Chapter 49 Picking up the Blood Clam Belly (1/2)

Immortal Cage - Chapter 49 Picking up the Blood Clam Belly (1/2)

Entering the dark street, Yu Lie lowered the brim of his cloak and tightened the cloth covering his face, walking discreetly.

Despite this, the vendors near the entrance of the street could still easily distinguish between newcomers and regulars, their eyes gleaming.

Someone immediately waved at Yu Lie, "Top-quality talisman papers, freshly arrived from the state city, would the guest like one?"

"Hey, young man, come take a look. The demoness from the Hehuan Sect has descended. She's come to our Blackwater Town to entertain everyone." Another slick merchant with a goatee rubbed his hands and called out to Yu Lie.

Yu Lie glanced up.

The smile on the other party's face became even more lecherous, "Absolutely, exquisite skills, two for the price of one!"

After hearing the price, Yu Lie was speechless in his heart, "The demoness from the Hehuan Sect... This guy is not even close to reality with his lies."

The Hehuan Sect has been a renowned name passed down since ancient times, a prestigious sect. Even if its disciples were down on their luck, they wouldn't end up seeking a living in Blackwater Town, let alone offering two for the price of one.

Yu Lie shook his head and continued walking.

Fortunately, although there were many vendors calling out to attract customers around, no one reached out to pull Yu Lie, just making the noise around him feel overwhelming.

Although the dark street seemed lively and had some rules, not much different from a normal market, it was still a dark place with many taboos, one of them being avoiding unnecessary contact with others.

As Yu Lie walked along, passing the stalls near the entrance, he came to the area where temporary stalls were set up.

The lighting here was dimmer than at the entrance, but there were more cultivators passing by. One stall had gathered quite a crowd, and Yu Lie, curious, stopped to listen.

Although the stall owner's face was covered, their attire was very elegant, with a scholarly air. Instead of jars and bottles, they had books displayed on their stall.

The person picked up a book titled "Sunburning Technique of Yuan Chun Guardian," and saliva flew as they spoke, "Cultivate this technique, guard the primordial yang, and resisting female demons at night is a piece of cake. Whether it's a female demon or male, you can handle them all, strengthen your foundation, and it can greatly help in breaking through to the Daoist realm!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the onlookers' eyes lit up, and Yu Lie also perked up his ears.

Soon someone spoke up, "Which sect or school does this technique belong to? Is there verification from the Dao Court's dragon qi?"

The stall owner's face stiffened, and they immediately replied, "This is a unique technique passed down in my family, a secret technique passed down only to males for battling, why would I need verification from the Dao Court? I had to transcribe it out of necessity today... Oh, please don't leave!"

With these words, the surrounding cultivators burst into laughter, "A rogue technique, and it's a handwritten copy."

"Who dares to cultivate this questionable technique? Aren't you afraid of attracting demons or being deceived by it?"

Yu Lie, hearing this, also became interested.

Although entering the dark street required verifying assets and had some threshold, it didn't mean that everything in the dark street was of good quality.

On the contrary, there were many unscrupulous individuals who deceived and swindled. One had to be vigilant, or else one might end up with regrets in terms of money and goods.

Seeing most people dispersing, the stall owner panicked and called out, "I am well-versed in classics, a collector of books. How could I deceive you... Guest, don't leave! If you purchase any book from me, you can enjoy a half-price discount at the Hehuan Sect's demoness's place! Don't miss out!"

This statement made some customers temporarily halt their steps.

However, Yu Lie had come to the dark street today specifically to find storage items. Without looking back, he moved away, scanning the other stalls with his eyes.

In the dark street, there were items ranging from animal organs to spiritual herbs, Daoist robes, incense, and more, all related to cultivation.

Some were intact, some were damaged and bloody, and some looked like they had just been taken out of a furnace, such as pills and weapons.

However, after carefully browsing for a while, Yu Lie furrowed his brows.

Although he saw a few storage items at the stalls, they were either too expensive, disposable, or of dubious origin with no guaranteed quality.

