The two walked down the stairs for about two minutes, gradually hearing the loud shouts and haggling of the market.
After walking over a hundred meters, they exited the passage. Xiao Tian discovered that this underground space was roughly the size of two football fields, filled with shops and stalls.
Most of the stall owners wore cloaks to conceal their figures and faces.
Xiao Tian and the Little Fairy Doctor walked around, eventually stopping at a stall that only displayed two purplish-black scrolls. One was labeled 'Mysterious Mid-Rank: Corrosive Bone Palm' and the other 'Mysterious High-Rank: Poison Vine Strangulation'.
Xiao Tian picked up a scroll and felt it in his hand. After confirming there were no issues, he asked the stall owner in a hoarse voice, "How much for these two?"
An aged voice came from beneath the cloak: "One Mysterious High-Rank combat skill of any attribute, or two Mysterious Mid-Rank ones will also do. Only I have these for sale here — no other place does."
The old man's price was fair, likely because the items were illicit and he was eager to dispose of them quickly.
This wasn't the Chu Yun Empire, so the prices for these kinds of goods were considerably lower. In the Chu Yun Empire, a Mysterious High-Rank combat skill would likely sell for around 400,000 gold coins.
Xiao Tian pondered for a moment, then a green scroll appeared in his hand — the Mysterious High-Rank Mad Lion's Roar he had obtained in the cave. This Dou Technique was useless to him, so he directly tossed it to the stall owner. "Take a look. If there are no problems, I'll take the items."
"You can take the items," the stall owner said with a nod after inspecting the scroll. He quickly put away the Mad Lion's Roar and hurried away.
Xiao Tian brought the two scrolls to the Little Fairy Doctor. "These two Dou Techniques are perfect for you. Their rank is decent enough for you to use in the early stages. We can look for better ones later."
"These two items are quite valuable… too precious. I don't have money to repay you," the Little Fairy Doctor said, waving her hand.
"Our relationship doesn't need to be so clear-cut. You can repay me later," Xiao Tian paused, then added with a smile.
"Then I'll take them for now, and I'll repay you when I have money," the Little Fairy Doctor accepted the two scrolls, put them into her storage ring, and said with a simple, grateful expression.
It must be said that anything could be found in this black market. Most of the items were illicit goods. After walking around for a while, they didn't see any other Dou Techniques suitable for the Little Fairy Doctor. Xiao Tian spent about eighty to ninety thousand gold coins buying many medicinal herbs and some poisons.
Seeing Xiao Tian spend so much money without hesitation, the Little Fairy Doctor couldn't help but marvel at his wealth.
"We've finished exploring here, and we've bought most of what we needed. Let's go out," Xiao Tian said to her.
"Mmm, okay," the Little Fairy Doctor nodded. She always silently supported Xiao Tian's arrangements and had no objections.
There were many exits. They chose a random passage and walked for about three minutes before pushing open a door and stepping out.
Walking on a secluded street, the Little Fairy Doctor leaned close to Xiao Tian and whispered, "Is someone following us?"
"Yes. They've been following us since we bought the Dou Techniques. Just a few small fries — you can practice on them later," Xiao Tian said indifferently.
Hearing this, the Little Fairy Doctor nervously moved closer to him again. "What's their strength?"
"Just one Great Dou Master and two Dou Masters. They think they can commit robbery with that strength," Xiao Tian said with a faint smile.
Hearing the strength of their pursuers and thinking of Xiao Tian's power, the Little Fairy Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.
As they reached a dark corner, the three pursuers finally couldn't hold back and jumped out. All three wore cloaks, their faces obscured. The leading Great Dou Master said coldly, "Gentlemen, the path ahead is blocked. If you want to pass, leave your storage rings behind, and I might consider giving you a complete corpse."
Xiao Tian looked at the three with an expressionless face and directly raised his hand, unleashing a burst of Dou Qi. The slash flew straight toward the leader.
The leader sensed a fatal danger and quickly summoned a Dou Qi armor to cover his chest and arms. He crossed his arms to block Xiao Tian's Dou Qi slash.
Xiao Tian's slash directly hit his hands, instantly shattering the Dou Qi armor, then flashed past him, striking the wall behind with a loud bang before dissipating.
A gust of wind blew, and the leader — a Great Dou Master — was directly split in half diagonally from the chest.
"Big Brother!" The other two Dou Masters cried out in grief as they saw their leader instantly killed.
Xiao Tian casually unleashed another burst of energy, piercing straight through the forehead of one of the four-star Dou Masters, who then fell backward lifelessly.
The remaining two-star Dou Master, Zhou San, seeing the deaths of his two companions, instantly collapsed to the ground, his face ashen. He quickly knelt and begged for mercy: "M-My lord, spare my life! If you spare me, I will be your slave and servant, at your command!"
"What right does a mere Dou Master like you have to be my servant? I can give you a chance to live — as long as you defeat her, you can live," Xiao Tian said, pointing at the Little Fairy Doctor.
The Little Fairy Doctor knew Xiao Tian was doing this to train her, so she stood quietly to the side, ready for battle.
Zhou San wasn't foolish. He knew he was as good as dead, but driven by the desire to survive, he stood up and attacked the Little Fairy Doctor.
Seeing the opponent charging, the Little Fairy Doctor directly extended her hand and met Zhou San's palm.
The two continuously exchanged blows. At first, the Little Fairy Doctor lacked much actual combat experience and could only constantly dodge.
During the fight, she gradually accumulated experience and improved rapidly.
Zhou San, on the other hand, was constantly corroded by the Little Fairy Doctor's poisonous Dou Qi. His movement speed became slower and slower, and his mental state gradually became more sluggish.
The Little Fairy Doctor directly unleashed a poisonous mist. A purple poisonous mist continuously spread outward. Zhou San tried to dodge, but his speed wasn't fast enough, and he was enveloped within the mist.
Inside the mist, visibility was reduced to less than three meters.
The Little Fairy Doctor's figure, hidden within the poisonous mist, quietly approached. Before Zhou San could react, she struck him with a palm to his back, sending his entire body flying.
After falling to the ground, Zhou San died from a shattered heart.
Xiao Tian looked at Zhou San's purplish face, which still carried an expression of eternal grievance. He used his abnormal flame to burn him and his companions to ashes, so they would have company in the afterlife.
Xiao Tian came to the Little Fairy Doctor's side, clapped his hands, and said, "Not bad. You've improved greatly. Once you cultivate those two Dou Techniques, your strength will become even greater. What you lack now is just practical combat experience."
Seeing Xiao Tian praise her, the Little Fairy Doctor immediately beamed with joy.
The Little Fairy Doctor had always lived in the dog-eat-dog environment of Qingshan Town, so killing was commonplace for her and caused no discomfort. Moreover, these three people had already harbored malicious intentions, so killing them carried no burden.
"Let's go. The commotion here is too big — the city guards will probably be here soon," Xiao Tian said, holding the Little Fairy Doctor's hand as they walked away