What Zhao Shuning heard next truly left her in awe.
Zhao Huai was discovered in the Dark Swamp by Kong Ye and an elder during their patrol. That young man was extremely talented and powerful.
Wherever he went, all spiritual beasts would retreat in fear. Not a single one dared to approach him.
The strange phenomenon caused by the young man caught the attention of the elder flying above and Kong Ye.
To avoid any accidents, they forcibly took Zhao Huai back to the sect. At first, due to improper handling, Zhao Huai had many conflicts with the elders and disciples of the sect.
Later, when things were about to get out of control, the Emperor Venerable came and easily calmed down the almost crazy young man.
Zhao Huai's temperament returned to normal. And with the daily care of the sect, he found a new way to rise.
Zhao Huai heard that there was a valley about five hundred miles away from Chang'an. That valley was extremely mysterious and strange. Few people who entered it ever came out alive.
A direct disciple of a great elder in the sect had returned alive from the Magic Valley, and his cultivation had greatly increased.
Zhao Huai once went to find that young man named Lan Anran, but the young man was arrogant and thought Zhao Huai was just an ordinary junior, so he didn't say much to him.
Zhao Huai was a gentle and modest gentleman, so he didn't force Lan Anran to say anything.
After returning to his room, he looked up all the books about the Magic Valley. Later, there were still many things he didn't understand, so he decided to go to the valley himself.
"Everyone knows that there are countless treasures in the Magic Valley. It is said that the mount of the former female emperor Ye Ling was also found in that valley," the storyteller said.
Hearing her own name suddenly, Zhao Shuning was a bit distracted.
This? They must be referring to the phoenix as her mount. But the phoenix wasn't found by her. It was a gift from her master.
It seemed that the storyteller's words were not entirely reliable, as most of them contained unfounded rumors.
The storyteller continued, "According to an insider, this young man Zhao Huai wanted to make a name for himself in Chang'an. To do so, he needed connections and resources."
"As for connections, you know that people from the sect are respected everywhere in the Eastern Swamp Wilderness. But Zhao Huai was too proud to make friends with other disciples."
Zhao Shuning nodded. Indeed, when her brother was in the Zhao family, even though Zhao Xiangxiang was the daughter of the second uncle, he never showed her a single smile.
Sometimes, Zhao Huai was like the warm sun, making people feel comfortable. Other times, he was like the ice of a thousand years, making it difficult for people to get close to him.
"So, this young man set his sights on the Magic Valley. At first, not many people paid attention when he went in, because he had only been in the sect for a short time."
"But less than a month later, the young man came out of the valley unharmed. There wasn't even a bit of mud on his clothes."
Her brother often wore white clothes. Even if he got mud on himself, based on Zhao Shuning's understanding of him, he would definitely change into clean clothes before leaving the valley.
After Zhao Huai came out of the Magic Valley, many things changed.
He took the things he got from the valley to the black market to sell. As soon as those treasures appeared, many nobles rushed to buy them, and the price of the spiritual stones kept rising.
In the end, the transaction price was incredibly high.
Even so, because of their rarity, many nobles still didn't get what they wanted.
After getting enough spiritual stones, Zhao Huai started to implement his own plan. As for what this plan was, the storyteller couldn't say for the time being.
Or rather, Zhao Huai's plan was so well - hidden that so far, no news had leaked out. So none of them knew what would happen next.
While the storyteller was telling this story, there was a young man in white sitting in the VIP section on the fifth floor. At this moment, there was no change on the young man's face. His fingers gently tapped on the table. This action was exactly the same as what Zhao Shuning would subconsciously do.
The capital city of Chang'an was really a place full of talents.
It was almost impossible to do something quietly.
Once Zhao Huai came out of the Magic Valley safely, it was destined that his name would spread throughout the Eastern Swamp Wilderness.
Zhao Shuning was sitting in a secluded corner on the second floor, stunned by the storyteller's words.
Then, as if she had thought of something, she picked up the teapot, drank all the water in it, and then quickly ran towards the door.
At the same time, the young man in white on the top floor seemed to sense something and looked towards the door. But he only saw a green figure and nothing else.
He withdrew his gaze and regarded the uneasiness in his heart just now as an illusion.
The reason why Zhao Shuning ran out so quickly was because of the word "black market" that the old man had mentioned.
The black market was full of blood and unrest.
Zhao Shuning wasn't afraid of these things. Moreover, for her now, she wanted to get rid of some of the pills in her hand quickly and exchange them for spiritual stones in the black market to pay the fees.
Zhao Shuning originally wanted to go directly to Zhao Huai, but before she arrived in Chang'an, she had already inquired about the current rules of the sect.
To enter the sect, besides being an alchemist, one also needed a certain qualification.
Either have extremely good talent or enough spiritual stones.
Zhao Shuning knew very well that her current achievements were all due to her own efforts. She was different from Zhao Huai. Zhao Huai's talent was much higher than hers.
So, it was definitely not feasible to take this path.
Previously, Zhao Shuning had been at a loss. But the old storyteller's words woke her up.
She was an alchemist and had made many pills.
If she wanted to quickly obtain enough spiritual stones, the black market was the only way.
When Zhao Shuning excitedly arrived at the black market, it was already evening.
In the evening, the sun set, and the streets of Chang'an gradually became dark.
But for the black market, it was just a new beginning.
The entire black market was shrouded in the night. Zhao Shuning took a deep breath and was about to step into the black market.
Even when she was the female emperor, she had heard of the black market.
The black market was full of blood and killing. The people who came here were either wealthy merchants and nobles, high - level spiritual herb masters, or alchemists.
This place was strange, dark, and full of unfairness.
But for those who wanted to take an unconventional approach, the black market was the best and fastest shortcut to achieve what they wanted.