I am becoming the ultimate demon.

Chapter 24 The Black Market Invitation, Bright Moon Manor; Suppressing Evil, Ancient Altar

Two days later.

Suddenly, a master martial artist arrived at the antique shop with an envelope in his hand. He entered briefly and then left.

Ji Lin also arrived at the antique shop again as scheduled, looking for the shopkeeper.

"Young Master Ji, you've arrived just in time. We have news. This is for you; please keep it safe and never show it to anyone."

The shopkeeper looked around and discreetly handed an envelope to Ji Lin.

He returned to his residence, opened the envelope, and saw a piece of soft, yellow silk with some neatly written words on it.

At the very top are the five large characters: "[Black Market Invitation]".

The specific time and location are given below:

[Tomorrow at midnight, Mingyue Villa, Hongshan County]

After Ji Lin saw it, his pupils contracted slightly; it was indeed effective.

Black market invitation?

There really is such a trading circle. It seems that Steward Luo of Jubao Pavilion is quite reliable.

Hongshan County is adjacent to Xiong'an County and not too far away, so we can set off tomorrow morning.

Hopefully, I can buy some useful treasures by then.

He picked up a corner of the silk handkerchief, lit it over the candle flame, and only stopped when it had burned to ashes.

The next day, Ji Lin and Yun Cui disguised themselves, donned black cloaks and masks, and set off in a carriage.

Snowflakes drifted down outside the window, passing the place where my older sister was murdered that day, though the bloodstains and remains there had long been cleared away or covered by heavy snow.

A faint pang of pain shot through her heart. She had just transmigrated and hadn't had much interaction with her, perhaps because of the original owner of this body.

The wheels rolled forward, and the carriage soon arrived outside Hongshan County.

The place seemed peaceful. Apart from a large number of refugees, no trace of the Blood Lotus Cult was found, and there was no strict screening of people entering and leaving the city gate.

Strange, could the Blood Lotus Sect really be targeting Xiong'an County? We can't be sure yet.

As the carriage entered the city, darkness fell, and he stopped thinking about the problem.

Suddenly a child began to sing:

"The world is full of suffering, and life is hard. People freeze to death or starve to death, and no one cares."

"When the blood lotus blooms, warmth and sustenance come. The Holy Mother, who saves us from suffering, is here."

Oh no, there are traces of the Blood Lotus Cult here too.

However, this is not his business; he will just inform Bai Zhan and Wang Bo later.

Before coming, he had prepared enough money. It was not easy to carry a whole box of gold, but it would be better to use some antique jewelry and jade to trade, especially those items with unusual auras, which he could grab by the handful.

"Young master, why did we come all this way to buy this place?" Yun Cui asked, looking puzzled.

"I don't know either," Ji Lin said.

A crescent moon hung high in the midnight sky, its light hazy.

As the wind and snow blew, I felt a cold, stinging pain on my face, as if being scraped by a knife, and the branches on the trees swayed and rustled.

The two inquired among the locals and finally found the so-called Bright Moon Manor.

This place is in a remote location, and although the villa in front of us is quite large, it seems to have been abandoned for a long time.

The wooden door was crooked, and the red paint on it was almost completely peeling off.

The stone gateposts on both sides are also broken, and the fallen stones are scattered among the weeds.

The houses in the courtyard were old and covered in cobwebs.

Stepping into the room, the hall was simply and modestly decorated, but it was spotlessly clean.

The black market was small, with participants wearing masks or cloaks, totaling only about ten or twenty people.

After Ji Lin and Yun Cui sat down.

A woman dressed in a red brocade robe and wearing a mask walked out.

He held a wooden mallet in his hand, and in front of him was a small table covered with a silk cloth.

"I am the auctioneer for this auction, Little Fox. First of all, welcome to Bright Moon Manor. The rules of the transaction are very simple: the highest bidder wins, and barter is also accepted..." Her gentle voice resounded throughout the hall.

"The first item we're auctioning is an ancient jade piece tainted with yin energy. The starting price is fifty taels of gold. Bids will increase by ten taels each time."

"What's the use of this?" the people in the audience muttered quietly.

"Sixty taels."

"Eighty taels."

"Eighty taels, first time, second time, third time... Sold."

An antique jade piece cost eighty taels of gold, but Ji Lin couldn't see anything special about it. He just felt that the item was of no use to him.

"The next item up for auction is a parchment scroll containing a fragmented and sinister ritual. Starting bid: one hundred taels of gold."

The discussion in the audience began to heat up.

"Young master, this parchment scroll looks quite special. Could it be helpful for our investigation of the cult? Should we take a picture of it?" Yun Cui whispered.

