Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Black Market Second Rank
Pei Yunzhi felt a sting on her face upon seeing Yu Nianzhao. She suppressed her inner anger and softened her voice as she spoke, "Zhaozhao, I have always considered you as a sister. Can you please plead on my behalf? I truly did not come to the Black Market on purpose. I’ve already been rejected, and if imprisoned, my reputation will be shattered. How can I continue living like this?"
Pei Yunzhi’s tears fell like raindrops on pear blossoms, and matched with her delicate face, any ordinary man would feel a pang of sympathy.
Unfortunately, she cried in the wrong place. Not one of the men present was ordinary.
The Dragon Shadow Guards were trained to be cold-hearted, and Dongfang Chenyuan was nonchalant, showing no sympathy for her sobbing.
"If you don’t want to live, then go die." Yu Nianzhao calmly said.
Pei Yunzhi’s sobbing abruptly stopped. She looked at Yu Nianzhao with grievance, "Zhaozhao, how can you be so cruel to me? Does the Prince know how cold-blooded you are?"
Facing Pei Yunzhi’s hesitant and melancholy gaze, Xie Jiuxiao calmly responded, "I admire Zhaozhao’s ruthless nature; it matches me perfectly."
Pei Yunzhi, "..."
She was truly fuming; neither of them responded to her plea.
"Alright, Pei Yunzhi, stop pretending here. You’ve made it to the second rank on the Black Market list. It seems you’re truly infatuated with Xie Yunzhe. Actually, it’s not infatuation; it’s your determination to become Prince An Nan’s Princely Heir. After being rejected, you even came to the Black Market to buy little ghosts. Miss Feiyi? Once I heard your voice, I already knew who you were. How much incense money did you donate here after all?" Yu Nianzhao looked at her with a smile.
Pei Yunzhi’s eyes avoided his gaze, and she stammered, "Not... not much."
"Speak!" Yu Nianzhao’s voice carried significant intimidation.
"Just... twenty thousand taels of silver!"
Pei Yunzhi closed her eyes, feeling very aggrieved as she spoke.
"Twenty thousand taels of silver? How did you come by such an amount?" Yu Nianzhao tugged at her lips, "No matter how much the Pei Family dotes on you, your monthly allowance couldn’t possibly accumulate to that. Did you steal it?"
Pei Yunzhi hurriedly refuted, "Of course not; how could I steal money? The silver was given by my grandmother."
She panicked, blurting out the words subconsciously.
After speaking, she realized something was amiss, and her face paled significantly. "Zhaozhao, this matter is just a misunderstanding; surely grandmother was deceived. It was a distant relative who told her about this place, so I just came to try my luck."
"You and Mrs. Pei truly have a united heart. Do you realize how many people have perished in the Black Market, all to be refined into malevolent spirits and little ghosts to fulfill the wishes of the wealthy? By participating, you might have already caused the deaths of dozens." Yu Nianzhao’s voice was cold, so cold that Pei Yunzhi shivered uncontrollably.
Pei Yunzhi cried, "I truly didn’t know it was so serious; I simply wanted to reclaim what was originally mine. How could Yunzhe suddenly decide on a cancelation? It’s inherently unfair to me."
"Fairness?" Xie Jiuxiao sneered, "From the moment you usurped Zhaozhao’s identity, you still dared to dream of so-called fairness?"
He sided with Yu Nianzhao, expressing disdain towards everyone in the Pei Family.
"I..."
"Take her away; anything to be said can wait until she’s imprisoned!"
Xie Jiuxiao waved his hand, and no matter how Pei Yunzhi wailed, it was of no avail as she was quickly taken away.
"Prince, we only caught some small fry; the others escaped without a trace."
Mu Hongxuan returned, clenching his teeth as he said, "Several paths have been dug underground at the Black Market, twisting and turning within. It’s difficult to determine where the exit is; they must have found the route to escape."
"For now, we’ve captured a Messenger Netherworld Envoy."
"I’ve also eliminated the Punishment Netherworld Envoy and the Punishing Evil Nether Envoy." Yu Nianzhao blinked innocently.
"No matter; death awaited them anyway!" Xie Jiuxiao looked down at her and softly said, "Well done killing them!"
"I’ve sent Wei Zhao to follow them."
Soon after, Wei Zhao returned unsuccessful, hanging his head dispiritedly as he said, "Miss, those envoys carried little ghosts and malevolent spirits with them. They used the Eye-blocking Skill to confuse me. I momentarily lost focus and veered off the path, failing to catch up with them."
"No matter. They’ve managed to survive so long in the Black Market; they must have foolproof strategies for escape!"
Yu Nianzhao shrugged, "If we could completely eradicate them all at once, they wouldn’t be the scourge they are. Among those envoys, some are skilled in Daoist techniques, so it’s normal for you, a ghost, to lose against them."
"Take that so-called Messenger Netherworld Envoy back for a thorough interrogation!" Xie Jiuxiao commanded, and the entire Black Market was purged.
After emerging from the ’Netherworld’ underground, daylight had broken.
The butcher’s corpse was carried out, his death gruesome. Once robust, his body was now crushed, as if flattened by a mountain, with some parts bloodied and mangled.
"This person deserved to die!" Song Jiling, having witnessed the grand scene, although still somewhat fearful, appeared to be in good spirits.
Dongfang Chenyuan stated, "The individuals from the butcher’s backyard have been rescued; most are indeed orphans. Their identities have been registered; they will be sent back."
"This place should have been thoroughly investigated long ago."
Yu Nianzhao squatted down, touching the ground with one hand, her gaze vacant yet calm, "How many souls are buried underground? Since we stepped into the Black Market, they have been silently weeping."
Dongfang Chenyuan sighed lightly, "There are at least thousands, if not tens of thousands, of souls here. Princess, I will send people to perform rites for them."
"Hmm!"
"The so-called Black Market is not merely a place; it is a group of people."
Xie Jiuxiao’s icy voice echoed, "As long as those heartless people exist, they’ll just find another place to carry on their masquerade."
"They will eventually become lost souls..."
"Princess, how should we deal with this person?" Dongfang Chenyuan introduced Jing Rui, who was bound hand and foot.
Jing Rui spoke bitterly, "I am truly innocent! Even though I’ve clawed my way through the Black Market for over a decade, I’m not a villain! I have not committed any despicable act; truly, I haven’t killed anyone. I claimed to be the Black Market’s Crown Prince just to earn a living. Please, don’t lock me up."
"Who is this person?" Xie Jiuxiao asked.
"He might be the cleanest person in the Black Market, untouched by evil spirits or malevolent forces. Remarkably, he carries a protective aura, making him able to survive in the Black Market for so long." Yu Nianzhao calculated, "Bring him back to the palace first."