The car was moving smoothly. Before long, it stopped in front of an open space.
Everyone got out of the car one by one and saw a bizarre and otherworldly place.
The moonlight peeked through the slowly moving dark clouds, appearing and disappearing. Even the wind carried a strange aura. It didn't blow from a fixed direction but swirled in from all directions.
Not far away, at a street corner, the long street stretched out of sight. On the outer side of the street hung a row of fiery red lanterns. The candle flames flickered, as if thousands of ghosts were floating among them.
Just standing outside the ghost market, one could feel a gloomy killing intent following like a shadow, making it impossible for people to feel at ease.
The ghosts who came with them in the car entered the ghost market with ease. In an instant, they blended into the crowd and disappeared.
At the entrance of the ghost market, there was a unique booth. The stall - owner was a short old man with a deeply hunched back. The grotesque ghost mask on his face made him look extremely eerie.
The old man's cloudy eyes sized up Yu Nian through the mask. Suddenly, two low "giggles" came out of his throat: "Don't be in a hurry to go in. Once you enter this ghost market, you're no longer a human. Everyone has to wear this mask. When dawn breaks and the soul returns, we'll all go back to being human again. Hehe..."
There was no trace of spiritual energy on Yu Nian. At first glance, he was an ordinary person who knew nothing but was curiously courting death.
Although he thought so, he was too lazy to persuade. After all, in this ghost market full of demons and ghosts, there was no shortage of such naive fools seeking death.
Yu Nian didn't hesitate. He took out some money, bought a silver ghost mask, put it on his face, and walked straight into the ghost market.
People were coming and going in the ghost market, but every "person" was wearing a mask of various kinds.
There were masks of crying faces, laughing faces, Ox - Head and Horse - Face, and the Laughing Buddha with a big belly.
Once inside, Yu Nian saw several large sheds. Under the sheds were several rows of stalls neatly arranged in a line. Figures were mingling among them, and all kinds of goods and food were available.
However, the sellers were all huddled in the darkness. None of them shouted loudly to attract customers.
Yu Nian spotted a jewelry stall at a glance. The stall was full of all kinds of rare treasures.
The stall - owner was a silent long - haired woman. Her hair cascaded down like silk, covering her face completely. She seemed neither human nor ghost, making it hard to figure out.
In front of the stall were several rows of black - and - white photos. Yu Nian took a closer look and actually found Liu Hele in the photos.
Yu Nian grabbed Feng Chengyuan and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "It seems this is the stall - owner who made a deal with Liu Hele. Although there are photos of Liu Hele here, his spiritual body isn't here. We need to look for him further."
Qi Rongsheng was a bit hungry, so he walked towards a snack stall. But when he got there, he was stunned.
He saw that the seats were occupied by animals like cows, sheep, pigs, and dogs. On the table were plates of human hands and brains, and in the pot was boiling blood - red soup with large chunks of yellow - white fat congealed on the edge.
The shop - owner was a dwarf. At the moment, he was stirring vigorously with a colander taller than himself. As the blood - red soup churned, Qi Rongsheng saw human eyeballs floating in the pot and wriggling black hair.
He immediately felt nauseous and rushed out of the alley to retch.
Yu Nian and the others walked forward and saw a butcher shop. Strangely, instead of pig heads, there was a row of human heads with their eyes closed, neatly arranged from small to large, hanging in front of the shop.
The one holding a butcher's knife and bustling around in an apron was actually a wild boar with bristles and fangs.
There was also a pair of elegant couplets hanging in front of the butcher shop.
The upper line read: "Cows and sheep sit at the table, while relatives are boiled in the pot."
The lower line read: "Daughters eat their mothers' flesh, and sons and grandsons marry their grandmothers."
The horizontal scroll was written in a flamboyant style with an unknown red liquid: "All sentient beings suffer."
There were even people acting crazy, throwing money into the air. With a wave of their hands, white banknotes fluttered down like flying snow in front of Yu Nian. She reached out and caught one. Sure enough, it was ghost money.
Yu Nian couldn't help but sigh that this was truly a place where all kinds of demons and ghosts gathered.
The ghost market was filled with a strong ghostly aura, so Yu Nian simply released the ghost bride.
Different from the others, the ghost bride was a ghost herself. Coming to the ghost market was like coming home for her. She strolled around leisurely.
When passing by an accessory stall, the ghost bride couldn't move her feet. Her dark eyes stared fixedly at the jade butterfly hairpin on the stall.
The jade butterfly was crystal - clear and lifelike. There was a delicate pendant hanging from its tail. The pendant was made of pure silver and glittered under the moonlight, extremely exquisite.
The love for beauty exists in both humans and ghosts. Although the ghost bride was dead, she still had no resistance to such shiny and delicate little things.
She reached out her hand expectantly. But just as she was about to touch the jade butterfly, a clear female voice suddenly came from beside her. Then the hairpin was quickly snatched away.
"Give it to me."
The ghost bride was stunned. She turned her head and saw a girl wearing a fawn mask standing beside her. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was full of spiritual power and had a noble air about her. At first glance, she was a disciple from a well - known and orthodox sect. The lower half of her face that was exposed was extremely delicate. There were also several servants following behind her.
But as soon as she spoke, it made people frown.
The ghost bride felt a bit wronged and said awkwardly with an outstretched hand: "Sorry, I saw it first."
Zhou Feiyu reminded: "This is Cheng Yingman, the little disciple of Master Yazheng from the Xuanzhen School of Kunshan. I didn't expect her to come here too."
Cheng Yingman turned her head. Her almond eyes behind the mask scanned Yu Nian and the ghost bride up and down disdainfully. Then she let out a "pfft" laugh and said arrogantly: "What's the use of a hairpin for a lonely ghost? Get rid of that shabby aura on you before you come to the ghost market. And look at your face. It's so rotten and you don't even bother to fix it. It's really pitiful to be a ghost like you."
The ghost bride was a great beauty before she died and paid great attention to her appearance. But she died of poisoning, so her death was rather ugly. Moreover, after suffering so many years of punishment in the River of Forgetfulness, she naturally had no intention of taking care of her face.
The ghost bride was hit right in the heart by Cheng Yingman's words. She lowered her head in embarrassment. The noisy surroundings seemed to be laughing at her.
The ghost bride felt her face burning hot. Her good mood just now vanished completely. The moonlight reflected from the delicate hairpin on the stall shone in her eyes, stirring up a pool of tears.
She reached out and tugged at Yu Nian's sleeve: "Forget it. Let's go..."
Cheng Yingman let out a snort and showed a row of white and neat teeth: "You're smart."
Just as she was about to pay for the hairpin, a pair of fair hands suddenly reached out and quickly took the hairpin back.
Cheng Yingman was stunned. She sized Yu Nian up from head to toe: "A Taoist priest? Are you also here for the auction? With such low spiritual power, it's useless even if you manage to bid for a treasure."
The servant behind Cheng Yingman immediately flattered: "The young lady is right. With your superior talent, you're sure to bid for the treasure in one go. These fools can't even get close to the treasure! They can only fight with you over such small things."
Cheng Yingman was pleased by the flattery. She gave Yu Nian a cold look: "That's right. Let's wait and see."
After saying that, she pretended to be disgusted and clapped her hands, then swaggered away.
Yu Nian didn't say a word. He handed the hairpin to the ghost bride.
The ghost bride took the hairpin blankly. She seemed not to expect Yu Nian to stand up for her. Gratitude flashed in her eyes: "Yu Nian, thank you..."