That night, Yuan An was still feeling a bit scared about what happened during the day. Despite her cleverness, she couldn't escape the cunning schemes of her stepmother. Her father, on the other hand, was easily fooled. In this household, she didn't have a single relative she could trust or feel warmth from. It was better to go out and have some fun. While changing into male clothes, Yuan An thought to herself with a huff, assuming the role of a victim and completely forgetting how she had bullied Yuan Ning and cleverly dealt with Master Ye, which infuriated her stepmother. As the moon rose, her maids extinguished the lights in her room, and her attendants helped her with Zhao Lanzhi's horse. Yuan An left the Ye residence through a side door, blending back into her peculiar nightlife.
Outside the city gates, the night wind was cold. Zhao Lanzhi was waiting for her under an old tree. Yuan An spotted him from afar, his face handsome as spring, and his figure tall and upright. Her straightforward nature made her happy to see him. She waved enthusiastically from a distance and called out to him, "Zhao Lanzhi! Zhao Lanzhi!"
In fact, originally, Yuan An was someone who helped prisoners escape and hid fugitives. Zhao Lanzhi had also prepared some official credentials. Seeing Yuan An's friendly and warm manner, it would be hard for anyone to remain guarded. He dismounted gracefully and walked towards her, clasping his fists in greeting. "You're here, Young Master Ye."
"Tell me," Yuan An said, "did you find out anything?"
Zhao Lanzhi took out the silver snake they found in Ru Yue's room earlier that day. "Today, I had my men inquire at every silver shop in the city, and none of the artisans were familiar with this craft. It seems to be a foreign item brought in by a merchant caravan."
"Where should we look next?"
Zhao Lanzhi pondered for a moment, looking into Yuan An's bright eyes. "There's a place you might not dare to go."
"Oh? What place? Tell me."
"Luo Yang's Ghost Market, a midnight market that disperses at dawn. People buy exotic and rare items there. If we want to trace the origins of this silver snake, we might have to go there. Are you brave enough?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan An became eager and ready for action. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The two of them rode swiftly, crossing river, and arrived at the infamous Ghost Market.
The Ghost Market.
This was where she had saved the dark-skinned boy from the hands of human traffickers.
A long time later, Yuan An recalled that extraordinary encounter and couldn't help but admit that the Ghost Market was indeed deserving of its reputation. It was a place with extraordinary treasures and wonders. However, the entire Ghost Market, along with all the treasures in the world combined, probably couldn't compare to that boy.
However, Yuan An had no idea about this at that time. The boy had escaped from the traffickers' cage with the help of the night wind, leaping and escaping on the perilous mountain cliffs. Yuan An thought it was just an interesting sight or that perhaps she had lost some silver, so she turned around and continued to search for the silver snake with Zhao Lanzhi.
They searched carefully in the winding Ghost Market. They finally found the store with a curtain embroidered with a pattern that looked exactly like the silver snake. Yuan An and Zhao Lanzhi lifted the curtain and entered. The scene before them filled them with horror. They saw a dimly lit chamber with several beds, and people lying on them, all leaning to one side. On the short table beside them were small silver stoves, burning small lights, and on top of the stoves were small covers connected to pipes. The people lying on the beds inhaled the smoke that escaped from the pipes. They seemed numb and lifeless, as if in a trance, some even had eerie smiles on their faces, dancing with their hands and feet.
Yuan An felt a strange sense of unease and instinctively took a step back, leaning closer to Zhao Lanzhi's shoulder. "What's going on here?"
Zhao Lanzhi whispered, "I've seen something similar before. Soldiers in battle, suffering from pain, would use a herb called Afurong, which has analgesic properties. Over time, some become dependent on it and cannot break free. Judging from their appearance, the substance in those smoking pots is probably more potent than opium."
A person emerged from the chamber. He was less than four feet tall, with short hands and feet, and a large head. He was a dwarf, with a black hat covering half of his face. Bowing respectfully to Yuan An and Zhao Lanzhi, he greeted them in an interesting manner, "How may I help you both?"
"We've come to buy things since you run a shop here," Zhao Lanzhi replied.
The dwarf chuckled, "Not everyone who opens a shop in the Ghost Market sells goods. As you can see, this place is just for having fun. However, no matter how much money you have, I never sell anything. I'm sorry, but it seems you've come to the wrong place. Please leave."
Zhao Lanzhi showed the silver snake in his hand to the dwarf, who saw it and couldn't help but change his expression slightly. Without saying much, the dwarf extended his hand, leading them inside. They passed through the front hall filled with smoking guests and entered a spacious room of about nine feet square. In the dim candlelight, Yuan An saw the walls lined with various drawers of different sizes, each labeled with strange names, unlike anything she had seen in a traditional herbal store: white elephant blood, eagle claws, earth demon fetus, zombie brain.
The dwarf climbed up the steps behind the counter and stood higher than Zhao Lanzhi. He turned and opened a drawer, taking out several pieces of grayish material with intricate circuitry on top. He placed them on a balance in front of him. On the other end of the balance, he played with several gold leaves. The candlelight cast eerie shadows on his wrinkled face.
"Where did you get that thing in your hands, that snake-shaped candle holder?" the dwarf asked slowly.
"It's from a friend," Yuan An replied.
"Friend?" The dwarf sneered, "Who? What's their name?"
"We actually wanted to ask you about that. To whom have you sold this candle holder? Who's your customer?"
The dwarf burst into hearty laughter. "Who cares? Anyway, neither of you is lucky enough to get it!"
With that, he ignited the gray pieces he held in his hand, and the smoke rising from them produced a creaking sound, like the cracking of rotten wood. To Yuan An's surprise, the floor beneath the room opened up, and six people with wrapped heads in white cloth suddenly emerged, each holding long and short weapons, attacking Zhao Lanzhi and Yuan An without a word.
The dwarf sat down behind the counter, sipping tea, and heartily laughed as he watched the thrilling show unfold.
But he had underestimated the two people before him. Zhao Lanzhi was an experienced spy with exceptional skills, and Yuan An, who saw danger as a form of entertainment, was a quick-witted daredevil. They each grabbed their weapons and fought back against the bizarre attackers. After a few moves, Yuan An and Zhao Lanzhi realized something was off. The attackers' movements were agile and fierce, but they lacked coherence and seemed not to follow any pattern. Moreover, they appeared tireless and impervious to pain. Even when clearly hit by swords, they continued charging forward. Yuan An's initial confidence waned as she grew impatient after a few failed strikes. She jumped back, losing patience, she selected one target carefully, and attacked with her sword to kill. But unexpectedly the person dodged so instead of cutting off the entire head, she only cut half of it!