Chapter 9

Since he had made up his mind, Eighth Master no longer dwelled on it. When he drove the donkey cart to the temple gate, his face had already resumed its usual shifty, lecherous smile. He stared at the three people and shouted, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and help me unload the stuff—my old arms and legs can’t take it, and I won’t be responsible if I drop anything from your shop!"

The three people waiting under the tree instantly formed an alliance and mocked him in unison, "Look at you!" They still walked over at a leisurely pace. After a few steps, Luo Erni, who was walking beside them, ran up and stuffed two steamed buns into his arms, "Uncle Eight, my sister asked me to bring these to you..."

The freshly baked buns were hot and steaming, and the sudden insertion made Wang Bayue fumble, hurriedly pulling at the hem of his clothes to wrap them, "Be careful, be careful, it’s hot! Hey, really hot..." Despite the burning sensation, he bit into the bun and chewed while drawing in air, "Wow, delicious... comfortable... so hot... really nice..."

"Then eat it," Luo Erni walked to the donkey cart, "I’ll help Uncle and the others unload the stuff first, then we’ll sort it out..." Just as she was about to untie the rope of the rain cover, she suddenly saw a black arm sticking out from the back of the cart!

The arm bent and reached out from under the cart, directly into the two wine jars behind... Of course, if you listened carefully, you could hear a faint gurgling sound.

"Ah!" Luo Erni grabbed Wang Bayue’s clothes and shouted, "Uncle Eight, Uncle Eight! The stinky Taoist is stealing wine again!"

The one who was most anxious at this wasn’t Wang Bayue, but the fat man Lu who ran the wine shop. The originally unhurried fat man started shouting, his thick body shaking as he panted and rushed to the donkey cart, "Old Liu, you shameless old Taoist, don’t steal my wine! Put down the wine gourd!"

The black hand suddenly withdrew from the wine jar and a dusty figure darted out from under the front of the cart, rushing into the temple and slamming the door shut.

Lu Fatso, out of breath, ran to the donkey cart but couldn’t catch anyone, so he stood there and cursed, "Liu Biyun, you shameless old Taoist! You steal wine and don’t even wash your hands? Now that your dirty claws have scratched the wine jars, how are we supposed to drink it..."

He was so agitated that he couldn’t catch his breath, so he stopped to pant heavily. When he spoke again, he was cursing someone else, "And you, Old Wang, why didn’t you keep an eye on him? You just let him do as he pleased when you got here? You forgot about the buns, didn’t you? What are we supposed to do with the wine jars?"

"What can we do? Eat them cold!" Wang Bayue puffed out his cheeks and glared, "You know his habits. Does he ever come back without stealing a few sips? And you were the one dragging your feet, not hurrying up," he rolled his eyes, "What’s it got to do with me!"

"Hey!" Lu Fatso was stunned, "I thought it was early and that guy hadn’t woken up yet—so you’re saying it’s my fault?"

"Of course!" everyone chimed in, "You’re the one who’s dumb!"

"Exactly, exactly!" A head popped up over the temple wall, "I’ve been waiting all night, and you didn’t even notice? Just thinking about making money, huh?—You deserve it!" The man was wearing a dark robe, which looked like good water silk, but it was so dirty that its original color was unrecognizable. His face and hands were black with dirt, and his hair, which looked like a bird’s nest, was loosely tied up with a thick incense stick as a hairpin.

This guy sat on the wall, took a wine gourd from his chest, and rubbed it a few times, flicking off a mud ball. He pretended to be serious, "Next time, be more careful. You need to be observant and cautious, and not be tempted by small gains..." After a few more words, he took a swig of wine and said with a grin, "This time, I’ll help you understand. How about you prepare a couple of dishes and a pot of wine to thank me?"

"Ha! You shameless old man, I only have one jar of wine left, and you have the nerve to say that?" Lu Fatso was both angry and amused, "Old Liu, how did you become such a disgrace at your age? Aren’t you ashamed of disgracing your sect?"

Liu Biyun chuckled a few times and continued with a grin, "Our family’s reputation doesn’t need your concern. I’ve already lost it all decades ago, not a bit left—besides, I’m easy to please. Just the jar I touched is fine, I don’t mind, right..."

"Alright!" Lu Fatso’s eyes twinkled, and he smiled, "I’ll give you this jar if you waive next month’s rent..." Liu Lao Dao heard this and slipped into the temple from the wall in a flash, faster than a monkey...

Wang Bayue stuffed the last bite of bun into his mouth and patted Lu Fatso’s shoulder, "Stop blabbering! You’ve tried to get him to waive rent before, and it never works. He’s too cunning to fall for that—hurry up and help me unload the stuff, I have things to do..."

As they were talking, Luo Erni had already started. She pulled the rain cover and saw a child wrapped in clothes. She was stunned for a moment, then let out a heart-wrenching scream:

"Ah—"

Luo Erni jumped back a few steps, feeling that her reaction might have been too much. Her face turned red, and she stammered, "T-there’s a, a child... Uncle Eight brought back a child... It’s nothing, just a child..."

