Chapter 85: Chapter 83: Taboos of the Ghost Market!
Translator: 549690339
“Elder Wang?”
After confirming that it was Wang Da Ye who he had bumped into, Xu Yang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. After all, Lao Wang wasn’t an ordinary person, so he wouldn’t easily die from a bump like this.
Wait a second!
According to Liu Shishi’s statement, Lao Wang had no “vitality” on his body and wasn’t a living person.
So…
He might not even be human!
Xu Yang stepped forward, helped up Lao Wang, and said, “I was just lost in thought and didn’t notice… Why did you suddenly jump in front of my car, Elder Wang? This kind of ghost-heading behavior is most likely to cause accidents.”
Lao Wang:”???”
He grumbled, “Now you’ve bumped into me, and you still blame me? If 1 knew it would be like this, 1 wouldn’t have helped you stop the people from Lu Shan Sect… Let them kill you, kid, and forget it!”
“People from the Lu Shan Sect came again?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yang immediately invited Lao Wang into the funeral shop to inquire. Lao Wang waved his hand and said, “You don’t need to worry… The people from Lu Shan Sect have been scared away by me, and they won’t dare to trouble you for a year.”
“You don’t need to thank me either, this is the backup plan left by your grandpa… But you can’t be careless. Your Jingming Sect is now in decline, and the Supreme Purification Seal is in your hands. The Lu Shan Sect, in order to get this treasure, will inevitably resort to any means.”
“Even if they don’t dare to come, it doesn’t mean they won’t look for someone else.”
“Oh?”
As soon as these words came out, Xu Yang’s eyes couldn’t help but flash, and he said, “The Lu Shan Sect is a major Daoist sect, a righteous sect, are they really going to hire assassins to deal with me?”
“What about the righteous sect?”
Lao Wang looked at Xu Yang with a cold smile and said, “There are many hypocrites in the righteous sect… Huh?”
However, at this moment, he suddenly stood up with a start, his eyes widened and stared at Xu Yang, saying, “The eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm… You’re already at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm?”
Seeing Xu Yang nod, Lao Wang could hardly believe it and exclaimed, “That’s impossible… It’s only been a few days, and you’re already at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm? I know your talent and aptitude… Even if you have some opportunities and are able to step into cultivation, it shouldn’t be this fast.”
It was impossible for him to talk about his cheat.
Xu Yang thought for a moment and said, “Could it be because… 1 practice very hard?”
To prove his point, he continued, “During this time, I’ve been working day and night, practicing seal-crafting during the day and cultivating overnight… It’s reasonable to have some minor progress, right?”
“Reasonable, my ass!”
Lao Wang glared, “Cultivating the Dao is difficult… Do you think this saying is made up? Many people have practiced for several years and may not be able to go from the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm to the eighth. How many days has it been for you?”
The old man doubted his life for a while, and then said, “Since that’s the case, there’s no need to wait until the beginning of next month… I’ll be going to the Ghost Market tomorrow to find some things, so you can come with me.”
Xu Yang already knew about the Ghost Market’s opening time from Yang Yin.
There are two markets a month – the first and the fifteenth.
Xu Yang had been longing for the Ghost Market for a long time and quickly agreed.
“Okay, then I’ll go back and get ready. 1’11 come to find you tomorrow night.”
Lao Wang hurriedly left to get prepared. When he reached the door of the funeral shop, he stopped, walked back, looked up at the second-floor staircase, and frowned, “Are you keeping ghosts at home, boy?”
“This…”
Xu Yang could only brace himself and say, “I’ve raised two.”
Lao Wang then asked, “Female ghosts?”
Seeing Xu Yang nod, he sighed, “I can understand the fiery energy of a young man, but there are plenty of women in today’s society… Raising a female ghost and occasionally playing for excitement is not a big deal, but remember not to indulge in it.”
Xu Yang:”…”
Darn it!
Elder Wang, did you misunderstand?
Lao Wang continued, “Raising ghosts is indeed something many people in the martial world do… but those righteous sects find it very disdainful… At least on the surface.”
“You hold the Supreme Purification Seal and practice the Divine Ascension Scripture left by your grandpa; you may have the chance to inherit the Heavenly Master’s position in the future… How can you afford to leave any handle for others to grasp?”
Xu Yang hesitated and didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Lao Wang then changed the subject and whispered, “However, it’s not a big deal… From what I know, there are people in the Daoist world who raise ghosts, and most of them raise female ghosts… Just don’t make a big fuss and let outsiders know.”
“It’s not… Elder Wang, you misunderstood.”
Xu Yang hurriedly explained, “It’s just that I saw those two female ghosts were lonely and helpless, with nowhere to go, so 1 temporarily let them stay in the shop.”
Lao Wang revealed an “I understand” look and laughed, “Then why didn’t you bring back two male ghosts?”
Seeing Xu Yang speechless, he laughed and said, “Alright, it’s late… I have to go back to work.”
After sending off Elder Wang,
Xu Yang took a cold shower and resumed practicing seal-crafting.
