Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 71 The Eastern Dawn
Qingpugang is a mass burial site deep within the Ghost Market, located in the shady side of the Dragon Burial Ravine in Mangshan Mountain, where it is perpetually shrouded in darkness.

There was no moonlight here, only the eerie glow of will-o'-the-wisps and the faint light of the array formations, casting a pale blue hue that illuminated the thousands of graves on the hill.

Each grave bears a unique secret mark, a distinctive trading practice in the ghost market.

The buyer and seller can complete the most secretive transactions without ever meeting in person.

Lu Chenyuan walked through the damp mud, his boots occasionally crushing pieces of weathered bones.

Not far away, several ongoing transactions were faintly visible:
Someone stuffed a money bag into a crack in a tomb with a green lantern hanging on it, and then used a broken sword to carve three bloody marks on the tomb mound. In a short while, the crack closed up on its own—this was a "gold-swallowing tomb" modified with mechanical arts.

Another masked man wiped the bronze mirror on the tombstone. After the blurry characters appeared on the mirror, he pressed the green dagger under the mirror frame. As the night wind blew, the dagger inch by inch disappeared into the stone tablet—a clever hidden mechanism was concealed behind the mirror.

There were also people standing in front of the tomb with its iron chains, trying to untie the nine-linked lock. With each link unlocked, they would throw in a green-bladed knife. When the last link was unlocked, a wooden box suddenly popped out from the tomb—inside was the head of their enemy.

All sorts of things, bizarre and wonderful.

Lu Chenyuan's gaze finally settled on the southeast corner, where a broken sword was stuck diagonally in front of a solitary grave. The faded red rope wrapped around the hilt swayed in the firelight, marking the designated trading point in the bounty.

He strode closer, took out three sticks of incense to guide the soul, and placed them in front of the grave.

This incense is made from a mixture of miro flower pollen and special medicinal herbs. When lit, the blue smoke rises straight up and lingers for a long time. It is a signal commonly used in the ghost market. Then, a plain white lantern is hung on the broken sword. The light and shadow shining through the paper illuminates three feet in front of the grave, where the soil is soft and the perfect place to bury gold.

"It takes an hour for the incense to burn out completely."

Lin Hanyi said, "Let's wait in the shadows. If he's anxious for the outcome, he's probably been watching this place for a while and should be coming over soon."

Lu Chenyuan nodded.

The goddess asked in confusion, "They said we can't use force here... Brother, how are we going to capture them?"

Lu Chenyuan smiled and exchanged a glance with Lin Hanyi: "This will depend on Mother-in-law."

The goddess turned to Lin Hanyi.

Lin Hanyi had no prejudice against this exquisite mechanical puppet. In the end, she did not think that an inanimate object could threaten Li Lingyue. It was just a plaything of Lu Chenyuan. She smiled and said, "An old friend from Medicine King Valley gave me this item many years ago. It can come in handy today."

She took out an exquisite jade box from her sleeve. When the lid was opened, a few points of shimmering white light floated out. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be three small insects that looked like fireflies, their bodies as white as jade, with pale blue patterns on their wings.

"This is called 'Jade Illumination of Fireflies'."

She flicked her fingertips, sprinkling a pinch of dark red powder onto the loosened soil in front of the grave. "This was originally a spirit insect used by Medicine King Valley to find the 'Millennium Blood Ginseng,' its best at tracking blood essence. I've nurtured it with medicine for many years, and now it only recognizes the medicinal properties of this 'Blood-Guiding Powder.'"

The fireflies circled the powder a few times, then suddenly flapped their wings in unison, drawing three silver streaks in the air.

Another jade-green female insect flew out from Lin Han's sleeve, and the four insects formed an exquisite formation in mid-air.

“When that person retrieves the money and buries the gold, he will surely be stained with blood and powder.”

She closed the jade box: "The fireflies will track him down. Even if he escapes to the ends of the earth, he won't be able to hide. With the mother worm in hand, I can keep track of his movements. Since the Ghost Market prohibits martial arts, let's wait until he leaves the Ghost Market!"

The goddess suddenly realized that Yu Zhaoying was good at finding blood ginseng, but she didn't expect it could be used in this way. She clapped her hands and laughed, "Grandma is really amazing."

