every year. This year, he has already reserved this quota for his fiancée's younger brother. How can he give it to a stranger of unknown origin?
"What are you panicking about? There's more than one nomination spot this year. Your mother has another one," the middle-aged man, Hong Risheng, said calmly.

"That's true, but is it really fair to just give away such a coveted spot to this person for nothing?" the handsome man Hong Chen said unwillingly.

"It's just one spot. As long as your mother is happy, we'll give it to her," Hong Risheng said, shaking his head indifferently.

Hong Chen: "..."

“However…” Hong Risheng suddenly changed the subject, “He’s just a country bumpkin. The Xuan Shui Sect doesn’t accept just anyone.”

"What does father mean?"

Hong Risheng put down the letter, stood up with a flick of his sleeve, and said with an inscrutable expression, "Give the letter to your mother. Even if your mother gives up a spot out of consideration for our past relationship, it doesn't matter. Xuan Shui Sect doesn't want mediocre people."

"That's...okay!"

In the side hall.

Su Chen sat quietly waiting, and a quarter of an hour had passed, but no one had come. Just as he got up out of boredom, he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the door.

A faint fragrance wafted by like a spring breeze, and a young woman exuding mature charm slowly walked over. Her eyes lit up when she saw Su Chen.

(End of this chapter)