Lifespan

Wearing the Human Skin Mask, Li Yi rushed out of the small courtyard, then quickly made his way through the alleys from memory.

He had left so impulsively for two reasons. First, he did not want Zhao Ge, his Master, to delay buying medicine and treating his illness to teach him boxing. Second, he also wanted to find a way out of Ghost Street.

"The route is correct. Looks like nothing has changed here."

Li Yi turned left and right, soon leaving the alley and arriving once more at that eerie, sinister street.

People came and went—terrifying Ghost Monsters and gloomy figures dressed in shrouds. This place seemed like a special zone where yin and yang converged. The dead wandered here from the underworld, while the living disguised themselves as corpses. No one could tell where the things appearing on Ghost Street truly came from.

Li Yi was a perfect example. He clearly lived in a modern city, yet he had met Zhao Ge, a martial artist who lived in ancient times.

Was this an illusion?

Or a collision between reality and another world?

Li Yi did not know. For now, he only wanted to buy his Master's medicine, repay him for saving his life and teaching him martial arts, then leave this place alive and return to Tianchang City.

He looked left and right.

Both ends of Ghost Street were shrouded in mist, with no end in sight. He had no idea what they connected to or where they led.

I should search in the direction I came from. Perhaps I'll have a chance of finding the way out that way.

Just as he took a step to act, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded behind him. Zhao Ge's daughter, Zhao Qian, dressed like a paper-doll girl, came rushing after him.

"Big Brother Yi, you don't know what the medicine looks like. I'll search with you," Zhao Qian said cautiously in a lowered voice.

"It's too dangerous. You should stay with Master. I'll go alone. I was looking for a way home anyway. If you get lost on Ghost Street, you'll be finished." Li Yi tried to persuade Zhao Qian to return while he ventured out alone.

Zhao Qian said, "Father's illness was caused by me. If I don't do my part out of filial duty, I'll have no peace of mind later. You only became Father's disciple yesterday, yet you're willing to risk your life. Could it be that after Father raised me for over ten years, I won't even repay him? Wouldn't that make me worse than an animal?"

"Big Brother Yi, don't say anything more. Let's act together."

Seeing this, Li Yi stopped trying to persuade her and merely nodded. "Fine. We'll act together, but be careful in everything."

"Mm." Zhao Qian answered softly.

The two immediately entered Ghost Street and slowly advanced along the road, moving through the eerie crowds on either side.

"We only have half an hour. When the time is up, whether we find the medicine or not, we must return to the small courtyard. So don't go too far," Zhao Qian reminded him in a low voice.

But the moment she spoke, the breath of a living person escaped her mouth, immediately attracting the attention of several Ghost Monsters nearby.

Remembering how Master Zhao Ge had saved him earlier, Li Yi instantly covered Zhao Qian's mouth and nose, then shushed her.

Zhao Qian understood at once and hurriedly held her breath, calming her mind.

Only after the cold, lifeless gazes spying on them dispersed did she finally let out a faint sigh of relief.

"It really is dangerous. Let's leave quickly before they set their sights on us." Li Yi lowered his hand, grabbed Zhao Qian, and swiftly led her away from the area.

Looking at Li Yi holding her hand, Zhao Qian's cheeks reddened, and a trace of shyness welled up in her heart.

Li Yi paid no attention to it. He pulled Zhao Qian along the strange, bizarre street, his gaze turning beneath the mask as he watched the surroundings.

"The medicine Master Zhao Ge wants is called Coffin Grass. From the name, it sounds like a special kind of lingzhi. Since it's medicine, it must be sold in an apothecary or by a roadside vendor. I should search there instead of wandering aimlessly through the street."

Although he did not understand many things here, he could still grasp some basic logic.

After walking for a while.

Soon.

Li Yi stopped when passing a fork in the road. He looked down the branch and saw a particularly unusual street.

That street was just as lively, filled with people coming and going. Special vendors stood on both sides, selling all kinds of things. After observing them, he discovered that although everyone looked gloomy and strange, they were actually living people who, like Zhao Ge and Zhao Qian, had entered this place through some method.

"Let's search inside. This should be a market."

Without hesitation, Li Yi plunged into the unknown street.

His arrival immediately attracted the attention of many vendors.

Though Li Yi wore the Human Skin Mask, it could only fool unintelligent Ghost Monsters. Any living person could recognize at a glance that he was a normal human.

"Where did this reckless fool come from? That disguise is far too crude. Isn't he afraid of attracting vicious Ghost Monsters and Yin Soldiers?" Many vendors cast strange looks at him.

