No sooner said than done, as night fell and the visitors filled the corridors, the two sneaked in. As expected, the clientele consisted mainly of business people and members of the upper nobility.
Dolls patrolled the sides, and the two had trouble keeping themselves hidden. Qing Lai had buried his head in Zhi Cheng's chest, and the Ghost King had also lowered his head so that his breath brushed over the blond's hair.
Qing Lai smelled of medicinal herbs and coarse soap. As they sneaked past a patrol, Zhi Cheng instinctively put his hand around Qing Lai's waist and pulled him even closer.
Finally, they reached the front and showed the jade seal. They were eyed suspiciously, but eventually allowed to pass.
"The seal must always be clearly visible!" the guard reprimanded them before finally letting them through. As soon as they had left the first stalls behind them, Qing Lai broke free from Zhi Cheng's embrace and took a deep breath.
"It worked," he said happily, turning to Zhi Cheng with a beaming smile. The Ghost King nodded without looking at him. The sudden chill on his chest, where Qing Lai had just been snuggling, was unpleasant. He straightened his clothes and let his gaze wander over the market.
"What's the plan?" he asked curiously. Qing Lai pointed to Bo Chaos' building.
"We break in, destroy the herb, and then get out of here, assuming one of our plans actually works, Brother Zhi," he added hesitantly. Zhi Cheng tilted his head. True, so far they had muddled through more badly than well, but none of their ideas had really worked smoothly yet.
"It takes time and practice, be patient with me, Brother Qing, I'll get better," whispered Zhi Cheng.
Qing Lai laughed. 'I don't doubt your abilities!' Then he led the way. Zhi Cheng hesitated briefly, but then followed him.
But he should doubt his abilities. Hadn't he proven his inadequacy over and over again? Qing Lai was far ahead of him in martial arts. At least for now, while he was still suffering from the limitations of the night herb and not revealing his true strength to him.
What had this fox seen in him? He sighed; no matter how much he racked his pretty little brain, he would probably never figure Qing Lai out.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, this way, please!" a loud, ingratiating voice rang out. Only when the man to whom the voice belonged grabbed Qing Lai by the arm did he notice that someone was speaking to him.
He turned around and looked questioningly at Zhi Cheng. But Zhi Cheng just stood there and returned his gaze with the unspoken words: I have no idea.
"Gentlemen, are you lost? The private exhibition is about to begin!" said the man kindly, glancing repeatedly at the jade pendant. Zhi Cheng and Qing Lai exchanged glances.
Was this a trap? But if they asked, they would appear ignorant, and if they agreed, they would arouse suspicion. Qing Lai straightened his shoulders and Zhi Cheng groaned inwardly as they followed the small man dressed in colorful robes.
"I must apologize. After last night's incident, the exhibition has been postponed," the man explained eagerly.
"Yes, we heard about it. I thought the bazaar would be better secured," Zhi Cheng interjected, sounding as arrogant as a true nobleman would. The man bowed hastily.
"Those were really cunning men. But don't worry, the two have already been disposed of," the man said eagerly.
"Disposed of?" Qing Lai blurted out.
"I hope so!" Zhi Cheng corrected him and signaled with a glance to hold back. Qing Lai fell back a few steps so as not to show his anger, and Zhi Cheng turned back to the man.
"So you won't disrupt the exhibition again?" he pressed. The man shook his head as he led them away from the market, aisle by aisle, and Zhi Cheng's grip on the fan tightened.
"Certainly not. These caves are well secured, and the natural layout of the passages would confuse the human brain. Even if they survive, they'll just run around in circles," he reassured them.
Just as Zhi Cheng was about to lose his patience and ask how much longer it would take, another huge cave opened up before them. A soft veil of light with flickering golden characters in a language unknown even to the Ghost King stretched across the gigantic entrance.
"Welcome to the Blood Bazaar!" the man's solemn voice rang out as he pointed to a mechanism in the wall.
Zhi Cheng recognized thousands of sharp needles protruding from the wall. Most of them were stained with blood. Qing Lai and Zhi Cheng exchanged glances. Was this the real Blood Bazaar? Bo Chao had said that you had to pay a blood toll to enter, but they had only been allowed in by showing the jade seal. She should have known that wasn't all.
Determined, Qing Lai stepped up to the wall and pricked his finger on one of the needles. The wall of light flickered briefly.
Zhi Cheng gritted his teeth, but followed suit and pricked his finger. A drop of dark, almost black blood dripped from the needle. The curtain of light shimmered again and they entered.
It felt as if a bucket of water had been poured over them. An uneasy feeling ran through their bones, then they were standing on the other side. The man bowed to them once more, then disappeared.
