x
"It's certain that we will arrange it. But..." The fat man hesitated, a hint of embarrassment flickering across his face. "Who exactly attends this black auction? Murderers, robbers, bandits, thieves—anyone with a shadowy past can get in. If Brother Sheng accidentally crosses someone dangerous and gets hurt, it won’t be fair."
Lu Sheng smiled knowingly. "It’s best to keep a low profile, right?"
He understood Zheng Xiangui’s concerns. After all, he didn’t just represent himself—he carried the weight of the Lu family in Jiulian City. If anything happened, the Lu family would come after Zheng Xiangui personally.
"Good that you understand. Brother Sheng, your status is different. If this were anyone else, I wouldn’t be so worried..." Zheng Xiangui sighed deeply.
"I know. Arrange it for me—I must get this item," Lu Sheng said firmly, without a trace of hesitation.
"Alas..." Zheng Xiangui had no choice but to agree.
They carefully confirmed the time for the black auction to begin, and Zheng Xiangui promised to send a special invitation. Lu Sheng took the invitation and left the restaurant.
Outside on the street, vendors pushed wooden carts loaded with powders and rouges, slowly making their way through the crowd.
"Fine rouge and powder, ladies, come and have a look!"
"First-class products, just imported from Zihua City, from the Central Plains!"
"Blush scented with hydrangea—no other store has this!"
Lu Sheng glanced around. This street was well known as the place to buy rouge and powder, popular among women and their families.
The sun was setting, a light drizzle had just dampened the street. The wet ground reflected a faint red glow from the lingering light.
Lu Sheng exhaled slowly. As his breath escaped, it turned white in the cool air before gently fading away.
He glanced back at the restaurant. The setting sun cast the massive shadow of the Goldfish Restaurant across the street.
As the largest restaurant in Jiulian City, it was bustling at this hour. Guests came and went in a constant stream, their voices blending into a noisy hum that filled the air.
Lu Sheng stood in the building’s shadow and looked around. Outside of the restaurant entrance, the rest of the street had grown quiet and sparse.
Vendors, one after another, pushed their gouache carts slowly through the dimming light, drifting like shadows themselves.
As he watched them, a thought crossed his mind—he should buy something small for his second mother and Yiyi. These gouache products weren’t expensive, and the quality seemed good. They’d make thoughtful little gifts.
He strolled a few steps down the street, eyes scanning the vendors, trying to pick one that looked more reliable.
The afternoon light continued to fade. More shops had already closed their doors, and the street became increasingly empty. Only a few pedestrians passed by now and then.
What struck Lu Sheng as odd was that, despite the lack of customers, the gouache vendors still wore smiles and continued calling out loudly.
"Fine colors, delicate texture! Real goods from the Central Plains!"
"Imported Face Powder, authentic Central Plains quality!"
Their voices echoed through the mostly empty street.
Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly but didn’t think much of it. He simply chalked it up to some local quirk or street-selling tradition in this world.
After scanning the street a while longer, he spotted a vendor with a cart painted in light red. A small flagpole was mounted on the cart, fluttering a sign that read: Central Plains Liji Face Powder.
The vendor pushed the cart at a leisurely pace, smiling faintly. He wore a gray cloth shirt and a gray-white melon cap.
"If I remember right, Liji Face Powder is one of the older, more reputable brands from Central Plains..." Lu Sheng thought to himself.
With that, he began walking toward the cart, planning to choose some fine products for his second mother and Yiyi.
The peddler moved forward at an unhurried pace, his cart creaking softly as it rolled along the wet street. A few children played nearby, laughing and chasing one another.
As the cart passed them, it slowly turned down a dim alley cloaked in shadow.
Lu Sheng figured the vendor was getting ready to pack up for the day, so he quickened his pace, preparing to catch up—
"Hey! Brother Sheng!"
A sudden voice called out from behind.
It sounded familiar—someone he knew.
Lu Sheng turned around and spotted a dark-skinned, well-built young scholar striding quickly toward him.
"Lu Junyi?" he muttered, recognizing the man after a moment.
It was Lu Junyi.
Like Lu Sheng, Lu Junyi was one of Jiulian City's well-known rich young men, but he had a bit more fame than most. He had recently passed the county-level exam and earned his scholar's degree, with rumors praising his literary talent.
Lu Sheng didn’t know him well, but he’d remembered the name—partly because of the connection to the famous Liangshan hero from Water Margin.
Lu Junyi hurried over, his face flushed.
"Brother Sheng, help me—please help me!" he blurted out.
Lu Sheng didn’t need to ask why. Lu Junyi had a reputation for gambling. Despite his respectable background, he often fell into debt and went around borrowing money to cover his losses.
With a knowing smile, Lu Sheng reached into his waist pouch and took out ten taels of silver, handing them over without a word.
"How’s your luck today?"
"Not bad, not bad! Hahaha, Brother Sheng, you’re always so generous!"
Grinning from ear to ear, Lu Junyi snatched the silver and dashed off without looking back.
Lu Sheng shook his head. Money meant little to him. The Lu family was wealthy and influential—someone would bring more silver soon enough.
Turning back, he resumed his search for the face powder vendor.
The peddler’s cart had already turned into a nearby alley, with only a small part of it still visible from the street.
He picked up his pace, walking briskly toward the alley and then stepping inside.
"Huh?"
Lu Sheng came to a halt.
The alley was a dead end.
It was completely empty—no cart, no vendor, not even a shadow.
