After reading the B-grade information, Mo Chuan was no longer as shocked as before, but still felt considerable surprise:
In November 2186, three villages north of Huaihua Town were massacred, with no survivors. The victims died in horrific ways, similar to those in Huaihua Town.
In April 2187, Jinshan Town in Changbai Mountain City was massacred. Only one infant survived. All victims died in horrific ways, similar to those in Huaihua Town.
In December 2190, several vagrants were found dead in the Luxian Temple, where the "Luxian" temple fair was about to be held. They died in horrific ways, similar to those in Huaihua Town.
In January 2207, a man suspected to be Guo Dahai appeared in Changbai Mountain City.
…
After a long while,
Zhang Hanshan led Mo Chuan out of Yihuchun. Neither of them looked well.
Zhang Hanshan checked the time and asked, "Brother Chuan, there's still some time before the ghost market ends. Shall we walk around some more?"
"Alright," Mo Chuan nodded and walked towards the stalls lit by red and white lanterns.
Ghost markets and black markets often showcase the dark side of a city. Here, morality can be trampled upon at will; greed outweighs all instincts; the rules of the underworld supersede the law; theft and fraud are commonplace.
Feeling the mixed miasma of demonic, ghostly, fiendish, and human energies in the air of the ghost market, Mo Chuan sighed with emotion. Whether it was the previous world or the current one, marginalizing a small portion of society to unite the rest seemed to be a common practice.
Mo Chuan walked on the uneven stone path and saw, not far away, some people radiating normal human energy, dressed in opulent clothing, arrogantly trading with those opposite them who emanated ghostly, fiendish, and demonic energies, clad in tattered clothes. The items traded, from demonic beast parts, ancient artifacts, Yin objects, and spiritual treasures, gradually turned into corpses, coffins, live beasts, and live humans.
Mo Chuan even saw the look of the dead in the eyes of the little girl locked in the cage—a despair so profound that her spirit had died.
But Mo Chuan could do nothing, because the little girl was clearly beyond saving. Mo Chuan could clearly feel her soul flickering like a candle in a cold wind, ready to be extinguished by the slightest gust. kuAiδugg
As they passed by, Mo Chuan could clearly hear the two trading parties discussing terms like "ghost cultivators," "spiritual power surges," and "population deregistration."
"Old Zhang."
"What is it, Brother Chuan?"
"Why does everyone hate ghost cultivators and demon cultivators so much?"
Zhang Hanshan scratched his head and said with difficulty, "You should know, shouldn't you?..."
"I want to hear the fundamental reason. You've been in the Zhang family for so many years; you must know something."
"This..." Zhang Hanshan was silent for a moment before replying, "Demon cultivators are easier to explain, because all demon cultivators' cultivation relies on purifying and controlling demonic energy. However, the increase in demonic energy gradually makes the demon cultivator's personality more extreme and twisted, and their emotional state also affects the power of their techniques. Therefore, most demon cultivators are unpredictable or violent and irritable, making it difficult for them to integrate into modern society."
"But the situation with ghost cultivators is more complicated."
"Broadly speaking, ghost cultivators are espers who can control, drive, or even transform into ghosts. Internationally, there's not much discrimination against this, as countries with a high proportion of ghost cultivators are mainly in Japan, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America, and people haven't bothered much with them. However, in Dragon Country, tampering with the souls of the deceased is considered extremely disrespectful to the dead. Furthermore, during the First Spiritual Power War, Japan's notorious Unit 731's ghost soldiers, in order to obtain a large number of souls to nourish ghosts, create new ghosts, and so on, committed the inhumane Jinling Massacre. This caused the entire Dragon Country's emotional resistance to ghost cultivators to reach its peak. At that time, many citizens, blinded by anger, found ghost cultivators around them and dragged them onto the streets for criticism, beatings, and abuse, even if that person hadn't killed a single chicken, or even knew they were a ghost cultivator."
"Later, the civilian definition of ghost cultivators was expanded, and all espers whose abilities were related to souls were classified as ghost cultivators, subjected to discrimination and cold treatment. Some soul cultivators also suffered because of this."
"After the First Spiritual Power War, the survival of ghost cultivators and demon cultivators became increasingly difficult. Once a person was identified as a ghost cultivator or demon cultivator, the land bureau would find ways to reclaim their houses; landlords would refuse to rent to them; they couldn't buy anything in stores; their jobs would be quickly lost, and employers would refuse to pay them any salary, or even demand the return of previously paid wages. They would gradually become alienated from society through everyone's cold treatment and insults, eventually being forced to leave cities and villages to seek survival in the wilderness. And all their identification documents would be marked with a large 'Ghost Cultivator' or 'Demon Cultivator' label."
"For some ordinary espers, the spiritual power surges that are normal in childhood are like a disaster for ghost cultivators and demon cultivators. Even their own family members might hand them over to places like the ghost market, thinking of 'nipping it in the bud.' If even family members are like this, how would human traffickers treat them?"
"It wasn't until recent years that, due to the annual decline in the proportion of adult soul espers in Dragon Country, reaching a point of scarcity, the Dragon Country government promulgated some policies to protect soul cultivators, ghost cultivators, and demon cultivators. Furthermore, the appearance of ghost cultivator soldiers fighting on the front lines against demonic beasts and the former Earthly Branch 'Grey Sheep' slightly improved the reputation of ghost cultivators."
"All of this continued until the second major operation by the Underworld Palace."
"Having failed in the first riot, the Underworld Palace, after years of recuperation, began to adopt even more radical methods to achieve their goals—opposing the oppression of ghost cultivators by the living and returning everything to the underworld for reincarnation, thereby purifying the world."
"This time, people's anger was reignited, even reaching the level of the very beginning."
"Because the Underworld Palace... bloodily sacrificed a major city during peacetime, summoned something unknown, caused chaos on the western front, and allowed the western demonic beast horde to enter the heartland of Dragon Country, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians. The Heavenly Stems 'Yimu' and 'Guishui,' the Earthly Branches 'Baihu' and 'Grey Sheep' died in battle; 'Huangquan' was severely injured."
"Brother Chuan, although technically you are a soul cultivator, your Gate of Hell and signature soul lantern are standard equipment for ghost cultivators. I feel that some soul cultivators, without your detailed records, might mistake you for a ghost cultivator."
"Yes," Mo Chuan chimed in, "Ghost cultivator."
…
Meanwhile,
Mo Fei felt as if she had entered a small alley, but it was exceptionally eerie and cold.
"Brother... where are you..."