Third watch

After walking for another half an hour, Wang Xiaoming and the others finally saw the light.

In the looming light, they saw the riverbank.

Some small sheds were set up along the river, with off-white lanterns hanging on them, and the light was very weak.

There are already many people by the river, looking down from the steps of the pier, there is almost an illusion of crowds and hustle and bustle.

Gu Bicai walked down the last few steps, turned around and waited for them to come down, and made a gesture with his lips.

It means stop talking from now on.

Wang Xiaoming was a little nervous, and straightened the green hat on his head.

When you enter the ghost market, it doesn't matter whether you are a human or a ghost. No one will treat you differently because of your identity.

Wang Xiaoming still doesn't feel much about the Pixiu eyes in his body, so it's better to keep a low profile in order to cause unnecessary trouble.

Zhong Yi stepped forward, exchanged a gesture with Gu Bicai, and the old man walked away unsteadily.

Zhong Yi gave the two people behind him a wink, and took the lead to walk forward.

Most of the hawkers near the wharf are street stalls. The stall owners are of various colors. In summer, there are some who wear padded jackets. Objects such as cups and bowls.

There are also those with long braids, who set up a small shed, and put joss sticks and yellow paper on the small table, as well as the four treasures of the study.

The three of them silently walked through these stalls that looked like a night market in the sun, and walked along the river bank.

Fuhe Mountain, as the name suggests, is connected to a river called "uber" locally. The Uber River flows around half a circle of Fuhe Mountain and flows into the Pinger River. The other end of the river is Vietnam.

The Uber River is not usually the main waterway here. There are only simple blue bricks and stones paved with a narrow three-to-four-meter-wide road beside the river. There are soil slopes and bamboo forests on the side, and the street above the pier is further up.

The number of stalls on both sides of the road gradually increased, and many hawkers seemed to appear out of nowhere-they didn't move at all, but just blinked a little, and out of the corner of their eyes, they could see a few more people squatting in the corner.

Zhong Yi and the others must walk very carefully so as not to bump into anyone.

They walked in sideways, and after walking for about 10 minutes, they could see an old gatehouse standing by the river.

This kind of gatehouse is also very common in modern society. Many pedestrian streets and folk streets like to make a simple doorway at the entrance, and hang a plaque on it, inscribed with XX Street or something, which somewhat adds a little bit of cultural heritage.

But the one in front of me is similar in style, but it looks much older, and there is no carving or painting on it. A gatehouse more than ten meters high is built of dark wood, and two beige lanterns are hung on the cornices above. Two large characters that Wang Xiaoming didn't recognize were written in black ink respectively. It was not so much a character, but it looked more like the product of someone who was in a bad mood and took a brush to sketch.

Besides, there is nothing superfluous on this gatehouse, not even a single plaque.

The black wood that made up the gatehouse seemed to be darker than the night, as if absorbing the surrounding light, and the people entering and exiting under the gatehouse looked more blurred than those on the pier.

This place is the location of the big shop that Gu Bicai told them about in advance.

The ghost market is also divided into different grades. Some people in Yangjian take their private possessions to set up a stall, and some underground ghosts save odds and ends to exchange for money. They usually set up a small stall in front of the pier, which is like a night market. , things are not expensive, and there are many customers who look at them.

But if there are people who have been doing business in the ghost market all year round, or who are rich and powerful, and only sell some treasures that ordinary people have never seen, they will go to the big shop behind the gatehouse.

To put these two places in the human world, it is roughly the difference between night markets and department stores.

Most of the large shops behind the gatehouse are fixed storefronts. There are high-rise buildings and mansions. The prices of the things in them are different. They always look more and buy less. Most of the people who stay in the ghost market and live in seclusion will also stay in the ghost market. Dapuli, because it is relatively stable there.

And many people see the phantom of the mountain city, the eaves of high-rise buildings, the bustling silhouettes leaning on the building, talking and laughing, most of them see the appearance of Dapu.

According to Pixiu, Di Ting has been in Guangxi for many years, and has been stranded in the ghost market, so they went directly through the gate.

Behind the gatehouse is indeed a different world. Except that there is hardly any sound, buyers come and go, there are many shops on both sides, and there are even sellers standing at the door silently soliciting customers. They all look no different from Yangjian. .

Some shops look like ancient restaurants, but they are made into modern buffets. There are no shop assistants, and there are two rows of benches and long tables. The dishes on the tables are not clear, and they all emit a smell of sandalwood.

