Chapter 335: My boat here is famous for being fast!
“Strange… I can smell corpses, and there are things here that look like giant maggots, but where are the bodies?”
Lahman observed his surroundings as best he could in the pitch-black cave, but couldn’t find anything unusual.
In the world of ghost stories, seeing a corpse isn’t scary—what’s scary is not being able to see one.
Unable to find any clues, Lahman could only press forward through this dark and eerie place. His goal was the distant light—that light seemed like a guiding beacon in this pitch-black world, as if beckoning the Chosen Ones toward it.
As he got closer, Lahman heard the sound of flowing water.
And before him appeared a white pier built over a river—a structure like a broken bridge.
This structure extended into the river and lake, making it convenient for people to board boats.
The light guiding the Chosen Ones forward was a lamp placed on the white pier.
Sure enough, as Lahman stepped onto the pier, there was a small boat moored at its edge.
That wasn’t the point though—the point was that the Chosen Ones holding candles finally understood where that corpse stench was coming from.
On the dark surface of the river before them floated all kinds of corpses and white bones.
Bubbles were even continuously rising, as if someone were brewing soup.
The Chosen Ones instinctively swallowed their saliva.
This swallowing wasn’t from nervousness—the Chosen Ones who had made it this far had seen it all. It was because when they looked at the river water, they felt an urge to actually drink it.
Bone soup, those corpses and remains—they all seemed tempting to them.
This feeling was alarming, making them feel more and more like something was wrong with them.
If they got the chance, they really needed to ask that old blind man again—what on earth was happening to them?
Compared to the other Chosen Ones’ hesitation, Lahman performed better.
He didn’t pay attention to these strange feelings and continued observing his surroundings.
“So this isn’t the Ghost Market—it’s just one of the passages leading to it. Some of these corpses are already reduced to bones, while others still have flesh that hasn’t rotted yet. That proves they died recently. Is this a warning about how dangerous entering the Ghost Market will be?”
Lahman analyzed internally.
Just moments ago he’d wondered if he’d arrived too early since there was no one at the Ghost Market.
Now he realized this wasn’t the Ghost Market at all.
Since this was a necessary checkpoint, he couldn’t just turn back.
Lahman steeled himself and approached the medium-sized boat—right under the lamp.
When he reached the boat’s edge, Lahman noticed a ferryman resting at the front of the small vessel.
The ferryman seemed to hear that business had arrived and stood up to look at Lahman.
“Boss, do you want to cross the river to the Ghost Market?”
The ferryman looked middle-aged, with a deeply gloomy expression.
The sound coming from his mouth was also deeply unsettling—it didn’t sound like something a human could produce, yet his words were perfectly clear.
Most importantly, the aura around him was terrifying—he was definitely a hidden eerie that strictly enforced the rules.
In other words, even some extremely powerful Chosen Ones had best not try to fight him—he wasn’t afraid of death.
“Yes, may I ask how to get to the Ghost Market?”
Lahman’s attitude was excellent as he began asking about the process.
Actually, he wasn’t afraid of hidden eeriness. Hidden eeriness was indeed powerful, but these kinds of eeriness always followed the rules. As long as you didn’t violate their rules, they wouldn’t touch you.
If this ferryman was bound by his role, that also provided a measure of safety—after all, he wouldn’t act recklessly.
Hearing that Lahman genuinely wanted to go to the Ghost Market, the ferryman began introducing his pricing options.
His boat was the one that went to the Ghost Market. At normal speed, it would take about forty minutes to get there, and the fare was 100 ghost coins.
At regular speed, the fare was 200, and it would take thirty minutes to reach the Ghost Market.
At faster speed, the fare was 300, and it would take twenty minutes to reach the Ghost Market.
Hearing this, Lahman was shocked—didn’t I just pay? Why do I have to pay again?
No wonder the rules said [Your turnover is the key to whether you survive].
So I have to spend money everywhere I go?
He couldn’t just hop on carelessly—he had to consider whether he had enough money to come back.
Because going to the Ghost Market costs money, and coming back would definitely cost money too.
Chosen Ones with only a few hundred coins in their pockets might as well turn back now—otherwise they wouldn’t be able to return at all.
And who knew what other fees there were inside.
If you’re broke, see those corpses in the river? That could be your fate.
The Chosen Ones were now thinking about the details—when coming back, they had to make sure they had at least two hundred coins in their pockets, or they might not be able to return to the surface even after passing through the Ghost Market.
After all, this ferryman in front of them only cared about money, not people.
To avoid getting ripped off further, Lahman continued to lower his posture and patiently asked the ferryman about the Ghost Market’s procedures—asking indirectly, or rather fishing for information, wanting to know if there were any other scammy fees.