"It is indeed very special. We don't need this when investigating cults. But is that really sheepskin? Maybe it's human skin?" Ji Lin said calmly.

Although Yun Cui realized that Ji Lin was just teasing her, her body trembled slightly involuntarily, and she felt extremely uneasy.

This parchment scroll indeed attracted a lot of attention, and it was only when it was sold for a thousand taels of gold that people were willing to give up.

The third item was even more outrageous: a few wisps of gray vapor sealed in a jar.

Ji Lin, however, could not sense anything unusual inside.

This black market trading circle really does have all sorts of strange and unusual things.

However, none of them were what he needed.

"The fourth item is a bit special." Little Fox paused for a moment.

"Everything is said to be special, but which one isn't?" A rough male voice rang out from the audience.

"This is a handwritten copy of 'Explanations on Suppressing Evil Spirits,' written by an author who claims to be a descendant of a minor official in the Imperial Observatory of the previous dynasty. The starting bid is one hundred taels of gold," Little Fox continued.

"Tsk, I knew there wasn't anything good in it. It's true, who would want a tattered book?" The rough male voice rang out again.

Upon hearing the words "suppress evil spirits," Ji Lin's lips curled up slightly; this thing would be useful to him.

The side effects from dealing with the mermaid monster last time might provide a solution, or a way to counter other monsters, which would also be very useful.

"One hundred taels of gold!" he blurted out.

"Is there anyone else bidding?" Little Fox asked.

"One hundred taels of gold per time."

"..."

"One hundred taels of gold twice."

"..."

"One hundred taels of gold three times."

Snapped!

make a deal!

Unsurprisingly, the photo was taken successfully.

"The fifth item is a bit special," Little Fox said gently.

"Is this ever going to end??"

"It's not just ordinary, it's extraordinary." Her eyebrows twitched slightly, as if she were smiling.

"A secret about Xiong'an County."

The words "Xiong'an County" struck Ji Lin hard in his heart. His breathing became rapid, and his hands clenched into fists.

This item seems to have been specially made for him.

But this news concerns Xiong'an County and must not be shared by anyone, not even in the form of a trap.

Therefore, no matter the cost, we must take it.

"Starting bid: ten taels of gold," the little fox whispered, yet his words reached everyone's ears.

"Tch~ You dare to show off something so worthless?" a shrill female voice rang out.

"Ten taels of gold." Ji Lin raised his hand, his tone calm. He dared not show the slightest excitement, for fear of attracting the attention of others.

"Is there anyone else bidding?" Little Fox asked again.

Dead silence.

The little fox seemed to be deliberately delaying the time.

Ji Lin held his breath, appearing calm on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing.

"Ten taels of gold per time."

"Ten taels of gold twice."

"Ten taels of gold three times..."

"One thousand taels of gold!!" A voice suddenly rang out, not loud, but it resounded like thunder throughout the entire Bright Moon Manor.

The scene erupted in uproar. Who was this kind soul who had suddenly raised the price from ten taels of gold to a thousand taels?

They're either stupid or just trying to cause trouble. Who knew that secret was worth a fortune? If they knew, would they still have filmed it?

Ji Lin clenched his fists tighter and tighter, his heart pounding, and he gasped for breath.

When he entered the arena, he sensed several powerful auras, one of which seemed to be paying special attention to him.

Is this the person who tricked me?

"One thousand one hundred taels of gold," he uttered slowly.

Even if the price were ten thousand taels, one hundred thousand taels, or one million taels, he wouldn't be afraid at all, even though he didn't have that much money.

"One thousand one hundred taels of gold, one, two, three times, sold! Congratulations!"

Snapped!

A hammer is fixed.

As the little fox's incredibly gentle voice rang out, it was as sharp as a sword.

There was no pulling or tugging; the photo was taken just like that.

A shill! It must be a shill! How dare they play me? Just you wait.

"This transaction is now concluded. Please proceed to the back room to settle your accounts."

Ji Lin paid for the two "items" with a piece of ancient jade and one hundred taels of gold.

The second item he received only provided a vague message that "an ancient altar may exist underground in Xiong'an County."

There was no clear location, no explanation of what the ancient altar was or what its purpose was. Indeed, it was only worth ten taels of gold, a fair price for everyone.

He and Yun Cui slowly walked out of the manor and got into the carriage.

I'm still thinking about how to teach that guy a lesson, but I don't really have a reason. What if he really wants it?

Never mind, let's beat them up first!

He felt a surge of anger, but then he realized someone was following him. It was the aura of the person from before, and there was more than one of them; it was a powerful aura.

He then immediately transformed into a demon, picked up Yun Cui, and ran away...