After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Su Jie was no longer on edge. He asked Cai Chun'e about the recent situation at Ghost Ridge Palace.
"You mean the Strange Ghosts are running even more rampant now?"
Su Jie set down his teacup and lightly tapped his fingers against the tea table, his gaze settling on Cai Chun'e across from him.
"Would I lie to you? Go outside and ask around a little. It's extremely difficult for us merchants to transport goods in now. All kinds of pills, talismans, and magical artifacts in the Black Market are already out of stock."
Whenever Cai Chun'e brought up the matter, she had a stomachful of complaints.
"Aren't disciples stationed around the trade routes? Didn't that help?"
Su Jie was puzzled. Before he returned to Blue Star, Ghost Ridge Palace had mobilized most of its disciples to station themselves outside.
Cai Chun'e shook her head. "It worked at first, but later the Strange Ghosts got smarter. They stopped going out alone and began traveling in groups of three or five. Many of the stationed disciples instead became targets for the Strange Ghosts to hunt down.
"Without the advantage of numbers, even outer sect disciples weren't a match for the Strange Ghosts. That strategy was eventually abandoned. Now the disciples mainly form trade-route patrols of several dozen people or more, or join merchant caravans as escorts. Even so, casualties and losses remain terribly high.
"Because of the Strange Ghost threat, the number of merchant caravans entering the Black Market has fallen by seventy percent. That includes our Taixu Pavilion. Goods from Qingzhou can't be transported in, so many talismans and magical artifacts can't be restocked. Every item sold means one fewer left. Young Master Su, you'd better buy some while you still can. If you