"It closes at midnight and disperses after the rooster crows" - "Ghost Market", as the name suggests, the market always opens in the latter half of the night. Because the latter half of the night is the time when ghosts and gods appear, the markets that open at this time are called "ghost markets."
The tradition of "ghost markets" has appeared thousands of years ago. Once upon a time, there were "ghost markets" in the four major states, including the capital, and the largest one was located in the capital.
Nowadays, the four states are in charge of their own affairs. Some states and cities have inherited the original "ghost markets", while others have closed their "ghost markets" due to various reasons. "Ghost markets" in each state have fixed times and locations, and the main items sold are different.
The "ghost market" in Cangzhou City has a long history, and the current Starlight Market in Wuyou Town was formerly a "ghost market". The Starlight Market mainly sells information about the world. During the annual Sword Trial Conference, an auction house is opened to auction top-secret information about the world.
Before the auction house opened, many vendors gathered in the Starlight Market. The shops here are all set up in the form of street stalls, and the products they sell range from heavenly materials and earthly treasures, spiritual stones and magic tools, to small pearls, hairpins, jade belts, antiques, calligraphy and paintings.
At midnight, in the pine forest on the outskirts of Wuyou Town, which should have been dark, there were crowds of people. Everyone was holding a red lantern in their hands, which looked like twinkling "starlights" from a distance. The Starlight Market is located here.
Ji Beichen carefully put on the mask for Yan Yueli, and raised his hand to straighten the cloak on Yan Yueli's shoulders, so that Yan Yueli's beautiful figure was hidden under the large cloak.
Yan Yueli didn't pay attention to these small movements of Ji Beichen. She looked around curiously.
In the Starlight Market, there are more than a dozen stalls of various sizes. The stalls are equipped with various types of products, including jewelry, old clothes, magic weapons, and many rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Yan Yueli's eyes suddenly lit up, and her eyes were attracted by a unique hairpin, but she suddenly remembered something and whispered to Ji Beichen: "Do all these things need to be bought with money?"
If ordinary people asked such questions, they would definitely be laughed at by others. Of course, money is needed to buy things! But Yan Yueli had never thought about the need to pay for things to buy.
Because Yan Yueli is the palace master of the Yan Yue Sect, her daily meals and meals have been taken care of since she was a child, so she doesn't have to worry about money at all, let alone carry it with her when she goes out.
When Ji Beichen saw Yan Yueli asking this question, he knew that she must be interested in something, so he tapped the tip of Yan Yueli's nose and said, "Li'er is interested in something? I'll buy it for you!"
Ji Beichen brought the banknotes, and there was a lot of broken silver in the storage ring. But looking at the dark and silent market, Ji Beichen felt troubled. This was his first time in this "ghost market". He had no idea how money and goods were traded!
Just when Ji Beichen was in trouble, a tall, thin man wearing a black mask and a black knight uniform came in front of the two of them.
The man was tall and tall, half a head taller than Ji Beichen. The man bent slightly, covered his lips with a white jade folding fan, and said, "This is your first time to this ghost market, do you need help?"
When Ji Beichen saw the man taking the initiative to ask about him and Yan Yueli, he looked at the man defensively. Although Ji Beichen has never been to the ghost market, he has heard that there is a mixed bag of good and bad people in the ghost market, and there are many charlatans.
When the tall and thin man saw Ji Beichen, he was a little wary of him. He took out a token from his waist, handed it to Ji Beichen to see, and whispered: "My lord, I have specially ordered this villain to come here and bring two nobles with me." A trip to the ghost market'!"
When Ji Beichen looked at the token, he recognized that the man in front of him was Jing Wuwei's. Because Li Kuisheng told him that the two tokens Jing Wuwei gave him were not just for admission to the auction house, but were identity tokens exclusive to their secret guard organization.
There is an unwritten rule among secret guards, which is not to reveal their identity to outsiders, so Ji Beichen did not ask the name of the "assassin brother" in front of him, and only called him "Your Excellency"!
When it comes to visiting the ghost market, there is a special name among the people, called "going to the ghost market".
It is called this because, firstly, the items sold in the ghost market are not necessarily real and it is easy to buy fakes. The water in this market is very deep, so you have to fumble through it by yourself.
The second is "trading without meeting". We don’t know the identity of the seller, what he looks like, or the source of the items he sells, so we can’t completely trust them.
This is equivalent to gambling on the character of the merchants, which is also called "opening one's eyes and blindness", which means "crossing the river by feeling for the stones", so going to the ghost market can be said to be "going to the ghost market".
The third is that "the government cannot get involved." Everything is sold in the ghost market. Whether you can buy the real thing depends on your own experience, and the vendors won't tell you much.
If you like an item, if you really want it, just pay the money and take it. If you buy a fake, you will have to consider yourself unlucky. Even if you go to the official to report it, it won't help, because the rules of the ghost market are to buy and leave, and you can only admit that you are unlucky.
The assassin brother showed his token and gained Ji Beichen's trust, and then told the two of them about the tradition of the ghost market and some of the details of "going to the ghost market": "The ghost market not only has special opening hours and special items for sale, but it also The rules are very special.
Just like Miss Yan just fell in love with a pearl hairpin, but someone is already playing with it and asking for the price. Then you have to wait for this person to put it down before questioning you carefully. You cannot go over to discuss it with others, nor can you take it from others. Take the thing over and look at it carefully. You need to make sure that the other party really doesn't want it before you can get it. "
Yan Yueli rarely goes out of the valley. At this time, the assassin brother's introduction to the ghost market greatly increased his interest. He turned around the bead hairpin he had just obtained and said: "So, if it hadn't been for your advice just now, Ah Chen and I would have committed a taboo." !”
