Chapter 32 Ghost Market (Part 1) Today I understand my wife a little better...
People, ghosts, cats, and dogs swarmed in a vast and mighty procession.
By the time people start talking about night markets, they've already closed up shop by 5 a.m.
Vendors setting up stalls at the ghost market need to register at the government office two days in advance to receive a permit. They don't need to specify what they are selling; it's just to reserve a stall space.
The crossroads are always brightly lit at night. When the ghost market opens, even the candlelight is dim and dim, making it impossible to see the true appearance of the goods.
From Caomen Street, where the funeral clothing shops are located, you can walk through an alley to reach the Shizijie Night Market, which is called the Ghost Market from dawn on the 14th and 15th of each month.
Two imperial guards were stationed at each alley entrance to maintain order.
The ghost market originated in this dynasty and was established with the support of the government.
It's Xiao Ji again; his words make much more sense.
Bai Yan, Jiang Yuzhi, and Zhong Yuxiu were in a group, with Zhong Yuxiu holding Xiao Jin in her arms.
A-Zhao, along with Di-Ting's dog leash, Zhi-Yi, Zhi-Er, and Zhao Ping-Feng, went for a stroll.
The ghost market not only offers all kinds of sundries and antiques, but also special foods.
The interplay of light and shadow, the movement of people—unlike the bustling night market, it was eerily quiet, adding a touch of eeriness and gloom to the street.
acquaintance?
Jiang Yuzhi curiously approached a stall selling Meng Po soup and human flesh buns, only to find that the stall owners were Shen Zhenzhu and Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue also noticed them. The stall was bustling with activity, and the wooden tables that had been set up temporarily were packed with people sitting on the ground.
Jiang Yuzhi lowered her voice, trying to match the atmosphere of the ghost market, "Zhang Niangzi, Chen Niangzi, give us... um... three bowls of Meng Po soup and three human flesh buns."
She admired the clever name of the food, which whetted her appetite.
Zhong Yuxiu looked eager to try, while Bai Yan kept a close eye on whether any wooden tables would become available.
Zhang Yue, dressed in tattered clothes, with a pale face covered in makeup and bright red blush, said in a high-pitched voice, "Manager Jiang is here too. My steamed buns are fresh out of the pot, I'll serve them to you right away."
Just then, a group of guests finished eating and left, so Shen Zhenzhu went up to clean up and also to save seats for Jiang Yuzhi and the others.
Zhong Yuxiu carried Xiao Jin and walked a few steps forward to sit down.
Jiang Yuzhi asked curiously, "Who is Madam Zhang dressed up as?"
Zhang Yue stirred the pot of blue soup while glancing at the steamed buns in the steamer from time to time. "Meng Po, can't Manager Jiang tell? Alright, here's your Meng Po soup and human flesh buns. I'll bring them to the table for you, along with a side dish."
Jiang Yuzhi's lips twitched. "...Okay, thank you."
Bai Yan didn't go to the table, but followed behind Jiang Yuzhi. Seeing the speechless look on his wife's face, he asked in a low voice, "Does Yuzhi know Meng Po?"
Jiang Yuzhi: "Mmm, she won't even let me call her Meng Po. I call her Sister Meng. If Sister Meng knew that mortals had turned her into this..."
Bai Yan squinted, trying to see Zhang Yue's appearance clearly. She looked just like a matchmaker who collected scraps. Chen Zhenzhu, who was tidying up the table, was dressed in the same way.
Jiang Yuzhi: "You'll know what Sister Meng looks like later."
Bai Yan: "When I go to the underworld, can Yu Zhi take good care of me? I'm new here and don't know anything about ghosts, so Yu Zhi is the only one I can rely on."
The flickering candlelight cast a soft golden glow on Bai Yan's profile. "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you dislike me?" He leaned closer, looking directly into the depths of Jiang Yuzhi's red eyes.
Jiang Yuzhi suddenly realized that she had been staring at Bai Yan in a daze. She hurriedly took two steps back and turned her face away. "Of course not! I have a lot of connections in the underworld. If you go there, I guarantee you'll be able to walk sideways."
After saying that, he hurried to the table.
