Chapter 176 - 175: Ghost Market

Chapter 176: Chapter 175: Ghost Market

The city was perfectly clear, but once they left the urban area, the suburbs were blanketed in a vast expanse of white fog. Visibility was less than two meters.

Huo Xingye was driving very slowly. "Dad, did we take a wrong turn?"

Huo Yunjing, his eyes half-closed, replied, "We’re on the right path. Ghosts have a distinct sense for the Ghost Market. It ensures that every ghost soul wandering the Mortal World has a chance to attend."

"The Ghost Market is the underworld’s grandest annual event. It’s always a lively affair," Gu Qingyin added. "I came here once when I was little. There were lots of fun things. I wonder if it’s changed much after all these years."

Huo Yunjing seemed a bit dazed upon hearing that. ’Why do I feel like I’ve been to the Ghost Market before? But I was suppressed not long after I became a ghost.’

The car passed through the dense fog and stopped by a stone bridge. On the other side of the bridge lay an ancient, picturesque town.

Against the pitch-black night, specks of orange light dotted the entire town, making it even more beautiful than some internet-famous tourist spots.

"This is the Ghost Market?!" Huo Xingchen couldn’t believe his eyes. "This is completely different from what I imagined!"

Gu Qingyin got out of the car and asked casually, "And what did you imagine it would be like?"

Huo Xingchen followed her out of the car, staring at the scene before him and rambling, "Gloomy and terrifying, with dismembered ghosts missing hands, feet, and heads everywhere. The things for sale would be bizarre, poisonous, cursed, and full of Evil Qi..."

"Well, you’re not wrong," Gu Qingyin explained. "A long time ago, the Ghost Market was indeed much like you imagined. It was chaotic back then. Whether you were a ghost or a Heavenly Master, a trip here was a life-or-death gamble."

"Later, I heard the Underworld sent people to rectify it. It took several years to establish a basic framework, and after a long period of development, it became what it is today."

Huo Xingchen had a sudden realization. "So that’s why! Does that mean the Ghost Market is an official event now?"

"More or less."

Before they entered, Gu Qingyin checked the ropes on Huo Xingye’s and Huo Xingchen’s wrists one more time, inspected the concealment talisman on the camera, and then tirelessly repeated her instructions.

"Don’t wander off, and don’t ask random questions. The paths are complex and not fixed; you might turn a corner and find a solid wall when you look back. If you see anything you’re curious about or don’t understand, you can ask me quietly. Don’t talk to other ghosts casually. It’s easy to expose your identity and be taken away."

Gu Qingyin’s expression was grave. "Although the Ghost Market has become much less hostile to Heavenly Masters after the reforms, there are still plenty who hate Heavenly Masters and humans. The safest thing to do is not to expose ourselves."

Huo Xingye and Huo Xingchen listened with rapt attention.

Finally, Gu Qingyin took three masks from her shoulder bag, and the mother and sons each put one on.

"These masks have been treated. They can effectively block the auras of both the living and the dead, preventing us from being discovered while also keeping us from inhaling too much Yin Qi, which would harm our bodies."

With all preparations complete, Gu Qingyin led her sons onto the stone bridge. After a few steps, she turned her head in confusion, looking back at Huo Yunjing, who was standing at the head of the bridge, gazing at the Ghost Market.

"Yun Jing? What are you looking at?"

Huo Yunjing was suddenly snapped back to reality. He shook his head and started to follow them.

Gu Qingyin watched him with suspicion.

Huo Yunjing walked over and took her hand, whispering, "We’ll talk when we get home."

After crossing the stone bridge, they saw a large, three-meter-high stone with three words written on it in a dark, scrawled script: Fengdu Ghost Market.

When Huo Xingye saw those words, he paused for a moment. ’The writing looks a little familiar...’

"This handwriting looks a bit like yours," Gu Qingyin suddenly said, patting Huo Yunjing’s arm.

Huo Xingye had a flash of insight. So that’s it, it looked like his dad’s handwriting.

Huo Yunjing was dazed as well, and a vision even appeared before his eyes.

A tall man in a wide-sleeved black robe stood before the stone plinth, carving several large characters into it with the longsword in his hand.

