Chapter 202: A Fat Sheep Waiting to Be Slaughtered
Only then did he hear the screams rising and falling behind him. Zhang Ruochen glanced back and saw that Lin Ningshan had indeed shown no mercy; almost all the martial artists of the Black Tiger Hall had been killed by her.
It wasn't that she was bloodthirsty, but rather that each head of a Black Tiger Hall evil martial artist, when brought back to the Yuntai Clan Mansion, could be exchanged for a batch of cultivation resources. To her, the most lacking thing was precisely cultivation resources.
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head, flew down onto the Snowflake Eagle's back, and steered the eagle as it soared into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.
Lin Ningshan looked up, gazing at the mysterious young man standing on the Snowflake Eagle's back. A peculiar expression flickered in her eyes—a mix of admiration and adoration.
Compared to the Seventh Prince, she felt this metal-masked youth stirred her heart more. He was full of mystery, elegance, strength, and brilliance; she could find almost no flaws in him.
"Ningshan, who is that person?" Lin Chenyu, who had lost an arm, hurried over. The meridians at the severed arm had been sealed, and the wound had stopped bleeding.
Lin Ningshan shook her head. "I don't know who he is either. I only know he's an inner palace disciple of the Martial Market Academy."
Lin Chenyu looked at the scattered corpses on the ground, deeply shocked. "Were all those Black Tiger Hall evil martial artists killed by him?"
Lin Ningshan nodded, then added, "But he didn't take the heads of those low-realm evil martial artists. He left them for me instead."
Lin Chenyu said, "For someone of his level, he wouldn't care about those low-realm evil martial artists. There's another matter: the Yuntai Clan Mansion received word from the master. The master has come out of seclusion and will return to the Yunwu Commandery in the next few days."
"The Seventh Prince has come out of seclusion?" Lin Ningshan was somewhat surprised.
Lin Chenyu nodded. "Within three days, the master should arrive at the Earthfire City. With the master's current cultivation, he will surely be able to wipe out the Earthfire City in one fell swoop, and we can also gain a batch of resources."
Lin Ningshan's gaze fixed on the distant Snowflake Eagle as it flew away. "I'm afraid that by the time the Seventh Prince arrives at the Earthfire City, it will have already been destroyed by him."
"Even a martial arts myth at the Heavenly Extreme Realm wouldn't dare claim to be able to wipe out the Earthfire City for sure. With that inner palace disciple's strength, without assistance from other inner palace disciples, it's almost impossible to shake the Earthfire City." Lin Chenyu sneered coldly.
Having witnessed Zhang Ruochen's formidable power, Lin Ningshan disagreed with Lin Chenyu's words. "Big Brother, what do we do now? Return to the Royal City? Or wait here for the Seventh Prince?"
Lin Chenyu pondered for a moment, then let out a sinister chuckle. "Aren't you very confident in that inner palace disciple of the Martial Market Academy? Then let's go to the Earthfire City. I'm also very curious to see just how strong he really is."
The Earthfire City was a massive market, not a secret organization. It held great influence in the southeastern part of the Yunwu Commandery, and many martial artists would go there to purchase cultivation resources.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen could easily find a guide among any martial artist to lead him to the Earthfire City.
Fifty miles away from Lingyue Town, there was a Misty Hidden Lake, perpetually shrouded in mist. Beyond ten zhang, nothing could be seen clearly. Boat passengers often got lost on the lake, eventually turning into floating corpses.
It was said that the Earthfire City was built within the Misty Hidden Lake. Only boats belonging to internal members of the Black Market could find their way through the fog to reach the Earthfire City.
Zhang Ruochen had the Snowflake Eagle wait for him in the forest, then headed alone toward the Misty Hidden Lake, arriving at a bustling lakeside dock.
At the dock, sixteen massive ships were moored, ten of which flew the banners of the Black Tiger Hall.
Without needing to guess, those ten ships were there to pick up the Black Tiger Hall's hall master. Unfortunately, they didn't know that the hall master had already died at Zhang Ruochen's hands.
When Zhang Ruochen appeared at the dock, the Black Market martial artists disguised as boatmen all fixed their gazes on him. Some showed hostility, while others approached him.
An old man in his sixties stared at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Guest, where are you headed?"
"The Earthfire City," Zhang Ruochen replied.
