Chapter 9: The Eastern Market

They walked all the way toward the East Market, yet Big Ox never said what he wanted Wang Liang to do. Several times Wang Liang tried to ask, but Big Ox brushed him off with excuses about having made a new friend and wanting to treat him to a meal.

Once they entered the East Market, Wang Liang’s attention was no longer on the matter. As he took in everything before him, he began to wonder whether he had come to the wrong place.

The market of his imagination should have consisted of two broad streets, with the shops of wealthy merchants lining either side and the stalls before them belonging to ordinary traders.

There should have been everything one might need, but nothing beyond the ordinary necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and transport.

Yet everything before him overturned Wang Liang’s entire understanding of the world.

As soon as he entered the East Market, Wang Liang saw a goat-headed man, much like Big Ox, hawking his wares in the street. What he was selling, however, were living sheep.

“Come and have a look! Fine Snow Sheep from the Heavenly Mountains, raised on caterpillar fungus! Bursting with vitality, guaranteed adults, and completely lacking in spiritual intelligence. Don’t laugh, now—if they had spiritual intelligence, they’d be selling sheep here themselves? Don’t miss out as you pass by!”

Opposite him sat a stone man who looked like a small mountain. Holding an iron hammer, he spoke in a deep, buzzing voice.

“Selling self-mined refined iron ore. Freshly extracted. One coin per piece. No bargaining.”

Nearby, an old man who looked as though he were on the verge of death lay sprawled on the ground, speaking weakly.

“Gravely ill and soon to die. Anyone willing to pay for a corpse? Lacking spirituality, and I swear it won’t rise again. The finest material for the Plague Sect’s ritual refinement of magical treasures.”

A little farther away, a white-bearded old man with a face glowing red shouted loudly:

“Ten-thousand-year-old ginseng fibers! Freshly pulled! Goods may be inspected…”

Looking at this scene, Wang Liang felt that even his heart was beginning to fail him.

Big Ox, on the other hand, had long since grown accustomed to such sights. He tugged Wang Liang along.

“Come this way. I remember there’s a tavern here that caters specifically to earth-element spirits. The things our employer eats are bought from here.”

It was rare for Wang Liang to be treated to a meal so soon after arriving. Though he was even more curious about what Big Ox intended to do, he followed him into a narrow lane in the East Market.

The goods sold in this lane were even more specialized. Great quantities of iron ore lay scattered casually on the ground, while gold ore was displayed on pieces of cloth. Only a few unusual gemstones were placed in boxes.

Wang Liang noticed that the quality of these goods was remarkably high. Many pieces of iron ore even shimmered with blue and purple light.

It was a clear indication that they were valuable and of excellent quality.

But with Big Ox leading the way, Wang Liang could hardly stop to study their prices. After turning this way and that several times, they arrived before a rather refined-looking little house.

“Iron Mountain Tavern?”

Wang Liang studied the shopfront decorated with emerald-green bamboo, then glanced at the sign hanging before it. He truly could not understand the proprietor’s sense of style.

At that moment, a waiter came out from inside. The instant Wang Liang saw him, he understood why the caravan master had assumed he was a meteorite that had gained sentience.

The waiter looked no different from an ordinary person, but a strong smell of rust clung to him.

Wang Liang, who had been buried for more than three hundred years under the guise of a meteorite, carried the same scent—and his was even stronger.

Combined with the fact that Wang Liang had acted as though he knew nothing at the time, it was no wonder those merchants, with their wild imaginations, had seen through his origins.

The waiter ushered Wang Liang into the tavern and, without saying a word, served him a cup of “tea.”

Calling it tea was unavoidable, since it had been brought in a teacup. But what filled the cup was molten copper, still at its ordinary temperature.

Wang Liang had no idea how they managed it. Staring at the liquid copper in the cup, he sighed, set it down, and said,

“Big Ox, you’ve told me a great deal on the journey here. I’ll certainly repay this favor. Just tell me what you need. If I can help, I will. There’s no need for all this.”

Big Ox said nothing. Instead, he pointed at the menu and began ordering food.

Everything listed consisted of things like iron pellets made from various metals. Sometimes, to make them more attractive, they were sprinkled with powdered gemstones.

Wang Liang knew he could not eat any of it, but he could hardly stop Big Ox. All he could do was watch as Big Ox ordered an entire table of dishes, then added a pot of mercury-and-copper liquor.

Once he had finished ordering, Big Ox took out several coins and placed them on the table.

Wang Liang noticed that the coins resembled the currency from the game. They were all condensed from years of magical power, though these coins seemed somewhat different from the ones he had used in the game.

Just as Wang Liang was about to pick one up for a closer look, the waiter swept them away.

After paying, Big Ox’s face grew somewhat paler.

Only then did he speak.

“Brother Talented, I do have something to ask of you this time. It may be troublesome, so please hear me out carefully. If you’re unwilling after listening, that’s fine. Consider this meal my treat.”

The more Wang Liang listened, the more he felt that something was wrong.

Big Ox continued.

“Actually, I have a father.”

The opening left Wang Liang speechless. He made it sound as though other people did not have fathers too.

“My father was a small merchant. A small one, yes, but he had a caravan of his own. However…”

Big Ox began rambling through the story of his family. Wang Liang listened in silence, and it was only after a long while that he finally understood what Big Ox wanted.

Big Ox’s father had been eaten by a tiger demon. This was not particularly unusual. Tigers ate sheep.

The problem was that Big Ox’s father fell under the category of those whom the tiger was forbidden to eat. No one had discovered this while he was traveling as a merchant, however, and so he had been devoured.

In the end, the only thing returned to the family was his identity token. Fortunately, the New Dynasty had laws governing such matters.

When a living being was eaten in the wilderness, the victim’s direct relatives were granted one opportunity to exact blood vengeance. Because Big Ox’s father belonged to the protected category, the officials of the New Dynasty had specifically awarded him that opportunity.

Of course, another reason was that Big Ox had no evidence. Otherwise, there would have been no need for blood vengeance at all—the officials of the New Dynasty would have killed the tiger demon themselves.

Over the years, Big Ox’s several elder brothers had continually searched for ways and people to deal with the tiger demon.

But every attempt had failed, and each failure had cost him another brother.

Now, only Big Ox remained among the brothers of his family.

“So you want me to kill the tiger demon with you?”

“Yes. My brothers and I have already tested ourselves against that tiger demon. This is its ability, and we’ve always been stuck at this point.”

Big Ox took out a roll of yellow paper covered with information about the tiger demon.

Wang Liang noticed the place Big Ox was indicating.

“The Heaven-Swallowing Technique?”