Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 359: The Illusionist
Heifengdu is just a small ferry town on the map, but when we arrived at Shanglu, we found that the scale of this ferry town is much larger than that of Luoshui County.

Its level of prosperity is even higher than that of Chengfeng County, where the capital of Baiyi County is located.

Shang Lu had been to ferry towns such as Longyou County and Shuangjiang Town before, but the scale and bustle of Heifeng Ferry far exceeded those two places.

It is probably related to the ghost market under Heifengdu.

Shang Lu and his companions changed into casual clothes after entering Guling County. Now they were queuing outside the city gate with their horses, waiting to enter Heifeng Ferry.

That’s right, as a ferry, Heifeng Ferry even built a towering city wall.

There are huge dark red spells on the city walls, like blood-red eyes, emitting an oppressive aura.

Shang Lu originally thought that they would attract the curiosity and suspicion of others because they were wearing casual clothes but leading war horses. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Shang Lu put away the paper horse early.

When we arrived at Heifeng Ferry, we saw that there were quite a few people here who were wearing casual clothes but riding tall and strong war horses.

There were also many people who rode strange mounts. Paper horses and bamboo horses were considered ordinary, while others rode ferocious beasts such as bears and tigers, as well as poisonous insects such as snakes and scorpions.

What's worse, they were riding on tall but dark-skinned Kunlun slaves.

What intrigued Shang Lu the most was a group of medicinal material merchants from the northern Yan State.

Although the mounts of this group of medicinal herb merchants were just tall elks, there was nothing special about them.

However, what they drove to carry goods were not mules or horses, but a kind of human-like creature.

This creature has a body like a human, but without a head.

Their eyes, ears, mouths and noses are all on their chests, and their image is very similar to the legendary Xing Tian.

A piece of ice ball was stuffed into the mouth of each headless man, making them unable to make any sound and forcing them to work in silence.

Judging from the performance of these headless people, their strength is almost as great as that of mules and horses.

Tu Bin, who had served in the border army, had seen these headless people before. Seeing that Shang Lu was interested in them, he lowered his voice and introduced them:

"Sir, these headless people are the barbarians of the Headless Tribe in the Far North. Legend has it that this tribe has the blood of Xing Tian, ​​so they have strange looks and are as strong as an ox. It's a pity that they have brute strength but no combat skills or magic, so they are often captured by several northern countries as slaves."

Zhu Quan listened to his words, but shook his head to correct him:
"Old Butcher, you are wrong. The so-called Xingtian bloodline is just a far-fetched fabrication by merchants from several northern countries in order to sell these barbarians from the headless tribe for a good price.

If these barbarians from the Headless Tribe really had Xingtian's bloodline, how could they have fallen to such a state?

I have heard from the witch officials in the county that the barbarians of this headless tribe were originally normal people like us. However, their ancestors made a big mistake in the dark and chaotic era, and were cursed and exiled by the gods, which is why they have become what they are now, neither human nor ghost."

Did you make a big mistake in the dark and chaotic era? Did you get cursed by the gods?

In that crazy era, even practicing cannibalism became the norm. It was not uncommon for masters and disciples to turn against each other, and for fathers and sons to eat each other. The gods didn't care at all because they were all crazy and couldn't take care of themselves.

So what kind of big mistake did the ancestors of this group of headless barbarians commit that could cause the gods to punish them with curses when they were already unable to take care of themselves?

But you have to admit, their strange appearance really looks like the strange changes that occurred after being contaminated by chaotic divine power.

Shang Lu was curious and asked quietly, but Zhu Quan didn't know either. He shook his head and said, "Those witch officials didn't tell me... In my opinion, those witch officials probably don't know either. After all, it happened thousands of years ago. Who can tell for sure?"

Du Feng was curious about something else: "Why do these headless people hold ice balls in their mouths?"

Tu Xiong found another opportunity to show off, and said hurriedly: "Those ice balls are a means of control. When I was in the border army, I heard from merchants in Yan State that as long as the ice balls in their mouths melted, these headless barbarians would die. In order to survive, they can only obey their master in exchange for ice balls."

A group of people were talking in low voices and soon lined up at the gate of Heifengdu.

Because he came to Heifengdu for private business, Shang Lu did not show the badges of the Baiyi County witch official and the thief Caoyuan.

The gate officers at Heifengdu did not check identities or travel passes, but simply collected an entry fee per person.

After Shang Lu paid the money, he said with a straight face: "Is this your first time at Black Wind Ferry? We don't care about your identity or your origins. But there is one thing you must remember. When you come to Black Wind Ferry, be honest and don't cause trouble."

