Midnight arrived in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Hanshan put down his phone and scratched his head. "Brother Chuan, didn't you say your Darius was amazing? He's already 0-12... You're hosting everyone, feeding them like crazy, and attacking on an empty stomach..."
Mo Chuan's face darkened. "What do you know? This is called 'magnanimity in victory.' Besides," he said, hitting Zhang Hanshan on the head, "talking in rhymes, are you trying to get a PhD?"
Zhang Hanshan glanced at his phone with a wronged expression. "Brother Chuan, let's go, it's almost time."
Zhang Hanshan took out two gold bars and a gold bean from a backpack and handed them to Mo Chuan. "Hold onto this, Brother Chuan. We'll need it to buy tickets later."
Mo Chuan noticed that the gold bars were also inscribed with the character "钱" (money).
...
By ten o'clock at night, the main entrance of the Sili Mountain Cultural Market had long been locked with chains. So Zhang Hanshan led Mo Chuan down a small path, which was a semi-developed mountain trail. Mo Chuan stepped on the grass and stones, listening to the cicadas chirping in the summer night in the distance, and suddenly felt the ancient aura of Jibei City.
"The southwestern part of Jibei City, being in the foothills of southwestern Lu, has four main mountains: Sili Mountain, Wuli Mountain, Liuli Mountain, and Qili Mountain."
"The place where we took the exam before was Qili Mountain, which is outside Jibei City, definitely in the suburbs."
"As for Wuli Mountain and Liuli Mountain, they are the passes in and out of Jibei City, the southern gateways."
"Sili Mountain, however, is almost the treasure black market for the entire Qingzhou, and even the eastern regions."
"During the day, this is a commonplace cultural market where most of the goods sold are fakes. Even if there are genuine items, they are prohibitively expensive; but at night, a ghost market will be held here periodically, where true strange powers, supernatural beings, spiritual treasures, and ancient artifacts will appear."
"The current black market is managed by the Qian family's pawnshop. Mr. Xun, whom I went to see this afternoon, is a steward of the Qian family and a gatekeeper of the ghost market. If you want to enter the ghost market or inquire about it, you must find him."
As they spoke, the two arrived at a long, narrow alley. However, unlike ordinary alleys, the shops on both sides of the road were very small, mostly makeshift stalls, but whether they were shops or stalls, they were lit by either red or white lanterns.
These lanterns became the only source of light in the dim alley.
"This is not the ghost market yet, only its outskirts. The Qian family does not manage this area," Zhang Hanshan said. "Red lanterns are for the living to trade, such as spiritual treasures, monster parts, strange stones and objects, etc.; while white lanterns are for the dead to trade, such as burial artifacts, Yin objects, corpse salvaging, etc."
"But it's best not to buy unless you know what you're doing," Zhang Hanshan said, scanning the surroundings before lowering his voice. "Because many things are tainted, and you'll likely encounter malevolent spirits if you buy them."
Mo Chuan followed Zhang Hanshan through the narrow alley and saw many interesting things: an old woman buying a black liquid (though it was labeled as monster oil); various bronze Buddha statues displayed on stalls, with the soil still not completely removed; a fortune-telling stall claiming 'no results, no money,' but Mo Chuan distinctly saw a tail subtly swaying behind the fortune teller. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Before long, Zhang Hanshan led Mo Chuan out of the alley and to the true entrance of the ghost market – a vermilion archway (though it looked more like blood-red), flanked by a pair of stone lions and two rows of sophora trees.
"Old ghosts pay with money, new ghosts pay with gold."
A hoarse, low voice sounded. Mo Chuan looked to see a short old woman, carrying a basket and with skin rougher than tree bark, sitting on the ground and "looking" at them with eyes hidden within her wrinkles.
Zhang Hanshan took out a small copper coin and stuck it onto the stone lion next to the old woman. Seeing that the stone lion did not react, the old woman nodded, signaling Zhang Hanshan to enter.
When it was Mo Chuan's turn, he took out the two gold bars and one gold bean from his pocket and handed them to the old woman.
The latter took the gold and examined it carefully for a moment. As if noticing something, she glanced imperceptibly at Mo Chuan with her "eyes" and said, "Take this and stick it onto the stone lion."
Mo Chuan picked up the copper coin handed to him by the old woman. The coin had a slight metallic smell and was inscribed with the four characters "Yinyang Tongbao."
After passing through the archway, Mo Chuan followed Zhang Hanshan into the ghost market.
...
The market, which seemed so large during the day, appeared considerably smaller at night.
The entire ghost market consisted of only four parts: three ancient tall buildings in the east, south, and north, and a "卍" shaped stall plaza in the center (the main entrance was to the west); the eastern building was labeled "Yi Hu Chun" (A Pot of Spring); the southern building was labeled "Feng Dui Lou" (Sealed Mound Building); and the northern building was labeled "Gu Rou Tang" (Bone and Flesh Hall).
Numerous red and white lanterns illuminated the area brightly, yet it always gave off a dim feeling.
As Mo Chuan and Zhang Hanshan walked towards Yi Hu Chun, they encountered acquaintances – the Wang Hu, Wang Lang, and Wang Bao brothers.
Wang Hu was squatting in front of a stall, haggling with the owner over the skull of some unknown monster. Wang Lang and Wang Bao stood behind him, looking at the strange and unusual items on display.
Mo Chuan did not go to greet them. He saw that the three brothers seemed to be in no great trouble, and more importantly, gathering information about the King of Hell was paramount. Thus, he and Zhang Hanshan went straight into the entrance of Yi Hu Chun.
Yi Hu Chun appeared to be a tea house, filled with all sorts of people: those wearing normal clothes but possessing monstrous features; zombies wearing hoods to conceal their rotten faces; and ghostly beings dressed in ancient Chinese attire but appearing no different from ordinary people. They were all drinking tea, eating snacks, chatting, and playing chess, but they did so with little commotion, even their conversations were hushed.
"Shopkeeper, serve tea!" Zhang Hanshan called out upon entering.
"Oh, you're here! This way, distinguished guests," a thin, pale-faced waiter greeted them, leading them to an empty table. He asked, "What would you like, esteemed guests?"
"Top-grade tea!" Zhang Hanshan said without hesitation.
The waiter squinted and smiled. "Would you like this morning's New Green (underworld news), or yesterday's Red Flower (official news)?"
"I want... New Green!"
"We have Tie Guan Yin (factional conflicts, disputes), Longjing (economy, money laundering, auctions, etc.), Jasmine (drugs, contraband items). Which type would you prefer?"
"I'm tired of these. I don't want any. Is your Tea Master working today? I'd like to book a private room to brew a pot. (I want to find your intelligence chief and get some ready-made information.)"
"Certainly! Room two of the 'Di' block, please come in~"
The waiter bowed and led them into a private room further inside.