Lin Hanyi smiled and said to her, "Don't be angry with the princess, she's not targeting you."

The goddess asked blankly, "Then who is this aimed at?"

Lu Chenyuan coughed.

Lin Hanyi didn't embarrass him, but sighed, "'Thinking of you makes me grow old, and the years have passed in a flash.' Even a princess, high and mighty, cannot escape the infatuation of love... Let's go."

There was one more thing she didn't say.

Even the current emperor still needs people like Xue Huaiyi to relieve his loneliness, and sits by while Xue Huaiyi abuses his power and breaks the law, ignoring him completely.

If even the most powerful woman in the world is like this, let alone Lu Chenyuan, who is far superior to Xue Huaiyi. After years of inner turmoil, the princess has finally met a man of her own age who loves and understands her, and who is impeccable in every way. It is understandable that she would be confused and have wild thoughts out of concern.

The three hid in the shadows.

Soon, the sound of a dry branch snapping came from afar.

A person wearing a cloak, completely covered from head to toe, walked to the grave.

He first glanced at the white lantern, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then began digging to bury the remaining seven green-bladed knives.

Lu Chenyuan observed carefully. The man was wearing a bronze mask with ferocious Taotie patterns engraved on it. Although his face was not visible, his exposed wrist showed firm skin and large joints, indicating that he was a middle-aged martial artist with profound cultivation and a very powerful true energy.

Lin Hanyi couldn't help but take a serious look, thinking to himself that this person was at least at the peak of the fourth realm.

After burying the coins, the cloaked man left. Surprisingly, he didn't rush to leave the ghost market to report to anyone. Instead, he leisurely went to the "Never-Sleeping City," a den of gold-selling enthusiasts.

"strangeness……"

Lin Hanyi lightly touched the jade mother insect with her fingertips, closed her eyes to sense the change in location, and asked in surprise, "He neither went to report back nor went to the Kite Terrace to confirm the truth, but instead went into... the 'Golden Goblet Tower'?"

Jinzunlou, the premier restaurant in the Never-Sleeping City.

Lu Chenyuan keenly sensed that something was amiss, and immediately asked Lin Hanyi to lead the way to Nevernight City.

Unlike the somber and gloomy Judge's Pavilion, Never-Night City is a decadent and extravagant den of iniquity.

The long street is lined with pavilions, with vermilion-lacquered pillars wrapped in gold and jade, and glass lanterns hanging under the eaves illuminating the darkness as if it were daytime.

The sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, along with the fragrance of rouge and powder.

This place has gambling dens where you can gamble for a fortune, treasure pavilions that sell rare items, and secret agents who keep secrets about transactions.

Legends, martial arts manuals, and divine weapons—if you can afford the price, you can buy them all.

The Golden Goblet Tower is the most luxurious place in the Never-Sleeping City.

The five-story vermilion building rises from the ground, gleaming in the lights. The thirty-six white marble steps in front of the door are each inlaid with a pearl from the South China Sea, which shines softly even in the darkness.

The interior furnishings were extremely luxurious, with Persian carpets lining the corridors, sandalwood screens embroidered with beauties from the Western Regions, and even candlesticks made of pure silver. The candlelight shone through crystal lampshades, illuminating the entire building in a dreamlike way.

But tonight, Jinzun Tower is unusually quiet.

The once bustling lobby was deserted, not even the waiters were in sight. All the private rooms on the third floor and above were dark, except for the "Listening to the Waves Pavilion" on the top floor, which was dimly lit.

That place should have been the liveliest spot, with a view overlooking the entire Never-Sleeping City from the railing, but now it was booked out for the whole day, with doors and windows tightly closed, curtains hanging down, and not a single sound leaking out.

"He actually went into a place like this..."

Lu Chenyuan stood in the shadows of the alley across the street, looking up at the magnificent golden pavilion. The wind chimes on the eaves tinkled softly without any wind, their delicate sounds particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Lin Hanyi closed her eyes and concentrated, and the three Jade Fireflies had quietly flown to the highest point.

She suddenly frowned: "It's not just that he's entered—" The jade mother worm at her fingertips trembled violently, "Judging from the silhouette, he walked up to the main seat, and the twenty-four chairs below were filled with people, each with solid true energy. I'm afraid his ambitions are far greater..."