Then he waved his hand to let him go, and urged Shang Lu to hurry into the city so as not to delay them from collecting the entrance fee from the people behind him.

After entering Heifeng Ferry and seeing the scene inside the ferry, Shang Lu and the others became more shocked and speechless.

This is not a ferry, it is clearly a bustling metropolis.

Looking around, the road behind the city gate is not only busy with traffic, but also bustling with people. On both sides of the road, there are many warehouses, post stations, banks, wine shops, and even brothels...

“Wow, a whole industry has been developed based on the ghost market!” Shang Lu exclaimed in amazement.

I originally thought that the ghost market must be conducted secretly. Now it seems that this is not the case.

This ghost market is more like a legal international trading port?
Is it able to develop so well simply because it is located at the junction of three places?

Or is there some other reason?
Shang Lu was very curious.

He and Zhu Quan were fine, having seen big scenes before. Although they were a little surprised at the prosperity of Heifeng Ferry, that was all.

Du Feng and Tu Pi, two guys who had never seen the world, were like Granny Liu who entered the Grand View Garden, exclaiming in amazement as they walked.

As the sky began to darken, Shang Lu thought about finding an inn to stay in first and then asking for how to get to the ghost market.

As he was looking up, a man suddenly approached him from the side of the road and asked with a smile, "Dear guests, are you new to Black Wind Ferry? Do you want to go to the Ghost Market?"

Shang Lu glanced at the man, raised his eyebrows slightly, and didn't want to pay any attention to him.

Because he heard something familiar in the man's words.

It is a sophistry that pretends to be enthusiastic in order to deceive people into letting down their guard.

In the end, the visitor did not give up, and he had good eyesight. He saw that although Shang Lu was the youngest, he was the leader. Even if Shang Lu ignored him, he followed closely, saying as he walked:
"Don't be nervous, my dear guest. Nine out of ten people who come to our Black Wind Ferry are heading for the Ghost Market. But you know, if you want to go to the Ghost Market, you must have a ferry pass. Otherwise, even if you are a good swimmer and can dive to the bottom of the Qiang River and search everywhere, you will never find the entrance to the Ghost Market."

"Oh?"

Shang Lu really didn't know about this situation.

Bai Lingxu only told him that the Five Evil Stones were for sale in the ghost market at Heifeng Ferry, but he did not tell him what kind of ferry pass was needed to enter the ghost market.

He stopped, looked at the person who spoke to him, and asked, "Do you have a ferry pass?"

The man shook his head: "You are joking, my dear guest. The ferry pass is a rare item in our Black Wind Ferry. I also want to have one, but it must be granted by the Witch Academy. But I have a way to get in touch with people who go in and out of the Ghost Market. Whether you want to buy or sell treasures, you don’t have to go to the Ghost Market. Leave it to me and I can help you solve it." So he was a broker?

Shang Lu thought about it and realized that if he really needed a pass to enter the ghost market, and the pass was really rare, then he would really have to rely on a broker.

So he asked, "I want the Five Evil Stones, can you help me buy them?"

"Five Evil Stones? No problem. You pay me a deposit first, and when I give you the Five Evil Stones, you can pay the balance. Don't worry, I have been doing this business in Black Wind Ferry for many years, and my reputation is better than gold!"

As the broker spoke, he took out a wooden box, opened it mysteriously, and showed it to Shang Lu.

"If you don't believe me, I'll pledge this box of spiritual marrow to you. When I give you the Five Evil Stones, you can give me this box of spiritual marrow and the balance. If I don't buy the Five Evil Stones for you, this box of spiritual marrow will be yours."

The thing in the box really looked like spiritual essence, even the aura was exactly the same.

If it were someone else, they would definitely be deceived.

Even Shang Lu, who did not borrow the "Seeing Through Fire" ability of the [Demon-Suppressing County Lieutenant], was almost deceived.

Fortunately, Shanglu has a plug-in.

Sanniang whispered in his ear, "It's fake, an illusion."

Shang Lu understood instantly that this guy was not a broker at all, but a liar.

If anyone believed him and paid the deposit, he would use subsequent means and tricks to cheat all the money out of the person.

Damn it, a liar dares to pester me? Do I look so gullible?
If Heifengdu was in Baiyi County, Shang Lu would have taken action directly and captured this guy.

But this is the territory of Guling County, and it is not easy for him to enforce the law across borders and overstep his authority.

