Chapter 147 Ghost Market
The lantern in her hand emitted a strange red light, and the system prompt in Lou Keqing's ear continued:
[The ghost market will close in eight hours. Players are requested to leave the passage before the time is up. If you stay, your soul will be at risk of being contaminated by the dungeon.]
[The clearance rules are as follows:
1. Don’t let ghosts and monsters discover your human identity
2. Knock on at least one door
3. Make a deal with a local ghost
As long as the human skin lantern is intact, you can leave before the countdown ends if you achieve any one of the conditions. The more conditions you achieve, the higher your score will be. 】
The way to exchange blind boxes of props that Xin Yue mentioned is to complete the second task and find a specific door.
Logically speaking, if she wanted to draw a blind box, it would be best to complete all three tasks. However, Xin Yue told her that once she completed Task 2, knocking on the door, especially the door they marked, she would no longer be able to draw a blind box.
So every time they come, they are not going for the S-level props.
Lou Keqing originally planned not to rush to find the door where the target was, but to explore the map roughly first. After all, this was a copy that could reveal S-level items, and any extra information she could get would be a good deal. However, the current situation made her feel a little scared.
The fastest way to judge the difficulty of a dungeon is the number of ghosts.
But right now, this street, this place called Ghost Market, is so crowded that there is hardly a living person.
No wonder the first task is to hide the identity of a living person. Lou Keqing can feel that once her identity as a human player is exposed here, all the ghosts on the street will surround her and eat her up one by one.
Sensing her emotional ups and downs, the lantern in his hand began to glow quietly again.
Lou Keqing's hands trembled, she took a deep breath, and told herself to be steady. She had already learned about this game before entering the dungeon, and the key point in this game was not to panic or be afraid.
The lantern handed to the player when entering the door may really contain a heart. It can sense the emotions of the person holding the lantern and directly expose the person's mood.
How can ghosts be afraid on a street full of ghosts? Of course only humans would be afraid.
After she calmed down, the lantern returned to its normal brightness.
You are holding a time bomb in your hand but you cannot throw it away. It is not only because the requirements for passing the level state that you must return the lamp to the previous NPC at the entrance when passing the level, but also because this lamp is quite special.
"You absolutely cannot throw away this lantern, otherwise you will get lost in the ghost market and won't be able to get out. Even the ghosts in the ghost market will carry the same lantern, so you don't have to be afraid of being too conspicuous."
This was the important tip given by Xin Yue and others before.
The street was full of ghosts at this time, but it was true that every guy in a black robe had a lamp in his hand.
Even the stall owners are no exception. The human skin lanterns are placed right next to them and can be easily touched. The entire street may not actually have any light source, and it is all lit up by the faint red light in the lanterns. At this time, if someone's lantern suddenly jumps, it will attract the attention of the entire street.
Fortunately, I managed to keep calm. No wonder Wen Haoqian said that before entering here, we have to confirm that all players are brave and not afraid of Chinese dungeons, otherwise they will be exposed within a minute.
At this time, all the players had dispersed, but Lou Keqing was very sure that there was almost no possibility of any humans around her.
She even saw several customers standing in front of the stalls wiping their saliva through their black robes.
It seems that he is very greedy for the fresh blood and flesh.
"Boss, how do you calculate the price of this jar of eyeballs?"
"Fifteen thousand. There's almost half a pound of good stuff in here."
"It's so expensive. With 15,000 soul coins I can buy a few pounds of chocolate eyeballs at the convenience store."
"Go away, how can the processed ones in Boss Cai's store compare to mine? This one was just picked not long ago, definitely no more than 48 hours ago, it's super fresh."
The ghost in black robe seemed to suck his saliva.
"Then how about a discount of 3,000 yuan?"
"Get out of the way. If you don't want it, there are plenty of ghosts who do."
Just as the boss finished speaking, a drooling man in a black robe next to him actually offered fifteen thousand and bought the item. After buying the eyeball, the guy was afraid that someone else would snatch it away, so he opened the jar and swallowed it.
Gulp, gulp, half a pound of eyeballs went down his throat. He chuckled twice and left with satisfaction.
The ghost who had just bargained seemed a little annoyed and immediately started asking about other things, and the area around the stall gradually became lively.
