Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 10 A Plenty of Transvestites and Lean Horses Arrive ashore
As Lu Laodao cried out in pain, a thin figure quickly got up and tried to escape to another location.

But Old Master Lü was quick-witted and, despite the pain, grabbed the man and punched him mercilessly.

The man didn't resist; he just held his head and groaned in pain.

"I'm forty-eight this year. Although I pride myself on my extraordinary talent and resilience, I can't withstand your knife-wielding torture!"

As Lu Laodao beat the man, he cursed loudly:
"I've always been the one stealing from others. How dare you take advantage of me while I'm asleep, lie behind me, and steal my money? And you're so bad at it that you made me wake up in pain."

"What if you ruin my best assets?!"

These words, spoken in a shout, reverberated throughout the entire ship.

The initially frightened crowd paused, then their expressions turned strange, and they began to chuckle.

Fang Shu, who was tense and about to stand up, slowly sat down and pressed his back against the edge of the awning boat.

He looked at the old Taoist priest Lü with a sly expression, as if watching a show.

He vaguely noticed the reactions of the crowd, and he said aggrievedly:
"If you gentlemen don't believe me, look behind me. This fellow not only slashed my underpants with a knife, but also cut my buttocks, and almost..."

Fang Shu's gaze shifted downwards, and sure enough, he discovered that the back of Lu Laodao's clothes had been ripped open, his crotch was drooping, and his legs were exposed to the wind.

The man who had been caught and beaten by the old Taoist priest covered his head and became even more silent.

The commotion alerted the snakehead boatman, who peeked in. He was initially too lazy to pay attention, but seeing the crowd making a ruckus, and knowing that the boat was traveling into the latter half of the second night, even though the number of monsters and ferocious creatures on and off the river had decreased, it was still not advisable to be too noisy.

The smuggler then lit a lamp and came over to persuade them.

Old Master Lü still wouldn't let the figure go, looking like he wanted to beat him to death.

The boatman had no choice but to scare them:

“I don’t care if you commit crimes, but if you kill someone, causing bloodshed on my ship and ruining my business, I will have to send you back, and you can forget about getting your fare back.”

"If the water is filled with blood and death energy, it might attract the attention of mountain monsters, and you risk having the entire ship perish with them."

Everyone just listened to the first part of the smuggler's words.

However, the others on the ship immediately reacted to the second half of the sentence, and began to persuade and tease:
"Daoist Master, you have come into the mountains to seek immortality. Once you reach the market, you can learn magic and refine magical artifacts. Why bother with the aptitude of an ordinary person?"

"How about we take this rude fellow into custody, make him apologize to you, fellow Daoist, and pay for his medicine?"

At this time.

The crowd made the boatman hold up the lantern, forcibly pried open the old Taoist priest Lü, and lifted up the face of the person who had been beaten.

Everyone discovered that this person was actually a teenager of sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen.

The young man was dressed in brocade clothes, with delicate features and a handsome appearance. Even though he was now bruised and swollen, he didn't look like a thief at all.

He looked around at everyone with a resentful expression, and finally his gaze fell on the middle-aged man Tian Tianquan next to Fang Shu.

Tian Tianquan blushed as everyone stared at him. He hugged his knees and remained silent.

After a long commotion and interrogation, it wasn't until almost dawn that the people on the ship finally understood the reason.

It turned out that the man, Tian Tianquan, was not only unremarkable in appearance and had a simple and honest face, but he was also particularly good at ventriloquism and could produce a youthful voice.

What's even more special is that this person is also exceptionally gifted, but exactly the opposite of that old Taoist Lu, unlike the male type. According to Tian Tianquan, his parents almost threw him into the pigsty because of this very talent.

Last night, while he was relieving himself, he used a falsetto to lure the young man in brocade robes, and secretly negotiated with him, trying to swindle a few coins. However, the young man saw through his scheme and instead threatened him to help him steal.

As for why the young man insisted on cutting open Master Lü's underwear pocket, it was because people traveling on night ships often sewed important items such as money into their underpants.

The young man, bold but clumsy, caused such an absurd incident.

Everyone was astonished when they heard this unexpected and interesting story, and Fang Shu was also full of praise.

After being persuaded by others.