The sudden amplification of the sound drew frequent glances from passersby, who only saw a young nobleman chuckling softly.
Jiang Yuzhi plopped down, patting her cheeks with her cold back. It wasn't surprising; when she was fifteen or sixteen, her parents were preparing to find her a husband. Her favorite was a gentle and refined young man, whose words were like a refreshing breeze, and who was sincere and talented.
However, the world was too chaotic at the time, and later they found He Ji, so things were delayed.
She absentmindedly stirred the strangely colored soup in her bowl with her chopsticks, while Bai Yan was already sitting opposite her.
Zhong Yuxiu, who was standing next to her, took a bite of the skull-shaped meat bun with a strong appetite. She chewed it with a loud crunch and found it tasted pretty good, but the texture was a bit strange. Then she carefully examined the filling of the bun and found that it tasted like pork, probably with some cartilage mixed in.
Jiang Yuzhi finally turned her attention to the table, and the ghost froze.
The candlelight was too dim to see the contents of the steamer, but now I can see three bowls of blue soup on the table, containing bits and pieces of meat, skull-shaped buns, and a dish of unidentified side dishes cut into skull shapes.
Bai Yan frowned and cautiously took a sip of the soup. "Lamb offal soup, with extra woad added, tastes pretty good."
"Yuzhi, try this side dish, it's pickled just right." Zhong Yuxiu stuffed a skull into her mouth with her chopsticks, took a bite of the "human flesh bun," and then drank a sip of the blue "Meng Po soup."
Ha, ha, Zhang and Chen's wives really have some ingenious ideas.
Jiang Yuzhi overcame her psychological barrier, took a bite of each, and relaxed. "Phew...it tastes pretty good."
The underworld is too boring.
There were also many stalls run by foreigners in the ghost market, some with blond hair and blue eyes, some with normal black hair, and quite a few with curly hair.
They all have one thing in common: deep-set features and a strange accent when they speak.
Jiang Yuzhi only took a liking to two things: a wooden cross and a small coffin the size of a palm. The shape of the coffin was different from that of the Xia Dynasty.
According to the foreigners, the cross is a symbol of their country's gods and can protect them. When they went abroad to do business, they encountered war and lost all their goods. Unable to return home, they had no choice but to sell the amulets.
Jiang Yuzhi knew it was a scam without Bai Yan even needing to remind her, but she still bought it, mainly because she had never seen it before and it wasn't expensive.
Needless to say, Zhong Yuxiu never expected to see these things at the ghost market. She felt a sense of familiarity and rummaged through most of the items on the stalls. The foreigners excitedly chattered in their native languages at her.
"Your country's gods?" The woman in blue squatted by the stall, picking up a cross and holding it up in the moonlight.
A solemn man in black stood beside her.
Jiang Yuzhi didn't pay attention and was about to leave.
They brought A-Zhao, who was holding Di-Ting's hand, to find them.
Upon seeing the two people, Di Ting stopped its cheerful steps. The next moment, it broke free from the rope in A Zhao's hand, its tail drooping and swaying slowly as it slowly walked to block Jiang Yuzhi's side.
Jiang Yuzhi noticed something was wrong, so she crouched down, gently pressed one hand on Di Ting's head, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Listening silently, he warily stared at the two people by the stall, his left foreleg scratching at Jiang Yuzhi's leg a couple of times.
Jiang Yuzhi understood, reached out and grabbed Bai Yan's sleeve, pulling him to her side. "Mingze, let A Zhao take Yuxiu and the others back. You too, stay in the shop and don't come out."
Bai Yan wasn't stupid; he naturally realized what danger was about to occur. He nodded in agreement and led Zhong Yuxiu and the others to a corner not far away.
It is a rest stop for the guards when they change shifts.
"Someone, take them safely back to the funeral clothing shop on Caomen Street, opposite the Bai Family Cloth Shop."
"yes."
Zhong Yuxiu didn't finish exploring, which was a bit of a pity, but she also knew that there might be problems, and that staying would only get in the way.
She hugged Xiao Jin tightly and obediently followed the guards away.
Meanwhile, Bai Yan returned to Jiang Yuzhi's side alone.
