Another type of ghost market is a place where scattered alliances of rogue cultivators, demons, ghosts, and other creatures gather periodically. This type of ghost market is a veritable melting pot; you can find almost anything except good people. However, most people who come here are concerned about revealing their identities, so they rarely make a move.
There are often folk tales about people who accidentally enter ghost markets and return alive. This refers to this kind of story. If it were a real ghost market, even if the ghosts didn't eat people, their mere ghostly aura would be enough to kill mortals.
For cultivators of Lu Xuan's caliber, the members of the Ghost Market were eager for him to join. They held these gatherings because resources were scarce in the cultivation world, necessitating mutual exchange. Furthermore, normally, humans, demons, and ghosts were incompatible. Only in places like the Ghost Market, where everyone concealed their identities, could they communicate normally.
It's quite interesting. The ones who can truly achieve peaceful coexistence between humans, demons, and ghosts are actually a group of unsuccessful rogue cultivators and demons themselves.
On his third day in the capital, Lu Xuan received a formal invitation. He made no attempt to conceal his identity during his trip, even though the common people of the capital were unfamiliar with him. However, the reputation of the White Fox Immortal was considerable in the cultivation world. A renowned cultivator like Lu Xuan would naturally possess valuable items. The people of the Ghost Market eagerly anticipated Lu Xuan's participation in trade, hoping to expand the Ghost Market's influence.
After waiting for several days, Lu Xuan arrived at a grove of trees outside the city on time for the opening of the Ghost Market.
As he approached the forest, he could sense a distinct demonic aura emanating from it. Looking around, he saw a gigantic toad demon on the outskirts of the forest, continuously exhaling some kind of white mist. Soon, the entire forest was enveloped in the mist.
"Is this your first time here, fellow Daoist?" a voice came from behind. Turning around, he saw a masked cultivator approaching Lu Xuan.
"It really is the first time."
"That's right. When I first came here, I was also startled by what I saw. But don't worry, the mist isn't poisonous. It's a special innate ability used to block divine sense. Once inside this mist, all cultivators, demons, and ghosts can only see with their eyes, just like mortals."
This is mainly to prevent everyone's identities from being revealed, or for enemies to clash. But don't worry, it only interferes with divine sense; it won't affect spells or supernatural abilities. If you have any protective spells or artifacts, you can activate them in advance. It won't have any impact.
Lu Xuan nodded and followed the other person inside. He didn't ask the other person's name, and the other person didn't either; this was one of the rules here—don't ask names.
The entire forest was shrouded in a light mist. Lu Xuan tested it, and his divine sense was indeed suppressed. However, it wasn't as serious as he had imagined. After all, this was a trading place, and the toad's cultivation level was only so-so; it couldn't possibly suppress everyone's cultivation completely. This operation was probably just for psychological comfort. If something unexpected were to happen, this loose alliance would still have to rely on its own resources.
The ghost market wasn't large, occupying only about half of the small grove. Some people had already set up stalls inside. Interestingly, these cultivators, who were so high and mighty in the eyes of mortals, were no different from street vendors here. Except for not usually calling out their wares, they looked like a group of small merchants.
The person who had greeted Lu Xuan earlier said goodbye and left when they saw that Lu Xuan wasn't interested in talking to them. Lu Xuan then wandered around the ghost market alone.
Most cultivators offer materials for crafting weapons or refining pills, or simple spells. These materials mostly possess only a slight spiritual quality and are far from being considered rare and precious treasures.
Lu Xuan wasn't interested in these things. What caught his attention, however, were the strange and unusual spells. Spells, of course, weren't displayed for public viewing. Usually, only the names and effects were shown. If you needed more information, you could discuss it further with the stall owner.
Among these strange and unusual spells, Lu Xuan found one that particularly intrigued him: a spell called "You reap what you sow."
It was a peculiar name, but the description of its effect felt strangely familiar to Lu Xuan. Indeed, this minor spell was remarkably similar to the one used by the old Taoist priest who planted pears before. In this world, it seemed to be a common minor spell.
"How much would it cost if I wanted this spell?"
The stall owner looked up and glanced at him, then said.