But the ferryman said he was only responsible for ferrying people across the river and knew nothing else.
This made Lahman feel frustrated—he really didn’t have many ghost coins.
But he still had enough for the fare. If worst came to worst, he’d save some money for the return trip and come back after earning more.
But that would mean his rating would drop. Without an SSSS rating, he basically couldn’t farm resources.
So the vast majority of Chosen Ones still decided to go in and take a look first.
At this stage, the most important thing was to ask the ferryman whether the return trip from the Ghost Market would be at the same price.
Otherwise, if prices went up later and he demanded thousands, wouldn’t they be doomed?
You had to know, some broke Chosen Ones only had five or six hundred ghost coins in their pockets right now.
Someone like Lahman with fifteen hundred was already considered well-off.
Only after the ferryman confirmed the price was the same did Lahman pay and board the boat.
Just that conversation alone had taken about ten minutes.
Zhang Yangqing couldn’t be bothered to think about all this. He directly handed over five hundred and said, “Hurry up, I’m in a rush.”
Having money means being wilful like this. Anyway, this money was earned through my own abilities at the tomb, and I definitely won’t need ghost coins later.
So Zhang Yangqing didn’t care much—he was here to throw money around like a big shot.
What about the other Chosen Ones? They had to carefully budget even a few dozen coins—after all, they really didn’t have much.
Zhang Yangqing still had over ten thousand ghost coins—why would he worry about such small matters?
His turnover at the general store was already double that of other Chosen Ones, and at the tomb he hadn’t lost much—in fact, he’d gained some.
With his substantial reserves, he had many more options at this stage.
After receiving five hundred coins, the ferryman’s attitude underwent a complete transformation.
His gloomy expression now carried a smile as he said eagerly, “Boss, you’ve come to the right person! My boat here is famous for being fast!”
While currying favor with Zhang Yangqing, he patted his chest and guaranteed that if he didn’t get Zhang Yangqing to the Ghost Market within ten minutes, he’d drink all the water here!
Zhang Yangqing just wanted him to stop adding drama—just row the boat honestly and the benefits would follow.
By the light around the boat, Zhang Yangqing could tell the river water seemed off—he could even sense something surging and swimming within it.
But that wasn’t the point—the point was that this boat really was fast.
For other Chosen Ones, the ferryman simply provided service according to the price tier, rowing slowly and steadily, ensuring the boat was stable. The Chosen Ones only wanted stability—just don’t let them fall in.
Because they were hitting the corpses and debris floating on the river surface, the boat’s hull kept making impact sounds.
With Zhang Yangqing, the ferryman was rowing like a madman, stealing the show—the oars were shaking violently like propellers. The small boat’s speed—
The impact sounds were practically constant. Zhang Yangqing was even starting to worry that this guy might smash the boat to pieces.
It was indeed fast, but hopefully it wouldn’t capsize just as fast.
About six minutes passed, and Zhang Yangqing’s boat—which was practically a speedboat—had already arrived at a peculiar place.
The other Chosen Ones were still leisurely drifting along the river.
Even those who had entered this place earlier could only admire the not-so-beautiful scenery along the way.
When Zhang Yangqing saw the surrounding scenery, he had a feeling of “just as expected.”
This place seemed like another world entirely—that river just now was the connecting point between two worlds.
Jumping onto the white pier and walking a stretch, Zhang Yangqing’s night vision still hadn’t worn off, and he was examining his surroundings.
In such a pitch-black place, there would always be some points of light, as if guiding lost lambs forward.
On his way to the light, Zhang Yangqing discovered what was unusual about this place.
The trees here were similar to the ones in front of the general store’s entrance—bare, without leaves. If you broke off the branches, drops of blood would seep from the break points.
Zhang Yangqing could see the path, so he couldn’t be bothered to light a candle. The other Chosen Ones were saving wherever they could—they’d blow out their candles while on the boat, then relight them using the boat’s lamp when disembarking.
By the time he arrived, Lahman also noticed boats gradually docking and people getting off.
But he didn’t care much about any of that—he was focused on recording everything carefully.
In a place like this that was obviously full of anomalies without even needing to look, he still wanted to find the rules quickly.
Before long, he reached the nearest light source after disembarking.
There was a green street lamp here, its light giving this small area some visibility.
Many people had already gathered under the street lamp, seemingly fighting over something.
Lahman didn’t rush to join the scramble. Instead, he noticed the sign next to the street lamp—besides directional information, it also had the rules he was looking for.
Ghost Market Rules:
[Rule 1: In the Ghost Market’s free trading area, combat is not allowed, otherwise you will be executed.]
