Chapter 131: Ghost Market
Qiao Wan was a bit overwhelmed and a little embarrassed. She pursed her lips and smiled, sincerely saying thank you.
"Smile, smile! Lu Cixian smiled!"
The group of young boys pushed each other and marveled.
Although Lu Cixian had a stern and mysterious appearance, always wearing a poker face, he actually looked quite handsome when he smiled and was surprisingly attractive.
As they continued on the path, Yu Xingzhi followed behind, holding back for quite some time. But because of Qiao Wan's teammates around her, he restrained himself from making any further moves.
"Don't act rashly."
The young man's face darkened, focusing on the young boys flying on swords and traveling through the air up ahead. He thought to himself, "The elders instructed us to act according to the situation."
These young boys were talking about Xiaoxiao while surrounding Lu Cixian and Liu Xinwen. Although they appeared defenseless, they were actually keeping a close eye on their surroundings.
"Slowly and slyly, Yu Xingzhi laughed, 'When we get to Zhoufu Town, are you not afraid that this Lu Cixian will be left behind?'
"Hey." A curious young boy poked his head out and asked, "Taoist Friend Lu, are you really from Buping College?"
"Why haven't I heard of you before? Or, did you join the college later?"
Qiao Wan replied, "I did indeed join Buping College later."
"Exactly." Another young boy clapped his hands, "Seeing your skills, Taoist Friend Lu, it doesn't seem like something a small college can teach..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was immediately nudged by his companion.
His companion stared at him, "Can't you choose your words better?"
Realizing his mistake, the young boy quickly scratched his head apologetically, "I didn't mean to say anything bad about Buping College..."
"I just think that your skills have a bit of influence from Kunshan."
The young people who can come here are not foolish. Although Qiao Wan always tried to avoid using Kunshan's techniques in front of everyone, some people still noticed something.
The young person looked at Qiao Wan's dark eyes and suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
Did he say something wrong?
But he had been to Kunshan before, where he had the chance to see the graceful figure of Yuqing Spiritual Master. Yuqing Spiritual Master only had three disciples: the eldest disciple Lu Pihan and the second disciple Mu Xiaoxiao, both of whom were in Kunshan at the moment. The youngest disciple, Qiao Wan, was nowhere to be found.
But for some reason, he found Lu Cixian somehow familiar. Even though their moves were slightly different, there were some similarities with Yuqing Spiritual Master Zhou Yan.
"I didn't expect taoist friend to notice this too," Qiao Wan thought for a moment, and without changing her expression, she made up a story, "Actually, when I was learning swordsmanship, I once bought a Souvenir Jade Ball from Yuqing Spiritual Master to study."
The Souvenir Jade Ball from Yuqing Spiritual Master is like a teaching video in the cultivation world. Although the secret techniques are not supposed to be shared, as long as cultivators are active in this world and getting into fights, they will always show off some skills, right? When a fight breaks out, cultivators quickly use the Souvenir Jade Ball to record it. Independent cultivators who don't have the chance to be taught by famous masters often buy a few of these balls to study privately.
Zhou Yan's Souvenir Jade Ball sells like hotcakes in the Eight Treasures Pavilion, receiving high praise from many young sword cultivators.
The young boy suddenly realized and remembered that he was born in a major sect and had always received guidance from elders. When he looked into Qiao Wan's eyes, he couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic.
As the flying sword continued on, it managed to arrive in Zhou Floating Town just before a stick of incense burned out.
As they landed, everyone put away their flying swords and looked down to see the new instructions on the jade plaque.
The jade plaque displayed new "mission guidelines" just in time.
It only had a few words - Wataru flower.
"Wataru flower?" Liu Xinwen frowned and asked, "Have you heard of Taoist Friend Lu?"
Wataru flower?
Qiao Wan tilted her head and thought for a moment, but had no clue.
"Is it something from the ghost market?" Suddenly, a scholar whispered, "Isn't that where they sell things for ghosts?"
Liu Xinwen, Qiao Wan, and the others exchanged glances and silently moved away from the crowd. They went to a quiet place to discuss.
Curious about the unfamiliar term, Qiao Wan asked, "Ghost market?"
