Chapter 28: Ghost Market Part 2

“Formless Pavilion has customers. Could it be the Painting Witch Clan?”

“Don’t spout nonsense. They’re probably buying spirit ornaments. The Painting Witch Clan has only that little girl left. How could they have four people?”

“Maybe friends.”

“Friends? They torment the living to death and the dead to scatter. Who would befriend them?”

“…”

The murmurs flooded her ears. Yu Ruoyin felt it was prejudice. She recalled Jiang Huaining saying the Painting Witches first kill their blood kin, then those close to them.

They kill the living, not the dead.

She wanted to argue with them—not from sudden bravery, but from bubbling resentment.

She was the same: equally lonely, equally fated to kill everyone to death.

Fate was not theirs to control.

They were already so unlucky, yet mocked besides. Where was the justice?

Lost in a daze, Yu Ruoyin saw a figure float out from the shop: a delicately carved little girl with captivating azure eyes.

Xia Yu called her old boss, but she looked no older than seven or eight years old.

The little girl waddled over to the black-robed person and bowed respectfully. “Why did you turn back?”

The black-robed person pointed at Yu Ruoyin. “She’s buying something.”

“Your friend?”

“No.”

The little girl waddled over to Yu Ruoyin on her short legs. “What do you need?”

Yu Ruoyin took two steps into the shop and looked at the girl’s serious little face. With some doubt, she voiced her request. “I need painting witch materials: moonlight paper and cloud zither sand.”

Daoist talisman paper was generally made from bamboo over ten years old, ground into pulp and absorbing enough earth spirit essence. Advanced talisman paper used bark from century-old mulberry trees, ground into pulp, then offered with incense for half a month to absorb the smoke. Anyone could make it.

Painting witch materials were different. There were only moonlight paper and cloud zither sand. The raw material for moonlight paper was also bamboo pulp, but it had to be placed under moonlight to draw in the essence, for a full half month before production could begin. Cloud zither sand had to be placed under sunlight to receive the sun’s baptism, also for half a month. Only spirits could draw in the sun and moon essences like that without absorbing them for themselves, so spirits had always supplied painting witch materials—special spirits at that.

“Painting witch materials?” The little girl glanced at the black-robed person. “Are you sure you want to buy these? Did you get it wrong?”

“No.”

Yu Ruoyin remembered Xia Yu saying painting witch materials weren’t sold to outsiders. She pulled out the ghost token and handed it to the girl.

The little girl stared at the red ghost token for a moment, then took it respectfully and rubbed it several times. She turned to the black-robed person. “A ghost token from the Four Spirits Shop.”

The black-robed person said nothing. The little girl handed the ghost token back to Yu Ruoyin. “The Four Spirits Shop’s items in the Ghost Market are too precious. Moonlight paper and cloud zither sand aren’t worth that much. You just need to pay me a bit of gold.”

“Gold?”

Was gold the most basic currency here?

But she didn’t have any gold.

Yu Ruoyin spaced out for a moment. Suddenly, Nan He snatched the ghost token. She snapped off a third of it with force and handed the piece to the girl, returning the other part to Yu Ruoyin. The piece in the girl’s hand quickly lost its red color and turned into a gold ingot. Meanwhile, the broken part in Yu Ruoyin’s palm regrew, returning to its original form.

“I’ll go get your moonlight paper and cloud zither sand right now.”

The little girl pocketed the gold and hurried to the back hall.

The shop fell quiet again. Yu Ruoyin rubbed the restored ghost token and strangely patted Nan He’s sleeve. “How did you know the gold was in there? Is it because… your senses are sharp?”

Yu Ruoyin thought of what Zhuang Ciyue had said about spirits being sensitive to auras and figured it out.

She waited obediently in the Formless Pavilion. With a glance from the corner of her eye at the two black robes, she bowed lightly. “Thank you both.”

The black-robed person said nothing, but the other black robe asked her, “Can you do painting yin?”

“I should be able to.”

If it were someone she knew well, she would have said Jiang Huaining thought she could, so she definitely could.

But she didn’t even know who these two were.

Another brief silence.

For the first time, the black-robed person spoke directly to Yu Ruoyin. She pointed at Nan He. “If you want to help her regain her spirit intelligence, you can try the Purple Phoenix Hall. The owner there awakens dormant memories.”

Nan He’s lost mind stemmed from an unresolved spirit contract. Her memories had faded, her consciousness blurred, and she lived on instinct alone. If she regained her memories, she would sober up a lot—maybe even undo the spirit contract herself. Then she wouldn’t need to trouble Jiang Huaining. It was a good idea.

Yu Ruoyin’s eyes lit up. “Can you take me there?”

“Me?”

The black-robed person’s skeptical tone made Yu Ruoyin’s heart sink.

She seemed to have said the wrong thing, but the other black robe suddenly agreed. “Take her there.”

“Fine.”

With her saying it, the black-robed person agreed readily.

She remained cold, but she had already walked to the door, waiting only for the moonlight paper and cloud zither sand before leaving.

Before the girl returned, Zhuang Ciyue arrived first.

Despite the heavy protections, Yu Ruoyin had no trouble recognizing her. Zhuang Ciyue’s little habits were too familiar, and she had circled outside the Formless Pavilion several times—it was hard not to notice.

