Male superiority and female superiority: forced love

"Ghost market?"

"Yes, it's a little early now. We have to wait for an hour. Do you want to go?" Ji Zhiya noticed that Ruan Chuyin's eyes suddenly lit up, and guessed that she must be moved.

"But I told the coachman to wait for me at the ferry at 10 o'clock. It's almost time now."

"I can ask Qingfeng to go back and say hello to the coachman first." Ji Zhiya said after thinking for a while.

"Qingfeng?" Ruan Chuyin looked at the man rowing the boat.

"My lady, you can go and play with my master without worry. I'll take care of everything!" Xu Qingfeng raised his little face slightly and smiled brightly.

It turns out that he is not an old man, but a young man!

He had rosy cheeks, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose bridge, and an air of righteousness. He looked younger than A-Yu, but his hair was completely white, unlike Ji Zhiya, who still had a few strands of black hair.

So, Fufeng Sword Immortal already has a disciple? Isn't he a lone ranger?

"Miss Ruan, what do you think? I will bring you back early then." Seeing that she didn't speak, Ji Zhiya continued.

"Well... okay." Ruan Chuyin really wanted to go. On the one hand, it was because of Fu Suiyun, and on the other hand, she also wanted to see the underground trading scene.

Ji Zhiya pursed his lips slightly, raised a charming arc, and suddenly pulled the person into his arms, close to her warmly and said, "Hold on tight."

Before Ruan Chuyin could react, her body had already soared into the air. The feeling of weightlessness beneath her feet made her instantly throw her arms around his neck.

The arm around her waist was strong and powerful, and the faint aroma of medicine filled her nostrils unrestrainedly. They pressed tightly together, clearly feeling each other's heartbeats. A few strands of gray hair brushed against her cheek, causing her thoughts to drift.

After a cup of tea, we arrived at the ghost market.

This place is a little different from what Ruan Chuyin imagined. There is not only an underground trading venue but also an open-air trading venue.

The center of the valley was filled with stalls, like a market. It seemed they had arrived a little early, as only a few stalls had lights on. The ground extended at a twenty-degree angle until it flattened at a three-meter-high cave entrance.

There is a whole new world inside the cave. After walking about a hundred meters, the view suddenly opened up.

Many small boats shuttled back and forth on the endless underground river. In the middle of the river, a huge building was built.

How should one describe that building? Ruan Chuyin thought it resembled the structure of the Temple of Heaven.

"The ship is coming." Ji Zhiya said as he looked at an empty ship slowly approaching.

"Wait a minute, I'm not wearing a veil." There were many people here, so Ruan Chuyin took out a handkerchief from her arms and shook it open gently.

"You don't need to cover your face when you are with me." Ji Zhiya smiled and covered her handkerchief with his hand, slowly pressing it down.

"I'm afraid he'll recognize me." Ruan Chuyin smiled sheepishly, covering her face tightly. How could she have the nerve to stare at those four people without a mask? Forget covering her face; she wished she could cover her head too.

These words made Ji Zhiya speculate wildly about the relationship between Ruan Chuyin and Fu Suiyun. He felt that there was indeed something going on between them. Wasn't that scene just now enough to make her give up? Was this man really that attractive to her? Or was it his status as the richest man that attracted her? If that was the case, he felt he had an advantage over Fu Suiyun.

To explain the reason, we have to start from Ji Zhiya’s childhood.

He was born in a remote mountain village in Nanxing Kingdom, more than 2,000 miles away from the capital Yangcheng. It was a paradise far away from the hustle and bustle.

When I was ten years old, it rained heavily for a month. The mud and rocks on the mountain washed down like a flood, and the whole village was destroyed in an instant.

He was the only one in his family of eight who survived after being washed into a river cave by the flood.

Following that river cave leads to a deep mountain, where a golden python, a hundred meters long, coils.

At that time, Ji Zhiya thought he was dead. Unexpectedly, the golden python was injured and was dying.

Starving and cold, he squatted quietly by the side, waiting for it to die.

Two days passed and the golden python was still alive, so he bravely pulled out the sharp thorn that had pierced its vital point, which immediately caused it to twist wildly, and with a swing of its tail, it threw the python into a dark cave.

It was there that he accidentally obtained three Qingyou fruits.

After exiting the cave, the golden python was still there, but its breath was even weaker than before. It struggled to open its eyes, and when it saw the Qingyou Fruit in Ji Zhiya's hand, its pupils suddenly straightened up, emitting a dazzling green light.

Ji Zhiya thought that it was about to die, so it should at least eat something before continuing on its journey, so he took one and put it in its mouth.

Who would have thought that this fruit was not an ordinary wild fruit at all, but a magical fruit that could only be found by chance in this world.

So his friendship with the golden python began from that moment on.

A hundred-meter-long python could no longer be called a python; it would be more accurate to call it a divine beast. Wherever there are divine beasts, there must be treasures. Thus, under the guidance of the golden python, Ji Zhiya obtained a sword manual, a book of alchemy techniques, a precious sword, and a treasure map.

He had been to school before and knew a few words, and God had blessed him with good fortune. After eight years, he finally achieved great success and found the treasure according to the instructions on the treasure map.

It was an incredibly large cave, filled with gold and silver ingots, as well as various jewels and jade. There wasn't a single note; it was all real hard currency. To this day, he had no idea how much money was inside.

For many years, Ji Zhiya has been pure-hearted and alone, and he has not spent all the treasures he took when he left the cave.

Now that he has met someone he likes, he suddenly finds that those yellow and white things are useful.

While their thoughts were racing, the two of them had already reached the "Baihua Tower" - the largest den of money-consuming goods in the ghost market.

At a glance, there are quite a few people wearing masks or covering their faces.

The shopkeeper in the building was a spirited old woman who looked to be in her eighties. She was walking slowly towards them, leaning on a cane.

The old woman knew Ji Zhiya and was very polite to him. She asked someone to invite them directly to the "Yuquan Pavilion" on the third floor.

At this time, half of the elegant rooms in the building were lit up, and two-thirds of the fifty eight-person tables in the lobby were occupied.

Half an incense stick later, when the room was completely full, Ruan Chuyin watched as Fu Suiyun and the others leisurely ascended to the second floor, the "Yuquan Pavilion." The noblewoman continued to lean against Fu Suiyun's chest, chatting and laughing, and they didn't stop until they entered the private room.

The emcee who presided over the auction today wore a ghost mask, and the carvings of the green-faced and fang-like figure reminded Ruan Chuyin of the green-faced and fang-like figure in Painted Skin from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.

Accompanied by the loud sound of gongs and drums, the treasure competition officially kicked off.

The first treasure was a pair of ruby ​​and kingfisher earrings. The bottom layer was inlaid with kingfisher feathers, the ends were set with a row of rice beads, and the top was inlaid with a gem the size of half a soybean. The craftsmanship was obvious. Several experts in the room immediately recognized them as the "Longevity and Blessings Earrings" once worn by the late Queen Dowager of Beiyue Kingdom, and they were already eager to buy them before even bidding.

Fu Suiyun was one of them. At this moment, he had already released the noble lady's waist and stood at the window with a burning gaze, waiting for the host to announce the bottom price.