fairy family

Chapter 15 Bookworm Ghost

"Don't miss it if you pass by. This is a top-quality three-color porcelain jar with a 70% chance of ghosts appearing! One jar only costs 10,000 coins!"

"I just opened a red boy ghost, glass type, if any boss likes it, please give me a price!"

In gamblers' places, there are many people selling urns and coffins.

There were also people selling ghost stuff, which were taken from various urns and coffins, and they were sold on the spot, creating a lively atmosphere.

Yu Que came forward and took a few looks. He found that most of the customers who bought ghost items were from shops where ghosts were concentrated, a small number were stall owners, and only about 10% were passers-by.

He quickly reacted and understood the reason.

It should be known that what are sold in the gambling dens are all pure ghosts that have never been sacrificed, and only a few are household gods that have been sacrificed.

It is difficult for ordinary people to identify the quality of such purely uncivilized ghosts. Usually only shop vendors or alchemists will purchase these opened ghosts.

And because the ghost has been sealed in the jar for who knows how many years, it is really unknown what its nature is.

Even the most common lantern monster may be lurking with danger. If you want to refine it, even without the help of a refiner, you have to keep it in your hands for a few days to observe its ferocious nature. Otherwise, if you refine it hastily, you are likely to fall into a trap.

This is not only true for ghosts obtained through gambling. Ghosts obtained through transactions from others also need to be either raised and observed for a period of time, or a master of cultivation is asked to take a look to see if there are any problems.

This is exactly why many people choose time-honored stores when purchasing ghosts and gods.

Because the old-established stores not only have a good reputation, but also have their own procedures for after-sales service. You can refine it right after buying it, which saves you a lot of trouble.

But before this, Yu Que could refine the cat-faced ghost as soon as he got it.

That was because the cat-faced ghost had only been around for a short time, and he had killed it with his own hands, so Yu Que naturally dared to refine it with confidence.

Yu Que wandered around in the gambling den.

He also found that the price of the ghosts here was much cheaper than those in the shops, but only full payment was accepted.

However, the low price is not what Yu Que values ​​most.

What he valued was the variety of ghosts here. Basically, any ghost that was available would be sold on the spot if the seller did not need it. No specific identity, letter of introduction, etc. were required.

There is only one rule here: whoever offers the highest price can get it.

Among the thousands of ghosts, there is a kind of ghost called "book ghost" or "bookworm ghost". This kind of ghost is born from documents and books. It is shaped like a caterpillar and lives by eating documents. It is basically harmless.

When this creature parasitizes on a person, it will at most become like an old woman muttering all day long and causing some hallucinations, disturbing the person's peace.

Also, because what it mutters happens to be related to the words and pictures it eats, the bookworm ghost has been used by immortals as an alternative carrier of documents since its discovery.

They also bred species with different purposes. Among them are the erudite species that can record multiple classics and classify them at the same time; there are the century-old and thousand-year-old species that can live for hundreds or even thousands of years; and there are the confidential species that will become invalid after one use... and so on.

In addition to its more magical recording effect than paper, the bookworm ghost hides in the human body and can be viewed at any time. It will not realize its uselessness until the content it records is remembered by people, and then it will slowly become depressed and die of grief.

Therefore, many bookworm ghosts have been developed with corresponding characteristics. Once they are refined, they will force their providers to learn the knowledge in their minds.

Or maybe the refiner will die as soon as he finishes refining it, and all the words and pictures in the belly will suddenly be imprinted in the refiner's mind, and the refiner does not need to make any effort to remember them.

Yu Que heard that these bookworm ghosts were quite popular among wealthy families, and were often used by immortals to educate their children, forcing them to study classics, with very good results.

A dandy boy who is unlearned and unlearned can become a well-read person by cultivating a few bookworm ghosts when he grows up.

But Yu Que himself has naturally never used the Bookworm Ghost.

Because the price of the Bookworm Ghost is at least equivalent to that of a ninth-grade household god. After all, it is also a ghost god, and its value will increase accordingly due to the knowledge hidden in its belly.

It is not uncommon for some ninth-grade bookworm ghosts with hidden secrets, such as the treasure-hiding bookworm ghost, to be sold at the price of the eighth, seventh, or even sixth grade.