"Well, I think we've just entered the real blood bazaar," Qing Lai mused. Zhi Cheng nodded.
"That means the market we saw earlier is just a regular illegal black market," he added.
"Bo Chao still had the nightshade stashed in his warehouse. Probably because he was missing the bag from the young man. But he's probably got it by now," Qing Lai mused, and the two slowly continued on their way.
"It's lucky that things don't always go according to plan, Brother Qing. Imagine if we had stormed Bo Chao's house and found that the nightshade had been moved. Such an exquisite commodity is unlikely to be sold in the ordinary part of the market. Which begs the question, if Bo Chao is still incompetent, who is selling the goods for him?" asked Zhi Cheng.
"We'll find out soon enough," whispered Qing Lai back. As they turned the last corner, a lone man stood in front of another veil of light. He gave each of them a mask and then sent them on their way. Qing Lai put on his mask, which resembled a beautiful, elegant, made-up woman's face. Zhi Cheng, on the other hand, had one that only covered the upper half of his face and resembled a red fox.
"We mustn't lose each other," whispered Qing Lai, reaching for Zhi Cheng's hand. He brushed it before grabbing his wide sleeve and pulling him closer.
"Mhm!" grunted the Ghost King absently.
In contrast to the market in the first part, which had been loud and chaotic, it was surprisingly quiet here. Masked people talked and looked at various things in glass display cases or on pedestals secured with spells.
There were weapons, glowing swords, and a saber that fought fiercely against the chains in which it was placed. There were scrolls, paintings, cursed objects, and blood from various creatures.
Qing Lai stopped in front of a sword. Its silvery blade was so clear and smooth that it looked liquid. The hilt, decorated with ornate designs, moved the longer he looked at it, telling a story. He read the sign.
"Xiaodan!" he read aloud in a low voice. The sword was truly impressive; even though it was thousands of years old, the blade had not rusted or become dull in the slightest.
"In the past, there were many divine or enchanted weapons. But over time, they were no longer necessary as the threat from great demons continued to diminish. With the death of the Daiyu, the last great swordsman also died," he said.
"Do you study history, Brother Zhi? Did the two fight each other and fall as equal opponents?" Qing Lai asked curiously. Zhi Cheng snorted. His former teacher from Xuyu had told him the story, and even in his time as a prince, these stories were several hundred thousand years old.
"As far as I know, the two had a different kind of passionate relationship. They are said to have been married and spent their lives together. However, mortality has its pitfalls, and when his human companion passed away, the demon decided to follow him. That's all I know."
"A demon and a swordsman?" Qing Lai sounded unconvinced. They left the exquisite sword behind and continued looking around. Zhi Cheng stopped in front of a pair of dragon horns and examined them suspiciously.
"The horns of the phoenix dragon," he read. 'I imagine a dragon's horns to be larger,' he muttered.
"Not if they were cut off in his mortal form," a voice interjected. The two looked up. A man, his age difficult to estimate, dressed in rags and dirty, stood before them.
He had a bamboo stick at his hip and his tangled hair stuck out in all directions. He was barefoot and his feet were blue, purple, and covered with wounds.
"A beggar?" Qing Lai exclaimed in surprise, although it sounded more like he was addressing an official by his title. The man nodded to them, then disappeared into the crowd.
"A beggar?" echoed Zhi Change. Qing Lai pulled him to the edge of the crowd and they put their heads together.
"Do you know the Ragged King Hui Ning?" Qing Lai asked quietly. Zhi Cheng nodded.
"Only by hearsay," he admitted.
"The Rag King is the leader of a huge band of beggars that stretches far across the country and even further beyond the borders of Tianda. Although they appear destitute, they know everything and have spies everywhere. Who watches their words when they pass a stinking beggar? But in secret, they have a certain reputation and unmistakable power. I think Hui, Ning has his fingers in this too. I bet the man from earlier will be conducting the auction. The beggar gang is considered a neutral middleman. They don't interfere and don't take sides," Qing Lai explained.
"Sounds like a dangerous man," Zhi Cheng admitted. Qing Lai laughed.
"You're smart, Brother Zhi. In fact, the Rag King takes care of many orphans and also those who have fallen on hard times. Those who are willing to work hard and follow the rules always have a home under Hui Ning as beggar king. But that's also what makes him dangerous, yes. Since there is hardly anyone left who has anything to lose, but who see him as their savior, there is nothing this gang is not capable of," he admitted.
"But enough now, let's find the night herb," he reminded Zhi Cheng of their actual mission.
So they dug their way through the crowd again and looked at a few more artifacts before Zhi Cheng nudged Qing Lai and pointed to a golden chest. It was the same one in which they had found the herb in Bo Chaos's estate.