Chapter 42: Chapter 40 Midnight Ghost Market! 1
Translator: 549690339 —
“The Ghost Market opens on the 15th of each month? There are two more days until the 15th of this month, I shall wait a while.”
After leaving Ginseng Town, Su Changkong pondered to himself; he was determined to make a trip to the Ghost Market to see if he could sell the crossbows he had made.
Two days passed in a blink, and Su Changkong had asked for leave from Director Liu in advance. The next morning, he went straight to Yan Song to inform him of the location of the Ghost Market.
Su Changkong didn’t rush on his journey. By the time he reached the desolate mountain where the Ghost Market was located, it was already evening.
At this moment, Su Changkong had disguised himself. He wore black clothes, a black scarf to cover his face, and every part of him was securely enwrapped. Not only that, but he also wore a red ghost face mask that he had bought from a small stall.
It wasn’t that Su Changkong was being overly cautious; the Ghost Market was a place of mixed repute, and those who knew the location were not simple characters. If someone with ill intentions set their sights on him, it would be troublesome; naturally, he had to be prepared!
The full moon hung high, its light casting an even more silent and desolate scene over the mountain ahead.
Su Changkong took a deep breath and stepped into the wilderness of the mountain.
“Someone’s here.”
He hadn’t gone more than a hundred meters before Su Changkong sensed people ahead. In the wild woods, there were carts being pulled by laborers, and each cart driver wore a mask, some with pig faces and some with doll faces, appearing quite eerie.
“Do you have an invitation?”
Someone noticed Su Changkong’s approach, and a cart driver asked him in a hoarse voice.
Without saying a word, Su Changkong simply took out the token Yan Song had given him and showed it.
“Get on.” The cart driver glanced at it and then gestured for Su Changkong to board the cart.
Su Changkong did not hesitate. He sat on the wooden cart, and the driver then pulled the cart, taking him deeper into the wild forest.
Along the way, Su Changkong saw other passengers being transported by cart. Clearly, like him, they were guests who had come to visit the Ghost Market, and nearly everyone had disguised their identity and face.
“We’ve arrived.”
The cart driver’s voice rang out by Su Changkong’s ear. He looked up to see a village ahead with flickering lights, the location of the Ghost Market within the Clearwater City region.
Though it was called the Ghost Market, from the outside, it looked like nothing more than a long-abandoned mountain village, utterly dilapidated, and indeed giving off a deathly vibe.
Su Changkong got off the cart and made his way to the entrance of the Ghost Market.
Inside the Ghost Market, Su Changkong saw scattered pedestrians wandering the streets, their faces obscured by black veils or masked, many of them speaking to stall owners in hushed tones, while casting wary, surreptitious glances around, looking quite sneaky.
As Su Changkong walked around the streets, he saw that many were selling items that were difficult to find elsewhere.
“Toxin extracted from the poison pouch of Red Blood Frogs, perfect for envenoming weapons. If cut, wounds will not close, causing death through bleeding. For sale at too silver taels a jar.”
Su Changkong saw small jars displayed on a stall, with signs beside them describing the features and prices of the goods for sale. A silent figure in black sat behind the stall, wordless.
Ruptured Body Strengthening Pills, upon consumption, can forcibly elevate an Internal Strength Martial Artist at peak to the Divine Strength Realm, but there are certain side effects. Priced at 300 silver taels each.”
Su Changkong also saw a gaunt man in black selling Pill Medicine. The effects of the pills seemed incredibly exaggerated; by consuming the Ruptured Body Strengthening Pills, an Internal Strength Martial Artist had the chance to forcefully enter the Divine Strength Realm, but the so-called ‘certain side effects’ were likely nonsense. It was possible that taking these pills could result in immediate death!
Otherwise, a pill capable of creating a Divine Strength Realm Martial Artist would never be sold for just several hundred silver taels.
In this Ghost Market, there was no guarantee of quality for the items sold. If swindled, one could only blame their own lack of discernment!
After walking around, Su Changkong did indeed find plenty of rare and desirable items that were not commonly seen outside, but they were expensive, and with no quality assurance, Su Changkong didn’t have the money to buy them.
Afterward, Su Changkong imitated the other stall owners and set up his own stall on the side of the street. He took out the three crossbows he carried in his basket and placed them on the ground. He then sat down, waiting for customers to approach.
Is this… a crossbow? How much for one?”
Soon, a customer wearing a rhinoceros mask stopped in front of Su Changkong’s stall. He took a close look before asking in a hoarse voice.
“80 taels.”
Su Changkong lowered his voice, announcing the price of the crossbow.
An 80-tael crossbow was undoubtedly exorbitantly priced, dozens of times more expensive than ordinary swords, and the actual cost to make a crossbow was only about one or two taels of silver.
The man in the rhinoceros mask shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to leave. He was just inquiring-if the price had been very, very cheap, he would have been interested, but Su Changkong’s asking price far exceeded his expectations.
Su Changkong didn’t mind; the night was still young, and he believed that patience would pay off eventually.
As time ticked by, four or five customers inquired about the price from Su Changkong, but upon hearing his quote, they all left in silence without even attempting to bargain.
After all, crossbows are contraband, like armor, and cannot be carried openly as swords can be in public. One careless move could bring disaster upon oneself!
“Someone’s got their eyes on me…”
Under the mask and the black veil, Su Changkong’s face was expressionless. He could feel several eyes intermittently watching him, and it seemed he had been targeted.
Moreover, other customers in the Ghost Market noticed this as well; those who wanted to inquire about the price of the crossbows, not wanting to attract trouble, abandoned the idea.
Su Changkong kept his composure, but his expression grew dark under the mask—someone was interfering with his business?
Time passed, and after several hours, the moon disappeared, and dawn approached. The Ghost Market’s hours were nearly at an end. Some customers, having found what they came for, left satisfied, while others left empty- handed.
The streets of the Ghost Market became even more sparsely populated.
“Let’s go.”
Those faint presences, however, did not fade. Su Changkong stood calmly, got up, placed the three crossbows into his backpack, and started walking towards the exit of the Ghost Market. He was no longer a novice and had long been prepared to face such situations.
Outside the Ghost Market, the barren hills were shrouded by trees, a ghostly stillness hanging over the desolate scenery.
Su Changkong stood there, waiting quietly. Before long, three men wearing masks emerged from behind the large trees, subtly positioning themselves to encircle him.
The man in the middle wearing a bull mask was familiar to Su Changkong; he was one of those who had previously inquired about the price of the crossbows.
Gentlemen, may I help you with something?”
Su Changkong looked around the circle, a flicker of unusual color passing through his eyes as he spoke in a deep, low voice.
The man with the bull mask chuckled, “We’re very interested in the crossbows you’re selling, but the price is a bit too steep.”
A crossbow, powerful in lethality and convenient to use, preloaded with arrows, could enable a group of ordinary people with no knowledge of martial arts to take down martial artists with a single volley!
Even those who had achieved the Great Achievement in Body Refinement and reached the Divine Bravery Stage were still flesh and blood.
Clearly, the man in the bull mask and his companions were interested in the crossbows Su Changkong was selling.
Su Changkong said, “If you find the price too high, I can give you a discount.”
Does getting a discount mean we no longer have to pay? We prefer things that are free!” the man with the horse mask to Su Changkong’s left stated blandly.
“Exactly, exactly! Who doesn’t like free stuff?” another man on the right chimed in, rubbing his right hand that held a short knife against his left, echoing the sentiment. The blade of the short knife gleamed with a faint chill’