Lou Keqing calmed herself down and stood by and watched for a while. She considered that making a deal was one of the criteria for passing the level, and she wanted to see if she could improve her copy rating.
If I come in here just to find a door to exchange props, it always seems a bit unprofitable.
"Boss, do you have any cheaper ones? Around 5,000."
As soon as Lou Keqing opened her mouth, several ghosts in black robes stopped instantly, and turned their heads to look at her in unison, strangely and quickly.
Cold sweat gradually seeped out of her back. Lou Keqing thought that this shouldn't be the case. The black robe could hide her appearance, and she was also holding a lantern, so it was unlikely that she would be discovered so quickly.
The red light in the human skin paper lantern began to grow stronger little by little, and Lou Keqing suppressed her breathing.
The stall owner licked his lips and used his dry fingers to grab a few jars with smaller heads. "It's rare to meet someone who makes a direct offer. Here, this one is five thousand. Do you want it?"
It was a separate glass jar of brain flowers, which looked like it was cut into pieces, with only one quarter of the brain.
Canned brain flower is not cheap even in convenience stores, and you need a special pass to buy it. Fresh brain flower is even more expensive. Because there are many ghosts who like to eat it, it is cut into small pieces and sold at a high price, and many ghosts are scrambling to buy it.
There was some commotion among the people in black robes around, and they obviously wanted to bid as well, but they were all strangely silent at this moment, and they just quietly bid to the guy who just offered 5,000, as if waiting for her to speak.
This was not respect or courtesy. Lou Keqing only felt a strong gaze and inquiry.
These ghosts are suspicious of her.
Lou Keqing suddenly realized a problem. She shouldn't have mentioned the price first. It seemed that all the ghosts here chose the cans first and then asked the price and bargained.
They are all regular customers and know the tone and steps that real ghosts use when they come to buy things.
The limited soul coin balance caused Lou Keqing to accidentally make a mistake, but it was not fatal. After all, these guys did not pounce on him for the time being.
Lou Keqing bit her cheek tightly and said calmly, "The brain flower is really good, can you save 500 yuan?"
She was trying to haggle like she did before.
The stall owner tutted his mouth, a little unhappy: "Canned brains are so scarce and you're still bargaining, take it or leave it!"
Lou Keqing's mouth was faster than her brain, and she immediately agreed: "Deal."
She slowly started to pay, but the stall owner didn't pack the cans for her.
The pairs of malicious eyes around her were still staring at her silently.
"Why, don't you want to eat it right now? You know, it's hard to carry this precious stuff safely out of this street."
After the stall owner finished speaking, Lou Keqing had already heard the sound of a ghost swallowing saliva in a black robe nearby.
Oh no! No wonder the ghost who bought the eyeball had to eat it on the spot. He was probably afraid that he would be robbed if he walked out of the street with the canned food.
This ghost market is too chaotic!
She took the can from the stall owner as calmly as possible, her mind working quickly.
"This is a gift for another big ghost. He eats several cans of brains every week. I just cater to his taste. It's okay for him to rob me, but if he knew that his cans were lost in the ghost market, he would never let it go."
The ghosts around hesitated for a moment.
Lou Keqing left after she finished speaking, but she could still feel that there were a lot of ghosts around her staring at her hands.
He was not just staring at the can worth 5,000 that she put in her arms, but also the human skin lantern in her hand.
Unexpectedly, the red light in the human skin lantern was not very strong, and the candle core with the heart pattern was not beating very obviously. It could be seen that its owner was not particularly nervous.
【Acrobats and Aerial Trapeze Artists】
[A steel cable, a balance bar. Sometimes, walking in the sky does not require absolute balance, but an absolutely stable mentality. And you have an absolutely strong heart.]
Lou Keqing controlled her heartbeat with her extraordinary willpower. She knew that she was walking on a tightrope. There were dozens or even hundreds of ghosts on the whole street. Once she was exposed, she would be pounced on by these guys in an instant and eaten up at the fastest speed.
There is nothing more delicious than tearing a living person apart.
Perhaps it was her purchasing speech just now that intimidated the ghosts around her. There were indeed some little ghosts who wanted to take the back door, and they would come to the ghost market specifically to buy some souvenirs for the big ghosts in high positions.
