Lifespan

Li Yi, wearing the Human Skin Mask, rushed out of the small courtyard and quickly navigated through the alleys according to his memory.

There were two reasons for his impulsive departure: firstly, he didn't want his Master, Zhao Ge, to delay his medicine-buying time for treating his illness while teaching him martial arts; secondly, he wanted to find a way to leave Ghost Street.

"The route is correct. It seems this place hasn't changed yet."

Li Yi turned left and right, and soon he emerged from the alley, returning to the eerie, gloomy street once more.

The street was bustling with terrifying ghosts and cold figures in paper clothes. It seemed to be a special zone where yin and yang intersected, with wandering souls from the underworld and living people disguised as the dead. No one could tell where the things appearing on Ghost Street came from.

Just like Li Yi, who lived in a modern city but encountered Zhao Ge, a martial artist from ancient times.

Was it an illusion?

Or a collision between reality and another world?

Li Yi didn't know. All he wanted now was to buy the medicine for his Master, repay his life-saving and martial arts teaching grace, and then leave here alive to return to Tianchang City.

He looked around.

Both ends of Ghost Street were shrouded in mist, the end completely invisible, connecting to who knows where.

"I should try to retrace my steps. Maybe that way I still have a chance to find a way out," Li Yi thought to himself.

Just as he took a step to act, hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind him. Zhao Qian, Zhao Ge's daughter, dressed like a paper doll child, rushed over.

"Brother Yi, you don't know the medicine. I'll go with you," Zhao Qian said in a hushed, cautious voice.

"It's too dangerous. You should stay with Master. I'll go alone. I was planning to find a way home anyway. If you get lost on Ghost Street, it'll be disastrous," Li Yi tried to persuade Zhao Qian to go back, wanting to venture out alone.

Zhao Qian said, "Father's illness is also because of me. If I don't contribute to filial piety, I'll have a guilty conscience later. Brother Yi, you've only been a disciple for a day, and you're already risking your life. Have Father's more than ten years of raising me meant nothing? Am I no different from a beast if I don't think of repaying him?"

"Brother Yi, please don't say anymore. Let's go together."

Seeing this, Li Yi didn't try to persuade her further. He just nodded, "Okay, then we'll go together. Be careful with everything."

"Okay," Zhao Qian replied softly.

Immediately, the two walked into Ghost Street and slowly moved along with the strange crowd on both sides of the road.

"We only have half an hour. Once the time is up, whether we've got the medicine or not, we have to return to the small courtyard we came from, so don't go too far," Zhao Qian whispered a reminder.

But as soon as she spoke, her living breath leaked out, immediately attracting the attention of some of the surrounding ghosts.

Li Yi remembered the scene when his Master, Zhao Ge, saved him. He quickly covered Zhao Qian's mouth and nose and shushed her.

Zhao Qian immediately reacted and hurriedly held her breath.

Seeing the cold, probing eyes around them recede, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was really dangerous. Let's get out of here quickly and don't get targeted," Li Yi said, lowering his hand. He then grabbed Zhao Qian and quickly left the area.

Looking at Li Yi holding her hand, Zhao Qian's face turned red, a blush of shyness washing over her.

Li Yi, however, didn't pay much attention to it. He pulled Zhao Qian through the strange and bizarre street, his eyes beneath the mask darting around, observing the surroundings.

"The medicine Master Zhao Ge is looking for is called Coffin Grass. Judging by the name, it sounds like a special type of ganoderma. Since it's medicine, it must be sold in pharmacies or by street vendors. So, I need to look in that direction, not just wander around the street."

Although he didn't understand many things here, he could grasp some meanings.

After walking for a while.

Soon.

Li Yi stopped when he passed a fork in the road. He looked into the diverging path, and a special street came into view.

That street was also lively, with people coming and going, and special vendors on both sides selling various items. Through observation, he noticed that although the people on this street looked cold and strange, they were actually living people who had entered here through some means, just like Zhao Ge and Zhao Qian.

"Let's go inside and look. This should be a market."

Without a second thought, Li Yi plunged into this unknown street.

His arrival immediately attracted the attention of many vendors.

Even though Li Yi was wearing a Human Skin Mask, it was only effective against low-intelligence ghosts. Living people could tell at a glance that Li Yi was a normal person.

"Where did this greenhorn come from? Such a crude disguise. Isn't he afraid of being targeted by fierce ghosts and Yin Soldiers?" many stall owners looked at him strangely.

