Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 54 Water Demon Market, Moon Hidden in Silk!
"Now that Young Master Jiang has graced my Niuzhu Palace with his presence, why not follow me to the Water Demon Market within the palace?"
Although this water sprite market was crude, it was surprisingly secluded and quite interesting.

Madam Qing rose gracefully, her slender waist swaying with beauty, her coral hairpins highlighting her exquisite features, and she turned back with a gentle smile.

"good!"

Jiang Xingzhou nodded slightly.

He came to Niuzhu Palace for a banquet, but had not yet taken a closer look.

This infamous demon palace is a gathering place for demons from hundreds of miles around Jiangyin, and it has a water demon market.

The Jiangyin County Annals only mentions this water demon market briefly, describing it as "extremely infested with demonic energy," which is certainly not as good as seeing it with one's own eyes.

The buildings inside Niuzhu Palace are mostly modeled after the palaces of the human race, with carvings of water-suppressing yakshas on the eaves.

Madam Qing led Jiang Xingzhou through a winding corridor, when suddenly they heard the clamor of the city.

Ahead lies the palace's water demon market.

"They are just some mountain spirits and water monsters who come to my Niuzhu Palace to do business, exchange goods and resources, and exchange some things needed for cultivation."

With a flick of her slender fingers, Lady Qingyao parted a curtain of water before her eyes, a wisp of demonic energy saying, "But in Niuzhu Palace under my rule, there are always some rules to follow. At least it's safe and secure, and I don't have to worry about being double-crossed."

Though my aquatic race is humble and cannot compare to the human race, we do possess some rare treasures. If you, young master, have any literary artifacts, you may exchange them with the demon merchant!

Any demon that enters Niuzhu Palace must pay an entrance fee for boats and ships!

When trading goods, a commission tax must be paid.

Nevertheless, the demon race still preferred to trade in Niuzhu Palace. After all, the presence of demon soldiers and generals here ensured safety and reduced the possibility of many unexpected events.

"I don't have literary works, but I do have poems!"

Jiang Xingzhou shook his head and smiled.

"Even better!"

Madam Qingyao's beautiful eyes lit up with joy. She suddenly took a half step closer, took his arm, and walked through the market, her breath sweet as orchids.

"Poetry and prose inspire talent and are the means of self-cultivation; they are far more precious than any treasure! If I could receive a piece of your calligraphy from you, young master, it would be my greatest fortune!"

As they spoke, they entered the market.

But then, in the illusory mist spewed by the Mirage Mother, a bubble market floated on the waves.

The street market archway, formed by condensed mirages, is modeled after human markets, with the four characters "[Civilization is Here]" hanging high on the plaque, exuding an eerie atmosphere.

The market was very well organized. Each bubble that the Mirage Goddess exhaled became a delicate shop, and the demons each occupied their own shop, maintaining perfect order.

If the little demon sells out its goods and leaves, the bubble shop will burst.

"Don't underestimate my Niuzhu Palace just because it's small; its market is thriving."

Not only the local demons, but also those demons from all over the country will settle in Niuzhu Palace.

The East Market is filled with rare and precious materials, the West Market with the cultural treasures of the human race, the South Market with its sensual pleasures, and the North Market with its decadent atmosphere.

Madam Qing paused slightly in her speech.

The mermaids' songs from Nanfang drifted from afar, melodious and moving.

"Greetings, Palace Master! May Young Master Jiang be blessed!"

A green shadow broke through the water; it was the crab spirit, the gutless young master, swimming towards them.

Its half-human body was dressed in an ochre-colored mandarin jacket embroidered with gold thread, while a jade belt was tied around its waist in the gap of its crab shell. It had a green shell and eight legs, with one gold and one jade pincer, and the gold and jade pincers held a bronze abacus.

"This is the Intestineless Young Master, the chief steward of the Niuzhu Palace Market. Let him show you around the market!"

"Madam Qing said calmly."

"Yes! Palace Master, Young Master Jiang! I have studied the 'Ji Ran Chapter' for decades, and the rules of this market are the fairest!"
Please, Your Highness and Young Master, inspect and offer your guidance!

The gutless young master had a wide smile on his face, looking shrewd and calculating.

Jiang Xingzhou's gaze swept across the market, where strange and bizarre creatures came and went, some riding in carriages, others dressed in red.

Suddenly, the tinkling of jade pendants was heard, and a group of mermaid merchants riding in red bronze chariots made of seahorse swayed by. The curtains of the chariots were lifted, revealing that the interiors were filled with celadon water jars with seals on them, indicating that they had come from afar.

"What kind of monsters are they? Riding seahorses?"

Jiang Xingzhou said in surprise.