But there were still a few guys who were short of money. They looked at each other and followed quietly.
Most of the time they come to the ghost market just to watch the fun, but they can't actually buy anything.
Although the Ghost Market is a fresh food market where ghosts do business, everyone knows that occasionally a few bold humans will sneak in.
It doesn't matter if there is just a little bit of doubt. If the bet is right, they can divide up a living person, and there are so many parts that they can not only eat but also sell.
If they lose the bet, the worst that can happen is that they can just snatch the can of brains and run away, and silence the kid. Who would know that they took the thing?
Lou Keqing carried the tricky can of brain flower in her arms and quickened her pace as she walked through the market full of ghosts.
She felt that someone was following her.
No, this forced calm [tightrope walking state] can't last long. Being followed by so many ghosts, her heartbeat will soon betray her.
The red light from the human skin lantern in his hand was intensifying at an extremely slow speed.
Once she lost control of her emotions, the violent heartbeat and the light were enough to attract the attention of all the ghosts on the street.
Yes! Map, quickly recall the location of the door marked on the map.
Not all ghosts in the ghost market set up stalls. Merchants who can provide certain fixed goods in a long-term and stable manner all have physical stores. If you walk forward, you will see many stores on the street.
But no house had turned on the lights, only a dim human skin lantern of the same style hung at the door.
Lou Keqing jogged faster and faster and finally saw the sign of the target store in the distance.
She had almost reached the limit of her skills at this point. At the moment when [Tightrope Walking Mentality] failed, the human skin lantern in her hand, which had remained silent until now, suddenly burst into a rich red color.
Plop, plop. It was as if a violently beating heart was stuffed into the lantern. In the crowded black-robed jungle, a ghost suddenly screamed:
"This is a living person!"
It was like a hunting horn. Lou Keqing ran away, not daring to look back at the army of ghosts that had been awakened behind her.
To a certain extent, her physical strength far exceeded that of most players. The ghosts behind her, with red eyes, looked like hungry zombies, with their mouths wide open and drooling, and all rushed over to catch up with her.
The faster Lou Keqing ran, the faster her heart beat, and the sound of the lantern in her hand became louder, and the red light illuminated the entire street.
But she knew that she couldn't lose this lantern. Even the ghosts chasing her from behind were holding lanterns in their hands, which meant that this thing was also helpful to ghosts. If she lost it, she would not be able to get out.
Even though this thing was just a glowing alarm, Lou Keqing still held it tightly until she turned a corner and then slammed herself against the wall.
With a loud crash, a transparent glass can broke, and a rain of brains fell from the sky. The refreshing fragrance made some black-robed ghosts instantly lie on the ground, sucking the brain fragments frantically.
This thing is not only delicious, but also extremely rare. It's good enough to have some to eat, but they may not be able to catch up with the living person. After all, this is not the first time such a thing has happened.
Sure enough, after turning the corner, the human disappeared.
Even the red light of the lanterns disappeared, and the entire corridor was still as lifeless as it was before the ghost market.
The leading ghosts cursed a few times. They originally thought they could have a big meal, but now they could only go back and see if there were any brain fragments left on the ground.
Lou Keqing was trying to calm her heartbeat in the darkness. The lantern in her hand had not yet gone silent, but the red light could no longer shine through because someone in the store gave her a new black robe to cover the lantern.
"Don't make any noise. They haven't left yet. Calm yourself down first."
Under the shining red light, Lou Keqing really couldn't calm down completely. Even though she rushed into the marked door at the critical moment, the guy inside the door didn't make her feel completely at ease.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" A gentle female voice sounded in the room. This was a teahouse and the owner was sitting at a wooden coffee table sipping a special black tea.
I don’t know if it’s because of the variety of tea, or because the store has no light and relies entirely on red lanterns, but the color of the tea is shockingly red.
Lou Keqing stared at the other person's ears and swallowed.
That is a pair of white sheep's ears.
The one in front of me is not a ghost, but it is a monster-type NPC.
This softly-spoken lady has a large sheep's head above her neck and square pupils in her eyes. It makes you feel uncomfortable if you look at her for a long time.