As expected, after failing to find Nan He, she had come here.

“Yue-jie.” Yu Ruoyin ran over and grabbed Zhuang Ciyue.

Zhuang Ciyue said painfully, “Ah, I forgot to tell you not to shout names here.”

She was full of regret.

Yu Ruoyin was at a loss. “What’s wrong?”

“You’ll attract attention.” Zhuang Ciyue pointed at the black robes, then pulled Yu Ruoyin back into the shop. “Never mind, it’s not that important. I don’t have any treasures on me anyway. Even if they come for me, it’s useless. And where we’re staying now is absolutely safe…”

Only after finishing did Zhuang Ciyue notice there were others in the shop who weren’t with them.

She immediately lowered her voice. “How did you find this place?”

Yu Ruoyin pointed at the black-robed person. “I asked that lady to bring me here.”

Zhuang Ciyue’s vision went dark, nearly fainting. “Oh god, I forgot to tell you so many things. Good thing nothing happened to you, or I’d be dead!”

“What’s wrong?”

“You can’t ask for directions in the Ghost Market.” Zhuang Ciyue kept her voice tiny. “Everyone wears black robes and masks, making identities hard to discern. You can’t even tell male from female, let alone good from evil. What if they’re malicious ghosts? You got lucky this one actually brought you here. If your luck had been bad… I don’t even want to think about it.”

Yu Ruoyin felt a bit scared now. “Then… how do people find what they want?”

“Those without a clear goal just wander. Those with one are brought by elders or have their own methods.” Zhuang Ciyue muttered, “If you don’t even have the skill to find the right place, what are you doing in the ghost world?”

Yu Ruoyin felt a moment of dejection.

Even through the black robe, Nan He sensed her low mood.

She sidled up to Yu Ruoyin and tapped Zhuang Ciyue’s hand. “You said the wrong thing. Her… her heart is crying.”

Zhuang Ciyue wanted to bite her own tongue. “I didn’t mean you. Sigh, you’re just starting out, so of course you’ll have some…”

“It’s fine.”

Yu Ruoyin said it was fine, but it didn’t seem fine.

Zhuang Ciyue tried to find words to comfort her when Yu Ruoyin first noticed the black-robed person tugging the other black robe to leave. “You…”

She didn’t know how to keep her. The other black robe spoke up. “You promised to take her to the Purple Phoenix Hall.”

The black-robed person’s voice stayed cold. “That painting yin master will take her.”

She was overbearingly firm. She tugged the other black robe and left without so much as a glance.

Yu Ruoyin was stunned. Zhuang Ciyue shrieked, “How does she know I’m a painting yin master? Did you tell her?”

“No.” Yu Ruoyin thought carefully and pulled Nan He over. “That person’s senses seem sharp. She just sensed Nan… the spirit.”

Yu Ruoyin swallowed Nan He’s name. “She probably sensed the painting yin master too.”

“How?” Zhuang Ciyue grabbed Nan He. “She can sense you. Can’t you sense her? What’s her background?”

Nan He said, “She… she’s the same.”

“The same how?”

Nan He fell silent. She just suddenly grabbed Yu Ruoyin’s hand.

Before Zhuang Ciyue could press further, the little girl emerged from the back, cradling a large box. “Here’s what you wanted.”

Yu Ruoyin stored the box in the Red Jade Fruit. “Thank you.”

The little girl smiled at her. “My name is Nie Yuan. Welcome to visit the Formless Pavilion again.”

“Got it.”

After bidding Nie Yuan farewell, Yu Ruoyin and Zhuang Ciyue headed to the Purple Phoenix Hall. Zhuang Ciyue was still ranting, “That person really gave us a good lead. If we can handle this at the Purple Phoenix Hall, we won’t need that yin official. It’ll shut her up too!”

Ever since sensing Lu Qingzhen’s concern over Yu Ruoyin’s weakness, Zhuang Ciyue had taken great offense to her.

Yu Ruoyin appreciated Zhuang Ciyue defending her but felt she couldn’t escalate the conflict. “She’s worried about Auntie Ning. It’s normal for me to be weak since I just started.”

“Hmph!” Zhuang Ciyue huffed twice, not calming down.

Yu Ruoyin felt helpless too. As they walked with Zhuang Ciyue, she suddenly stopped and looked back toward the Formless Pavilion. “I think I know who she is.”

“Who?”

“The last surviving girl of the painting witches.”

Yu Ruoyin’s guess wasn’t baseless.

She had seen Nie Yuan’s respectful attitude toward the black-robed person.

That respect went beyond knowing she was from the Four Spirits Shop. It wouldn’t make sense for just anyone else, but it fit perfectly if she was the last bloodline of a family with long-term ties.

“It’s possible. Great-aunt said she’s very strong. If she guessed I’m a painting yin master, that tracks. But… what about the other one?” Zhuang Ciyue tugged Yu Ruoyin and whispered, “The Kang Family can’t muster two people now. She’s unlikely to have friends either—everyone in the circle avoids her, and ordinary people can’t come here.”

Zhuang Ciyue stumped Yu Ruoyin. She could only shake her head and answer honestly, “I don’t know.”

Too many questions plagued her. For now, Nan He’s issue came first. As for the rest, if they met again someday, she might find out.