When we left the inn, it was almost dusk.
There are fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street, and the doors of shops are closed one after another.
The group of people walked west along the long street, bought some food and drinks along the way, and then went straight out of the city gate.
After walking along the official road for a while, I turned onto a dirt road.
The roadside was covered with lush grass, and at first there were a few fellow travelers on the road, carrying burdens and carrying baskets, walking in a hurry.
But as they walked, those few people turned into a side road, and only two old men carrying burdens were still walking with them.
No one noticed at first.
But the road became more and more eccentric, and there were fewer and fewer people walking on it. Eventually, even Green Bamboo noticed something was wrong.
She suddenly turned her head, leaned into Hu Cheng's ear, and whispered:
"Brother Hu, those two people... seem to have been following us..."
Hu Cheng raised his eyelids and answered in a low voice:
"Don't be afraid, it's just two Lonely Ghost and Wild Spectre."
Green Bamboo As soon as he heard this, his face turned even paler.
She quietly turned back to look at the two old men, and sure enough she found that there was not even a shadow under the feet of the man in front of her.
Upon closer inspection, the load contained clearly some ingots tied with paper, which rattled when the wind blew.
Looking at the one at the back, the things picked were heavier, the poles were bent, and there was blood seeping out of the basket.
Green Bamboo quickly turned away, looked over at Shen Hui, and whispered:
"Don't you remind them?"
Hu Cheng was stunned when he heard this, then grinned and said:
"Even I have noticed it, Master and the others must have noticed it a long time ago..."
Green Bamboo then pursed his lips and continued to move forward with everyone.
When they arrived at the foot of Mass Grave, the two old men who carried the burden really stopped following. They turned onto a fork in the road and after only walking seven or eight steps, they both disappeared.
The sky has darkened.
The weeds on the tomb are withered, clustered here and there in the east and west, and are shaken by the cold wind.
Looking from a distance, it looks like something is leaning on the grave and moving.
A few people were too lazy to pay attention and walked straight to the grave of the servant.
Pig Demon had hastily pushed back the floating soil on the grave, and the pig's trotters prints were clearly printed on it, as well as a few dug ditches.
Shouyuan walked around in a circle with his hands behind his back, turned around and pouted at Shen Hui:
"Where is your Flying Sword?"
Shen Hui smiled, "I asked two monsters to pick it up and take it home."
When everyone heard this, they immediately looked at each other.
Shen Hui then told what happened just now. Finally, Shouyuan stroked his beard and kicked the grave bag with his toes:
"Then we still open the coffin?"
"Opening the coffin is a futile effort."
Shen Hui shook his head and said, "There are no bones in the coffin, and now there is only an empty box."
"Then we came all the way just to see the pig's trotter marks in this pit?" Old Daoist rolled his eyes.
Shen Hui smiled and looked around.
In the dusk, there are shadows on Mass Grave. There is a night owl squatting on this grave, and there is a green fire floating next to that grave.
As soon as the wind passed, there was a rustling sound in the grass nest. I don't know if it was mice or something else.
"Let's ask something."
Shen Hui said, then added, "Let's ask about Sinful Lotus."
Old Daoist rolled his eyes again:
"It happened half a year ago, who are you asking to go? It's so late at night, you can't even see a ghost..."
As he was talking, Old Daoist suddenly paused.
He slowly turned his head, followed Shen Hui's gaze at the graves around him, and twitched the corner of his mouth:
"Are you going to ask those Lonely Ghost and Wild Spectre?"
"That's right."
Shen Hui nodded.
As soon as these words came out, several people had different expressions.
Jinghui was surprised and happy, rubbing his hands back and forth excitedly;
Lu Huan looked around curiously;
Hu Cheng was a little worried and tightened the wooden sword in his hand;
Green Bamboo looked confused, and it took him a while to realize what he meant.
Shen Hui only waved his hand. "Follow me."
After saying that, he took the lead and turned onto a deserted path.
The road was very narrow, and the weeds on both sides were knee-deep. The edges of the leaves looked like jagged edges, making a rustling sound on the trouser legs.
After walking for about a while, I saw a slight light ahead in the distance.
When I got closer, I saw clearly that it was an old archway. The paint on the wooden pillars was peeling off, and two white lanterns were hung on it.
There are two words written crookedly on the lampshade: Night Market.
Behind the archway is a long street, with a few stalls scattered on both sides. However, it is empty at this time, with not a single person in sight.
Shen Hui stopped and looked at the sky:
"Let's wait until midnight before entering."
After saying that, he sat under a dead tree by the road, closed his eyes and meditated.
Seeing this, the other people also sat down, but their eyes were fixed on the market behind the archway, and they couldn't bear to move away for a moment.
The night got darker, but gradually there were pedestrians on the road.
They shuffled one by one, walking slowly and slowly. Some were carrying burdens, some were carrying baskets, and some were empty-handed.
When these people pass by someone, they always turn their heads and take a look.
Jinghui and Lu Huan then looked back and saw that those people either had pale faces or sunken eye sockets, and some of them were floating with their feet not touching the ground at all.
Only Shouyuan, every time he faced those people, he immediately glared at him, scaring the ghosts so much that they buried their heads and walked away, walking a little faster.
I sat like this for a while, and it was about midnight.
Shen Hui Open your eyes.
The two white lanterns on the archway lit up with a pop, shining a green light.
The market behind the archway was like a magic trick. Many people rushed out, setting up stalls and shouting. It was bustling with people, and it was as lively as a temple fair.
Green Bamboo's eyes widened and he murmured:
"Why did so many people appear all of a sudden?"
Jinghui smiled and touched her with his elbow and corrected:
"That's why there are so many 'ghosts'."
Green Bamboo shrank when he heard this. "If we go in, we won't be eaten by them, right?"
"No."
Shen Hui stood up and patted the hem of his clothes. "One of the two old men who were on the same journey just now is alive. Since he dares to come, it means that Ghost Market follows the rules."
Lu Huan is curious. "The one who follows the rules?"
Shen Hui nodded, and then said seriously, "When you enter the market later, don't act rashly."
"There are few strangers here, most of them are Lonely Ghost and Wild Spectre. If you see any rare objects, don't try to get them without permission. Remember?"
Seeing several people nodding in agreement, Shen Hui then led them forward.
As soon as you pass the archway, you feel like you have stepped into another world.
The air was cool and smelled of paper dust and incense candles.
On both sides of the long street, stalls are next to each other.
There was a food vendor selling green dumplings in a steaming steamer. When I opened the lid, I saw that the green color on the dumplings was made from paper ash.
There were clothes sellers, with silk and satin hanging in a row. There were robes and short coats, but I don't know which dynasty they were in.
The money used for buying and selling is also strange, including copper plates and broken silver. Occasionally, there are some jewelry such as silver bracelets, copper hairpins, and jade pendants.
Just put it on the stall and the stall owner will take it away without weighing it.
A few people walked by and the ghost stall owner was not surprised or annoyed when he saw a stranger coming. He just gathered together in twos and threes and whispered in a low voice.
However, they only watched and discussed, and no one stepped forward to take action.