It wasn’t until the sun rose the next day that Xu Yang went to the first-floor counter to practice seals again.
The store didn’t open for the whole day.
That was also normal…
Nowadays, funeral shops depend on connections and networks to get business. Many of them collaborate with funeral parlors, which in turn cooperate with large hospitals and nursing homes. It is said that at times, someone had barely breathed their last on the operating table before the funeral parlor called their family members within 20 minutes.
The old man had run a funeral shop in Wu City to hide his identity and had operated it in a “salted fish” style. Xu Yang perfectly inherited this aspect from him.
Closing time.
Xu Yang took Liu Shishi and Yang Yin out for a seafood feast, and after returning to the shop, they waited quietly.
As midnight approached, Elder Wang finally arrived.
He parked his Mercedes at the entrance of the funeral shop and rushed inside, saying, “There was a meeting at the school today that delayed me a bit… Xu Yang, are the things ready?”
“They’re ready. We were just waiting for you, Elder.”
The so-called “preparation” was actually just “corpse oil candles” and incense.
According to Elder Wang, these items were necessary for the living to enter the “Ghost Market.”
“Alright, grab the stuff and follow me. There are a lot of taboos for living people entering the Ghost Market… We’ll talk about them as we go.”
The two left the funeral shop, Xu Yang locked the door, and followed closely behind Elder Wang.
Elder Wang said, “The Ghost Market is a place where all sorts of things mix together, living people, dead people, demons, Yin spirits, ghosts… even zombies can go there. So when entering the Ghost Market, you must follow its rules. Otherwise, if you break any taboos, I won’t be able to save you.”
“To enter the Ghost Market as a living person, you must use a special method to conceal your Yang energy and prevent ghosts from detecting you…”
Xu Yang was curious, “What method?”
As Lao Wang walked along the pedestrian path, he looked around and said, “First, we need to find a crossroad.”
Nowadays, there is no shortage of crossroads in the city.
Having already passed several crossroads, Xu Yang asked again, “Elder Wang, is there some kind of requirement for choosing a crossroad?”
“Yes… Choose a crossroad with less traffic, otherwise, it’s easy to get hit.”
Soon, they arrived at a remote crossroad.
This place was already secluded, and with it now being midnight, there were very few vehicles on the road.
Lao Wang stopped and instructed, “Light the candle.”
Xu Yang flicked his finger, and a flame shot out, igniting the corpse oil candle. A distinct scent immediately filled the air. The smell was strange, but it wasn’t as foul as Xu Yang had imagined. Instead, it had a unique fragrance.
Little did he know…
That the corpse oil candle he held was something the old man had put a lot of effort into obtaining back then.
This kind of corpse oil candle was made using an ancient method.
In ancient times, some people would use ancient methods to extract perfume from corpses, and corpse oil made using certain ancient techniques could even act as an aphrodisiac. Some courtesans would apply corpse oil on their eyebrows to arouse men’s desires.
“Fire control!”
Elder Wang was shocked to see this scene: “Good lad… You haven’t entered the Dao yet, but you’ve already mastered one of the Five Elements’ Daoist skills – the fire control technique. There are very few true disciples in various Daoist sects who can achieve this at the Qi Refining Realm.”
I have a cheat, can they compare?
Xu Yang silently derided them in his heart, but his expression remained humble, “1 accidentally refined it.”
Elder Wang continued, “Light the incense.”
Xu Yang lit a stick of incense and, following Lao Wang’s guidance, closed his eyes. Holding the corpse oil candle in one hand and the incense in the other, he sniffed the scents and walked forward.
“Remember, don’t open your eyes until you hear sounds.”
“Otherwise, you won’t be able to go to the Ghost Market and will end up losing yourself instead…”
Xu Yang thought… No wonder they had to choose a crossroad with less traffic.
Walking across a crossroad with closed eyes would be asking for death if there were too many cars, right?
As he slowly moved forward, his senses gradually changed. Everything became quiet, with the surrounding silence growing deeper and deeper as if the world comprised only his footsteps.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.
It felt like an instant and yet like a hundred years.
Suddenly, Xu Yang heard faint whispers and indistinct cries from sellers in the distance.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw a dim world filled with a faint mist everywhere.
Looking up, he saw a full moon in the sky, no different from the one outside. However, there were no stars, only twinkling red lights that looked like lanterns floating in the air.
Ahead, a bustling market seemed both real and illusory.
At the entrance to the market street, two large elm trees stood. They grew on either side of the road, but their branches intertwined in mid-air, forming a natural arch.
Like locust trees, elm trees are also “Yin wood.”
When we were young, the older generation often warned us not to take naps under elm trees during the hottest part of the day. Otherwise, we might attract unclean things… This was not an empty threat. During the hot midday sun, lonely ghosts with nowhere to go would often hide under elm trees.
Elder Wang pointed at the two large elm trees in front of them and said, “These two elm trees are called the Ghost Gate. Once you pass through them, you’ll be in the Ghost Market… Remember, don’t look around randomly, don’t ask questions, and if someone calls you from behind, don’t respond..”