Chapter 66.2 Crazy Love Season
The Ghost Market was nearly full. It took them quite an effort to find a secluded corner.
Wen Shi used five banknotes to buy an old pot and water. A’Sang tossed the bones in, ready to stew them for a while. They would sell bone soup after it was ready, and then the crutches.
Ji Yuanzhi glanced at Wen Shi. “Water is included included in【Food】.”
His implication was clear—there was no need to sell the bone soup anymore.
Wen Shi pulled him aside and whispered, “Kids like playing house. They need to have a complete childhood.”
“……”
Ji Yuanzhi turned his head in silence, then suddenly made a sound.
Following Ji Yuanzhi’s gaze, Wen Shi saw across the way a man with a terrifying face bound by chains. His cheeks were covered in fine chicken feathers, and his clothes on his back were torn, revealing a pair of fleshy wings. At the moment, the man’s neck was grasped by the stall owner and he was lifted onto a large scale to be weighed.
The man struggled desperately. When he spotted Wen Shi, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, but all he could manage was a strained “gack” sound.
“Looks a bit familiar.” Wen Shi rubbed his chin.
Ji Yuanzhi: “It’s Yan Yan.”
No one knew how the death rules would come into effect. Yan Yan provided a standard example—you would become into whatever you bought.
Wen Shi’s demeanor was actually rather aloof. After a few glances, he found it tasteless, ignoring Yan Yan’s miserable situation and gazing up at the sky.
A’Sang also watched, but aside from the thick clouds, he didn’t notice anything special.
“Does time pass the same way here in the Ghost Market as it does outside?” Wen Shi suddenly asked.
Without the sun visible, and based on his observations, he hadn’t seen anyone wearing a watch. The Ghost Market had everything, except for clocks. When A’Sang went to attend to the chubby man, Wen Shi had even asked at a stall, but the vendor had firmly dissuaded him, indicating that the Ghost Market never sold hourglasses, clocks, or any timekeeping devices.
Wen Shi might suspect a time difference, purely due to being fooled by games before. When the mission required them to “please complete as soon as possible,” he couldn’t help but overthink.
Ji Yuanzhi thought for a moment and then said with a serious expression, “Let’s speed up.”
No longer fixated on setting up stalls, they started proactively purchasing items.
Most of the goods were related to animals, even an old bicycle handlebar was carved with animal motifs. If they hadn’t known to avoid livestock-related items in advance, they would have triggered landmines left and right.
While Wen Shi strolled around, he looked for items that could be taken out of the instance. He randomly picked up a bronze cup, trying to use the game’s identification system to see if it was an item. However, he only received the prompt “Yin energy entering the body.” After three attempts, Wen Shi lost interest, realizing there were no freebies to be had.
He didn’t want to waste the remaining money, so Wen Shi beckoned to the curious onlookers who were peering at him.
“Tell me about Sealed Coffin Village, especially anything related to the Ghost Festival. If you can satisfy me, this money is yours.”
The candidates chattered on, but the information they could reveal was limited, based on the clues players currently held. They didn’t quite hit the mark with their words, but they managed to piece together a few key points:
First, the average lifespan in Sealed Coffin Village wasn’t long. Every year, young people would leave the village to deceive outsiders, enticing them for tourism and borrowing life from the living. Additionally, those who had borrowed life would also seek substitutes. It was said that having a substitute would allow them to wander everywhere.
The last and most important point was that the Ghost Gate had already opened. Currently, the opening was small, only fully opening between 1 and 2 AM. It was the most dangerous time period.
“Ordinary monsters aren’t qualified to enter the Ghost Gate. It’s said that behind the gate lies another world, more suitable for the survival of ghosts and demons. Generally, they only come out during the Ghost Festival to search for living people to consume.” The deformed man spoke with yearning, “If I can find a substitute, I could also go to the Ghost Gate.”
Amidst casual purchases and chitchat, Wen Shi received the notification sound indicating the completion of the mission.
“Dad, why don’t you sell the livestock clues to other players using points, and later we can split the proceeds equally between the three of us. Make sure they sign an agreement stating they won’t resell the clues. Contract items should be provided by the buyer. This way, we can sell multiple times.”
Early-stage players tend to be cautious. As time passed, their impatience would grow. Revealing clues at this time would surely fetch a good price.
Ji Yuanzhi suddenly felt that compared to Wen Shi, he himself couldn’t be considered a capitalist.
Liu Yun: “I won’t take my share.”
She hadn’t contributed much.
Wen Shi: “It’s up to you. I’ll go play house with my son first. I never got to play like that when I was a child.”
This simple sentence immediately reminded Ji Yuanzhi of Wen Shi’s miserable childhood. He added another observation to his earlier conclusion: Nobody is born a capitalist. It’s just that they suffered too much during their childhood.
