Today's little rascal isn't a rascal at all; he's very well-behaved, so well-behaved that Xiao Ji wants to devour him whole.
Shang Changge led Xiao Ji around, stopping and starting, and no matter where they went, Xiao Ji's gaze remained fixed on Shang Changge.
Wherever the two passed, they left behind a trail of invisible pink bubbles as a special effect.
It adds a long-lost touch of life and color to the gloomy, dark, and eerie ghost market.
"Cough, cough, cough—!"
A sudden, sharp, childish cough abruptly shattered the rosy atmosphere. Looking in the direction of the sound...
It was a little girl who looked about four or five years old, with her hair in two buns. The little girl was squatting in the corner, holding a palm-leaf fan.
She was frantically fanning a haystack that was about to catch fire, and thick white smoke was billowing from it. The faster the little girl fanned, the thicker the smoke became.
The thick smoke that permeates the entire ghost market originates here.
Shang Changge led Xiao Ji over, and after observing for a while, she activated her social thug persona.
He crouched down to face the little girl, attempting to engage in friendly conversation and asking questions out of curiosity.
"Little sister, can you tell me what this smoke is for? Is it to repel mosquitoes? Or to remove dampness from the ground?"
As autumn deepens, the mosquitoes in the training ground not only increase in number but also become more venomous.
She hates mosquito bites the most, so if this smoke can repel mosquitoes, she'll definitely buy it.
When the time comes, have someone set it on fire in a corner of the training ground. The thick smoke will spread over a large area, and all the mosquitoes within a hundred meters will surely die.
"ah?"
The little girl looked up, and a dark, dirty little face came into their view.
The little girl wasn't afraid of strangers at all, and blinked at the two monsters' dark, shiny eyes in front of her.
After seeing it clearly, the girl tilted her fluffy head, which was tied in two buns, to the side.
Seemingly digesting Shang Changge's question, and having finished, she tried her best to enunciate each word clearly in her soft, childlike voice:
"No, I don't know. My mother-in-law made this for me. She said that a ghost market is like a ghost market because there is white smoke floating around everywhere."
Shang Changge: "?"
Good grief, so the purpose of all this smoke is to create a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere that fits the ghost market?
It's a bit absurd, but there seems to be a sliver of reason in that absurdity.
"Daughter, the food is ready. Come back and eat."
An old woman's voice came from afar.
The little girl's eyes lit up. Holding the palm-leaf fan, she stood on tiptoe, responded, and started running off. After a few steps, she stopped.
She turned around and waved goodbye to Shang Changge and Xiao Ji, chattering softly:
"Big sister monster, big brother monster, I'm going back for dinner. If you want to buy something, you can come with me."
My mother-in-law sells lots of great things at fair prices—you won't regret it!
He ran away after saying that, but kept looking back every few steps.
Her intention was obvious: she wanted the monster older sister and brother to come and buy her mother-in-law's things.
Xiao Ji commented: "Small in stature but big in talent."
Shang Changge suggested, "Shall we go take a look?"
The suggestion was adopted, and the two followed suit.
The little girl was so happy that she skipped and hopped as she turned to lead the way.
She's attracted customers again today. What should she ask her mother-in-law to buy for her when she goes out with her tomorrow morning?
How about a skewer of candied hawthorns and a grasshopper, and um, a freshly baked, piping hot meat bun? Slurp!
Shang Changge and Xiao Ji followed the little girl all the way to the stall at the end of the ghost market.
The stall was small, displaying neat rows of small white porcelain bottles.
The stall owner was the old woman the little girl had mentioned; the old woman was leaning on a strange-looking cane that resembled a thick tree root.
He wore a demon mask with red fangs on his face and a flowery robe covered with colorful patches.
now,
The old woman held a wooden spoon in her hand, stirring the contents of the earthenware pot... Hmm, it looks like red mushroom and black chicken soup.
The soup was stained red by the red mushrooms, and as the wooden spoon stirred, pieces of chicken with black skin appeared before one's eyes.
The eerie and dimly lit atmosphere of the ghost market, coupled with the old woman's attire...
