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Cultivators clustered around the old blind man’s booth like clouds in the sky.
When Su Yi and company arrived, would-be customers had already formed several rings around the booth, and the crowd was so densely packed that not even water could get through.
All eyes were upon the five black ghost lanterns emanating blood-colored candlelight.
It was just as the vendors said; most of the cultivators who visited the ghost market were hoping to obtain one of the old blind man’s ghost lanterns.
“Senior, I have a treasure bone…” said a young cultivator. He took out a jade box and presented it. Inside was a glittering black treasure bone flowing with spirituality.
“A Mistsoul Beast’s treasure bone?” The crowd was instantly in uproar. A treasure bone of this level was shockingly precious; it was comparable to a Spirit Dao treasure.
There was no doubt that this young cultivator had come prepared.
“In the current Azure Continent, such a bone is indeed rare,” said the old blind man, praising it in his raspy voice. Although he had no eyeballs, it seemed he could sense the treasure bone’s miraculousness.
The young cultivator instantly lit up. “Then can I trade it for a ghost lantern?”
The old blind man shook his head. “It might be rare, but it doesn’t interest me. Step aside.”
The young man’s smile froze, and he slunk back in dejection.
When they saw this, the others’ hearts churned. Not even that treasure bone could satisfy the old man?
Then just what kind of treasure is needed to obtain a ghost lantern?
“Senior, what do you think of this spiritual weapon? I found it in one of the Mammoth Kingdom’s ancient ruins. I suspect an ancient cultivator left it there…” A cultivator took out a jade box, but he only opened it a crack, just enough for the old blind man to “see” its contents. It seemed he was afraid that others would see it.
“That won’t do it.” The old blind man wasn’t impressed.
“I have the remnant of a beast skin scroll. It contains an ancestral legacy, a secret diagram. Senior, please, take a look.”
“Senior, what do you think of this treasure?”
…A whole series of cultivators spoke up, one after another, offering up all manner of rare and precious treasures, only for the old blind man to refuse every last one of them.
The crowd couldn’t help but feel like his demands were a bit too exacting.
Finally, a silver-robed young man took out a strange silkworm cocoon that pleased the old blind man, and he agreed to trade a ghost lantern for it.
The silver-robed young man couldn’t help but sigh in relief, and when he sensed the envious gazes the crowd was sending his way, he couldn’t help but grin.
This strange silkworm cocoon was called a “Redmist Spirit Cocoon.” It contained a rare and precious Redmist Ninespirit Silkworm, and if you raised it carefully, the creature within would emerge!
“Young man, go ahead and choose a lantern,” said the old blind man.
The silver-robed young man took a deep breath, then pointed to the centermost lantern. “Senior, I’ll take that one.”
As soon as he said this, the lantern suddenly rose and floated over to him.
“Congratulations on your good fortune, Young Master!” said the two servants accompanying the silver-robed young man.
“Congratulations, Young Lord Tao.” Quite a few cultivators congratulated him too.
The young man in silver was called Tao Jianting, and he was a direct-line descendent of the Tao Family, one of the three greatest cultivator clans in the Southern Skies Province. His status was lofty; he was no inferior to the core inheritors of the various cultivation factions.
When the crowd flattered him, Tao Jianting smiled and waved their congratulations away modestly. “Whether this is a grand stroke of fortune remains to be seen. Please, refrain from excessive praise.”
Although he said this, he couldn’t hide his smug pride or excitement.
When word got out that he’d purchased one of the old blind man’s ghost lanterns in Little Ghost City Fengdu’s ghost market, it would boost his reputation enormously!
“Young Lord Tao, why not open the seal now and show us what’s inside?” said a cultivator of the older generation with a smile, stroking his beard.
Everyone instantly looked at Tao Jianting, their expressions eager.
Even Yuan Heng, Qing Ya, and the others were beside themselves with curiosity.
Su Yi, however, had been evaluating the old blind man this entire time, and he paid the rest of this no heed.
“Alright. I’ll have to open the lantern’s seal sooner or later, so I might as well do it now.” Tao Jianting took a deep breath, then tapped the top of the lantern. The black vellum bloomed like a flower, then burst into flame and burnt to ash, revealing the sarcophagus within.
It was only the size of a palm, and it was dusty and gray, with a crimson seal covering it. It was now the center of attention.
Tao Jianting couldn’t help but feel nervous. He calmed himself, then extended his hand and swept it over the blood-colored seal.
Crunch!
It was as if he were opening a long-sealed treasure box. When the blood-colored seal dispersed, the gray sarcophagus cover shifted, revealing its interior.
Tao Jianting’s excited, eager expression froze. His eyes widened, and his entire body went rigid.
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When they saw the sarcophagus’s contents, those nearby were dumbstruck. They looked at each other, their expressions strange.
Why?
Because the only thing inside the sarcophagus was a rolled-up tuft of hair….
The atmosphere was instantly silent, yet strange. Many of the onlookers suppressed their laughter.
A shockingly precious Redmist Spirit Cocoon, and he’d traded it for a tuft of rolled-up hair! What an enormous loss! What a rip-off!
“A tuft of hair?” Qing Ya exclaimed, “What kind of ‘stroke of fate’ is this? Isn’t that a bit too much of a rip-off?”
When they heard this, quite a few people couldn’t hold back any longer. They sniggered and burst into laughter, the sound filling the ghost market with an air of revelry.
