Chapter Six, residing in the three realms without life and death, positioned in the six paths observing yin and yang
Although this site has already lost its advantageous configuration, its location is excellent for the deceased, fulfilling the first condition; furthermore, if the entire Que'er Mountain could be cut off at the peak, transforming the hollow at Que'er Eye into a platform, and adding a stone sculpture of the Fortune and Prosperity Buddha that is 2.8 meters high and 1.2 meters wide, it would naturally allow for offerings to the deceased, ensuring her blessings upon Luo Zihan
Chengdu is situated at the crossroads of both water and land transportation routes, indicating its prosperity. However, beneath the surface, it is a place where the good and the bad intermingle, rife with filth and corruption. Countless travelers, merchants, ruffians, gamblers, and prostitutes have buried their remains in the desolate land of the back mountains
Since being adopted by Wang Bayue eight years ago, Zhizunbao has remained in the Ghost Market, growing up healthily with the support of a group of people. In his spare time, Bayue also taught him the techniques of the Wuzong of Yin-Yang Masters. The Wuzong is best known for its expertise in communicating with the underworld, traversing the nether realms, and walking the ghostly paths. To everyone's surprise, this child grasped the teachings immediately, and with his half-human, half-ghost constitution, he became quite familiar with the old ghosts in the Ghost Market.
Indeed, on ordinary days, Liu Piyun has been quite indulgent towards him, secretly teaching him many skills—even his drinking capacity has not been neglected, and he has trained it all up
The Supreme Treasure hurried over, stuffing some trinkets into his arms while running, and shouted, "Hey! I'm doing this for your business, right? It's not easy for the lonely souls and wild ghosts from the underworld to come up here; they get anxious when they can't find a place. I'm helping you out and making a little money at the same time... Even that little bit of money will be used to buy good wine to honor you, my esteemed elder!"
Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. Although the ghost market remains unchanged, the faces of the people show some additional wrinkles on their foreheads, and strands of silver hair stand out. Yet their spirits remain bright and vigorous, busily engaged in their own tasks.
In the shop at mhetushu.com, ghosts occasionally appear and throw gold and silver ornaments into the cash box, as well as some small ancient artifacts and coins. However, the commonly used eagle dollars are rarely seen. During these moments, the owner does not mind at all, allowing the ghosts to throw their offerings freely, as they all understand that the value of these items will never be less than their original price
"I haven't done anything, just running a small business!" The child replied in a crisp voice, "You go ahead and drink, I'll come over to keep you company after I finish my business... How about I add some dried tofu to your tab for now?" If one were to only hear the voice without seeing the person, it would completely sound like the tone of that fellow Wang Bayue.
The child is precisely the same infant from eight years ago. Under the care of Wang Bayue, he has grown up. Amidst that unknown transformation, this child has lost certain attributes inherent to being human: the three fires, the yin virtue, the yang energy, and his name on the register of life and death. It can be said that although he can still survive in the mortal realm like a human, he has lost the qualities that define humanity
Dealing with ghosts, this is precisely what it is about
As soon as these words were spoken, the temple priest was left speechless, suddenly someone beside him clapped and laughed, "Good! Good! Good! Truly worthy of being my Eighth Master’s son, both intelligent and filial, absolutely remarkable!" Without needing an invitation, he directly sat down opposite Liu Piyun, ... picked up the wine jug and poured himself a glass ...
Walking between the realms of yin and yang, existing in the crevice between life and death, a being that is neither alive nor dead, neither pure nor impure, neither blessed nor sinful
Hey, hey, hey! It's full, it's full... The temple celebrant suddenly became anxious, snatching the wine jug and exclaiming: "That's enough, you old fool, you can't even taste the wine, don't waste this fine wine and the illustrations..." Seeing the wine in front of him shimmering in the cup, he clicked his tongue in distress, took out his own wine gourd, and poured out the remaining contents in one go
I sell, sell that bastard! I am pointing right at the three feet of ground buried under that cauldron!" He burped and chuckled foolishly, saying: "When the time comes to return from the underworld to drink, isn't that quite convenient?"
Of course, Miao Zhu Liu Pi Yun did not hold back at all
Wang Ba Yue is indeed quite impolite
Old man in August was clearly drunk, squinting his eyes and shouting: "Whoever wants to look can look, but let me say this, can looking really tear down the temple? Do you think we are just eating plain rice? Oh, in this whole area, there is only this ghost market. If you tear it down, what will those wandering souls and wild ghosts do? Aren't you just making this world even more chaotic?" He exhaled heavily: "Cheng San, if you ask me, you are being overly sensitive, making a big deal out of something that doesn't exist as if the sky is falling and the earth is collapsing..."
Half human, half demon
In the city of Rong, there exists a gang known as the Pao Ge Association, whose operations span the entire city. Virtually all gambling houses and brothels belong to them, particularly as they control the entire province's wooden sailboat sailors, coolies, and water transport. The leader of the Pao Ge Association, known as Luo Da Huzi, was once a prominent figure in the underworld. Although he is somewhat older now, he remains as bold as ever, and when he stomps his foot, the very ground of Rong city trembles.
Zhi Zun Bao was weaving in and out among the ghosts, while the temple keeper Liu Bi Yun was just finishing burning paper offerings and enjoying a drink at Lu Pang Zi's tavern. At that moment, he looked up and happened to see it, so he called out: "Xiao Bao, what are you doing?"
The two big ones and the small one were drinking when suddenly a man from the Northeast rushed in, shouting as he entered, "Old Liu, Ba Ye, something has happened!" After saying this, he grabbed the wine jug and started gulping it down, and soon it was empty
When Cheng San mentioned this, everyone understood clearly that the land of the City God Temple had caught someone's eye—however, at that time, the three of them, including Zhi Zun Bao, were already drunk. Apart from Wang Ba Yue, who was nodding like a chicken pecking at rice to hold on, the other two had already slumped over the table, snoring away.