Some shops still sell shrouds and shroud shoes, but the styles are different from those cut in Yangjian. It looks like they are only blue and black; Lu Xiaolu even saw some shops selling books. There is also a newspaper rack, but the newspapers on it are not printed with ink, but made of yellow straw paper, which looks like it was hand-written.

It's just that these stores all look a little deserted, especially the bookstore, not to mention the customers, even the owner is not there, it looks like an abandoned building.

But there are also lively ones, such as...Internet cafes.

Lu Xiaolu and Wang Xiaoming stood on the side of the road, looking at a shop full of computers. The furnishings inside were exactly the same as ordinary Internet cafes in Yangjian, except that the people who surfed the Internet... had different shapes.

Lu Xiaolu stared at the flickering familiar screens, and couldn't help wondering if there were guys from here who formed a team with him.

The ghost market is not big, but it is not small, and it is not easy to find a beast here in a short time. Before they came, they made a plan to find it separately.

But Lu Xiaolu is an ordinary person after all, so Wang Xiaoming is in his group, and Zhong Yi is in his own group, looking for them from both sides.

Zhong Yi looked at Wang Xiaoming, who was wearing a little green hat, and at Lu Xiaolu, who had the expression of entering the Grand View Garden, and suddenly felt that he was really worried.

He took something out of his backpack and waved to Wang Xiaoming.

Wang Xiaoming went over puzzled, and was pulled by Zhong Yi, who quickly tied something around his neck.

Lu Xiaolu craned his neck to look, and wanted to laugh with a "poof", but immediately held back.

It turned out that Zhong Yi tied a bell around Wang Xiaoming's neck.

Wang Xiaoming was angry.

What is this doing?Do you regard him as Lord Bai?

Wang Xiaoming reached out to untie it, but found that the rope tied with the bell had no knots at all.

Zhong Yi was born in the Luban family, and he is very good at this kind of small mechanism. As long as he is unwilling to Wang Xiaoming to take it down, even if he uses scissors, he can't get it off.

Wang Xiaoming was so humiliated that he stepped forward to scratch Zhong Yi, but Zhong Yi had a fierce look on his face.

Frightened by his look, Wang Xiaoming took a step back.

Zhong Yi took another step closer and made a fierce gesture: If you dare to take it down, you will die.

Zhong Yi stared at Lu Xiaolu again.

Lu Xiaolu shrank his neck.

If you dare to act separately, you will die.

Zhong Yi threatened them with lip movements.

Wang Xiaoming raised his head and stared back at him.

Zhong Yi raised his fist.

Wang Xiaoming and Lu Xiaolu took a step back together.

There is no doubt about Zhong Yi's force value. Although he never beat the two of them ruthlessly, his black-faced and hard-fisted image has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In addition, he usually doesn't have much expression. Once he puts on a straight face, even Master Bai didn't dare to do anything wrong.

So the two walked away together aggrieved.

Zhong Yi watched the two of them walk to the opposite side hand in hand, and glanced at the side wall of the store door behind him from the corner of his eye.

There are people in almost every corner of the ghost city, not just on the roadside.

They trade surreptitiously, or eye passers-by, but never step out of the shadows.

With a flash in Zhong Yi's eyes, he lifted his backpack and walked into the gap between the shops.

Wang Xiaoming felt very clueless.

They don't know Di Ting, and they don't know what this beast looks like. Where can they find it?

Do you want to pull a piece of cloth and write the word "Ting Ting" on it, so that everyone will be bright?

It's also a little more over the top.

Lu Xiaolu took out a pad and wrote a line.

What does Diting sell?

He showed it to Wang Xiaoming.

Wang Xiaoming shrugged.

The variety of shops in the ghost market was beyond their imagination. There was a small shop full of people, all queuing up to get something. It looked a bit like a bank in Yangjian.The two of them went in and took a look, and found that everyone had received a blank piece of paper, and when they got it, they wrote something on the paper, and then handed it to a short and thin man wearing a melon cap.

The man stood behind the counter, and he would eat a piece of paper when someone handed him a piece of paper. His cheeks were bulging, and he looked very interesting.Lu Xiaolu tugged at Wang Xiaoming's sleeve, and saw a price list posted on the wall of the store, on which there were words such as Prosecutor's Prosecution, Personal Prosecution, Nap, and Nap.