Yu Que had just seen someone selling bookworm ghosts in the ghost gambling place, and not just one. "If these bookworm ghosts from the ghost altar have a cultivation inheritance hidden in their bellies, that would be exactly what I want!" He immediately looked forward to it.

This is not just a delusion that Yu Que developed after repeated setbacks.

But according to the records in "History of Immortality", the imperial court vigorously promoted the practice of alchemy among the people twice, at the beginning of the dynasty and again 300 years after the founding of the dynasty.

The first time, the court only made books and steles and sent them to various places in China, but the second time, the court not only made books and steles, but also added the creation of bookworm ghosts to spread the inheritance of alchemy.

It is a pity that after two vigorous promotions, the quality of the alchemists among the people is still mixed, and they are not fit for purpose. Instead, many families have been forced to go bankrupt and have caused a lot of resentment.

Therefore, the subsequent third plan of refining and promoting salvation was stillborn before it even began.

Although the court's plan failed, a large number of documents, inscriptions, and bookworms remained among the people. Many of the original books and inscriptions became antique treasures and were collected by wealthy families from all over the country.

Although Yu Que did not dare to buy the inheritance of refining from individual vendors to learn, if the vendor had the Refining Bookworm Ghost in his hands, he would dare to buy it to learn.

Because the bookworm ghosts refined by the imperial court all bear a brand, and no one else can tamper with the contents inside. They are unique pieces that will be discarded after use, and are more difficult to forge than documents and inscriptions.

Even though Yu Que has not yet become a master of alchemy, he is confident that he can tell whether this thing is real or fake.

With the idea of ​​buying the Bookworm Ghost in mind, Yu Que went to inquire from the sellers one by one in the gambling ghost place.

Originally, he was thinking that if tonight didn't work, then he would wait tomorrow night or the night after tomorrow, even if he had to skip work.

As a result, after asking around, he found that there were two sellers selling the Liandu Bookworm Ghost in the venue, and each of them had one.

This immediately surprised Yu Que!
However, he did not reveal too much. Instead, he found a seller and asked him indirectly why he had not sold the item yet. After all, these bookworm ghosts that were refined three hundred years after the founding of the dynasty were antiques and should be very expensive.

As a result, the man who sold ghosts looked at Yu Que with a smile.

The other party did not answer immediately, but asked: "Little brother, do you want to be a master?"

Seeing that he had been seen through by the other party, Yu Que smiled slightly, did not try to hide it anymore, and simply nodded in agreement.

"Haha!" The ghost seller laughed and said:
"I have come across many people like you before, so there is no need to worry about any traps here.

As for why I don't sell it to those stores, the reason is simple. If you buy it from their store, the price will be calculated as a bookworm ghost and a cultivation inheritance, but if I sell it to them, it will only be the price of a bookworm ghost."

The ghost seller who called himself "Ma Yinglong" also cursed:
"Damn it, they're trying to lower the price to a very low level! They say this thing is useless after use, and they don't even want to collect it as an antique, it's just a piece of broken worm."

When Yu Que heard these words, he was stunned for a moment. He had never expected this to be the reason.

But if you think about it carefully, it is normal for merchants to "dislike" the Liandu Bookworm Ghost.

After all, these bookworm ghosts are nearly six hundred years old. No matter how well they are kept, their lifespan after opening the altar is limited, and the inheritance hidden in their bodies are all refining inheritances from nearly six hundred years ago.

It's just an entry-level inheritance of alchemy. Unless the alchemist dies, this thing is not like old wine. It will not become more fragrant as it is stored, but will become more and more outdated.

After understanding this situation, Yu Que was delighted and immediately asked Ma Yinglong:
"So, senior, how much do you want for this book?"

The ghost seller showed a vague smile on his face and slowly uttered two words:
"priceless"

This made the smile on Yu Que's face freeze.

Then the ghost seller said:

"I only accept ghosts in exchange for ghosts, and I only need a hundred-year-old ghost."

Yu Que couldn't help it and immediately started cursing:

"You profiteer!"

(End of this chapter)