Chapter 6

Chapter 1: In the Chaotic World, the Fierce Bandits Seek to Rob, the Ghost Market's Heavenly Master First Appears

Night.

Although it was still the transition from late spring to early summer, the night had already begun to feel stiflingly hot, and countless mosquitoes were flying about in the mountains and forests. If one were on the move, it would be better, but once they stopped, they would soon be covered in mosquitoes all over their body and face. Of course, who would stay still in the woods at this time of year, unless they were bandits or thieves?

But as the saying goes, there are no coincidences in the world, and indeed, there was a group of people hiding in the forest, waiting for unsuspecting victims to pass by.

The leader of the group was a man wearing a silk robe that was far too small for him. The obviously short hem was tucked into his waistband, and he sat on a rock in the forest, one hand holding a long machete, the other slapping at the mosquitoes on his face. After a while, the man became annoyed and cursed:

"Damn it, what kind of weather is this? I can't even enjoy a good time with a prostitute and have to feed these damn mosquitoes. It's really self-inflicted suffering—hey, Ma San, is your information accurate? If we come up empty-handed today, I'll tear your head off!"

Beside him, a man with a pockmarked face was rubbing the dirt off his neck with one hand and fanning himself with the other. Hearing the leader's shout, he quickly sat up straight and replied, "Boss, the information is absolutely true! I saw that old man with bulging eyes take out a bag of heavy silver dollars and buy a whole cartload of things from that bastard's general store. He hasn't even used all the money yet..."

"But why the hell hasn't he arrived yet?" The leader, known as Boss, became even more irritated and interrupted him, turning to another man and asking, "Chen Pizi, you're from around here and should know the terrain. Can you estimate how long it will take for that old man with bulging eyes to get here? Did he take another route?"

The local man, Chen Pizi, looked quite shrewd. He calculated for a while with his hands and said confidently, "Boss, look, that old man with bulging eyes ate some offal soup and drank some old yellow wine. He'll probably drive the cart more slowly, and since it's an old donkey pulling the cart, it will take at least four hours to get here—don't worry, just wait a bit longer, and he should be here soon."

"That old dog has had a good meal and drink, leaving us to be bitten by mosquitoes!" Boss was somewhat satisfied with Chen Pizi's words but still seethed with anger. After a moment's thought, he said fiercely, "Damn! I'm not in a good mood today. It's his bad luck. After we take the goods, I'll cut out his heart and liver to make a sobering soup to vent my anger!"

"Alright!" The other men, with fierce expressions, murmured their approval, each of them drooling at the thought of the human heart and liver soup. One of them even licked his lips and said, "Comfortable!"

As they were talking, a rustling sound came from the grass. Everyone immediately jumped up, and soon a thin, young boy emerged from the grass, his mouth full of saliva, looking excited. "Boss, the people, the people are here."

"Shh!" The men all called out, and without any further ado, they grabbed their knives and axes and rushed out. After all, dealing with an old man driving a cart in the middle of the night, if they weren't afraid of the goods being too heavy to carry, they wouldn't need so many people. Now that the target was here, what was there to worry about? They just needed to rush out, kill the old man with bulging eyes, and the cart would be theirs.

The bandits rushed out of the small forest and, from their vantage point on the hill, saw a cart pulled by an old donkey swaying in the distance. The cart was covered with straw, and it was impossible to see what was inside, but it was clearly full, like a small hill. The old man driving the cart was half-lying on the goods, already asleep, letting the donkey move slowly forward, the cart's axle creaking continuously.

The men's eyes turned red, and they let out a chorus of wild cries, waving their weapons high in the air, clearly not taking the old man seriously!

Chen Pizi, the local man, had also rushed out, but after a few steps, he suddenly noticed a small flag on the cart. His face turned ashen, and he grabbed Boss's clothes, wailing like a pig being slaughtered:

"Bad, bad! Boss, we can't rob this cart!"

Boss, pulled by Chen Pizi, paused for a moment, but seeing no immediate danger and his men rushing down the hill, he slapped Chen Pizi away and charged forward.

The bandits couldn't be stopped and rushed down the hill in a rush. Chen Pizi's face turned as black as a pot bottom. He looked around and, to everyone's surprise, turned and ran. However, as he took a step, his legs suddenly gave out, and he fell to the ground. His mouth twitched, and he began to wail, staring at the small flag on the cart, crying more sorrowfully than he had when his parents died. He slapped himself, saying, "I'm sorry, spare me! I'm sorry, spare me..."

What kind of flag was this?

Looking closely, the flag was only about a foot square, with a black background and a pattern resembling a flagpole. On it were several large seal script characters:

"Ghost Market of the Netherworld!"

