Ye Muchun didn't stand on ceremony, taking the badge and heading straight out.
Wanwu City was home to countless eccentric individuals with strange talents; he was going to find a diviner to verify if this item truly belonged to Night-Stalker and whether the man was actually dead.
He returned about half an hour later, his face flushed with excitement.
Yin Yang calmly extended his right hand. Ye Muchun knew it was time to settle the bill.
He took a key from around his neck—this was the key to the Hidden Vault.
Then, he clapped his hands. A woman in a cheongsam brought over a small tray holding three items.
The Corpse-Binder Umbilical Cord, the Focus Eye, and the 【Accident Pen】!
Yin Yang activated his Perception. After confirming everything was in order, he gave a casual wave, and the three items vanished, leaving only the Hidden Vault key outside.
This was one of the characteristics of the Hidden Vault; it could not be stored within another dimensional space.
Of course, that was only what Yin Yang allowed Ye Muchun to see.
If he wanted to, he could just as easily store the Hidden Vault key inside the lantern-carrying ghost's book box.
"Settled."
Yin Yang grabbed the key and headed for the exit.
Ye Muchun called out hastily.
"Sir, if you ever have need of me in the future, please don't hesitate to find me in Wanwu City."
Yin Yang gave a non-committal grunt and didn't look back.
Seeing this, Ye Muchun let out a sigh. There was no harm in maintaining a connection with an organization that could take down a Demigod so easily. Who knew when it might come in handy?
Once outside, Yin Yang tucked away the Hidden Vault key and began browsing the shops one by one, searching for altar materials.
The process was unexpectedly smooth, though the prices were significantly higher.
"Safe travels, sir. We look forward to your next visit."
"Are you sure I can't exchange the freebies for cash?"
"No."
"How about I sell them back to you at forty percent off?"
"Safe travels."
Yin Yang sighed, thinking to himself that freebies really weren't worth much if they wouldn't even buy them back at a discount.
With the materials gathered, he wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, he went to browse the stalls.
After all, with 【Perception】 and 【Communion】, he was well-equipped for finding a hidden gem.
The items on the stalls were bizarre and varied. Yin Yang did a full circuit and realized that finding a true hidden gem was no easy task.
He even spotted several ordinary objects that emitted a faint transcendent aura. These were clearly 'bait' prepared by the owners specifically to lure in those looking for a lucky find.
Fortunately, Yin Yang had 【Communion】. Otherwise, he might have had to pay for a hard-earned lesson.
Still, as long as one looked long enough, there were bound to be gains.
At that moment, he spotted something decent.
"Boss, how much for this bead?"
Yin Yang pointed to a corner of the stall where a red bead the size of a quail egg sat.
"Hmm? You have a good eye, young man!"
The owner was entirely shrouded in a black robe, his voice slightly raspy.
"This is good stuff. How do you plan to use it?"
Yin Yang pulled a string of small-leaf red sandalwood beads from his pocket. These were the 'freebies' from when he had found the 【Berserker's Wisdom Tooth】.
Unfortunately, the tooth had been transformed into a Gall to trick Qi Xiangyang, and he hadn't had time to retrieve it during his escape.
"Oh, I thought it looked pretty. I was thinking of drilling a hole in it to use as an accessory. By the way, can you drill holes here?"
Upon hearing this, the owner's interest immediately waned.
He had thought a sucker had walked up and he could fleece them for a high price, but it turned out to be just some curio collector.
"Can't drill holes."
"Oh. Then how much for the bead?"
"One gold note."
Yin Yang stood up and started to walk away. The movement was so smooth it looked as if he had only crouched down to tie a shoelace.
"Hey, hey, hey! Let's talk! If the price is too high, you can at least make a counteroffer!"
"One hundred."
"Deal."
The owner didn't waste a single word, agreeing instantly.
Yin Yang turned back and handed over a hundred-yuan bill. The owner grumbled about him getting a massive bargain while handing over the bead.
"I found this in an ancient mine. It was naturally round. Selling it to you for a hundred... I'm really struggling to let it go."
Yin Yang took the bead and said, "You can't eat it or drink it. A hundred is plenty. I just liked the color and thought it'd make a nice accessory."
He pocketed the bead and walked away immediately.
He had to leave; if he stayed any longer, he was afraid he'd burst out laughing.
At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at how comfortable it was to use those two abilities for finding a hidden gem!
While the bead wasn't a transcendent item, it was a transcendent material!
This particular material was unique; it only emitted a transcendent aura when it came into contact with a specific potion.
Otherwise, it just looked like a pretty stone.
Its name was the Fire Plum Stone, named for its flame-like color and plum-like shape.
It had many uses, such as being a material for promotion potions or transcendent items.
But Yin Yang's favorite use for it was... making bombs!
With this, Yin Yang could create bombs even more powerful than the ones he used against the Qi family.
Whether for offense or cleaning up a scene, it was excellent stuff.
Satisfied with his haul, Yin Yang returned to the warehouse in Meng City, opened the Hidden Vault, and began setting up the altar.
It took him an entire day to finish the construction. During the process, he tested it out—inserting the key into the ground could open the Hidden Vault and instantly deploy the altar.
Just as he had envisioned, this item had a high degree of compatibility with him and would significantly boost his combat strength.
By the time Yin Yang returned to the flower shop, the sky was already dark.
Canned Food was sitting at the shop entrance wearing its sunglasses, its tail held high.
"Meow~"
"Yeah, it's done. Have you said your goodbyes to your subordinates?"
"Meow~"
"Very good. I've gathered all the potion materials. We'll head out tomorrow morning to find a place with plenty of rituals to perform. We'll increase our strength and strive to reach Sequence 7 as soon as possible."
"Meow~"
"Yes. I need to get stronger quickly to take back the things that were originally mine."
Yin Yang opened the shop door and turned on the lights. Just as he was about to rest, he heard footsteps outside.
"B—Boss."
Yin Yang turned to see Wang Nan running toward him, out of breath.
He didn't know how far she had run, but her face was flushed and beads of sweat were visible on her forehead.
Wang Nan leaned against the doorframe to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she spoke.
"I saw your shop wasn't open during the day. Did something happen?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. I had a small matter to take care of today."
"I—I see."
"What about you? Why are you running over here so late at night? Is something wrong?"
Wang Nan looked around nervously before her gaze finally landed on Canned Food.
"I... I was worried about Canned Food."
"I saw Canned Food during the day, and your door was closed. I was afraid it wouldn't have a place to stay tonight, so I came to check."
Yin Yang had a look of sudden realization.
"I see. My Canned Food really is popular."
Hearing its name, Canned Food walked over from Yin Yang's feet and let out a meow at Wang Nan, as if thanking her.
Yin Yang looked at the dark sky and then back at Wang Nan.
"Did you come here alone?"
"Yes."
"It's not safe to walk the streets alone at night. Let me walk you home."
Wang Nan's face turned even redder at his words.
"O—Okay."
Yin Yang turned back and waved at Canned Food.
"Canned Food, watch the shop."
"Meow~"
Rate on N.U.
