Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the small boat, gazing at the misty and hazy lake surface, and said: "May I ask, sir, what is your name?"

  The old man in the green shirt who was rowing the boat looked at Zhang Ruochen with a smile and said, "My surname is He, everyone calls me Old Man He."

  "Mr. He seems to be quite familiar with the City of Lava," Zhang Ruochen said.

  The old man in the green shirt smiled and said: "A boat that has been running on Hidden Mist Lake for a lifetime, doing business back and forth to Fire City, how could it not be familiar?"

  Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "You boatmen in Fire City should also be a sect."

  The old man in the green shirt said, "Sir, you have insight. Our Qinghu Alliance may not be ranked in the entire Yunwu Prefecture, but it controls the entrance and exit of the entire Dihu City, with a total of six docks and 530 ships. In Dihu City, apart from Zhuque Tower, Difu Gate, Heitu Hall, and Duizhu Business Association, our Qinghu Alliance is the largest."

  Zhang Ruochen's voice was faint as he said, "The Gate of Hell also has a branch in the City of Fire."

  The old man in the green shirt thought Zhang Ruocheng wanted to go to the Netherworld Gate to hire an assassin, so he didn't think much of it and said: "The Netherworld Gate and the Poisonous Spider Merchant Association are indeed powerful dragons in the black market. Their influence is not limited to Dihuo City, nor does it stop at Yunwu Prefecture. It's said that the business of the Netherworld Gate and the Poisonous Spider Merchant Association has spread throughout all 36 prefectures of Tianmo Ridge."

  The black market is an alternative market composed of various small organizations united together, specializing in some shady underground transactions.

  There is always a dark side to human nature, so black markets have existed since ancient times.

  However, the forces in the black market are also divided into various levels.

  For example, the forces of Di Fu Men and Du Zhu Shang Hui are spread throughout the 36 counties of Tian Mo Ridge, belonging to the highest level of power.

  The power of Zhuque Tower covers nine counties in Lingxi and belongs to a second-class force.

  The power of Hei Hu Tang covers Yun Wu Prefecture, and is considered a third-tier force.

  The power of Qinghu Alliance is limited to the area around Dihuicheng, so it belongs to a fourth-tier force.

  Of course, in the Fire City, the Nether Gate and the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild were just branches, while the foundation of the Qing Hu Alliance was here.

  Even if the dragon is strong, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a match for the snake that rules the land.

  "Bang"

  Suddenly, from the distant surface of the water, came the sound of a war drum.

  The drumbeat continued to sound, getting louder and louder, with a huge voice that shook the entire water surface into continuous rolling.

  After a moment, a red iron giant ship over 70 meters long came rushing from afar, stirring up waves tens of meters high and making a "whooshing" sound, as if it had the momentum to swallow mountains and rivers.

  It's just like a mobile steel fortress.

  On the giant ship, stood a group of warriors wearing purple robes and black pants, all of whom were exceptionally spirited and by no means ordinary. They grasped black long spears in their hands, with eyes as sharp as swords, incomparably stronger than those rabble from the Black Tiger Hall.

  "Red Spider Giant Ship"

  The old man in the green shirt changed his face and immediately urged his true energy to row the boat quickly and retreat continuously.

  Zhang Ruochen saw the fear in the old man's eyes and was somewhat curious, asking: "What kind of people are they? As far as I know, even the imperial court of Yunwu Commandery doesn't have such powerful warships."

  That warship was indeed powerful, and the hull was engraved with dense array patterns. It can be imagined that if the protective ship's large array is activated, it will definitely burst out with extremely strong power, no weaker than a city-protecting large array.

  The old man in the green shirt said, "The imperial court of Yunwu Prefecture can't even build a Red Spider Giant Ship. That's a warship of the Poisonous Spider Merchant Association, and there are only two of them in the entire Yunwu Prefecture. The power of the Red Spider Giant Ship is stronger than that of a ninth-grade True Martial Treasure."

  "Thirty years ago, the previous king of Yunwu County, Zhang Xianyi, in order to destroy one of the Red Spider's giant ships, personally brought the national treasure, the Nine-Stage True Martial Treasure, Taoyan Halberd, and led an army of 100,000 to battle against the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild in the waters of Yunjiang under the command of a Tianji Realm expert."

  "As a result of that battle, Zhang Xianyi suffered a disastrous defeat. His army of 100,000 was almost completely annihilated, and he himself was severely injured. He escaped back to the imperial city, but died in the palace just half a year later. The Red Spider giant ship's power was so great that even the strongest warriors from Tianji couldn't withstand it, showing just how terrifying its combat strength was."

  Zhang Xianyi was the father of Yunwu County King and also the grandfather of Zhang Ruochen, who was a legendary martial artist in the Tianji realm thirty years ago.

  If he hadn't died, he would probably be the number one strongman in Yunwu County now.

  Zhang Ruochen stared at the majestic warship, on which stood a group of gigantic beasts, including the Flame Tiger with flames all over its body and the Ice Armor Lion emitting blue light.

  At the same time, a large number of slaves in tattered clothes stood on the deck, with iron chains on their hands and feet. There were both powerful men and delicate beautiful women, as well as some inferior slaves.