Worried about misjudging, Yu Lie decided to head towards the area with permanent shops.

The cultivators here had some reputation, either dealing in legitimate goods without paying taxes or sourcing from official stores in the town, and they wouldn't easily tarnish their reputation.

Approaching a shop he vaguely remembered, rumored to be run by a disciple responsible for handling "defective goods" for their superiors, Yu Lie arched his hand and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have storage items?"

Although it was called a shop, it was more like a tent on wheels, covered on all sides by curtains, with light inside. Such shops in the dark street were common, even the place where the Hehuan Sect demoness attracted customers was just a tent.

Hearing the voice, the Daoist inside the shop immediately spoke, "Blood tools?"

Yu Lie replied, "Blood tools."

Blood tools were items connected by bloodlines that Daoists could use their blood to activate and nurture. They were eighth-grade items, a step above ninth-grade cold weapons.

Usually, only Daoists could independently refine them, and they were mostly used within the Daoist community, with materials often sourced from spiritual ores of fierce beasts.

Although Dao disciples could also use blood tools, due to their high prices, only the wealthy among them would possess a few inferior ones, while others would continue using cold weapons or disposable talismans for protection.

Yu Lie wanted to buy a long-term storage item that had some spell effects, so naturally, it had to be related to blood tools!

As for magical tools and spiritual tools, they were even higher in grade than blood tools, items that Yu Lie didn't dare to think about at the moment. Even if he had them, without true qi at the moment, he wouldn't be able to use them.

Upon hearing that Yu Lie wanted to buy blood tools, the people in the shop became interested and immediately started rummaging through their stock.

Soon, they took out a yellow leather pouch resembling a water bladder and introduced, "Yellow water pouch, made from the bladder of a black spirit pig, can store two barrels of liquid, with the seal of the Institute, two spirit stones, usable for twenty days!"

They then presented a bamboo tube-like item, "Yellow bamboo tube, made from bitter yellow bamboo with iron roots, engraved with Daoist runes, can store five cubic units, durable for thirty years, five spirit stones!"

"Inferior storage bag, stores three units, ten pieces... Choose one of these three items?"

Upon hearing the introduction, Yu Lie's heart raced, but after hearing the prices, he realized that even buying a bladder made of pig urine was too expensive for him, and his interest waned.

Because these were items for Daoists, just like spirit stones, only Daoists were qualified to purchase them from official stores, and they were as rare in Blackwater Town as spirit stones. If a Dao disciple wanted to buy them, they could only exchange with spirit stones.

Moreover, blood tools, like magical tools and spiritual tools, had a limited lifespan for usage, even if made of metal or fabric, lasting at most ten years. Once the inner activity was depleted, they would return to being ordinary items.

Yu Lie was astonished, realizing once again that blood tools were not something an ordinary Dao disciple could afford, and even if they could afford them, they might not be able to "sustain" them. It wasn't worth it.

And he had only inquired about storage blood tools, not those with combat capabilities or assisting in cultivation.

Yu Lie simply arched his hand and took his leave, "Thank you, shopkeeper."

"Ah..." The people inside the shop heard Yu Lie and paused, then muttered behind the curtain:

"Poor guy! If you can't afford it, why ask about the prices?"

However, Yu Lie didn't lose heart. After leaving that shop, he shamelessly inquired from one shop to another, subtly asking around, and eventually returned to the temporary stall area to ask around.

In the midst of it, he did find quite a few things that suited his taste, but the prices were still high, or they had various flaws that left Yu Lie hesitating in the black market, unable to make a decision.

He began to ponder, "Why not just buy some talisman paper first, and also get a few protective talismans."

Yu Lie still had some lingering thoughts about the paper talisman he used in the previous town to subdue demons, hoping to procure some more.

However, suddenly, he arrived at a stall where various flesh and blood materials were scattered.

After exchanging some familiar pleasantries, Yu Lie asked, "Do you have any blood vessels for storage?"

The young voice of the stall owner replied, "Yes."

Yu Lie asked in his usual manner, "Can the quality be guaranteed?"

