A master of comedy!

Chapter 74 Ghost Market
Ghost town, Xunyang East Street.

Zhou Sheng walked to the fork in the road again, his eyes flashing slightly as he looked towards the direction of the ghost market.

This place is no different from Xunyang City, where living people live. He had walked through this crossroads during the day.

Walking west from this intersection leads to Linjiang Gate, and beyond Linjiang Gate lies the official market of Xunyang, the most prosperous area in the entire Xunyang.

The herbal medicine shop where Zhou Sheng got his prescription filled today is located in that official market.

Walking the same path in the ghost town leads to the ghost market.

Without further hesitation, he took out a Suanni mask he had bought during the day and put it on. It was a mythical beast resembling a lion, one of the nine sons of the dragon, and was used to ward off evil spirits and protect the home.

Many people who go to the ghost market choose to wear masks to avoid revealing their true identities, and Zhou Sheng naturally followed suit.

Finally, he got closer and closer to the ghost market, and the surrounding mist grew thicker and thicker, as if it would swallow him up.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, just as he was worried that he would lose his way, two red lantern-like eyes suddenly appeared in the sea of ​​fog.

Zhou Sheng froze instantly, as if every pore on his body stood on end, a dangerous premonition washing over him.

The other party seemed to be observing him, trying to determine whether he was alive or dead.

Fortunately, he had the Corpse-Driving Talisman on him, which sealed off all his yang energy, so that the terrifying gaze slowly moved away after scrutinizing him for a moment.

The next moment, the surrounding fog suddenly and miraculously dissipated, and everything around became clear again.

Zhou Sheng also saw clearly the owner of those eyes.

It was a Rakshasa statue several meters tall, with obsidian as its bone and its surface covered with red vein-like patterns. It had two wings on its back, a face like indigo, and eyes that shone like lamps.

In its right hand it holds a broken bronze knife, the blade of which appears to be engraved with Buddhist scriptures, but has been corroded by rust and bloodstains.

Rakshasa, in Buddhist records, is a kind of man-eating evil spirit, fierce and malevolent, who was later enlightened by the Buddha and became one of the guardian deities.

But the cannibalistic habit may not have been completely eradicated.

Zhou Sheng looked up and saw that Linjiang Gate had become the entrance to the Ghost Market, with four blood-red characters written on it: 'Yin Cai Tong Da' (meaning "Underworld Wealth Abounds").

There is also a bone stele next to it, which seems to be a stone tablet made from the bones of living people, with inscriptions that look like knife marks.

"The living must not enter; the dead may enter as they please."

Upon seeing these eight large characters, Zhou Sheng suddenly understood.

He had already realized that the Rakshasa standing in front of the Ghost Market was not only a deterrent, but also a test.

While the Ghost Market prohibits living people from entering, this is not an absolute rule.

If you are confident in your abilities and can fool the Rakshasa guarding the gate, you will naturally be able to enter.

If I can't fool them...

Zhou Sheng looked at the bone monument and felt a chill run down his spine.

The skeletons on this stele are probably those who, lacking the means, still took the risk.

Fortunately, Master's corpse-driving talisman was powerful enough to successfully deceive Rakshasa.

Zhou Sheng was about to step into the legendary ghost market when he was blocked by an invisible force, and he tried several times without success.

Suddenly a voice rang out.

"Is this your first time visiting the Ghost Market?"

Zhou Sheng was startled, turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, and couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

It turned out to be a woman wearing a dragon mask, holding a guqin, dressed in a light white silk robe, with a three-inch ice sash around her waist, fluttering gently in the evening breeze.

Her voice was beautiful; even a simple sentence seemed to have a musical melody, each word like pearls falling onto a porcelain plate.

The mask concealed her face, but it couldn't hide her elegant demeanor, as if the paintings of ladies by ancient artists had come to life.

But Zhou Sheng's gaze was immediately drawn to the guqin in her arms.

It was a scorched-tail guqin, the burn marks on the tail resembling plum blossoms blooming in snow, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

The fluctuations of magical power confirmed to Zhou Sheng that this guqin was no ordinary instrument; it might even be a magical treasure.

Could this woman carrying the zither be a cultivator?

"This is indeed my first time in the Ghost Market. Why can't I get through here?"

