Ghost Market Tour
On Yunlin Street.
The shouts of street vendors continued, but they couldn't disturb Xu Lanxin, who was lost in thought.
It wasn't until someone tugged at my elbow that I saw Qinglu standing with her hands on her hips, arguing with a passerby.
The passerby spat and glared before leaving.
"Qinglv, what happened?"
Xu Lanxin was puzzled, so she stepped forward to ask and pinched her cheeks.
"Oh dear, look how angry my little green dog is."
Qinglv's sullen mood hadn't subsided yet, and she remained sullen.
“Madam, that wicked thing almost tried to run into you when it saw you were lost in thought.”
"Oh, trying to stage an accident to extort money?"
"What kind of porcelain?"
"It's just extortion."
Qinglu found Xu Lanxin's way of speaking strange, so she kept pestering her to talk a lot more.
"Madam, were you thinking so intently about the sachet just now?"
During this time together, Qinglu developed a lot of affection for her mistress. As long as Lord Cen was not around, she did not restrain herself too much, which was the opposite of Qingyu.
And there he was, holding his wife's wrist, acting as intimately as if they were sisters.
"Hmm, it feels like things are too simple. If you wanted to harm someone, why leave something so obviously identifying yourself? Wouldn't it be better to just buy a generic item on the street?"
"Madam, have you ever considered checking the petals inside? The Dream Lotus is not something you can buy in ordinary flower shops or pharmacies."
That's a rare find.
Xu Lanxin felt as if her Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and she excitedly grabbed Qinglu.
"Then tell me quickly, where can I buy such a rare item?"
"Ghost Market".
Things that cannot be done openly, things that cannot be obtained through legitimate means, and information that cannot be obtained through legitimate means can all be inquired about at the Ghost Market.
Goods can be exchanged or cash can be exchanged.
At midnight, the ghost market opens, and its liveliness rivals that of ordinary markets during festivals.
Ghost Market.
Xu Lanxin went back and told Cen Yan about what had happened. Then Cen Yan asked Qingyun to find out the location of the Ghost Market.
Sure enough, the group waited until midnight before arriving at the entrance to the ghost market.
To be honest, even Xu Lanxin, a person who grew up under the red flag and is full of righteousness, did not dare to come alone.
The locust tree leaves rustled in the wind, and the candlelight in the lantern flickered violently, giving one a creepy feeling.
This entrance really looks like a ghost market.
A grave.
The grave was small, and the tombstone in front of it had no words on it, only a diamond-shaped slot.
Qingyun pulled out a diamond-shaped object from his pocket. It was the same size as the slot on the tombstone and had some unreadable characters and carvings on it.
With a "click-clack" sound, the diamond-shaped object was inlaid, causing the ground beneath her feet to tremble. The sudden swaying made Xu Lan's heart shaky, and she was immediately pulled into the arms of the person beside her.
The grave split in the middle, and the soil and stones began to fall.
The key on the tombstone flew out, and the tombstone fell backward into the grave and disappeared, revealing a trapezoidal entrance.
As the group stepped into the entrance of the ghost market, the first section of the road was roughly a Z-shaped trapezoid, completely dark, relying on the faint light from the tinderboxes in their hands.
After walking for about 5 minutes, we finally saw light, and a black door stood before us.
There are no decorations on the door, except for a diamond-shaped slot in the middle, the same as the tombstone.
Qingyun stepped forward and placed the diamond-shaped key into the slot. The key rotated once in the slot, indenting inward until it disappeared.
Well, this ticket is for one-time use only.
"Qingyun, how much is a ticket to this ghost market?"
"Madam, one thousand taels of silver, or it can be exchanged for goods, or even signed under harsh conditions."
Tsk tsk, these ghost market operators are really rip-offs.
"They could have just grabbed it, but they insisted on giving away a ticket instead."
Cen Yan was amused by her and rewarded her with a roasted chestnut.
Xu Lanxin touched her forehead and gave him a resentful look.
The heavy black gate slowly rose.
Qingyun took out several masks and distributed them. Lanxin, who was wearing a fox mask, walked in front of Cenyan, who was wearing the same mask.
After entering the door, there was another tunnel, but there were oil lamps on both sides, making the tunnel very well-lit.
The commotion was coming, so it must be coming soon.
