Even the paper figures leading the way knew that contraband explicitly forbidden by the Demon Suppression Division was sold in the Ghost Market, showing that this had already become an “open secret” among certain circles.
Without even having to think, Nan Zhi knew that living humans were definitely on that list of “contraband.”
Yet when she pressed further, the paper figures assumed a secretive demeanor. It was not so much that they were afraid to speak, but rather as if they were testing her reaction.
There was definitely something fishy going on here.
There was still some time before the Gates of Hell opened, so she could afford to wait. Who knew—perhaps there was a big fish behind this trade in living humans.
A sharp glint flickered in Nan Zhi’s eyes as she slowly lowered the curtains around the sedan, completely unaware that while she was taking in the scenery, someone was watching her as well.
...
On the Yin Yang Road, the One Eyed Immortal, dressed as a beggar, unfolded a small portrait from his chest. He squinted his remaining intact eye at it for quite some time before turning to ask his companion:
“Huaguzi, did you see clearly? Is the woman in that sedan really her?”
The portrait was vivid and lifelike. Anyone familiar with Nan Zhi would recognize at a single glance that the person depicted was her.
“Although I only caught a brief glimpse, I saw her clear as day. Can't you trust my eyes?”
The woman, wrapped entirely in black cloth, rolled her eyes, plucked the large scorpion off her shoulder, and said resentfully:
“That little wench is cunning to the extreme. I don't know what method she used to mask her aura, but I actually can't detect whether that wine worm is still on her!”
“You really do raise insects like your own sons. What we want is her head! Once we kill her, we'll get a massive bounty. When that time comes, what kind of bug wouldn't you be able to find?”
The One Eyed Immortal grunted coldly:
“The wench is slippery. We've been tracking her all this way, but these past few days she was constantly hanging around the Demon Suppression Division and Kaifeng Prefecture, giving me no chance to strike. As for that lousy worm, she probably left it behind at the Demon Suppression Division.”
“Impossible.”
Huaguzi immediately retorted, “The Ghost Market is about to open. An item like the Yin Wine Worm isn't something she can easily sell out in the open. Her only choice is to sell it right here at the Ghost Buddha Temple. Most likely, she's carrying some artifact or cultivation technique that conceals her aura, blinding Big Black and preventing me from sensing the Yin Wine Worm's presence.”
“Dammit, she's rich! She's got cultivation techniques, treasures, and even paper figures carrying her in an eight-man sedan. These demon suppressors live far more comfortably than us rogue cultivators!”
The One Eyed Immortal spat on the ground, muttering in indignation:
“People like her deserve to die! We have a deal—once we chop her down, thirty percent of the treasures on her belong to me!”
“Rest assured, you won't get shortchanged.”
Huaguzi said impatiently:
“It's just that the rules of the Ghost Buddha Temple are extremely strict. Over the next few days, we must act even more carefully and execute this job cleanly. I don't want to offend the person behind the Ghost Buddha Temple.”
“Women are just timid! Once the Gates of Hell open, the night will be filled with wandering ghosts, and there'll be tens of thousands of demons and monsters inside the Ghost Buddha Temple! Even if we kill her right out in the open, as long as we run fast enough, who's going to know it was us? Though, that pretty girl beside her—you've got to leave her to me. Even if I can't enjoy her, selling her at the Ghost Market will fetch a decent sum.”
The One Eyed Immortal chuckled loudly, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, as he said nonchalantly:
“Right now, the priority is finding a place to stay and tracking down where those two are settling. We mustn't lose them.”
“Do you have dung in your eyes or urine in your ears? Our target is only Nan Zhi! Killing an extra person adds another layer of risk. Use your head for once—can anyone traveling to the Ghost Buddha Temple with her be an ordinary person? She's likely someone from the Demon Suppression Division as well.”