Just said this.

Suddenly, Lin Hanyi sensed something and looked across the long street. About a hundred paces away, a person was smiling at them. To be precise, they were looking at Lu Chenyuan. Lu Chenyuan turned his head and saw a woman in white standing where the lanterns swayed across the street. Her silver hair was tied in a high ponytail, secured only by a white jade hairpin. She exuded a heroic aura. She was tall and slender, and her plain white outfit accentuated her graceful figure. A thin sword hung at her waist.

What's most striking is the faint pink line at the corner of her eye, which is barely visible in the dim light.

White clothes, silver hair, and scarlet eyeshadow.

Lu Chenyuan recognized him at a glance.

Dongfang Ming!
Back in the Mechanical City, he noticed that "he" had a pierced ear. Although it was very subtle, he still managed to spot it. In addition, his actions and expressions when he was in danger all indicated that "he" was most likely a woman disguised as a man. However, he did not expect that when they met in the Ghost Market, which was full of all sorts of people, she would change back into women's clothing and show her true self.

Lin Hanyi frowned and asked, "You...know each other?"

Lu Chenyuan explained in a low voice, and Lin Hanyi looked enlightened.

Seeing that they had discovered him, Dongfang Ming strode over, smiling at Lu Chenyuan: "What a coincidence! I really can't stand this face. What should I call you now? My savior~"

Disguise is equally ineffective against Bai Ze's supernatural powers.

Lu Chenyuan casually asked, "You haven't chosen a pseudonym yet. What are you doing here?"

Dongfang Ming chuckled and said, "The information sold in the Ghost Market is the same information from my Baixiaolou. So why am I here? It's a rare opportunity, so I came to check out the business. I didn't expect to run into you here... I haven't had a chance to thank you for what happened at the Mechanized City. If it weren't for your timely intervention, I would have died in the White Tiger Carrying Corpse Formation. Since that day, my benefactor has been very busy. I've invited him several times to express my gratitude, but I haven't been able to even see him..."

"..."

Lu Chenyuan sensed that Lin Hanyi's aura was starting to change.

To finish...

How pitiful!
He really has no other thoughts at all!

Lu Chenyuan quickly changed the subject: "It was nothing, no need to mention it! I happen to need your help with something, please..."

Dongfang Ming added: "Dongfang Mingyi."

Anything is fine!
Lu Chenyuan continued smoothly, "I would be grateful if Miss Dongfang would be so kind as to offer her assistance."

Dongfang Mingyi looked up at Jinzun Tower: "What my benefactor is interested in is the person who booked the entire place, right? The most sensational thing in the Ghost Market today is that someone spent a lot of money to book Jinzun Tower for a day, and various capable people have been coming into the building one after another. I have also sent people to gather information, but time is tight and there are no concrete results yet. However, some of the people he invited already know about it."

Lu Chenyuan immediately asked, "Who are they?"

Dongfang Mingyi took out a roll of silk cloth as thin as a cicada's wing from his sleeve and handed it to him.

Lu Chenyuan took it and looked at it:
—He Liancheng, the "Soul-Severing Blade" of the Northern Desert;

—Wen Ruyan, the "Poison Girl," a traitorous disciple of Medicine King Valley;

—Sikong Hui, the "Ghost Eye" of the Yin-Yang School;

—"Mad Tiger" Lei Wanjun;

—Ye Wuzong, the "Shadow Assassin" of the Shadowless Sect;

"Wen Ruyan..."

Lu Chenyuan pondered and said, "A traitorous disciple of Medicine King Valley, skilled in poisons, kept a 'Azure Phosphorous Serpent' under her command, which is extremely venomous and fatal to any bite. However, I heard that she was afflicted with the 'Withering Poison,' a poison even listed in Medicine King Valley's 'List of Difficult and Complex Diseases,' requiring the 'Thousand-Year Snow Lotus' to prolong her life. For this, she committed murder and robbery, and then defected..."

"Yes."

