Chapter 092 – Making Room - Part 2
Once he finished his noodles, Li Yuan went to bathe. The spring nights were still chilly, but his body was strong enough that he wore just a loose robe afterward. Under the lantern glow in the rear courtyard, he spread out a piece of leather and a map.
A red lantern swayed in the breeze, casting enough light to read by. He studied the leather map he’d taken from Ruan Ah-Fei, recalling what Senior Li had told him back in the black market.
Senior Li knew every shady dealing out there. The moment he saw the leather map, he recognized its origin. It was a so-called ghost market map, also known as a fence’s den map. It was traded among only the shadiest circles.
Compared to a black market, which still operated in towns or counties, the so-called ghost market was always out in the wild.
Items there were so illicit they couldn’t even be sold on a regular black market—bloodstained, stolen goods of every kind.
Sellers were often dangerous fugitives, hiding from bounties or embroiled in bizarre conflicts. They needed resources and money but couldn’t trade in the open, which was why they operated in the ghost market.
Even a ghost market needed someone in charge. Someone had to hold down the fort, much like Senior Li did at the black market. But these gatekeepers had to be fearsome enough to maintain order among ruthless criminals. Otherwise, one or two bloody brawls and the whole market would collapse.
To enter the ghost market, you needed a pass, and that pass was this map. The date marked on it showed when the market would be held. Of the seven red dots scattered across the map, only one was the real gathering spot. The rest were decoys. Even if someone else got hold of the map, they wouldn’t know which location was genuine.
When the market ended, participants would receive a new map—another ticket for the next gathering.
Now, with both the leather fragment and a rough regional chart Xue Ning had purchased from a merchant caravan, Li Yuan carefully studied each of the seven red dots, cross-referencing them one by one.