The Four Symbols Realm smells delicious.
The Ghost Market, located at the border of the human and demon races in the Four Symbols Realm, was originally a product of the chaotic demon era.
At that time, the order was chaotic, and ordinary people among the human and demon races, or those with low cultivation, all lived in fear of not being able to survive from day to day.
In order to protect themselves, trading places emerged where items could be bought and sold to fight back or save their lives when demons ravaged the land.
Originally opened by the Celestial Patrol Bureau, it was a place for the circulation of talismans and magical artifacts. Later, however, a secret force imitated this method, claiming that it could provide more ways to save one's life.
After that, the Sky Patrol Bureau, major sects, aristocratic families, and the righteous path of the demon race were restrained by the demon race. Like a long whip of heaven and earth, it swept across the Central Continent from south to north, driving the demon race to Tengzhou in the north. The Heavenly Barrier Array was also activated to temporarily isolate them.
However, during this period, countless disciples of the sect died or were injured, and the management of the trading area gradually loosened, leading to the rampant spread of the ghost market.
While the demons fled north, they had no time for large-scale massacres, but the people were all in danger, and it was common for people to sell their children in the ghost market.
Some evil and demonic beings also use this opportunity to collect human lives, servants, and talented disciples.
The heretical sects among the human and demon races, and even the Xuanjiang lineage, which is both evil and righteous, and righteous yet appears evil, also began to secretly flourish and grow from that time onwards.
At that time, they secretly colluded, harboring the idea that after the sects and families slaughtered the demons, the world would be at peace, and the righteous laws of the sects, families, and demon realm would be in decline. They could then sit firmly on one side of the chessboard, accumulate strength for a final battle, and take over.
Unfortunately, the existence of this natural barrier means that the demons could launch a counterattack at any time, making it difficult for them to immediately retaliate.
Now that the human and demon races have recovered and thrived, sects and families are becoming increasingly prosperous, and with the reform of the Sky Patrol Bureau, there are even fewer opportunities for evil sects to take the lead.
The internal strife within the heretical sects was immense, and people became increasingly restless and agitated. The Ghost Market had even abandoned its original purpose of gathering disciples, turning into a place for all sorts of shady transactions.
Yan Huanyue wasn't really interested in going to the ghost market because she was afraid of holding everyone back.
She had heard about the opening of the Ghost Market in her previous life, but she didn't know how it was resolved.
But it seems that the clandestine transactions have never stopped.
However, the opening of this ghost market spread in a low-key manner. What was the reason for this?
Senior Brother Xianqing personally selected people and led the team, seemingly attaching great importance to the reopening of the Ghost Market. However, the Sect Leader also personally went to Mingde Sect at this time.
If he truly did it for Yu Zhao's injuries or Pei's illness, then it could be somewhat plausible.
Perhaps, the reopening of the Ghost Market is just a pretext to divert the sect's attention.
She always felt that the real purpose behind this matter, and the turbulent undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface, which could not be made public to avoid causing panic, were things that the generation of the sect leader had to face.
A simple, light boat, with delicate ripples, drifts across the misty, rain-swept bridge.
Su Xianqing, Pei Hanzhou's top disciple, held an old umbrella and stubbornly tilted it towards Yan Huanyue's head the whole way.
He barely noticed that the rainwater rolling down from the umbrella eaves also soaked half of her clothes.
Yan Huanyue secretly cast a spell to dry her clothes, and the smoke rising from half of her body was even greater than the rain and mist on the water's surface.
Su Xianqing turned around occasionally and said to the crowd, "The fog here is really thick."
Li Ji, who was traveling with him, was always a little nervous when facing senior brothers and sisters like Su Xianqing, who were highly regarded and held some real power in the sect.
Su Xianqing remained silent the whole way, then suddenly brought up a topic. Li Ji's mind went blank, and he didn't know how to respond. He could only chuckle and subconsciously say, "Yes, we were just in the desert, but as soon as we entered the Four Symbols Realm, we arrived in Jiangnan."
The other disciple of the Tianyan Sect sitting next to Li Ji was a junior sister who studied in the Qingjing Hall of the outer sect, named Jian You.
They were all people selected by Su Xianqing from the outer sect.
When the four of them discussed their trip that day, Li Ji spoke to Su Xianqing for the first time. He was filled with confidence and asked excitedly, "Senior Brother Xianqing, why did you choose the three of us?"
Su Xianqing put down the route map and smiled, "The people I'm sending have already been secretly arranged. The people I'm bringing don't need to be too powerful. Your cultivation is average, but you're willing to work hard at it. You're also obedient and stubborn, with a strange kind of stubbornness. They're easy to manage and use without any nonsense. They can just rush forward without any trouble or effort."
Thus, Li Ji's outgoing nature turned into a life of introversion.
Jian You rarely spoke. She rested the umbrella handle on her shoulder and quietly watched the bluefish chasing the boat in the water, silently memorizing the incantations and scriptures in her heart.
Yan Huanyue pushed aside Su Xianqing's umbrella handle, but before she could speak, someone whispered from behind the small boat:
"Husband, look, that woman is so beautiful and so pitiful. That man is such a clueless fool. If you marry that woman, you'll definitely take good care of such a beauty. I'm starting to think you two are a good match."
Someone replied, "How could that be? I wouldn't be interested in someone like that. Although she looks very spirited, you can see that there's a strange, seductive quality hidden in her eyes. She's not the kind of person who can hold onto someone. I only like you."
