Chapter 12 Black Market

"Chen Ku, I haven't seen you for several days. You went into the mountains with me and grandpa. What are you doing?" After leaving Zhao Bocai's house, he met Li Jiyang.

"Well, the autumn tax is coming soon, and I didn't dare to rest. I was in the mountains for several days in a row, so..." Chen Ku said half-truthfully.

"Autumn taxes..." Li Jiyang sighed for Chen and said, "How about I tell grandpa and lend you some money?"

"No, no, I'll go into the mountains with you today." Chen Ku looked at it as it was still early, and the black market only opened at night, so he couldn't waste time during the day.

After a while, he arrived at the entrance of the village carrying the medicine basket and sickle and looked at Mr. Li who was walking over.

He didn't ask much about Chen Ku. He just stepped forward and patted his shoulder and said, "Speak if you need help."

Chen sighed bitterly.

All he met were good people.

After entering the mountain, it was already noon.

With the various abilities of Xi Quan, Chen Ku soon had a basketful of harvests.

"This is... Polygonum multiflorum? It's at least twenty years old. It's similar to the ginseng last time. It can be sold for four or five taels of silver!"

This trip into the mountains yielded another big harvest.

Suddenly, Chen Ku's dog nose smelled a greasy smell in the air. He had never smelled this kind of smell before, but the smell alone actually made him feel spiritual.

"Is it a treasure grass?"

His heart was pounding.

Immediately follow the smell and walk through the forest.

Unknowingly, we arrived at the riverside.

"This is Crocodile Bay."

When Chen Ku arrived at the river, he realized that he had left the Zheng family forest and arrived at the bend of one of the tributaries of the Sheyu River.

The reason why Crocodile Bay got its name is because there are many crocodiles lurking in the water here. Even the best fishermen will not come here to fish.

Here at Crocodile Bay, the river is more than a hundred meters wide. It has been a receding period recently, and the river surface is two to three meters thinner than usual. A small mound is exposed in the middle of the river. To put it nicely, it is called the island in the center of the river.

Chen Ku's nose twitched and his eyes shone slightly.

"The smell seems to be coming from the "Jiangxin Island" exposed during the receding period. What could it be?"

Just the smell alone can make his dog nose feel so energetic.

You can tell with your toes that it is a precious grass even more precious than the seven ounces of old wild ginseng.

only.

Chen Ku stood on the small cliff on the side of the mountain, looking at the unremarkable water surface, but his forehead felt chilly.

An old man said that there were at least thirty crocodiles under the water of Crocodile Bay.

And his nose and sight can detect it.

There were at least forty or fifty crocodiles under the river, and they were surrounding the small island in the middle of the river, seemingly guarding it.

I'm even more sure that there is something good up there.

"this……"

Chen Ku looked at him with eyes wide open.

"I finally smelled a smell that seemed like treasure grass, but I couldn't get over it."

With his current strength, if he activates the thin dog transformation, although he can explode with a force of 500 kilograms, he will still face at least dozens of crocodiles down there...

This is dangerous.

This time.

It's getting late.

"You can't afford to offend these crocodiles now. Now that you know there may be a treasure grass on the small island in the middle of the river, let's mark this spot first and think of a solution later. This unknown treasure grass must belong to me!"

Chen Ku remembered this place.

On the way back to the mountain, I thought of the ecstasy grass.

"Perhaps, we can use the Ecstasy to make a drug that can kill those crocodiles, but to kill so many crocodiles, one plant of Ecstasy may not be enough, unless we can collect the 'Datura Flower', Both of these are raw materials used to make intoxicating drugs. Together, the two herbs can make a 'Mongolian sweat medicine' that can stun an elephant."

As a herbal collector, I am familiar with the medicinal properties of most herbs.

"But I have never seen a datura flower, nor have I smelled it, unless I find a way to buy it..."

black market!

Two words appeared in Chen Ku's mind.

After following the Li family's grandfather and grandson back to the village, Chen Ku had a simple meal and then waited for darkness.

The existence of the black market exists in any era and in any world. It is a shadow economy hidden under the sun. It mainly focuses on evading tax laws and privately buying and selling some shady things.