The young man in the brocade robe looked ashen and pale. He had no choice but to take out the talisman coins from his underpants and pay them all to the old Taoist priest, a full three hundred!
Old Master Lü accepted the talisman money without hesitation, not minding the mess, and immediately stopped making a fuss.

The farce is over.

The people in the cabin returned to their respective seats.

Because the space on the boat was too small, Fang Shu and the other four had to squeeze together again.

When Lu Laodao saw Tian Tianquan so close by, he glanced at the latter, and his old face was filled with both arrogance and hatred.

He muttered curses under his breath: "You piece of shit, you've ruined my life."

After letting out a cold snort, Old Master Lü no longer cared about Tian Tianquan. He even turned his back, seemingly still angry and ashamed to face anyone.

However, as Fang Shu sat down next to the old Taoist priest, he immediately heard a faint metallic clanging sound, as if someone was counting coins.

I thought that was the end of it.

But who would have thought that the young man surnamed Yin among the five would repeatedly look up, as if he wanted to say something but then hesitated.

After a moment of inner turmoil, the young man surnamed Yin lowered his voice and whispered to Tian Tianquan beside him:
"The one I had sex with earlier last night... it wasn't you, was it?"

These words caused the previously quiet crowd to widen their eyes again, and even Old Man Lü, who had his back turned, turned around in a daze.

Clang! Several talisman coins from Old Dao's sleeve fell to the ground. His face flushed red, and he quickly stepped on them to catch them.

Yin Xiaojian was being stared at by everyone.

The man's face was extremely pale, as if he had swallowed excrement, but there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Tian Tianquan raised his head from his knees in a daze and looked at the boy surnamed Yin with a puzzled expression.

After thinking for a moment, Tian Tianquan shook his head.

This answer immediately restored the boy Yin Xiaojian's expression, and he became beaming again, grinning widely.

Just then, a croaking sound came from above the five of them.

And eyes peered out from above, watching them:

“Young master, the one who was nice to you last night was me, Toad Granny.”

A hideous, green toad face appeared, with no nose or hair, and covered in toad bumps.

The old woman with the toad grinned and stuck out her long tongue as she greeted Yin Xiaojian.

Yin Xiaojian's expression suddenly froze, and then her eyes widened.

His face showed terror, his expression even worse than before, and his lips were trembling, unable to speak for a moment.

"Get out, all of you!"

Just then, the snake-headed boatman ran in and hurriedly chased away the old woman with the toad on the second deck.

Suddenly, the cabin began to shake.

One figure after another sprang up from all parts of the cabin.

Quack! Caw!
There was more than one croaking frog, along with the quacking of ducks and the indistinguishable hissing of a snake or the flicking of a lizard's tongue.

They swept past the passengers, jostling and scrambling to escape from the cabin, slipping into the river outside and disappearing from sight.

Upon seeing this scene, everyone on the ship was horrified.

No one knew that so many monsters had somehow infiltrated the ship.

In particular, some people, once their minds cleared, immediately felt nauseous and shouted that they might have been poisoned by a demon.

Several men grabbed the smuggler boatman, their faces filled with anger, and questioned him, "You promised that you would get what you pay for on this trip!"
The smuggler, however, was all smiles:
"I only said there was no risk to my life, not that there would be no risk to my innocence."

It added, "It's normal for minor mishaps to occur when traveling along the mountain trails."

Consider it a toll for passage!

The passengers were disgusted and furious, shouting incessantly, "Bullshit! Do you really think we're pigs?"

Seeing that the passengers were still making a fuss despite his attempts to calm them down, the snake-headed boatman lost his temper and snorted coldly.

"If your hearts are righteous, how could you be bewitched by that monster woman and have your vital energy stolen in vain!"

After saying that, it turned and left the cabin.

The noisy passengers were both ashamed and angry.

The other people in the cabin, in particular, cast strange glances at them.

However, Fang Shu and the other four did not cause any trouble along the edge of the boat.

Especially Lu Laodao and Yin Xiaojian.

The two of them watched the farce unfold and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts no longer feeling as heavy as they had at the beginning.

At this moment, a muttered curse rang out from among the five people; it was from the woman surnamed Su, whose face was cold.

"A man's thing is truly disgusting!"