Dongfang Mingyi smiled: "Furthermore, 'Ghost Eye' Sikong Hui has been secretly collecting rare and precious materials to repair his family's magical artifacts in recent years; 'Mad Tiger' Lei Wanjun has gone mad while practicing the 'Mad Demon Staff Technique' and needs the [Heart-Clearing Pill] to suppress his madness; 'Shadow Assassin' Ye Wuzong, because his biological father was imprisoned by the Shadowless Sect in the Western Regions, was forced to become their cash cow for murder and plunder. These people all have one thing in common: money is life, they would rather die than live!"

Lu Chenyuan seemed to understand something, and looked up at Tingtao Pavilion: "It seems that what they are about to do is something with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death!"

Dongfang Mingyi nodded: "Those who can mobilize twenty-four people like this are no ordinary people."

at this time.

Suddenly, a loud "boom" came from the top of Jinzun Tower, and the carved wooden windows of Tingtao Pavilion shattered.

Twenty-four cloaked figures burst through the window like ghosts, then suddenly dispersed in mid-air—

A man's iron knuckles flashed with a cold light, and he used the force to smash the beast head on the eaves, his figure shooting like an arrow towards the northwest.
A mechanical rope from one person's sleeve popped out with a "clang," hooked onto a distant flagpole, and the person swung into the dark alley.
A person lightly tapped the glazed tiles three times with their toes, then turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared between the roof ridges;

Someone else wielded a black iron dragon staff, sweeping it across and shattering more than three zhang of the eaves of the Golden Goblet Tower. Using the force of the recoil, the staff crashed into the south of the city like a cannonball, with golden Sanskrit characters flashing wildly around its neck.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Before everyone could react, the twenty-four figures had already scattered like fireworks, disappearing into the darkness in all directions of the ghost market.

The bronze bells on the eaves were still trembling, and inside the pavilion, only overturned tables and chairs and a bronze lamp that was about to go out remained.

too fast!
“Twenty-four people, from twenty-four directions…” Lu Chenyuan said in a deep voice, “It seems they had been on guard against being followed for a long time.”

Dongfang Mingyi's expression was solemn: "These people obviously planned this in advance. Their retreat route, movement speed, and even the use of illusions all seem to have been rehearsed countless times... Interesting! I can't even recognize all of them, yet they cooperated flawlessly. It's really strange!"

Lin Hanyi suddenly said, "That person has also retreated. Follow him, catch him, and we'll know everything."

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "Let's go!" Then he said to Dongfang Mingyi: "Thank you for your help."

Before Dongfang Mingyi could reply, the three of them rushed toward the exit of the ghost market and followed the cloaked man.

"..."

Dongfang Mingyi opened his mouth and sighed softly.

"Son!"

A petite figure hurriedly followed; it was Xiao Tao, Dongfang Mingyi's personal maid.

She stopped breathlessly in front of her young mistress, her eyes widening instantly: "Father-in-law! Young master! Why are you..." Her finger trembled as she pointed at the plain white dress: "Why are you dressed like this again?!"

Dongfang Mingyi did not answer, but simply gazed at the darkness in the distance, his fingertips gently tracing the slender sword at his waist.

The night breeze ruffled her silver hair, and the creases at the corners of her eyes were faintly visible in the lamplight.

"I lay down my armor, and before the mirror I apply my floral hairpins." She recited softly, her voice like a clear spring striking stone, "My battle robe still bears the blood of Longcheng, the silver lamp illuminates my sleepless night. For whom are the sword tassels woven?"

Xiao Tao stamped her foot anxiously: "Miss! You still have the leisure to recite poetry! If the master of the pavilion finds out about this..."

Dongfang Mingyi suddenly turned her head, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Xiao Tao, you said..." She suddenly spun around, letting her white dress swirl gently like a lotus in bloom, and said softly, "Does my outfit today look good?"

Xiao Tao bit her lip, hurriedly took out a white robe from her bundle, stood on tiptoe to drape it over her, and quickly tied the belt, her fingers trembling slightly.

After doing all this, she took two steps back, her eyes slightly red as she glared at her young mistress, looking just like a worried little housekeeper.

Dongfang Mingyi chuckled softly and pinched her cheek. As the night deepened, the lights of the ghost market flickered behind her, illuminating her snow-white figure in a dreamlike manner.

　This chapter is 4,300 words long, a bit late, but still a lot.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)