Finally, after emerging from the cave, the Ghost Market was right in front of us.
The ghost market that comes into view resembles an underground city, brightly lit, with houses, pavilions and towers just like an ordinary market. The immersive dark color scheme adds to the eerie atmosphere of the ghost market.
The fact that such a large underground city could be excavated shows the immense power of the owner behind this ghost market.
Xu Lanxin walked along the Ghost Market Street, looking around as if she were a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden.
After wandering around for a while, he seemed to remember the purpose of his visit, so he looked at Cen Yan beside him.
"Zijin, where should we go to gather information?"
"Shadow Pavilion".
The tallest building you see at the cave entrance is it.
The group arrived at the entrance of the Shadow Pavilion. The building was still predominantly black, and the door was open, revealing a few guests inside.
The interior was brightly lit by glass lamps, and several servants dressed in the same black attire and wearing the same masks were inside.
They are probably staff members working in this building.
One of them came up and greeted Xu Lanxin and the others.
"If guests need to inquire about information, please move to the counter and take a number."
The rules of this pavilion are: first, inquire about information, determine the level, pay the consultation fee, take a number, and wait for a servant to escort you to a private room to exchange information.
After Qingyun finished processing, the others waited.
A short while later, the servants led Xu Lanxin and Cen Yan to the secret room, where they obtained the answer they sought: a witch in the Ghost Market, skilled in poisons, was selling Dream Lotus.
Xu Lanxin and Qinglu were bored in the reception hall, looking around and taking in the sights.
After Cen Yan came out, he told her to wait a moment, as he still had some things to inquire about.
Just then, voices came from upstairs. Xu Lanxin looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man dressed mainly in black with purple clothes underneath, and wearing a black-based ghost mask coming down from the building.
The person walked straight ahead without looking to the side, and did not stop.
They had been trying to get information but hadn't been able to go upstairs, so it seemed the information this guest was gathering was quite unusual.
She glanced at it, then turned her head away to look elsewhere.
With a "bang," the heavy object fell to the ground.
Immediately, some people exclaimed in surprise, while others shouted anxiously.
Xu Lanxin quickly walked over and pushed through the crowd.
The person who had just come downstairs was now lying on the ground, his lips slightly bluish-purple and his eyes tightly closed.
Breathing and heartbeat have stopped.
The person next to him was probably his subordinate. He was very angry to see Xu Lanxin touching and leaning against his master's chest in such a dissolute manner.
"What are you doing? Let go of my master!"
His tone was very fierce, and seeing that it was useless, he even tried to pull him forward.
"Shut up. If you don't want him to die, get the onlookers out of here."
After Xu Lanxin finished speaking, she immediately pulled aside his clothes and began CPR, performing chest compressions.
At this moment, every second counted, and she proceeded step by step, each press a race against the countdown to death.
Gradually, beads of sweat covered Lanxin's forehead and her back was soaked with sweat. She dared not and could not stop, as life seemed fragile and fleeting.
After what seemed like an eternity, the person on the ground gradually began to breathe, his chest rose and fell, and his eyelids twitched, a sign that he was about to open his eyes.
Xu Lanxin finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the side, exhausted. Qinglu rushed forward to help her up.
The man on the ground opened his eyes, his brown eyes looking over with surprise and delight.
"aunt?"
His voice was somewhat hoarse.
Xu Lanxin's eyes widened upon hearing this address, and the fox mask that had fallen beside the man looked somewhat familiar.
Auntie? What the heck? She's very young!
A familiar figure approached, and Cen Yan picked up the fox mask that had fallen to the side, put it on her, picked her up around the waist, and the group left.
Anxious calls continued to come from behind. Lan Xin turned around and saw the man being half-supported by his subordinates, looking at her.
If he hadn't been still recovering, Lan Xin would have had no doubt that he intended to chase after her and intercept her.
After leaving the Shadow Pavilion, the group found Granny Witch and obtained clues about the buyer from her.
Cen Yan led the group away quickly, somewhat in a hurry.
Xu Lanxin looked at the receding ghost market before turning her gaze away.
"What's wrong with Zijin?"
“That person is dressed in expensive clothes; the silk gauze is not something that ordinary nobles can afford. To avoid trouble, let’s leave first.”
I wonder what kind of trouble today's actions will bring?
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