They approached the chest, which stood on a pedestal. A sign provided a description.
"Black iron hat," Qing Lai read aloud.
"Highly poisonous nightshade from Duifang wouldn't go down too well," Zhi Cheng remarked irritably. 'I suppose we'll try to bid for it first, without any sacrifices or violence?' he added in a bad mood.
Qing Lai shot him a meaningful sideways glance. The Ghost King sighed; not even on an illegal black market could he indulge his whims, but he did as Qing Lai asked, and when the crowd was called together, they stood inconspicuously to one side.
Sure enough, the ragged beggar stepped forward and greeted everyone politely. Someone brought a painting forward and placed it on a pedestal.
"The Nine Heavens of Wen Zhao!" he announced, introducing the artifact. Zhi Cheng noticed that he did not introduce himself or explain at length where the items came from. Those present knew why they were there, and long explanations were pointless.
A long, rusty saber was presented, and when the man smeared a drop of blood on the blade, it came to life. It whirred and vibrated, and the rusty blade sharpened.
"That is General Hong A's blood saber. As long as it is fed with the blood of its master, it will kill anything that poses a threat to him," whispered Qing Lai.
"Such a waste of such a beautiful color, isn't it?" laughed Zhi Cheng dryly. Qing Lai pinched him in the side and the Ghost King fell silent. The last item in the arsenal was the sword that Qing Lai had admired at the beginning.
"The legendary divine weapon Xiaodan," the man introduced it.
"I heard that no one has been able to wield the blade for thousands of years," someone whispered.
"Only a god or their descendants may touch it; it is not known who last possessed it," replied another.
"Not known," someone snorted. 'What history buffs you are! The sword Xiaodan was found in the tomb of Daiyuzhu and his companion,' someone corrected.
"That's not proven. Some grave robbers merely claimed to have found a tomb on an old mountain. It was said to have been magnificently decorated, but when they stole the sword, everything collapsed, and they were only able to salvage this one artifact. Even this story is several hundred years old," replied another.
"The story behind it doesn't matter. You can't wield this sword, and everyone who has owned it so far has met a gruesome death. It's as if the sword itself won't accept any other owner. That's how it is with weapons that have their own personality and spirit. No one knows what criteria they use to choose their owner."
The beggar sent the sword back, as it only sparked a heated discussion, but no one offered to buy it. With a wave of his hand, the next items were brought forward.
These were followed by several expensive vases and valuables that had been enchanted with magic. Some musical instruments were brought out, and eventually the golden chest was brought forward. Zhi Cheng and Qing Lai both exhaled deeply. They had been standing there half the night and found it difficult to remain still.
"Black iron hat," announced the man. "Since this is a new item, I will tell you a little about it. Black iron hat is a plant that only grows in Duifang. It is highly poisonous and versatile. Dried, ground, or administered as tea leaves, depending on the dose, it can cause simple symptoms of illness, hallucinations, or even death. The more magical the person administering it is, the thicker the blood becomes, and the more magical cultivation they use, the more violent the effect, just like with physical stimulation. Magic and adrenaline act like a chemical accelerator. In tiny doses of just a few grams per day, poisoning can go unnoticed for months and be triggered by the first hasty movement."
Zhi Cheng had listened attentively. So Weijie had slipped him the nightshade in his tea. He sighed, and Qing Lai looked at him questioningly. The Ghost King waved him away and nodded to him to place his bid. Qing Lai stepped forward.
"Five hundred gold taels!" someone shouted.
"Eight hundred!" Qing Lai countered, surprised. The man who had bid before him looked around at him. Annoyed, he clicked his tongue.
"One thousand!"
"Two thousand!"
"Ten thousand!"
Qing Lai groaned. He hadn't taken more than five thousand gold taels from the bank; who could have guessed that money was being traded here that was almost equal to the emperor's private treasures?
The beggar looked expectantly at Qing Lai, but he avoided his gaze and slunk back to the side. The ragman nodded, then announced the winner. Zhi Cheng cleared his throat.
"Brother Qing..."
"Yes, I understand. We'll steal the herb from him and destroy it. But we'll only knock him unconscious, okay?" Qing Lai whispered back, exasperated.
Zhi Cheng nodded slowly. The two sat down at the edge until the auction ended. At some point, Qing Lai had fallen asleep on Zhi Cheng's shoulder, and the Ghost King was also dozing off with his head against the wall when a loud bang announced the end of the auction and both jumped up.
"All buyers are requested to line up here at the front with the exact amount of their purchase. All other participants may now leave," the beggar explained.
Zhi Cheng and Qing Lai exchanged glances before slowly rolling away. After the first curtain of light, they handed in their masks, and after the second, they hid behind a bend in the countless corridors and waited again.
"I confess, Brother Qing, I imagined it would be more exciting to sneak into an illegal night market and steal goods. But most of the time we have to wait, which is boring," Zhi Cheng grumbled, yawning exaggeratedly.