"Ah?" Lu Fatso and the others gathered around, staring at each other for a while. Suddenly, Old Gou shouted in a hoarse voice:

"Eight brought back a child, everyone come and see—"

Instantly, the entire temple was bustling with activity!

※

The temple had exactly eight shops, four on each side:

The first on the left was Wang Bayue’s shop, which didn’t need much explanation. Next to Eighth Master was a coffin shop, run by Cheng San, a middle-aged Northeastern man who was strong and silent. Besides making coffins, he did all sorts of physical labor, such as carrying coffins, moving graves, carrying bodies, digging bones, and even building graves and carving tombstones, all for the sake of a few pounds of rough rice to fill his stomach.

However, his work was meticulous. Cheng San’s craftsmanship was excellent, especially his nested coffins, which fit perfectly with the inner and outer coffins, making it impossible to remove the inner coffin once it was placed inside.

The third shop on the left wasn’t a shop but a hall dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The blind owner, Cui Deyuan, specialized in "walking the netherworld."

The fourth shop, with a thick curtain that was rarely lifted, was the fortune-telling and spirit medium shop run by "Fox Lady," an old woman whose real name was something like "Hupo," but no one in the countryside knew her, so she was just called "Fox Lady." She was the most famous fortune-teller in the temple.

The shops on the right were more chaotic, with thatched roofs:

Old Gou’s noodle shop sold tangyuan, noodles, eggs, and various snacks. He was both the boss and the helper, and he lived a comfortable life.

Luo Guifu and her sister Luo Erni’s funeral shop provided all sorts of funeral clothes, shoes, and accessories, even custom-made shrouds and pillows. No matter how long a person had been dead, she could make clothes that fit perfectly—after all, the dead should be comfortable, right?

Wu Magan’s antique shop, next to the funeral shop, was part of the ghost market. He both bought and sold old bottles, ancient books, silk, and jars, but no one knew their age or authenticity.

Lu Fatso’s wine shop sold roasted chicken, roasted goose, cured meat, and fish, as well as Fenjiu and old white liquor. A few tables under the old locust tree served as the dining area. The food was always fresh, and the ghost market people didn’t mind using the tables, whether they brought their own dishes or not.

Including the temple caretaker Liu Biyun, there were ten people running these eight shops, making up the entire ghost market!

※

Old Gou’s shout stirred the entire ghost market. Everyone, who should have been in bed, came out of their shops and gathered around the child. But after one look, they all understood and silently helped unload the goods, without a word.

Since Eighth Master had brought back the child, he must have had a plan. Why provoke him and cause trouble? But the child was a ghostly being, and if they spoke up to keep the child...

The matter was too serious, and no one wanted to take the responsibility!

Suddenly!

Tap! Tap! Tap!...

The sound was incredibly eerie, as if a stick was tapping on everyone’s heart, almost scattering their souls!

As the sound approached, the thick curtain at the entrance of a small house was gently lifted, and a figure slowly appeared.

The person was wrapped in a black robe and a thick felt blanket, completely covered. She was hunched over, almost touching the ground, and held two thick wooden canes, moving with great effort!

Anyone who saw her would feel a chill.

However, this group seemed unfazed, not even turning their heads—only Wu Magan frowned and muttered, "You always do this, can’t you change it up a bit?"

They seemed to be used to it.

The person spoke in a chilling voice, "Scared, huh? Hmph, you’re usually so brave, but now you’re scared by a little baby..."

"Hey, you can say that, but you’re not..." Lu Fatso started to argue, but then remembered the taboo and quickly changed his tone, "…but this child is a ghostly being, a curse to anyone who keeps it. We need to think carefully about what to do."

"There’s no need to discuss it!" Wang Bayue said calmly, "I found this child, so I will raise it! It’s my decision, and it’s none of your business. I don’t need you to decide its fate!" He looked around at everyone, his face unusually serious, "Lu Fatso, do you have any objections?"

Although everyone in the ghost market dealt with the supernatural, their abilities varied. Wang Bayue had been there the longest and was the oldest, and his skills were the strongest. Only the temple caretaker Liu Biyun and Fox Lady were on par with him, while the others were far behind.

Since he had spoken, everyone turned to Lu Fatso, who quickly put on a smile, "No, no objections. Whatever you decide, I’ll follow. You know that!" He paused, then cautiously added, "But, old brother, you should know this is a ghostly being. It might bring you harm..."

Wang Bayue knew Lu Fatso wasn’t a bad person and was genuinely concerned. He sighed, "I know the dangers of a ghostly being. But since I encountered it, how can I just let it die? Meeting it is fate, and I shouldn’t try to understand fate. We’ll see what happens—worst case, I’ll use my three lifetimes of virtue to ensure its peace in this life."

Before he finished, someone clapped and laughed,

"‘Worst case’! Wang Lao, just for that, I’ll help you!" The temple caretaker, Old Liu, opened the door, holding a black lead ball, "Fox Lady, what do you think?"

Fox Lady raised her head and smiled chillingly, "Since Brother Liu has spoken, I’ll help you!"