Li Yi, however, was fearless. He whispered, "I don't recognize Coffin Grass. Miss Zhao, keep your eyes peeled and see if it's on anyone's stall. We need to find it quickly."

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

The two began searching quickly.

Li Yi saw many unbelievable things here: neatly arranged human skulls, limbs of strange creatures, and even paper figures and paper clothes. Most outrageously, some people were selling fresh corpses by the roadside.

"They really dare to sell anything here." He was very surprised, feeling as if he had stumbled into an illegal black market in an unknown territory.

After walking a bit further.

At this moment, Zhao Qian suddenly grabbed Li Yi's arm with excitement and pointed to a stall nearby. She then whispered, "That's the Coffin Grass."

Li Yi looked over.

He saw that the stall was run by an old man with graying hair and a gaunt figure. He sat cross-legged in front of the stall, exuding a deathly aura, making one think he was a dried corpse that had been dead for a long time.

But on this old man's stall were several strange items. Among them was a black, mushroom-like object, which was the Coffin Grass Zhao Qian mentioned.

Li Yi immediately walked over. He looked around, then squatted down, pointing at the item on the stall and said, "Boss, how much for this Coffin Grass?"

"Sixty." A hoarse voice rang out.

"That expensive?" Zhao Qian's face turned pale, her expression a little dazed.

"Zhao Qian, is it not enough money? I'll find a way to scrape it together," Li Yi asked in a low voice, then patted himself down.

He only had a smartphone on him, and he didn't know if these ancient people from another world would accept it. Besides that, he had half a broken knife coin. This thing was a mysterious artifact, and it should be worth some money. If Zhao Qian couldn't come up with the money, he'd have no choice but to grit his teeth and sell the broken artifact.

Although mysterious artifacts were precious, Zhao Ge had saved his life. Li Yi couldn't stand by and watch him die just because of his own greed.

"Brother Yi, Ghost Street doesn't accept gold or silver for transactions," Zhao Qian said, hesitating as if it were difficult to speak.

Li Yi pressed, "If not gold or silver, then what do you accept?"

With every sentence he spoke, he observed his surroundings. Fortunately, the market seemed relatively safe, with few ghosts nearby. Even though he spoke, no one seemed to notice him.

"We accept lifespan," the withered old man tending the stall replied abruptly.

"Huh? Lifespan can be bought and sold?" Li Yi was immediately astonished.

The withered old man glanced at him, too lazy to explain to this layman.

Zhao Qian lowered her head and said helplessly, "My martial arts cultivation isn't high, my lifespan is only sixty years. I'm already sixteen, so I have forty-four years left. But this Coffin Grass costs sixty years right off the bat. Even if I spent all my remaining lifespan, I couldn't afford it."

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

"Brother Yi, you may not know, but for the citizens of Xingzhou, ordinary people have a lifespan of only about fifty years. After I started practicing martial arts, my lifespan increased to sixty. My father's cultivation is high, so he has eighty years of lifespan," Zhao Qian explained.

Li Yi finally understood. So that's how it was.

This was truly ancient.

Lifespans weren't long.

"If you can't afford it, move along. Don't loiter here," the withered old man said hoarsely.

"You're selling this Coffin Grass too expensively. It used to sell for around fifteen," Zhao Qian said through gritted teeth.

The withered old man snorted, "That's ordinary Coffin Grass. This Coffin Grass of mine comes from a thousand-year-old ancient tomb, and its effects are extraordinary, so naturally it's expensive. And the price is firm."

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

Sixty years of lifespan. This thing was unaffordable even if one sacrificed their entire life. It was simply asking the impossible.

Li Yi didn't leave, only saying, "Boss, if I buy it, how do I pay?"

"Seal it with your blood, and a debt collector ghost will come to collect the lifespan in seven days." The withered old man took out a white talisman paper with incomprehensible writing on it. He pointed his finger at a blank spot on the paper.

"Just pressing a handprint is enough? That convenient? Aren't you afraid of defaulting?" Li Yi asked.

The withered old man snorted, "If the debt collector ghost can't collect the debt, Yin Soldiers will come. If the Yin Soldiers can't collect the debt, a Yin General will come. If the Yin General can't collect the debt, a Yin God will come to seize your soul. Can you default?"

