Chapter 156: The Border Market

Ten days later.

"We have arrived!" Bai Qingzhou pointed at the market in the distance ahead, smiling at the other two.

"Really!?" He Zuo's face was full of excitement as he hurriedly leaned over the edge of the magical artifact, looking in the direction of Bai Qingzhou's finger.

Unfortunately, his eyesight fell far short of Bai Qingzhou's. Even with Bai Qingzhou pointing out the direction, he could not see the distant market.

"I can't see anything~" He Zuo said anxiously.

"Don't worry, you'll see it in a moment!"

With that, Bai Qingzhou poured spiritual energy into the artifact forcefully, instantly increasing its speed by thirty percent as they hurtled toward the market.

Propelled by the swift speed of the [Wind-Riding Immortal Crane], less than a quarter of an hour later, the three of them reached the gates of the market.

"So this is the market! It has been so long since I last visited one!" Looking at the magnificent market before him, He Zuo appeared very happy.

After all, his last visit to a market was many years ago when he was still too young to remember anything. Seeing it again now, everything felt entirely unfamiliar.

Observing the bustling crowd of people coming and going, many of whom were bare-chested and wore fierce expressions, He Li moved slightly closer to Bai Qingzhou and whispered, "Senior Brother, are we going to rest here for the night?"

Bai Qingzhou was in a good mood and smiled, "That's right. Once we leave this market, we will officially be far beyond the territory of the Wuji Alliance. Therefore, we need to rest and recuperate properly here before we continue our journey..."

Bai Qingzhou turned his head to look at He Li and teased, "And you also need a good bath."

"Yes... Senior Brother is right..." He Li lowered her head, her face turning slightly red.

"Hahaha! Let's go!" Bai Qingzhou took the lead and walked forward, the two behind him hurrying to keep up.

The market was named Wazi Market, situated at the northernmost edge of the Wuji Alliance. Its nature was identical to Qingyu Market, both belonging to border markets. These types of markets were places where all sorts of unsavory characters and outcasts mingled. Because border markets lay in the neutral zone between two alliances, fugitive bandits who had committed capital crimes often hid out here.

Wazi Market appeared extremely lively at the moment, with many noisy sounds echoing through the air.

"Senior Brother, where are we going first?" He Zuo looked around with an excited expression.

Bai Qingzhou looked down at the two and asked with a smile, "Are you hungry? If so, we'll go get something to eat first."

He Zuo shook his head vigorously and said, "I'm not hungry at all right now!"

"I'm not hungry either..." He Li echoed.

"Then let's wander around the bazaar. We need to buy some beast meat and spiritual rice. The next leg of our journey has a long stretch without any markets."

Bai Qingzhou was well aware of the route. Once they left Wazi Market, they would officially step out of the Wuji Alliance's territory and enter the domain of another alliance known as the Sifang Alliance.

According to what Bai Qingzhou knew, the Golden Core ancestors of the Sifang Alliance usually did not concern themselves with mundane affairs, leading to constant infighting among the various sects within the alliance and extreme chaos. Its development was far inferior to that of the Wuji Alliance, and the Sifang Alliance was notorious throughout Linjiang Prefecture for being the worst of them all.

Just to be safe, he intended to purchase enough spiritual rice here to guard against any unexpected events.

The three of them walked slowly toward the bazaar.

Along the way, pedestrians parted, leaving a clear path with Bai Qingzhou at the center. Bai Qingzhou paid it no mind, knowing that this was simply the prestige commanded by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, the sound of a weapon clash rang out from afar.

"Prepare to die, you scoundrel!" A deep, roaring voice followed closely behind.

The sounds instantly drew the attention of everyone in the market, who began looking toward the source.

Bai Qingzhou and his two companions were no exception.

Ahead of them, two middle-aged cultivators were attacking each other with weapons. In less than a moment, they had smashed several small vendor stalls into tiny fragments.

At a single glance, Bai Qingzhou could tell that the person who spoke first possessed a higher cultivation level, having reached the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, whereas the other was only at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation and was quickly losing ground.

"Where is the Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed by the Wuji Alliance? Save me quickly!" the pale-faced cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation cried out in alarm, begging the stationed immortal master of the place to save him.

"Humph!" The middle-aged cultivator was not the least bit concerned. With a cold snort, he swung his heavy saber even more fiercely at the pale cultivator, throwing him into a flustered and wretched state.

"Senior, save my life! This man is committing murder in the market!" Seeing that no stationed cultivator appeared, the pale cultivator's expression grew even more terrified.

"Hehe!" The middle-aged cultivator sneered, "That old codger got drunk long ago! Why do you think I chose this exact moment to find you!"

"You!?" The pale cultivator was utterly shocked.

"Splat!"

Before the words fully faded, the pale cultivator's entire body was cleaved in half by the middle-aged cultivator, sending a direct spray of fresh blood cascading across the ground.

The surrounding onlookers simply looked at one another upon seeing this. Instead of panicking or fleeing, they merely stared at the perpetrator and discussed the matter animatedly.

They looked as though they were entirely accustomed to such sights.

Seeing that his objective had been achieved, the middle-aged cultivator sneered and strode directly toward the market gate, clearly intending to flee the scene.

No one on the street attempted to stop him.

Bai Qingzhou looked at the retreating back of the middle-aged cultivator with a trace of astonishment. He had long known that border markets tended to be somewhat chaotic, but he had never expected a murder to take place right out in the open within the market itself.

This level of chaos caught his attention.

"It seems one cannot lower their guard even within the market..." Bai Qingzhou thought to himself.

Shortly after the murderer fled the scene, a disciple wearing the black and white robes of the Wuji Alliance appeared. With a cultivation level in the early stages of Qi Condensation, he began methodically sweeping the street and clearing away the corpse. In less than a moment, the cleanup was complete, as if no fatal incident had ever occurred there.

Meanwhile, the loose cultivators whose stalls had been smashed emerged cursing, tidying up their small booths briefly before immediately resuming their hawking. The street instantly returned to its original state.

Bai Qingzhou shook his head, once again grasping the profound disorder of this place. He looked at the two disciples beside him and said, "Be careful, everyone. This market is a bit chaotic."

"Understood!" He Zuo and He Li immediately replied with serious expressions.

Noticing that there was no excessive fear in the eyes of the two youths, he could not help but ask, "Seeing a murder committed right on the street like this, do you not feel afraid?"

At these words, He Zuo and He Li exchanged glances and shook their heads blankly.

"Have you ever seen a dead person before?"

Bai Qingzhou found it somewhat strange. After all, this was an extremely gruesome scene—a cultivator had been cleaved directly in half, with internal organs and fresh blood spraying everywhere. Yet, He Zuo and He Li showed no reaction whatsoever, mirroring the nonchalant and fearless attitude of the local loose cultivators.

"We have. Both He Zuo and I have seen them," He Li replied, raising her head.

"Oh?" Bai Qingzhou asked out of curiosity, "Where did you see them?"

At this point, He Zuo interjected, "Right at the small town beneath the mountain gate..."

Hearing this, Bai Qingzhou was jolted awake as if from a dream. He abruptly stopped in his tracks, standing frozen in place.

That's right... they had seen corpses. On that day, Qin Feng and his three companions had massacred over eight thousand people in the small town, turning it into a living hell. Afterward, Xiao Feichen had organized the sect's disciples to go down and clean up the town, clearing away the remaining bodies, which undoubtedly included He Zuo and He Li.

No wonder the two of them remained completely unfazed by the scene before them; it turned out they had already witnessed something far more tragic and brutal...