Only then did Wang Xiaoming suddenly realize.This is probably a shop similar to a post office, specializing in the communication business between the underworld and the underworld, but it only charges according to the content and form through the form of dreams.

In Yangjian, there are many examples of dead relatives telling their last words or expressing their distress through dreams. Before, Wang Xiaoming always thought that most of them were missing too much, but he didn’t expect that such dreams can’t be done casually, and you still have to pay money underneath. .

And the owner of the melon cap is probably a creature like a tapir.

Wang Xiaoming stared blankly at the boss's bulging cheeks for a while, and suddenly felt a flash of thought.

However, Lu Xiaolu got tired of seeing this dream shop. He is not dead, and he has nothing to say to people in his dream. After staying for a while, he loses interest, and he will go to the next one after pulling Wang Xiaoming.

Wang Xiaoming was pulled out by him, and before he could catch the flash of thought in his mind, he was bumped lightly from behind.

Both of them turned their heads and saw a man in a black mandarin jacket and a hooded black cape followed him at some point.

Both Lu Xiaolu and Wang Xiaoming took a step back vigilantly.

There are everything in the ghost market, and Wang Xiaoming has a special physique. Although he is wearing a little green hat, he still has to act cautiously.

Although this person is standing, Wang Xiaoming always feels that his body is shaking slightly - as if his feet are not touching the ground, and he is being swayed by the wind. Although the movement is small, it looks like Shen is flustered.

The man stretched out a hand and pointed to Wang Xiaoming's right hand.

Wang Xiaoming stretched out his hand inexplicably.

The man turned his palms down and wrote a character horoscope.

Wang Xiaoming was taken aback for a moment, turned his palms over, and waved at him.

The man refused to let go, and drew another nine characters in vain.

Lu Xiaolu blinked his eyes, he could see that it seemed that he wanted to do business with Wang Xiaoming.

According to Wang Xiaoming and Zhong Yi's earlier science popularization, ghost market transactions in the past were somewhat shady, and all transactions were negotiated in the dark, and most of them were used to exchange prices in the palm of hands.

But this time they came to find someone, not to do business. What is this person doing?

Wang Xiaoming turned his palms up, indicating that he didn't want to talk or do business, but this person didn't intend to give up.

Wang Xiaoming simply turned the pocket over to show him—his coat pocket was empty.

This is telling this person with body language, I have no money, no matter what you want to sell, I will not buy it.

Unexpectedly, the man waved his hand, stretched out his other hand towards him, and clenched his fist tightly.

This can also be regarded as one of the common gestures of the ghost market, which means that he is rich and can talk about business.

But both Wang Xiaoming and Lu Xiaolu were taken aback.

It turned out that this person was not trying to sell to them, but to buy something.

But Wang Xiaoming has nothing on him except the canopy ruler hidden in his trouser pocket. What does he want to buy?

Seeing that Wang Xiaoming was in a daze, the man slowly raised one hand and made a movement inside the cloak.

Lu Xiaolu's expression changed, and he pulled Wang Xiaoming to leave.

Wang Xiaoming was puzzled, but the man wanted to follow, Lu Xiaolu immediately made a grinning expression at him, as if he was going to roll up his sleeves and fight.

Probably because the ghost market has been at peace for a long time, there are not many aliens like Lu Xiaolu who have the intention to do something after a disagreement.

Wang Xiaoming was dragged away by Lu Xiaolu for no reason, and Lu Xiaolu couldn't help turning his head to see if the man followed.

Wang Xiaoming pulled Lu Xiaolu, and pointed to his temple.

mean what's wrong?

Lu Xiaolu looked back and saw that no one was following, so he rolled his eyes at Wang Xiaoming and pointed to his temple.

You are the one who is sick!

He took out the pad again and wrote a line.

Do you know what that man did just now?

Wang Xiaoming thought about it for a while, and then gestured with his hands.

The five fingers are curled up, one release and one retract...

Wang Xiaoming: ? ? ?

Gu Bicai's Shanshi general hand gesture does not have this in Ke Puli.

Lu Xiaolu rolled his eyes and wrote a few more words.

That's digging.

dig?

Wang Xiaoming opened his eyes wide.

Thinking about it carefully, the man stretched his fingers forward, and turned his wrist when he retracted his hand. It seemed that it was indeed a digging action!