According to Zhao Bocai.

Thirty miles away from Snake Fish Town, there is a shady black market in a huge cave called Wuminggou.

Every year, various people go there to conduct private transactions.

After midnight tonight, it will be the ninth day of the seventh lunar month, about one month before the beginning of autumn, and then it will be the day of autumn taxes.

night.

Chen Ku didn't say anything or tell his family. He just secretly carried the precious herbs worth more than a dozen taels into a basket, pulled a piece of rag, covered his face, put on a rainy hat, and headed towards Wuminggou.

Climbing and walking, with his current physical fitness, he doesn't feel any fatigue.

When the moon was high in the sky and the dark clouds were hanging, we finally came to the vicinity of Wuminggou.

But they haven't reached the cave yet.

Suddenly, several owls hooted from around the mountain road.

Chen Ku stood still, knowing that this was a code, so he coughed three times, followed Zhao Bocai's instructions, and said to those around him:

"We are working hard together (brother, it is hard on the road, it must be in the world), I don't have a green child (weapon), and I am not an eagle feather (man of the government), please raise the lantern a little higher (open the door and let me in), come to the hall to pound the door (Come here to make some money and eat).”

There was silence for a moment, and finally a voice spoke: "Throw a pestle."

This meant asking for money, asking Chen Ku to pay the entry fee.

Chen Ku took out 200 Wen from his waist and put it on the roadside. This was the entrance fee. Uncle Zhao said that he would have to pay 500 Wen for the stall fee later.

There are no stalls when entering the market, only entry fees are charged.

Once you set up a stall in the market, you still have to pay the stall fee when you come out.

One out and one in, seven hundred articles.

Therefore, the black market is not accessible to ordinary people.

But, the good thing is, apart from these seven hundred articles, there is nothing else.

Chen Ku threw the money on the side of the road.

I saw a lantern lit up somewhere on the Heiheishan Road.

Then he knew that someone in the black market had given him directions.

After walking over, the lantern went out again, and then the next lantern was lit not far away. Just like this, ten minutes later, we finally arrived at a huge cave.

People were moving around inside, each wearing a bamboo hat and covering his face, like a group of ghosts.

The huge cave is about two to three hundred square meters, but it is spacious from all sides, and everyone can evacuate at any time.

And the most important thing is that there are only four weak torches on the surrounding cave walls, deliberately making it impossible for everyone to see each other's faces clearly.

Chen Ku saw that there were many open spaces where people were setting up stalls, so he found an open space and took out all the herbs in the medicine basket.

Less than ten minutes after it was set up, someone came over.

"Twenty-year-old Polygonum multiflorum and twenty-year-old ginseng are both good medicines. How can they be sold?" A man wearing a bamboo hat and a hoarse voice squatted in front of Chen Ku's stall and smelled the scent of the herbs.

Chen Ku had already known the price in his mind and said: "Five liang of Polygonum multiflorum, five liang of Ginseng."

"Ten taels of silver, I want both." The other party said decisively.

Chen Ku was slightly startled.

Then take a deep breath:

"make a deal."

Bang.

A money bag was thrown directly in front of him.

Chen Ku counted the money in his wallet and looked at the other party taking away his two most precious herbs, feeling a little dazed:

"Is it sold now?"

Next, another man came and packed up all the remaining herbs with two taels of silver.

Chen Ku carries real money that makes people feel at ease.

Take a long breath.

"This is the black market, it's really exciting."

Everything was sold, and Chen Ku also started to think about visiting this black market.

There was no burden on him, so he felt more relaxed when walking around. After walking around, Chen Ku discovered that there were everything for sale in such a small cave.

There are those who sell private salt, those who sell furs, and those who sell herbal medicines and patent medicines.

According to Zhao Bocai, there are even children being trafficked here.

Finally, he found a stall that interested him.

"A person who sells boxing skills?"

Chen Ku squatted down and looked at the dozen or so books on the stall. Martial arts secrets were just put on the ground for sale?

Subconsciously asked:

"Is your boxing technique authentic?"