Thirty miles outside Yunjiang City, Chen Xu turned onto a small path to the left.

The sunlight on the horizon seemed to be shrouded in a dim veil, not quite the sunset, yet resembling dusk.

At the end of the path, the mountain gradually rose.

The trees began to thicken, and a faint mist spread out from within.

As Chen Xu climbed the mountain, he looked back and found that the path he had taken was somehow swallowed by the fog.

Further afield, the outlines of fields and farms seemed to transform into a painting.

It was as if the distant ancient painting was drawn into the sunset, reflecting the present mist and deep forest, making everything appear dreamlike.

He could no longer distinguish between the mortal world and the ghost lair.

Chen Xu maintained his "ghost" form, yet his mind remained calm and clear.

The Innate Qi silently flowed within him, allowing him to perceive the universe at all times.

He drifted toward the direction where the ghostly aura was thickest, gradually, as if the painted mortal world vanished entirely.

In the dense forest shrouded in mist, a cold orange sun hung obliquely in the sky, giving some light through the dense locust tree branches.

How deep was the Locust Tree Forest?

Chen Xu didn't know, but he was very patient.

He continued to drift inward, like a little ghost driven by instinct, attracted by the rich ghostly aura.

The deeper he went, the deeper still he wanted to go...

Suddenly, amidst the fog ahead, there was the faint sound of chatter and laughter.

There was also a voice clapping and cheering, "Good, very good! Cai Old Stake, your flying head technique has improved again, eh."

Boom—

Just as the noise from the mist started, a whistling sound followed.

As Chen Xu floated, he saw a "sphere" suddenly shoot out from the forest, coming straight at him.

He instinctively wanted to dodge, but upon seeing the "sphere," his heart and spirit stirred, changing his mind.

As the "sphere" was about to collide with his chest, he heard a piercing sound cut through the air.

In a flash of lightning, Chen Xu extended his hand seemingly lightly.

"Ah! I've hit something, where did this little ghost come from..."

The scream had barely ended when Chen Xu grabbed the "sphere" by its tangled bun.

It turned out this was no "sphere" at all, but a grayish-green ghost head!

The ghost head opened its eyes, meeting Chen Xu's gaze.

Before Chen Xu could react, the ghost head screamed again, "Ah! An ugly ghost caught an old ghost, scared a ghost to death! Let me go..."

The scream shook the locust branches around, casting patches of shadow at dusk.

Chen Xu let go, and the ghost head instantly broke free, flying back into the dense forest.

Chen Xu immediately followed, passing through a thick layer of fog, and saw an open space ahead.

In this spot amidst the Locust Tree Forest under the sunset, there appeared a large clearing.

All around the clearing were twisted and skewed stalls, with ghosts of various shapes either guarding their stalls or gathering in the center, laughing and shouting, making quite a ruckus.

The most conspicuous stall had a dark red banner hanging, supporting a shabby canopy.

Under the canopy were three or five sets of tables and chairs, now all crouched full of ghosts.

So, in Pufeng Mountain's Locust Tree Forest, there was a Ghost Market hidden?

As Chen Xu stepped in, nearly all the ghosts in the market directed their attention toward him.

Especially an old ghost in the center of the clearing holding its head in its hands, it tucked its head under its armpit and shrieked hoarsely at the sight of Chen Xu:

"Ugly ghost, ugly ghost! Scared me, Old Cai, to death. Where did you come from? Have some grievance? Why have you come to our Pufeng Mountain?"

Chen Xu noticed the large amount of information in the other's question, so he pretended to be dazed and asked in return, "How am I ugly?"

"You're not ugly?" Cai Old Stake's head flew up in anger, spinning around his body, screaming incessantly.

"You're not ugly? If you're not ugly, then how did you scare my head so it can't be reattached..."

This remark somehow amused them, and before the words fell, the whole Ghost Market erupted in laughter.

"Cai Old Stake, you just said your flying head technique improved, yet now your head doesn't reattach, what now?"

"If it doesn't reattach, then it doesn't. My guts are spilling out, and I'm in no hurry to put them back."

"Indeed, my limbs are each growing on their own; I'm also in no rush to reattach them."

"Hee hee hee..."

The crowd of ghosts cackled and swayed, mixed with conversations about buying and selling.

Such as, "Fresh hearts and livers, drained of blood, clean as can be, and you still won't trade them for ten years of yin life?"

Or, "Comparing suffering, you think you can compare with me? How can you be as miserable as me? My entire family was killed by bandits, not one spared, even the child in the swaddle wasn't spared..."

"Heh, slaughtering your whole family counts as misery? At least you were killed swiftly.

Do you know how I died?

That year, a flood suddenly hit Guang'an Prefecture, sweeping away my house, fields, and belongings. The Government didn't come to aid, only kept executing the people tasked with repairing the river embankment.

They also talked about catching some Water Demon to sacrifice to the heavens.

Hey, what good did killing those people do?

They wouldn't even give us a mouthful to eat; we were starving.

After the flood, there was nothing left between heaven and earth, only endless silt.

We were hungry, tired, and sick, wanting to escape but not knowing where to go.

We heard the officials in Yunjiang Prefecture were kind, and the people could still survive, so confusedly, we followed a crowd toward Yunjiang Prefecture.

We didn't know how many days we traveled; we never reached Yunjiang Prefecture. That night, my mother cried by my side all night long.

The next day, my mother was gone, but my father had someone tied up in his hands.

It was someone else's mother, cut down by my father's blade.

He said if we cut down this one, we'd have meat to eat.

Yes, by cutting down someone else's mother, we'd have meat, but what about my mother?

I snatched the knife and rushed into the ruined house by the roadside, but I was too late; my mother had already been cut down by someone else.

In the end, I wasn't able to avenge my mother, nor did I get even a bite of meat.

I was surrounded by the people guarding the chopping block and was cut as well.

After being cut, I ended up in that pot too. Sigh...

The entire white, pallid ghost sighed deeply, looking left and right.

At some point, the noisy Ghost Market had quieted down, with piles of bones and flesh on the pallid ghost's stall.

It wiped away non-existent tears, then began to wail loudly: "Who is more miserable than I? Who is more miserable than I!"

The crowd of ghosts burst into sorrowful cries again.

The cold wind wails, the sunlight chilling.

Chen Xu watched for a while until he finally understood that all the ghosts entering the Ghost Market must first "have a round of misery comparison."

After comparing misery, they could join the Ghost Market of Pufeng Mountain.

The ghosts with particularly tragic experiences could even enter the alcohol shop for a cup of free murky wine.

One cup of murky wine equates to three months of bitter cultivation.

When new ghosts arrive here, they must complain about their misery first, then drink a cup of wine.

After the ghosts finished crying, all eyes were once again unanimously on Chen Xu.

Cai Old Stake, holding its head, tilted its head and eerily asked Chen Xu, "Ugly ghost, what about you?"

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