Chapter 10010 Ghost Market

Chapter 10

Even in her sleep, Yingji was alert. She heard a strange whistle and the faint sound of mournful crying. She opened her eyes suddenly and lay there motionless for a while, listening, before tentatively opening the tent and peeking out.

It was pitch black outside, and in the distance where the whistle sounded, some faint ghost lights could be seen.

Yingji turned around and suddenly found that Kongfan was gone.

"I'm here."

Yingji followed the sound and saw Kongfan standing on a high rock in the distance, gazing into the distance. A cold, damp wind blew against his monk's robes, making him feel damp.

Yingji walked toward Kongfan, stepped onto the high rock, and stood beside him. She squinted her eyes in the night, gazing at the faint will-o'-the-wisp fire, and asked, "What is that?"

"Exorcist."

Yingji suddenly understood.

All the dead are driven to the Soul-Extinguishing Well by the Exorcist, utterly destroyed, with no hope of an afterlife. Yingji always felt like she was teetering between life and death. She murmured, "I used to feel like I could be driven to the Soul-Extinguishing Well at any moment."

"Before?" Kong Fan grasped the key words, "What about now?"

"Now I feel like I can live to be a hundred years old." She turned to look at Kong Fan, "For old guys like you who are hundreds of years old, you must not understand how long a hundred years is to us."

Old guy?

Kong Fan frowned.

The cool night breeze blew on Yingji, blowing up her gauze skirt like butterfly wings, and from time to time it gently brushed across Kongfan's monk's robe, bringing a faint fragrance.

Kong Fan endured for a while and moved half a step to the side.

The tail of her gauze skirt brushed against his monk's robe for the last time and slowly fell down.

Yingji noticed his movements and a soft smile played on her lips. She pretended to be completely oblivious and took a half step towards him, closing the distance between them again.

"I read about reincarnation in books before. Not only can everyone enter reincarnation, but all living things with spirits can be reincarnated." Ying Ji asked doubtfully, "Is what the books say false? Why is there no reincarnation after death? Why can only be driven to the Soul-Extinguishing Well by the Exorcist? If it is false, why do people still have souls after death that need to be destroyed manually?"

Yingji has never been able to figure this out and has never had the opportunity to ask others for advice.

She inexplicably felt that Kong Fan might know something.

Kong Fan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the string of Buddhist beads in his hand. He gently twisted two beads before saying slowly, "I returned to the Chaoxi Palace precisely to investigate the matter of the Soul-Exterminating Well."

Kong Fan raised his head and looked at the night sky intently.

Yingji followed his gaze and looked up, asking, "Kongfan, what are you looking at?"

"Heaven," Kong Fan said, a trace of confusion flashing in his clear eyes, "it seems very short."

It seemed as if something was blocking the real sky.

Yingji looked at Kongfan's concentrated expression as if in meditation, a hint of cunning flashed across her charming eyes, and she quietly twisted off the spices stuck on her fingertips.

While observing Kong Fan's expression, she quietly reached out her hand to him.

"Yingji." Kong Fan was still looking at the sky.

Yingji paused when her hand was about to touch his monk's robe.

Kong Fan slowly turned his head, his clear gaze falling on Ying Ji's inquiring eyes. He smiled slightly, his eyes as clear as water and as mirror-like as if he could see through everything.

As their eyes met, Yingji suddenly felt that Kongfan knew everything. He had seen through her little seductive moves long ago.

Kong Fan's gaze shifted downwards, resting on Yingji's hand. Yingji subconsciously pressed the pads of her thumb and index finger together, concealing the powder on them.

Kong Fan's smile remained gentle and soft. He gently raised his hand, adorned with Buddhist beads, which shone with an ancient luster in the night. He pointed in the air. Ying Ji felt a chill on her finger; the medicinal powder she had hidden on it had vanished.

Yingji looked at Kongfan in surprise. She truly couldn't understand him. Did he know about her past little tricks? He seemed to know, but if so, why didn't he care? Was this the compassion and generosity of Buddhism?

