The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chapter 127 Ghost Market

The three foxes walked briskly along the alley, the lanterns on both sides becoming increasingly sparse, until finally only a bright moon hung alone in the sky, barely illuminating the road ahead.

"Clang clang—"

'

As the night watchman's drum sounded, a small open space appeared ahead. Groups of two or three figures stood there, all dressed in black. Sellers carried their wares on shoulder poles and carts, antiques piled high like a marketplace. The fox counted them quickly; there were quite a few people, yet the place was eerily quiet, save for the rustling sounds.

Hu Nianshuang leaned slightly closer. Although she had lived in the county for decades, she had never set foot here before.

"Finally caught up." A young man emerged from behind, carrying a bulging package of unknown contents. He glanced around, frowned, and said, "Why didn't they even light a lamp?"

He squinted, took out a tinderbox, pulled off the lid, blew on it, and a flame appeared.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the shadows, seemingly unafraid of the heat, and gently extinguished the flame with a flick of its wrist.

"rule."

The man paused for a moment, then said nothing more, reluctantly found a spot, and started setting up his stall.

The fox asked in confusion, "Why is there a rule that lamps cannot be lit? Ordinary people can't even see objects clearly, so how can they distinguish between real and fake?"

""

Hu Nianshuang shook her head: "Those who dare to come here either have illicit goods or are highly skilled and daring. Once you're in the Ghost Market, you have to rely on your eyesight and skills; there's really no reason to rely on lamplight."

Red Fish grumbled, "And then there are those who know nothing and just barged in after being provoked by someone."

The fox ignored it, its eyes piercing through the darkness as it looked around.

As the full moon approached, the moonlight, though bright, was obscured by clouds, illuminating only outlines. The buyers practically pressed their faces against the goods. After a while, one buyer extended his hand from his sleeve, and the stall owner did the same. The two gestured the price from their sleeves. A moment later, the buyer nodded, pulled some silver from his waist, and left with the goods.

The rule of the ghost market is to check the price from inside your sleeve.

The fox looked at itself; it was dressed in night clothes, with the cuffs tied tightly. So the fox quickly untied them and, imitating the fox, pulled its hands inside.

Having prepared himself, the fox headed straight for a nearby stall, ready to put his skills to the test.

On the stall were several pieces of antique-style pottery and some beads of varying sizes, irregularly shaped and translucent, the largest as big as a longan and the smallest as small as a mung bean. Two men sat behind the stall, looking around.

The fox wrinkled its nose slightly, smelling an earthy scent and sensing a faint yin energy.

"Brother, they're tomb raiders," Hu Nianshuang whispered to the fox.

The stall owner leaned over, examined the fox, and said in a low voice, "These are all good stuff. Judging by their quality, they must have been lost by some young lady."

"Master must know his stuff; this must have been something she carried close to her body, imbued with spiritual energy—"

"Lost? Where was it dug up from?"

"Sir, you're mistaken. The rules of the Ghost Market don't ask where it comes from. But I feel we have a connection, so I'll tell you the truth: I collected it from the countryside."

The fox picked up a bead and examined it carefully, feeling that it was not a normal burial item.

"A sound?" The fox listened intently for a while, then suddenly startled and hurriedly threw the bead back.

"Is it that you don't like it, sir?"

"I advise you to return it to its rightful owner."

"What do you mean by that, sir?"

"I mean, put it back where you dug it up." The fox quietly used its breath to clean its hands, which had been handling the beads, inside and out.

Although the two men kept their voices low, they were still clearly heard in the silence. Seeing that people around them were looking over, the stall owner's face darkened slightly: "Sir, I respect you as a guest and don't want to cause any unpleasantness. This item has a clean and honest origin. If you are not at ease, you are welcome not to buy it. Please take your time."

The fox sighed; good advice was useless against that damned devil.

"Brother, let's report this to the authorities tomorrow."

"No rush, let's take a look first."

The fox thoughtfully lifted a corner of the black cloth covering the fish tank, then stood aside with Hu Nianshuang, waiting with great interest.

"Boss, shall we go?"

"What are you trying to do? I've been digging for over a decade, I've seen it all! He's just trying to drive down the price!" The stall owner sneered, but a sudden unease rose in his heart. He was about to curse again when his eyes widened and his voice stopped abruptly.

The bead in front of me was trembling slightly.

A hand reached out from the darkness and touched the beads.

"I'll take it." The owner of the voice was completely covered by a black cloth, not even his eyes were visible. The stall owner instinctively wanted to refuse, but his teeth chattered and he couldn't say a word.

The man in black robes picked up a bead, examined it carefully for a moment, and slowly pulled down the black cloth covering his mouth and nose, revealing a withered face.

He opened his mouth, revealing a receding gum and a few lone, broken teeth.

He brought the bead close to his mouth.

Insert, embed, "click".

With a crisp sound, he picked up the next bead, one after another, until all the beads were back in their proper places, fitting together perfectly.

The man in the black robe closed his mouth.

"Sizzle."

A soft, rustling sound came from his mouth, as if he were licking each tooth with his tongue.

The sticky sound of water drifted through the ghost market, all whispers ceased, and everyone held their breath, watching silently.

The man in black robes looked at the tomb raiders slumped on the ground, then suddenly grinned, revealing a neat row of white teeth: "Thanks, I've been looking for a long time."

After saying this, he turned and left, disappearing into the darkness.

The lackey knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, muttering incoherently. The stall owner, kneeling on the ground, let out a long sigh of relief.

"Click".

The crisp sound rang out again, and he froze, reaching out to cover his mouth. But teeth rushed out of his mouth, turning into beads of varying sizes in mid-air and rolling to the ground.

"Waaah"

A mournful cry echoed in the air as the stall owner lay on the ground, frantically picking up the beads.

The fox felt a pair of cold hands grasp him, and when he turned his head, he saw Hu Nianshuang, whose face was now somewhat pale.

"Don't be afraid, it's just scary for foxes," the fox comforted softly. "If a fox loses its teeth, it won't even be able to eat roast chicken."

""

"What's so scary? I don't have teeth, but I'm perfectly fine," Red Fish chimed in.

The fear in Hu Nianshuang's heart vanished instantly, and she released her grip impatiently: "Let's go."

The stares returned to normal, the ghost market resumed its previous state, and everyone continued their previous transactions without making a sound, as if nothing had happened.

It seemed that such things happened frequently in the ghost market. The fox continued forward with anticipation. After walking for a while, it saw a small circle of people gathered ahead, making it look like a daytime museum.

The fox approached and saw a small sign stuck in the ground that read: "Sealed gambling goods, one string per piece, place your bet and you're done."

There were many sealed boxes on the stall, all the same size and specifications.

The fox became interested.

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