The assassin brother saw the pearl hairpin in Yan Yueli's hand and smiled: "I shouldn't have said these words. The pearl hairpin Miss Yan just got is actually a fake and is only worth a few copper coins!"
When Yan Yueli heard what the assassin brother said, she complained slightly: "Fake? Then you didn't stop me just now!"
The assassin brother shook his head at the two of them and said: "Not all the items sold in the ghost market are genuine, they are mixed, and it is easy for non-experts to buy fakes.
You and Mr. Chen are just here to have fun and spend money to have fun. Why are you so serious? "
Ji Beichen smiled and shook his head when he heard the conversation between Yan Yueli and the assassin brother. Looking at Yan Yueli's lips pouting in anger, with the red light illuminated by the lantern, I felt the urge to bite them!
Ji Beichen pressed down on his burning heart and comforted softly: "Li'er just choose what you like. Your brother Chen can still afford it!"
It was the first time that Yan Yueli heard Ji Beichen call him his "brother Chen". In addition, Ji Beichen's passionate eyes stared at his lips for a long time, and the little face under the mask immediately turned red shyly!
The three of them continued their "trip to the ghost market". Not long after, Yan Yueli fell in love with a phoenix-feather hairpin. The phoenix-feather hairpin was very unique and could not be seen as vulgar at first sight.
Yan Yueli stared at Feng Yuchai for a long time, but did not dare to step forward to inquire. Ji Beichen was amused by her entangled look, knowing that she must want to buy it, but was afraid that what she bought was a fake.
Compared with spending money to buy a fake, Ji Beichen was more afraid of seeing it. When Yan Yueli knew that what he bought was a fake, he showed disappointment.
Ji Beichen turned around and asked the assassin brother beside him: "May I ask, sir, how do you like that phoenix feather hairpin?"
Seeing that Ji Beichen trusted him so much and asked for his opinion politely, the assassin brother was very happy. He immediately nodded and said: "You can come in. This phoenix feather is made of the feathers of the blue luan bird. The green luan bird is very spiritual. Its The hairpin made of feathers can increase the speed of the sword. This hairpin can be regarded as a magic weapon!"
When Ji Beichen heard what the assassin brother said, he was surprised and said: "Qingluan bird? It's actually made of the feathers of the Qingluan bird. It's such a good pearl hairpin. Why doesn't the vendor yell at it? It's good to say a few nice words!"
It's normal for Ji Beichen to be so surprised. Because the Qingluan bird is a legendary beast, it is said to be the patron saint of the Qingluan Mountains. It is quite spiritual and can travel thousands of miles with one feather.
Such a rare mythical beast, and its feathers are used to make a phoenix hairpin, which even a monk would not dare to think of!
And Ji Beichen had just seen a lot of people bargaining with the vendor, so he must have failed to realize the true value of the Phoenix Feather Hairpin. If the vendor had just put in a few more nice words, he might be able to sell it at a good price.
The assassin brother knew that Ji Beichen would definitely ask this question, so he smiled and said: "Don't ask the price when looking at the goods. This is the rule! The ghost market is called the ghost market for another reason - quietness.
The ghost market is not like other markets. The vendors shout and beautify their products and attract passing customers. They are hidden in the black pine forest. They are as quiet as if they don't exist from beginning to end. They won't say another word to you, and some don't even speak.
If you like an item, don't ask for price. Use your eyes to communicate with the boss. When the boss sees that you have the intention to buy, he will shake your hand and mark the price on your palm. If you think it's suitable, you can pay and leave; if it's not suitable, you can let it go.
Because most of the things sold in ghost markets cannot be seen in the light, sellers and buyers are all mixed up, and there may be important people inside. If you bargain loudly with the merchant at this time, it will bring disaster if someone with a heart hears it.
Most people who go to the ghost market know that some items come from shady sources, and they usually don't ask. "
As soon as Ji Beichen heard what the assassin brother said, he understood and was ready to deal with the merchant, confident that he could buy a pearl hairpin for Yan Yueli.
When Ji Beichen stepped forward to buy the Qingluan Phoenix Tail Hairpin, the assassin brother quietly showed his token behind them. The merchant glanced at the token, nodded to the assassin brother, and did not offer a high price.
Ji Beichen knew the value of Feng Yuchai, so he directly handed over a banknote without lowering the price.
Ji Beichen felt that he had really found a treasure this time. He only spent five hundred taels of silver to buy a top-quality magic weapon, which was rare to find!
Yan Yueli looked carefully at the Phoenix Feather Hairpin she had just received, trying to see whether it was authentic or not. She just felt the faint spiritual energy emitted by the Phoenix Feather Hairpin.
Seeing that Yan Yueli was fascinated, Ji Beichen leaned down and told her the origin and value of this phoenix feather hairpin.
After Yan Yueli heard this, she immediately smiled and happily inserted the Qingluan and Phoenix Feather Hairpin into her bun. The unhappiness of buying a fake pearl hairpin just now is gone now!
Ji Beichen and Yan Yueli went on a shopping spree in the Starlight Market. Under the guidance of the assassin brother, they bought a lot of "reasonably priced" authentic products.
The Canglan Kun fish carcass, which is said to be capable of killing human flesh and white bones, was bought by Yan Yueli to Shen Qingxi. The Soul Draining Bell, which can trap a monk's soul, was bought by Ji Beichen for Yan Nianxin. There are also a large number of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, such as Lingxu grass, Huanhai flower, etc., which are all herbs needed for alchemy.
Ji Beichen packed these things separately and put them into storage rings, waiting to be handed over to them in the future.
