Red Raven showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, thought for a moment, and then said,'Alright, you seem sincere, just 100 dollars. It's not lucky to haggle with a buddha master, you won't regret it if you buy it.'
Mowen reached into his pocket, took out all the remaining change, and counted it.
Red Raven looked troubled at the wrinkled 50 dollars, 1 dollar, and some coin change in Mowen's hand, which he didn't spare any. He grabbed all the money, casually pulled out a red string, and finally took out the jade Buddha pendant from the inside.
The size was only as big as a pinky finger, and the carving was quite rough, with a barely discernible Buddha figure. Red Raven was startled, seemingly not expecting this Buddha pendant, he seemed somewhat reluctant and rubbed it for a moment before reluctantly handing it to Mowen.
Mowen was just feeling proud of his successful haggling for the first time, but upon seeing the Buddha amulet, he immediately felt that it wasn't such a success after all.
"Don't underestimate it. My Shifu crafted it by hand and instructed me that if someone showed interest, it meant they had a genuine connection with Buddha. You have a connection with Buddha."
Mowen was speechless, thinking that if he had a connection with Buddha, then there was no hope of finding a girlfriend, and he waved to refuse the monk's good intentions.
Red Raven solemnly took out a red string with a Vajra knot, re-tied the Buddha figure, and earnestly hung it around Mowen's neck, muttering that their after-sales service was exclusive to the temple.
He earnestly instructed,'Little brother, my Shifu said that his jade Buddha amulet can save a life once. You must wear it on you at all times, 24 hours a day!'
"Wow, isn't it usually said that they help with beauty and longevity? Your Shifu is really good at boasting!" Mowen couldn't help but say.
Red Raven gave Mowen a look of disdain, as if he were looking at a country bumpkin seeing an airplane for the first time.
"Handsome guy, the grilled skewers are ready!" The BBQ owner called out to him from afar.
Mowen pushed the empty beer cup aside, stood up to go to the owner, completely ignoring the trash can beside the stall.
At this moment, there were still two to three other customers ahead of him waiting for their food, so Mowen walked towards the trash can to queue up.
The trash can was already filled with densely packed bamboo skewers, resembling a large porcupine.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his toe. He looked down and saw that he had accidentally kicked a bamboo skewer.
The bamboo skewer, carelessly left near the trash can by someone, was deeply embedded in his shoe and skin. Blood quickly seeped through the canvas shoe.
Mowen couldn't help but gasp in pain and quickly bent down to pull out the bamboo skewer, but touching it caused excruciating pain.
He hadn't rested properly for days, his body was already a bit weak, and the sudden injury made him feel dizzy. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his vision blurred.
By the time he stood up straight, the brightly lit market seemed to have darkened, and the bright lights turned into flickering lanterns swaying in the wind. A chilling wind swirled from his feet, and goosebumps rose all over his body.
A strong smell of blood filled his nose, a scent that no amount of seasoning could mask.
Mowen rubbed his temples hard and looked up again, only to see the usual scene of the night market.
"I must be hallucinating. I've been exhausted all day, hungry, and had a jug of beer. Alcohol is the problem!"
Mowen took his steaming skewers, their golden-brown crust releasing the aroma of freshly baked bun. He bit into one hard and his gaze wandered casually over to the neighboring stall. There was something out of place about the scene that piqued his suspicion. He shook his head, trying to shake off the sudden sense of unease, but he found himself glancing back involuntarily.
As he looked again at the stall, he expected to see mouth-watering braised dishes and mutton soup, but instead, he saw a series of worn-out white porcelain basins. Each one was filled with fresh some animal organs, the bottom layered with a pool of deep red blood and streaks of crimson coating the sides.
What was once a familiar sight had now become eerie, and a vague fear crept up within Mowen. His fingers began to tremble, and his breath quickened. The noise around them faded away and a cold silence took its place.
He closed his eyes and opened them again, then forced himself to look away, only to find the scene around him even more unsettling. The stall owner's smile turned into a sinister smirk, cold and cruel. Mowen could feel the air growing heavier, as though invisible hands were closing around his throat.
Mowen couldn't help but stumble back as nausea hit him. His stomach churned, and he vomited yellow bile.
He regained his footing and looked up again. The crowd around him remained as it was, people lining up at the food stalls to buy and eat, and the night market still bustling with life.
"There can't have been any fresh organs. If there were, it was just the stall owner preparing ingredients. I must be scaring myself. I'm only eating steamed buns and vegetables! Namu Amida Butsu! Namu Amida Butsu!"
"Hey, are you alright? Is something wrong with the food?"
Mowen heard the stall owner's concerned question and turned politely, but his face went pale in an instant.
His eyes fell on the area behind the stall owner. Where there had once been a foam box for storing backup ingredients, there was now a stone trough. Inside lay a fresh corpse, a large man cut open, his intestines nowhere to be found. His fresh liver was still attached to his body.
The stall owner of the braised stall, smiling broadly, held a sharp knife and cut off a long piece of intestine. The sound of the knife hitting the chopping board was clear and sharp as the intestine was chopped into inch-long pieces and mixed with dark seasoning. Then, he reached into the stone trough, lifted a piece of liver with a trembling hand, and cut off a chunk to place on the board.