Unexpectedly, Huaguzi shoved the venomous scorpion forward. Her voice was gentle enough to melt butter, yet her eyes were filled with sheer malice:
“In this Ghost Buddha Temple, the death of a minor fourth-class demon suppressor isn't a big deal. As long as we're careful and make it look like the work of maneating demons or evil spirits, no one will trace it back to us. But if two demon suppressors die in the same spot, not only would the Demon Suppression Division investigate relentlessly, but the person behind the Ghost Buddha Temple would be the first to hunt us down! Keep that filthy urge of yours in check! If you ruin this job, I guarantee you'll be spending the rest of your life as a rootless eunuch—”
The scorpion raised its tail high, making a sharp hissing sound as it crawled along Huaguzi's hand toward the One Eyed Immortal's face.
“You crazy woman! Why do you lash out after barely two words? You're truly ruthless! Hurry up and take this venomous creature back! Do you really think you can deal with Nan Zhi all by yourself?!”
Terrified by Huaguzi's move, the One Eyed Immortal was terrified that the creature would sting him and blind his remaining good eye:
“I was just talking big, why take it so seriously? No wonder everyone in the jianghu calls you the 'Poison Widow'...”
He didn't finish the rest of his sentence, swallowing it back under Huaguzi's glare.
Having accepted a few bounties together with Huaguzi in the past, he knew something of her background.
Word was that Huaguzi was originally the daughter of a wealthy family in the Southern Border. Since childhood, she had been obsessed with raising venomous creatures, refusing to abandon her hobby even after she grew up and married.
Unluckily, in her third year of marriage, a plague broke out in the Southern Border. All one hundred and thirty-six members of her husband's household succumbed to the disease, leaving her as the sole survivor.
Ever since then, however, Huaguzi suffered from a strange affliction that made her unable to bear sunlight. She had to wrap herself completely in shroud cloth whenever she went outside, and nowadays, only poisonous insects dared approach her.
—Because of this, many rumored that her husband's family had treated her harshly, so Huaguzi took advantage of the plague to poison every last one of them to death.
“Hehehe, don't think you can play any tricks just because your cultivation level is slightly higher than mine. My poisons are no joke either.”
Huaguzi gently patted the One Eyed Immortal's cheek, pulled the large scorpion back into her hand, and stroked it affectionately:
“If you behave, help me kill Nan Zhi, and refrain from causing trouble, I won't mind giving you an extra ten percent afterward. But if you dare entertain any foolish thoughts and drag me down with your complications...”
“Got it, I naturally know what's important.”
The One Eyed Immortal answered in a muffled voice, though his blind eye remained filled with frustration and resentment:
“Hurry up and catch up. Don't lose her.”
“You had better mean it.”
Huaguzi gave him a long, intent look before slowly playing with her scorpion, continuing to trail far behind the paper-figure sedan.
...
“Valued guests, we have arrived! This is the Ghost Buddha Temple!”
The paper figures played music all the way until they brought the sedan to a stop in front of the temple:
“The Ghost Buddha Temple has rules—we can't go any further than this! If valued guests need a sedan for the return trip, just speak to the ghost monks in the temple. We pay them tribute every year, so they'll let us know!”
“Thank you.”
Nan Zhi stepped out of the sedan carrying the fast-asleep Xu Zi on her shoulder. Braving the strange, envious, greedy, or curious glances of the surrounding demons and ghosts, she followed the guiding ghost monk through the temple gates.
Perhaps because they had paid extra money, the guiding monk was unlike ordinary ghost monks; he wore a coarse cloth robe and cloth shoes.
This ghost monk exuded a peaceful aura, and apart from his deathly pale face, he seemed no different from a living person.
The moment they entered the temple, Nan Zhi felt a chilling surge of ghostly aura. An icy coldness crept up from the soles of her feet like a maggot on a bone, coiling around her continuously.
Seeing this, the monk hastily held the lantern in his hand—glowing with a green flame—a bit closer to her, smiling as he said:
“Are valued guests visiting the temple for the first time? Poor monk goes by the Dharma name Huiyuan, and I am the guide of this temple.”
Having said that, he glanced at the drowsy Xu Zi without paying it much mind, merely asking with a smile:
“The Gates of Hell are about to open, so it's bound to get a bit chaotic outside the temple. If valued guests have sufficient funds, why not stay inside the temple? It will be easier to look out for each other. One night isn't expensive—it costs only ten liang of paper gold. However, if paying with mortal currency, it will require one hundred liang of gold.”
Rate on N.U.
