What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

Jin Wanliang chuckled, took the gold bar box from my hand, and threw one bar on the table.

Then he quickly put the golden toad back in its place, tucked it into his pocket, gave me a thumbs up, and pulled me out of the stone gate without looking back.

Only after we had walked a distance did Jin Wanliang burst out laughing, patting my shoulder heavily with one hand.

"Hahahaha! Oh, my brother Chen, it has to be you again! Did you see how green that old blind man's face turned just now? Hahahaha!"

As he spoke, Jin Wanliang pounded his chest loudly.

"Brother, that move you just made was really brilliant. Not only did it scare that old blind man so much he almost wet his pants, but it also saved me a lot of money."

Hey bro, what did you see that you wanted at the ghost market today? I'll pay for it!

I chuckled and shook my head, ignoring his words. Instead, I asked a question: "Boss Jin, we could have just taken our things and left, why did you leave that old guy with a piece of your mind...?"

Before I could finish speaking, Jin Wanliang interrupted me.

"Shh!"

He put a finger to his lips, making a gesture to whisper.

"Brother, you can't say things like that."

This ghost market has two explicit rules: first, no one can die.

Secondly, you can bargain for the price here, or you don't have to buy it, but you can't steal it. Everything must be paid for on the spot.

Otherwise, if you get caught by the law enforcement here, it won't just be a matter of going to jail!

After Jin Wanliang finished speaking, I suddenly realized what was going on.

Indeed, if this ghost market were truly a chaotic place where no one cared about anything, who would dare to bring treasures and money here to trade?

Now that Jin Wanliang has finished his business, he has plenty of time.

I was thinking of browsing around here a bit more to see if I could find anything else to improve my skills.

Moreover, Jin Wanliang said he would pay for all the expenses, so I couldn't give up this hard-won opportunity to rip off a big spender.

We returned to the scattered stalls area of ​​the ghost market.

It was already late at night, and the fog had not only not dissipated but had become even thicker, yet the number of people in front of the stalls had increased.

Jin Wanliang and I both still have quite a few gold bars left. With his explanation just now, I have a better understanding of the rules of this ghost market.

I started looking for what I needed with a specific purpose.

I stopped in front of a stall selling herbs.

The stall owner was a woman dressed in Miao ethnic clothing, but not in the gloomy style of Wandie Valley; instead, she appeared very simple and unpretentious.

Her stall was filled with various dried plant and animal specimens.

My gaze fell on a glass bottle.

The bottle contained a dark purple powder, and even through the glass, I could feel its cool aroma.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Soul-Stabilizing Sand"

The female stall owner's voice was hoarse. "It's made by grinding century-old rhinoceros horn into powder and mixing it with the juice of a calming herb. It's a cure for restlessness and malevolent energy entering the brain."

A thought struck me.

My biggest trump card right now is the Demon-Slaying Technique, but because of its terrifying backlash, I dare not use it unless it's absolutely necessary.

Even if I do use it, I don't dare to leave it on for too long.

With this Soul-Stabilizing Sand, I have another chance to fight for my life.

How much?

"Two large yellow croakers."

The price wasn't cheap, but before I could even haggle, Jin Wanliang pulled out two gold bars and handed them over.

"Come on, pack it up for my little brother!"

Seeing this, I didn't hesitate and put away the glass bottle that the stall owner handed me.

After putting away the Soul-Stabilizing Sand, I browsed a few more stalls, but couldn't find anything suitable.

Until I found the biggest surprise of this ghost market trip in a corner.

That was a stall selling corpse oil.

Normally, corpse oil is cloudy and yellowish, but the small bottle of corpse oil on this stall has a ghostly blue color and emits a faint glow in the dark.

"This is……"

I crouched down, and the black bone needles inside my body began to tremble wildly, conveying an intense longing.

"Mermaid oil".

The stall owner, a masked burly man, said in a deep voice, "Things from the deep sea are a hundred times purer than corpse oil from land. This bottle can burn for a hundred years without going out."

Mermaid oil!

The fuel used to light the eternal lamps in the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, according to legend.

This stuff contains not only oil, but also the chilling energy of the deep sea and the spirituality of merfolk.

If it were used to nourish the black bone needles, the effect would probably be countless times stronger than ordinary corpse energy.

"How much?" I asked, suppressing my excitement.

"Five." The big man held out one hand.

The same familiar scenario played out: before I could even haggle, Jin Wanliang had already paid the money in a grand manner.

After putting away the mermaid oil, I felt the black bone needle in my arms finally quiet down.

"Brother, you've had quite a haul!"

Jin Wanliang chuckled and joked, "Looks like I didn't bring you here for nothing. How about it, want to go sightseeing some more?"

I checked the time; it was almost 3 a.m.

The rule of the ghost market is that it closes at cockcrow. Although it's still early, many vendors have already left, so the chances of finding something good are much smaller.

Besides, I've already gotten what I wanted, so there's no point in continuing to wander around.

"That's enough, let's go back."

I shook my head. "Don't bite off more than you can chew."

Just as we were about to leave, the crowd ahead suddenly became agitated.

A sudden burst of rapid gong and drum sounds rang out, followed by several people dressed in bright red theatrical costumes with exaggerated facial makeup, carrying a black sedan chair, emerging from the depths of the mist.

The sedan chair was entirely black, without a single blemish, and the curtains were tightly closed, exuding an indescribable air of majesty.

Wherever it passed, the originally crowded people seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, and they all retreated to both sides.

Many stall owners even knelt on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.

"That is..."

Jin Wanliang's expression changed, and he quickly pulled me back into the shadows by the roadside, his voice extremely low.

"The master of the Ghost Market, 'Hades,' is on patrol!"

I stood in the shadows, my gaze fixed on the black sedan chair through the gaps in the mask.

Although separated by the sedan curtain, I could clearly sense that an extremely terrifying being was sitting inside.

That aura was more powerful than any expert I had ever seen.

It can be said to be unfathomable.

Just as the sedan chair passed in front of us, a corner of the curtain was gently lifted by the wind.

I could vaguely see a pair of eyes.

Those eyes seemed to scan the crowd, and finally... settled on me.

In just a moment of eye contact, I felt the murderous aura within my body suddenly freeze, as if it had been solidified.

My heart skipped a beat, and an unprecedented sense of crisis surged through me.

Fortunately, the sedan chair did not stop and soon disappeared into the distance.

"So this is the master of the Ghost Market...?"

I murmured to myself, my awe of this world deepening once more.