For a moment, Lou Keqing didn't know whether it was right or wrong for her to rush into the door.
In the end, she chose to believe the information given by Xin Yue. This sheep was different from the ghosts outside. Her technique of making tea was elegant and skillful. She seemed to be more interested in tea than the living person who had just walked in.
Lou Keqing could feel that this Miss Goat was a creature of completely different levels from the fellow who had chased her outside the door before. She was even similar to the special administrators in some of the copies she had visited before.
She calmed her breathing, and after the lantern was restored, she slowly walked to the coffee table and took out something in her arms: "I'll exchange props."
The goat's eyes were slightly narrowed, and its square pupils seemed to be able to suck away a person's soul.
"Sit down and have some tea. There is one person who hasn't arrived yet."
Lou Keqing sat down somewhat awkwardly. The movement in the human skin lantern showed that she was not completely relaxed at the moment. However, Miss Goat did not seem to have the intention to do anything. She just sipped her tea slowly, as if she was really waiting for someone.
At this time, in the other direction of the ghost market, Tang Xiaoxiao was walking slowly.
As soon as she arrived here, she noticed the items sold in the surrounding stalls.
As her mood fluctuated slightly, she noticed that the red light of the lantern in her hand was getting stronger. She covered it slightly with her black robe and quickly calmed herself down.
Tang Xiaoxiao is afraid of the dark and of course, she is also afraid of ghosts.
But after the Hell Community, she woke up as if from a dream.
After she was no longer afraid of death, she rarely feared anything else.
What's more, there are always little monks and young boys and girls in the team all year round. Tang Xiaoxiao's perception of ghosts has changed to - this is just another form of creature.
I can kill and beat people. I will get depressed because I have spent all my pocket money and I will cry because I can’t finish my homework.
Of course, Sister Qiao Song had also demonstrated to her through her own actions that ghosts also bully the weak and fear the strong.
The little light from her human skin lantern did not attract any attention. On the contrary, she walked around the stalls, stopping and looking at the goods inside from time to time. Her cold and contemptuous expression made the several black-robed ghosts who were traveling with her not even dare to get too close to her.
Tang Xiaoxiao even considered whether to buy the items mentioned above, but she always felt that they were disgusting. The offerings or snacks that Xiaoxiao had eaten before were all processed by convenience stores.
Xiao Ni seldom eats in front of them, and now he mainly eats incense.
Tang Xiaoxiao's sincere attitude of buying souvenirs for her friends made the stall owner never doubt her.
And she actually bought two sets of goods. Whether she takes them back or not is another matter. In a place full of ghosts, buying the items they need may come in handy for other purposes later. This is also the experience that Sister Qiao Song taught her.
When Tang Xiaoxiao walked to the entrance of the alley, there was a noise in the distance, and there seemed to be a red light, and a guy who looked like a human appeared.
After instantly deciding that it was unlikely to be Sister Qiao Song, she continued to look for the shop doors marked on the map very indifferently.
"I've thought you were weird before." A voice sounded behind her, wet, cold and sticky, like a strand of hair in the sewer sticking to the soles of her feet, quietly following her.
"It's fine if you don't bargain when buying things at Old Man Luo's stall, but when you see a red light in the distance, you don't even want to join in the fun. Don't you know that it could be a living person sneaking into the ghost market?"
Tang Xiaoxiao slowly turned around and looked at the thing following behind her.
A tall and thin ghost in a black robe.
His feet were wet, perhaps he had died in the water. If you got closer, you could still smell a fishy odor from the lake.
The ghost licked his lips and said maliciously: "You are not also a living..."
Tang Xiaoxiao interrupted him: "Can I ask about your education level when you were alive?"
The ghost who was trying to provoke her with words inexplicably felt an invisible humiliation: "What do you mean? Stop talking nonsense. I doubt you are a living person. If you don't want other ghosts to come over, hand over the cans you bought before!"
He originally planned to provoke this guy. As long as the human skin lantern gave wrong feedback, he would rush up and tear her to pieces. However, he always felt that this guy who looked like a human seemed too calm, and Ghost Shadow was a little undecided.
Tang Xiaoxiao looked him up and down.
