Chapter 131 Ghost Market (ETL) Part 1
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Chapter 131 It’s Like I’m Holding onto Your Senior Brother
The atmosphere instantly turned cold.
The shop owner realized he’d been tricked by a group of humans, and his face darkened with rage. He wanted to teach them a lesson, and the atmosphere became tense. Humans were a vulnerable group here. If their identities were exposed, they could easily attract the attention of other ghosts and monsters. The young people, all wearing masks, had changed their expressions. At that moment, they wanted nothing more than to pin Fan Xiao, this unfortunate kid, to the ground and give him a good beating.
Sensing trouble, before the shop owner could even make a move, Gu Ye rolled up his sleeves and scolded, “You! Squat down! Who told you to stand up?”
Gu Ye’s ghostly aura intensified, and he grabbed the boss by the collar with menacing force, slamming him to the ground. Here, the rule was simple: if you’re strong enough, no one dares to touch you.
“It was just a human I grabbed as food, dare you tell anyone?” The hideous face on Gu Ye’s mask loomed closer to the shop owner, instantly crushing the man’s rising aura. Terrified, the shop owner knelt on the ground again, shrinking his neck like a quail battered by the cold wind.
Gu Ye kicked the man with a cold laugh, “If you dare to tell anyone, I’ll eat you too!”
“No, no, no! I wouldn’t dare tell anyone!”
Xie Cheng and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn’t expected that being aggressive would have this effect. Their morale soared. “Still dare to buy human skin?”
“No! Never again!” The shop owner quickly begged for mercy, not daring to retaliate despite the punches and kicks. Xie Cheng told him, “Change your profession! From now on, you’re not allowed to sell human skin lanterns! Sell cloth ones!”
“Cloth ones don’t sell well. Rich people won’t hang cloth lanterns in their Yin houses1; it’s not impressive…”
Cloth is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. It looks even better than human skin. If you dare to talk back again, I’ll disembowel you right now! I’ll eat you!”
“Yes, I’ll sell cloth ones! From now on, I won’t sell human skin, I’ll sell cloth!” The shop owner was terrified. This group dared to eat even living people; their lawless behavior was terrifying. Although he wondered why they wouldn’t let him sell human skin, he dared not ask, fearing he would anger them and be devoured by these evil spirits.
Seeing that they had scared the shop owner enough, the crowd signaled with their eyes that it was time to leave. Gu Ye kicked the man again and said coldly, “I will send people to check from time to time. If you dare to steal my great-grandson’s business again, you know the consequences!”
The shop owner immediately realized that his business had been too successful, angering his competitor, who had summoned his ancestors to give him a lesson. He quickly promised, “Don’t worry, sirs, from now on I’ll only sell cloth lanterns.”
Only then did the group of young men spare the shop owner, grabbing Fan Xiao by the neck and dragging the unfortunate boy out. Humans don’t concern themselves with underworld affairs, and they couldn’t give judgment on the owner on the spot. A scare was enough to prevent him from doing this kind of business again. The young men heard it before that no matter whether you’re a human or a ghost, the King of Hell keeps a record. Retribution may be delayed, but it will come eventually; this boss will be dealt with sooner or later.
After leaving the store, the group found a secluded corner and couldn’t resist pinning Fan Xiao to the ground and giving him a good beating. “You damn brat!”
“How did I raise such a child who drags us to trouble?!”
“What did you eat for dinner? Your farts stink!”
“You almost caused your fathers our deaths! Luckily, Gu Ye managed to fool him!”
Fan Xiao said pitifully, “I couldn’t hold it in anymore, I had no choice. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have farted! My master made radish cakes tonight, they were so delicious, I ate 6!”
Everyone: “…”
Fan Xiao’s master was a female grandmaster who, in her 50s, finally found such a compatible disciple. She showered all her maternal love on him, raising him as both a son and a grandson.