The martial artists who had been hostile toward him drew their weapons, becoming even more vigilant.
The old man smiled without changing his expression. "The Earthfire City closed its gates half a month ago. Except for regular customers, it's no longer open to outsiders."
Zhang Ruochen's lips curled slightly. "Is the Earthfire City guarding against experts from the Martial Market Academy?"
A dark-skinned man in the distance sneered, "I think you look like a disciple of the Martial Market Academy, kid. You'd better confess your identity honestly, or else forget about going to the Earthfire City—this place will be where you meet your end."
Zhang Ruochen glanced sideways, then took out a token. "I am a member of the imperial court. I'm going to the Earthfire City to purchase some cultivation resources."
Zhang Ruochen didn't plan to storm the Earthfire City directly. After all, he wasn't entirely clear on the city's current strength. So, he decided to temporarily conceal his identity as a Martial Market Academy disciple and adopt the guise of an imperial court official.
The old man looked at the token in Zhang Ruochen's hand, his eyes brightening slightly. "A Golden Dragon Token! Are you a member of the Yunwu Commandery's royal family?"
Zhang Ruochen put the token away. "That's right."
"If you're from the royal family, why don't you have any guards or attendants?" the old man asked suspiciously.
On the surface, the Black Market and the official forces were hostile. However, in secret, many imperial court members would quietly visit the Black Market to purchase cultivation resources.
First, some unique cultivation resources could only be bought in the Black Market.
Second, imperial court members might acquire treasures of dubious origin and sell them in the Black Market to settle accounts. In fact, some Black Market factions had intricate connections with court officials.
It wasn't unusual for royal family members to come to the Black Market for cultivation resources.
What was unusual was that royal princes and nobles always traveled with a large entourage of servants and guards. Seeing Zhang Ruochen so low-key naturally raised the old man's suspicions.
"If I brought a large group of guards and servants, would you allow me to enter the Earthfire City?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Of course not," the old man replied. "Times are different now. Half a month ago, the Earthfire City Lord personally ordered strict checks on all martial artists entering the city. Especially those from the imperial court—no more than ten are allowed to enter each day."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "It seems the Earthfire City is quite wary of the imperial court."
The old man spoke bluntly. "At other times, the Earthfire City wouldn't care about the imperial court. But now that the Martial Market Academy and the Black Market are at war, the imperial court's army might get involved, so the Earthfire City has to be extra cautious."
Zhang Ruochen spread his hands. "As you can see, I'm alone. Can I go to the Earthfire City?"
"Of course."
Since Zhang Ruochen was just a teenager, the old man didn't think he could pose any threat to the Earthfire City. Having a royal family member in the city might even make the imperial court's army hesitate to attack.
"But to go to the Earthfire City, you must pay the boat fare." The old man squinted with a smile. "And don't say I didn't warn you—the Earthfire City's order is quite chaotic and dark. A young master of the royal family going there alone might become a fat sheep, ready to be butchered."
"No matter."
Zhang Ruochen casually grabbed a handful of silver coins and stuffed them into the old man's hand. "Take me to the Earthfire City now."
Generous with his spending, he casually tossed out a large handful of silver coins.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's bundle, the boatmen's eyes all lit up, and some even showed murderous intent.
After receiving the silver coins, the old man's attitude changed drastically. He immediately put on a fawning smile and bowed. "Young Master, please board the boat. This old man will personally take you to the Earthfire City."
Zhang Ruochen stepped onto a small boat.
The old man in the blue robe stood at the bow, rowing the oars, creating ripples on the water's surface. The small boat quickly entered the vast white mist, disappearing from view on the lake.
"He casually grabbed a handful of silver coins—at least thirty of them. Definitely a fat sheep."
"A spoiled brat from the royal family dares to come to the Earthfire City alone? He doesn't know how to spell 'death.'"
"Too bad Old Man He got there first. How annoying."
"That old bastard hit the jackpot. After this job, Old Man He might increase his wealth by tens of thousands of silver coins."
"I think it's even more than that."
Those evil martial artists disguised as boatmen all saw Zhang Ruochen as a wealthy fat sheep, staring enviously in the direction of the departing boat.
Without needing to guess, that royal family youth would surely be killed by Old Man He, becoming another sunken corpse at the bottom of the Misty Hidden Lake.