"The Ghost Market has a very special existence. If you don't have any special skills, you must not lose the lantern in your hand, otherwise you might get lost in the Ghost Market and won't be able to find your way back."
Qin Liu Ye seriously introduced the rules of the Chang'an Ghost Market to everyone.
"Once you're in the Ghost Market, try not to do anything meaningless, and definitely don't ask any random questions. If you meet a living person, that's fine. But if you provoke a ghost with a bad temper, it'll be trouble."
Upon saying this, Qin Liu Ye paused. He noticed that except for Zhu Huan Si and Weng Qian Xiang, who were relatively nervous, and Zhu Ling, who was slightly serious, everyone else's expressions were very calm.
This puzzled him. The Ghost Market was full of ghosts, weren't Yan Shou Yi and the others afraid?
To emphasize the seriousness of the matter, Qin Liu Ye coughed a few times and repeated:
"Do not, under any circumstances, provoke the ghosts in the Ghost Market..."
Yan Shou Yi nodded, "Understood, Sixth Master. Please continue."
Qin Liu Ye felt a bit awkward. He had spoken so seriously and earnestly, yet why weren't they afraid?
Although he knew Yan Shou Yi and the others were inheritors of folk sects, as an ordinary person, Qin Liu Ye did not have a clear understanding of their strength and abilities.
If he knew that Yan Shou Yi had killed enough Ghost Kings to fill a palm, he probably wouldn't be so worried.
However, Qin Liu Ye had already said it twice, and he felt there was no need to emphasize it further. Thus, he continued:
"There is no unified currency in the Ghost Market; most transactions are done through bartering."
As soon as he finished speaking, Long Fei Cheng silently took out bundles of Hell Bank spirit money from his pocket.
Each of these notes was at least worth one trillion...
He muttered, "I thought I could downgrade my consumption a bit. What a pity!"
Weng Qian Xiang asked doubtfully, "Brother Long, when did you buy so much spirit money? I didn't even know about it."
Long Fei Cheng replied, "It was at that Terracotta Army themed hotel yesterday. The owner said that to enhance the immersion, spirit money was placed in the bedside drawer of each room. Guests who couldn't sleep at night could burn spirit money for fun."
"Damn it."
Everyone cursed, thinking about what kind of owner could have such an outrageous idea.
Wang Ji Ping commented, "A hotel can be down-to-earth, but not down to the underworld."
Yan Shou Yi shook his head, wondering what kind of absolute sucker would stay at such a hotel.
Oh wait, that sucker was us.
Qin Liu Ye coughed a few times, reminding everyone to quiet down and listen to him.
"The Ghost Market closes at dawn, so you must leave before daylight."
"Understood," Yan Shou Yi nodded. "Sixth Master, do you have any other advice?"
"Lastly, and most importantly, the current mastermind behind the Ghost Market is a very powerful Ghost King named Shi Jing. Do not, I repeat, do not provoke him!"
Even for a local like Qin Liu Ye, his face was filled with fear when mentioning Shi Jing.
This time, Yan Shou Yi and the others finally showed a slight hint of seriousness, which brought some comfort to Qin Liu Ye.
Zhu Ling also said, "I've been to the Chang'an Ghost Market once before when it was held, so I have some experience. I'll lead the way tonight, so you don't need to worry."
"Then we'll be in your care, Elder Zhu," Yan Shou Yi smiled.
Qin Liu Ye also felt somewhat relieved.
Old Jin and Ma Jin Xuan had to look after Ma Xing Ping, so the ones going to the Chang'an Ghost Market tonight were still Yan Shou Yi and his group.
Although Ma Jin Xuan was worried, she was not skilled at dealing with ghosts, so she could only place all her hopes on Yan Shou Yi and his companions.
Fortunately, Yan Shou Yi had always been steady and reliable in his dealings. Ma Jin Xuan believed that if Yan Shou Yi couldn't accomplish the task tonight, even if she went, it wouldn't change the outcome.
At midnight, Yan Shou Yi and the others, carrying small lanterns, got into the car arranged by Qin Liu Ye.
The car drove on the deserted streets, the lanterns emitting a faint candlelight.
Long Fei Cheng curiously examined the lantern in his hand and asked,
"The flame in this lantern is so steady, it seems like it can't be blown out."
Lin Zi Tong explained, "What's inside the lantern is corpse oil, burning ghost fire, so of course it can't be blown out."
"Holy crap."
Long Fei Cheng shivered, almost throwing the lantern away in disgust.
Zhu Huan Si also felt a sense of unease. What she had seen and heard tonight was completely new to her.
Zhu Ling comforted her, "Actually, ghosts are not much different from people. When we die, we will also become ghosts. If you think about it that way, it's not so scary."
Seeing that Zhu Huan Si had not relaxed, Yan Shou Yi suggested, "Hey girl, how about I release Yan Gui and you release Hei Chuan Lu, so Huan Si can get used to it in advance?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Huan Si shook her head like a rattle drum.
A moment later, the car arrived at its destination. Yan Shou Yi and the others got out and saw a desolate old street in front of them.
The street was in disrepair, clearly neglected for a long time. However, strangely, the neglected street had not grown a single weed. Instead of making the old street look clean and tidy, it added a sense of eeriness.
The only sign of life on the entire old street was an old locust tree at the entrance. Unfortunately, the old locust tree had been burned in a fire, leaving only bare branches without any tender shoots.
Qin Liu Ye said after getting out of the car,
"This old street is called Si Fang Street, and it's considered a place of extreme bad Feng Shui in Chang'an. Not only is business usually poor, but a major fire occurs almost every few years, gradually leading to its abandonment. It's also rumored that the place is often haunted, so even in broad daylight, you won't see many living people, and at night, passersby would rather take a detour than go through it."
As soon as Yan Shou Yi got out of the car, he could feel that the Feng Shui of Si Fang Street was extremely poor.
What with the Eight Killings Yellow Spring, the Fire Form Sha, the Weeping Mouth Beckoning Disaster, this street truly had it all.
"Who on earth planned a street like this?"
Even the usually taciturn Wei Chang Qing was shocked by the exceptionally inauspicious Feng Shui layout.
If the planner understood Feng Shui and deliberately created such a street, it would already be a feat.
If such Feng Shui was achieved by chance, it could only mean that the person had accumulated a lot of bad karma in this life...
"Si Fang Street has four entrances. At each entrance, there are locust, willow, peach, and mulberry trees respectively. In the center, there is a large banyan tree, which you will see once you enter the Ghost Market."
Qin Liu Ye said, "The locust tree in front of you is the entrance. You need to carry your lanterns and walk around the locust tree three times clockwise and three times counter-clockwise to enter the Ghost Market. The method of exit is the same."
After saying this, Qin Liu Ye took two steps back. Everything he could do was done. The rest depended on the abilities of Yan Shou Yi and the others.
Yan Shou Yi shook the small lantern in his hand and said indifferently,
"Then let's go and explore this Ghost Market."