She looked at Fang Shu and his three companions, as if they were filth, and all the men around them, covering her mouth and nose and trying to move away as much as possible, as if afraid of catching a disease.

The four looked at each other in bewilderment. Among them, Old Daoist Lü looked angry, while Yin Xiaojian and Tian Tianquan both lowered their heads in shame, not daring to look up.

As for Fang Shu, he couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to the innocent woman surnamed Su who was taking her anger out on him.

He crossed his arms and suddenly smiled at the angry old man, Lü:

"The night-time sailors are indistinguishable from the transvestites, making them a perfect match for husband and wife."

Is this what the Taoist priest meant when he said the boat must depart at night?

Upon hearing this, Master Lü looked astonished.

The man was speechless for a moment, his resentment vanished instantly, and he sat back down, not wanting to argue with Su Qingao any further.

Once he had calmed down, Old Lu sat with his legs apart and continued chatting with Fang Shu and the others:
"Take a quick rest, everyone. Remember to be alert when we get off the ship!"

………………

In just a few hours.

A light appeared outside the snake boat; it was unclear whether it was dawn or the boat had surfaced.

Suddenly, a great golden light appeared, like scattered gold, and poured into the cabin from outside the curtain.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of scales scraping against the stone slab rang out.

After a short while, the snakehead boatman suddenly lifted the curtain and shouted:

"Wake up, wake up! We've arrived!"

Clang! Clatter!
The shouts immediately woke up the dozens of people inside the cabin. Everyone scrambled to get up, stumbling and trying to squeeze out of the cabin.

The crowd was so tight that people kept groaning and crying out in pain.

The square bundles were mixed in.

The first thing he did after jumping out of the cabin was to exhale all the stale air he had inhaled, then take a deep breath of fresh air and look around.

The boat was moored on a place that resembled a ferry crossing. A hundred paces away, the river was surging, and behind it were rows of houses, densely packed, stretching all the way to the mountaintop. The area was shrouded in mist, making it seem like a fairyland or a ghostly abode.

There are quite a few people who take deep breaths in the same way, and there are even more exaggerated examples.

A voice rang out:
"The air in this fairy market is indeed sweeter than that in the mortal world!"

"Madam, I have finally arrived."

These voices were filled with joy, emotion, and even sobs.

Fang Shu was equally excited, his heart filled with anticipation, feeling that the path to immortality was right before him!
Just the next moment.

A group of people dressed as human brokers and matchmakers suddenly appeared uninvited, swarming around them like flies attracted to the smell of mutton.

He then proceeded to pick and choose among Fang Shu and the others who had just disembarked, as if selecting the best and worst.

Since everyone was new to the Immortal Market and lacked experience, they were all cautious and prudent, regardless of their previous status.

They were afraid that the person who came might be the person in charge of the market or a servant of some deity, and that they might accidentally offend him.

So the brokers and matchmakers started instructing the crowd to bow, take a few steps, turn around, and so on.

Although no one understood why, seeing that the others were cooperating, they all obediently did as instructed.

Until an old woman, accompanied by two maids, stood to the side pointing and saying:
“Look carefully at them, and when you say ‘let me see,’ roll up all their sleeves.”

Thus, the hands emerge, the arms emerge, and the skin color also emerges.

The old woman then said familiarly:

"Then say to them, 'Brothers and sisters, it's your first time in the Immortal City, come and have a happy smile.'"

When these piglets grin at you, that's when their teeth and tongues will stick out, and you'll be able to see their teeth clearly, so you won't be fooled by the old man.

These words reached Fang Shu and his group's ears, causing them to murmur amongst themselves for a while.

This behavior makes it seem like they're watching over livestock.

And they are the livestock being watched.

Then some passengers became uncooperative and started shouting:

"We're here to cultivate immortality, not to be treated like animals! What are you doing?!"

Unexpectedly, the old woman next to her overheard this, pointed at the loudly shouting passenger, and instructed the maids beside her:

"Listen, he's getting impatient, and that's how his voice comes out. By listening to his voice, you can tell if he has enough energy or if he has any hidden illnesses."

The maids nodded like chicks and even offered their comments:
"This guy has a big nose and a loud voice; he might have quite a bit of capital."

"Thank you for your teachings, Mother. I will remember them all."