Fan Xiao wasn’t an orphan; he became a disciple when he was 7 or 8, returning home only every 6 months. His parents and older siblings wanted to give him the very best, sparing him any worries, which is why he became such a scatterbrained child.
The good thing is, this kid has always been lucky and has a good personality. He smiles at everyone he meets and addresses people older than him as big brother or big sister. He always shares his treats with everyone, and he’s been the darling of the family since he was little. With everyone protecting him, plus his incredible luck, he’s managed to survive all this time unscathed. Seeing the kid’s aggrieved look, what could they say?
Gu Ye sighed, looking at Fan Xiao as if he were seeing his own family’s Old Fourth. “Alright, stop hitting him. Don’t take him with you to dangerous situations in the future, and he can’t eat radishes anymore on the day of important matters!”
Fan Xiao nodded obediently. “I know, big brother. I won’t eat radishes anymore. I’m sorry.”
Gu Ye was both amused and exasperated by how readily Fan Xiao called him big brother. It never occurs to him that in his lifetime, someone in his profession actually called him Big Brother. Before this, everyone simply called him ‘that troublemaker’.
“Alright, let’s go.” Gu Ye patted Fan Xiao’s shoulder, a slight smile playing on his lips hidden behind his mask. Every industry has its share of naive youngsters; if he could maintain this innocence, that wouldn’t be bad.
Just as Gu Ye turned to leave, someone tugged at his sleeve. Gu Ye turned back, looking at Fan Xiao with confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“Hehe.” Fan Xiao shook Gu Ye’s sleeve, as happy as a child, “Holding you like this feels like holding onto your senior brother.”
Gu Ye chuckled, “Silly boy, let’s go.”
At the side, Xie Cheng smiled and said, “Fan Xiao knows your senior brother. Your senior brother saved his life back then. He was still young, just starting out. When your senior brother died, he almost cried his eyes out.”
Gu Ye was shocked, “When?”
Fan Xiao said shyly, “It was once when I got lost and was captured by an evil spirit. Your senior brother happened to pass by and rescued me. After that, he stuffed me into a trash can to hide, and even called the police for me.”
Hearing that, Gu Ye racked his brains, but he’d mostly forgotten what happened over a decade ago. When he was a teenager, he particularly disliked children, always feeling that runaway kids were like him—unwanted little trash. Usually, after rescuing them, he’d casually stuff them into a trash can, telling them to wait for the police to come and pick them up. So, which child was Fan Xiao? Gu Ye chuckled dryly, unable to remember. Inside his heart, he apologized to the children he’d shoved into the trash can during his youthful ignorance.
The group walked out together. This street was a one-way street; they entered from one side and could only exit from the other. Turning back would result in the extinguishing of the Zhengyang flame on their shoulders. They could only continue forward along the street.
[Banana: I explained this somewhere in my translation before that all living humans have 3 flames on them to protect them from ghosts; 1 on the head and 1 on each shoulder. It can be easily blown out by our breath, which is why people said not to turn right away when being called]
The people on this street, even if they weren’t as afraid of Gu Ye as the people in the square, were still wary of him. They would retreat even from afar upon sensing Gu Ye’s presence. Some, fearing to offend him, even quietly closed their doors.
On the other hand, Gu Ye remained arrogant and domineering. If anyone dared to meet his gaze, he would stop and deliberately stare at them. Only when the person fearfully looked away would Gu Ye let them go.
Du Yue, who had been to the ghost market before, was speechless. He never imagined strolling through it could feel like a street patrol—it was too impressive.
At the end of the street, there was a small shop with several little ghosts sitting in front. Gu Ye stopped and looked at them. “Selling ghost servants?”
The shop owner is dressed in a long blue robe and holding a fan. He stood quietly at the door and gave Gu Ye a slight, respectful bow. “Would you like to buy one, sir? The ghost servants we make are all very intelligent.”
