Ghost Token

"Here." Yan Chan handed her a corn. "Try it, it's very sweet." The corn in her hand was still steaming. The two of them squatted under the corridor and chewed it happily.

This day was also strange. A few days ago, the houses were so hot that they would catch fire, and now it started to rain heavily.

Seeing that the rain showed no sign of stopping, Yan Chan took another vicious bite.

Fortunately, the wound has been applied with medicine, so there is no need to rush.

Guan Zheng chewed each bite carefully, not wanting to miss a single grain, but the corn silk was a bit annoying, so she frowned slightly.

She looked at Yan Chan, who was chewing on the delicious food.

Yan Chan felt someone's gaze falling on her, and turned around suddenly. She saw Guan Zheng hurriedly avoiding her sight and burying her head in the corn. The chewing sound was now clearer.

What's wrong with looking like a hamster? Yan Chan looked at her stuffed mouth and resisted the urge to poke it.

Then she stared at the corn in her hand and pondered for a while, wondering what she was thinking about.

Guan Zheng chewed for a long time before finally swallowing. She patted her chest quietly. She felt guilty just now, as if she hadn't even dared to look her in the eye. She hadn't done anything wrong...

She lowered her head and touched her stomach, she wasn't full.

Just as she was about to take another one, she saw a peeled corn being handed to her. Guan Zheng looked up and her heart skipped a beat.

"How do you know I don't like corn silk..." Guan Zheng paused after taking the hand.

“Because I don’t like eating either.”

Nonsense, I clearly saw her chewing the one with the beard and it was very delicious. Guan Zheng was moved by her proud expression.

"Yan Chan, you are so nice." Guan Zheng held the corn in both hands and said in a low voice with her head down.

How great it would have been if I had met someone as good as Yan Chan when I was a child... Guan Zheng looked at the young man who was concentrating on studying again, and felt a little lonely in her heart.

Suddenly, Guan Zheng heard a faint sound of talking. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw people gathering in groups of three or four on the opposite corridor not far away.

"Old friend, you said there have been both fire and fire lately. Is something big going to happen?" He took out his straw hat and fanned himself.

"This...strange phenomena are happening so frequently. It's hard to say, it's hard to say."

"My house has caught fire twice. This is really bad luck."

"That's really unlucky..." the old friend said in shock and with a suppressed laugh.

"Hey, have you heard? Someone died in Nanzhuang." A man lowered his voice, as if this could prevent others from hearing him. But in fact, as soon as he opened his mouth, everyone else's ears wanted to prick up and lean over to listen to his mouth.

"Brother Chen, please tell me quickly. I really don't know anything about this."

"I heard that people there have been mysteriously disappearing one after another, and no one has ever been found. They say it's because the Lantern Festival is approaching, and the ghosts from Fengdu Ghost Market have escaped and are harming people."

"Brother Chen, your words are too unreliable. The Fengdu Ghost Market is used to deceive children. Why are you framing me now?"

"Don't disbelieve it, someone in Nanzhuang found the ghost token!"

“Is this true?”

"I heard it's exactly like the ghost token in the painting."

"It's scary. I get goosebumps."

"Mom, I want to eat candied haws." The child stared at the candied haws vendor with her saliva dripping from her mouth. She shook her mother's hand and said.

"Then buy one, boss, the reddest and biggest one." She scratched the tip of the child's nose and said with a smile.

"Okay, three coins a string, take it." The vendor bent down and handed the candied haws to the child, then skillfully took the copper coins and put them into his pocket.

"Mom, it's so sweet, you should have a bite too." The child held up the candied haws that he had only bitten into high up, and looked up at his mother with shining eyes.

Seeing Guan Zheng staring at the child, Yan Chan asked in confusion, "Want to eat candied haws?"

"No...that child has a really good relationship with his mother." Guan Zheng retorted.

"Your family treats you very well." After all, Guan Zheng looked like a child raised in wealth, and her clothes were well-dressed.

Hearing this, Guan Zheng was stunned for a moment. She no longer looked at the mother and daughter, but just stared at the dense raindrops.

"I don't have any family..." Her voice sounded again after a long time, until Yan Chan thought she would not answer.

"Oh, sorry." Yan Chan looked up in surprise. Seeing that she didn't seem very sad, he swallowed the words of comfort back in disappointment.

She really deserves to die. The villain in Yan Chan's heart has been squatting in the corner and drawing circles.

But there was one thing she cared about, the Fengdu Ghost Market that the man mentioned.

She has heard this place name more and more frequently recently, and she always feels that it is not a good sign.

She also didn't know whether the protagonists in the original novel had ever been to Fengdu Ghost Market... She was really... like a headless fly.

"That person said that a ghost token appeared in the home of the person who disappeared in Nanzhuang. I don't know what the ghost token looks like." Yan Chan said to himself.

Guan Zheng was silent for a moment, "Maybe..." She took out a token from her bosom, clasped her four fingers together and held it in front of Yan Chan, "It looks like this."

A Nuo mask carved on the entire token suddenly caught her eye. She was caught off guard and was startled, almost dropping the corn in her hand.

"I took this from the man who kidnapped me. He happened to be paying attention to you at the time, so that's how I got it."

"So... there are really ghosts in Fengdu Ghost Market that come to take people away?" Yan Chan found all this unbelievable, she really couldn't believe it.

"I don't think so. The ghost token from Nanzhuang appeared in their home, but mine is on him."

