Volume Two – The General’s Tomb Chapter Seven – The Ghost Market

I led the way to the wooden door, then raised a hand to press against it. With a slight push from both hands, the heavy sound of the door opening echoed, and I slowly pushed it ajar.

The moment the door opened, the scene inside stood in stark contrast to the path we had just traveled—it was as if we had entered a different world altogether.

Inside, a vast crowd filled the long streets, and the air was thick with the ceaseless cries of vendors hawking their wares. The three companions behind me gradually moved to stand at my side. Exhaling deeply, I said, “We’ve finally arrived.”

Li Kun walked up beside me and remarked, “I can’t believe there are so many people in here, but their clothes are so strange.”

Tian Tian chimed in as well, “Their outfits truly are bizarre.”

Indeed, the attire of those in this ghost market was most peculiar. Most were wrapped tightly in long hemp robes, their bodies almost entirely concealed, and some even had several bones stuck into their hair.

Just then, Tian Tian let out a startled cry beside me. Following her gaze, we all looked ahead to a nearby stall, where an elderly man of about fifty stood next to his display.

The old man’s appearance was particularly terrifying—he too was bundled up in a hemp robe, his face painted with many colored stripes, and two small bones, roughly the size of a child’s forearm, protruded from his hair. What had truly startled Tian Tian, though, was what hung from his waist.

Around the old man’s waist was a ring of skulls—seven or eight in all, clearly the skulls of children.

Gao Feng clapped his hands over his mouth, visibly shaken by the sight, and hurried to my side, stammering, “Liu Jie, why is this man dressed like that?”

I examined both the old man and his stall. The table was covered with tiny jade vials, each no bigger than a shot glass, and from within them came the occasional chirping of insects.

Seeing this, I said quietly to my companions, “Let’s keep our distance from him. Look.”

I gestured toward the old man, pointing out that within a three-meter radius around him, not a single soul dared approach—the crowd clearly feared this stooped elder.

Li Kun whispered, “Old Liu, who exactly is that man?”

I replied in a low voice, “He must be a Gu Master from Miaojiang.”

At my words, the three of them sucked in a sharp breath. The title of Miaojiang Gu Master was one they had certainly heard before.

Rumor had it that any Gu Master from Miaojiang who roamed the mainland was a figure of great renown and power. If a Gu Master wished you dead, a mere word or a flick of their fingers could doom you to a fate worse than death—without you ever knowing the cause.

I glanced again at the jade vials at the old man’s stall and speculated, “Could those contain Gu worms?”

Li Kun asked, “Gu worms? You can actually sell those?”

I nodded. “Gu worms aren’t only for killing—some can save lives.”

He nodded in understanding. “Let’s move on, then. Let’s have a look around.”

As we wandered among the strangely dressed crowd, Tian Tian asked me, “Liu Jie, didn’t you say this ghost market is the most famous one? Why does it seem so dangerous?”

Stopping at a stall displaying various jade items, I replied, “There are really two ghost markets here. The first is the one everyone knows about—it’s quite ordinary, full of food and drink. The second is here.”

Tian Tian and Li Kun exchanged confused glances. Gao Feng explained, “My father told me that ordinary people can’t enter this place at all.”

“But aren’t we just ordinary people?” Tian Tian pressed.

Gao Feng shook his head. “The wooden tokens the old man at the entrance gave us—that’s why we got in.”

At that, Li Kun and Tian Tian pulled out their wooden tokens. Gao Feng continued, “These tokens serve two purposes. First, they’re passes—you can’t get in without one. Second, they’re protective charms. Without them, even if you slipped inside, the strange folk of the ghost market would notice you immediately.”

Li Kun asked, “And if they find out?”

Gao Feng glanced at me, then said quietly, “If they find out…”

He bit his lip and did not finish, but his expression made it clear to both Tian Tian and Li Kun—discovery could only mean death.

Li Kun looked at me then, recalling how I had handed my token to the mysterious old man at the entrance. Only now did he understand why that old man had let him go.

He walked up to me, grabbed my shirtfront, and said in a low, gruff voice, “Old Liu, you bastard—were you about to trade your life for mine just now?”

Gao Feng opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing, only watching us in silence.

I let out a rueful laugh. So, Li Kun had figured it out after all.

Despite my thoughts, I said aloud, “You’re dreaming. Trade my life for yours? If the old man had taken my token, couldn’t I have just gone back and gotten another?”

Li Kun turned to Gao Feng, looking for confirmation, but Gao Feng only frowned and bit his lip, confirming Li Kun’s suspicions.

Slowly, Li Kun released his grip on my shirt. “Old Liu, I owe you another life.”

I waved him off. “We’re brothers—no need for such formality.”

At my words, Li Kun broke into a broad grin. I clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Enough of this sentimental nonsense. Let’s go. We’re here to find someone.”

The three of them looked at me in confusion. Li Kun asked, “Find someone? Who?”

“Wu Jiu,” I replied.

Li Kun scratched his head, not understanding. Glancing at the two women, I refrained from explaining further and instead said in words only he would recognize, “Leishan.”

At that, realization dawned on Li Kun. “Right, let’s hurry, then. Old Liu, do you know where he is?”

I shook my head. “No, we’ll have to ask around.”

With that, I approached a nearby stall. The vendor was so thoroughly wrapped up I couldn’t tell if they were male or female.

I pulled ten yuan from my pocket and handed it over. “Excuse me, do you know where I can find Wu Jiu?”