"Hey, kid!" Liu Biyun quickly stood up from the table and chased after him, "What business? What business?! Didn't I tell you last time that you need to sleep at night and not get involved in these things? There's no benefit to it—come here, stop messing around!"
The two of them looked towards the old temple priest, just in time to see his head drooping on the table, a long string of drool flowing from the corner of his mouth onto the surface, then dripping, dripping onto the floor... Without saying a word, the old priest slowly raised one hand and waved it, then squeezed out a sentence from his drooping mouth:
The recluse Guantian is indeed quite capable; after wandering through the surrounding villages for just a few days, he discovered the optimal feng shui treasure site—precisely the 'Tongzi Sitting Lotus Cave' located at the Ghost Market of Que'er Mountain! Upon identifying this site, he asserted:
As soon as the words were spoken, someone shouted, "Yes, yes! It's time to drink! Hurry up, bring the wine over!"
Amidst a group of wandering spirits, there was a child of about seven or eight years old, bouncing and weaving through them. Strangely, the spirits not only showed no signs of avoidance or retreat but instead brushed past him nonchalantly. Moreover, some even pulled him close to whisper softly, and before long, they took out small trinkets from their pockets to place in his hands, smiling as they patted his head and pinched his cheeks, as if he were one of them.
The death of the daughter was of little concern; rather, it left that big-bearded Luo utterly heartbroken. Naturally, the son sent someone to settle accounts with that male student, while he himself took the daughter’s body back to handle the funeral arrangements.
Liu Biyun and Zhi Zun Bao shouted together and then sat up straight again
Cheng San chuckled to himself and said, "It seems I was overthinking it; whether this place sells anything is really just a matter of Old Liu's word—cough, Fat Lu, bring me two jugs of good wine and a few plates of snacks. I've traveled dozens of miles today and I'm utterly exhausted, so I deserve to have a good drink!"
Cheng San retorted, "Isn't it a bit too simplistic to say that? Whether the ghost market can exist or not, we should really ask... ask that person... Hey! Old Liu, what do you think about this matter?"
The influence of the Brotherhood is not insignificant. When the leader of the first row speaks, several nominal gentry, commonly referred to as "gentry with a veneer," immediately travel from afar to invite a renowned contemporary Taoist and a geomancer from the Shutu school, known as the "Observer of Heaven" in the field of feng shui.
Old man in August immediately became pleased, "See, I told you, didn’t I? I told you there was nothing to worry about, yet you were fretting for no reason, really treating a trivial matter as if it were a thunderclap from the heavens..."
What happened?" The two immediately called out.
After consuming the third-rate liquor and breathing evenly, he finally recounted the entire sequence of events.
"Hi, you old rascal, aren't you being a bit stingy!" Wang Bayue shook his head disdainfully and said, "Drinking your jug of wine and you behave like this. Tell me, where is your demeanor and charm as a master? Forget it, forget it. It seems I can only take care of myself—Fat Lu, bring me a jug of wine, and add a plate of roasted beans!"
Lu Pangzi responded from a distance and soon brought over the beans and wine. Wang Bayue slapped the stool and said, "Bao'er, come over and drink a cup with me." Zhizun Bao smiled broadly and immediately climbed onto the table using both hands and feet, picking up the wine jug to pour himself a full cup.
As night falls, the entire ghost market returns to its clamor and noise, the treasure cauldron reignites, the ghost gate swings open, and countless wandering souls and wild ghosts weave through the stalls, selecting their needs and perusing books, fulfilling their desires, creating a scene of prosperity and flourishing.
Luo Dahuzi's wife passed away early, leaving behind a son and a daughter. The son, Luo Zihan, returned from studying at a foreign school and joined the military. In the midst of chaos, with his intelligence and his father's covert support, he managed to build up a loyal force. The daughter, Luo Yuhan, was only sent to school last year, but somehow became entangled with a male student, and later, in a moment of despair, she hanged herself
Of course, the child did not refuse; after accepting the items, he called out to uncles, aunts, and elder ladies, his voice sweet and cloying, often eliciting a wave of affection from these spirits.
Two days ago, Cheng San took on a job to relocate a corpse. He found a skeleton in the wasteland behind the mountains of Rongcheng and brought it back to Huangliang Town for burial. After the burial, while he was sleeping in Huangliang Town, the ghost of the deceased came out to thank him and chat a bit. During their conversation, they talked about the ghost market at Que'er Mountain and mentioned the City God Temple. At that moment, the ghost suddenly remembered something:
Supreme Treasure
When this child was brought back from the ghost market, the combination "Ding San Pei Er Si Zhi Zun Bao" appeared in Pai Gow, thus the child was named accordingly
The Que'er Mountain City God Temple is located deep within the dense forest of the mountain valley. Following the Que'er River upstream for about seventy to eighty li leads to Huangliang Town, a place frequently visited by people from the ghost market for their purchases, where various other businesses are also often conducted. Continuing east from Huangliang Town, over a hundred li away, lies a large city called Rongcheng, situated at the confluence of the Que'er River and the Liujiang River, serving as an important port.
When the remains were gathered, the entire Brotherhood was filled with sorrow. At that moment, someone suggested that it was essential to find a favorable burial site, so that the second young lady would not suffer or be wronged underground, but could rest comfortably while awaiting reincarnation, and also provide protection for her elder brother, ensuring Bao Luzi Han's safety. Upon hearing this, Luo Dahuzi took it to heart and immediately dispatched someone to take care of it.