"Maybe I didn't have time to release it?" After all, she was chasing very fast. Yan Chan frowned. She took the ghost token and observed it carefully from front to back.

A furry head came over.

Yan Chan was watching intently and didn't notice the movement around her at all until she leaned back and turned her head, revealing a look of astonishment. Their eyes met in a flash, then quickly looked away again. Both of them became a little flustered, as if trying to cover up something.

"The rain has stopped, let's get going." She coughed lightly, stood up first, and looked around anxiously.

"Ah, ah, okay." Guan Zheng's mind was in a mess and she fiddled with the corners of her clothes.

————

"It's getting dark now. Where did Yan Chan go?" Uncle Chen paced at the door. Usually, Yan Chan would say goodbye to him before going home, but today he was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't help but worry.

"Could it be that he ran away with them secretly?"

"No, no, Yan boy can't leave without saying goodbye."

"Could there be any accidents?!"

"No, it's very safe here."

......

"Where on earth did he go?" Uncle Chen unsealed the wine on the steps with melancholy. After drinking a glass of Shendianzhu, his whole body felt warm.

"It's really worthy of being called the Divine Drunk~ I even saw Yan boy~ Hahahahahahahahahaha" He was about to drink another glass, but he heard Yan Chan's voice coming from far away, "Uncle Chen, you drank alone!!"

Uncle Chen suddenly shuddered, and his eyes gradually became clear. Who else could this person in front of him be? It was Yan Huaiqi who had been missing for a whole day!

"I'm not saying anything to you, but where have you been all day?" Uncle Chen suddenly caught a glimpse of something behind him. "Why are you carrying a girl?" He lowered his voice, fearing that he would wake up the sleeping Guan Zheng.

"Have you become a bad person? How could you kidnap a girl like that?" Uncle Chen glanced at his back and said with disapproval on his face.

"Uncle Chen, what are you talking about? This is Guan Zheng." Yan Chan hurriedly explained when she saw that he was getting more and more biased. If she hadn't been holding her legs, Yan Chan would have wanted to raise her hands in surrender to show her innocence.

"Oh~ This little girl is pretty. Uncle supports you."

"???" Yan Chan looked as if she had seen a ghost. "Have you drunk too much?"

"Actually, I think the other girl is pretty too. If you like that one, I'll support you!" He patted his chest with his intact arm, looking very serious.

"Uncle Chen, please stop talking nonsense." Yan Chan walked around Uncle Chen and hurried in.

Seeing his anxious look, Uncle Chen touched the tip of his nose and said, "Wow, I still like carrying this!"

"Aren't you going home tonight?" Uncle Chen followed Yan Chan and saw her put Guan Zheng on the soft couch where Yan Chan usually lay, and covered her with a quilt considerately.

"No, mine is too far away."

"Hmm?" Uncle Chen didn't understand what she meant and stared at her with a puzzled look.

"Uncle, come out and talk." She took Uncle Chen to the outer room, then closed all the doors and windows. She carefully checked the surroundings for any movement before walking to the table.

Yan Chan placed the ghost token in front of Uncle Chen, with a serious look on his face, and whispered, "Uncle, do you recognize this thing?"

"Ghost Token." Uncle Chen fumbled for something he hadn't seen in many years, his expression rather heavy.

"Is it true?" Yan Chan asked anxiously. She quickly sat down, put her arms on the table, and leaned forward.

Uncle Chen looked up at Yan Chan, then turned the token over. The side without the Nuo mask was clearly engraved with the four big words "A Hundred Ghosts Pass Through".

Uncle Chen brushed the carved pattern on the edge of the token and gave her the answer she didn't want to hear, "Really."

"This thing hasn't been seen in years. Where did you get it?"

"Last night, a man in black kidnapped Guan Zheng..." Yan Chan spoke in detail, not wanting to miss any details.

"So you said your place is unsafe because you're afraid of the man in black..."

"right!"

"Isn't my safety safe? I raised you with great difficulty, and you treat me like this. I'm very disappointed." He didn't cry a single tear.

“…”

Seeing that Yan Chan didn't respond, he stopped pretending, cleared his throat and said: "But in my opinion, this doesn't seem like the style of Fengdu Ghost Market. Instead, it seems like something that was deliberately done..." He rolled his eyes and pointed at the token.

"What do you mean?" Yan Chan's eyes were bright, eager for Uncle Chen to answer her questions.

"Just one thing, the ghosts in Fengdu Ghost Market can't leave Fengdu~" He shook his head like a Taoist priest.

"So, there really are ghosts in Fengdu Ghost Market!?" Yan Chan's focus was really strange, and she swallowed nervously.

"Fengdu Ghost Market, Fengdu Ghost Market, how can it be called a ghost market if there are no ghosts!" He patted Yan Chan's head. There was an exceptionally loud "pop" sound, which was enough to stun the nerves but not hurt the brain. The force was just right.

"Uncle, have you really been to Fengdu Ghost Market?"

"That's right. I've been to many places, even that Ya... ahem. Anyway, you'd better not go to the Fengdu Ghost Market." He quietly opened one eye and looked at Yan Chan's expression.

"Can't everyone go to Fengdu Ghost Market? Why do you need a key to leave?" Yan Chan looked at the key and token placed together. They really looked like they came from the same place.

"You can come in and out, but if you don't come out within the specified time, you will need this key." Uncle Chen pointed at the key with his finger.