When Gu Qingyin got no response, she couldn’t help but turn to look at him, only to find him lost in thought.

Her suspicion grew even stronger.

The Ghost Market was even more bustling than they had expected. The ghosts coming and going were all very particular—clean, tidy, and perfectly human-like in appearance. Some ghosts were even wearing Daoist robes.

It wasn’t just Huo Xingye and Huo Xingchen; even Gu Qingyin was dumbfounded.

’What’s the deal? Is it trendy in the Ghost Realm to cosplay as your arch-nemesis now?’

Huo Xingchen quietly sidled up to his mom and whispered, "Are we a little too conspicuous?"

Gu Qingyin looked down at the black Tang suit she was wearing, then at her two sons in their black T-shirts and jeans.

Indeed, they were so ordinary that it made them stand out.

But when she turned and saw that Huo Yunjing, a ghost, was also dressed normally in a black shirt and black trousers, Gu Qingyin felt relieved. She said in a low voice, "Don’t worry about how we’re dressed. Just pretend we’re regular tourists here to see the sights."

Huo Xingchen nodded, looking as if he’d just learned a valuable lesson.

The streets were lined with all sorts of strange and wonderful shops selling talking skull masks, unique Ghost Realm-spliced pets, and exceptionally beautiful flowers that fed exclusively on souls...

Besides these strange items, there were also some more conventional goods, like a special kind of vermillion.

Normal vermillion used for drawing talismans and setting up Arrays can harm ghosts and monsters, but the effect of this special vermillion was the exact opposite. The talismans and Arrays drawn with it were greatly beneficial to them.

This type of vermillion was one of the reasons Gu Qingyin had come to the Ghost Market.

Of course, you couldn’t use RMB to buy things in the Ghost Market, nor could you use the spirit money that living people imagined. In fact, all the spirit money and gold and silver ingots that living people burn every year are considered trash in the Ghost Realm.

Fortunately, the Ghost Realm was big enough. The Underworld even assigned people specifically to deal with these items. This has continued to the present day, and now the Ghost Realm’s Spirit Money Mountain and Yuanbao Mountain have become famous scenic spots.

The circulating currency in the Ghost Realm is Yin Department Paper, the only official currency recognized by the Underworld. Its denominations are similar to RMB, lacking the hundreds of billions or trillions often seen on spirit money.

Half a month before the Ghost Market opened, Gu Qingyin had gone to the Mystic Association to exchange a large sum of money for Yin Department Paper. The exchange rate was 1:6—one RMB for six Yin Department Paper.

It was more than enough to cover tonight’s expenses.

Gu Qingyin was here on a shopping trip. She had even cleared out her shoulder bag, making plenty of room for her spoils.

Thirty kilograms of special vermillion—enough to last until the next Ghost Market. Ten special calligraphy brushes—she probably wouldn’t go through ten in a year, but they were cheap, so it didn’t hurt to stock up.

As they ventured deeper, Huo Xingchen spotted a stalk of bamboo. The shopkeeper said it was Thunder Bamboo. If he took it home and cared for it, it would grow bamboo shoots that, when eaten, could purify impurities from the body and enhance one’s cultivation talent.

Huo Xingchen was incredibly tempted. ’If I eat these bamboo shoots, will my Yin Yang Eye evolve?’

But the Thunder Bamboo was a bit expensive. A single forearm-length stalk cost twenty thousand Yin Department Paper, and there was no guarantee it would even survive.

Huo Xingchen hesitated for a long moment, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "I’ll take five!" ’Out of five, at least one of them has to survive, right?’

Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing had just been watching leisurely. After all, every year at the Ghost Market, some greenhorn would get scammed. It wasn’t a bad thing to learn a lesson the hard way.

But who would have thought their silly son wouldn’t be satisfied with just one and would ask for five at once! It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it; it was just that losing that much money to a scam was a bit too embarrassing!

Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing exchanged a look. The moment Huo Xingchen was about to pay, they each grabbed one of their foolish son’s arms and dragged him away.

The shopkeeper reached out reluctantly. "Do you still want them? I can give you a discount!"

Huo Xingye said calmly, "Sorry, we don’t want them anymore."

The shopkeeper, having lost his rich, gullible customer: ...Sigh!