Zhan Kong was still occupied by the strange discovery at Dongting Lake after he went to bed, overwhelmed with fatigue.

He was dying to know if it the demonized Mo Fan was responsible for it. If so, it would mean that he was still alive, but how did he manage to retain rational thought? Why was he killing the Giant Lizards endlessly?

Failing to get any peaceful sleep, Zhan Kong woke up early in the morning and summoned his old comrade. He was planning to have him investigate Dongting Lake with a few men.

"Commander, Zhang Xiaohou left the army before daybreak. Judging from the things he has taken, it seems like he has planned to leave for quite a long time," the old comrade said.

"That stupid kid!" Zhan Kong cursed.

"Should I send someone after him? He shouldn't be too far away. Leaving without permission is a serious offense," his old friend said.

"Help him fill in the document saying that he's out on a mission, and take the chop in my room and sign it on my behalf. He might be dumb, but he's a good sapling," Zhan Kong sighed.

"Yes, sir."

"The demon wolves have been restless recently. I'll have to deal with them first. Send a letter to the headquarters in Biyi. Qiu Xin is my Senior Brother. He will know how to deal with the strange phenomenon at Dongting Lake. By the way, if you see that idiot Zhang Xiaohou along the way, have someone drag him back here. I don't want him to die in the wild," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Affirmative, I'll do it right away."

------

Biyi City, Zhang Xiaohou, who had dressed up like a hunter, stopped a passerby and asked about the location of the trading marketplace.

"Do you know if any place here is selling Soul Essence?" Zhang Xiaohou lifted his cap, revealing his eyes.

"Of course, where do you think this is? Biyi City, the closest fortress to Dongting Lake. You can even describe it as a city established right outside the demon beasts' den. Both the military and the hunters are always fighting against the demon beasts from Dongting Lake. The number of the Giant Lizard's corpses every month is enough to wrap around the Earth's perimeter twice. Soul Essence might be rare still, but there's definitely someone selling it, almost every day. Some of them are still fresh too," the man explained.

"Alright, thanks for the tip." Zhang Xiaohou nodded.

"Kid, I see that you're looking for Soul Essence? I do have a source here. If you're keen, I can give you a good discount. After all, once the Soul Essence is sold at the marketplace, the price will be marked up further," the man said.

"Are you serious?" Zhang Xiaohou blurted out with joy. He was so lucky to grab someone selling Soul Essence right away, as expected of Biyi City. Normally, Soul Essence would only be found at auctions in smaller cities.

"Of course, but do you have the money?" the man asked.

"Yes, I definitely have enough. I have nine million here..."

"Nine… nine million?" The man was startled. He revalued the kid who seemed honest and upright with a first glance.

"That's right. I was planning to buy three, but I heard that even an ordinary Soul Essence would cost at least three to four million. Those that are slightly better are around five million each...I only have nine million, which is all I have after selling my equipment. Is it possible for you to sell me three for three million each?" Zhang Xiaohou asked.

It took the man some time to collect his thoughts. He did not expect an ordinary, humble looking man like Zhang Xiaohou to have so much money on him!

"Three...three it is then. It's not the best price, but since you seem to be in a hurry, I'll try contacting the seller for you," the man said.

"Thank you. By the way, what should I call you?" Zhang Xiaohou said.

"I… err, calling me Da Jin is fine."

"Alright, thanks, Brother Da Jin! You have quite some connections! I don't think three Soul Essences is easy to get."

"No doubt about that, HAHAHA!" the man burst out laughing.

------

Zhang Xiaohou followed Da Jin to a magic shop. The plate hanging above was completely covered in dust.

Apart from the magic marketplace and auctions, there were also private magic shops. Most of the items in these magic shops were acquired from Magicians whom the owner personally knew. Their prices would be slightly cheaper than the marketplace and auctions. Many hunters liked to try their luck at shops like this, as the sellers would not necessarily know the true values of the items being sold. Besides, it was easier to negotiate the price.

Da Jin wore a smile as he brought the customer to the magic shop. He asked him to wait at the lobby at the front.

The shop did not have any customers. It looked rather deserted, although the shelves were decorated with magical items and equipment, and some magic ores.

Da Jin proceeded to the back of the store and discussed things with the owner, whose weight had almost reached two hundred kilos.

"Sell him those fake Soul Essences you bought after spending more than two hundred thousand. Judging from his looks, I don't think he's able to tell the difference. Besides, even if he does… hehe!" Da Jin whispered.

"It doesn't even help if he were to call the people of the Magic Association here. We'll just blame him for not handling the Soul Essences appropriately, resulting in the leak of energy. It's not our problem either, HAHAHA!" The plump owner burst into laughter too, before adding, "Make sure you bring all the stupid outsiders you've bumped into to me."

"No worries, not a problem. We're so familiar with one another."

The owner went to take out the three fake Soul Essences after a brief discussion.

The fake Soul Essences were still Soul Essences, but because of the inappropriate collecting method or the lack of a suitable container, they had lost the majority of their energy. They were still usable, but their effects were far from the real Soul Essences. The marketplace usually would not sell them, but that was not the case for magic shops.

"I've got the stuff here. Show us your money. Our shop is quite small. It would be troublesome if you lied to us and took the stuff without paying us," the plump owner said arrogantly.

"The money is on this diamond card."

"Diamond card? Is this the one you can withdraw money from at the Magic Association or the Hunter Union without a password?" Da Jin squinted.

The diamond card was usually used for big transactions people would not want tied to their identities. It was similar to cheques, and it was the best method to do illegal trading, too!

"Take the stuff, I'll see if the card is real." the owner said.

Zhang Xiaohou did not overthink it. He handed him the diamond card so he could verify it, while he received the three containers with the Soul Essences and began inspecting them.

However, as soon as he directed his will into them, he immediately discovered something wrong.

"Something isn't right with the Soul Essences!" Zhang Xiaohou said with a frown.

"What do you mean? You didn't handle them correctly, so their energy has leaked out." The plump owner exclaimed with a surprised look.

"Give me back my diamond card." Zhang Xiaohou handed the three containers back.

"What diamond card? Don't you know the rules of trading in magic shops? The buyer would always verify the validity of the item before paying the money. Why would I take your card before you've checked the item?" the owner said.

Zhang Xiaohou pulled a long face.

They had teamed up to set him up!

Both the owner and Da Jin were wearing an evil grin. A man like Da Jin who had spent a great time dealing with different kinds of people could easily tell that this kid was a novice. However, he never thought he would be so rich. Speaking of a big fish.

It was pretty difficult to stumble into someone who could be so easily tricked nowadays!