The Black Market

The next morning, Li Ming woke up early and went to the underground black market of the Imperial city.

To get an entry into the black market, she needed to cross one of the most expensive Inns of the Capital City. In the backroom of that inn, there was a doorway that led to the black market. One could see guards standing at the entrance. The only condition of entering the black market was to have lots of money and since her clothes were of high quality and she gave a noble aura, no one stopped her.

Inside the black market, there was every kind of shop selling cultivation books, weapons, herbs, medicines, elixirs, precious stones, and so on. The people who came into the black market were all from high-profile families. There were also a few inns or brothels located around the Black market which was surprisingly way bigger than she imagined.

She took a look at the various shops for a while. The price of each item was so high that she probably needed to sell her soul to buy a single item from there.

After satisfying her curiosity, she finally decided to take a look at the inns.

The first inn that she entered was the biggest in the black market. It was beautifully decorated and the people serving the customers were also well mannered. The atmosphere inside the inn was very soothing. The other three inns were also filled with customers and there were also dancers and musicians and dancers (mostly beautiful women) to entertain the guests.

Li Ming finally arrived in front of a small inn. It was located at the very end of the street. Only a few people could be seen entering or leaving it.

As her curiosity was piqued after seeing its deserted situation, she hurriedly entered the inn. Although the place was small, it was perfectly clean. One could smell a very light fragrance of herbal tea in the air.

At the moment, only two tables were occupied. On one table were sitting three men who were playing chess and the second table was occupied by an elderly man and woman, who were drinking tea in silence.

The elder man's name was Huang Fu. He was in his late forties. He was the owner of the inn and the woman was his wife. They had opened their inn, in the black market nearly two decades ago. Their business was going well until the new inns took over. Since the other inns entertained with the help of beautiful women, the customers were more interested to visit the other inns. This made their business came to an end. Their staff also left as he (Huang Fu) was unable to pay them for their hard work. Only two or three people now visited this inn in a day.

Although Huang Fu wanted his business to run smoothly again, he couldn't make himself hire beauties to achieve his goal. He was not that kind of person. Today he and his wife were discussing about finally closing the inn and returning to their village.

A small smile appeared on Li Ming's lips but was hidden from prying eyes thanks to the veil. As she successfully pried into Elder Fu's wife's mind, she already knew way too much about their lives.

Mind reading was a really great skill. It could sometimes provide help in the most needed moments. 

As Li Ming approached the second table, the couple finally noticed her coming towards them and stood up to greet her.

"Young Miss, please take a seat. How can I help you?" The older woman asked in a cheerful voice.

Li Ming sat down at their table and looked towards both of them and replied with a soft smile, "I'm not here to ask for help. But it's the other way around. I'm here to offer you my help."

She looked at the questioning expression of the old couple and asked them to take a seat.

"Please sit down and hear me out first."

The old man and his wife finally sat down after a few seconds of confusion. The woman poured tea and offered it to the young girl.

Li Ming accepted the tea and took a small sip. Immediately regretting as the hot liquid scalded her tongue.

Only she knew how hard it was for her to not cry out and glare at the woman as if she was plotting against her on purpose. She just somehow succeeded in remaining silent as she hurriedly healed her tongue.

After deciding to not bother about such a trivial issue, she looked at the couple in front of her and finally spoke, "I know that your business is not going well and you may even be deciding to end it. But I can make your business run at twice the speed of that of "Breezing Flowers".

Breezing Flowers was the name of the biggest Inn in the black market.

Huang Fu laughed a little at her words as he said, "Young Miss, if I wanted then I would have made my business number one in the black market by hiring beauties and providing entertainment to my customers. But I'm not interested in this kind of business."

Li Ming chuckled softly as she shook her head before speaking, "You are too judgemental Elder Fu. I never said that you have to hire beauties to make your business a success."

The couple looked at her in puzzlement as they tried to understand exactly what she was trying to imply.

"Then what are you talking about?" Elder Fu asked as he waited for the girl to answer.

"There are many ways to get people's attention. You don't have to worry about it. I'll not do something that you don't like. Just tell me whether you are interested in my offer or not?" She asked while looking at the couple.

"Why are you helping us? What do you want in return?" The old madam asked with a little suspicion clearly visible in her tone and eyes which were closely inspecting the little girl.

"You are smart. Indeed, I'm not helping you two out of kindness but because I have my purpose." Li Ming admitted as she looked at the couple for a while and when neither of them said anything she continued, "I want you and your family to work for me including your two daughters and...your son."

Elder Fu was not surprised that the little girl knew about his two daughters. Since he was working in the black market for nearly two decades, everyone knew him and his family. But what surprised him was the mention of his son. Other than his own family, very few people knew about the existence of his son.

"How do...do you know about my son? " Elder Fu asked with confusion and a little bit of fear clearly visible in his voice.

Li Ming smiled softly as she answered, "I'm here for business. Of course, I will be fully prepared. Don't worry, my intentions are not bad. You already know what I want from you. And if my first proposal is not enough for you to decide then I have another one for you. If you agree to work for me then... I will cure your son completely."

Elder Fu and his wife were too shocked to say anything. It was the truth that their son had an incurable disease. No matter wherever and whoever they had asked for help, everyone said that the disease was impossible to cure. But after all these years, there was a little girl who was saying that she could cure their son.

"According to me, you have nothing to lose. I think my offer is more than anyone can ever offer you. But I will still give you a day. Think properly and discuss it with your family. I will visit you tomorrow to know your answer. I hope you will choose wisely."

Li Ming gave a final glance to the couple and then stood up and left the inn.

If she wanted, she could have made them work for her by using her power of compulsion. But she had some morals and she knew that she could achieve her goal with her skills.

She exited the black market and came out on the busy market street. She was hungry and tired. So she went into an empty alley and entered her mansion.

No one noticed that a little girl vanished in thin air in the middle of the day without any trace.