Walking down the long and slippery stone steps, the eyes are dark but open. There are torches embedded in the rock wall, but the light of the fire cannot shine too far. The darkness is like a lead cloud before a rainstorm.
This is an underground cave. The smell of moisture, putrefaction, and feces and urine are mixed together. The smell in the cave is really not good.
The empty ground was filled with messy stalls and dilapidated shacks, and under the dim light, all the eyes could see were numb and pale faces.
A group of people like Leng Linjiang walked past. Although they were all in rags and shabby, and tried their best to keep a low profile, the fresh energy all over their bodies still attracted the attention of countless people.
The air seemed to freeze suddenly, and the noisy voices suddenly became mute.
A series of cold, sinister, complex, and scrutinizing gazes fell on him like swords. Leng Linjiang turned a blind eye, not feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable, and walked over calmly and calmly.
The waves of the river, carrying the smell of putridity and moisture, were rolling. This underground underground river was particularly unsettled. The water was rolling and making a roaring sound.
The river was as dark as ink, rolling, and the bottomless river surface reflected the brilliance of fantasy purple and gold.
There are a lot of boats coming and going on the river, and a single dim lamp on the bow is swaying, illuminating the distant ripples in the fleeting light.
On the top of the high cave, there are countless stalactites hanging upside down, with strange shapes and translucent luster. The magnificent and extraordinary lights meet in mid-air and are reflected in the water, weaving into beautiful water ripples.
On the other side of the river is the same cave, but a completely different scenery.
The ceiling of the cave is as dark as ink, and densely packed with stalactites that sparkle like glass, while the lights in the sky below are as bright as gold, as if stars are shining down.
The lights are lingering everywhere, the double eaves and roofs are endless, and the figures are like waves and sea. It is like a bizarre underground Chang'an.
Leng Linjiang and his party stood on the bank of the river, with shock on their faces.
Their group had all been to the ghost market more than once, but the most recent time was eight years ago. Although there was a new shock every time they came, the shock this time was far better than all the previous ones.
The ghost market decades ago was a hiding place for real wandering ghosts, with ruins and thatched grass growing everywhere.
The ghost market seven or eight years ago could only be regarded as a sheltered place that did not require rain, sleep or wind, and had nothing to do with vitality and prosperity.
But now the ghost market is filled with soft red fragrant soil, eight streets and nine streets, becoming a Chang'an paradise in the dark night.
"This, this is a ghost market? This, is clearly a ghost town!" The policeman who visited the ghost market eight years ago screamed in shock as if he had seen a ghost.
He Denglao patted the back of his head: "What's it called? It's rare but weird!"
The detective touched the back of his head and smiled bitterly.
There were more than a dozen people like Leng Linjiang standing on the bank waiting to cross the river, but these dozen people were all big and thick, and at first glance they looked like the kind of fanatics who were not easy to mess with. The others consciously stayed away from them, in groups of three and three. looked on with cold eyes.
It wasn't until everyone on the shore had left by boat that He climbed up the stairs and waved and shouted: "Boatman, cross the river!"
The small boat floating in the shallow water immediately rowed closer. The boatman stood on the bow and greeted warmly: "Dear gentlemen, you want to go to the ghost market? One tael of silver per boat."
With a "Plop" sound, He Denglou sprayed, shook the sword heavily, the iron ring on the back of the sword rattled, and shouted with a ferocious look: "How much! One tael of silver per boat, why don't you go and grab it!"
The boatman was a honest old man. Hearing He Denggou's words, he rolled his eyes: "You will go to jail for robbery!"
"..." He Denglu was choked and speechless. It sounded so reasonable.
Leng Linjiang pulled He Denglu, who was about to get angry, and said in a medium-low voice: "We are in the business of big business, is one tael of silver still considered money? Harmony breeds wealth, and harmony breeds wealth."
He Denglu gave the boatman a cold look, put the sword into its sheath with a clatter, and spoke ferociously and arrogantly: "What the young master is saying is that we should quarrel with these untouchables.
That is voluntary ***! "
The boatman blew his beard and glared angrily, and splashed the water with his paddle, making a splashing sound: "You have come to the ghost market to find food, and you still think you can see the light?"
Leng Linjiang was not angry either, and smiled as warmly as the spring breeze, dispelling the faint haze on the Hean River: "Old He, there are a dozen of us brothers, let's find a big boat."
This underground river is wide, and the fog-shrouded riverbanks are as far as the eye can see. The old man is not the only boatman who makes a living by ferrying. There is not only this awning boat on the river, but also several majestic building boats on the river. Drive by slowly.
Hearing Leng Linjiang's words, the boatman looked at the dozen or so people on the shore, laughed twice, and said with contempt: "Are you just the ones?"
Before Leng Linjiang could speak, the boatman put two fingers to his lips and made a sharp and loud whistle.
The river surface rippled violently, and dim haloes of flickering yellow light shone in the distant mist.
The halo slowly dispersed the mist, and several small boats seemed to appear out of thin air on the river. The lone lights on the bows cast hazy and eerie shadows on the river.
