Chapter 3, despite the myriad sufferings of countless lifetimes, there is still a fraction of goodness in this life

As the donkey cart had just driven onto the bridge, the old man with bulging eyes, who was lying on the cart, suddenly opened his eyes. He slapped the cart board casually, and the donkey cart immediately came to a halt. He turned over to sit up, squinting his eyes as he gazed upstream at the river

The various individuals in the ghost market all have their own backgrounds, and this old man is certainly not an ordinary person. His original name was Wang Bayue, a disciple from a branch of the Yin-Yang Master lineage. After he completed his training, due to his youth and lack of understanding, he recklessly captured ghosts and subdued demons in the human realm, resulting in heavy karmic consequences that led to a lifetime without descendants. He has come to terms with this, retreating to the ghost market within the City God Temple of Que'er Mountain, where he has spent his life with a group of practitioners, avoiding calamities and preparing for this existence. Little did he know that at the age of seventy or eighty, he would unexpectedly witness such an event!

Lu Pangzi squinted his eyes after finishing the game, remaining silent despite the commotion caused by Old Man Gou beside him. Only the fat on his face trembled incessantly. Once the noise subsided a bit, he tossed his cards onto the table and lightly uttered three words: "Three flowers and six! Go away!"

The City God Temple is quite simple, merely a small temple with one entrance and three exits. However, the two rows of tile-roofed houses next to it are still part of the temple's property. The old temple priest naturally rents these houses to unscrupulous characters like Wang Bayue, who engage in ghostly dealings, collecting some rent to cover the temple's expenses for food and clothing, and occasionally saving a bit to repair the mud, bricks, and tiles.

Logically, the child falling into the water at this moment should fulfill the misfortune in their fate, thus completing this life and entering the cycle of reincarnation. As long as Wang Bayue leaves, this story would come to an end. However, the child's pair of pitch-black eyes keeps swirling in front of him, causing his heart to be in turmoil, as if a little ghost has come at midnight to summon a soul, making it impossible to escape!

He was instantly stunned

A thousand dark clouds swirl, a hundred demons transform into calamities

This was originally an ordinary wooden basin, but for some reason, the old man sensed a hint of disharmony. He quickly took out a small bottle from his pocket and applied a drop of liquid to his eyes—this was a mixture of various substances, including the juice of the hundred-wise willow, the tears of the nine solitary ox, the incense ash from before the Buddha, and the sand from a hundred miles, among others, capable of temporarily opening the heavenly eye to perceive certain things

Gazing into the distance, it seems that a wooden basin is gently drifting across the river

The donkey cart followed the mountain path through the dense forest, gradually making its way towards the hillside. After navigating several winding turns, it finally began to descend slowly into a hollow. As the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, the donkey cart reached the riverbank—looking downstream along the small river, one could see the tall flag of the City God Temple in the distance. However, as the sky brightened, its world had already faded away, and everything gradually returned to silence. As the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, the donkey cart reached the riverbank—looking downstream along the small river, one could see the tall flag of the City God Temple in the distance. However, as the sky brightened, its world had already faded away, and everything gradually returned to silence.

"Wait a moment," said Sanhua as he gently flipped over the card in front of him: "I have three flowers and ten, sorry, but I also have to play!" In the entire set of Pai Gow, there are only two card types that do not consider others' values for winning or losing: one is three flowers and six, and the other is three flowers and ten. To have all of them come out in one hand is truly a stroke of luck for Old Master Gou!

Eight shops radiate out from the City God Temple, forming a semicircular fan shape. They have paved the entire open space with blue bricks and stone slabs, and in the center stands an octagonal clay sculpture of a treasure tripod, all of which is remarkably clean.

Uncle Ba, Uncle Ba!" After swallowing the thin porridge in two gulps, he shouted, "Hey! Uncle Ba is back, Uncle Ba is back!

The night is when its prosperity truly belongs!

His face instantly changed from red to green—do you think he might have burst a gallbladder?

His thoughts surged like water that does not wait for anyone, and in an instant, the wooden basin had floated before him. The boy in the basin neither cried nor made a sound; he simply lay there quietly, his pair of pitch-black eyes staring intently at him. At that moment, he felt a sense of mutual understanding, as if someone could see through him clearly... But this cannot be!

