Chapter 92: The Midnight Hour Arrives, the Ghost Market Opens

　　"The Ghost Market."

　　Lu Fei slung his bag over his shoulder and had Hu Zi lock the door.

　　Liu Fugui hurriedly said, "Brother Lu, where are you guys going? Don't leave me alone!"

　　"Old Liu, the place we're going to tonight is very yin-heavy. Your yang fire isn't strong enough yet, so it's best you don't come. Find a place with more people and spend the night there," Lu Fei said with a wry smile.

　　"What if that person who raises the dead comes for me? I can't handle him by myself," Liu Fugui said with a grim face.

　　"He won't dare to cause trouble in a crowded place. If it really gets bad, you can stay at the police station for the night," Lu Fei said.

　　"Then you guys should come back early."

　　Seeing that Lu Fei had already made up his mind, Liu Fugui didn't push further and waved goodbye to them with a pleading look.

　　After leaving the antique street, Lu Fei hailed a taxi and rushed to an old, dark alley in the old part of the city.

　　This alley was called Wudeng Alley and had been abandoned for many years.

　　The driver, with a strange expression, saw the two of them get off at this place, stepped on the gas, and sped away.

　　Lu Fei looked around.

　　This place wasn't too far from the Antique Street, and there were lights and noises from nearby old buildings, but this alley was pitch black and eerily silent.

　　At the entrance of the alley stood a very tall willow tree, its long branches and leaves gently dancing in the wind.

　　"It should be here, where there is a big willow tree."

　　Lu Fei glanced left and right, not immediately entering the alley. Instead, he took Hu Zi to the woods beside to dig up some cool soil and smeared it on their faces.

　　"Boss, why the mud again?" Hu Zi asked curiously.

　　The last time they used mud was when subduing his elder sister's spirit, as they could not let her know that there were living people present.

　　This sunless mud has a heavy yin energy and can cover up the aura of the living.

　　"In the Ghost Market, ghosts and humans are indistinguishable. If there is any living person's aura, it can easily bring disaster!"

　　After Lu Fit applied the mud, he also put on a hat and mask.

　　"But it's not time yet, let's find a place to wait for a while."

　　"Okay."

　　Huzi glanced at the alley and felt a chilling aura, an indescribable sense of fear.

　　The two found a relatively clean spot in a nearby abandoned building and sat down to wait.

　　Lu frequently checked the time, carefully observing the big willow tree in the alley.

　　In truth, he was a bit nervous; this was his first visit to the ghost market, and he had found this place based on the directions given by his grandfather.

　　What if he made a mistake?

　　The night gradually deepened.

　　Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, causing the big willow tree at the entrance of the alley to sway.

　　Lu Fei checked the time and was instantly pleased.

　　"The hour of Zi has arrived, the ghost market opens! Yes, it's right here."

　　He quickly gave Hu Zi a nudge.

　　"Hu Zi, there are several taboos in the ghost market that you need to remember."

　　"First, don't talk randomly! Don't ask about the origin or destination of the items, and definitely don't inquire about anyone's identity!"

　　"Second, once you buy, there's no turning back! No matter if you like what you traded for, you can't change your mind."

　　"Third, do not cause trouble in the ghost market."

　　"The ghost market isn't our living people's territory. If you get into trouble, the heavens won't respond, and the earth won't help. Once inside, just follow me, and you don't have to do anything."

　　"Understood, Boss!"

　　Hu Zi nodded vigorously, feeling both nervous and excited.

　　The two of them smeared some more mud on their bodies before walking towards the big tree.

　　The enormous willow stood quietly under the night sky, its rough trunk covered with tumors of various sizes.

　　One of the tumors seemed to have human features.

　　Its hollow eyes appeared to be looking down at Lu Fei from above.

　　Lu Fei quickly took out two sticks of incense from his backpack.

　　This type of incense, called 'human bone incense,' was made from powdered bones of the dead.

　　He lit the human bone incense and placed it under the big willow tree. If they were granted permission, they could enter the ghost market.

　　Lu Fei waited nervously for a moment.

　　The green smoke rose gently, and the human bone incense burned steadily.

　　They were granted permission!

　　He let out a slight sigh of relief, gestured to Hu Zi, and the two walked into the deep, dark alley together.

　　Everything went black before his eyes.

　　Immediately, the scene before him changed.

　　Dim yellow lanterns hung on both sides of the alley, casting a half-lit, half-dark glow over it.

　　Shadows flickered all around, and many indistinct figures moved back and forth.

　　Hu Zi was utterly shocked.

　　Outside the alley, they hadn't seen any light at all.

　　Could it be that inside the alley and outside were not the same world?

　　"This is the ghost market."

　　Lu Fei, suppressing his excitement, led Hu Zi around to explore.

　　Each lantern corresponds to a stall.

　　The items on the stalls are strange and varied, opening one's eyes to all sorts of things.

　　Some are ashen white bones, indistinguishable as human or beast, looking quite eerie.

　　Others are ancient, nameless magical instruments, appearing tattered and uncertain if they still function.

　　Some are treasures and antiques, and even precious medicinal herbs like ginseng and lingzhi.

　　In addition, there are many oddly shaped objects that are hard to understand.

　　The stall owners squat at the base of the walls, guarding their goods, their faces indistinct, unclear whether they are human or ghost, appearing eerie and mysterious.

　　Lu Fei took a rough look around and found that every lantern had someone under it.

　　It seems that if you want to set up a stall, you have to come early to queue up, or else there will be no place left.

　　"Setting up a stall allows for the priority display of goods, waiting for the right price, making it easier to exchange for what you want," Lu Fei speculated.

　　However, he was not in a hurry. After all, it was his first time at the ghost market, and he was unfamiliar with many things, so he decided to look around first.

　　He had come to exchange magical artifacts and mainly browsed these stalls.

　　Soon, an old token displayed on one of the stalls caught his attention.

　　He crouched down and carefully examined it under the light of the lantern.

　　According to the rules of the ghost market, once you pick something up, it signifies that you intend to make a transaction, so you can only rely on your eyesight.

　　The token was carved with a tiger's head, looking extremely fierce.

　　But after examining it for a while, Lu Fei shook his head.

　　At first glance, the token looked very old and impressive, but it was a fake. Even the wood used for carving was not of good quality, and it had no power to ward off evil at all.

　　The items at the ghost market were a mix of good and bad. Among the qualified good items, there were also those that were trying to pass as genuine.

　　Lu Fei moved on to the next stall.

　　There were all sorts of items on the stall, including Daoist talismans, paperweights, Buddhist prayer beads, and so on.

　　Lu Fei examined each one and couldn't help but sigh.

　　They were all common goods, not even as good as his ghost-whipping whip and ghost-head saber.

　　"It seems that good things are rare."

　　Having come to the ghost market with great difficulty, Lu Fei was somewhat reluctant to leave, so he decided to check out every stall.

　　Hu Zi followed him obediently, though he was brimming with curiosity, he remained silent throughout, for fear of saying something wrong.

　　"Eh? What's that?"

　　Just as Lu Fei was about to leave in disappointment, he caught a glimpse of an inconspicuous small stall in the corner, with only one item on display.

　　It was a wooden branch about a meter long, its surface charred black as if it had been burned by fire.

　　Lu Fei's eyes lit up.

　　"Could it be a lightning-struck wood?"

　　Lu Fei hurried over and carefully examined the wooden branch, unable to contain his joy.

　　It seemed to be a jujube wood that had been struck by lightning.