"This is the Nixia Ghost Market."
Liu Yaodong stood before a city wall and spoke to Wang Ba.
Looking at the densely packed stalls beneath the wall, Wang Ba felt rather speechless after his initial shock.
Unlike the secluded location he had imagined, the Nixia Ghost Market operated openly at the border between the Song and Yan Kingdoms.
On either side of the city wall at the border, numerous cultivators set up stalls or purchased resources, much like a rural fair.
Calls and sales pitches rose and fell in succession.
It was even more bustling with everyday life than a mortal market.
For Wang Ba, who had grown accustomed to ghost markets that practically wished they could hide underground, this instead brought an inexplicable sense of insecurity.
"Aren't they afraid of attracting the attention of major sects here?"
Wang Ba could not help asking.
Liu Yaodong, however, took it in stride. "This place lies on the border between two kingdoms, making its location rather sensitive. The major sects of both kingdoms fear causing unnecessary friction over it, so it became one of the few ghost markets within either kingdom that can operate openly."
"Since this is where the two kingdoms exchange resources most closely, you can trade for many fine things rarely encountered elsewhere."
"So many rogue cultivators travel vast distances to come here. Even some sect cultivators come here secretly to trade."
"Of course, to protect the sects' interests, the Nixia Ghost Market can only open once a year, for three days at a time. Miss those three days, and you'll have to wait another year."
Wang Ba nodded slightly at this. Although he still had some doubts, the explanation broadly made sense.
Cultivators wearing uniform robe artifacts occasionally passed nearby, surveying their surroundings. The moment they discovered anyone