Dream Walker: Feng Shui Master Bai Ya

While strolling around, Shang Muchen unexpectedly spotted a familiar little thing at a stall near the entrance to the Ghost Market.

This stall was filled with all sorts of old-fashioned cell phones, pagers, tape recorders, radios, record players, and other long-outdated electrical appliances.

Most of the electrical appliances evoked childhood memories for Shang Muchen, but there were also some strangely shaped things that Shang Muchen didn't know what they were used for.

Shang Muchen immediately noticed a neat row of small black radios on the stall, identical to the one Ma the Cripple had given him.

Shang Muchen picked up one at random and fiddled with it for a bit.

The stall owner was a man wearing a long overcoat and a hood, his face hidden in the shadow of the hood. Seeing Shang Muchen pick up a radio, he said in a hoarse voice:

"One hundred thousand."

"How much?" Shang Muchen asked in surprise.

"One price, no bargaining," the stall owner said coldly. "However, there is no Philosopher's Stone to power it; you'll have to find your own."

It can connect to the Eloin network and listen to common channels. It's fully guaranteed; if it breaks, it will be replaced immediately.

Shang Muchen found these words somewhat familiar, as if Ji Libeng had said something similar, but he didn't quite understand what they meant.

Not wanting the stall owner to think he was an amateur, Shang Muchen casually said, "I have the same model, I'm just browsing..." As he spoke, he put down the radio and picked up a handheld game console next to him.

This white, boxy handheld game console reminded him of his childhood, when he had one of the same kind that he could play Tetris.

I fiddled with it for a bit, but it's out of power and won't turn on.

"One hundred thousand," the stall owner said coldly.

"This is worth 100,000? That's all?" Shang Muchen grinned. "What kind of junk sells for 100,000?"

"The screen can receive video signals from all public channels of the Iloin Network within the Level 5 star system, but there is no sound."

"You can also use cross-density frequency modulation to receive video broadcast signals of other densities in this plane, for example—" The stall owner's cold gaze pierced through the shadows of his hood and landed on Shang Muchen's face as he spoke indifferently.

"Seeing what your deceased grandmother looked like in the intermediate state..."

"Forget it." Shang Muchen shrugged, put the handheld game console back in its place, and left the crazy stall.

The first two rows of the street were lined with stalls, and as you walked further in, some shops gradually appeared.

There's a shop on the left side of the street with a conspicuous neon sign that reads:

Fengdu Express: Guaranteed delivery, available anytime, affordable rates.

On the right, a shop displays a string of skulls of various strange animals, and a huge neon sign prominently proclaims:

[Merlin's Shop, the Archmage of England]

The smaller print below reads:

[Hard-quality goods from all over the world, antiques from the East and West, rare items from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, private orders are welcome]

Shang Muchen thought to himself, "This looks like a lot of fun. Are there any foreign shops here?"

Driven by curiosity, I stepped forward and peered through the glass window, only to be startled.

Inside the shop, a rather fierce-looking man with a large beard was attaching a mechanical prosthetic arm to the severed arm. The arm had a strong bronze steampunk vibe, with the forearm, cast in bronze, covered in Victorian-style reliefs and floral designs.

He grinned, but didn't dare push the door open, and continued walking forward.

Passing by [Da Bao Funeral Clothing Shop], [Qing Mi Nan Paper Shop], and [Wan Yuan Incense Shop], Shang Muchen saw a small storefront with a crookedly hung sign:

【Wu Liguang Store】

Compared to other shops in the area, this shop was quite shabby. There were no neon lights or signs to attract customers, and even the windows were old, rickety wooden windows with yellowed paper covering them.

A piece of paper was haphazardly pasted on the shop's door frame, with a few lines of text written on it:

Mr. Wu opened his shops purely out of interest; they were all branches, with no main store.

Contact is open to all, believe it or not, reputation is not guaranteed, price is not negotiable.

We are not responsible for any items sold. We will not honor our rights once you leave the store. You will be responsible for the consequences.

The following people are prohibited from entering; their indecent behavior will only bring shame upon themselves:

An Jiayi, Ning Yinxiao, Shang Muming, Wang Dayu

Shang Muchen didn't recognize the other three people on the list, but he immediately recognized his brother Shang Muming's name.

