My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

He rubbed his stomach. "Besides, sleeping on the floor all the time isn't comfortable either."

Miao Gui was squatting by the fire warming his hands when he heard this. He glanced at him and said, "You should be grateful. In these mountains, who would dare to stay out all night?"

Only under the guidance of the immortal master can we sleep so soundly. Anyone else would have been devoured by those things long ago, leaving not even bones behind.

Lü Yang opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but then felt that Miao Gui's words made sense.

He snorted and fell silent.

The chubby baby squatted beside the fire, holding a small twig in both hands. On the twig was a mushroom that had been picked from somewhere, which was roasting over the fire.

The mushrooms sizzled and wafted out their aroma, and Lü Yang's stomach growled again.

The chubby boy plucked the mushroom from the branch, blew on it, and handed it to Lü Yang.

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, then took it, took a bite, and winced from the heat, but still finished it in a few bites.

The chubby baby skewered another flower and continued baking.

After finishing the mushrooms, Lü Yang stood up and stretched.

His arms were raised above his head, his mouth was open, his eyes were squinted, and he looked like a lazy cat.

He stretched and was about to sit down when he suddenly stopped.

He turned his head to the left, staring fixedly in that direction, motionless.

"What's wrong?" Miao Gui asked.

Lü Yang didn't answer, he just looked in that direction.

His eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, and his expression shifted from curiosity to surprise.

"There is light over there," he said.

Miao Gui followed his gaze.

In the distance, a few lights flickered through the gaps in the tree shadows.

It wasn't moonlight, nor starlight, but lamplight, a warm, orange-yellow light, as if someone had lit a lamp in the distance.

Miao Gui glanced at it a few times and shook his head: "It's not surprising that there is light. In these Hundred Thousand Mountains, there are occasionally caravans traveling at night."

Lü Yang had already taken a few steps in that direction. "It's not just one lamp, it's many lamps. Look, there seems to be a village over there."

Miao Gui stood up, walked to his side, and looked in that direction.

This time, he saw it clearly.

It wasn't a village, but many, many lights, all connected together, red, yellow, and green, hanging under the eaves and on the treetops, swaying gently in the night breeze.

He could even see the outlines of houses, with black tiles and white walls, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys, just like any other house in the world.

His expression changed.

That's not a village.

Lu Yang was taken aback: "Not a village? Then what is it?"

Miao Gui's voice lowered, becoming almost inaudible.

"A ghost market. It's a ghost market."

Lu Yang's expression also changed.

He recalled the experiences of the traveling merchants yesterday, the watermelon stall, the people whose bodies were turned into lanterns, and the merchant whose internal organs had been emptied.

His hands began to tremble, and he instinctively took a step back.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Miao Gui nodded.

He spent three years traveling through the Ten Thousand Mountains, hearing countless legends of the Ghost Market.

The old merchants told him that the things in the ghost market were not people, but ghosts.

They imitate everything about the human world: markets, shops, teahouses, restaurants, and even the hawking cries on the streets.

That's not real, that's a trap.

If a living person enters the ghost market, they will never be able to get out.

Lü Yang turned around and looked at Ye Qingfeng.

His lips trembled slightly; he wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Ye Qingfeng was still sitting by the fire, holding a teacup and slowly sipping his tea.

The firelight shone on his face, and his expression was calm, as if he already knew what was over there, or as if he didn't care about anything at all.

"Immortal Master, that's the Ghost Market. Should we go somewhere else?" Lu Yang's voice was a little strained.

Ye Qingfeng put down his teacup, glanced at him, then looked at the lights in the distance. A slight smile played on his lips as he said, "No rush."

Lü Yang was stunned.

Not urgent?

The ghost market is right ahead, why aren't you in a hurry?

He opened his mouth, but Ye Qingfeng had already turned his head away and continued drinking his tea.

Lu Yang could only stand there, watching the lights in the distance grow brighter and brighter. He didn't feel anything in his heart. Fear? That was impossible.

They remain still, but the ghost market is in motion.

The lights grew closer and brighter.

It wasn't that they walked away; it was that the ghost market itself came to them.

The outlines of the houses became clearer, the layout of the streets became more distinct, and even the shadows of people walking on the streets could be seen.

The figures swayed back and forth in the lamplight; some carried loads on their shoulders, some pushed carts, and some chatted and laughed, just like living people.

Lu Yang saw the lights getting closer and closer, from tens of feet to more than ten feet, to a few feet, to a few steps.

He saw the stone tablet, with three characters carved on it, painted in red, shining brightly in the light—"Huaiyin Village".

His hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Finally, I can get some exercise!

Ye Qingfeng stood up.

He placed his teacup on the stone, put his hands behind his back, and watched the village getting closer and closer.

His face was expressionless; there was no surprise, no tension, not even curiosity.

He looked at it for a few moments, then smiled faintly, as if he were looking at something very interesting.

"If you have a place to stay, why not go in?" he said.

Lü Yang was stunned.

Miao Gui was also stunned.

Shen Zhaoyue was also stunned.

The chubby baby was squatting beside the fire, still intently roasting mushrooms, completely unaware of what was happening.

Lu Yang and the others thought they were about to start fighting, so why did the Immortal Master suddenly say he wanted to move in?

Lu Yang swallowed hard, his voice dry: "Immortal Master, that's the Ghost Market. Once you go in, you can't get out."

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him: "Just because others can't get out doesn't mean you can't."

Lü Yang opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Looking into Ye Qingfeng's calm eyes, he suddenly realized that his worries were unnecessary.

With the immortal master here, what is he afraid of?

Ghost markets, monsters, evil spirits—none of them matter in front of a celestial master.

He took a deep breath, lowered his hand from the hilt of the sword, and straightened his chest.

"The Immortal Master is right, why not go in if there's a place to stay?"

Miao Gui looked at him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Looking at Ye Qingfeng's gray-blue back and his calm demeanor, the fear in his heart suddenly dissipated by more than half.

This Taoist priest can kill a hundred-year-old bear demon with a single sword strike, can casually throw the Earth God's Seal at people, and even has the Mountain God's Seal on his body. A mere ghost market should be no problem for him.

Ye Qingfeng strode towards the brightly lit village.

Lü Yang followed behind, Miao Gui followed behind Lü Yang, and Shen Zhaoyue walked at the very back. The chubby baby squatted on Miao Gui's bundle, holding up the skewer of roasted mushrooms in his hand.

The firelight illuminated their faces, casting long shadows on the road leading to the ghost market.

They walked a few steps and arrived at the village entrance.

The stone tablet stood by the roadside, the three characters "Huaiyin Village" glowing red like blood in the lamplight.

A red lantern hangs on the old locust tree next to the stone tablet. The lantern sways gently in the wind, its light flickering as if welcoming them.

The streets were bustling with people, and the sounds of hawking, laughter, cursing, and bargaining mingled together, making it as lively as the New Year.

When those people saw them, their expressions changed.

It wasn't surprise, it was curiosity, as if they had seen something rare.

Then they laughed, a meaningful laugh, as if to say: "Finally, it's here."

Lu Yang glared back at those strange creatures, saying, "I hope you'll be laughing later."

He followed Ye Qingfeng into the brightly lit street, into that bustling place that didn't belong to the living.

The chubby baby squatted on the bundle, took a bite of the roasted mushroom, chewed it, swallowed it, and then took another bite.

He knows nothing and doesn't want to know.

All he knew was that mushrooms smelled good.

The wind blew by, carrying away the aroma of mushrooms.