Li Yi remained ignorant and fearless. In a low voice, he said, "I don't know what Coffin Grass looks like. Miss Zhao, keep your eyes sharp and check whether any of these stalls have it. We need to hurry."

"Okay, Big Brother Yi." Zhao Qian nodded slightly.

The two quickly began searching.

Li Yi saw many unbelievable things here: neatly arranged human skulls, limbs from strange creatures, and even Paper People and Paper Clothes. Most outrageous of all, someone had placed fresh corpses by the roadside for sale.

"They really sell everything here." He was astonished, feeling as though he had entered the black market of an unknown illegal district.

After walking farther.

At that moment, Zhao Qian suddenly tugged excitedly at Li Yi's arm and pointed at a nearby stall. She then whispered, "That's Coffin Grass."

Li Yi looked over.

The vendor was a gray-haired, gaunt old man. He sat cross-legged before the stall, his whole body lifeless and deathly still. Anyone unaware of the truth might have mistaken him for a dried corpse that had been dead for years.

Yet several bizarre objects were displayed on the old man's stall. Among them was a black, mushroom-shaped object. That was the Coffin Grass Zhao Qian had mentioned.

Li Yi immediately walked over, looked around, then squatted down. Pointing at the object, he asked, "Boss, how much for this Coffin Grass?"

"Sixty," came the hoarse reply.

"That expensive?" Zhao Qian's face paled, and she looked dazed.

"Zhao Qian, don't you have enough money? I'll find a way to make up the difference." Li Yi lowered his voice and felt around his body.

He only had a smartphone. He did not know whether the ancient people of this other world would accept it. Apart from that, he had half a broken Knife Coin. Since it was a strange item, it should be worth something. If Zhao Qian could not produce enough, he would have no choice but to grit his teeth and sell it.

Although strange items were precious, Zhao Ge had saved his life. Li Yi could not let him die merely because of his own greed.

"Big Brother Yi, things on Ghost Street aren't bought with gold or silver." Zhao Qian hesitated, seemingly finding it difficult to say.

Li Yi pressed her. "If they don't accept gold or silver, then what do they accept?"

Every time he spoke, he observed the surroundings. The market seemed relatively safe, with few Ghost Monsters nearby. Even when he spoke aloud, no one had fixed their eyes on him.

"Lifespan," the gaunt old vendor replied abruptly.

"What? Lifespan can be bought and sold?" Li Yi was shocked.

The gaunt old man glanced at him, too lazy to explain anything to such an outsider.

Zhao Qian lowered her head helplessly. "My martial arts realm isn't high. My Lifespan is only sixty years. I'm already sixteen, so I have only forty-four years left. But this Coffin Grass costs sixty. Even if I spent all my Lifespan, I couldn't afford it."

"How do you know your Lifespan is only sixty?" Li Yi asked. "Most people should have at least eighty or ninety years."

"Big Brother Yi, you don't understand. In Xingzhou, ordinary people have only around fifty years of Lifespan. After I began practicing martial arts, mine reached sixty. Father's realm is high, so he has eighty years."

Li Yi finally understood.

So that was how it was.

This really was ancient times.

Even people's lives were short.

"If you can't afford it, leave. Don't loiter here," the gaunt old man rasped.

"Your Coffin Grass is far too expensive. In the past, it sold for only around fifteen," Zhao Qian said through clenched teeth.

The gaunt old man snorted. "That was ordinary Coffin Grass. Mine came from a thousand-year-old ancient tomb and has extraordinary effects. Naturally, it costs more. And I don't bargain."

"Big Brother Yi, let's look somewhere else." Zhao Qian could only pull Li Yi away.

Sixty years of Lifespan—someone could throw away their entire life and still not afford it. This was simply unreasonable.

Li Yi did not leave. Instead, he asked, "Boss, if I buy it, how do I pay?"

"Sign in blood. In seven days, a debt-collecting ghost will come for the Lifespan." The gaunt old man produced a white talisman covered in incomprehensible writing and pointed at a blank spot on it.

"So I just press a fingerprint? That's convenient. Aren't you afraid someone will refuse to pay?" Li Yi asked.

The gaunt old man snorted. "If the debt-collecting ghost can't collect, Yin Soldiers will come. If the Yin Soldiers can't collect, a Yin General will come. If the Yin General can't collect, the Yin God will come to hook out your soul. Do you think you can escape?"

"Now that you put it that way, I'm relieved. I'll buy this Coffin Grass." Li Yi immediately waved his hand.

You've got to be kidding.