The broker didn't know that he had been discovered by Shang Lu. After closing the wooden box, he continued to deceive Shang Lu in a tone of "you're getting a bargain": "The spiritual essence in this box is much more expensive than the deposit you paid. You don't have to worry about me running away, do you?"

Shang Lu looked at him deeply, then suddenly smiled and said, "Forget it. I don't like to take advantage of others. I'd better go to the ghost market and buy it myself."

The broker was stunned, as if he had not expected that Shang Lu would not be tempted. He immediately used rhetoric to scare and deceive: "Why are you so stubborn? Let me tell you, the ghost market is not as good as you think. Once you enter the ghost market, you must follow the rules of the ghost market. If you make a mistake, you will end up dying suddenly."

When Shang Lu heard him say this, he felt it sounded familiar.

Could this ghost market be a secret place?

Is Guling County so arrogant that it uses the secret realm as a ghost market?
Or is this a scrapped secret place that has been mined out? It just has some strange rules left, so it has been transformed into a ghost market?
The broker didn't know what Shang Lu was thinking. After threatening him for a few words, he said, "You are here to buy something. Why put yourself in danger? Let me do it for you. I guarantee the price will be fair."

"No need." Shang Lu shook his head, not wanting to bother with this liar anymore.

The man wanted to continue to pester, but Tu Xiong squeezed in and separated him.

"Our eldest... Young Master said it's not necessary, so stop pestering us and get out of here right away, or don't blame us for being rude."

The broker glanced at Tu Bin's huge figure, then looked at Zhu Quan and the others who had cold expressions on their faces. He stopped obediently, did not follow them, and turned around to walk into an alley on the side.

There were a few people squatting in the alley. When they saw the broker coming in, they surrounded him and asked:
"How about it?"

"That person didn't fall for it?"

The broker shook his head, turned his head and followed the alley entrance, looking at Shang Lu and others who were walking away, and ordered in a cold voice:
"Third brother, follow them and see which inn they are staying at. This group of people is determined to go to the ghost market, most likely they are not going to buy the Five Evil Stones. Either they have valuable treasures on them and are eager to sell them. Or they have brought enough money and want to go to the ghost market to find treasures. No matter which one it is, they are all fat sheep."

"it is good."

The man called Lao San spat out the grass ear in his mouth, walked out of the alley, mixed in the crowd, and followed slowly.

The broker spat on the ground and cursed: "That guy looks young and is very cautious. I thought that when they came back for the first time, we could easily cheat them and take away their money and treasures. But the guy didn't take the bait. We can only use other means..."

As he was talking, a man in the alley suddenly raised his hand, pointed to the street outside, and said urgently: "Brother, there are another group of strangers here."

The broker looked back and saw that the people who came were wearing foreign clothes and had feathers and other ornaments on their heads. They were obviously from a barbarian tribe in the south.

He immediately laughed: "It's indeed a stranger! Hehe, these barbarians are so easy to deceive."

He walked quickly out of the alley and ran towards the group of barbarians from the south, and used the same rhetoric he had just used on Shang Lu on this group of barbarians.

Afraid that the other party wouldn't understand, he even switched to barbaric language.

What the broker didn't know was that Shang Lu knew all of their discussions and arrangements.

Shanglu's hearing was greatly enhanced after the kidney statue was activated.

As his cultivation level increased to the Zhoutian realm, he was far superior to ordinary people. As long as he concentrated, he could clearly hear even a whisper from a hundred meters away.

Since he suspected that there was something fishy about the broker, Shang Lu would naturally not sit idly by.

In addition to secretly hiding a paper man on the broker's body, he also used his hearing to eavesdrop on the broker.

After thinking for a while, Shang Lu waved to Zhu Quan, motioning him to come closer, and asked in a low voice: "Do you remember what the broker looked like just now?"

"I remember it." Zhu Quan nodded in response.

As a thief's clerk, having a photographic memory is a basic skill, not to mention that the broker had just been seen.

And his reaction was also quick: "Is there something wrong with that guy?"

"His box of spiritual essence is fake."

Shang Lu said, and then ordered: "There should be a government office here in Heifengdu, right? You go and report the case, draw a picture of the broker just now, and hand it over to them for them to deal with. After all, we are officials from other counties, so it is not convenient for us to interfere in this matter."

Zhu Quan bowed and said "yes", then left the team and went to the government office in Heifengdu to report the case.

Shang Lu took everyone and found an inn nearby.

After completing the check-in formalities, he asked the store owner for instructions on how to enter the ghost market.

As a result, I was told that I did need to pass the card to enter the ghost market.

But this ferry card is not as rare as the broker said.

(End of this chapter)