The fat ghost shuffled dazedly toward the golden light. Then its ghostly form twisted and fell into the Soul Guiding Lamp.
Zhao Xing did not stop it. That ghost wealth was too remote, and if he wanted to pry out where the fortune was hidden, he might even have to help the fat ghost fulfill its unfulfilled wish.
Too troublesome. Zhao Xing had come to scavenge unconventional ghost wealth for one thing: getting rich overnight. If there were too many twists and turns, he might as well go back to farming.
Besides, this involved the temple personnel's assessment. Putting himself in their shoes, he would not want outsiders interfering either. There was no need to offend anyone over a little money.
"Don't rush. There will be plenty of chances." Without even looking back, Zhao Xing quickly returned to the vendor stall.
When Xu Laoba saw Zhao Xing return, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly feared Zhao Xing would leave and never come back, then spread gossip everywhere and ruin the River Scavengers' reputation.
"You kept me waiting, young master. You vanished in a flash."
"Oh, I saw an acquaintance. Let's go take a look at the South Lake District."
That perfunctory excuse again. Xu Laoba did not dare ask more, but seeing that they were finally getting down to business, he immediately perked up, grabbed his gear, and followed.
When they reached the South Lake District, it was still brightly lit, but most of the lights came from the lake rather than the shore.
The atmosphere had also become tranquil, without so much noise.
"Huh?" As they walked along the lakeside corridor bridge, Xu Laoba suddenly stopped and looked in a certain direction.
"What is it?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Oh, I saw an acquaintance." Xu Laoba waved a hand.
"..." Zhao Xing looked at him with an amused half-smile. So now you're brushing me off?
But this time, Zhao Xing had genuinely wronged Xu Laoba.
"Please don't misunderstand, young master. I really did see an acquaintance. Do you see that woman in hemp garb ahead? Yes, the pair beside the young woman in white." Xu Laoba pointed in a direction.
"I see them." Zhao Xing nodded. Not far away by the shore, a small boat was moored with a mother and daughter aboard. Several fishing lamps were lit on the boat, and they seemed to be busy with something.
"That's Lin Sanniang of Ping Si Wan Tou. She's from the same place as me. Her husband used to do this too, but after he had an accident, she took over for him and became a River Scavenger herself."
"But ever since her son started his own family and career, she stopped going into the water. She hasn't done this for years. I don't know why she has taken up the old trade again today." Xu Laoba looked puzzled.
Zhao Xing examined them closely. Under the Bright Eyes Art, he could tell Xu Laoba was not lying. The middle-aged woman's attire and tools were much like Xu Laoba's.
As for the young girl, she was dressed neatly, and her plain garments shimmered faintly.
"Hm? A First Order Dharma Garment?" Zhao Xing turned to Xu Laoba. "Her daughter is a Weaving Girl from the Weaving Bureau?"
Xu Laoba shook his head. "She doesn't have a daughter. That's her niece, Lin Baiwei, though she's practically half a daughter. Lin Sanniang raised her from childhood. I heard she really did enter the Gucheng Weaving Bureau."
Weaving Girls were clerks of the Weaving Bureau. Great Zhou had always been relatively open-minded, so it was perfectly normal for women to work or hold office.
The main duty of a Weaving Girl was weaving Dharma Garments. Weaving Girls were even considered a fairly important profession among practitioners of arts.
Zhao Xing nodded slightly. "It seems Lin Sanniang resumed her old trade for her niece's sake."
Xu Laoba asked, "How did you know, young master?"
Zhao Xing pointed ahead. "Lin Sanniang does not look like she is going after treasure. She is preparing to harvest lake silk."
"The Weaving Bureau's assessments are mostly related to weaving Dharma Garments."
"It is already the Limit of Heat in the eighth month. The ordinary first silkworms, second silkworms, and final silkworms are all gone by now."
"Only Water Silkworm Lake Silk can still be harvested, and its quality is even better."
Seeing Xu Laoba's worshipful expression, Zhao Xing became interested and explained a little more. "Before Weaving Girls attain rank, most can only use this as material. When the silk is white, fine, and resilient, the garment woven from it is called a Heluo Dharma Garment."
"It keeps its wearer warm in winter and cool in summer, dispels wind-dampness and cold ailments, and can even help frail children grow up healthy."
"Those of slightly inferior quality are Chuanwu Dharma Garments, while poorer ones are Feiguang Dharma Garments."
"Garments made from lake silk are basically all Heluo Dharma Garments. But the conditions for harvesting the silk are demanding. It can generally only be found around the River Lantern Festival, and only at night. During the day, the lake silkworms all hide away, making them impossible to scoop up."
"That is why I said Lin Sanniang resumed her old trade for her niece. For this sort of thing, River Scavengers like you are actually much more efficient."
Xu Laoba could not help giving him a thumbs-up. "You know so much, young master."
Zhao Xing smiled. "Since she is an acquaintance, do you want to go say hello? I'm in no hurry."
Xu Laoba repeatedly shook his head. "Lin Sanniang has to take off her clothes to go into the water. If I happened to see... Do you think I, Xu Laoba, am that sort of man? No, no."
Zhao Xing chuckled softly, finally putting his mind at ease about Xu Laoba.
Since the temple was organizing assessments on shore, Zhao Xing rented a small boat and went onto the water.
By then, few people were still Releasing River Lanterns. There were still several large boats and more than a dozen small ones on the water, their candle flames scattered like stars amid the quiet.
Zhao Xing said nothing. He simply listened quietly and watched quietly.
He did not see a single person, but he saw quite a few wandering souls.
Some clung to the sides of river lanterns, while others swam beneath them, feeding on the incense offerings from Yellow Paper.
These wandering souls were not necessarily all human. Some were souls of aquatic creatures, while others were bizarre things pieced together from different forms.
For instance, when Zhao Xing's boat passed one spot, he saw a wandering soul with a fish head and human body.
Even those that had lingered for a long time would be periodically cleared away by temple personnel.
He could even hear:
"What are you doing?"
"I want to go over there."
"What are you doing?"
"I want to go over there."
By a large river lantern not far away, two strange-looking wandering souls were mechanically repeating the same exchange. One wanted to go over there, while the other kept asking what it was doing. Back and forth, only those two lines. Without the Intelligence Soul, with only the soul remaining, this was what they became.
As he had said before, these wandering souls had little to no ability to attack. They were merely a natural phenomenon. The overwhelming majority would disappear within seven days.
"Stop here for a moment." Zhao Xing suddenly pointed at a spot.
Xu Laoba immediately rowed over, his eyes lighting up. "Young master, this stretch of water is clear, yet there are so many fish swimming around. There may be some treasure attracting them. I'll go down and take a look."
"Mm." Zhao Xing's Bright Eyes Art easily saw through to the lakebed. There were two First Order high-grade East Lake Pearls below.
They were worth little, only around one tael of silver on the market. Fine specimens could sell for a bit more, but never over two taels.
East Lake simply had no shortage of such things. Only second order or Third Order ones could fetch a good price.
Sure enough, Xu Laoba soon surfaced, holding a glittering pearl the size of an egg. "Young master, I found two lake pearls!"
"Thank you. Get up quickly." Zhao Xing took the pearls. Both were First Order high-grade, which was enough to nearly recoup their costs.
Before he could admire them further, a series of faint, fragmented voices drifted over on the wind.
"Light... such a huge light. It's so dazzling."
"A turtle, a turtle... over there. It's so cold, so cold... I'm freezing to death. I need to stay farther away from it."
Before you continue