This pot of red mushroom and black chicken soup... it looks a bit eerie and creepy no matter how you look at it...
An idea popped into Shang Changge's mind: she and Xiao Ji had come to the underworld and saw Meng Po brewing Meng Po soup.
Unlike Shang Changge, Xiao Ji didn't have wildly imaginative ideas. He recognized the old man in front of him and introduced him:
"This is Granny Hua, the owner of the Ghost Market."
Shang Changge raised an eyebrow; it would be a lie to say she wasn't surprised.
Grandma Hua looked old, but her hands and feet were very nimble. She deftly served the little girl a full bowl of red mushroom and black chicken soup before smiling at the two of them.
"Children, what do you want to buy?"
Since she was the owner of the ghost market, Shang Changge naturally didn't think that this old woman selling only the bottles and jars on her stall, and stated directly:
"A group of a hundred elite soldiers, who are absolutely obedient to my orders."
"Besides, I also like absolutely loyal and capable people. I wonder if you have any, Mother?"
Granny Hua didn't curiously scrutinize or speculate about the two people's identities, nor did she ask any questions. She simply smiled and nodded, "Of course."
"As long as you children have enough silver notes, this old woman has everything you need."
Before Shang Changge could reach him, Xiao Ji took out a bulging purse from his pocket, opened it, and found it full of silver notes.
Granny Hua's seemingly cloudy eyes lit up, and she was about to reach out to take it when Shang Changge snatched it away first. She looked up in confusion.
Before I could ask, an even bigger purse appeared in my hand. I didn't bother asking anymore.
He untied his purse and counted the contents carefully by the light of the fire while cooking rice. The more he counted, the happier he became, and his face became full of wrinkles from laughing.
Shang Changge returned the purse he had retrieved to its rightful owner, thanked her for her kindness, and then, with a serious expression on his face disguised as a monster:
"I may lack other things, but I have plenty of worldly possessions, so there's no need for them."
Xiao Ji held the returned purse, his pale lips pressed into a straight line: "But I want to..."
No, you don't want to.
Shang Changge covered Xiao Ji's mouth with her hand, not even glancing at Xiao Ji, but instead staring at the little girl who was happily munching on a chicken leg. (Additional information:)
"If you really want some, you can treat me to a chicken leg later."
Finally, she withdrew her hand and looked at Granny Hua, who had finished counting the silver notes in the blink of an eye, and smiled:
Is that enough?
Grandma Hua's cloudy eyes almost squinted with laughter as she counted out ten bills and stuffed them back into Shang Chang's pocket, keeping the rest:
"That's more than enough, there's even more. Here, give the ten extra bills back to the child. I, an old woman, never do business that cheats people."
After stuffing it in, he carefully placed the bulging purse into the large pocket inside his colorful robe.
He rummaged through his large pocket again and pulled out a small, exquisite token, half black and half white, which he handed to Shang Changge.
"Child, here, take this! After you leave, take this token to..."
Grandma Hua gave a long explanation, mainly explaining where and how to use the token.
After a while,
Shang Changge left with Xiao Ji, carrying the token and a prescription. The token had been purchased.
The recipe was a gift; it said to be the haystack the little girl had just burned.
To be precise, it was a pile of herbs, and indeed, as Shang Changge had thought, it could repel mosquitoes and remove dampness from the ground.
Ah, of course.
It can also be used to create atmosphere; it's a three-in-one item that's economical and practical.
After the two left, it was almost time for the ghost market to close.
After eating her fill, the little girl thoughtfully helped Granny Flower pack up her stall, just like Granny Flower.
Even with her deliberately smeared, dirty face beaming with the radiant smile of someone who had just made a fortune, she exclaimed excitedly:
"That's wonderful, Grandma! We've earned so many silver notes today, and we can use them to make so many poisons!"
We can also give some money to Uncle Beard so he can help Brother Jing find his sister…
Grandma Hua smiled, amused by her youngest apprentice's thoughtfulness and constant concern for her eldest apprentice. After smiling, she sighed softly.
"It's difficult, so many years have passed. Is it something that can be found just by having money? Maybe... Sigh! I hope I can find it."
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