Just as the whale was about to crash into his forehead, Jin Cengran instinctively leaned back.
Even so, the whale showed no sign of stopping. Just as it was mere centimeters from him, suddenly, a ringtone from a cell phone erupted.
It was as if a mirror had shattered, and the scene before him suddenly fragmented, the whale turned into pieces, instantly dissipating. The starry sky in the painting shifted from dynamic to static, and Jin Cengran came back to his senses.
Looking at the painting on the wall again, it was still just a painting, and the whale remained a whale, quietly residing within the canvas.
Jin Cengran felt a wave of melancholy and stared at the painting for a few more seconds. Noticing no further changes, he then answered the call.
"Brother Jin, it’s me." The voice of Tang Yichen came through the phone.
Jin Cengran: "What’s up?"
"Third Brother and I are going to the black market, do you want to come along?" Tang Yichen got straight to the point of the call.
Jin Cengran raised an eyebrow, "Why the sudden trip to the black market?"
How come everyone is heading to the black market all of a sudden?
Jin Cengran had a video conference later on and didn’t go to the black market. Hence, the ones who went were only Tang Yichen, Su Yunling, and Gu Zhiqi.
The entrance to the Imperial Capital Black Market was right in the city center. To enter the black market, one had to first step into a bar called ’Shadow’. After paying the entry fee, under the guidance of a staff member, they dressed up in disguise. The disguise consisted of caped black robes and black masks.
After the disguise, the trio was led to a teleportation gate. This gate was just like the one at the Ghost Market, and the formation of the gate must have been set by the same person. It was very possible that the power behind the Ghost Market and the black market was the same individual.
Passing through the teleportation gate, they arrived at an underground marketplace, this was the black market.
The bustling scene of the black market was in no way inferior to that of the Yan City Ghost Market, with crowds of people and a constant clamor.
Tang Yichen held a map in his hand, glanced down at it, and then pointed in a direction, "This way. I’ve checked in advance; that Mu Huai has a permanent shop in the black market. It’s at the end of this street, his herb shop."
The three of them stepped forward, heading in the direction Tang Yichen had indicated.
The street was crowded, inevitably leading to jostling.
They hadn’t walked far when a man carrying a sack behind Gu Zhiqi kept muttering, "Make way, make way."
Hurriedly moving forward with his head down.
Gu Zhiqi also heard this familiar voice and instinctively turned back to look.
Just then, the man with the sack came up beside Gu Zhiqi.
Seeing this, Gu Zhiqi immediately stepped aside and then bumped straight into a warm embrace, a arm swiftly wrapping around hers.
Su Yunling placed her arm over Gu Zhiqi’s, encircling her arm through the black cloak, and pulled her a bit closer into her embrace, "It’s crowded, be careful."
Gu Zhiqi no longer cared to look at the man carrying the sack, and tried to move aside, away from Su Yunling, but the crowd was too dense, seemingly leaving no room to maneuver.
Under the mask, Su Yunling’s lips subtly curved up, cradling Gu Zhiqi’s arm, she half-shielded Gu Zhiqi in her arms as they continued forward.
In this manner, no one bumped into Gu Zhiqi anymore.
Gu Zhiqi felt a bit uneasy, but considering the throngs of people, she preferred being held by Su Yunling over brushing shoulders with strangers.
As they moved forward, with time passing, Gu Zhiqi could distinctly feel the warmth emanating from her body, with a hint of a cold yet fragrant scent lingering at the tip of her nose.
This was the first time Gu Zhiqi had been in such close contact with Su Yunling for so long. Initially, it was a tad uncomfortable, and now, it was a billion times more so.