"Yingji." Kong Fan still called her in that calm and forgiving tone.

"Let me take you to the ghost market," he said.

The ghost market is a resting place for the dead on their way to the Soul-Destroying Well, and it is also the place for the last carnival before the dead souls completely disappear.

Yingji had only heard of the wonders of this place and had never been there.

Yingji followed Kongfan into the pitch-black night until a body of water appeared in front of them. It seemed to be a pool of stagnant water, silent and motionless.

Suddenly, the thick clouds on the sky quickly drifted away, and the light of the stars and the moon shone down, allowing Yingji to see clearly that the water was actually blood red.

"Yingji."

Yingji regained consciousness and looked towards Kongfan. He was already standing on the water, the crimson water casting a brilliant red hue on the hem of his monk's robe. He had turned around, waiting for her.

Yingji walked forward tentatively.

The water was shallow, with stones forming a path beneath the surface. She walked forward cautiously, fearing she would fall into the water accidentally.

This water area looks strange and I don’t know what would happen if I fell into it.

Kong Fan's Zen stick suddenly appeared in Ying Ji's sight. She looked up at Kong Fan, grasped the end of the Zen stick he handed to her, and followed his steps onto the water.

The red water ripples with light and shadows, and two shadows are reflected on it, one in front and one behind. Kong Fan is holding Ying Ji's hand, leading her with a Zen staff.

Bones lie beneath the waves.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Yingji looked back and suddenly saw a skull floating on the surface of the water. She looked again and realized that what she was walking on were not stones at all, but skulls.

"Ah..." She cried out subconsciously.

Kong Fan turned around to look at her, chuckled, and said, "I thought Ying Ji wasn't afraid of these things."

"Of course I'm not afraid of these!" Ying Ji frowned and kicked a skull at her feet forward.

The skull fell into the water, and the red water splashed onto Kong Fan's snow-white monk robe.

Yingji faintly heard Kongfan sigh. When she tried to take a closer look, Kongfan had already turned around and continued walking forward.

Yingji gripped the end of the staff tightly and followed.

As we emerged from the water, our view suddenly opened up. A small town, tucked away in darkness, lay before us. Lights cast a dim red glow, occasionally punctuated by a flash of a strange blue or purple light.

Shops and stalls were scattered around, and the windows of all the houses were emitting red lights of varying shades.

The sounds of hawking, laughter, and mournful cries...all flooded into my ears in a noisy cacophony.

The vendors along the street were all wearing terrifying masks. Yingji took one look and then quickly and cautiously took two steps forward, getting closer to Kongfan. She knew what demons lay beneath those masks.

She was practically pressed against Kong Fan's back, clearly smelling the ancient sandalwood on him. She hadn't thought his sandalwood smelled particularly pleasant, but tonight, in this ghost market, she inexplicably felt it had a calming effect.

Yingji felt a little more at ease by being close to Kongfan. Kongfan, however, felt uncomfortable because of her proximity. He considered taking a big step forward to increase the distance between them, but he knew Yingji was just a mortal and must be afraid.

He brought her here, so how could he ignore her?

I can only acquiesce to her approach.

Yingji heard the whistle again. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a black-robed exorcist carrying a group of translucent ghosts through the bustling streets of the ghost market.

Kong Fan and Ying Ji stopped.

The exorcist was completely hidden in the darkness, with only the human bone whistle on his chest glowing an eerie white in the night.

"I don't want to leave, I won't leave! I won't leave!" A ghost suddenly turned around and ran away, just heading towards Kong Fan and Ying Ji.

The vendors nearby immediately scattered and hid.

The exorcist suddenly raised his hand high and swung it violently, and the soul whip made a crisp sound in the silence.

Kong Fan raised his arm to block Ying Ji, signaling her to step back.

The exorcist instantly appeared behind the fleeing ghost, and swung the soul whip in his hand violently. The panicked ghost's translucent body was pierced by the soul whip and twisted into an afterimage.

He fell to the ground in pain, his scattered soul gathered together again, and the second whip of the dead came again.

