Time Travel: Brothel Maid

Chapter 106 Dark Market

The two walked along the way, passing through the bustling city, and came to the entrance of an alley near the outskirts of the city.

They turned several corners along the narrow and winding alleys. Xiao Guoer was already dizzy and could not remember the way she came at all.

If there was no one leading the way, it would definitely be impossible to find it, and no one would have thought that there was a trading market hidden in such a place.

By the time Xiao Guoer saw a small door painted with mottled vermilion, there was no road ahead.

The small door is old and inconspicuous, but it exudes a mysterious atmosphere.

Just when Xiao Guoer was about to ask if they had arrived yet, a thin man walked out from somewhere.

The man's eyes flashed with brilliance as he looked Tang Jingchen and Xiao Guo'er up and down. His sharp voice, which made people's hair stand on end, exploded in Xiao Guo'er's ears, "What are you two gentlemen doing here?"

She frowned unconsciously when she heard it. The sound was too unpleasant, like the sound of a night owl, but the difference was that the pitch was lower, but it was equally creepy.

Tang Jingchen took out a round card and a silver note from his pocket without any hurry, handed them to the man, and then said lightly, "Come to buy some items."

After taking the round card and silver note, the man examined them carefully and returned them to Tang Jingchen. He then opened the mottled and dilapidated vermilion door.

Xiao Guoer was observing silently at the side, vaguely guessing that the silver note was probably for capital verification, and the round card should be a pass to enter and exit the place.

Xiao Guoer followed Tang Jingchen into the low door, but she didn't expect that there was another world inside.

Unlike the cramped environment outside the door, the place inside the door is very spacious. There are two long rows of houses with doors open in sequence and plaques hanging on the doors. At first glance, it seems to be no different from the shops on Yongxing Street, except that there are fewer shops and not that many. There are also very few customers, only two or three people walking around.

After careful observation, Xiao Guoer discovered something very strange: there was no one in these shops, neither clerks nor shopkeepers. There were only rows of goods neatly arranged on the shelves, and the price and name of each item were clearly marked.

Xiao Guoer was stunned. Isn't this just self-service shopping? But there are no surveillance devices like in modern times. What if someone really steals something?

When Tang Jingchen heard Xiao Guoer's question, he smiled and answered her question, "Although there are no guys watching here, no one dares to steal here because no one dares to mess with the owner behind this dark market."

Xiao Guoer blinked her eager eyes and asked sincerely, "Who is it?"

Tang Jingchen shook his head. "It is rumored that this person is from the palace and has great magical powers, but no one knows his true identity."

Xiao Guoer suddenly recalled the man with an unusually unpleasant voice whom she met at the door just now. Could he be a eunuch?

Xiao Guoer secretly confirmed her thoughts. It seemed that the owner of this dark market must be of great importance.

Xiao Guoer's curious heart seemed to be on fire. She looked left and right, wishing she could go into every store to have a good look.

Not only are antique calligraphy and paintings for sale here, but the prices are actually much cheaper than on the market!

Seeing the puzzled look on her face, Tang Jingchen gently explained to her, "Most of these cheap antiques are of shady origin. Some are stolen or robbed, and some may even be burial objects dug out by tomb robbers from ancient tombs. Since they cannot be sold normally in the outside world, they can only be sold to this dark market at a lower price. Of course, some customers will also be wary of these items of unknown origin, so the price is naturally lowered.

After hearing this, Xiao Guoer suddenly realized that the things here were probably those that could not be sold openly, such as stolen goods and poisons.

After Xiao Guoer walked out of the antique shop, she found that there was a jewelry store next door. She immediately walked forward with great interest to admire the dazzling and charming jewelry.

No girl is immune to these things, and Xiaoguoer is no exception.

Just as her eyes were attracted by a bracelet of round, crystal clear cherry-colored jade beads and she was about to pick it up to touch it, she seemed to think of something and withdrew her hand in disappointment.

"Are these jewels also burial objects?" She didn't want to touch the dead's things, it was unlucky!

Tang Jingchen saw the taboo in her eyes, then looked at the bracelet and confirmed her idea, "It's possible."

Xiao Guo'er was a little discouraged, "Forget it, let's go look at other things."

Tang Jingchen did not leave immediately, but looked at the bracelet carefully several times. Only after he was sure that he had it deeply imprinted in his mind did he slowly walk out of the jewelry store.

Xiao Guoer looked at the medicine shop in front of her curiously. It was very different from ordinary medicine shops. There were no common medicinal materials here, but instead, there were rare medicines that were hard to find in the outside world, and even poisons.

On rows of display cabinet-like shelves, she saw familiar drugs, carefully packaged into small packages, neatly arranged, and marked with a high price.

There were also small bottles of poison on the side, including thunbergium, heartbreak grass, triptolide, arsenic, and anxiety medicine. Xiao Guoer was amazed by what she saw. Not only did her horizons broaden and her knowledge increase, but she also felt that this pharmacy had a gloomy and strange atmosphere.

Xiao Guoer took two packets of sleeping pills and hurried out. She had used one packet last time in Fu Qi'an's villa. She felt that the drug was very effective and was really good for self-defense, so she thought of preparing two more packets in case of emergency.

As Xiao Guoer continued to stroll around, he witnessed many wonderful things that he had never seen or heard of before.

After walking around excitedly, she felt that she had satisfied her shopping addiction. Although she did not buy many items, she was still very interested and regarded it as a day trip.

When Xiao Guoer left, she asked Tang Jingchen if he could also give her a round plate that served as an entry and exit permit.

Tang Jingchen took out the sign from his pocket and gave it to her, saying generously, "Take it if you want it, but if you want to come in the future, you'd better call me along."

Xiao Guoer took the round card with great joy, as if she was holding a key to open the door to a new world, and she couldn't let it go.