The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

The stall owner picked up the jade pendant and coarse cloth again, slowly wiping them without looking up, and said, "If you find any scraps with spiritual energy in the future, or if you want to buy anything else, you can go directly to the inner market."

"With this badge, the gatekeeper won't stop you. Besides, you can get a 10% discount at some shops in the ghost market that recognize this badge."

Is this a pass to enter the inner city?

Ye Sheng was startled.

It seems the inner market isn't a place for ordinary people. This stall owner can just casually hand out an inner market pass? He must be someone important!

"Why did you give me this?"

Ye Sheng became suspicious. He understood that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

The stall owner stopped what he was doing, looked up at Ye Sheng through the mask for a couple of breaths.

"Because you're special, and you have good eyesight."

He said calmly, his voice steady, "To be able to pick out my stall from a bunch of shabby stalls in this outlying city, that kind of discernment is quite remarkable compared to some of the idiots I know."

He paused, then added, his tone seemingly teasing: "And the way you were bidding just now, tsk, it reminded me a bit of myself when I was young."

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the stall owner. This was a etiquette he had learned from a book; although it was somewhat awkward, the meaning was clear.

"Thank you." After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and disappeared into the crowd. His figure flashed a few times among the ghostly masks and then vanished.

The stall owner stared in the direction Ye Sheng had disappeared, sitting quietly for a moment. Beneath his mask, a faint, playful smile played on his lips.

"What an interesting lad..."

He muttered to himself, "Besides an air of poverty about him, there's also a very faint trace of 'Dao' aura. Could it be that he's been in contact with someone with that kind of constitution, or is it something he carries in his bloodline?"

He pondered for a long time, his eyes becoming deep and weathered.

"Fine. I've been bored in this ghost market for too long. It's not bad to see someone interesting once in a while."

He stopped thinking about it and continued wiping the unremarkable jade pendant in his hand.

The movements remained slow, one after another, as if the previous interlude was merely a tiny ripple in the long river of time.

With a "huge sum" of 180 copper coins tucked in his pocket, Ye Sheng walked quickly; this was the first time he had ever received so many copper coins.

Perhaps in other people's eyes, this is not a huge sum of money at all. But for him, it was enough for the two brothers to eat for half a year.

Moreover, this money isn't even enough for a "charitable donation." If we could first use the name of a boat guild, it would also deter Wang Laizi.

At this moment, Ye Sheng walked steadily, trying his best to remain calm. Because Master Liu had once said that flaunting wealth was a major taboo in the Ghost Market.

He walked slowly toward the exit, trying his best to appear normal.

However, just as he was about to reach the stone steps, a piercing scream suddenly came from the depths of the cave.

"ah--!!!"

The voice was extremely sharp, filled with despair and fear, as if someone had ripped their throat out alive.

The entire outer market fell silent instantly. The masked men who had been haggling all stopped what they were doing and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came—the entrance to the inner market.

Ye Sheng stopped in his tracks, his hair standing on end. The sound was strange; it didn't sound like a normal fight, but more like some kind of wild beast hunting its prey.

Immediately afterwards, the crowd began to stir.

"Someone's dead! Someone's dead in the inner city!"

"Run! It's 'they' enforcing the law!"

"Don't push! You're stepping on me!"

The once relatively orderly ghost market instantly descended into chaos.

The stall owners didn't even bother to pack up their stalls; they grabbed their valuables and ran towards the exit. The buyers were even more like frightened birds, pushing and shoving, afraid of getting into trouble if they were even a step too late.

Ye Sheng was also swept up in the crowd, but he did not blindly follow along.

Relying on the lower body strength he had developed through stance training, he steadied himself amidst the chaotic crowd, clinging to the rock wall and trying to avoid the most crowded center, but his gaze couldn't help but glance in the direction of the screams.

Through the swaying figures before him, he saw two black-robed men wearing full-face iron masks standing at the entrance to the inner city. At their feet lay a corpse.

The corpse was dressed in brocade robes and wore a fox-demon mask. But now, a gaping, bloody hole had been torn open in its chest, its heart missing, and blood splattered everywhere.

