Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 102: Chapter 91: Black Market Observations! Fishing Enforcement!_2

The first stall owner selling a four-stone bow.

He slowly walked over and spoke directly:

”Custom weapons, what’s the price?”

The stall owner’s attitude remained the same as before—unenthusiastic, with few words.

”State your requirements. First, pay a twenty percent deposit; pay the balance when the weapon is ready.”

The stall owner gave Gu Sheng a brief glance, and then his eyes lingered on the bow behind Gu Sheng for a moment.

Gu Sheng frowned slightly.

Twenty percent deposit—neither high nor low. He slowly took out a blueprint, which depicted two types of arrows.

”These two types of arrows, ten pieces each.”

The stall owner’s eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment. He accepted the blueprint and couldn’t help but take another look at Gu Sheng.

The blueprint depicted:

One type of arrowhead was slender, shaped like a crossblade, clearly designed to deliver high armor-piercing damage. The other type had a large arrowhead with barbed edges and blood grooves, which looked extremely vicious.

Both were specifically noted to require arrow shafts of extreme toughness.

Clearly, these were not arrows that a regular person could use. Outside the black market, no one would dare accept such an order, which was why Gu Sheng chose to come here.

These were based on the armor-piercing arrows and heavy arrows from his memories of a previous life.

The former excelled at piercing armor, especially when paired with first-level penetration arrow techniques—it would be impossible for a Refining Skin martial artist to block. The latter lacked armor-piercing effectiveness but had greater lethality, reducing the enemy’s combat efficiency significantly even when avoiding vital areas.

After pondering for a moment, seemingly considering the difficulty of crafting them, the stall owner finally said:

”One tael of silver per arrow. Four taels of silver as the deposit. Pick up your order in three days.”

”Alright.”

Gu Sheng didn’t ask stupid questions like ”what if you run off with the deposit.” Since he chose to customize weapons on the black market, he naturally accepted a certain level of risk. Four taels of silver were still within a reasonable margin.

Moreover,

After observing the stall owner’s setup, it was clear he had a fairly stable presence and wouldn’t ruin his name for a few taels of silver.

”What about switching bows? What’s the strongest bow you have?”

”This one—a six-stone bow. Anything stronger needs custom ordering and would be quite costly.” Perhaps because Gu Sheng had ordered arrows, the stall owner spoke slightly more than usual.

Gu Sheng slowly nodded.

The six-stone bow was close to the limit for Jade Skin Realm martial artists. Beyond this point, archery techniques become less effective against same-level martial artists because their sensory abilities significantly improve—unless one masters advanced arrow techniques.

”Do you buy back bows?” Gu Sheng gestured at the four-stone bow behind him.

”Add eight taels of silver for a trade-in with the six-stone bow.”

Gu Sheng couldn’t help but click his tongue—six-stone bows were nearly double the value of four-stone bows!

Without hesitation, he chose to make the trade.

In all likelihood, he wouldn’t need to upgrade his bow for a long time. After entering the Blood Refining Realm, archery techniques would gradually fail to keep pace. It would remain useful against low-level martial artists, but higher-level ones were not so easily targeted.

He handed over twelve taels of silver—the deal was done.

Gu Sheng ran his fingers across the string of the six-stone bow, a glimmer of joy flashing in his eyes. Such a formidable bow was not something the average person could wield—it required immense strength and exceptional mastery of archery techniques.

He sensed that the subtle attention previously fixated on him had dissipated significantly.

Black-market frequenters aren’t fools—they know to pick out soft targets.

After a few visits, Gu Sheng had learned that first-time black market visitors were easily identifiable. Their involuntary tension and heightened sensitivity to their surroundings made them stand apart from seasoned regulars.

During his first visit, Gu Sheng had been followed and attacked.

Weapons secured.

Gu Sheng walked toward his main target for this trip—the Blood Nourishing Powder!

There were only two or three vendors in the black market selling high-grade medicinal powders like Blood Nourishing Powder. It was rare for independent sellers to offer such goods, and even then, it would only be a few scattered portions.

Gu Sheng arrived at a familiar stall.

A large banner displayed a prominent ”Ge” character.

Clearly,

This was a stall under the domain of Pill Master Ge Qing.

Just like the stall previously used for selling Body Refining Ointment on behalf of Pill Master Ge Qing, the vendor here had revealed his true face: a plump middle-aged man dressed in a scholar’s robe rather than black garb.

When Gu Sheng paused in front of the stall, the vendor smiled and said:

”Please feel free to browse, sir. Pill Master Ge Qing’s products are guaranteed to be top-quality. Blood Nourishing Powder is priced at five taels of silver per portion. If you need specialized pills crafted, you can also request Master Ge’s services.”

Requesting Pill Master Ge Qing’s alchemy services?

Gu Sheng’s heart stirred.

But for now, he had no such need—he simply noted it down in his mind.

He picked up a portion of Blood Nourishing Powder and sniffed it lightly—a faint, alluring fragrance wafted through the air.

”I’ll take ten portions of Blood Nourishing Powder.”

Gu Sheng lowered his voice.

Ten portions would suffice for now. He planned to experiment and assess the results before coming back for more. Buying too many at once could draw unwanted attention.

The vendor’s eyes instantly gleamed.

”Got it!”

He packed ten portions of Blood Nourishing Powder into a small black pouch and handed it to Gu Sheng. Gu Sheng took out fifty taels of silver and handed it over without asking further questions.

Regular black-market patrons knew that stalls under Pill Master Ge Qing had a fixed presence here and were reasonably trustworthy. Only newcomers were overly cautious, even at reliable stalls.

Gu Sheng had exposed himself as a first-time customer on his initial visit—buying Body Refining Ointment—due to not understanding this unwritten rule, leading to unwanted attention.

After securing the Blood Nourishing Powder,

The few lingering gazes all disappeared. Gu Sheng chuckled inwardly—everyone knew the kinds of specialists who needed Blood Nourishing Powder.