The Intestineless Young Master suddenly lowered his voice, "Those are treacherous merfolk from the South China Sea. They always mix two or three parts seawater with the mermaid tears that nourish cultivation and sell them! ... We don't have this here, so we can only accept it!" Jiang Xingzhou nodded and strolled around the market, trying to see if there were any treasures he could use.

At each shop and stall, the following items are sold: demon cores, molted skin of evil dragons, sandalwood, tear spirit beads, sound shells, half a child's pen stained with demonic energy, altered scriptures, and the "Secret Scrolls of the Water Palace".

In the West Market, several unformed little demons were trading items, using their pincers as pens to write crookedly in a ledger.

I've been trying to figure out the accounts for ages, but I still can't understand them!
"Pawnshop pawning!"

There was an old turtle resting with its eyes closed, carrying a pawnshop sign on its back, which read "Honest and fair to all, young and old."

"Freshly opened stingray eggs. Born from talent and energy~, three coins per egg!"

Beside them, a crab spirit used its claws to open a clam book box, inside which were bamboo slips, each one infested with the eggs of a manta ray.

The half-demon wrapped mermaid tears in tattered pages and hawked them: "Thirty coins of literary energy for one 'Top Scholar's Tear,' eat one and your cultivation will increase by a month!"

"This is the seventh time the evil dragon has shed its horns."

The clawed demon raised its ten-foot-long horn, "In exchange for the original copy of the 'Commentary on the Waterways Classic,' I'll throw in three mermaid tears as a bonus!"

There was also a turtle demon stall owner, whose stall was piled high with examination papers for the imperial examinations for children, glowing with a bluish light, each page riddled with holes from demonic writing.

Jiang Xingzhou nodded to himself.

Unexpectedly, these little demons also enjoy reading the sacred texts of the human race.

I don't know where they came from, but they're selling fragments of books and tattered scrolls.

Unexpectedly, the turtle demon got into a quarrel with the clam spirit stall owner next door.

"My copy of the 'Demon Scripture' is the only genuine and authentic one, and it is most suitable for the demon race to cultivate!"

The turtle demon shouted excitedly, clutching a copy of the Analects of Confucius, specifically the chapter "Li Ren," which had been completely altered: "The demons are at peace with demons; the wise benefit demons!"

The character “仁” has been replaced with the character “妖”.

The clam spirit sneered, "Hmph! Just because you changed the character '仁' (ren, benevolence) in the Analects to '妖' (yao, demon), you think you can transform yourself into a demon scripture? I have a whole bunch of the real thing here—!"

It spilled out a pile of tattered scrolls, and the annotated version of Mencius's "Gaozi" had the line "Food and sex are human nature" altered by ink-wax to "Eating people is human nature!"

Jiang Xingzhou's expression changed upon hearing this, and his pupils contracted sharply.

These demons are truly audacious! They alter a few words in human classics, desecrating the sacred texts, and treating them as their own scriptures and cultivation manuals?!
"Young master, please don't be angry. These are just incompetent little demons and smugglers."

Madam Qing smiled faintly.

Jiang Xingzhou had no way to argue with these little demons.

In a short while,

He arrived at the merman's stall in the market, his gaze fixed on it.

Pick up a silk pouch.

The pouch was no bigger than the palm of your hand, yet it felt as heavy as a rock.

He remembered this item, which was recorded in the *Records of the Ten Continents Within the Seas*: "[The merfolk of the South Sea take a hundred-year-old piece of merfolk silk as a base, mix it with demonic sinew, and weave it into a pouch that is impervious to water and fire. It can hold three zhang (approximately 10 meters) of azure water within a square inch, and can conceal the moon's reflection and shrink rivers; it is called 'Merfolk Silk Concealing the Moon'."]
The mermaid silk moon-concealing pouch is for storage. It is extremely expensive. It is the size of a palm, but it has a hidden compartment inside that can hold a huge object three zhang in size.

He finally spotted a treasure he needed at the market.

"Young master has excellent eyesight!"

This is the water demon's secret treasure, the "Mermaid Silk Moon-Hidden Pouch"!
Though it is a small space, it contains a vast expanse of blue water.

This item is commonly found among aquatic nobles, and may be a gift from high-ranking human scholars! Its value is comparable to a ten-foot-tall spirit coral!

The gutless young master was so excited that his spittle flew everywhere. He paddled with his eight legs, blowing the bag around wildly, while the bronze abacus on his pincers moved the beads.

This demon is indeed skilled in business.

"I want this!"

Jiang Xingzhou pondered, as Madam Qingyao had just gifted him a heavy treasure chest, and he was wondering how to take it with him.

He was about to pay the hydrological fee.

"How could I dare to trouble you, young master, with such a small item?"
"If you require this item, young master, I will certainly provide it."

Madam Qingyao's beautiful eyes rippled with a smile, and she instructed the scallop maid to settle the bill.
-
Asking for a monthly ticket!
(End of this chapter)