He narrowed his eyes, muscles subtly tensing. Something felt off.
Carefully, he swept his gaze across the alley from one end to the other.
It was no more than a dozen meters long, walled in on both sides by old, grey-black buildings. The end of the alley was sealed by a faded black wall, its surface cracked and patched with age.
Several red-lettered white paper seals were stuck haphazardly across the wall. Under the glow of the setting sun, they looked eerily dim. Some corners had already curled up, barely clinging on.
"No hidden doors... So where did the cart go?"
Lu Sheng retraced the scene in his mind—he was certain. He had seen the peddler push the cart into this alley.
Stepping back out, he looked toward the street again.
The children were still there, laughing and chasing one another just as before.
Dressed in plain, patched clothing, they were clearly from ordinary families—nothing suspicious at first glance.
Lu Sheng smiled, took out a few copper coins from his pocket, and gently stopped a little girl who was running past in a game of tag.
"Little girl, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, brother! What do you want to ask?"
She looked about nine, with rosy cheeks and two neat pigtails. Likely used to playing on the street, she showed no fear of strangers and answered boldly.
"Did you see a Liji gouache cart pass by just now? Did it turn into this alley?"
As he spoke, Lu Sheng tucked two copper coins into her small hand.
The girl grinned instantly.
"I didn’t see any gouache cart. We play here every day. They usually come in the morning, then head over to Antique Street in the afternoon."
"You didn’t see it?"
Lu Sheng was stunned. For a moment, he thought the child might be lying.
Noticing the doubt in his expression, the little girl opened her eyes wide and insisted earnestly:
"I’m telling the truth! There were no carts on the street today. If you don’t believe me, go ask the others—there’s nothing here!"
Just then, a group of other children ran over, chiming in one after another.
"Yeah! My mom came to shop earlier, but none of the carts were here. It’s weird!"
"This brother said he saw a Liji gouache cart!" the girl pointed at Lu Sheng.
"Where? Where is it?"
"I didn’t see anything. This street’s tiny!"
"Brother, maybe you dreamed it, huh? Hehehe..."
The group burst into laughter, their voices echoing through the empty street.
Lu Sheng’s smile slowly faded.
He turned to glance at the Goldfish Restaurant.
Beneath its towering shadow, the restaurant buzzed with life—lights gleaming, dishes clinking, and a steady stream of customers coming and going.
The Goldfish Restaurant buzzed with life—its warmth, clamor, and activity forming a sharp contrast to the silent, desolate street behind him.
"So did you see—"
Lu Sheng turned his head mid-sentence—and froze.
The children were gone.
Completely.
The entire street had fallen into eerie stillness. No pedestrians. No vendors. Not a single trace of the playful group that had just been around him.
The laughter and voices of the children had vanished as if they'd been cut off by a blade. It was unnatural—children that age couldn’t possibly scatter so quietly and all at once.
Lu Sheng frowned. He had trained in the Black Tiger Saber technique and could sense movement as faint as a wolf’s breath in the wind—yet he hadn’t heard them leave.
Unease crept up his spine as he stared at the now-empty street. He shivered involuntarily and turned, walking briskly toward the Goldfish Restaurant.
Papapapapa...
His footsteps echoed sharply across the silent ground. But the closer he got to the restaurant, the more his body warmed—like stepping out of cold fog into sunlight.
Whoosh!!
It was as if he had broken through the surface of water.
Suddenly, the world came alive again.
People filled the street—walking, laughing, brushing past him. Someone bumped into him accidentally and quickly apologized.
A noblewoman stepped down from her carriage nearby, smiling as she was politely welcomed into the restaurant by a servant.
Lu Sheng stood in front of the bustling Goldfish Restaurant and glanced back toward the powder street. Without him noticing, it had filled with life again—crowded, vibrant, noisy. Completely different from the haunting emptiness just moments ago.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and hailed a passing carriage.
"To the Lu residence."
"Alright, hop on!"
The driver snapped the reins, and the thin old horse began trotting forward.
Sitting in the carriage, Lu Sheng leaned back against the seat, eyes narrowing in thought as he recalled what had just happened.
That hawker… those children… none of it had felt right.
Now that he thought back, the smile on the vendor’s face had been frozen—unnaturally still, almost like a painted mask. The more he recalled, the more false it all seemed.
And when he remembered the Xu family’s tragedy, a sense of dread quietly settled over him. Something was stirring. A storm was coming.
"This city is really getting more and more dangerous..." he muttered.
The carriage soon pulled up to the front gate of the Lu family residence.
As soon as the gatekeeper spotted Lu Sheng, he quickly came running over.
"Young Master, you're back!"
The gatekeeper’s surname was Wang. As the eighth son in his family, everyone called him Xiao Ba. Just seventeen years old, clever and attentive, he had inherited his father’s job and now served faithfully at the Lu estate.
He and Lu Sheng were on good terms. Xiao Ba often shared the latest city gossip and rumors—just the sort of thing Lu Sheng enjoyed hearing.
Lu Sheng stepped down from the carriage, handed over the fare, and asked casually,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeU9OVaJ6J
"Is the master home?"
"The master went to the government office again," Xiao Ba replied with a grin. "The prefect summoned him—seems like something urgent."
Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZXzQ9QIDO
"Urgent? What for?"
He had been so caught up in his own matters lately that he hadn’t been paying much attention to what was happening in the mansion.
ns216.73.216.197da2
