Chapter 135: Mirage Markets and Ghost Markets

The butler said, "The Ninth Young Miss has been waiting outside for quite a while."

"Ninth Sister? What brings her here?" Yan Yudong frowned slightly, but then realization dawned on him. He smiled at Chu Youcai and said, "Ninth Sister is surely here for you. Let us go together to welcome her."

When the two arrived at the main hall, Chu Zhaoyun was sipping tea, a trace of hidden worry clouding her face.

Yan Yudong smiled and asked, "How are you, Ninth Sister?"

Chu Zhaoyun looked into Yan Yudong's eyes with surprise. The thick film over his eyelids was completely gone, and his gaze had become exceptionally clear. She couldn't help asking in astonishment, "Did the Third Brother cure you?"

Yan Yudong nodded and said, "Third Brother is wise, immensely talented, broad-minded, and possesses profound cultivation. Naturally, his medicine cured the ailment at once."

Chu Zhaoyun nodded, a faint smile blooming on her face.

Yan Yudong asked, "Ninth Sister, are you here to see the Third Brother?"

Chu Zhaoyun nodded. "I went to Third Brother's residence just now, and the people there said he was at the Sixth Brother's place, so I hurried over." With that, she took a bronze token from her bosom and handed it to Chu Youcai, saying, "Third Brother, this is a bronze pass to the Rakshasa Sea Market. At noon today, the Rakshasa Sea Market will open at nearby Mount Huan. I noticed that Third Brother has not been studying Daoist arts for very long, and your cursed magical treasure lacks inscriptions. If you have this bronze token, you can enter and find an inscription master to make your cursed magical treasure even stronger."

"Moreover, the Scripture Incense Pavilion will open in a month. The scripture incense within it is said to enhance the quality of cursed magical treasures, and I imagine most people will flock to it. Yesterday, I heard about the life-or-death duel between Third Brother and Eldest Brother. I suppose Eldest Brother will also go to vie for the scripture incense a month from now. If Third Brother can enter the Rakshasa Sea Market early and make preparations, it might be of some help."

At the mention of Chu Yuwei, deep anxiety surfaced on Chu Zhaoyun's face.

Chu Yuwei had been hailed as the dragon of Daoist arts since he was twelve years old, the foremost youth in Yan State. Furthermore, the Yan Sect had always been revered by the Loulan Kingdom as a state preceptor's lineage. How could Chu Youcai possibly contend with Chu Yuwei?

Within the Prince's Mansion, the household's feelings toward the eldest young master, Chu Yuwei, were mostly dread. Chu Yuwei was habitually overly arrogant and had never treated them as brothers and sisters; the relationships among them had frozen to an absolute extreme.

Seeing this, a wave of gratitude stirred in Chu Youcai's heart. Holding the bronze token in his hand, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Yan Yudong chimed in, "I have been to the Rakshasa Sea Market before; it is indeed an exceptional place. If you can have inscriptions carved there, the power of a cursed magical treasure will increase by ten to twenty percent. In battles between experts, even a single percent can be fatal."

Chu Zhaoyun asked Yan Yudong curiously, "So Third Brother has been there before? What is the Rakshasa Sea Market like? This is the first time I've ever obtained such a token, and I've never been there myself."

Yan Yudong explained, "The Rakshasa Sea Market is divided into the Ghost Market and the Sea Market. The Sea Market is a place for trade where fighting is strictly forbidden. Anyone who starts a fight in the Sea Market will face severe punishment, and might even rouse the Dragon King of the Holy Sea. That is a divine dragon, an ancient entity that has cultivated for hundreds of years. With just a single breath, it could reduce people like us to nothingness!"

Hearing this, Chu Zhaoyun was somewhat shocked. "What about the Ghost Market?"

"The Ghost Market?" Yan Yudong smiled slightly, and instead produced a bizarre and hideously ferocious mask. Handing it to Chu Youcai, he said, "Since Third Brother is planning to go to the Rakshasa Sea Market, I have this mask which is used in the Ghost Market. Third Brother will surely find it useful when the time comes."

Chu Youcai looked at the mask, filled with utter bewilderment. "One has to wear a mask to go to the Ghost Market?"

"You don't have to wear a mask, of course, but... you'll understand when the time comes." Yan Yudong smiled faintly, seeming to recall his past experiences in the Ghost Market, and shook his head. "If you don't take my advice, you will be the one who suffers."

Chu Youcai promptly accepted the mask. Then, after a moment of thought, he drew an ordinary sheet of paper from his bosom, upon which was written an extremely peculiar character. He handed it to Yan Yudong and asked, "Third Brother, since you have been to the Rakshasa Sea Market, you must have dealt with inscription masters. Do you recognize this character?"

This was one of the characters Chu Youcai had traced from the golden scriptures. There were thousands of characters in the golden scriptures, and Chu Youcai had only traced this single one, so he wasn't afraid of anyone discovering the truth.

Yan Yudong scrutinized it carefully, and Chu Zhaoyun also came over to inspect it closely, but in the end, both shook their heads.

Yan Yudong said, "I have indeed dealt with inscription masters. At his residence, I saw many characters carved on his walls, but I do not recognize this one and have never seen it before. I suppose it must be a very ancient script."

Chu Youcai was slightly taken aback. He immediately took the character back, thinking that if he wanted to know what these characters truly meant, he would simply have to go to the Rakshasa Sea Market.

However, Yan Yudong immediately added, "I have heard inscription masters say that the more bizarre and ancient an inscription is, the harder it is to activate. But once activated, it becomes immensely powerful—something countless inscription masters dream of. If this character truly represents an inscription, I imagine those inscription masters would go wild with joy. Even so, it might not be truly safe within the Rakshasa Sea Market. Third Brother, you must be extremely careful."

Chu Youcai nodded solemnly.

Then he returned the bronze token to Chu Zhaoyun and said, "Ninth Sister, thank you for the gift. However, I have another way to enter the Rakshasa Sea Market."

Chu Zhaoyun was startled. One must realize that this bronze token was exceptionally rare; even as the Ninth Young Miss of the Prince's Mansion, this was the only one she had managed to acquire until now.

Seeing the confident look on Chu Youcai's face, however, it was hard for her to say anything more. She took the token back, a thought stirring in her mind: perhaps he simply did not realize the token's value. If he ended up being turned away at the entrance, she could always give it to him then.

The entrance to the Rakshasa Sea Market opened once every three days, and entry was gained using disposable consumables like the bronze token. One could stay inside for as long as desired, and the exit also opened every three days.

Chu Youcai subsequently boarded a carriage and quickly returned home.

By this time, the young women were already waiting eagerly at the entrance. They had finished dressing and grooming themselves, and aside from Juxue, who had to look after the old madam, all of them were accompanying him.

Chu Youcai noticed that the young women's demeanors far surpassed their previous ones. Each of them possessed a sharp aura, dauntless and resolute, making them look spirited and striking.

The group boarded the prepared carriages, while inside his carriage, Chu Youcai took out medicinal broth to restore his inner cultivation. After all, having just expended ten years of demonic arts, recovering even a fraction was worthwhile.

Their procession soon arrived at Mount Huan, located a little over a hundred miles away. The blazing sun hung high in the sky, yet the surrounding area was already thronged with countless people.

Although most of them lacked tokens, they had come drawn by reputation; simply witnessing the sudden appearance of the ghost market would make the trip worthwhile.

Arriving at a nearby restaurant and finding that there was still some time before the opening, they ordered some food and wine and sat down together to eat.

In that moment, their air of leisurely detachment drew the attention of many.