He watched the wooden basin rise and fall in the waves, and his heart was stirred like the river water: the burden of karma was already heavy, and if he were to adopt such a wretched child, his later years would be like enduring the bitter cold of winter without a cotton coat; ... not to mention the countless obstacles he would face in teaching the child to do good and accumulate virtue, for if he were to make a mistake, all the karmic debts would fall upon him, and everything would have to be repaid in the next life

There are not many houses here, and there are only a few shops. The first one on the left is Wang Bayue's paper offerings shop, which is fully stocked with everything one might need. The house is relatively large, and there is even a small courtyard at the back where an old donkey is kept year-round. Outside the shop, there is a thatched shed with a haphazard arrangement of tables and stools, some of which are missing legs. The thick mud on the innermost table has even grown moss, making it look as shabby and disheveled as its owner. Beneath the shed hangs a half-dangling wooden sign, where the character '八' (eight) can still be faintly discerned. Thus, this place has been given the nickname 'Ba Ye' in accordance with the phonetic similarity.

Nevertheless, this is acceptable; such a deviation in feng shui not only transforms the treasure site into a broken site but also enhances the accumulation of yin energy and ghostly pathways here, making it the area with the most intense yin energy within a radius of ten miles. While the population is sparse, it has also become an excellent location for ghost markets.

Que'er Mountain is about seventy to eighty li away from the nearest town, Huanglianggang. People here rarely go out, and once a month, they take turns using the donkey cart to go to town, which is enough to buy everything for the eight households. As Ba Ye's donkey cart approached from a distance, Luo Erni, sitting at the door with a bowl of thin porridge, had already started shouting

The City God Temple is said to be located on the hillside of Que'er Mountain, but this is not the case; the accurate location should be at the foot of Que'er Mountain. Behind it, the front peaks of Que'er Mountain present a shape resembling a precious elephant, while the ancient pines and lush forests obscure the clouds and mist. To the left, there is a range of Zhengyang peaks known as the Twenty-Four Tigers, and to the right, the Que'er River winds in nine turns and three bends. It truly resembles a 'lotus seat for a child sitting in a treasure-gathering spot.' If it were not for the enormous cave at the 'eye of Que'er' in the middle of the mountain, which connects the shady and sunny sides, it would have long been occupied by others.

Wait until we start, don't run away. First, let's finish this round of cards before we switch to something else. Let me be clear, if you run away, it counts as a loss. Don't come back later complaining or making excuses!

The basin is unexpectedly empty

As he spoke, he slowly brought the cards in his hand closer to his eyes, squinting with one eye to take a look at the palm of his hand. A look of disbelief immediately appeared on his face. Then, rubbing his eyes and taking another glance, he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, slamming the cards down onto the table with a resounding clap.

Returning means Supreme Treasure plus Double Three Flowers, it seems this child may not necessarily be a disaster—no more thinking, I have decided to adopt him

The term "ghost fetus," also known as "ghost child," "yin child," or "earth-nurtured child," refers to a child born from a deceased pregnant woman who was buried after her death. This child is said to be born fully developed after the full term within the corpse, and upon birth, possesses all three souls and seven spirits, able to speak and walk just like an ordinary person. Elders regard this child as one nurtured and born by a ghost, hence the name.

On ordinary days, everyone goes to bed early, but today is a significant day for restocking. In order to help unload the goods, Cheng San, Lu Panzai, and Old Man Gou stayed up and were gathered under the old locust tree, drinking and playing Pai Gow. Upon hearing the shout, Lu Panzai slammed the table first

As Ba Ye was on his way, lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a wolf-like howl coming from ahead, "Supreme Treasure, my dual Heavenly Supreme Treasure, how could it end up like this! Oh, Heavenly Lord, I didn't even get to eat a single fly..." Following this, the laughter of Lu Panzai and Cheng San mixed together, and it was unclear what else they had called out, but these two sentences made him resolutely decide:

Cheng San said nothing, but Old Master Gou blushed and shouted: "You really talk too much, who is going to owe you money—who knows whose hands it will end up in!"

Yin胎鬼孽

"What a misfortune!" Wang Bayue slapped himself and cursed, "Useless, knowing I shouldn't go but still couldn't help myself... Forget it, forget it, I will use the good deeds of my past life to save this child, after all, he is connected to me by fate." Before his words fell, an old man in his sixties surprisingly dove into the water with more agility than a rabbit...