Moreover, parents set the example for their children. Pei Hongxin was ruthless, and though Pei Wenwei spent a few years with him, he was inevitably influenced. Ji Yuanzhi saw Wen Shi’s insistence on not using counterfeit money as a sign of his upright values.
As time passed, the number of visitors in the Ghost Market increased rather than decreased.
Wen Shi’s father-son activity came to an end upon hearing the notification sound of the transaction. He promptly closed his stall and left.
Walking to the market’s exit, in the blink of an eye, the sky grew darker by a full notch.
“Indeed, they are playing with time difference.”
Not much time had passed inside the Ghost Market, yet outside, the sky had already darkened considerably.
Wen Shi was the first to step out. A’Sang was still amazed. “Dad, it’s gotten dark.”
Wen Shi’s gaze extended into the distance, where mist and dim light mingled. The host was setting up a platform with the crew. Above the platform, a white banner waved in the breeze, bearing the four characters “Matchmaking through Martial Arts” in an extravagant manner. The elevated stage was built quite high, using wood that had been brought down from the mountains.
During this bustling event, the host hadn’t even interviewed any guests. All their efforts were focused on preparing for the grand occasion of the matchmaking through martial arts.
Frowning, Wen Shi quickened his pace to approach. “The platform is set up outside the Ghost Market?”
“Yes.”
The host had gone to great lengths. The agreement specified that the event would only last until four minutes past midnight. By that time, the Ghost Gate wouldn’t have fully opened yet, and only a few ghosts would be able to come out. Setting up here could also attract visitors from the Ghost Market, further increasing the program’s popularity.
Noticing a hint of disappointment in Wen Shi’s expression, the host felt even more triumphant.
Wen Shi was indeed disappointed. Of course, he would prefer the event to take place in Sealed Coffin Village, ideally causing the village to be destroyed along with the mad Earl.
The last player emerged from the Ghost Market after eleven o’clock, too late to marvel at the changing sky. Upon seeing the martial arts matchmaking platform, they were startled.
Red lanterns hung in a row, emitting a faint red glow in the darkness. The square platform appeared incredibly eerie.
The host managed to acquire a gong from somewhere and gave it a heavy strike. The sound waves spread further through the microphone, resonating through the Ghost Market.
“The ‘Crazy Love Season’ production team passes through this auspicious place, and at the request of our special guest, Mr. Aaron, we are hosting a martial arts matchmaking competition here—”
The host wasn’t in a hurry to begin. The later it got, the more significant the event became.
The fragmented voice gradually reached the Ghost Market.
As soon as vendors at the market entrance mentioned the ongoing martial arts matchmaking competition, the news quickly spread like wildfire. In no time, many people had come out to watch the spectacle.
The night had stripped away their final layer of pretense, revealing their true forms.
Three-eared creature, bull-headed being, and others holding tridents… even the grotesque barefoot monster with exposed flesh nearby, each of them wore eerie smiles as they surrounded the vicinity of the martial arts platform, whispering and chattering among themselves.
As an elite player, Zhou Lulu was considered quite formidable among this group of players, and even she couldn’t help but shiver.
“Who’s the one looking for a match?”
A bald man with a large string of beads hanging around his chest, resembling Maitreya Buddha, asked with a smile.
The host introduced the program again, emphasizing that “Crazy Love Season” was a subscription-based variety show that needed a constant influx of subscribers. “Everyone ia welcome to subscribe to our program!”
After speaking, the host looked at Wen Shi and said, “It’s this gentleman here, Mr. Aaron who is sincerely seeking a match.”
The surrounding bizarre creatures and monsters tried to get closer to the production team.
Compared to the visitors from the Ghost Market, the production team seemed much friendlier.
Amid their endless gathering and huddling, Wen Shi made his decision. He let go of A’Sang’s hand, instructed him to follow Ji Yuanzhi, and then silently walked towards the elevated platform.
Under the eerie red lantern light, when Wen Shi stood on the platform, his pale pupils were illuminated by a mysterious red glow.
A chilling wind picked up, gradually turning the mist red. Soon, the moon appeared. Unlike a couple of days ago, which only showed a hint of blood-red, tonight the moon’s surface was completely consumed by the crimson light, casting a blood moon in the sky. The ground beneath seemed to tremble slightly, hinting at some distant seismic activity.
Bang!
Despite being muffled by layers of air, the distant sound still sent a shiver down people’s spines. This disturbance was even more intense than when Wen Shi had used his sword dance.
“The Ghost Gate has opened,” the bald man said, gazing into the distance.
Sometimes they would have disputes with things that came from the other side of the Ghost Gate. For safety, they would avoid them if possible. But now, it was just midnight. Only things that could make the visitors from the Ghost Market cautious would appear after one in the morning.
They could still enjoy some gossip for a while.
The visitors from the Ghost Market showed no intention of leaving. On the contrary, their numbers grew.