"Taoist friend, you may not know, but the ghost market is a market specially held for the deceased. It is said to be organized by ghost practitioners, and it takes place every thirty years," explained the young scholar with a headband, glancing at Qiao Wan. "During this time, those ghosts or cultivators who control ghosts will find a place to open a three-day ghost market."
Ghost cultivators, as they are called, are souls who, due to unique circumstances, have not moved on to the afterlife. They choose to remain in the human world, taking on ghost forms to continue their cultivation.
There are some living cultivators who have a strong Yin energy and practice ghost techniques. These cultivators mainly focus on taming ghosts and usually keep a few little ghosts and evil spirits with them.
Thinking about the content on the jade card just now, Qiao Wan pondered, "Does this mean that this year's Ghost Market is being held in Zhoufu Town?"
But Zhoufu Town doesn't seem like it at all. Qiao Wan took a glance ahead. Zhoufu Town is not big, built beside the water. It looks like an ordinary mortal town. But since the Midnight Ghost Assembly is happening, it seems reasonable to choose a more secluded town.
Liu Xinwen asked, "So, do you know how to get to the Ghost Market? Any routes?"
The boy smiled and said, "There's no specific route, really. Generally, ghosts like to go out at midnight when it's cooler and there's no sun. I've heard that if you go to those who specialize in the business of the deceased at midnight, the boss will show you the way."
"But if we want to go to the Ghost Market, we can't go together."
Another person asked, "What are the taboos?"
Ru Xiu quickly answered, "We're afraid that the Taoists and Buddhists will compete for attention."
The Taoists and Buddhists who enjoyed performing rituals for the deceased started to worry...
Having successfully mocked both the Buddhists and the Taoists, the young Ru Xiu smiled and said, "Actually, I don't know the specifics myself."
"But I read in a book that when entering the ghost market, it's better to go alone than in a group of three."
"After all, no one knows if other things might mix in on your left and right."
Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent.
"Other... things?" someone asked nervously.
Why does the ghost market sound so mysterious?
Throughout history, humans have always had a fear of ghosts. Upon hearing this, everyone became a little uneasy.
The Yin and Yang have different realms, and the ghost market is unlike the illusion of the Great Hall of Light from before. It's a completely unfamiliar world, and when stepping into another world, one must follow its rules.
But we can't not go to this ghost market, we also can't not bring the Wataru flower.
In the end, Liu Xinwen made the final decision: "Since it's like this, let's split up and make contact again once we're inside the ghost market."
"At the very least, we are cultivators, what's there to be afraid of ghosts?"
One of the young men burst into tears: The problem is he's not afraid of demons, he's afraid of ghosts!!
The intentions of these monks from the Great Hall of Light are incredibly sinister!!
We have to go even if we don't want to. It's still early before midnight, so we decided to find an inn and take a break.
There aren't many ghost cultivators around. Although Qiao Wan has helped Ma Huaizhen with many things before, she hasn't encountered real ghost cultivators yet.
Just the thought of the ghost market, Qiao Wan sat cross-legged on the bed, trying hard for a while, but couldn't calm down.
There's a difference between yin and yang, and generally, people are interested in ghosts. Even Qiao Wan can't escape it. Her mind went from Japan, then switched to Thailand, then to Westerners, and finally back to her home country.
Since Qiao Wan couldn't calm down, she decided to open her eyes and look at the night outside the window.
The night grew darker.
It was getting closer.
They continued to wait for a while, until midnight when the small town finally opened its eyes and slowly came alive.
The dead people who came from all directions to attend the meeting started arriving in a flurry.
In the town, the only businesses related to the dead were selling wreaths and making coffins.
Qiao Wan found a coffin shop, and as soon as she stepped inside, her eyes fell upon a heavy and clumsy coffin placed right in the main hall, facing the entrance.
She walked past the coffin and saw the shop owner sitting at a table, working on something.
It was a thin paper figure held in the palm of the owner's hand.
The shop owner was very meticulous, and the paper figure in their hand gradually took shape, with scraps of paper falling on the ground.
Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment, then approached without saying a word.
