Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 234 Anomaly (Part 1)

Whether it's the first time absorbing yin energy or the tenth time...

No matter how many times Han Yi absorbed Yin energy, it would give him a feeling of exhilaration that arose from within, just like eating an ice cream on a scorching hot summer day.

"As for this 'Delusion of Heaven'..." Han Yi looked at the scroll in front of him, which depicted the human body's meridians and had textual annotations, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

After absorbing the blood money, he was certain that this secret technique—no, this evil method—was definitely a heretical and unorthodox practice!

He hesitated, unsure how to handle the object.

After a moment of silence, Han Yi put the item back in the box and buried it deep inside the cabinet.

Regardless, this item was ultimately left behind by Bai Yuechou, and I have no right to interfere.

Furthermore, without the crucial ingredient and the blood money, "Delusion of Heaven" is nothing but a useless little trick...

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black market.

In the early morning, the sky was clear and white, like a chubby little boy of seven or eight months old, so adorable.

clap clap clap!

As soon as the head of the Internal Affairs Hall finished speaking, the elders following behind, including Elder Huang Ze, all applauded.

Han Yi, who was watching from the sidelines, joined Cai Yu, Lin Ping, Wang Dong, and the others in clapping vigorously with expressionless faces. Clap clap!

The sound of firecrackers exploded one after another, with yellow flames bursting and thick smoke billowing everywhere. Bright red paper scraps flew all over the sky, as if they were hoping for a prosperous new year for the black market and a flood of wealth.

The orange light shone on everyone's face, revealing smiling faces.

May your business open to great fortune and prosperity!

With the departure of the head of the Internal Affairs Hall and several elders including Huang Ze, the black market officially began operations!

But Han Yi's face remained expressionless.

He still felt a faint aversion to the opening of the black market, not because he disliked the tedious and complicated opening ceremony, but because…..

He glanced at the group of brokers and dealers gathered in front of him, and at the horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts covered with black cloth in front of the gate next to him.

One after another, horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts, heavy with weight, made the gray-white floor tiles tremble slightly as they slowly moved, pulling iron cages covered with black tarpaulins.

The vehicles were lined up in a long queue. The first vehicle stopped, and several outer disciples with knives strode forward, lifted the black cloth, and revealed the women and children inside. The outer disciples counted them, identified them, and then recorded the quantity, price, and taxes to be collected in detail in the register.

A gentle breeze blew by, bringing not the fragrance of soil and flowers, but the sound of low sobbing and wailing. As the black cloth was drawn back, the crying stopped again.

A swarm of people followed behind the oxcart, like vultures chasing carrion.

Han Yi knew those people; they were all wealthy brokers with bulging pockets who had made their fortunes in buying and selling live goods in recent years.

The wind blew again, revealing the figures sitting numbly against the iron cage. The black market had been closed for some time, and the 'goods' had accumulated for several days. With this being the first day of reopening, there would inevitably be many 'hidden gems' that had been hidden away.

These days, brokers have accumulated quite a few orders. They'll keep an eye on them and buy them directly later, making a lot of money in the process.

"Have you heard? Heavy snow has blocked the roads, cutting off trade routes. Several trading companies in the outlying fortresses have gone bankrupt..." Cai Yu, standing next to Han Yi, licked his lips and said meaningfully, "This time, they've really brought a lot of 'good stuff'..."

Han Yi followed his gaze and saw a tall oxcart come into view.

On the oxcart, there was a cage more than two meters high. The black iron cage had a small door, and several dark iron chains were tightly bound to it.

Inside the cage sat a woman with exquisite features and a captivating beauty. She was only draped in a snow-white fox fur coat, which barely covered her upper body, leaving the rest of her body uncovered. Similarly, her lower body was also exposed, revealing two long, slender, snow-white legs.

At this moment, she tightly hugged her legs with both arms and lowered her head, afraid that the slightest movement would expose her.

A black iron cage, a snow-white beauty, bound by iron chains, and skin that is faintly visible—the extreme contrast and stimulation would ignite any lust in anyone who saw this scene.

At this moment, the oxcart was followed by the largest number of brokers and agents.

"That's the young lady of the 'White Horse Escort Agency'..." Cai Yu's voice continued in Han Yi's ear, "I heard that her father fought to the death to protect the goods and was killed by the bandits..."

"So, not only were the goods lost, but a large sum of money had to be paid in breach of contract fees. When the aggrieved party came knocking, even selling the land and shops of the White Horse Escort Agency wasn't enough to cover the losses. They had no choice but to sell this young lady as payment for the debt..." The woman in the iron cage had lifeless eyes and a blank expression. She stared blankly down at her feet, just like her future, which was full of gloom and misery.

Han Yi glanced sideways, sighed softly in his heart, and avoided looking at her.

This is why Han Yi felt disgusted by the black market!

During his time in the black market, he had long since become intimately familiar with the Crimson Flame Sect's profit-making methods.

First, there's the entry fee for entering the black market. Whether you're an individual seller or a shop owner, you have to pay money if you want to buy or sell on the black market!

Of course, the things bought and sold here are nothing more than martial arts techniques, monster resources, armor, crossbows and other prohibited items that are not openly sold. Some of these are genuine, some are fake, and some are of varying quality. When making a transaction, it all depends on your discernment.

Secondly, there are the "live goods." These "goods" are specially delivered by matchmakers and brokers, and their characteristics are specifically registered. This is where the black market profits really come from! You should know that selling "live goods" not only requires an entry fee, but also an additional head fee. The head fee is paid after the transaction is completed, and it is exactly half of the selling price!

As a result, the prosperity of the black market brought many benefits to the Crimson Flame Sect.