A few of the men, hearing Chen Pizi's wails, turned to look, but the others dismissed it as the first-time fear of a new recruit and ignored him, surrounding the cart and shouting, "Hey, old man, wake up!"

The cart, surrounded by so many people, naturally stopped. Some of the men pounded on the cart, others kicked the axle, and Ma San even poked the sleeping old man with a stick.

After a couple of pokes, the old man with bulging eyes opened his sleepy eyes and woke up. Seeing so many people, he was not at all frightened. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and showed a mouth full of yellow teeth, saying:

"What are you doing? Surrounding an old man like me," the old man said, reaching into his pants and scratching, "Are you bandits? Even if you are, don't make things difficult for me. I have nothing, and robbing me would be a waste of time!"

Boss brandished his machete menacingly and shouted, "Damn it, you talk a lot! They say the people here are bold and fearless, and you're no exception! Now, tie this old bastard up!"

Several men shouted in unison and rushed to drag the old man off the cart. But the old man waved his hands, "No, no! Gentlemen, my old bones can't take your rough handling. I'll get down myself!" He slid off the cart, put his hands behind his back, and smiled in a sycophantic manner:

"Gentlemen, please be gentle, please be gentle..."

"Hmph!" Boss waved his hand, and Ma San immediately rushed forward, tying the old man up so tightly that even a strong man couldn't break free. Satisfied, Boss muttered, "Chen Pizi said we couldn't rob this cart. Damn it, I thought there might be some trap or trick, but it turned out to be so easy..." He ignored the old man and pulled off a handful of straw, "Let's see what's inside."

The men gathered around, stretching their necks to look... but as the straw was pulled away, their faces changed completely!

The cart was not filled with the expected grain or fine goods but with items used for the dead!

In the center were two coffins, one large and one small. Around them were paper figures, paper horses, flowered sedan chairs, mourning banners, white flowers, stools, funeral clothes, pillows, spirit money, ingots, incense, spirit tablets, white paper lanterns, mourning pavilions, wreaths, offering tables, and mourning sticks. It was like a mobile funeral parlor!

The only things that looked normal were the two wine jars at the end.

Boss drew a sharp breath, and a chill ran down his spine. Although these men were usually fearless and ruthless, they were also superstitious. They would spit and stomp their feet if they encountered a funeral procession during the day, muttering about good luck. They never imagined they would end up robbing a cart like this in the middle of the night!

"Damn, this is so unlucky!" "This is too bizarre!"...

A chorus of complaints rose behind Boss.

Boss, a seasoned bandit who had fled across three provinces, knew the consequences of losing his men's morale on his first job in a new area. If the men lost faith, it would be a minor issue, but his authority would be severely damaged. He scowled, his cheeks bulging, and turned to slap Ma San, who was the loudest complainer!

Ma San, in the middle of his complaint, was slapped so hard that he was stunned.

Boss, not satisfied with the slap, pointed at Ma San and shouted menacingly, "Damn it, Ma San! You said it was a cart of grain and cloth. Why the hell is it full of this stuff? I'll tell you, if you don't explain yourself, I'll cut off your balls, do you believe me?"

Boss's outburst made the other men nervous. With Ma San as the scapegoat, they found an outlet for their anger and began to shout:

"Ma San, are you trying to bring us bad luck? Kill him!"

"Damn it, break his legs first!"

"You little devil, are your eyes blind today?"

Enraged, Boss grabbed Ma San and shouted in his face, "Shut up! Do you think you can run away? If you don't speak up, I'll crush your balls, do you believe me?"

"I, I, I..." Ma San wet his pants—this situation was already bizarre, and Boss's threat to cut off his balls was terrifying. How could he not be afraid? But the situation was clearly not as he had described... He mumbled a few words and suddenly saw the old man with bulging eyes sitting nearby, smiling. He began to wail:

"It's all his doing, it's all his doing! It was supposed to be grain, but somehow it turned into this—Boss, Boss, it's all him! It's him!"

Boss threw Ma San aside and walked straight toward the old man, his fingers white from gripping the machete. He seemed ready to strike without a word!

"Damn old dog!"

As Boss's shout rang out, the machete flashed in the air, aiming directly at the old man. The old man with bulging eyes did not move, his eyes fixed on Boss's wrist, as if he were already in a daze!

The men, seeing the swift and accurate strike, cheered, "Good!" Especially Ma San, who was still on the ground, cheered loudly to ingratiate himself.

Just as the blade was about to strike the old man's head, causing a bloody mess... the blade suddenly stopped!

It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed Boss's wrist, stopping the blade in mid-air!

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.