I'm an Earthling. Am I supposed to fear Ghost Monsters from another world coming to collect a debt?

They'll have to get here first.

"Big Brother Yi, don't be reckless. Sixty years of Lifespan will cost you your life." Zhao Qian panicked and grabbed him.

Li Yi said, "Don't worry. I was born with a hard life. Besides, saving someone is urgent. If we miss this place, we might not find Coffin Grass again, and we don't have enough time. Don't try to persuade me. Master saved my life, so buying this Coffin Grass is my way of repaying him."

"Fine, it's settled. Boss, let's sign."

With that, he shook off Zhao Qian and decisively bit his finger, preparing to sign in blood.

"You can sign, but first I need to see how much Lifespan you have left. I don't want to make a losing deal." The gaunt old man stopped Li Yi's hand and produced something resembling a compass.

He seized Li Yi's finger and pressed it onto the black compass.

"Don't be nervous. This is a Lifespan Plate. It measures your Lifespan."

The pointer trembled, then quickly stopped at a number: 150.

"An age of one hundred and fifty? What a long Lifespan." The gaunt old man was stunned.

"Can I really live that long?" Li Yi stared at the compass incredulously. Could this thing truly measure a person's lifespan?

After all, cultivators could indeed live beyond a hundred once their bodies evolved, provided they remained free of illness and disaster.

But to these short-lived ancients from another world, one hundred and fifty years was astonishingly long.

"You have quite a lot of capital. Sign it." The gaunt old man suddenly gave a strange laugh, took out the white talisman, and held it before Li Yi.

Li Yi pressed down without hesitation, leaving a bloody handprint. "That's all?"

"Good. This item is yours."

The gaunt old man did business fairly enough. He carefully put away the white talisman, then handed over the Coffin Grass without attempting to swindle him.

Li Yi took it and stuffed it directly into Zhao Qian's hands, feeling that he had finally repaid one debt of gratitude.

"Big Brother Yi."

Zhao Qian stared at the Coffin Grass in her hands, unable to find the words. Grateful tears welled in her eyes.

That was sixty years of Lifespan. He had sold it just like that.

Even though her father had saved him and taught him martial arts, such repayment was far too heavy.

Li Yi acted as though it were nothing and instead began chatting with the vendor. "Boss, could I ask you something?"

"Ask."

The gaunt old man's attitude had improved considerably after completing such a major sale.

"I entered Ghost Street by accident. Is there any way to leave?" Li Yi asked.

The gaunt old man rasped, "You mean the road back has been cut off? That isn't difficult. Buy this item, and you can return."

He pointed at something else on the stall.

It was a small horse molded from mud.

"What is this?" Li Yi picked it up and examined it. It did not seem unusual.

"This is a Mud Horse." The gaunt old man snatched it from Li Yi's hand, afraid the reckless youth would break it.

"A Mud Horse?" Li Yi looked at him strangely.

"That's right. It's a Mud Horse."

"A Mud Horse. How much?" Li Yi asked.

"A Mud Horse. Ten years of Lifespan," the gaunt old man said.

"A Mud Horse. That expensive?" Li Yi said.

The gaunt old man's face darkened. "If you want the Mud Horse, buy it. If not, stop babbling."

Li Yi said, "A Mud Horse. I'd certainly buy it if it were cheaper, but your Mud Horse is too expensive."

"Are you buying something or insulting me?" The gaunt old man was close to losing his patience.

"Weren't you the one taking advantage of me first? Why name it something like that?" Li Yi said.

"..." The gaunt old man's face twitched. He wanted nothing more than to slap the reckless youth to death.

"It costs ten years of Lifespan. No bargaining."

He took several deep breaths to calm himself.

Li Yi asked, "How do I use it after buying it?"

"Drip a few drops of blood on it. The mud horse will transform into a Yin Horse. Once you mount it, it can take you to the side of the person closest to you. If you have no relatives in the mortal world, then forget I said anything." The gaunt old man explained.

"You're the one with no relatives. Come on, let's sign." Li Yi held out his finger.

The gaunt old man's expression finally improved. He took out another white talisman and handed it over.

Li Yi had so many debts that adding another did not matter. He signed without hesitation, then thought for a moment and pointed at another item. "I'll take this Mud Horse too."

"You have plenty of Lifespan. Buy as many as you like," the gaunt old man said.

"Better safe than sorry. Who knows when I might suddenly end up on Ghost Street again?"

Li Yi signed again and left with two Mud Horses.

Sorry. I'm going to celebrate Children's Day today, so there'll only be one chapter—four thousand words.