Earlier, how many of them were jealous that Tao Jianting had obtained a ghost lantern?
Now, even though they wanted to restrain themselves, they couldn’t hold back laughter. When they looked at Tao Jianting, their gazes carried newfound pity.
“See? Yet another victim!” The distant vendors shook their heads. Everyone knew that buying the old blind man’s lanterns meant trying your luck, so why play the victim?
“A tuft of hair… a tuft of hair..!?” Tao Jianting felt the blood rush to his brain, and the veins bulged on his forehead. He felt so stifled, he almost coughed up blood.
When he heard the crowd laugh, he longed for nothing more than a hole to hide himself in.
What an enormous loss!
He’d traded a rare spirit cocoon, only to get a tuft of hair in exchange!?
If word got out, he feared that he would forever be associated with the phrase “a tuft of hair”!
When Su Yi saw this, even he couldn’t help but laugh. Using something like that to scam others? The ghost lantern sarcophagus bearers really are every bit as insidious and unkind as before…
“Four ghost lanterns remain! Does anyone else wish to purchase one?” The old blind man hawked his wares once more.
This instantly drew the crowd’s attention. Only Tao Jianting looked conflicted. He stood there rigidly, stifled, and out of sorts.
He couldn’t regret it; he’d chosen his lantern himself. If you gambled, you had to be prepared to lose. He had no one to blame but himself. Even if he wanted to take back his treasure, he dared not act wantonly here.
Rumor had it that Little Ghost City Fengdu’s old blind man had a deep and inscrutable cultivation.
In the past, quite a few cultivators came looking to get even with the old blind man after getting scammed, but it never ended well for them, no exceptions!
Suddenly, Qing Ya’s transmission resounded in Su Yi’s ears. “Big Brother Su Yi, I want the second ghost lantern from the left. Can you help me get it?”
He turned to look at her and saw that the pretty, adorable young woman was looking at him expectantly.
She continued, “I have a treasure on me called ‘Precious Profound Pith.’ I’m confident the old blind man will agree to trade for it, but his rules don’t let women participate, so…”
“A trivial matter,” Su Yi casually agreed. “As for your Precious Profound Pith, you’d best hold onto it. Don’t let the old blind man take advantage of you.”
Su Yi walked up, pointed to the second lantern from the left, and said, “I’ll trade you a secret for that ghost lantern.”
The nearby cultivators were all surprised, and soon, all eyes were upon Su Yi. He wants to trade a secret for a ghost lantern? I’ve never heard of something so strange!
One of the older generation cultivators sneered. “Young man, we each took out our treasures, yet failed to acquire a ghost lantern. You think a secret is good enough? Never mind whether it’s even true or not; is that worth a ghost lantern? If you don’t have any treasure, don’t participate. Why waste everyone’s time?”
The others shook their heads too.
The old blind man froze, but then, he laughed. “Alright, I’d be curious to see just what this ‘secret’ of yours is. Rest assured, I won’t intentionally make things hard on you. If I really refuse your offer, I’ll be sure to give you a satisfactory reason.”
How could the gathered cultivators possibly miss the unconcealed disdain in the old blind man’s voice?
There was no doubt about it; no matter what secret the young man in blue offered, it wouldn’t win the old blind man over.
This deal had effectively already been rejected. In the blue-robed youth’s shoes, someone cleverer would have already backed down.
However, against all expectations, Su Yi said calmly, “I changed my mind. In exchange for this secret of mine, I want all of the lanterns you have left.”
The crowd was instantly in uproar; they almost dared not believe their ears.
Yuan Heng and the others were stunned too, and their expressions were a bit strange.
“You want to trade a secret for four of my ghost lanterns?” It seemed the old blind man found this hard to believe. He sat up straight and said expressionlessly, “Young man, if you’re just trying to cause trouble, don’t blame me for teaching you good manners on your elders’ behalf.”
Su Yi smiled, took out a blank jade slip, thought for a moment, then inscribed a line of text.
“Once you’ve read the secret inside, remember to apologize to me. If you do, I won’t hold you accountable for your rudeness just now. Otherwise… you’ll just have to bear the consequences.” He casually tossed the slip, which landed directly in the old blind man’s hand.
When the gathered cultivators heard this, they almost couldn’t help but burst into laughter. This young man thinks a single secret is worth four ghost lanterns! As if that weren’t enough, he even wants the old blind man to apologize. This… I’m afraid he’s gone insane!
The old blind man was obviously angry too, and his expression shifted erratically.
After a few moments, those blank eye sockets of his “stared” viciously at Su Yi, and he laughed coldly. “Kid, if I really can’t refuse your secret, never mind apologizing… I’ll even kowtow right here in front of everyone and call you ‘grandfather!’”
The crowd instantly realized that even if Su Yi really had offered up an enormously valuable secret, the old blind man would surely refuse it, if only to save face!
Now, when they looked at Su Yi, their gazes contained a trace of pity. You screwed up, huh?
Only Yuan Heng, Ling Yunhe, Qing Ya, and Bai Wenqing's gazes remained locked onto the old blind man himself.
When the old blind man first grabbed the jade slip, his expression was utterly furious and disdainful.
However, when he sensed the slip’s contents, he reacted as if he’d been struck by lightning. He quivered from head to toe, then went rigid as a clay statue. In the end, he just sat there, completely dumbstruck.