I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Midnight, Jianghai City Funeral Home.

Located in the northwest corner of the city, this place is backed by a desolate mountain called "Soul-Breaking Mountain". At night, a chilling wind blows here, and even stray cats dare not approach. Taxi drivers will not take you here no matter how much money you offer.

But tonight, the open space behind the funeral home is brightly lit... not counting the flickering green will-o'-the-wisps.

"boom--"

The Range Rover rolled over the dead branches and leaves and came to a stop at the entrance to the back mountain.

Jiang Li jumped out of the car, took a deep breath of the air which carried a faint smell of burning paper and the stench of corpses, and a nostalgic expression appeared on his face.

"Ah, the familiar recipe, the familiar taste."

He patted the car door. "Back in the day, when I was carrying corpses here, it was summer, and the smell was much stronger than this. In the dead of winter, it's a bit lacking."

Dahuang jumped off the car and clung tightly to Jiang Li's legs, its tail tucked between its legs.

It smelled it.

The place reeks of death!

And it wasn't just any ordinary dead person; it was the kind of old, rotten corpse that had been dead for hundreds of years, filled with the resentment of a resurrected old zongzi!

This is the legendary "Ghost Market".

A gray area where awakened humans make deals with other species (rational ghosts and demons).

"Big Yellow, don't be a coward! We're here to shop, let's show some guts!"

Jiang Li tugged at the iron chain in his hand. "Let's go in and see if there's any cheap furniture."

……

At the entrance to the ghost market are two old locust trees entwined with white silk ribbons.

Two pale-faced paper figures with rouge on their cheeks stood motionless under the tree, each holding a white lantern.

As Jiang Li approached, the eyes of the two paper figures suddenly shifted, making a "crunching" sound as if the paper was rubbing together.

"The living must not proceed... The dead may pass..."

A sinister voice came from inside the paper figure's belly.

Most people would have wet themselves in fear by now.

But who is Jiang Li?

He was a former top-notch porter at the funeral home, used to seeing all sorts of big events.

"It's this same old thing again, making it feel like an escape room game."

Jiang Li pursed his lips, took out a handful of change from his pocket (the change he got from buying cigarettes), counted out twenty yuan, and stuffed it into the paper figure's hand.

"Alright, alright, stop playing tricks. We're all just trying to make a living. Here's twenty yuan, take it and buy some paste to nourish yourself."

Paper doll: "..."

He was clutching that crumpled twenty-yuan note in his hand, his entire face frozen in shock.

Is this a toll?

Is this the legendary toll for tolls?

But it wants ghost money! What use is this RMB to it? Who will it spend it on down there?

But before it could act, it sensed the malevolent aura emanating from Jiang Li that was even more terrifying than a vengeful ghost (actually, it was the lingering fishy smell from killing too many fish and leeches), as well as the strange dog lying on the ground, trembling but with eyes that could devour a person.

"Can't afford to offend them..."

The paper figure silently tucked the money into its paper sleeve and bowed deeply.

"Honored guest... please come in..."

"That's right, good service is essential."

Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction and swaggered into the ghost market.

……

The ghost market was bustling with activity.

The stalls on both sides were filled with all sorts of things.

There were vendors selling coffin boards (made from century-old lightning-struck wood), vendors selling dead people's hair (made from the hair of vengeful spirits), and vendors selling unknown dried meat (made from zombie meat).

The "people" coming and going were also incredibly diverse.

There are half-bodies floating in mid-air, beautiful women with fox tails, and mummies wrapped in bandages.

Under Jiang Li's "poverty filter," all of this becomes reasonable.

The person floating is riding a balance bike; young people these days really know how to have fun.

Vixen -> This girl is really open, she just came out wearing a tail, she must be from some nightclub.

Mummy --> This guy's burns are pretty bad, but he's still out setting up a stall so late at night. So inspiring!

"Big Yellow, look at that!"

Jiang Li pointed to a stall and said excitedly, "That chair is nice!"

Dahuang looked in the direction the finger was pointing.

It was a [Bone Throne] (Rank C) pieced together from countless human bones, shrouded in a dense aura of death; anyone who sat on it would have their life force drained.

"This design is so ergonomic! It must be super breathable!"

Jiang Li walked over and touched the cold bone (he thought it was some kind of new type of plastic or jade).

The stall owner was a skeleton mage dressed in a black robe, with green flames flickering in his eye sockets.

"Hehehe... Do you like it? As long as it's your soul..."

"How much?" Jiang Li interrupted its spellcasting.

The skeleton mage was taken aback: "Thirty...thirty thousand?" (That was a unit of ghost money.)

"Thirty thousand? That's too expensive! This plastic chair is only uniquely designed, would you sell it for three hundred?"

