Ghost Markets have long existed around Qingshan County.
They open on the third of every month.
The location changes every time.
Before each market opens, a group of carts and horses are specifically hired to transport guests into the Ghost Market.
To find out the location of these carts and horses, one would need special channels.
Jie Jia just happened to have a way of obtaining an entry ticket.
As twilight fell, within a desolate village,
Chen Mu, cloaked in a hooded cape with a black cloth covering his face, was wrapped up tightly.
By his side was Jie Jia, dressed the same.
Without speaking a word, the two walked along the village streets.
On both sides of the road, many people set up stalls; some squatted down, whispering to each other from time to time.
Whether stall owners or customers, everyone was wrapped up tightly, and they instinctively spoke in hushed tones when talking.
Their voices blended together, sounding like numerous ghosts and spirits secretly whispering to each other.
"This is the place," Jie Jia led Chen Mu to the front of a dilapidated house.
Chen Mu nodded at Jie Jia, holding the scroll as he nervously walked into the room.
A person wearing a malicious ghost mask sat silently behind a grayish-white square table.
"What does the guest want to sell?" the masked person asked softly.
By this point, Chen Mu was no longer hesitant; he clenched his teeth and said, "I want to sell a Shape Cultivation Technique."
"Please, take a seat," the voice of the masked person couldn't help but rise in excitement.
Shape Cultivation Technique was indeed valuable stuff!
"May I take a look?" the masked person asked eagerly.
A wave of joy washed over Chen Mu's heart.
The Shape Cultivation Technique was really worth money.
Thinking this, Chen Mu placed the scroll on the table and unrolled a third of it.
The masked person couldn't help but stand up, "Excellent drawing skill!"
The more detailed and accurate the manual, the higher its value.
Chen Mu smirked.
This was drawn with Second Rank drawing skills; how could it not be excellent?
Compared to those roughly sketched manuals, this manual of his could be considered a collector's edition!
Selling such a precious manual for a thousand or eight hundred silver wasn't too much, right?
With this silver, I could stock up on food and medicine and hole up at home to practice diligently.
Once I have mastered the Shape Cultivation Technique, I wouldn't be afraid even if ten Sheng Hongs came at me!
As Chen Mu daydreamed, he suddenly heard the masked person tsk, "It's a pity..."
Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat.
"The item is great, it's just that…" the masked person shook his head and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Chen Mu became increasingly anxious.
"Please look." Bending down, the masked person took out a small booklet from a cloth bag on the ground and handed it to Chen Mu.
Chen Mu looked up and stood there dumbfounded.
The Sheng Family's Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique?
Sheng?
Sheng Hong?!
Fuck!
...
Quarter of an hour later, Chen Mu walked out of the broken courtyard infuriated.
Jie Jia followed close behind.
The two found an abandoned ruin and slipped inside, where Chen Mu angrily tore off the black cloth from his face.
"My thrifty master was indeed cruel!"
Not only did he set a trap to scam silver.
But our Shape Cultivation Technique had already been sold everywhere!
The masked person had told Chen Mu that the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique was already famous in the Ghost Market.
Just the masked person alone knew of five shops that possessed this Shape Cultivation Technique.
"A Shape Cultivation manual enough to be passed down through generations sold for only eighty silver, can you believe it?" Chen Mu said indignantly.
Had it not been for his exquisite drawing skills and more accurate content than Sheng Hong's crudely made version, it wouldn't even have sold for eighty silver!
"Go back?" Jie Jia asked calmly.
"Go back?" Chen Mu suddenly let out a sly laugh, "Why go back when we haven't sold everything?" Saying this, Chen Mu pulled another scroll from the inside of his roomy cape.
"Let's go, let's sell to another one," Chen Mu chuckled.
Jie Jia: "..." You two really are like a mentor and apprentice!
A quarter of an hour later, the two returned to the dilapidated house once more.
"This time we actually sold it for one hundred and twenty silver," Chen Mu pondered.
This proves that my painting still holds value.
My brushwork is good, more precise than Sheng Hong's version. Those who bought the manual will have an easier time understanding how to cultivate.
What is this, if not a business opportunity!
"Old Jie, go and buy me some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone," Chen Mu suddenly spoke up.
Jie Jia's squinted eye couldn't help but open wide.
What's the matter? Selling to two isn't enough? Now you want to make them and sell them on the spot?
"If Sheng Hong can sell to six families, why can't I sell to eight?" Chen Mu glared at Jie Jia.
This is what it means to surpass the master!
"Do you still want your twenty percent commission?!"
Jie Jia's eyes rolled around, and he casually glanced at Chen Mu before speaking.
"There are three forces that regularly collect various Shape Cultivation secret techniques."
"The eldest young master of the Zuo Family has secretly put out a message wanting to purchase Shape Cultivation Techniques."
"Zhu Yi Pavilion could also include one more."
"Inside the city, Bailiu Gang intends to expand, and they should not reject a Shape Cultivation heritage either."
Chen Mu: "..."
Goodness gracious!
Now that you've mentioned it, damn, I'm not tired anymore!
"Let's get to work!"
...
In a corner of the Ghost Market, inside a ruined house without a roof.
A young man in his twenties stood quietly in the room.
A white paper oil lamp hung on the wall.
The dim candlelight flickered, casting an intermittent glow on his fair complexion.
Soon, a person in a ghost mask quietly entered the room, full of joy, "Young Master Zuo, sorry to have kept you waiting. This is what you asked for."
While speaking, he unrolled a painting scroll.
The young man looked at the scroll, his expression changing, "Such skilled brushwork!"
"This is the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation manual," the masked man enthusiastically introduced.
"My manual isn't like what the others have, they are all poorly made and shoddy."
"Just look at this brushwork, look at these detailed records. With such a manual, how could one fail to master Shape Cultivation?"
Young Master Zuo listened to his introduction while examining the scroll, his expression growing more and more odd.
"Just give me one thousand silver, and this generation-spanning Shape Cultivation manual can be yours."
"Think about it, with this Shape Cultivation manual, couldn't your Zuo Family establish a legacy through martial arts? The world is becoming more chaotic; those with the bigger fists get to talk, right?"
"You're right," Young Master Zuo said, his face filled with emotion as he withdrew his gaze.
"Then the payment for the goods..." the man in the ghost mask was overjoyed.
Shape Cultivation is not just any martial Skill; a mistake could cripple someone.
A manual that meticulously indicates even the changes in muscle striations is worth a fortune!
Lucky for him the fool who sold the manual had no clue about its true value, and fortunately, the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation had been so peddled that he had managed to send the guy away with just a few words.
Bought for eighty silver, sold for a thousand, what a profitable business!
Young Master Zuo clicked his tongue, "It's just a pity..."
The masked man's heart skipped a beat.
"The item is good, it's just..." Young Master Zuo shook his head.
"What's the problem..." The man in the ghost mask felt a sense of déjà vu and anxiety.
Young Master Zuo sighed and took a painting scroll out of a fabric pocket on the wall.
That feeling of familiarity became stronger, and a bad feeling washed over the man in the ghost mask.
Young Master Zuo silently unrolled the scroll.
A row of lifelike figures appeared before their eyes, alongside a column of elegant characters—True·Red Falcon Shape Cultivation.
The man in the ghost mask: "..."
Fuck!
Is this the respect that Shape Cultivation deserves?
Are they all bloody wholesaling it or what?!