Gu Ye shook his head and commented, “These ugly bastards, I wouldn’t want them even if they were given to me for free.”
The shop owner opened his mouth, but swallowed his words. Not wanting trouble, he lowered his head coldly and remained silent.
Xie Cheng wanted to hit Gu Ye. Just leave already! You dare to cause trouble? Just get us out of here!
But Gu Ye just swaggered away with unhurried steps.
The shop owner frowned while watching Gu Ye’s retreating figure. The mask was the same, the domineering personality was the same—he’d thought that vain little tyrant had returned. But this height… at least 5 centimeters shorter. It wasn’t him. Besides, he always traveled alone; there were definitely not so many people following him. The scholar in blue leaned against the doorframe, gently fanning himself, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
The time was almost midnight, and a layer of white mist was rising. Du Yue reminded everyone, “After midnight, anyone daring to come out is an old ghost. Be careful.”
“I…” Fan Xiao hesitated. Then, looking at everyone’s gazes, he said pitifully, “I need to fart again.”
Everyone shouted, “Hold it in!”
Gu Ye was amused. This kid had fallen so low that he even needed to ask permission to fart, and worse, no one allowed it.
Just then, a pretty little girl in a red dress emerged gracefully from the mist. The child was about 6 or 7 years old, with hair just reaching her shoulders. She had a baby face, big, clear eyes, making her look like a little doll. Seeing them, the little girl’s lips curled into a smile, and she ran to Gu Ye, hugging his leg tightly.
The little girl’s speed alerted everyone. Gu Ye calmly observed the child and asked, “Lost?”
The little girl smiled sweetly and said charmingly, “Little big brother, you’re so handsome! Stay and play with me!”
Gu Ye chuckled twice. “Little grandma, you’re pretty too. How about being my phone charm?”
Upon hearing that, the little girl’s eyes turned icy. In the blink of an eye, she retreated several meters, staring coldly at Gu Ye. When she opened her mouth again, her voice was hoarse like an old woman’s. “You’re so boring.”
Gu Ye smiled. “But I think you’re quite interesting. Taking you home as a pet wouldn’t be bad.”
The little girl coldly asked, “Where did you get your mask?”
Gu Ye coldly replied, “It was passed down from my sect. Grandma, if you like it, you can come and take it.”
Gu Ye’s aura was too menacing. The little girl scrutinized him and then snorted. She ultimately decided against a conflict, disappearing into the white mist in an instant.
Gu Ye said coldly, “Let’s hurry up and leave. Those coming out after us at this point are all monsters.”
Everyone tensed up and followed Gu Ye closely. Finally, they emerged from the Ghost Market unscathed and found themselves on the other side of the main street. A glance at the time revealed 12.05 am, and everyone’s eyes held a lingering sense of shock. That was terrifying! No wonder everyone in the sect said that a first-time visit to the Ghost Market must be accompanied by an elder, and even on ordinary occasions, one shouldn’t go alone. Without Gu Ye’s powerful aura protecting them, who knows how much trouble they would have gotten into?
Xie Cheng untied Fan Xiao’s ropes and thanked everyone: “Thank you for coming. Call us next time if you need anything.”
Initially, Xie Cheng asked everyone to accompany him and Gu Ye because he was worried about their safety. If he had known Gu Ye was capable, he wouldn’t have asked for help. However, he appreciated these brothers’ willingness to come to such a dangerous place with them.
Realizing what Xie Cheng meant, Gu Ye smiled as well and said, “Thank you, everyone. Call us if you need anything.”
“Don’t mention it. Let’s get together again sometime.”
“Just let us know in the group chat if you need anything, Gu Ye. Don’t be shy.”
Gu Ye nodded with a smile. He appreciated the gesture, but he still thought Xie Cheng alone was enough (as a company to the Ghost Market). It was a bit boring to be alone, but two people could look out for each other. He wasn’t really suited for teamwork.
Raw word count: 6187 (whole chapter)
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