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Chapter 14 - Chapter 14 – The Ghost Market

The sun had not yet risen when Wang Chung left the Silent Sky Temple. The mountains behind him stretched like a sleeping beast — cold, still, and lifeless. Even as he walked away, he could still feel the faint pull of the cursed art in his veins.

Every breath he took seemed to tug at the world's energy. The grass near his feet wilted slightly; insects scattered before he even noticed them. The Silent Sky Art was powerful — but dangerous.

Wang Chung wrapped himself in a black cloak and headed north toward the borderlands. The bead within his soul pulsed gently, purifying the chaotic energy that tried to invade his body with each step. Without it, the art would have consumed him already.

After three days of travel, a faint glow appeared in the distance — the lights of a hidden settlement built deep beneath the cliffs.

Locals called it The Ghost Market — a lawless city where rogue cultivators, assassins, and treasure hunters came to trade the things forbidden in the open world.

The entrance was a narrow cavern guarded by two men wearing bone masks. Their spiritual aura wasn't weak — both were at least mid-stage Foundation Establishment. One of them stopped Wang Chung.

> "New face," the guard said, his tone dry. "Entrance fee — ten low-grade spirit stones."

Wang Chung reached into his pouch and tossed him a small pouch of stones taken from the corpses of the bounty hunters he'd slain days before. The man weighed it in his hand and nodded.

> "You may enter. Cause trouble, and your body will hang at the gate by morning."

The smell of incense and blood greeted Wang Chung as he stepped inside.

The market sprawled through a series of tunnels and caverns, filled with flickering lanterns and the murmur of countless voices. Stalls lined the stone walls — some selling beast cores, others rare herbs, demonic manuals, and even human bones engraved with runes.

The deeper he went, the stronger the spiritual pressure became.

Wang Chung moved with his head lowered, suppressing his presence. His cultivation was still too low to draw attention here. He walked past a vendor selling jade talismans until a soft female voice caught his ear.

> "Spirit Purification Pills — freshly refined! Perfect for cleansing meridians and removing impurities from low-level cultivators."

His eyes flickered slightly.

Those pills could help him balance the energy drawn from the Silent Sky Art — they were exactly what he needed.

He approached the stall. The seller was a young woman in a veil, her aura calm but refined. She looked up briefly, her gaze sharp.

> "You're not from here," she said quietly. "Your qi feels… heavy."

Wang Chung met her gaze for only a second before replying, "I'm looking for pills. Not conversation."

The woman's eyes lingered on him, but she nodded. "Five spirit stones each. Two for ten."

He handed her the payment and took the small jade bottle. As he turned to leave, her voice came again — softer, almost hesitant.

> "Be careful, stranger. The Ghost Market isn't what it seems tonight. Someone's hunting… for a man named Wang Chung."

Wang Chung froze.

His eyes slowly met hers. Beneath the veil, he saw a faint flicker of recognition — or warning.

> "Where did you hear that?" he asked, his tone cold.

> "From the auction hall," she said quietly. "A high-ranking member of the Scarlet Sun Sect arrived this morning. They've placed a bounty of one hundred mid-grade spirit stones and a core technique scroll for your head."

The market noise around them dimmed as if muffled. Wang Chung's fingers tightened slightly on the jade bottle.

> "One hundred mid-grade stones…" he muttered. "Seems I've become valuable."

He turned and walked away without another word.

The woman watched him go, her eyes unreadable.

Wang Chung moved through the twisting tunnels until he reached a dark alcove. He sat cross-legged, swallowing one of the Spirit Purification Pills. His qi stabilized immediately; the bead inside him thrummed softly, purifying the pill's essence perfectly.

Moments later, he felt the faint ripple of killing intent approaching from behind.

Without turning, he whispered, "So they found me already."

A blade of wind sliced through the air — but Wang Chung vanished from sight.

The assassin's eyes widened. "What—?"

A cold voice came from behind him.

> "You shouldn't have come alone."

Shiiing!

The sword strike was silent. By the time the assassin's body hit the ground, Wang Chung had already faded into the shadows once more.

He crouched low, watching the distant light of the auction hall.

If the Scarlet Sun Sect truly sent someone here, then tonight's Ghost Market would not end peacefully.

And Wang Chung — hidden beneath the cloak of darkness — smiled faintly.

> "If it's blood they want… then blood they'll have."

The moon hung high above the cliffs, its pale light spilling into the tunnels as the Ghost Market prepared for a night none would forget.

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