Jiang Yuzhi looked at him with suspicion.
Bai Yan: "Our powers originate from the same source. I guess those two people came for this reason. Di Ting is the most powerful. If I go back to the shop, what if it's a diversionary tactic? Wouldn't that cause innocent neighbors to suffer as well?"
Jiang Yuzhi was persuaded.
The two people over there also noticed Di Ting. Everyone in heaven and earth knew that it was the beloved pet of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who loved to transform into an ordinary house dog and walk among humans. The two of them had also seen Di Ting in this form before.
The woman in green put on a smile and walked towards Di Ting, with the man in black following closely behind.
The woman in green said, "This is not the place to talk."
Listening to the threatening growl coming from its throat, it agreed and led the two into an alley, setting up a soundproof barrier that was ineffective against gods and ghosts, but at least mortals couldn't hear it.
The two guards at the alley entrance obeyed Bai Yan's orders and did not allow anyone else to enter.
Di Ting, with its half-human-sized body, tightly protected Bai Yan and Jiang Yuzhi behind it: "I recognize you, Hui Gu and Fang Xiang Shi. What are you doing here?"
Sui Gu chuckled: "Lord Di Ting, don't be so serious. Last time we met, didn't you really enjoy the food I prepared for you?"
Di Ting: "Two different things."
Jiang Yuzhi knew who it was as soon as she heard the name. The underworld records contained many gods and immortals, and the Emperor of Fengdu also liked to tell her about them. She pulled Bai Yan and hid behind Di Ting, squatting almost head to head, whispering to each other.
Jiang Yuzhi: "Sui Gu is the Goddess of Green Seedlings, also known as the Fairy of Rice Flowers. She is in charge of the growth of crops in the fields and can bless the weather with good weather. The Fang Xiangshi over there wearing black clothes is a demon god. Worshipping him can drive away evil spirits and avoid misfortune. He can also sense the malevolent energy in the human world."
Bai Yan: "Has the change in the mortal realm attracted the attention of the heavens?"
Jiang Yuzhi gave him a look that said, "Uncle Yan went up and said that a day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth. Sending people now is already considered efficient."
Bai Yan's fragile, ethereal beauty was completely shattered.
Jiang Yuzhi continued, "I guess the heavens sensed that faith in the mortal world had diminished, so they ignored Uncle Yan's warning and sent people down. They didn't want the Sheji Tu to have consciousness, always feeling that it would take away their faith. They just wanted a tool to ensure the stability of the fortune."
The hearing of immortals is naturally beyond that of mortals. They heard every word of the jokes between humans and ghosts without missing a single word. Fang Xiangshi remained expressionless, and Sui Gu didn't care. She continued to say, following Jiang Yuzhi's lead, "What Miss Jiang said is right. Fang and I did come to investigate the situation. If we have the chance to refine you and the one behind you, we may be able to create another Sheji Map."
Di Ting was about to transform into its original form, its enormous shadow menacingly covering the two outspoken deities.
Fang Xiangshi: "Ahe, stop teasing them."
Sui Gu then chuckled, her face full of mockery, "Of course, it's just the wishful thinking of those good-for-nothings in heaven. How can a divine artifact created by nature be refined by divine power? With less faith, they're worried they won't be able to enjoy life in the future, so they sent us two suckers."
Di Ting didn't believe it, and most of the soft, long hair on its body turned into scales. Fang Xiangshi sensed the danger and pulled Sui Gu behind him.
“Lord Diting, look how much I talk. I’m really not here to be a lackey. Fang Xiangshi and I just wanted to come to the mortal world for a while before going back. We finally have a legitimate reason to descend to the mortal world.” Sui Gu pulled out the golden hairpin shaped like a rice stalk from her hair. With a flash of golden light, a wooden hairpin of the same shape replaced the golden hairpin and fixed her smooth black hair in place.
That wasn't all; she grabbed Fang Xiangshi's arm and shook it.
The man in black barely managed to reach out, and an exquisitely carved Nuo mask floated in his hand.
Supported by magical power, the hairpin and Nuo mask floated toward Di Ting.
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Author's Note: Bai Yan: If I'm refined, then my wife will be with me forever!
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