Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

In May, following Chen Li’s instructions, Gossip hurried to Nanjiang and found Peng Anmin, who was lying low there.

After the two met, they wasted no time and immediately set about carrying out Chen Li’s orders.

However, the situation wasn’t quite what they expected.

The Hidden Emperor Castle, once the largest Black Market in Jiangzhou, was now long deserted.

Fortunately, the two quickly heard news of a new Black Market, the Netherworld Ship, and managed to find a way to get on board.

The first time they boarded, the two only brought a small amount of Opium Paste as a sample. They blended in with the numerous merchants and set up an inconspicuous little stall in a quiet corner.

The appearance of the Opium Paste instantly caused quite a stir.

After all, this stuff had rarely been sold openly in the Black Market in recent years.

Every day, all sorts of people gathered at their temporary stall, whispering inquiries with greed in their eyes.

However, when Gossip or Peng Anmin revealed their terms—"We have tens of thousands of boxes, sold only as a single batch, not individually"—almost everyone who came to inquire, no matter how eager they seemed at first, would instantly fall silent. Then, with a dry laugh or a shake of the head, they would quickly turn and leave.

The reaction was just as they’d expected.

A single box of high-grade Opium Paste could easily sell for over a hundred taels of silver on the Black Market.

Even when sold in bulk with the price cut in half—fifty taels a box—eighty thousand boxes would still amount to a massive sum of four million taels of silver.

Even if the price were pushed down further, it would still be a deal worth two or three million taels.

Across all of Jiangzhou, the factions that could produce such a huge amount of silver at once, dared to take on such a quantity of contraband, and had the channels to offload it could be counted on one hand.

Gossip and Peng Anmin, however, were patient.

They boarded the ship from time to time, displayed their samples, and quietly waited for a big fish to bite.

Gradually, some more cautious customers began to appear. After stopping briefly at the stall, they would pass messages to the duo using secret words or signs, expressing their willingness to discuss the details in private and offering all sorts of generous terms.

The two refused them all, their attitude firm.

The deal would only be discussed on the Netherworld Ship.

The price would only be negotiated here.

Off this ship, it was off the table.

They knew perfectly well that with their level of Cultivation, if they stepped off the ship and revealed the location of the goods or their true identities, they would be devoured in an instant, leaving not even a trace behind.

Besides, Chen Li had given no further instructions. How could they dare to act on their own?

However, they had already been targeted.

After one of the usual Black Market sessions ended, the small boat that picked them up did not head for the shore they had come from. Instead, it changed direction and entered the depths of a denser reed marsh with a complex network of waterways.

After many twists and turns, it finally approached an ordinary, even somewhat dilapidated, canal boat.

The two were "invited" into the cabin, passed through a hidden door, and entered a small, secret chamber.

Only a single oil lamp was lit in the secret chamber, its light dim and yellow.

A man was already waiting inside.

He wore a wide, black conical hat that hid most of his face, revealing only a hideous scar on his jaw that ran from the base of his ear to the corner of his mouth.

Two sheathless daggers were crossed at his waist, their blades dark and dull. On his back, he carried a long saber wrapped in gray cloth.

He got straight to the point. "The goods. I’ve seen them. The quality is good. I can help you distribute what you have. I’ll take a thirty percent cut of the profit from each box."

Gossip’s heart tightened. "I haven’t had the honor of learning your name..."

"Li Sanli."

The man made no effort to hide his identity. "The Tuo Long Bang is currently under my management. As for the Netherworld Ship... I also have a stake in it, so I have some say in things."

He continued, "With the Tuo Long Bang’s channels, selling tens of thousands of boxes is no problem, even if there were more. This could be a long-term business. As long as you have a steady supply, I can get the goods where they need to go."

Peng Anmin and Gossip exchanged a look, both of them horrified.

The two could only brace themselves and explain that the matter was too important. They were just runners who couldn’t make the final decision; they needed to consult their boss.

"Fine."

Li Sanli stared at them for a few moments, then agreed with surprising readiness. "I’ll give you time. But my patience is limited."

After being sent back to shore, the two realized that they were no match for Li Sanli on their own.

After conferring, the two decided to leave Nanjiang overnight to find Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin.

Since both of them were under Chen Li’s Evil Suppressing Seal, when Gossip invoked Chen Li’s name, they had no choice but to obey, however unwilling they might be.

They thought that with two Divine Hall Grandmasters by their side, they would finally have some leverage.

Unexpectedly, Li Sanli’s methods were even harder to guard against.

He had already planted a tracking mark on both Gossip and Peng Anmin.

The two had just settled down in Nanjiang when Li Sanli appeared once more. "So, what have you decided?"

With Feng and Hua for backup, Peng Anmin braced himself and stated their bottom line: "Master Li, our boss only wants silver, and the goods must be cleared out all at once. If you can take all eighty thousand boxes, we can discuss the price further. But if you’re just looking to be a middleman and take a cut without any investment, then please, feel free. We’ll find another buyer."

Li Sanli listened quietly, glanced at Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin, and actually nodded. "If that’s the case, to each their own. I won’t insist. Even if the deal is off, the goodwill remains. Take care of yourselves."

With that, he said no more, turned, and left with his men. His departure was clean and decisive.

Seeing this, Peng Anmin and Gossip let out a long sigh of relief. They were even secretly glad, thinking their opponent had backed down in the face of difficulty and that the matter might be over.

However, they had greatly underestimated the temptation that eighty thousand boxes of Opium Paste posed to the major factions of Jiangzhou, and they had also underestimated Li Sanli’s ruthlessness and cunning.

Li Sanli had not given up.