The space inside the cave was larger than imagined.

It seemed to be a naturally formed limestone cave, crudely excavated by human hands. Hive-like depressions had been dug into the rock walls on both sides.

There were no bright lanterns, only sporadically embedded glowstones on the walls emitting a sickly green phosphorescence, stretching the shadows of passing figures into twisted, monstrous shapes.

This was the "Ghost Market."

Su Ming slowed his pace, his gaze sweeping over the crude stalls.

There were no hawking cries here. Everyone was wrapped in black robes or wore masks. Conversations during transactions were deliberately hushed, merging into a buzzing drone like the fluttering of insect wings. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The goods on the stalls were even more varied, exuding an unsettling, "wild" flavor.

On a stall to the left, several broken flying swords were displayed. The blood on the blades had long since dried and blackened, the edges curled, clearly having seen brutal combat. The stall owner was a one-armed man, wiping a notched war blade with a greasy cloth strip, his eyes fierce as they tracked every passerby.

"That's 'corpse loot'," Lin Yu clicked his tongue. "Look at the patterns on those sword hilts; they're probably standard-issue flying swords from some small sect up north. That stall owner is likely a 'vulture' who specializes in scavenging on the edges of battlefields."

Moving further ahead, a few people were gathered around a stall that exuded a medicinal fragrance. The owner had several sealed clay jars placed before him; it was unclear what was inside, but occasional dull thumping sounds could be heard.

"Gallbladders of the third-tier demon beast 'Iron Thread Snake', with venom sacs attached. Exchange for two bottles of Reviving Spring Pills." The stall owner's voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed charcoal.

Su Ming did not linger.

He was like a drop of water merging into the ocean, moving inconspicuously through the crowd. In this place, curiosity was the cheapest and most dangerous thing.

The deeper he went, the damper the air became, and that musty smell grew stronger.

Finally, at the very depths of the cave, a corner hung with tattered banners appeared in Su Ming's line of sight.

The spot was so remote it seemed forgotten. There were no other stalls within several yards, only a few jagged, bizarre rocks standing abruptly.

Beneath the banners sat an emaciated, withered old man.

He wore a faded gray cloth robe, his eye sockets sunken, a black cloth strip covering where his eyes should be.

On a piece of tattered animal hide in front of him lay a sparse scattering of dull-colored ores, looking like worthless stones one might find anywhere by the roadside.

"Old Blind Man."

Su Ming silently recited the name given by Zheng Tieshou, paused his step slightly, then walked over.

The old man seemed asleep, his head bowed. Only when Su Ming's shadow fell upon his stall did he slightly twitch his ears.

"Looking at stones?"

The old man's voice was dry and grating, like two bones rubbing together.

Su Ming crouched down, his gaze sweeping over the few ores on the stall.

To ordinary eyes, these stones held no spiritual energy fluctuations; they weren't even as good as the poorest quality iron ore.

But with Lin Yu's guidance, Su Ming entered the "observation micro state."

In that instant, the world changed.

Beneath the seemingly worthless surfaces of those few stones, faint, extremely weak silver threads, like starlight, could be seen faintly moving. This fluctuation was incredibly restrained. Without Su Ming's deep insight into the "Star Attraction Lines," it would have been impossible to detect.

Su Ming reached out, his fingertip lightly tracing over a fist-sized, pitted grayish-white stone.

"Zheng Tieshou recommended I come."

Su Ming's voice was very low, only echoing between the two of them. "Looking for some 'heavy-weighting' stones."

Hearing the three words "Zheng Tieshou," the Old Blind Man's face, covered by the black cloth, lifted slightly. His dry, thin lips twisted into a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Recommended by Zheng the Big Hammer?"

The Old Blind Man extended a finger like a withered branch, accurately pressing down on the grayish-white stone where Su Ming's fingertip had lingered. "This stone is indeed heavy-weighting. However, the weight is heavy, and the price isn't light either."

"What's the price?" Su Ming asked.

The Old Blind Man raised a single finger, shaking it in the air.

"One liang of 'Stardust' in exchange."

Su Ming's pupils contracted slightly.

"Stardust" was Ghost Market slang, referring to high-grade spirit stones.

One high-grade spirit stone!

One had to know that on the open market, one high-grade spirit stone could officially exchange for one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, or ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. And that was the official, often unavailable, exchange rate. In resource-scarce Iron Wall Pass, strategic reserves like high-grade spirit stones commanded an even higher premium.

Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones for such a piece of impure, low-quality Void Stone raw ore?

This was practically robbery.

"Master, this old man is fleecing us," Su Ming gritted his teeth inwardly.

"It's expensive, yes, but this is something you can't buy even if you have the money," Lin Yu sighed. "Void Stone is a space-attributed spiritual material. Even low-quality raw ore can be refined. It's crucial for stabilizing my soul body. Moreover, although this stone has a lot of spatial impurities, its advantage is its quantity. After refining, it'll be enough for me to use for half a year."

Su Ming took a deep breath.

Money could be earned again. But if his master was gone, his greatest reliance in this cultivation world would be lost.

"Deal."

Su Ming did not haggle. In the Ghost Market, decisiveness often earned more respect and was safer than penny-pinching.

He pulled out a prepared brocade pouch from his robe.

Inside was his entire accumulated savings from these past few days: profits from reselling "Bumper Harvest No. 2," repairing magical implements, and liquidating spoils of war.

Su Ming pushed the pouch toward the Old Blind Man.

The Old Blind Man did not open it. He merely hefted its weight in his hand, brought it to his nose to sniff, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"You're a decisive one."

The Old Blind Man kicked the grayish-white stone toward Su Ming, casually tucking the pouch into his robe.

Su Ming grabbed the stone. It was heavy in his hand, far heavier than ordinary iron of the same volume.

That unique sense of spatial dislocation made his palm tingle slightly.

Goods and payment exchanged.

Su Ming stood up, stored the stone in his storage pouch, and was about to turn and leave.

"Youngster."

The Old Blind Man's voice suddenly sounded behind him, even lower than before, carrying a trace of barely perceptible eeriness.

Su Ming's steps halted. He didn't turn around, but the muscles in his back tensed slightly. His left hand, hidden in his sleeve, gripped a "Bumper Harvest No. 2."

The Old Blind Man's empty eye sockets seemed to bore into Su Ming's back through the black cloth, his voice like the whisper of a night owl. "The place where this thing was dug up... many people died. The 'smell of earth' on it hasn't fully dissipated yet. Remember to soak it in rootless water for three days when you get back. Don't bring the 'thing' indoors."

Su Ming's heart gave a violent jolt.

People died at the place where this was dug up?

Could this Void Stone raw ore have been excavated from near that "underground dark river"?

"Thank you for the advice, Senior."

Su Ming cupped his hands slightly in a gesture of respect, then without further delay, his figure flickered and swiftly disappeared into the dim flow of people.

Watching Su Ming's departing back, the Old Blind Man lowered his head again. His withered fingers lightly tapped on the tattered animal hide before him, a strange smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"That reckless brute Zheng the Big Hammer has found himself a cautious kid..."