Even more terrifying was that the corpse was rapidly shriveling up at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if its essence had been sucked dry by something, turning into a dried-up corpse in an instant, and finally turning into a pile of black ash scattered on the ground.

"hiss--"

Ye Sheng gasped.

What kind of martial art is this? Is it sorcery? Or evil magic? Or perhaps the work of immortals?

Murder in the ghost market is so blatant, and life here is so fragile that even bones are left behind after death!

The two men in black robes seemed to have noticed Ye Sheng's gaze. One of them turned his head slightly, and the two black eye holes on his iron mask coldly swept over them.

Ye Sheng felt a chill run down his spine, and his breath almost stopped.

That was killing intent! Pure killing intent without any reason!

Ye Sheng immediately lowered his head, using the crowd for cover, and quickly retreated. He couldn't afford to be targeted, or he might face trouble!

Fortunately, the man in black robes only glanced at them and did not chase after them.

They seem to be looking for some specific target, or simply trying to intimidate these "ants" from other cities.

Ye Sheng dared not linger any longer and, taking advantage of the chaos, mingled with the crowd and rushed up the stone steps.

As soon as he stepped out of the cave, a gust of cold wind blew, and he realized that his clothes were soaked through.

It was already late at night, and the fog over the mass grave was even thicker.

The crowd that emerged from the ghost market scattered and fled, quickly disappearing into the wilderness.

Ye Sheng took off the ghost mask and gasped for breath.

What he just witnessed had a huge impact on him.

The ruthless methods of killing, which treated human life as worthless, made him realize that without great power, one doesn't even have the right to live and can only be slaughtered like that man in brocade robes, turning into a handful of ashes.

"You saw it?"

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out behind Ye Sheng. He turned around abruptly, his woodcutter's knife half-drawn from its sheath.

It was the black-robed man who had led him earlier, but now the black-robed man had revealed his face; he was actually an old woman.

She was extremely ugly and looked sinister and terrifying.

She still held that pale green lantern, standing under the old locust tree, as if she had never moved.

"Yes, I saw it." Ye Sheng sheathed his knife, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"That's the Night's Watch."

The old woman said calmly, "The night watchmen are the enforcers of the Ghost Market. That dead man just now must have broken the rules, trying to double-cross someone in the inner market, and ended up as a dried-up corpse."

"The Night Watch...the enforcers..."

Ye Sheng silently recited this in his heart.

"Kid, remember this."

The old woman stared at Ye Sheng with her cloudy eyes. "Don't come to the Ghost Market so often in the future. There are many ghosts down there who like to eat people in secret. You were lucky tonight that they didn't target you. Next time, you might not be so lucky."

Ye Sheng took a deep breath and bowed to the old woman, saying, "I have learned a lot."

He took out two copper coins from his pocket, intending to hand them to the old woman. This was a token of his gratitude for her reminder.

The old woman didn't take the money, but simply waved her withered hand: "You should leave now. It's almost dawn, and the ghost market should be closing."

Ye Sheng nodded, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

On the way back, he walked even faster than he had come. The copper coins and the Ghost Market token were still in his pocket, but his state of mind was completely different.

Before, all he wanted was to earn some money, cure his brother's illness, and live a peaceful life.

But now he understands a truth: stability is merely a gift from the strong to the weak. To truly control one's destiny, one must become stronger.

He was so strong that Wang Laizi dared not bully him, so strong that he didn't need the protection of the ship crew, so strong that even when facing the terrifying night watchman just now, he didn't run away!

When we returned to Shuilongdu, the sky was already turning a pale white. A misty fog hung over the river, and the early-rising boatmen were already calling out to get to work.

Ye Sheng pushed open the door of the shed. Ye Kai was still asleep, but he seemed to be sleeping restlessly, with his brows furrowed.

Ye Sheng tiptoed to the bedside, took out the 180 copper coins, hid some in a broken jar under the bed, and kept the rest on his person.

He didn't rest, but went straight out the door and headed towards Liu the Cripple's place. He had two things to do today.

First, return the money to Liu the Cripple.

Second, he asked him to take him to see Old Chen, the accountant of the boatmen.