[Rule 2: You are not a living person, because you have no life. You are not a dead person either, because you haven’t died yet.]
[Rule 3: If you see an eerie creature identical to yourself, find a way to kill it. This is very important for you!]
[Rule 4: Find the ox-headed or horse-faced ones. When they need help, give it to them.]
[Rule 5: If you encounter a parade, you may watch, but if the parade suddenly stops, please take the lead and leave, otherwise you will be dragged into the parade.]
[Rule 6: When you encounter patrol personnel holding iron chains, stop all activity, do not draw their attention, and wait for them to leave.]
[Rule 7: Leave the Ghost Market before your incense burns out, or you will never be able to leave.]
[Rule 8: Remember, if you buy counterfeit goods in the Ghost Market, you are lucky, because you can inform the free trading area’s management, and they will handle it for you.]
[Rule 9: Without permission, never enter any of the larger buildings.]
[Rule 10: When you are attacked outside the free trading area, you can run to a green street lamp. When the light comes on, they cannot harm you.]
[Rule 11: If you encounter someone wearing a smiling mask, absolutely do not agree to their requests—unless they are willing to give you the mask.]
[Rule 12: If you encounter someone wearing a crying mask, you may try asking about their requests, but when they want to give you their mask, leave quickly and find a safe area.]
Seeing this, many Chosen Ones were bewildered. Never mind the other rules for now.
According to the sign, the Ghost Market was straight ahead.
But Rule 7 said to leave the Ghost Market before your incense burns out, or you’d never be able to leave.
This confused the Chosen Ones—incense? Where was their incense?
Some Chosen Ones who hadn’t caught on were still foolishly patting themselves down, searching for incense.
Lahman’s eyes widened as something suddenly clicked.
Under the green street lamp—wasn’t there a crowd of people fighting over something?
With that thought, he bolted over.
He desperately squeezed his way in. If he guessed correctly, this was where incense was being sold.
Only by holding incense could one enter the Ghost Market.
Thinking about it this way, the Ghost Market was probably a place with massive “contamination,” and holding incense would prevent you from being contaminated.
If your incense went out, you would definitely become one of those corpses in the river.
Needless to say, everyone who made it here had some ability, and their physical fitness was strong.
If the world of ghost stories hadn’t allowed the Chosen Ones to cultivate their bodies somewhat, they probably couldn’t even snatch the incense.
Lahman squeezed for a long time before making it inside.
He could see that under the street lamp, there was something like a “ticket booth.”
There was a small glass window, pitch-black inside, with what seemed to be a creature of unknown appearance acting as the vendor.
Next to the glass window was written: One incense per person, one hundred ghost coins.
Meaning each person could only take one stick of incense, while supplies lasted.
No wonder so many people were scrambling for it.
Now wasn’t the time to worry about whether the Ghost Market was a rip-off—if you couldn’t get the incense, you could only go back and come again tomorrow.
Having come all this way, how could the Chosen Ones retreat? So they all rolled up their sleeves and charged in!
After all, the rules also said you couldn’t be harmed under the green light—and this was under the green light, so there was no fear of being beaten to death.
At this stage, the Transcendents had a big advantage—they not only used brute force but also technique.
When the Chosen Ones squeezed to the front, they could see people holding incense leaving. This incense was special—it had a small red section at the tip.
Lahman was here for the first time and didn’t know how to use the incense.
But the people who had bought it ahead of him directly bit off the small red section at the tip with their teeth and swallowed it. This way, the incense became exclusively theirs.
It even lit itself without needing a flame—it looked quite magical.
After squeezing for ages, Lahman also bought his incense and copied what the others did.
Sure enough, when he bit off that small front section, the incense lit up. But could this thing suddenly go out? He wanted to ask the incense seller, but there was no sound at all from the pickup area, and the others who hadn’t bought yet were already urging him to move along.
He didn’t want to offend anyone, so he could only continue forward with his incense and ask someone knowledgeable later.
Zhang Yangqing’s approach was more extravagant—seeing so many people crowded here, he scattered a bunch of small-denomination coins on the ground and said, “Did someone drop their money?”
When these people shouted “Mine!” “That’s mine!” and came over to pick up the money, Zhang Yangqing didn’t even have to wait in line to buy his incense.
The main theme was just throwing money around!
The other Chosen Ones really had no money—this guy really wasn’t short on cash.
While other Chosen Ones were still carefully recalling the rules and wondering what to buy, Zhang Yangqing’s goal was crystal clear. Everything else here was secondary—the most important thing was [Lifespan].
Buying-life money, buying-life money—isn’t money just meant to buy life?