【The gaze of a top student】
[Quickly judge the target's IQ, academic level, and force. The greater the IQ gap between the two sides, the more powerful the subsequent skills will be.]
This is an auxiliary skill that Tang Xiaoxiao unlocked after coming out of the paper-breaking town and her soul power was further strengthened.
That look made the ghost feel inexplicably ashamed: "What are you looking at!"
Tang Xiaoxiao: "Do you remember the equation of conic sections and eccentricity?"
The ghost's stomach was rumbling and his mind was confused: What is going on?
But he saw the man holding the lantern suddenly took out a piece of light-colored paper from his arms. The light thing became bigger and bigger, and soon it was like a mountain, and slapped him directly in the face.
"A ghost of your age should study hard. Xiao Ni knows what eccentricity is. Why do you come out to rob people?"
Tang Xiaoxiao threw a page of the exercise book, controlled the ghost in place, and turned the corner without looking back.
The ghost who was controlled by the skill and started to practice questions: ...
A large number of strange mathematical formulas made his already underdeveloped and water-soaked brain hurt even more.
What are trigonometric functions? Why do we need to drain and fill a pool at the same time? What is a coordinate system?
Help, I can't understand the question!!!
What kind of damn skill is this? I can’t move until I finish writing it! I still have to copy the wrong questions! A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!
My head was full of ghost images of water. Even though I was extremely reluctant, I could only sit there and start copying the wrong answers in tears.
There was another knock on the tea room door not far from the corner. Lou Keqing immediately straightened her shoulders and looked towards the door.
The goat sitting in the main seat drinking tea gently put down the teacup. On the back of its fair and delicate hands, a small ball of white goat hair could be vaguely seen.
Ms. Goat raised her finger, and the foggy black door opened a crack.
The door opened, and Lou Keqing saw the little girl who had been with Qiao Qiao before walk in.
The lantern in Tang Xiaoxiao's hand was steady and quiet, the flame so dim, as if to say that she was as calm walking in the ghost market as she was walking in her own living room.
Even when he saw Ms. Goat, Tang Xiaoxiao just observed her curiously for a few seconds, and then nodded politely.
"Hello, I'm here to exchange props."
Lou Keqing was instantly overwhelmed with admiration for this sister. Compared to her embarrassment, the other party was more like a mature player.
"You can only exchange once in a store, and both of you are sellers, so I have to wait for you to come together and put your props into this box."
Ms. Goat holds a gift box with a tea set.
After Tang Xiaoxiao and Lou Keqing did as they were told, they immediately heard a system prompt.
['Gaoshan Sijichun Tea House' initiates a transaction with you, do you agree? ]
[Ding—You have successfully obtained the token of the Goat Lady. When you leave the ghost market, you can exchange it for the Goat Lady’s souvenir from the NPC who recycles the lanterns. Please note that the tourist player has only one chance to obtain the souvenir in each round of the game.]
With system endorsement, the transaction is more secure and item exchange can be completed quickly.
Ms. Goat put the box away and still made two cups of tea.
"You can sit here for a while and wait for the seller in another store to prepare the soul coins or the goods you want. Of course, you can also go out for a walk. After all, the ghost market is only held every three days, so it is still quite lively."
Lou Keqing was no longer as confident as she was before entering the dungeon. She thought to herself that since this was a safe house, it would be fine for her to stay here.
Looking at Tang Xiaoxiao next to her, she whispered, "Did you see Qiao Qiao before you came?"
Qiao Song has no plans to sell items this round, which means that she might want to try out the S-level item-related tasks in the copy.
She was so embarrassed even after getting some guides and even the store directions. It is hard to imagine how much trouble Qiao Qiao must be facing.
Tang Xiaoxiao was quite calm. After thinking for a while, she said, "The market is indeed very lively. Sister Qiao Song should hang out in there for a while. She will come out before the time is up."
Lou Keqing's expression became strange: "Aren't you worried about her?"
This reminded Tang Xiaoxiao of the past: "It's not that I'm not worried. Whenever I was separated from Sister Qiao Song, I was always afraid something might happen."
But later, once he realized that the identities of prey and hunter could be reversed, Tang Xiaoxiao felt that what he needed to worry about more were the copy creatures.