The evening breeze flowed into the shop through the wide-open door, causing the paper figure in his hand to rustle and the paper head cut out to tilt to the sides.
In a blink of an eye, it was aimed at Qiao Wan.
The boss looked up and noticed the sword at Qiao Wan's waist. Without asking anything, he smiled knowingly and said, "You're going to Ghost Market, huh?"
Qiao Wan nodded slightly, unfazed. "Boss, I wanted to ask, how do I get to Ghost Market?"
Since they could figure out that Wataru flower was in Ghost Market, there was no reason why other teams couldn't guess it.
Seeing the calm expression on the boss's face, Qiao Wan guessed that someone must have already set off ahead of them.
"Take a seat," said the boss, setting down the paper figure in his hand. He smiled and poured a cup of tea, pushing it towards Qiao Wan.
He also placed another empty teacup on top of the paper figure to keep it from being blown away by the wind.
Qiao Wan glanced at the paper figure, which was firmly pressed down by the teacup on the table.
The boss pointed at the paper figure being weighed down by the teacup and said, "If you want to go to Ghost Market, you'll need them to show you the way."
Qiao Wan was taken aback. "These paper figures?"
"Just this paper person." Qiao Wan's expression changed, and the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Don't underestimate them, taoist friend. If you really want to go to the ghost market, just cut out a paper person in your own image. Then hold onto it, close your eyes, and sleep in a coffin. Let them lead the way. When you wake up, you'll be in the ghost market."
"But, if you want them to help you, you have to give something in return."
Qiao Wan asked eagerly, "What do I have to give?"
"The thing is, when you enter, it will borrow your appearance for a while." The shopkeeper pointed to his own face and said with a smile, "The ghost market is lively, they like the look of living people, and want to go out and have some fun."
"How about it, taoist friend? Will you cut it or not?"
Even though Qiao Wan had seen countless scenes of the dead, upon hearing this, her heart couldn't help but beat faster, and a faint sense of foreboding lingered in her mind.
But she couldn't avoid going to the ghost market.
Summoning up her courage, Qiao Wan said, "I'll cut it."
The shopkeeper said, "Place one medium-grade spirit stone over there on the table, and that will be enough."
The boss sat back in the chair, cutting paper figures, while Qiao Wan waited silently. She could only hear the sound of scissors cutting through the paper.
The atmosphere was a bit strange and Qiao Wan tightened her grip on her sword. "Boss, are there any taboos we should be aware of before entering the ghost market?"
"Taboos?" The boss paused, holding the scissors. He looked up and advised, "They can be unpredictable. When you enter the ghost market, remember not to make them angry."
"Anything else?"
The boss swiftly finished cutting and handed her the paper figure. This one was bigger than the one on the table, about half the height of a person. It was cut with precision, with black eyes and red lips. Looking at its shoulders, one could clearly sense the paper's unique stiffness, an eerie life-like quality emanating from its stillness.
The two black eyes on the paper seemed to be staring at Qiao Wan.
Here, they cut paper figures and provide services for transporting coffins in funeral processions.
The boss opened a coffin and extended his hand, saying, "Taoist friend, please."
Qiao Wan laid down in the coffin, shoulder to shoulder with the paper person, and closed her eyes.
In the narrow space, she could only hear her own thumping heartbeat and rapid breathing. Faintly, it felt like a gentle breeze brushed against her face.
Suddenly, Qiao Wan felt a wave of panic.
The coffin was tightly closed, so where did the wind come from?
Or... Qiao Wan's face suddenly changed.
What about the paper person she was holding?
The paper person lay quietly beside her shoulder, without any movement.
Qiao Wan calmed her mind, tightly closed her eyes, and tried not to think too much.
After a while, the thin touch next to her suddenly disappeared.
Qiao Wan opened her eyes and reached out to touch.
In her arms, it was empty.
Gone?
Qiao Wan was startled. She subconsciously looked around but couldn't find it. Just as she was about to push open the coffin lid to take a closer look, Qiao Wan's hand stopped.
The paper figure that was originally lying next to her was now flatly stuck to the coffin lid. Its lifeless yet lively face was almost right in front of her, pressed against the lid, staring at her.