These small boats are all unique black-awned boats in the south of the Yangtze River. The hulls are narrow and the low bamboo awnings are painted black. It is easiest to hide their tracks on this dark and dark river.
"How about it? In this ghost market, if you show off your wealth, you will die!" The boatman glanced at Leng Linjiang. He had been ferrying in this ghost market for twenty years and had developed a pair of sharp eyes. He had already seen that the leader was nothing at all. A serious businessman, with this appearance of being rich despite being raised in a pile of brocades, he is simply a dude from some aristocratic family who came to the ghost market to have fun.
Thinking of this, the boatman chuckled. He came to the ghost market to have fun. Isn't he too worried about his long life?
Leng Linjiang was shocked. This old man looked inconspicuous, but he had a strong insight and was very good at guessing what the people crossing the river were most afraid of and what they needed most.
He turned his head and glanced at He Denglu, the meaning was self-evident.
He Denglou understood that a awning boat could ferry at most two people. He gave the boatman seven taels of silver and chartered seven boats.
The boat rose and fell in the waves like an arrow off its string, but within a moment, the voices of people on the other side were picked up by the night wind and blown into my ears.
The other side of the underground river is the real ghost market, a noisy worldly place like Chang'an City in the daytime.
The group of people disembarked from the boat in silence and wandered around the ghost market like ordinary travelers.
"Sir, the chief shopkeeper of Lan Ying Pavilion said that he bought the Mei Ran recipe from a runaway slave in Xu Guo Lou. Is this credible? Does Lan Ying Pavilion really have nothing to do with Xu Guo Lou? He Denglou looked at the dim lights in front of him, which were all soft and red, and he was lost for a moment.
Leng Linjiang deliberately avoided the flickering lights and walked in the darkness, making it difficult for people to see his gloomy expression: "A runaway slave has a prescription in his hand that can cause hallucinations, or this Xu Guolou The guards are really lax, or there are so many prescriptions like this in Xuguo Tower, and they don’t take Mei Ran’s prescription seriously at all!”
"There is another possibility," He Denggou said solemnly: "Lanyinge and Xuguolou are basically the same family!"
Leng Linjiang showed a teachable expression: "Yes, that's exactly it."
He Denggou tilted his head, with a puzzled look on his face: "Then why don't you just arrest everyone in Lan Ying Pavilion and torture them? If you don't believe it, you can't tell the truth!"
"..." The little bit of joy that Leng Linjiang had just felt was instantly poured out of his heart. He couldn't help but slap He Denglai hard: "We are official officials, not bullies. We are baseless. Why do we arrest people and torture them?" He patted his cheek: "Why do I have such a face?"
He Denglu nodded solemnly, with pride evident in his expression: "Your face is the most useful in the capital!"
"..." Leng Linjiang laughed angrily: "Thank you!"
"You're welcome, Mr. Shaoyin." He climbed up the stairs smoothly, licking his face and laughing. He looked up at the endless market, and his face darkened again: "But sir, we don't even have the Xuguo Tower. I don’t know anywhere, where should I start?”
"It's not like I have no clue." Leng Linjiang looked at He Dengglou inscrutably:
"Please think carefully about the names of these two places."
He Denggou was a rough man, and he didn't have that much ink in his stomach, but he had watched a lot of opera excerpts, and he still knew some elegant words.
He thought for a moment and suddenly realized: "Sir, are you talking about Lan Yinxuguo?"
Leng Linjiang smiled and patted He Denglu on the shoulder: "Oh, that's good. It's not a waste of time to watch the opera and listen to the music. Even Lan Yinxuguo knows about it."
He Denggou smiled triumphantly: "That's right, we can't waste the money that Boss Yao spent watching the opera in vain."
Hearing this, Leng Linjiang frowned slightly: "Ah Yao invited you to watch the show. When, why didn't you invite me?"
He Denglu looked innocent: "Just when Master Shaoyin is drinking wine, you won't go if I ask you."
"..." Leng Linjiang was speechless: "Oh, you really know how to choose the right time."
He Denglou chuckled: "Sir, even if these two names are related, the ghost market is so big, there is still no clue about the whereabouts of Xuguolou."
Leng Linjiang narrowed his eyes: "I checked the account books of Lan Yinge's warehouse today. At this time of every month, a batch of fragrant powder from Wubenfang will be put into the warehouse."
"Wubenfang, fragrant powder?" He Dengglou said in surprise: "There are all wealthy families in Wubenfang, how can there be fragrant powder supplied to Lan Yin Pavilion?"
Leng Linjiang raised his eyebrows slightly: "What's more, what's even more strange is that the batch of fragrant powder every month is personally received by the head shopkeeper of Lan Ying Pavilion, and the name on the account book is signed by the head shopkeeper himself. "
He Denglou suddenly realized: "No wonder when I went to inquire about Lan Ying Pavilion today, the face of the big shopkeeper changed when he saw Mei Ran's prescription. The humble official thought he was afraid because he was selling banned drugs privately. But when the Lord said this, it seems that He came here because he was afraid of being found out about his relationship with Xu Guolou. There must be more than one banned drug like Mei Ran in Xu Guolou."