Sister Qiao Song’s toolbox never leaves any game empty, no matter if it’s alive or dead, movable or immovable.
Lou Keqing was silent, recalling the three-choice requirement for clearing the dungeon:
Stay human without being discovered; knock on at least one door; make a deal with a local ghost.
In order to obtain S-level props, at least three tasks must be completed at the same time. Miss Goat said that because they chose to get souvenirs, it would be impossible to get blind boxes.
Is Qiao Qiao planning to complete these three tasks?
Qiao Song indeed planned to do so.
She even felt that this dungeon mission was not as difficult as she had imagined, and that there were more side quests that had not been discovered.
Qiao Song strolled around the market like a real tourist who came here for sightseeing, and bought a lot of things.
Soon, she felt that there were a few dirty little tails following her.
Although the ghost market is bustling, the ghosts here do not necessarily have the money to buy the things sold at the stalls.
Because humans often sneak into the ghost market, sometimes their purpose becomes to rob anyone who looks like a human player.
Even if they find the wrong person, it doesn't matter. Those powerful ghosts will never condescend to buy things in such a place. The ghosts who dare to spend so many soul coins will not be afraid of trouble as long as they get rid of the tail.
They have done many things like killing people and dismembering them, or killing ghosts and robbing them, and they have gained experience in this.
In an S-level dungeon game, no matter whether the player takes the initiative or not, there will always be ghosts coming to test your identity, and behind every door of those shops on the street, there are ghosts of extraordinary level.
If you don't have a strategy or familiarity with the game, it's already a great achievement to be able to pass the S-level dungeon safely.
Qiao Song was holding the human skin lantern. Since he entered the dungeon game, the flame inside had not even shown any signs of flickering.
She walked around the corner and calmly found a dead end to enter.
The streets of the ghost market are indeed very strange. In a place where there are no people or ghosts, if there are no lanterns hanging, a very light mist will fill the alleys.
Qiao Song held up the not-so-bright human skin lantern, barely illuminating the darkness in the dead end.
There were rustling sounds behind me, and a lot of disgusting, sticky things with a faint smell were chasing after me.
Even though they were covered in black robes, they couldn't block out the strange smell that emanated from their bones.
"You actually took the initiative to go to a place like this. It seems that what my brother said is true. You may not be a living person. What's the matter? Which lackey is so bold that a ghost would come to the ghost market to buy goods?"
The leading ghost had a slightly wider body and looked very tall, and his robe was one size larger than the others.
"I'm talking to you. Don't you know that you need to pay a little 'special fee' to purchase goods from the ghost market? I see that you don't need these soul coins. How about it? Pay a little more money, and we brothers will escort you out of here in one piece."
Qiao Song had bought at least a dozen kinds of food from different stalls before.
It is still a top-notch delicacy that most ghosts love to eat.
The big shots are not like Qiao Song, who would bargain one by one. She really doesn't look like a human. The human skin lantern is lifeless and calmer than a ghost.
The big guy thought to himself that this shouldn't be a very powerful ghost.
After all, those who have some financial resources either open a shop nearby and purchase goods through the internal channels, or wait for the shop owners to automatically deliver the goods to their door. Why would they come to such a dirty and crowded place and buy things with a broken lantern?
Qiao Song, who was standing at the end of the alley surrounded, looked around calmly and said, "You ghosts, do you usually make a living in the ghost market by doing things like this? It just so happens that I have something to trouble you with."
"I just bought a lot of things, and I'm a little short on money. Can you do me a favor and buy some things from me?"
The big guy in the lead was puzzled: "What to buy?"
In the slightly crowded alley, a strange sound was heard, with a wet mouth and the sound of saliva, as if some creature was chewing food.
The human skin lantern illuminated the pink pig, and then the buzzing sound of a chainsaw filled the air again.
Qiao Song's face was half illuminated by the red light. She smiled softly, "Of course, I'll buy your lives."
The author has something to say:
Barely Escaped Lou Keqing
Tang Xiaoxiao
Don’t want to pass the level of Mr. Qiao: Open the toolbox, prepare the tools, and start casting the net to fish. Isn’t this my happy hometown?
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