A foul-smelling gust of wind blew past, and a woman with half of her face painted in makeup appeared on the platform, the other half of her face revealing nothing but bones.
The host introduced excitedly, “This is our program’s dedicated fan—Big Four Black, who was once invited to participate in our anniversary celebration.”
As the words fell, the players suddenly felt a chilling terror creeping up their spines.
“Ah, another one of our program viewers!” These viewers had sent in their information before coming. They were considered participants in the recording and needed to follow the established procedures.
“I’ll go first,” the new second program viewer instructed the woman on the stage to step down.
“You can both go together!” The host busily grinned and said, “Mr. Aaron and our agreement don’t specify how many opponents he can face at once.”
The visitors from the Ghost Market were even more intrigued now. This young man was definitely a human. They couldn’t help but imagine the scene where this person would later be flayed and dismembered by the things from the other side of the Ghost Gate.
Wen Shi lowered his head slightly, refraining from condemning the shamelessness of the production team, and calmly stated, “Then let’s wait a bit longer, until three minutes past midnight, and then we can go up together.”
In just a short minute, another seven or eight ghosts appeared on the stage, and some visitors from the Ghost Market joined in for the sake of the excitement.
It had been a while since they had feasted on living beings. With ready target available, there was no reason to pass up the opportunity.
Approaching three minutes past midnight, the host raised the gong again, preparing to announce the start of the first round of the tournament.
At this moment, the number of spectators had broken the record for the program’s history. His eyes were practically glowing with excitement!
In the last ten seconds, a large group of ghosts was rushing over from the distance!
Liu Yun nervously asked, “Will Pei Wenwei be okay?”
Ghosts were everywhere. Even the sword containing terrifying power at the wedding might not be enough to sweep through them all.
Ji Yuanzhi: “I think the ones in trouble are us.”
There would definitely be a major commotion later. As the saying goes, when the city gate is on fire, it’s the fish in the pond that suffer. When immortals fought, it was the mortals who were affected.
Wen Shi adjusted his breathing gently. Since the production team was present, players without a valid reason certainly couldn’t leave. They could only wait for the crew to start moving before they had a legitimate excuse to follow suit.
Intense and murderous gazes converged on him. The first wave of program viewers was already impatient!
The host raised his arm, the gong mallet about to strike down.
Beneath the blood moon, the system’s voice remained as cold as ever:
“Would you like to use the【Family Crest】?”
Without hesitation, Wen Shi replied, “Yes.”
As the word fell, the air rippled, an illusion formed as the entire space twisted. A vortex appeared at the center of the water ripple, and the high platform beneath his feet trembled violently. The onlookers, however, disregarded the inconspicuous vortex.
They all believed that this shaking was related to the opening of the Ghost Gate. On the day of the Ghost Festival, there were several occurrences of tremors.
However, in the next moment, the world seemed to tremble and fracture for an instant!
Wen Shi leapt off the high platform abruptly.
The host and the contestants didn’t try to stop him. The obvious terror on the other person’s face indicated his intent to escape. Playing “catching fish in a jar” had always been a favorite game for ghosts and monsters.
“Run—!” Wen Shi’s voice strained.
After this episode, it seemed like the program might be beyond saving. With a lingering sense of conscience, Wen Shi tugged hard at the host’s tie. “Run!”
The host had been about to pull out the agreement, ready to inform him of the penalties for attempting to flee during the tournament. In a moment of inattention, he was yanked down, losing his footing. His gaze inadvertently swept backward. Without exaggeration, the host’s pupils trembled violently like the earth.
On the high platform, a man appeared in the spot where Wen Shi had been.
People in the Ghost Market wore all sorts of attire, but this newcomer stood out. He was dressed in an elaborate long robe, the open neckline revealing an elegant neck, and a third of his marble-like chest was exposed. He held a scepter in his hand, his left sleeve adorned with gold threads and gemstones. He exuded an aura that surpassed evil spirits, though not quite reaching the level of true spirits. Nevertheless, it was a rare and terrifying presence.
The pale man stood there, his blood-red eyes hinting at madness, leaving only one impression: a lunatic, a truly powerful lunatic.
Wen Shi had already run five hundred meters, the intense stench almost making him cry. “Faster—”
He urged his companions beside him.
Not running would certainly lead to a gruesome death. The use of the【Family Crest】would supposedly summon the Earl for one nocturnal intervention, but after the ordeal in the ancient castle instance, Wen Shi knew the Earl detested going out at night. Additionally, due to the butterfly effect, the condition of the castle master had worsened.
The double buff combination would surely result in a chaotic slaughter!
“H-how fast should we run…” someone gasped.
Even from a distance, the killing intent from behind was palpable. Wen Shi’s smile was more unsightly than crying, “Leave the production team behind by three hundred meters.”
Regardless, one couldn’t be the last, as the loser would be the target for reincarnation!
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