Does the shop owner have some kind of conflict with his brother?

No, wait!

How did the shop owner know about my brother Shang Muming's existence?

You should know that in this world, the older brother, Shang Muming, died as an infant.

My brother Shang Muming, who keeps appearing in my dreams, let's just assume he's real, but not from this world.

How do you know this shop owner?

Filled with suspicion, Shang Muchen gently pushed open the crooked wooden door of the shop, which made a long "creak" sound.

"Come in!" a harsh, hoarse voice shouted.

Shang Muchen peeked out and cautiously peered into the shop. What came into view was a very ordinary-looking old-fashioned small shop.

A dirty freezer stood against the wall, containing foreign beverages with labels bearing strange words and pictures, brands I'd never seen before.

A magazine rack taller than a person leaned against the other side of the wall, filled with all kinds of magazines with distorted and strange characters. Shang Muchen had never seen almost any of the characters on the magazines before.

Inside the dilapidated glass display case were some cigarettes, matches, and candies. At first glance, they looked ordinary, but upon closer inspection, they were all brands I had never seen before.

A middle-aged man in a worn-out jacket sat behind the counter, the shelves on either side of him filled with the usual items found in small shops.

Chewing gum, lollipops, scratch-off lottery tickets, snacks, lighters, batteries...

But none of these cheap little things were from common brands, and all of these brands were ones that Shang Muchen had never seen before.

Shang Muchen sized up the shop owner sitting behind the counter; the guy's appearance instantly left a deep impression on him.

The shop owner's appearance is truly indescribable, and unforgettable.

He had a flat, toad-like face, as if it had been flattened, with bulging cheeks and a large mouth, but his lips were just a narrow slit.

The shop owner, with his large, round, bulging toad-like eyes, gave a lewd, hoarse laugh and said, "Hehe, welcome! Young man, what would you like to buy? I have everything. Do you want some aphrodisiacs?"

"No, thank you!" Shang Muchen waved his hand repeatedly and said, "I'm just here to pick up the goods."

"Old Master Ding Zhongyu sent me to collect the 'Returning Home' lottery ticket."

"Oh! Gui, Ren, Cai!" The toad-faced shopkeeper nodded vigorously, grinned wickedly, and rummaged under the counter for a while before pulling out a tattered plastic bag.

"It's right here, take it." The shopkeeper chuckled strangely, muttering to himself, "...These young people nowadays, they really have some serious tastes, hehehe..."

Shang Muchen got goosebumps all over from the shop owner's laughter. He took the plastic bag, glanced at it briefly, and saw that there were many small sealed plastic bags inside, each filled with a different color of dry powder paint.

After confirming the goods, Shang Muchen nodded and turned to leave.

The moment the dilapidated shop door was pushed open, the shopkeeper, with a voice as unpleasant as a broken saw cutting through sheet metal, said with a strange laugh, "Kid, don't listen to your brother in everything. Your brother isn't any better!"

Shang Muming, that guy, doesn't tell the truth much. He's ruthless and unscrupulous in achieving his goals, a heartless and cruel man who kills without hesitation. Hmph, hehe…”

Shang Muchen was startled and turned to look at the shop owner, but the man got up and went back into the shop on his own.

Full of suspicion, Shang Muchen saw that the shop owner was no longer paying attention to him, so he had no choice but to leave the shop and stand in front of the small shop called "Wu Liguang Shop" for a few more seconds.

Suddenly, a loud rooster crowed.

Immediately afterwards, a voice, like a public address system, rang out all around:

"Time's up, market is about to close."

All customers, please leave immediately.

The rooster crowed three times, and the passage was closed.

"No time wasters, and you'll face the consequences!"

Shang Muchen saw that all the shops started putting up signs, turning off the lights, and pulling down the curtains. The street vendors began to pack up their stalls, and shoppers began to flock out.

Shang Muchen carried the plastic bag and followed the flow of people, quickly walking out of the main gate.

People carrying packages and bags, just like ordinary people leaving get off work, hurried away from the underpass and soon disappeared from sight.