Relative to the myriad of calamities, the essence of the ghostly spawn appears secondary in the eyes of the evil spirits, akin to a beacon of light

Double Heaven Supreme Treasure! Total Victory! That face resembled an orange peel dried by the autumn wind, with a red hue overlaying the yellow-black old skin directly applied to the forehead: "Fat Lu, Fat Lu, are you trying to make me die of laughter!" He pointed at the cards, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Look at this, show me this... An? Did you see it? Double Heaven Supreme! Oh my, I'm running! I see you are the one who should be running!" The red hue overlaying the yellow-black old skin was directly applied to the forehead: "Fat Lu, Fat Lu, are you trying to make me die of laughter!" He pointed at the cards, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Look at this, show me this... An? Did you see it? Double Heaven Supreme! Oh my, I'm running! I see you are the one who should be running!"

Uh, don't shout it all out, if you do, it will become 'Old Wang Ba'

The original intention of the old man with bulging eyes was merely to see what the situation would be, but unexpectedly, upon looking, he actually witnessed a sight that is rarely seen in a hundred years

Such situations are rare in history; often, pregnant women were buried in burial grounds and turned into zombies, and the children born from them were also soulless zombies. Alternatively, the soul did not disperse after death, and the deceased would give birth to children in their coffins, raising them to become ghouls. Another possibility is that the corpse was possessed by some spirit or demon, using the fetus's body to drag itself into the world, ultimately becoming a creature of evil. However, if the child is born with a complete soul, nurtured by the three fires, and has no hindrances from karmic retribution, then that child is an unparalleled ghostly aberration.

In modern terms, this is nothing less than a Pandora's box; whoever gets involved will be doomed for a lifetime and will even bring misfortune to future generations

Old Master Gou's eyes bulged as large as copper bells, staring at the牌, unable to articulate clearly: "You, you actually, actually are..." He struggled to say "are" for a long time but couldn't get to the point. Finally, he howled in realization, "Why is it so unlucky, oh, after all the effort to get the Supreme Treasure of the Twin Heavens, how did I end up with a Three Flowers and Six?" With a mournful expression, he watched as Fat Lu stuffed the money he had thrown back into his pocket. After thinking for a moment, he reached down to pick up the gambling stakes that had been thrown out by Cheng San, muttering, "The big ones have all run away, only a few flies are left to eat..." He finally howled in realization again, "Why is it so unlucky, oh, after all the effort to get the Supreme Treasure of the Twin Heavens, how did I end up with a Three Flowers and Six?" With a mournful expression, he watched as Fat Lu stuffed the money he had thrown back into his pocket. After thinking for a moment, he reached down to pick up the gambling stakes that had been thrown out by Cheng San, muttering, "The big ones have all run away, only a few flies are left to eat..."

Wang Ba Yue suddenly stamped his foot and hardened his heart, muttering as he turned around: "It's not that I don't want to, but I really can't protect myself. I hope you find a good family and have great fortune..." As he was saying this, he suddenly heard a 'thud' from behind.

After the incense had burned for half a stick, the axle of the cart began to creak again. On the roof, Wang Bayue pulled out a tattered garment from somewhere and wrapped the child in it, holding him close. Although her face was still filled with sorrow, there was unexpectedly a hint of joy in her eyes—aside from swallowing a few mouthfuls of water, the child was largely unharmed. After being rescued, he neither cried nor fussed, remaining calm and obedient, and now he was sucking on his fingers, sleeping very soundly.

Ghosts are inherently associated with malevolence, misfortune, sorrow, resentment, illness, obstacles, suffering, and bad luck, representing the most unfortunate amalgamation of these eight elements in the world. Children born under this influence are even more severely affected; just a trace of this can lead to vengeful spirits haunting them, illnesses and disasters befalling them, misfortunes striking them, and a perpetual state of decline and gloom. It is even said that those who kill such a child will suffer misfortunes for a decade or more, with houses catching fire, wives being abducted, and parents and offspring facing continuous calamities. This child was likely thrown into the river under such circumstances, yet fate intervened, and it was fortuitously discovered by Wang Bayue.