"No, that's not it," Yang La replied, shaking her head.
"Ghost markets are usually in hidden places. This is just a square for night activities at best. What kind of eyes do you have, Brother Xu?" Li Chonglou chuckled.
Where would a ghost market be openly set up next to a park? That would be called a street stall, not a ghost market.
This wasn't his first time in a ghost market.
He had been to them in both the capital and Zhonghai before.
However, the style and rules of ghost markets varied from place to place.
In this era of ethnic integration and cultural unity, cities had become indistinguishable.
Yet, ghost markets still preserved their ancient traditions.
Xu Lie scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.
His eyesight was decent, but when it came to discernment, he was far from it. Apart from fighting, he had no other specialty.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed many people live-streaming and some elderly men and women dancing. It was indeed not a ghost market.
Yang La led the two of them through the dense crowd to a small, arched wooden door.
She knocked three times, lightly.
After a few seconds, the door creaked open a crack, and a voice from within called out, "Shù shang huǒ zài xuán, lè zi bèi gōng shì!"
"Uncle, it's Yang La. I've brought friends," Yang La said, ignoring the voice inside.
A head poked out from the door. The person wore a cloth wrapped around their head and was a middle-aged man with a slightly aged appearance.
He squinted suspiciously at the three of them before slamming the door shut again.
Then, he mumbled a few words in Tibetan that Li Chonglou couldn't understand.
Yang La's face immediately showed a hint of anxiety. "He says I can go in, but you two can't..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lie's eyes widened like tiger's, and he was about to kick down the wooden door.
But Li Chonglou gently stopped him.
Before Xu Lie could ask, Li Chonglou spoke, "Tiáo jiāng tiào jiā guān, gēn tóu shuāng guà hào!"
Creak...
Soon, the door opened again.
It was the same middle-aged man. He took a deep look at Li Chonglou and let the three of them in without saying a word.
Once inside, Xu Lie realized that the ghost market was completely different from what he had imagined.
It wasn't dimly lit and shadowy like outside. Instead, it was brightly lit, like a huge exhibition hall.
People sat on the ground, setting up stalls everywhere, with people from all sorts of ethnic groups.
But it was quieter inside, unlike the street stalls outside.
Whether they were sellers or buyers, almost no one spoke much. Any words exchanged were in hushed tones, as if engaged in a secret rendezvous.
This was truly an eye-opener.
"Chonglou, what did you just say? I didn't understand..." Xu Lie asked, looking around at the distance, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"It's a secret code from the martial world. He asked what we're here for, whether we're buyers or sellers," Li Chonglou replied with a slight smile. "I answered that we're here to search for treasures, and money is not an issue."
Hearing this, both Xu Lie and Yang La were shocked and gave him a thumbs-up. "You're amazing, you even know this!"
"Yang La, lead the way," Li Chonglou said with a smile, offering no further explanation.
In his previous life, he had studied history and cultural relics extensively, which included many ancient martial world rules and secret codes.
These codes were usually devised to evade official scrutiny and were difficult to understand.
Only those who used them frequently could learn them.
But he, with his unparalleled perseverance, had them memorized backwards.
However, he rarely interacted with people from various walks of life, so he had few opportunities to use them.
Moreover, he did not engage in illegal activities, so there was no need for such sly maneuvers.
Therefore, he had never revealed this knowledge before.
Yang La first looked around the market, then pointed to a middle-aged man wearing a sheepskin coat with high cheekbones. "It's him!"
After saying that, she led the two of them over.
"Uncle E, I've brought two friends. They're looking for Qing Yan Shi. I heard you talk about this item before, can you tell them?" Yang La asked, squatting down in front of the man.
As soon as she finished speaking, the man's head shot up, and his slightly cloudy eyes shot out a sharp glint.
He first glared at Yang La, then swept his gaze over Li Chonglou and Xu Lie.
Then, in broken Mandarin, he asked, "What do you want Qing Yan Shi for?"
"You sell antiques, so you should know about brokers, right?" Li Chonglou retorted without answering. "There's a rule in this business: don't ask why the customer is here, and don't ask where the goods come from."
"You introduce, I buy. You won't be shortchanged."
On the stall in front of the man surnamed E, there were bronze wares, dzi beads, thangkas, and vajras.
But looking around, the vast majority were fakes.
Demonic energy permeated the air.
The so-called demonic energy referred to the color, luster, and sheen deliberately aged on imitation products, which were very deceptive to ordinary people.
But to experts like Li Chonglou, it was just a pile of junk.
"I don't do business!" The man surnamed E's attitude was very cold. "Scram, scram, scram. If you want to buy something, you're welcome. If you're looking for Qing Yan Shi, then get lost."
Xu Lie's brow furrowed, a hint of anger in his eyes.
Normally, despite his fiery temper, he wouldn't act against strangers who hadn't harmed him.
He wouldn't even mind being insulted or cursed at.
But now, with his master's life at stake, he didn't have time to show his good temper.
"How about this? I'll shoot all this stuff of yours," Li Chonglou said calmly upon hearing this, pointing to the stall. "Give me a price."
"You? The whole lot?" The man surnamed E looked confused and held up a hand. "Five million."
"Heh, you dare to ask such a devilish price for this pile of Singapore fake antiques?" Li Chonglou was amused to the point of exasperation.