The stall owner replied, "It has the mark of a disciple from the Beast Academy, with a sign."

Yu Lie raised an eyebrow, showing interest, and said, "How much are you asking for?"

The stall owner replied bluntly, "One spirit stone, only accepting spirit stones."

After a few more questions, Yu Lie became thoroughly interested, "May I see the item?"

The stall owner, seeing that Yu Lie hadn't hesitated after hearing "only accepting spirit stones," was slightly surprised. Without a word, he took out a porcelain jar from his sleeve.

Upon opening it, a pungent smell of blood wafted out, with a film-like substance soaking inside.

"Blood clam belly, inferior blood vessel, to be used by dripping blood, can store items in three compartments, lasting for five to six years."

The stall owner explained in detail, "It is mainly made from the belly skin of the fierce beast Blood Clam. Its skin is tough, impervious to blades and fire, even capable of withstanding a strike from a Gold Arrow Talisman of the eighth rank. It can also self-recover daily."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lie was astonished, "Three compartments? Can withstand a strike from a Gold Arrow Talisman of the eighth rank, self-recover, and last for five to six years..."

His eyes suddenly turned peculiar, "And you're only selling it for one spirit stone?"

Upon hearing this, the majority of Dao disciples would probably be dumbfounded.

But in reality, Yu Lie was secretly delighted.

While others feared the side effects of the blood clam belly, he practiced poison cultivation, so he should be able to handle it. Even if he couldn't completely resolve it, he could likely alleviate it by eighty to ninety percent, far from reaching the extent of festering wounds.

As for the spiritual flesh and blood, Yu Lie could easily fish some up in the Blackwater River. This was much more convenient for him than just paying extra money.

Yu Lie suddenly realized that this item might be a lucky find for him!

In the black market, there were often situations of luck and finds, especially at temporary stalls, relying entirely on one's eyesight and luck, which was a significant source of business in the black market.

It was rare and precious, making his wandering for so long not in vain, finally encountering it!

However, Yu Lie did not show any excitement. Instead, he expressed concern about any potential drawbacks of the blood clam belly, asking cautiously, "Are there any other shortcomings to this item?"

The stall owner became a little anxious this time, lifting the porcelain jar and saying, "If you don't want to buy, then don't buy. I rarely speak so much. Don't be ungrateful. This blood clam belly has been inspected by a disciple's eye, marked, and can't deceive you!"

Seeing the genuine look of the stall owner and, more importantly, the special mark emerging on the film floating in the porcelain jar, resembling a bizarre beast head, immersed in blood, Yu Lie felt relieved. This was the official seal of the Beast Academy in the town. If an item was too damaged or had more than three flaws, it would never receive the official seal. And once a blood vessel was used, the seal would disappear, meaning the item was still new.

Feeling reassured, Yu Lie was completely intrigued!

However, he still persisted, saying, "This item already has two flaws, is troublesome to use, and has significant side effects. Can't you lower the price?"

The stall owner seemed to be getting angry and replied bluntly, "No bargaining, only accepting spirit stones. Don't think you can bully a small stall."

The stall owner shut down all of Yu Lie's remaining words.

Not giving up, Yu Lie continued to inquire and haggle at the stall, but after a while, seeing that the stall owner wouldn't budge, he reluctantly took out a cut spirit stone weighing eight qian and handed it over, saying, "This is a blood vessel with an official seal. If there are significant issues, be careful, I will report you to the authorities."

The stall owner, surprised that Yu Lie actually paid, carefully weighed the spirit stone and happily said, "Of course, of course, it's up to you. But if you tamper with it privately, remove the poison, and damage it, don't blame me for cheating you. I warned you, don't think you can handle it yourself."

The deal was done.

Without further ado, Yu Lie tucked the porcelain jar and left the stall.

He then moved cautiously in the crowd of the black market, ensuring no one was tailing him before leaving the black market. After leaving, he wandered a few more times on the streets outside, making sure he wasn't being followed.

Yu Lie couldn't wait and hurriedly headed home to study his find!

Today, his luck was good. He had indeed picked up a treasure!