Chapter 44: Stirring Up Trouble and Walking Right Into the Trap

When Lin Zhao finished his dinner, Si Jin came looking for him.

The youth, re-dressed in magnificent attire, exuded a gentle and elegant aura that actually bore a striking resemblance to Ji Yaoguang.

"Ah Zhao, this is your first time in the Di State, isn't it? As your elder brother, I wish to fulfill the duties of a gracious host. Would you be willing to accompany me to witness the bustling night market in the city?" Si Jin asked warmly.

"Ah, wasn't it said that supernatural activities are frequent at night, which is why there is a curfew and no night market?" Lin Zhao asked in confusion.

"That must be what Ji Yaoguang told you," Si Jin smiled slightly. "How could such restrictive laws ever apply to shamans? Ji Yaoguang is naturally dull and extremely disciplined, never breaking the rules, so naturally, no one bothers him."

Lin Zhao thought to himself: *So as a freshly graduated high school student, I'm about to go experience bar culture?*

Well, experiencing it to broaden one's horizons was certainly a must!

With that, he glanced at the ancient tree.

Ji Yaoguang smiled gently. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Ah Jin, would you mind if I joined?"

Si Jin's expression instantly contorted, but he still managed to say, "This... as long as Little Zhao is willing, I naturally have no objections..."

"Of course I'd love to go with the old tree and see something new," Lin Zhao said decisively. "Let's hurry, let's hurry."

Si Jin cast an intrigued gaze at the ancient tree. "Very well!"

And so, he led them out.

Along the way, Si Jin enthusiastically introduced the underground trading market they were approaching. Because Si Jin imposed heavy taxes on many goods, tax evasion here was rampant.

This, in turn, gave birth to this "free" market, which was extremely famous across the twenty-four square states.

Lin Zhao was puzzled. "Since you yourself know that the taxes here are so heavy, why do you still impose such high taxes? Won't excessively high taxes cause an economic slump?"

Whenever Si Jin brought this up, he grew in a foul mood. "Doesn't all of this trace back to that brother of mine? He emptied the family coffers to build the Ba Great Wall, which covered an astronomical amount of defense expenditures and granted those bumpkin lesser shamans extremely generous rewards. Even so, they still desperately try to evade taxes. Of course I won't let them off easy."

Lin Zhao frowned. "I don't think behaving this way is right. Even if the money they earn means less tax paid to you, they are still spending it here in the Di State during their stays and repairs, which strengthens your country. To restrict their growth just for the sake of this money—isn't that a bit short-sighted?"

Si Jin chuckled. "What Little Zhao says makes a lot of sense. However, Little Zhao is not quite familiar with our situation here; they never spend their money on ordinary people, nor do they leave it in the Di State. Their sole wish and expectation is to return to the Shaman State."

He let out a soft sigh. "No matter how hard my brother and I try, all they think about is returning to the Shaman State, rather than guarding this precarious border that could be overthrown at any moment. It is entirely understandable that they yearn for a better life, so is it really too much for me to ask them to leave a little more behind?"

Lin Zhao retorted, "You've been caught in the rain, so now you want to tear up everyone else's umbrella and pelt them with hail!"

Si Jin said gently, "Of course, now that Little Zhao is here, I will thoroughly reform and become a good person like Ji Yaoguang..."

He also enthusiastically distributed two masks capable of concealing one's aura and voice, explaining that they were essential equipment for entering the place.

"How could you allow such a place to exist?" Ji Yaoguang asked, puzzled.

"It's just that I'm currently indisposed and unable to beat people up. The master of this underground chamber of commerce is not only cunning, but also quite capable in a fight. Since he doesn't cross any major lines in his usual dealings, I can only endure it for now," Si Jin gritted his teeth, a bellyful of fire igniting just thinking about it.

However, once they arrived at the destination...

Si Jin knocked on that wall four consecutive times, yet every single passphrase he uttered was wrong, resulting in them being repeatedly and continuously locked out.

"This..." Si Jin was losing face, though fortunately, he was wearing a mask. "I usually lie down and rarely go out; I only ever heard others mention this."

Just as he was about to knock for the fifth time, a gloved arm reached out from beside him, gently rapping against the wall and uttering the passphrase in a deep voice: "The night is just right."

With that, the door swung open.

All three of them expressed their gratitude to the newly arrived masked person.

"No need to thank me," the other party smiled faintly. "Just treat me to a drink."

That, of course, was not a problem.

Thus, the three of them entered the night tavern. The atmosphere inside was alluring rather than scorching. A shaman was softly singing on the stage, their tone gentle and sweet, making one irresistibly yearn for a romantic encounter.

"This song feels a bit special!" As the three found a spot in a corner with the person they had accidentally met and ordered a cup of wine, Lin Zhao asked out of curiosity.

"This is a Soul Song, a melody that can touch the mind and spirit," Ji Yaoguang explained. "The 'Celestial Sound Soul-Cleansing Shamanic Stream' this person cultivates is merely that of an ordinary shaman, so its triggering effect is limited. If he were to reach the realm of an Earth Shaman, he could cleanse corruption and shadows from minds and spirits on a massive scale, making him an honored guest sought after by the leaders of various square states. The currently most famous 'Shaman Meng' is just like this, but the fee he charges each time is exceptionally exorbitant. When I left, his appearance fee had already reached six million gold shells."

