Pursuit of the Truth
chapter-24

When he felt someone coming towards him, the old man opened his eyes and looked at Su Ming. There was a hint of shock in his eyes but after he looked at him carefully, he closed his eyes again.

Su Ming eyed a blue object placed on the hide. The object was shaped like a plate. The edges were sharp but there were a few cracks on it. There was even a deep cut like the object had been pierced through.

It laid quietly on the mat but would let out a faint glow occasionally. Anyone who saw it would have thought that it was alive.

The cracks seemed to form a drawing. It was the drawing of a terrifying face and it was frightening to look at.

"This is an incomplete Berserker Vessel. You won’t be able to afford it." As Su Ming was looking at it, he heard an old and wizened voice. Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the old man, who spoke.

"Berserker Vessel?" Su Ming sucked in a breath. He had suspected it. He had read about it before in the beast skin scrolls. Berserker Vessels were extremely rare items. Only the powerful Berserkers in the Transcendence Realm could obtain and make one. As for the people in the Blood Solidification Realm, it was difficult for them to obtain it. Even if they had one, it was usually an inheritance within the tribe. There also had to be people in the tribe who were capable of guarding the vessel from being taken away by Berserkers in the Transcendence Realm.

"This vessel is already broken. You can’t use it. But since it was made by a Berserker in the Transcendence realm, it’ll be for 1,000 stone coins." The old man spoke slowly.

As Su Ming stared at the blue plate, his gaze was filled with longing and envy. He only had 5 coins with him so, he could not afford it.

He sighed. Su Ming looked at the blue plate again and left reluctantly.

‘I wonder when I’ll ever own my very own Berserker Vessel… ‘

Su Ming thought as he wandered through the square. There were a lot of people who opened up shop by selling items on hides. However, even after Su Ming went around the place, he did not see anyone else selling Berserker Vessels.

He did however find some Cloud Gauze Grass being sold. Just that, it was sold by different people. The price for one was rather expensive. Just one alone was sold at the price of one stone coin, which was the same price as Dark Dragon’s Saliva.

It was beginning to grow dark. The sun was setting in the sky and the light cast a red glow on land. Yet, there were even more people gathered at the square and it continued to bustle with activity.

As he looked at the sky, Su Ming decided to continue walking around. He even went into one of the tents. The tent was also a shop. The price for each item was expensive but at least the quality of each could be guaranteed. There were quite a lot of people going in and out of the tents.

As Su Ming watched, he saw some members of the Berserker Tribe who were the same as him. They were also carrying baskets on their backs as they went into the tents to sell the contents within to the tent owners.

When Su Ming saw this, he smiled. He had been observing since noon and he saw a lot of things. After he pieced up all the details he obtained, he understood most of the rules there.

As the sky darkened almost completely and torches were lit around the square, Su Ming went to a corner where the light did not shine.

He looked at his surroundings carefully before quickly putting down his basket. He wrapped the hides on the basket around his body and put on all the other hides he had prepared in the basket. Finally, he brought out a black beast skin that looked like a robe and wore it, covering up his whole body.

Su Ming’s face could no longer be seen. From the size of his body, he looked swollen. He looked completely different from his frail self.

He shook his limbs slightly, then he wrapped the beast skins even tighter around himself. Su Ming took a look at the basket. There was still one more thing in the basket. It was something he prepared specifically for this trip. It was heavy but it had its uses.

He swung the basket over his back and lowered his head. He stopped after taking a few steps forward. Then he hunched his back. He then quickly walked towards a tent he had chosen a while ago.

The light in the tent was dark. Since noon, the people who went into this tent were mostly like Su Ming. They hid their faces so that no one could recognize them.

It may have been Su Ming’s first time at the square but he had been observing the proceedings since noon. As such, he had already understood most of the rules of the square. He did not immediately enter the tent he chose. Instead, he paced about outside the tent for a while as he looked at the tent occasionally.

Before long, a person dressed in a similar fashion as Su Ming came out from the tent and left the square in a hurry.

Su Ming had seen a lot of people like this since noon. He was somewhat certain that once he left, no one would chase after him. He opened the flap and went into the then empty tent quickly without any hesitation.

Once he entered the tent, he felt a gaze fall upon him. The person looking at him was a middle aged man. He was half nude and sitting cross-legged. There was a bonfire before him. As it lit up the tent, it crackled as it burned.