So, in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea...

The crowd of people from the market, swarming around like flies, saw through the fact that the boat was full of people seeking immortality.

They had high standards; they only picked one or two people, pulled them aside for questioning, and then buzzed away.

Coincidentally, other boats sailed ashore.

It was a toad the size of a house. It landed with a thud, then opened its mouth and vomited out a jumble of passengers from its belly.

The passengers were filled with groans and lamentations.

They were incoherent, many felt dizzy and nauseous, and some even vomited up their bile. Some were pale-faced and lay motionless on the stone ground, their condition unknown.

Seeing this, Fang Shu and the others felt a sense of relief, realizing that the awning boat they had been traveling in wasn't so bad after all.

Amidst the chaos, Fang Shu secretly took note.

He noticed that among the familiar faces in his group, only Su Qingao and the young man in brocade robes on the boat were pulled aside by the traffickers who had swarmed around them to talk.

As for him, Lu Laodao, Yin Xiaojian, and Tian Tianquan, the four of them stood there dumbfounded. Some people came to ask them questions and left messages, but no one came to pull them away directly.

Old Master Lü seemed to know something, and sighed:
"There's no hope. I've already said I'm exceptionally talented, why don't you believe me?"

He touched his old face and muttered, "It must be from being on the ship for so long that I look even older, that's why they don't want me."

Just as Fang Shu and the others were about to ask questions, Su Qingao suddenly walked back with a livid face.

She looked around, hesitated for a moment, and finally walked over to Fang Shu and the other three people she was more familiar with, and huddled together.

Before Fang Shu and the others could even ask, Su Qingao was already trembling with rage, exclaiming, "A disgrace! A disgrace!"

"We came here seeking immortality, how can you treat us like livestock to be bought and sold? And you even want to take me to a brothel!" she said through gritted teeth.

Fang Shu and the others were surprised and asked a few more questions. They immediately realized that the group of people who had rushed up earlier were indeed human brokers and matchmakers from the Xianjia Market.

These people came here intending to select young, beautiful, and charming women from among those who came ashore, to take back and train them, or to sell them to wealthy families in the market, or to place them in their own brothels to entertain guests.

Upon learning of this, Fang Shu and the others' expressions changed, and they vaguely sensed that the Immortal Market was not a benevolent place.

When the old Taoist priest heard this, his expression remained unchanged. He even asked carefully, "Sister Su, did you hear me correctly? The place that wants to recruit you into the profession is a brothel?"

Su Qingao didn't give the old Taoist a friendly look, coldly snorting, "How could I have misheard such a humiliating thing!"

To everyone's surprise, Old Master Lü sighed softly and shook his head regretfully:

"Missed it, missed it. It's a brothel, but not a den of prostitutes."

"Take my advice: if you don't have any relatives in the market, you should go back and ask a matchmaker to take you away."

"What prostitutes? They're nothing but sex slaves! Who cares!"

Su Qingao remained expressionless, looking at Old Master Lü with disdain and saying, "I have a trusted maid who came here years ago to take care of me."

The woman then snorted coldly, no longer paying attention to Fang Shu and the others. She looked around, then slung her legs together and walked away on her own.

Old Master Lü didn't pay much attention to the woman surnamed Su's attitude.

The old Taoist shrugged, then beckoned to Fang Shu and the others: "Come on, I'll take you guys to make your first fortune after landing. I guarantee you'll all be rolling in money."

Let's have a good meal together before we part ways!

"Master Lü is very thoughtful!" Fang Shu and the others had no objections.

Even if they have relatives and friends in the market, the date of their arrival on land is not fixed, and they will have to find their relatives and friends on their own later, as no one will come to pick them up by boat.

With nothing else to do, everyone decided to follow Master Lü and familiarize themselves with the so-called Immortal Market.

However, they all had some doubts.

Everyone here is new here. Even if they know some magic, they are still just ordinary people.

This Fairy Market is inhabited entirely by immortals!
Why does this old man Lu dare to make such a guarantee, saying that everyone who follows him can make money?

If it weren't for the fact that they hadn't been targeted by the slave trader just now, they would all have suspected that this guy surnamed Lü wanted to sell them into a brothel.

(End of this chapter)