A master of comedy!

Chapter 122 Eight Immortals Pawnshop
Upon hearing this voice, Zhou Sheng immediately perked up and focused intently on using his hearing ability to listen to what the other person was saying.

"Master, your Five Thunder Talisman is truly miraculous!"

"Last night I was experiencing sleep paralysis, and I felt like I was suffocating. Thankfully, that talisman made me feel a warm sensation in my chest and I woke up. The talisman had already turned to ashes..."

The man spoke at length, very excitedly.

"This talisman only drove the ghost away, it didn't get rid of it. If nothing unexpected happens, that evil spirit will come looking for you again tonight."

The old Taoist priest smiled faintly and continued to put on airs.

Sure enough, the man panicked immediately, pleading and offering a large reward.

The old Taoist priest declined for a while, but when he saw that the time was right, he slowly said, "If I'm not mistaken, the reason that ghost came to you is because it has an unfulfilled wish and wants your help."

The man asked in surprise, "I don't know him at all, why did he specifically target me?"

"Hehe, because a person has three fires on their body that can ward off evil spirits, but you are surrounded by yin energy, and these three fires are almost extinguished. Who else would they target if not you?"

After a pause, the old Taoist priest said meaningfully, "Sir, money from the dead is not so easy to earn."

The man was startled and immediately felt even more awe towards the old Taoist priest.

He was indeed a tomb raider, a fact even his wife didn't know, yet the old Taoist priest was able to pinpoint it in a single sentence, demonstrating his genuine skill.

"Master, save me!!"

"Alas, enough is enough. It is your fate to meet me. Last night I used magic to communicate with that ghost. He told me his last wish. If you can help him fulfill it, he will not only stop bothering you, but also give you the jar of gold he hid in his lifetime."

Upon hearing this, the man was immediately intrigued and asked, "What is your last wish? Is it dangerous?"

"There are certainly dangers, but with me here, I will surely protect you."

The old Taoist priest finally revealed his true intentions, saying, "You were born in Xunyang and are in this line of work, so you should have heard of the Eight Immortals Pawnshop, right?"

The other party was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Xunyang used to be the largest pawnshop. It is said that many people in our line of work sold their goods there back then. It's just a pity that it was looted by Li Zicheng's rebel army and burned to ashes in the end."

The old Taoist priest nodded and said, "This ghost is no ordinary ghost. It is an old ghost from more than a hundred years ago. Back then, he deposited a treasure in the Eight Immortals Pawnshop. Now he is about to be reincarnated and wants you to take out that treasure so that he can bribe the ghost messenger to be reborn into a good family."

"The Eight Immortals Pawnshop was burned down long ago. Where am I supposed to get his things back?"

"Hehe, you don't need to worry about that. As long as you do as I say, you will be able to see the Eight Immortals Pawnshop again."

"This is a pawn ticket. You don't need to say anything when the time comes. Just give this ticket to the shopkeeper, and they will hand over the treasure to you..."

The old Taoist priest told the man how to get to the ghost city and gave him some incense money to go to the ghost market.

"Master, this sounds far too dangerous. Your Taoist skills are so advanced, can't you go there yourself?"

"It is precisely because my magical power is too high that I cannot go to the Ghost City in person, otherwise it would alarm the Great General of the Ghost City. In short, if you want to live, you must go there in person tonight!"

"Of course, you don't need to worry. I'll give you many protective amulets. Even if something unexpected happens, they will ensure you leave the ghost market safely..."

Dozens of feet underground, Zhou Sheng took in everything, his eyes gleaming.

Eight Immortals Pawnshop!

When he first entered the Ghost Market and was looking for Qinghetang, he also saw the Eight Immortals Pawnshop, which was located near Qinghetang.

Unexpectedly, the sacred relic left behind by Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, was hidden inside!
This explains why the old Taoist priest found the five-colored mica at Qinghe Hall. His real target was not Qinghe Hall, but the Eight Immortals Pawnshop next door.

Perhaps it was to gather information and facilitate surveillance that they entered Qinghe Hall to elicit information from Doctor Wei, but unexpectedly they inadvertently tricked him into revealing a piece of five-colored mica.

However, Zhou Sheng had a vague feeling that something else was hidden in the middle of this.

If the sacred object could be retrieved simply by presenting the pawn ticket, then the old Taoist priest wouldn't have bothered him and the man he was with. After the old Taoist priest and the man left, Zhou Sheng waited quietly for a few more moments before slipping away unnoticed.

Whatever their schemes or tricks, let's just wait and see tonight.

The mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole is behind.

Of course, before that, he needs to prepare a nice gift for the other person.

……

into the night.

After finishing his day of cultivation, Zhou Sheng did not go to the Ghost City with a lantern this time, but instead used his earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to escape into the ground) directly.

Even though the fog was thick, it was all on the ground. Zhou Sheng traveled underground, so he wouldn't lose his way even without a lantern.

To his even greater surprise, the Zhengyi Dragon Tiger Earth Pivot Escape Technique truly lived up to its reputation as a superior and wondrous method of the Xuanmen sect, even managing to fool the Yaksha stone statue guarding the entrance to the Ghost Market.

This saved us a toll fee.

The ghost market was still bustling and lively, but this time, Zhou Sheng traveled underground without alerting anyone.

Next to the Eight Immortals Pawnshop, he found a secluded spot and quietly poked his head out of the ground.

The pawnshop under the moonlight was quiet and profound, with the lanterns at the entrance casting a red glow on the faces of the ghosts passing by.

Everyone quickened their pace as they approached the pawnshop, as if a man-eating beast lurked inside.

In times of emergency, they feel satisfied only by skinning and pulling out tendons; after settling accounts, they only stop by crushing bones and sucking marrow.

Those who can run pawnshops have always been ruthless and predatory.

Pawnshops typically make a profit through two methods: first, interest, which is like a snowball rolling downhill, with nine out of ten pawns returning thirteen times the initial investment.

Of course, the seller can choose not to redeem the item, turning it into a dead pawn, which would be exactly what the pawnshop wants.

Unclaimed goods are where pawnshops truly make their biggest profits.

They would drastically lower the price when pawning the item, add a high interest rate, and then resell it at a high price after it was pawned, making a fortune.

Those who come to pawn shops are all facing difficulties and want to get rid of their immediate problems.

It's fine for the rich, but if a poor person goes to a pawnshop, it means they're about to starve and have to bring out their most precious possessions.

Land, houses, cattle, sheep, even wives and children...

"Bronze coins and white iron knives, cutting away all the fat from the poor child's body."

As Zhou Sheng recalled the descriptions of pawnshops in "The Pawnshop Journey," his gaze gradually turned cold.

When Li Zicheng entered Xunyang late at night, he hid the sacred object in the Eight Immortals Pawnshop, perhaps in its storeroom.

This is why the old Taoist priest learned the art of earth-遁 (earth-遁法, a technique for stealing and entering a storeroom) to sneak into the storeroom and steal that item.

The reason for not forcing their way in was to avoid attracting ghost soldiers. It seemed that the Great General also wanted the sacred object, and if it were leaked, he would not be able to take it out of the Ghost City.

It must be done without anyone noticing.

Zhou Sheng's eyes flashed, and he continued to sink into the ground, quietly disappearing into the pawnshop.

……

(End of this chapter)