Jiang Li never hesitates to haggle, always rounding down the price before offering a discount.

The skeleton mage was so angry his bones cracked: "Three hundred?! You're insulting a noble necromancer! This is the cushion of the Bone Duke!"

"Fine, don't sell then. You've got quite a temper."

Jiang Li muttered something, then turned and left, "It doesn't look very sturdy. It'll probably fall apart after a couple of days."

He continued to wander around the market.

I mainly want to buy some kitchenware and furniture.

The villa was large, but it was still empty inside, making cooking inconvenient.

As Jiang Li walked, he suddenly stopped.

His gaze was drawn to something in the corner.

It was a stove, about a meter tall, completely black, and with an antique design.

The furnace body was cast from an unknown black metal, and was carved with grotesque demon reliefs. Green flames burned inside the furnace, and even from several meters away, one could feel a bone-chilling cold (actually, it was extremely yin fire).

【Nine Nether Soul Refining Furnace】(B-grade evil artifact).

This thing was originally a magical artifact used by an evil sect to refine vengeful spirits and corpse oil. It is said that the furnace contains the wronged souls of ninety-nine young boys and girls, and the fire is the legendary "corpse fire" that never goes out.

But in Jiang Li's eyes...

"Holy crap! This integrated cooktop is amazing!"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over.

"Those flames, so green, are a clear sign of efficient natural gas combustion! And this furnace is big enough to fit a whole leg of lamb!"

He was worried that his oven was too small to bake all the deep-sea seafood.

This oven is practically tailor-made for roasting a whole lamb (or a whole sea monster)!

The stall owner was a burly man with a face full of scars and a string of finger bones hanging around his neck. He was known as "The Butcher" and was a notorious black market tyrant in the area.

Seeing Jiang Li approach, the butcher revealed a cruel smile.

Another reckless fool has arrived.

"Kid, you've got your eye on this treasure?"

The butcher said in a gruff voice, "This is a good thing; it can turn a living person into an elixir. If you want it, you'll have to trade your life for it... oh no, I mean, a million dollars."

He originally wanted to offer his life in exchange, but seeing that Jiang Li was dressed quite well, he changed his mind and asked for money instead.

"One million?"

Jiang Li frowned. "This is just a second-hand stove. Although the fire is quite strong, the design is a bit outdated. Look at the pattern on it (the demon relief), how tacky it is, like something from the last century."

"earth?!"

The butcher was furious.

This is an ancient magical artifact! The relief on it depicts ten thousand ghosts devouring hearts! How dare you call it tacky?!

"Stop talking nonsense! If you can't afford it, get lost! Don't delay my business!"

With a wave of his hand, the butcher sent the green flames in the furnace leaping three feet higher, transforming into the shape of a skull that roared silently at Jiang Li.

This is a demonstration, and also intimidation.

An ordinary person would be terrified if they saw this.

However, Jiang Li looked pleasantly surprised.

"Wow! This stove even has voice control? It's a smart home!"

Instead of backing away, he moved even closer, reaching out to touch the skull made of flames.

"This fire looks big, but why doesn't it feel hot? Is the heat not strong enough?"

The butcher was stunned.

That's corpse fire! Even a tiny bit of it can burn a person's soul to ashes!

This kid actually dared to touch it with his hand?!

"court death!"

The butcher sneered inwardly, waiting to see Jiang Li's hand burned to a crisp.

however.

Jiang Li's hand passed through the green flames, just like testing the water temperature in a bathhouse.

"It's definitely not hot; it's a bit chilly. What's the principle behind this? Cold-fire technology?"

Jiang Li's [Abyss Fisherman] physique activated automatically, and the corpse fire that was enough to burn the soul was like a slightly cool breeze in his hands.

He even pinched the "cheek" of the flaming skull.

"Pop!"

The flaming skull was crushed and vanished in a wisp of smoke.

A terrified wail came from deep within the furnace.

That was the scream of the furnace spirit (the imprisoned main soul). It felt as if it had been desecrated by a hand from a higher dimension!

"..."

The butcher's chin slammed into his foot.

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

This young man crushed the corpse fire with his bare hands?!

"This stove seems to have a bad connection; the flames are flickering."

Jiang Li patted the furnace body, making a "clanging" metallic sound.

"Boss, is this thing broken? Look, the door won't close properly."

Jiang Li pointed to the furnace door that was still emitting green smoke.

"If this were for grilling meat, all the smoke would come out and be choking."

He pushed the furnace door hard.

"Squeak—"

The furnace door, which had been in disrepair for many years (actually, it had been forced open by resentment), emitted a harsh scraping sound, but it did not close.

"Is it stuck?"

Jiang Li frowned. "Looks like it needs some repairs."

He looked around and picked up a piece of half a tombstone from the ground (which a stall owner had used to weigh down his stall cloth).