Zhou Sheng didn't look at it for long, and immediately bowed and asked.

When the other woman saw Zhou Sheng bow, she followed suit with a graceful bow, like a well-bred lady, never lacking in manners.

"If one does not hold an official position, one must pay an incense fee each time one enters the ghost market and place it in the jar at the feet of the Rakshasa."

She spoke up to explain, her voice calm and unhurried, like a clear spring flowing gently.

Zhou Sheng then noticed that there was indeed a small black jar at the feet of the Rakshasa statue. "So you need to pay incense money to enter the Ghost Market..."

Zhou Sheng gave a wry smile. They hadn't even gone in yet, and they were already collecting money. He suddenly wondered if the little bit of incense money he had on him could really get the Five-Colored Mica.

"If you forgot your money, I can lend it to you."

The woman holding the zither was kind-hearted; her eyes, hidden behind the mask, were as clear as glass, and her gentle voice was like a spring breeze.

She even made a point of saying she forgot to bring money, rather than that she didn't have any, clearly trying to save face for Mr. Zhou.

They can be so kind even to a stranger.

This attitude startled Zhou Sheng, who almost doubted whether he was still in Little Fengdu.

"Thank you for your kindness, young lady, but I do have a penny to my name."

Zhou Sheng naturally wouldn't be greedy for such a small gain. He took out some incense money and threw it into the jar. Under his divine eye, he saw that it was pitch black inside, unfathomable.

The one coin he put in vanished instantly, as if he had fallen into another world.

"Thank you for informing me, young lady."

Zhou thanked him again, and the other party returned the gesture once more.

"The General will be inspecting the Ghost Market tonight. Since this is your first time here and you may not know the rules, it's best not to stay too long."

After saying this, the woman carrying the zither turned and stepped into the ghost market without being stopped.

"Official status..."

Zhou Sheng's eyes flashed. He hadn't seen the woman pay any money, which meant that she must be an official.

Is it the Yin official of this Little Fengdu?

And who is this great general she mentioned?

Shaking his head, Zhou Sheng realized that he still knew too little about this ghost market. Once he got the five-colored mica, he would definitely ask his master or Boss Feng for more information.

Without further thought, he stepped into the ghost market.

The next moment, his body disappeared, as if he had entered another time and space.

……

Come on over, take a look, don't miss it!

"Steamed buns, freshly baked! If you don't like them, you don't have to pay!"

"Would you like a bowl of tea, sir?"

Zhou Sheng's pupils dilated slightly as he looked at the scene before him with some surprise.

Merchants and travelers thronged the area, a sea of ​​ghosts and spirits, with dazzling lights and a magnificent, golden atmosphere. Fireworks occasionally shot into the sky, making the night sky a kaleidoscope of colors.

This is no ghost market; it's even more bustling and lively than the official market in Xunyang.

But he soon noticed something was wrong.

"Stop pushing! Who knocked my arm off? Has anyone seen my arm?"

"The finest rouge, the 'Red of Longing,' just a touch of it on the lips, and after meeting your lover in your dreams, within three days, I guarantee he'll come down to be with you, relieving the pain of longing!"

"A freshly peeled beauty's skin, costing only ten coins for incense, can transform you into an unparalleled beauty, and an artist will even paint a portrait of you as a keepsake..."

Zhou Sheng was horrified by what he saw; the bustling market was selling grotesque goods.

The tea was a bright red color, smelling of blood, and the steamed buns cried like babies in the steamer.

The children playing by the roadside immediately surrounded the person and begged for money. Their innocent faces had completely black pupils, with no whites visible in their eyes.

After walking for a long time, Zhou Sheng finally found a normal stall that sold various porcelain and antiques.

Seeing him stop, the stall owner immediately introduced enthusiastically: "Sir, you have a good eye. These are all genuine funerary objects. Unlike those living people who are full of tricks, we don't have a single fake here!"

Funerary objects are items buried with the deceased in a tomb.

Zhou Sheng asked with some surprise, "You're a tomb raider?"

The stall owner's face immediately turned cold, and dust fell from his hair.

"Tomb raiding? That's all for my own burial."

"Alas, if my descendants hadn't encountered difficulties, why would I have had to sell my own body to be buried with them?"

"Even after they die, parents still worry about their children..."

(End of this chapter)