Chương 119: Chapter 116 – The Ingredients of Success

Ren jumped to his feet, thrilled that he might finally have a solution to dealing with the life and death qi in his home. Or, at the very least, a direction to pursue. He rushed about frantically gathering new compendiums and records to give substance to his theory. Very soon a small pile of scrolls and jade tokens was gathered before him, representing a tremendous amount of knowledge. Two sleepless nights later, a worn but pleased Ren walked out of the Hall of Learning.

He stumbled to his inn, barely responding to the surprised greetings of the innkeeper before collapsing into his bed asleep. When he finally awoke, Ren looked around blearily, half wondering if he had dreamed it or if he had actually found a valid answer. But a tingle of excitement returned as he became fully conscious. He sat up with a satisfied grin. However, the thought of the next step smothered his burgeoning enthusiasm. It was always a sobering moment to stake it all on one throw of the dice.

If he went through with it, he could stand to lose all the wealth he had remaining, setting him back significantly. Perhaps it was his heart cultivation or maybe it was because it wasn't the first time he had done this, but Ren didn't feel any hesitation. He felt anxious, afraid, eager, and happy, a chaotic mixture of emotions. But no hesitation. He had chosen a path and was going to commit to it. It would be a lot of work, and it might still fail, but he wouldn't shy away from the consequences.

He thanked the puzzled innkeeper and settled his accounts the next morning. The man looked curious but knew better than to ask questions. As much as Ren would have like to form a karmic connection with the kindly man who had sheltered him for over a month, he knew that the innkeeper no longer walked the path to immortality. The man was satisfied with his current cultivation, and involving him in troublesome karmic ties might conversely go against his wishes.

Ren said his farewells and then strode toward the market with the air of a man going to battle. Saving 10 mid-grade spirit stones for his return, he had 32 left, including his most recent monthly stipend. 3200 spirit stones to change his destiny. He couldn't afford to be careless. He spent hours surveying his battlefield, observing, listening to other customers, and asking for prices from annoyed lesser merchants. No matter how many times others laughed at or chased him away, Ren remained undeterred.

He couldn't settle for anything less than a perfect match. Unfortunately for Ren, his studies had only told him the names of the most suitable items, not where they might be purchased. Most just looked at him blankly. The few shopkeepers who did know the items were enraged at his questions and berated him for fooling around with such deadly aspirations. Ren had known what he sought was dangerous but had drastically underestimated the difficulty of actually finding it.

"They happily sell poisons and cursed items but get angry with me for this?!" Ren was finding it difficult to accept such two-faced standards. Around sunset, while chewing on aromatic grilled vegetables on a stick, he was battling embarrassment about whether he might have to return to the inn to spend a few more days. He had left so confidently this morning, only to return in failure. The thought of going to another inn wasn't even an option for him. Ren was no coward.

Just then his gaze landed on a pair of cultivators acting furtive. Curious, he casually walked closer to overhear them.

"Are you sure you have it? You swear it works?" asked the nervous-looking one. The other responded coolly, saying, "Hey, I'm just the intermediary. If you have a problem, then you can wait until the next night parade and take it up with the dealer directly. I'm here because you said you needed it urgently!" The nervous one turned angry.

"You better hope it works! I swear on the Heavens I'll drag you down to death with me, otherwise!" They exchanged something surreptitiously before the nervous man rushed away.

"Hah! Amateurs!" The remaining man scoffed. Then he looked unwaveringly at Ren and smirked.

"Young friend! Are you just going to keep listening, or are you going to tell me what it is you are looking for?" Ren's heart was beating furiously in his chest. He had heard of underground markets before but never interacted with them. Clandestine cultivator gatherings were rife with backstabbing and betrayals. But it was also a fact that you could find unconventional items like the ones he was looking for. They might be mislabeled or misunderstood items, but the black market may be his last resort.

Ren's instincts were silent, so he chose to take the plunge.

"Ahem, I am looking for a Heart of Relentless Suffocation and a sample of Encroaching Darkness." The man choked in surprise before looking around suspiciously.

"Here I thought you looked innocent. Who is it that offended you so terribly that you bear such a grudge?! Young man, even if you cannot live under the same sky with your foe, you cannot resort to such extreme measures!"

"Huh?! No, no, you misunderstand! It's for personal study!" Ren had researched the properties of the items he was seeking, so the misunderstanding wasn't entirely out of place. They were extremely dangerous items if misused. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The shady man regained his composure quickly.

"Aah, excellent! It was curious that you'd need both when just one would have wreaked havoc. Regardless, I'm a big proponent of scholarly pursuits, even if I wasn't gifted that way. And if you're willing to give up your life for your research, then I can only salute you, young friend. I know how I can help you. Here take this mask and meet me in this district at midnight. Don't forget to bring the money." He said, handing Ren a smooth, featureless mask.

"Put it away quickly! Do you want to get us in trouble?" He hissed. Startled, Ren threw the mask into his spatial ring. When he looked up, he half expected the man to have disappeared. He was smiling amusedly at Ren as if he knew exactly what he had been thinking.