"Get out of the way! Let me do it!"

Jiang Li swung the granite tombstone and smashed it repeatedly against the jammed furnace door hinge.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Sparks flew everywhere.

The violent smashing sounds echoed throughout the entire ghost market.

The ghosts and monsters watching were terrified.

That's the core of a Grade B magic artifact! Forged from indestructible black iron!

This kid actually smashed a tombstone?!

Even more terrifying is that... it actually moved!

"Snap!"

A crisp sound.

The hinge, which was afflicted by a vengeful spirit's curse, was smashed and deformed, and the furnace door slammed shut with a loud bang.

"Done!"

Jiang Li threw away the tombstone that had broken in two and clapped his hands.

"Boss, look, it's fixed. It's not leaking air anymore."

A muffled whimper came from inside the furnace; it was the furnace spirit begging for mercy. It was almost knocked unconscious!

The butcher was now drenched in sweat.

Although he was a bully, he wasn't stupid.

Anyone who can crush corpse fire with their bare hands and smash magical artifacts with a tombstone is definitely a monster in human skin!

"Um... young man, you've got great skills!"

The butcher forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Since you like it... how about I give you a discount on this stove?"

"How much?"

"Ten...ten thousand?" the butcher tentatively asked.

"One hundred thousand?"

Jiang Li's eyes widened. "Are you robbing me? This broken stove was just now, I fixed it! And you still want to charge me 100,000?!"

"Then...how much would you like to say?"

Jiang Li held up two fingers.

"Two thousand! Not a penny more! Look at this, it's covered in dust. I have to take it back and clean it myself. Do you know how expensive labor is?"

"Two...two thousand?!"

The butcher's heart was bleeding. He had risked his life to dig this furnace out of an ancient tomb!

But he glanced at Jiang Li's hand that had just crushed the corpse fire, and then at the big yellow dog next to him that was drooling over him (the big yellow dog thought this fat guy had a lot of meat).

"Sell it! Two thousand it is!"

The butcher gritted his teeth, "Just consider it making a friend!"

"That's more like it."

Jiang Li took out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay.

"This stove is a bit heavy, could you help me carry it onto the truck?"

"..."

Ten minutes later.

The butcher huffed and puffed as he carried the heavy [Nine Nether Soul Refining Furnace], weighing several hundred pounds, into the trunk of the Land Rover.

"Thanks, boss! Remember to save some for me if you find any of these cheap items in the future!"

Jiang Li waved and drove away.

The butcher slumped to the ground, watching the taillights of the departing car, tears welling up in his eyes.

"What the hell... who's robbing whom?"

……

In the car.

Jiang Li was in a great mood.

"Buying such a big oven for two thousand yuan is a steal!"

"But this stove can't just burn firewood; it also needs fuel. That green flame looks quite environmentally friendly, but I don't know how long it burns."

He glanced at the stove in the trunk through the rearview mirror.

"Oh right, aren't there still a lot of old renovation debris in the basement? And that... those 'black coal balls' (petrified wood struck by lightning) we picked up at the dock!"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up.

"That small black coal briquette is supposed to generate electricity, so its calorific value is probably quite high. I'll throw it into the furnace and see; maybe it can be used as a long-lasting fuel!"

In the trunk.

The Nine Nether Soul Refining Furnace trembled violently.

It heard it.

That devil... he's going to stuff lightning-struck wood into its belly?!

That's thunder! It's heavenly thunder specifically designed to subdue these evil creatures!

Are they going to turn it from a soul-refining furnace into a nuclear reactor?!

"Waaaaah..."

The stove emitted a desperate wail, but it seemed so insignificant under the roar of the Land Rover's engine.

……

Just as Jiang Li returned with a full load.

Deep inside a sewer in Jianghai City.

A figure shrouded in black robes and wearing a bird-beak mask was performing some kind of ritual in front of a pool of black water.

"Great Lord of the Abyss... Your servants call for your arrival..."

"Jianghai City... is about to become your altar..."

The black water surged and gradually coalesced into a giant eye.

"Offerings...I need offerings..."

A hoarse voice came from the water.

The bird-beaked man knelt respectfully: "The offerings are ready. Tomorrow night is the 'Sea God Festival,' when countless vibrant lives will gather on the beach..."

"Very good... Also, find me someone."

The eyes in the water gleamed with hatred.

"A man with a fishing rod...and a dog...I want his soul..."

The bird-beaked man was taken aback.

Holding a fishing rod? With a dog?

This feature... why does it sound so familiar?

It seems like tonight in the Ghost Market, there was a ruthless guy who used the [Screaming Demon Pot] as a pickle jar, dressed like this?

"hiss……"

The bird-beaked man gasped.

This task... is a bit too difficult.