"If you have any spells you'd like to exchange, we can verify them with each other. Alternatively, we can trade materials and herbs that possess spiritual properties."
"How about this?" Lu Xuan asked, taking out a small bottle of spirit wine. It was the same kind he used to heal Yan Chixia. However, this bottle was diluted. After all, that kind of potent spirit wine wasn't really suitable for a gathering of this level.
"Its spirituality is quite high; I wonder what its effects are?"
"It can restore spiritual energy and heal injuries. Of course, it is also a top-quality wine in itself."
"Five bottles, in exchange for this 'you reap what you sow' approach." The stall owner made an outrageous demand without hesitation.
"Hehe, then forget it." Lu Xuan got up and prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute, name your price." The stall owner had clearly taken a liking to the spirit wine in Lu Xuan's hand and was unwilling to give up the deal.
Lu Xuan didn't speak, but simply placed the bottle in front of him. The meaning was clear: there was only one bottle.
The stall owner hesitated for a moment.
"make a deal."
With that, he lightly waved his hand, lifting the restriction on the spell, and tossed it to Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan caught the book, flipped through it casually, and then pushed the spirit wine forward. The transaction was complete. The stall owner then took out another book from his robes and placed it on his stall. This guy's background was unknown, but he seemed to possess nothing but these kinds of minor, trick-like spells.
After making a small deal, Lu Xuan noticed that the number of people watching him had decreased significantly. He chuckled inwardly and continued strolling through the gathering. He had noticed people watching him as soon as he entered, but there was no ill intent. He could understand; as a newcomer, it was natural to receive some 'care' on his first visit. However, after completing a transaction, the surveillance noticeably lessened.
After wandering through most of the market, Lu Xuan stopped in front of a small stall. The stall owner was clearly a ghost, and a rather sophisticated one at that. Most cultivators were reluctant to approach it. Its wares were also quite interesting. They were all ghosts, servant ghosts refined using special methods, their minds largely erased.
This thing is a type of changui (伥鬼), but its formation process is far more brutal. Only a few high-level evil cultivators or high-level ghosts can create it. It can be released to defend against enemies and used internally to assist in handling simple tasks. It is a typical tool ghost.
How much is this?
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Chapter 372 The Interesting Little Fox
Shortly after, Lu Xuan left the ghost's stall. However, by then, all five of the ghost's servants had vanished. The creature had even packed up and was preparing to go home.
At the very back of the market, Lu Xuan stood before the last stall. This market had only one entrance, so being at the back meant the person had arrived earliest. And the stall owner who arrived first was a demon, a fox demon.
Lu Xuan had seen many fox spirits, and his title, White Fox Immortal, came from the fox spirit in his family. The little guy was clever and mischievous, and was loved by Lu Xuan and his family. However, what troubled Lu Xuan was that recently, the little guy had made virtually no progress in either refining his horizontal bones or transforming into human form.
The creature before him was a fox demon in human form. However, it wasn't particularly powerful to Lu Xuan. Having traveled extensively, Lu Xuan had gained some understanding of this world. Wild white foxes, like the little fox at home, found it quite difficult to transform into human form.
However, there is another type of fox demon, or more precisely, the fox clan. Most of them possess special family-inherited techniques that allow them to quickly transform into human form. Their cultivation level doesn't increase much; their only advantage is the ability to transform rapidly. This serves as a form of self-protection for the fox clan. After transforming into human form, they can hide in the human world. After all, hunting fox demons is one of the most popular pastimes among cultivators.
Most foxes primarily rely on illusion magic and are not adept at direct combat. Therefore, hunting fox demons is not difficult if you are well-prepared.
The one before me is probably a fox demon with some lineage. Its cultivation level isn't high, but it has already taken human form. In front of it are some herbs. Only a couple of them possess sentience; the rest are just herbs that would be considered precious in the mortal world.
Lu Xuan squatted down and examined the herbs, finding that they had all been freshly picked.
"What do you intend to exchange these herbs for?"
"I want to cultivate the techniques," the fox demon opposite him blurted out, which made Lu Xuan burst out laughing.