"Ah, with a skill like that, they still charge such a high fee?" Lin Zhao was surprised. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"

"He is the pillar of the Celestial Sound lineage. Cultivating him required an astronomical amount of resources," Ji Yaoguang quietly shared the background of this lineage with Lin Zhao. "This whole thing actually started with Ah Jin. He devised a method to 'gather the prayer-will of all living beings,' using the collective will of the masses to cultivate. However, when others tried this method, they failed to successfully transform that will into cultivation nourishment, constantly encountering various accidents that nearly drove this lineage to extinction. It wasn't until Meng Zhen came along—his theory was, 'How can money not be considered the will of all living beings?' Relying on this method, he forcefully smashed resources into him until he was cultivated to the realm of an Earth Shaman."

Lin Zhao clicked his tongue in amazement, then asked doubtfully, "Then why not use this method to cultivate more such shamans to help everyone purify the corruption?"

"Earth Shamans are not so easy to break through. In the Shaman State, becoming a Human Shaman already qualifies one to command an army of ten thousand, while an Earth Shaman commands an army of a hundred thousand," Ji Yaoguang said. "If it were truly that easy, shamans would probably all go into the sacrificial circle."

"So, in this field, the strongest one is the old bird?" Lin Zhao genuinely hadn't expected that while the old bird looked weak, his support capabilities were this strong.

"Not that strong either," Si Jin smiled faintly. "He doesn't even rank in the top one hundred in the Shaman State."

The masked shaman who had brought them in calmly sipped his wine, acting as if he had heard nothing at all.

Bonfires burned in the hall. From time to time, pairs of lovers leaped around the fires, and occasionally someone would walk past their area, extending an invitation for a drink, all of which they declined.

Finally, the song-and-dance warm-up came to an end. The crowd around the bonfires retreated, and various sparse night market vendors appeared in their place.

Simultaneously, behind several shamans at the bar, wooden panels popped up, neatly listing the newly arrived items of the day along with their prices.

Ji Yaoguang's eyes lit up. He immediately walked over and requested to purchase the Aether-Light Stone listed among the goods.

Lin Zhao stroked the semi-finished pocket watch in his hand, curling the corners of his lips in satisfaction.

However...

"The Aether-Light Stone is a mineral that naturally grows in the secluded cultivation grounds of the Shaman Gods; it's not particularly rare. It shouldn't cost 10,000 gold shells..." The ancient tree was gently bargaining. "3,000 gold shells is the normal price..."

"My friend, why are you still bargaining when buying an Aether-Light Stone? 1,000 gold coins, I'll take it." Si Jin stepped forward with a smile, placing a 1,000-gold-shell note alongside the Di State's tax-pursuit warrant on the table.

"How interesting," a masked youth's voice rang out from nearby. "To think one can still resort to forced buying and selling here. I'll take it for 10,000, non-negotiable."

As this commotion arose, onlookers immediately gathered around, indignantly denouncing Si Jin: "Who let this piece of work in?"

"Exactly! You think you can survive just because that skin-flayer survives?"

"Get him! Strip him bare and hang him at the entrance to see if he dares to act arrogant again!"

In an instant, nearly all the shamans swarmed forward.

Si Jin told Little Zhao, "Don't be afraid, just watch me."

The next second, a series of sharp, crackling sounds echoed. Si Jin's body moved like lightning and flint, and all those who stepped forward to cause trouble were hung up on the eaves in various shapes, and hung with a great deal of ritualistic flair... For a Heavenly Shaman, this truly didn't require any totems; a mere wave of the hand sufficed.

Including the youth who had bid 10,000, he was hung up right along with them.

After finishing, Si Jin dusted off his hands and gracefully sat down in front of the counter. "1,000 gold shells, understood?"

The shopkeeper's lips twitched. Surprisingly, he still didn't submit, instead looking weakly toward the masked shaman who had brought them in: "Boss..."

"It's not very convenient to fight here," the tall masked shaman slowly rose to his feet and said politely, "Shall we change locations?"

"Normally I wouldn't," Si Jin smiled faintly. "不過Since you helped me just now, I'll give you this face."

With those words, his figure gradually faded away.

The masked shaman nodded slightly as well, instantly vanishing from the spot.

Seeing the little bird's eager expression, which practically screamed that he wanted to eat melons and watch the show, Ji Yaoguang also took him and instantly disappeared.

Only the young shaman hanging from the eaves slowly climbed down, sighed, and muttered, "What kind of stone is this, anyway, that actually has three Heavenly Shamans fighting over it? Is this something you use to become a god?"

He walked over to the counter. "Give me the Aether-Light Stone, 10,000 gold shells..."

Though not a supreme treasure, Aether-Light Stones were mostly supplied to the Shaman State and the garrison troops of the square states, with very few flowing out. 10,000 gold was quite reasonable.

Having one in the Vast Sea would make storing things much more convenient.

Once this was planned out, finding another black market with such good value and quality that wasn't afraid of a commotion would probably not be so easy anymore.