Yan Huanyue: Huh?
The four people on the boat were all sharp-eyed and could hear the woman clearly, even though she spoke very softly.
The four of them exchanged glances and then fell silent.
Yan Huanyue felt a strange feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
She was picked over without doing anything, and as an outsider, she completed the entire process of others demonstrating magnanimity and deep affection in a short period of time.
The whispers continued, "And that girl with the umbrella is also very beautiful. She looks so quiet and elegant. I like her and can't help but praise her. My husband, you must like her too, hehe, I'll let you take a few more glances!"
Jian You kept her eyes downcast, watching the blue fish. She stirred the water with her delicate hand, and a dark current surged backward, crashing into the small boat.
The people in the boat asked with some surprise, "Boatman, what's wrong?"
The boatman had a bad temper; while steadying the boat, he said angrily:
"Are you here to choose concubines? Are you out of your mind? Everyone in the Four Symbols Mirror is inconspicuous and seems simple and ordinary, but they could offend cultivators or demons at any time. Don't you know this is a place for you to criticize and judge others?"
The man on the boat felt his dignity had been challenged in front of a woman by a mere boatman, and immediately retorted, "You wretched boatman, what are you saying? Do you know who we are?!"
The boatman used his pole to create a wave that floated above him, the wave rising into the air like a giant, winding water dragon.
Upon seeing this, the man immediately shrank back, hugging the timid woman and whispering words of comfort, "Once I sell you the Youth-Preserving Pill, I'll never come to this kind of awful place again."
As the small boat approached the ferry, Yan Huanyue naturally walked under Jian You's umbrella when she disembarked. Jian You naturally half-embraced her and said softly, "The umbrella is a bit small, Senior Sister Yan, come closer to me."
Just now, the space on the boat was not large, and Li Ji and Jian You were not familiar with Su Xianqing, and were somewhat intimidated by his status as the sect leader's first disciple, so neither of them wanted to sit with him.
To prevent sudden rain, Su Xianqing bought two umbrellas and boarded the boat first. The other two people quickly sat down opposite him, and Yan Huanyue could only sit next to Su Xianqing.
After entering the Four Symbols Realm, they still needed to find traces of the Ghost Market. The four of them first went to an inn on the street for a meal and to settle down.
As soon as Yan Huanyue entered, she clearly felt a gaze fall on her. She looked around the restaurant.
But there he saw the eldest son of the Jiang family, whom he had met at the Jiang family that day, wearing a cloth robe stained with mud and water, sitting in the corner, happily eating noodles.
The person next to him craned their neck to speak to him, and he responded casually and calmly, glancing up at her and giving a polite smile.
Yan Huanyue nodded in acknowledgment, and then sat down with Su Xianqing and the other two, each ordering a bowl of noodles.
While waiting for the food, the rain outside the window intensified, and I could hear people whispering about the ghost market.
Yan Huanyue listened while looking out the window.
The rain poured down like beads from a broken string, cascading from under the eaves. The bamboo lanterns under the eaves flickered on and off, and a cold wind carrying the fresh scent of earth blew in, making people feel chilly.
A pair of clean, slender hands placed a tray on the table, and with a bowl in each hand, deftly and quickly served noodles to several people.
Finally, he held the bowl with both hands, gently placed it beside Yan Huanyue, leaned slightly forward, and whispered, "Please enjoy your meal, sir."
As the wind blew, a damp chill rushed in, and he turned his head to cover his lips and coughed.
Yan Huanyue felt a sudden pang in her heart. She turned around and saw a tall, slightly robust young man who seemed quite ordinary.
He was dressed in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, with a matching cloth belt around his waist, and a dark cloth used for wiping tables draped diagonally over his shoulder.
Apart from that cough, the person in front of her was completely different from the person she suddenly remembered in appearance, figure, and temperament.
Su Xianqing glanced at the waiter, and seeing nothing strange, asked, "Baoying, what's wrong?"
Yan Huanyue looked away and casually replied, "It's nothing, the noodles smell delicious."
The waiter turned around and said with a smile, "Sorry, it's raining today and I've caught a bit of a chill. Please enjoy your meal."
He then stepped back.
Yan Huanyue stirred the noodles in her bowl. She had been a little hungry, but now she suddenly had no appetite. She ate a few bites and then put the bowl aside.
I wonder how Pei's illness is going...
I wonder if she's finished eating all the candied fruits and pastries she left behind.
.
At a small table in the back kitchen, a waiter was gnawing on a chicken leg while speaking to the person tending the fire by the stove:
“Hey, newbie, if you’re hungry, just ask Aunt Wang to make you a bowl of noodles. Why do you insist on eating the guests’ leftovers? It’s just a bowl of leftover noodles, and you’re eating it with such relish.”
"We're at the border between two tribes, so there's a lot of traffic and business is booming. There's no need to save money for the boss. Don't stand out too much or try to impress him, or the boss won't notice. And don't make things difficult for us brothers, understand?"
The firelight illuminated the profile of the person working under the stove. He carefully took a sip of the soup from the bowl and replied casually, "Okay, I understand."
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 15:41:41 on May 4, 2024 and 23:14:31 on May 5, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 peach blossom fan;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 62956536 19 bottles; Manaka 17 bottles; Xiaoqi 10 bottles; 024 5 bottles; Zhuyu 2 bottles; SeU9, Iced Vodka, Zhouman's Sword Bone, Tool Preset, Little Girl Who Loves Dragon Diagram, and Leisure Book Lover 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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