Singapore was a homophone for "Xin Jia Po," referring to these items found at street stalls.
Gao Lao Ba referred to new imitations aged to look old, also known as Grandpa Eight.
Most of this pile was fake, with only one or two genuine items. To dare ask for five million clearly meant they were treating him like a lamb to be fleeced.
Li Chonglou had used the secret code precisely because he feared being extorted.
Who knew this guy surnamed E was so obtuse.
"Are you buying or not? If you are, this is the price. If not, get lost!" The man surnamed E's attitude remained unyielding.
He knew Li Chonglou was an insider and also knew that most of his items were fake.
Even if there were genuine items, they wouldn't be worth much.
But he also understood that Li Chonglou's intention in buying his things was to get closer and inquire about the whereabouts of Qing Yan Shi.
How could he not seize the opportunity to fleece him?
Qing Yan Shi, a legendary item, was likely the only one in the entire ghost market that he had personally seen and almost died for.
Without five million, he wouldn't even consider taking the risk again.
"You dare to extort me?" Xu Lie's voice turned cold, his anger clearly suppressed.
Yang La quickly interjected, "Uncle E, they are my friends. Please give them some face and offer a lower price."
"No less. Buy it if you want, otherwise get out," the man surnamed E said with a cold smile, his tone as hard as iron.
"Alright, it's a deal for five million. Pack it up for me." Li Chonglou knew he was being deliberately difficult, and further negotiation would only be a waste of time.
Five million was not a lot for him; he had more than enough money on him.
Money could be earned again, but the sooner he got Qing Yan Shi, the greater the chance of his master waking up.
There was no time to delay.
Furthermore, the man surnamed E thought he was being fleeced, but in reality, it was just his lack of vision.
Buying this pile of junk for five million was certainly a loss, but buying the mat that wrapped this junk was a huge profit.
However, it was clear that the man surnamed E did not know the value of this carpet.
Under normal circumstances, Li Chonglou would have played along and picked up a massive bargain.
But the situation was different now. With his master on his mind, even the biggest bargain wouldn't pique his interest.
Of course, he would still pick up a bargain if he could.
Five million couldn't be transferred by phone, so he had to use the man surnamed E's POS machine for a card swipe.
Fortunately, his diamond savings card had a limit of ten million, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to make the purchase today.
Such a large transaction immediately attracted the attention of many other stall owners in the ghost market, who cast envious glances.
After the money was all paid, the man surnamed E, with a smug look, handed the pile of junk to Li Chonglou.
Whoosh!
Li Chonglou casually threw the junk into a nearby trash pile.
This action stunned the man surnamed E and the other stall owners around them.
This...
What was this kid doing? He threw everything away.
Li Chonglou paid no mind to what others thought and rolled up the mat, preparing to tuck it into his embrace.
Just then, several people crowded over and pointed at the blanket in Li Chonglou's hand, saying, "Give this to me."
It was a tone of command, with no room for negotiation.
Abrupt and forceful.
This was a common style for many Tibetans, though it didn't mean they were truly forceful.
It was just that many of them spoke Mandarin poorly, only able to utter words one by one, making their speech sound disjointed and abrupt.
However, this person in front of him was not of that type.
He was genuinely forceful.
Moreover, he was not Tibetan. His facial features were distinctly Han Chinese.
His facial bones were sharp, and his eyes held a fierce glint, indicating he was no good-natured person.
The people accompanying him were also exuding an arrogant and sharp aura, clearly implying they possessed some power or status.
"On what grounds?" Li Chonglou looked up at the speaker and asked indifferently.
This blanket had an extraordinary origin; it was likely a sacred artifact used by the Tuyuhun royal family.
Passed down to the hands of ordinary people, with hundreds or thousands of years of patina, and authentic black lacquer ancientness, it was being treated as a common street stall mat.
It was truly a colossal waste of heavenly treasure.
It must have been in the ghost market for quite some time, as its dirty, black patina obscured its true appearance.
But he hadn't expected that by shaking the items and then rolling them up again, he would attract someone's attention.
Those who frequented ghost markets generally had some eye for these peculiar items.
It seemed this person intended to outright steal the treasure.
"Why? Because you can't afford to offend me. Hand over the blanket obediently, and I'll let you go," the man sneered.
At this moment, the man surnamed E's expression changed slightly, and he warned, "Young man, he's the local boss here. You'd best not offend him."
"Otherwise, you'll die a terrible death."
Li Chonglou didn't recognize this person, but he did.
This man was named Zhao Nianbin, from Shu Commandery, doing business in Xihai City.
He was a businessman on the surface, but in reality, he engaged in illegal activities like fraud and deception, and had gathered a gang, acting with extreme arrogance.
He liked to frequent the ghost market, and had even bought a few items from him before.
He had heard that his influence was considerable, and that he had several lives on his hands.
Although he looked down on Li Chonglou, out of humanitarianism or goodwill, it wouldn't hurt to offer a reminder, especially since he had just made five million from him.
"Heh heh, the local boss, what will you do if I don't give it to you?" Li Chonglou chuckled upon hearing this.
Why did he have to encounter such trash everywhere, causing him trouble?
He was already feeling annoyed, and his anger had nowhere to go.
This was truly a conveniently delivered tool to vent his frustration.