"I'm sorry, Brother Zhi, I didn't know that kidnapping one of Chaisang's wealthiest men, triggering several life-threatening traps, and constantly running for our lives wasn't to your liking," Qing Lai replied.
"But we don't have to leave a pile of dead bodies behind every time or blow something up, do we?" Zhi Cheng shrugged.
Being alone with you is enough, he thought. Should he let himself be beaten up a little more? Would Qing Lai patch him up again? Or feel him up? His heart beat faster involuntarily when Qing Lai suddenly grabbed him and pulled him behind him.
The man who had purchased the nightshade emerged from the light curtain, beaming with joy, carrying his golden chest. The two were about to rush toward him when more men followed. A whole guard of bodyguards gathered around him. Zhi Cheng and Qing Lai hung their heads.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Zhi Cheng muttered sourly. They followed the man at a respectful distance, and when they returned to the large market, they silently split up.
Zhi Cheng followed the man with his golden chest at a distance. But he was not stupid, and after a short time he noticed him and his bodyguards caused a small commotion. When the buyer realized that his men could not defeat Zhi Cheng, he quickened his pace. Around the next corner, he came face to face with Qing Lai.
"You can't do that, it's against the rules to steal from someone who has bought the goods!" he defended himself pitifully.
"My friend. This is a black market, where do you think you're going? To the police station?" asked Qing Lai, slightly annoyed.
This man's life was in danger. With every second that he clutched the golden chest. The man glanced furtively around and, when he noticed Zhi Cheng, who had shaken off his bodyguards, he sprinted off.
Qing Lai and Zhi Cheng followed. Qing Lai grabbed the man, who stumbled, fell, and dropped the box. It slid across the floor, opened, and the bags rolled out.
Qing Lai froze. For a moment, no one moved. Neither the buyer nor Qing Lai, nor the owners of the dozens of pairs of eyes that greedily stared at the gold in the chest and the finely embroidered bags.
Zhi Cheng reached the side alley. Qing Lai, who was still holding the man by the scruff of his neck, looked at him pleadingly. Zhi Cheng looked around hurriedly, then a mean, thieving grin stole across his face, and before Qing Lai could stop him from doing something stupid, he threw a spark into the stall closest to the chest. Fireworks.
"I can't believe it," Qing Lai groaned and let go of the man. Seconds passed agonizingly slowly as the fuses caught fire and crackled, growing shorter and shorter.
When the first rocket thundered off and knocked over the display shelf it had been stuck in, everything around them exploded in a sea of heat and color.
Qing Lai was grabbed and pulled out of the alley. He felt the ground disappear beneath his feet and Zhi Cheng float above the market with him.
They reached the cliffs from which they had caught their first glimpse of the Blood Bazaar the night before. With his eyes and mouth wide open, he marveled at the chaos they had left behind once again.
"Brother Zhi, let's go!" Qing Lai urged, pulling at his sleeve.
"But it's so beautiful," Zhi Cheng replied, fascinated. He watched the fireworks sweep criss-cross through the narrow alleys and streets, tearing down all the stalls and stands.
"Only perpetrators stay to stare," Qing Lai hissed impatiently. Zhi Cheng, who was marveling at the fires breaking out everywhere with shining eyes, looked at him.
"But Brother Qing, we are the perpetrators," he clarified. Qing Lai rubbed his eyes while still holding Zhi Cheng's sleeve, who didn't move an inch.
"I've never caused as much trouble in my whole life as I have in the last few days with you," he groaned. Zhi Cheng laughed.
"Yes, people say I have a bad influence on them."
"That's nothing to be proud of," Qing Lai grumbled. But he couldn't deny the beauty of the bright exploding colors, and so they stood there for a while, watching the night market go up in flames at their feet.
Centuries of secrecy, so many goods that could not be found anywhere else in the world. So many people and demons and spirits, so many different mindsets gathered here, and everything was going up in flames.
When Qing Lai finally managed to pull Zhi Cheng away from the explosions of color, they took advantage of the general chaos to slip unnoticed through the aisles and out into the street. Qing Lai ran ahead.
"Brother Qing," Zhi Cheng called out, stopping him. 'Brother Qing, what are you planning to do now?' he asked. With the destruction of the nightshade, their mission together was over. There was no reason to continue traveling together. Qing Lai sighed.
"I should look for my brother, he must still be somewhere in Chaisang," he explained. Zhi Cheng clicked his tongue skeptically.
"You just defeated Bo Chao, shut down a black market, and are on the run. I'm not sure Chaisang is the right place to go," he pointed out.
"Oh!" Qing Lai hesitated briefly, then hung his head in dismay. He knew he was right.
"I don't usually attract that much attention," he said quietly. Then he straightened his shoulders. 'I'll probably go into hiding for a while and send Xiao Xiangyu a letter from somewhere else telling him not to worry, and your brother Zhi? Where are you headed?' he asked, his golden eyes shining.