Chapter Seventy-Four: Journey to the Black Market

About two hours later, Xiao Ye arrived at the port warehouse with Rat in tow.

He took out a key and unlocked the door, stepping inside.

“Xiao Ye, I never imagined you’d have business here too?” Rat looked around, sizing up the layout of the warehouse, clearly puzzled as to why Xiao Ye had brought him here.

Without a word, Xiao Ye led Rat further in. The wooden crate that had been carelessly placed in the center earlier was already put away by Red Dragon. There was a cellar-like space in this warehouse, just big enough to store the items Red Dragon had confiscated before. Now, the entire underground room was wrapped in a waterproof tarp. After all, this was the port—any equipment left here risked being damaged by the damp.

Before Rat could say anything, Xiao Ye pulled back the tarp, exposing the weapons beneath to the air.

Rat glanced down and his face instantly turned ashen.

“This, this…”

His gaze trembled violently, and even his body began to shake. Although Rat had been part of the underground world for quite some time, he was, at the end of the day, just another face in the crowd—he’d never seen anything like this before.

Instinctively, he wanted to run, but Xiao Ye caught his wrist and held him fast. Rat struggled, but couldn’t budge Xiao Ye in the slightest.

“Xiao Ye, I’m begging you! I really can’t do this kind of thing!” Rat was on the verge of tears. He’d done some shady things before, but those jobs, at least, hadn’t put his life so directly on the line.

Seeing Rat in such a state, Xiao Ye was momentarily speechless. Before he could say anything, Rat dropped to his knees, knocked his forehead to the floor twice, and began pleading for mercy.

“Xiao Ye, for the sake of all the things I’ve done for you, please, let me go this once!”

“What on earth is going through your head?” Before Rat could react, Xiao Ye flicked his forehead sharply.

“I brought you here to watch over the place for me!”

Xiao Ye sighed, somewhat impressed by Rat’s overactive imagination. Clearly, too much time in the underworld had filled his mind with wild scenarios.

Hearing this, Rat’s tearful expression vanished in an instant.

“So you mean… you want me to be the doorman?” Rat scratched his head in confusion.

“That’s right, you could put it that way.” Xiao Ye nodded, then said, “You’ve seen what’s here. From now on, we’re in the same boat. You have to protect these things with your life. One month, fifty thousand.”

He spoke with utmost seriousness, holding up five fingers before Rat’s eyes.

At that, a strange gleam lit up in Rat’s eyes. He scrambled to his feet, excitement written all over his face, and said eagerly, “Don’t worry, Xiao Ye. I’ll guard this place tightly—not even a fly will get in!”

He even attempted a sloppy salute.

Xiao Ye’s face twitched again, and he sighed. In truth, he’d already made up his mind about Rat. In the black market, Rat was a nobody—if Xiao Ye didn’t use him, he might get himself killed somewhere else sooner or later. By giving him shelter and helping him escape his pursuers, Xiao Ye knew Rat would become loyal to him. Besides, Rat had his own connections in the underworld.

Now that he’d returned to Jianghai City and settled matters with the four great families, the next step was to unify the underworld. Only by bringing every uncertain element under his control could he ensure peace.

This had always been Xiao Ye’s way of winning people over—and it had worked well so far.

Rat’s enthusiasm, of course, was mostly thanks to the generous reward—he simply couldn’t refuse.

“You’ll sleep here tonight. If you need anything, let me know and I’ll take care of it. Later, I’ll move you to a different place. But I warn you: nothing can go wrong with what’s stored here—not even the slightest mistake!”

Xiao Ye’s voice was low, a chilling aura rising from him as a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, Rat quickly backed away. Realizing Xiao Ye wasn’t joking, he laughed nervously and scratched his head.

Once everything was settled, Xiao Ye spoke again.

“What about the thing you said you’d prepare yesterday? Where is it?”

“Well, Xiao Ye, I found out where to buy it, but things got a bit messy—and after what just happened, there was nothing I could do,” Rat replied sheepishly.

Xiao Ye couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless—he actually started to miss the days when Red Dragon was by his side. If Red Dragon weren’t off investigating in Jiangnan District, he’d never have asked Rat to handle these matters. Still, Rat had a point; given the skills of those men today, he couldn’t have stopped them alone.

Shutting the warehouse door, the two of them set off together.

…

Rat led Xiao Ye through a dimly lit street. The atmosphere was much like the place Rat had lived before—shadowy figures wandered by in a daze, brushing past them. Xiao Ye frowned; his request hadn’t been much, so why had Rat insisted on coming here?

This was probably his first real taste of the underground world, and the oppressive air made him uneasy.

After trudging through muddy, filthy roads, the black market finally unfolded before them.

This surprised Xiao Ye—in the past, he’d thought the underworld was just a loose collection of rabble with no real power. But faced with the scene before him, he had to reconsider.

Unlike Xiao Ye’s astonishment, Rat seemed completely at home here, moving with practiced ease. He navigated several winding alleys before entering a small shop.

The shop specialized in medicinal herbs, and a heavy fragrance filled the air as soon as they stepped inside.

Only then did Xiao Ye realize what was going on.

“What can I get for you two?” The shopkeeper, a chubby man, greeted them with a grin.

Rat pulled out the prescription Xiao Ye had given him. The boss did a quick calculation.

“Eight hundred thousand.”

Xiao Ye nodded, about to pay, but Rat stopped him.

“Eight hundred thousand? Why don’t you just rob us?” Rat exclaimed, his tone exaggerated as he glared at the shopkeeper.

Both Xiao Ye and the boss were taken aback—they hadn’t expected Rat to react this way.