"I won't run away anymore, I won't run away anymore!" the ghost cried and begged for mercy. The twisted and shaking body showed that he was enduring extreme pain and torture.

Just as the exorcist was about to swing his whip again, a silver-white Zen staff blocked the Soul Whip. The Soul Whip, by inertia, coiled around the staff, the tail of the whip drooping and swaying slightly.

The exorcist looked up at Kong Fan in surprise.

The vendors squatting behind their stalls peeked out and looked curiously at the monk who appeared in the ghost market.

"Amitabha." Kong Fan said softly, "Since he has admitted his mistakes, why continue to torture him?"

The exorcist's hand gripping the soul whip suddenly exerted force, pulling it away from Kong Fan's staff. He stared at Kong Fan, silently and slowly stepping back. His face was hidden by his large hood and the pitch-black night, making it impossible to see clearly.

The exorcist swung the soul whip into the air, and with a snap, the scattered souls in the distance immediately stood up and lined up neatly. The soul that had just tried to escape, trembling in pain, climbed to its feet and limped into the line.

The exorcist blew a long and hoarse whistle, leading the group of ghosts out of the ghost market and heading towards their destination - the Soul-Destroying Well.

Yingji watched them walk away before she said, "He actually fell for your advice and didn't even say a word."

"Most of the exorcists are unable to speak." Kong Fan said.

Yingji turned to look at him. Kongfan lowered his eyes, a look of pity hidden in his eyes.

"Why did you bring me to the ghost market?" Ying Ji asked.

"Follow me." Kong Fan took Ying Ji through the dazzling ghost market and walked into the largest and most lively restaurant in the entire ghost market - Wangsheng Building.

Kong Fan and Ying Ji found a secluded place to sit down.

The Hall of the Dead was crowded with people. Countless translucent souls gathered in twos and threes to drink and chat, while there were also lonely souls hiding in the corners and crying non-stop.

Several exorcists quietly dispersed their seats, waiting for the dead souls to relax for the last time before taking them to their destination.

"Don't be fooled by the delicacies on the table; they are all illusions." Kong Fan warned, "Yingji, don't order anything."

Yingji nodded gratefully. Her expression of gratitude was merely a subconscious act. Kongfan didn't need to remind her; she never ate anything from outside sources.

After Kong Fan brought Ying Ji here, he closed his eyes, twisted the Buddhist beads in his palm, and chanted scriptures devoutly.

Yingji listened to the stories of these dead souls out of boredom.

The dead souls gather together and tell each other about their lives, some proudly talking about the glorious moments in their lives, while others tearfully talk about the regrets in their lives.

The whistles of the exorcists sounded from time to time, taking away teams of dead souls and bringing in new teams of dead souls.

Time seemed to stand still, and Yingji didn't know how much time had passed. She only felt that she had listened to many stories and walked through one life after another with these dead souls.

"Yingji." Kong Fan finally opened his eyes and stopped fiddling with the Buddhist beads.

He looked at me with a clear mind, filled with gentle compassion. He spoke slowly, "Life has its lengths and its shortnesses. Whether it's joy, sorrow, or regret, after death, it's all gone. Don't be too obsessed."

Yingji finally understood why Kongfan had brought her to the ghost market. It turned out that he wanted her to hear the last true words of the dead.

It turned out that he wanted to lecture her.

Yingji wondered whether she should meekly follow his "guidance" and be grateful to the church.

She slowly raised her eyes and looked directly into Kong Fan's eyes, her voice charming but firm.

"No matter if it's joy, sorrow, or regret, it's all gone after death." She nodded, a smile gradually spreading across her lips. "Since everything is wiped out after death, why not enjoy life to the fullest while you're alive?"

She rested her forearms on the table and slowly leaned forward, gradually approaching Kong Fan. "Just because death is nothing, should we just accept our fate and do nothing?" she asked.

Kong Fan shook his head. That wasn't what he meant.

"I just hope Yingji doesn't get too obsessed and go astray." Kong Fan paused.

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