"That woman is really beautiful!"

"Yeah, those long legs, that tiny waist, wow..."

"What a pity, Ma Yuanzhen of the White Horse Escort Agency was quite a figure, yet his family ended up like this..."

Han Yi quickly left the area and headed towards the guardhouse inside the gate. As he left, he could still faintly hear the whispers of passersby.

It contains a variety of emotions: regret, vulgarity, greed, mockery...

They all took this phenomenon for granted, and no one questioned it. "This world...it's just so cruel..."

Han Yi sat on a recliner in the pavilion and sighed inwardly.

That young lady from the White Horse Escort Agency must have lived a life of luxury, high and mighty, right?

Once the person she might rely on is gone, her status undergoes a complete transformation...

At this time of year, the weather was cold. He originally intended to go to the small hut where the inner disciples were on duty, but when he reached the door, he turned around and left, choosing instead to rest in a pavilion on the side.

For some reason, ever since he stayed in the guardhouse a few times, he'd always felt that this small hut was eerie and chilling, and that going inside gave him a strange feeling of being watched…

Although he had checked carefully several times and observed systematically, he found no abnormalities.

But after thinking about it, he still didn't go in. Anyway, with his current physical condition, he was impervious to heat and cold, so there wasn't much difference between inside and outside the house.

"Perhaps it's because of what happened in Peach Blossom Village these past few days; I'm being overly sensitive and thinking too much..."

Han Yi thought to himself.

Although the black market is a mixed bag and full of filthy things, it is ultimately within the city and under the strict surveillance of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs. How could such demonic, evil, and sinister things possibly happen?

"Han Yi, you keep an eye on things here for now... I'll come and take over your shift tonight..." At this moment, Cai Yu suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He was pulling up his belt while touching his sparse hair, his face full of a joyful expression of desire being released.

“…..”

Han Yi gave him a few deep looks, then replied indifferently, "Okay..."

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Han Yi was on duty at the black market as usual, except that this week he was on the night shift.

The black market duty is divided into day and night shifts, with Cai Yu and Han Yi working in one group and taking turns every seven days.

After Han Yi replied, Cai Yu left leisurely with a satisfied look on his face.

"That Cai Yu, he really is a lecherous glutton..."

Han Yi shook his head as he watched Cai Yu leave, his figure radiating smugness as if he had eaten honey.

Just as he was thinking, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

Deep in the streets of the black market, from the numerous small huts where 'live goods' were imprisoned, came a series of muffled thuds, followed by shouts and screams from many people.

"what happened?"

Han Yi arrived immediately. He was responsible for maintaining order in the black market. He grabbed a servant disciple who was trying to run away and questioned him sternly.

"Reporting to Master Han, a woman committed suicide. She directly smashed her head!"

The servant was clearly terrified, and his words were incoherent.

Han Yi frowned slightly, abandoned the terrified servant, and hurried inside.

Rows of yellow wooden houses, resembling prison cells, came into view. By now, the noise at the scene had subsided. The earlier commotion and the running crowd had been calmed down by the intervention of the outer disciples.

"Master Han!"

Upon seeing Han Yi, an outer disciple immediately ran over and greeted him loudly.

"what happened?"

Han Yi asked calmly. He recognized the man in front of him; he was a minor leader among the outer disciples, not very tall, surnamed Wang, the eighth child in his family, and a rather clever young man. Han Yi usually called him Little Eight.

"Master Han, that young lady from the White Horse Escort Agency... I don't know what happened, she committed suicide shortly after entering the house..."

Xiao Ba quickly explained that although Han Yi, an inner disciple, was easy to talk to, if he were to be blamed for this, he might be expelled from the sect.

Han Yi looked in the direction Xiao Bazhi pointed and saw a frameless iron window not far away—a window specially designed for buyers to choose from, allowing them to see clearly what was inside.

A distorted face, filled with resentment and extreme hatred, was embedded in the iron bars. Two almond-shaped pupils were filled with resentment, and blood flowed, black, white, and yellow, before slowly sliding down the bars.

Han Yi felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason. He turned around and asked, "Xiao Ba, has anyone been inside before?"

"Hmm..." Xiao Ba thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Cai Yu, it seems Master Cai went in, but left very quickly..."

“…..”

Upon hearing this, Han Yi turned back to look at the prefab house again…

The matchmaker, who had hoped to make a fortune off her, was cursing and yelling, her face full of anger. She was directing her servants to hurriedly enter the prefab house and drag her away like trash to be disposed of.

"Go down."

Han Yi said nothing more and left in a hurry as well.

The beautiful woman I just saw is now nothing but unwanted trash...

His heart skipped a beat again.

This time, however, he wasn't lamenting the state of the world; instead, he was recalling scenes from horror movies from his past life…

A place teeming with resentment and shrouded in darkness is prone to the growth of demons and monsters.

The black market... seems to meet both of these conditions.....

But this black market is clearly near the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs….

The fact that so many ordinary people in this world can survive, reproduce in such large numbers, and be protected from demons and monsters is because the Bureau of Strange Affairs is secretly protecting the people.

Since the black market has been operating smoothly for so long, and the Otherworld Room hasn't reacted, then it must be fine, right...?

Maybe... perhaps...

Han Yi thought uncertainly.

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"Hello, Master Han!" The butcher bowed and scraped behind Han Yi, smiling obsequiously.

The butcher had a face full of fat, with a scar running diagonally from the corner of his eye to his cheek, but his humble and submissive demeanor at this moment formed a strong contrast with his appearance.

But the surrounding martial artists were not surprised at all by this scene.

Because, in the black market, the Crimson Flame Sect is the ultimate authority!

Han Yi is one of the most powerful people here!