"Go on, go about your business until it's time. Shoo!" Feeling somewhat like a child getting caught being silly, he returned to the food stall and bought more skewers. He whiled away the time, watching people absentmindedly. He had already come up with a few plans to flee quickly if needed and checked the talismans and items he had with him. This was his first time doing something illegal like this, and his basic stealth skills would be less than useful among true rogues. He felt much safer with a plan to escape.

Nearing midnight, he started slowly walking to the designated location. This district was still brightly lit in red, and lasciviously dressed ladies made it clear just what kind of place he had entered. By then, he had spotted a few others in masks, so he quickly put on his own. The address was a nondescript abandoned building at the end of the street where the man from earlier was waiting. He greeted Ren before putting on a fox mask. He turned to the broken door and motioned for Ren to follow.

He walked to a plain section of the back wall and put a token on the wall. An array lit up, and the wall disappeared, revealing a dark street filled with masked people and small stalls. The yet-unnamed man beside him made a sweeping gesture and said, "Welcome to the Ephemeral Dream black market! Don't worry, the security arrays here are focused on security and secrecy, so you have little to fear. Just don't start any fights you aren't prepared to finish."

Ren kept his wits about him but couldn't deny the thrill at doing something so blatantly shady. Raised as a sheltered young master, he had always been strictly watched. In the Heavenly Sword Sect, even if there had been such a place, he had never been allowed entry. Maybe it was his reputation, but no one wanted to invite an upright cultivator for fear they would be turned in.

'I can't blame them. If even I didn't know I had such a desire, how could they?!' Ren was feeling a bit giddy.

"Hey wait, I thought it was called the night parade, like you told that man earlier?" he asked his guide.

"A night parade is a monthly event when everyone gathers for a big market day. This is just a basic everyday market. A night parade will contain things you couldn't normally dream of seeing! It's truly an unforgettable sight. Whoever created this place used the moonless night to increase the protection somehow while simultaneously creating these ghostly lights. One rarely sees such an aesthetic sense in our line of work!" Ren chuckled at the comment. Something about the image amused him greatly.

Soon, the guide stopped in front of a figure wearing a bird mask sitting on the floor with a cloth laid out before them. There were exactly 5 twisted seeds resting on it.

"Greetings, Hawk! I've brought you a customer interested in your more unusual wares."

"Is that so, Fox? Aren't your customers famously naïve novitiates? See, he hasn't even earned a true mask yet!" A woman's voice sounded from behind the bird mask.

"Normally yes, but wait till you hear this one! I was impressed by the audacity and brought him. It's for a good cause too!"

"Hmmm… very well." She waved a hand, and the 5 seeds spun, shimmered, and were then replaced by 14 items.

"So what is it you seek, young novitiate? Some carnivorous camellias? Sweet Release Osmanthus?"

"A Heart of Relentless Suffocation and a living piece of Encroaching Darkness."

"..."

"Hahaha! Didn't I tell you?! Audacious!"

"Listen here, novitiate. As pleased as I am to meet a fellow admirer of deadly plants, are you certain you can handle these? If they escape your control and infect vast swathes of land, the Discipline Hall would be livid! The Ephemeral Dream may have an arrangement with them, but these are some of the few things that can truly incur their wrath."

"I am certain. I have studied them extensively and am confident in my ability to stop the plants from getting out of hand."

"Even if you say so, I shall only sell them if you can prove that you know them." Hawk's caution actually reassured Ren that she knew what she was doing and had the two plants he desired. She then quizzed him thoroughly. On the plants' incubation periods, their qi level preferences, their growth rates, control methods, and more.

She paid particular attention to whether Ren could properly identify the period during their life cycle called the 'point of no return' or 'evacuation point,' known thus for the time when the plants could no longer be curbed easily. While there were many plant controlling techniques out there, these plants responded poorly to such methods, making them extremely dangerous. Her face was hidden, but Ren could hear the genuine joy in her voice as she spoke, "I am satisfied.

You have proved that you are well versed in the required knowledge. Such a pleasure to meet someone walking the same path! So many spineless cultivators who fear what they can't control!! I will sell them to you for a slight discount to honor our first meeting. May there be many more!" This was the part Ren was most nervous about. 30 mid-grade stones was his limit, but he may reluctantly choose to spend 3 months flying home on his sword and go up to 40.

"Relax, novitiate! You can have them for 10 mid-grade stones each. Such a price is already the lowest I can go. Now, don't be suspicious. The plants aren't in the best state, but a talented plant cultivator like you can easily help them survive." Not being able to see his face didn't stop Hawk from reading his feelings like an open book. Knowing he wouldn't get a better offer anywhere else, Ren didn't even bargain!

This actually left him 10 more mid-grade spirit stones to buy supplemental plants to improve his chances. It was coming together perfectly! Ren could envision it clearly. The life qi aligned Heart of Relentless Suffocation and the death qi aligned Encroaching Darkness. The qi environment on his mountains was perfect for them. Both proliferated at a prodigious rate, but according to his theory, they would hold each other in check. They were vital components for the approach he had decided to use on his abode.

Together, they would help Ren turn The Edge into an unprecedented paradise.