One of the man’s eyes was empty but the other gave off a sharp glint. He was watching Su Ming closely without a word.

"The fire is quite dazzling." Since Su Ming was covered up by hides, he was not worried about the man seeing his face. He also spoke slowly with a hoarse voice and it was completely different compared to his normal one.

The one-eyed man looked at Su Ming for a while before looking away. He felt no Qi from Su Ming and he did not look any different from the rest who came.

He may not have felt Qi from Su Ming but, one who could enter the tent and seem so familiar with the rules could not have been just any person.

He raised his right hand and pressed it on the bonfire. The bonfire immediately grew dimmer. The light from the bonfire became darker as well.

"Take it out. If it’s good stuff, I’ll give you a fair price." The man put out his right hand and spoke slowly.

Su Ming scrutinized the man behind the hides that hid his face. Then all of a sudden, he laughed. His laughter was also hoarse as it echoed in the tent. It made the man frown.

Just as he frowned, Su Ming raised his right hand. Immediately, a round object was thrown at the man as a medicinal scent spread in the air. The man caught it in his hands. When he saw it, his right eye shone brilliantly as he took in a sharp breath.

"How much does this thing cost?" Su Ming spoke hoarsely.

"What is this? Where did you get it? What are the effects of this thing?" The man stared at the object in his hand for a while before looking at Su Ming seriously. A flash of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

"When I was on the way to the square, I saw this beast." Su Ming did not answer his question but chose to talk about something else. As he spoke, he put down the basket and grabbed something inside with his right hand. Immediately, the basket shook and Su Ming took out a mink raccoon that was tied up before placing it on the floor.

The mink raccoon looked listless but there was a fierce glare within its eyes. There were wounds on its body that had not healed. It also could not escape as it was tied up.

The man was stunned. It was clear that he did not know what Su Ming meant. His gaze fell on the mink raccoon for a while but he quickly looked away. It was just a normal beast. There was nothing about it that required his attention.

"I just caught it on a whim. Look, it’s still alive…" Su Ming’s voice was slow and hoarse. Nonetheless, it sounded odd in the dim tent.

"What are you saying?"

The man frowned.

"I’m saying that it’s still alive. Do you know why I caught it? Because it was too curious. It had been following me for too long…" Su Ming raised his left hand and caressed the beast. However, just as his hands swept through the wounds on the mink raccoon’s body, it shivered!

There were no cries, no screams. There was only a brief shudder before the mink raccoon’s body turned into red mist as if its blood was burned. As the man looked at the scene dumbfounded, the mink raccoon’s entire body disappeared. Only a pile of red and black bones were left behind.

"Now, it’s dead…" Su Ming touched the pile of bones with his left hand and the bones immediately turned into dust which scattered on the ground.

The man took a sharp breath and retreated a few steps instinctively. There was shock and fear in his eye, which could not be concealed. After a moment, he once again turned towards Su Ming with fear and respect.

"Fallen Berserker…"

"Hmm?" Su Ming snorted.

The man shivered and was about to explain himself when Su Ming waved his hand as though he was growing impatient.

"Tell me how much that thing in your hands is worth! The effect of the item is simple. It will increase the effects of all the herbs you take while you train by one fold! As for the other question… you’re too curious for your own good." Su Ming spoke slowly.

The man’s face grew pale. What he saw earlier shocked him. He did not even feel any Qi circulating from the person’s body. Nevertheless, the beast turned into red mist right before his eyes.

"This thing…" The man took a moment to think as he looked at the round medicinal object in his hand.

"Sir, I’ve never seen this thing before in my life… This is…" The man spoke hesitantly. He never spoke this way to his normal customers but due to the shock of what he just saw, he did not dare offend the person before him.

"You can try it out right now. If there are no effects, I’ll leave. But if you can feel the effects, we can negotiate the price." Su Ming spoke calmly and slowly as he sat down.

The man breathed out a sigh of relief and agreed to Su Ming’s terms respectfully. He took out a bell from his bosom and shook it lightly. Immediately, the ringing of the bell filled the tent.

There was an indescribable look in Su Ming’s eyes. He stole a glance at the bell and he tightened his left hand, which he kept hidden within the robe. There was still a bit of Scattering Blood Powder left in his left hand.