"Now that you say that, I feel relieved. I'll buy this Coffin Grass," Li Yi immediately waved his hand, deciding to buy it.

What a joke.

He was from Earth, afraid of some other world's ghosts coming to collect a debt?

Let them try to get here first.

"Brother Yi, don't be impulsive. Sixty years of lifespan will cost you your life," Zhao Qian immediately panicked and grabbed Li Yi.

Li Yi said, "Don't worry, I have a tough fate. Besides, saving him is urgent. If we miss this opportunity and can't find Coffin Grass elsewhere, we won't have enough time. You don't need to persuade me. Master saved my life, so buying this Coffin Grass is my way of repaying him."

"Alright, it's settled. Boss, let's do the seal."

After speaking, he directly pushed Zhao Qian away and unhesitatingly bit his finger to sign.

"You can seal it, but I need to see how much lifespan you have left first. I don't want to make a losing deal." The withered old man blocked Li Yi's hand and then took out something resembling a compass.

He grabbed 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 needle on the compass spun and soon pointed to a number: One Hundred and Fifty.

"Lifespan of one hundred and fifty? Such a long lifespan." The withered old man was shocked.

"Can I really live that long?" Li Yi looked at the compass, finding it somewhat unbelievable. Could this thing really measure a person's lifespan?

However, cultivators, after their bodies evolved, could indeed live over a hundred years if they had no illnesses or disasters.

But to these short-lived ancient people in this other world, one hundred and fifty was already considered a very long life.

"Your capital is quite sufficient. Go ahead and seal it," the withered old man suddenly let out a strange laugh. He took out the white talisman paper and handed it to Li Yi.

Li Yi unhesitatingly pressed his finger down, leaving a blood handprint. "Is this okay?"

"Yes, this item is yours."

The withered old man conducted his business fairly. He carefully put away the white talisman paper and handed over the Coffin Grass, without any "black eats black" incident.

Li Yi took it and directly shoved it into Zhao Qian's hand, feeling like he had settled a debt of gratitude.

"Brother Yi."

Zhao Qian looked at the Coffin Grass in her hand, unsure of what to say. Tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes.

That was sixty years of lifespan, sold just like that.

Even if Father saved him and taught him martial arts, this repayment is too much.

Li Yi, however, seemed indifferent and started chatting with the shopkeeper instead. "Shopkeeper, can I ask you something?"

"Speak."

The gaunt old man's attitude had improved considerably. After all, he had just made a big sale.

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

The gaunt old man's voice was hoarse. "You mean the way back is cut off? That's not difficult. Buy this item, and you can go back."

He said this while pointing to something on his stall.

It was a small horse made of mud.

"What is this?" Li Yi picked it up and looked at it, but found nothing special.

"This is a Mud Horse," the gaunt old man snatched it back from Li Yi's hand, afraid the clueless kid would drop it.

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

"That's right, this is a Mud Horse."

"Mud Horse, how much?" Li Yi said.

"Mud Horse, ten years of lifespan," the gaunt old man replied.

"Mud Horse, that's too expensive?" Li Yi said.

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

Li Yi said, "Mud Horse, if it were a little cheaper, I would buy it, but your Mud Horse is too expensive."

"Are you buying something, or are you insulting me?" the gaunt old man was losing patience.

"Didn't you take advantage of me first, boss? Why name it Mud Horse?" Li Yi said.

"..." The gaunt old man's face twitched. He wished he could slap this clueless kid to death.

"This item is sold for ten years of lifespan, no bargaining."

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

Li Yi said, "How do I use it after I buy it?"

"Drip a few drops of blood on it, and this mud horse will turn into a Yin Horse. If you ride it, it can take you to the person closest to you. If you have no family in the mortal world, then forget I said anything," the gaunt old man said.

"You're the one with no family. Here, put your thumbprint," Li Yi extended his finger.

Seeing this, the gaunt old man's expression improved slightly. He took out a white talisman and handed it over.

Li Yi, with more debts than he could carry, put his thumbprint without hesitation. Then he thought for a moment and pointed to another item. "I'll take this Mud Horse too."

"You have plenty of lifespan, you can buy as many as you want," the gaunt old man said.

"It's good to be prepared. Who knows if I'll suddenly enter Ghost Street again someday."

Li Yi put his thumbprint again and took away two Mud Horses.

Sorry. I have to celebrate June 1st today, so only one chapter (four thousand words).