  Male slaves, female slaves, and eunuch slaves were divided into different areas.

  The old man in the green shirt said, "Those are poisonous spider merchant association's slaves brought to the Fire City. These slaves will soon be sent from the Fire City to various small black markets in the southeastern part of Yunwu County. Some become war slaves for large families, some become playthings on the beds of the rich, and those low-ranking slaves who have not cultivated true energy and are not good-looking are likely to be sent into the mines to dig."

  Zhang Ruochen's gaze, however, was fixed in another direction, at the cabin on the Red Spider Giant Ship, from which a powerful aura was emanating, making Zhang Ruochen feel extremely endangered.

  "It seems that a big shot from the Poison Spider Merchant Guild has arrived in Earthfire City. This has made Earthfire City even more lively, I wonder what other characters will come over."

  The old man in the green shirt said, "A big shot from the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild has arrived, probably for the four students of the Wushu Academy. It's said that one of them has a very impressive background and will definitely be sold at a high price."

  Zhang Ruochen was somewhat curious and asked: "What's the big deal?"

  The old man in the green robe smiled slightly, but remained silent.

  Zhang Ruochen pulled out a handful of silver coins and stuffed them into the old man's hand in a green shirt.

  The old man in the green shirt picked up the silver coin, and a smile immediately appeared on his face. "That inner palace student is said to be the princess of a certain upper-class county, not only is she extremely beautiful, but her cultivation is also very high. After being caught, she was detained at the Poisonous Spider Merchant Association. The Poisonous Spider Merchant Association did not dare to act rashly against her, and naturally had to notify the higher-ups."

  Zhang Ruochen's face slightly solidified, the top-ranking county lord of a superior county, in the entire Wu City Imperial Academy, only Huang Yanchen was also a top-ranking county lord of a superior county.

  If what the old man in the green robe said is true, then it must be her.

  How did it end up like this?

  Because Zhang Ruochen was wearing a metal mask, the old man in green did not see Zhang Ruochen's expression change and continued: "The Poisonous Spider Merchant Association has grasped that princess, it is equivalent to grasping a money tree, and is not afraid of Wushang Academy and that superior county state being uncooperative."

  Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh, silently lamenting that the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild was a force in the black market and would not be intimidated by the Wushang Academy or the Qianshui Prefecture.

  Of course, if Huang Yanchen was really being held captive in the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild, then the people of the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild would definitely not make a move on her for the time being. After all, the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild was a force that did business, and having control over the young mistress of a superior county was equivalent to having control over a valuable commodity.

  No matter what price they open with, King Qian Shui will definitely compromise.

  "What terrible news, hopefully it's just a rumor." Zhang Ruochen let out a soft sigh.

  At this moment, on the surface of the Red Spider giant ship, high-ranking figures from the Poisonous Spider Chamber of Commerce gathered together to discuss the matter of that superior county's lord.

  An old man in purple clothes laughed and said, "I really didn't expect that the Dust Duchess of Qian Shui Prefecture would be caught in Huo Yue City. This is a valuable treasure, at least we should ask the King of Qian Shui Prefecture for 100 million silver coins."

  "A hundred million silver coins, Elder Xue, you also look down on the Kingdom of Qian Shui too much. Even if we want a billion silver coins, the King of Qian Shui will definitely give them to us." Hua Ming Gong said with a smile.

  Hua Ming Gong is the overall person in charge of the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild in Yunwu Prefecture, with a cultivation level that has reached the Tianji boundary. He is many times stronger than Tie Bao, the master of the Black Tiger Hall, and is also one of the top three figures in the entire black market of Yunwu Prefecture.

  Huaming said: "Not only Qian Shui Prefecture, but also Yunwu Prefecture, we must extort a lot from them."

  On the seat, a young man wearing a golden silk robe sat with a sharp curved knife in his hand, smiling eerily: "I heard that the Smoke Dust County's princess is engaged to the 9th prince of Yunwu County, and she's as beautiful as a flower, stunning the whole nation. I really want to go see her right now."

  Hua Ming gazed at the young man, his face turned solemn, and said: "Qing Shan, any other woman, you want as many as you want, I can give you as many as you want. But that one, Yun Chen County's young mistress, you must not touch her. She is the one who can bring our Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild immense wealth. If you mess things up, I will never forgive you."

  Hua Qing Shan, the only son of Hua Ming Gong, was exceptionally talented and his martial arts skills surpassed many older generation masters. However, he had a weakness - women.

  Hua Ming Gong was very aware of his son's temperament, so he had no choice but to make it clear to him the serious consequences involved.

  If the Smoke and Dust County Master really had an accident, it would not only fail to exchange for a huge fortune with the Thousand Waters County King, but would also infuriate the Thousand Waters County King, bringing a great disaster to the Poisonous Spider Merchant Association.

  "Got it." Hua Qing Shan's mouth curled up in a sly and evil smile.

  He thought his father was too timid, the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild was a major force in the black market, and had the protection of the black market. Even if they offended the Qian Shui Prefecture, could the Qian Shui Prefecture really destroy the Poisonous Spider Merchant Guild?