Divine Tang Era

Chapter 138 Shopping and Storytelling

Chapter 139 Shopping and Storytelling (Part 1)

To be honest, there's not much to do in Jingning City.

The houses, buildings, and even the entire city looked much the same as other places in the Divine Tang territory, and there was really nothing to see.

Moreover, most families are currently busy repairing their houses damaged by the demonic bird, while others are immersed in the somber atmosphere of funeral arrangements. The entire Jingning County is permeated with an atmosphere that is both busy and somewhat heavy, making it difficult to find any pleasing scenery.

So, after strolling around the streets for a while, Xu Dan led Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er towards the market.

In his view, the market town is the essence of Jingning City.

As soon as you step into the market, you are greeted by a long row of stalls selling dried seafood. The stalls are filled with all kinds of carefully marinated and dried fish, and a unique salty and fragrant aroma wafts through the air, intoxicating the senses.

Among them, a salted fish that runs across the entire stall is particularly eye-catching.

Xu Dan walked over and saw a familiar figure, asking in surprise, "Shopkeeper, why haven't you gone back yet?"

The young man replied, "We haven't sold many things yet, how can we go back? Besides, with this weather, it's about to snow. If we go back now, we might get buried in the snow halfway, and it would be a wasted trip. So, we usually go back around the turn of spring and summer, and we'll have to stay here for quite a while. If you want to buy seafood, young man, feel free to come over, I'll give you a discount."

"Thank you, shopkeeper."

Xu Dan exchanged a few pleasantries with the shopkeeper, then led Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er onward.

Jingning is located in the inland region and is also a remote and desolate area. The people here are used to eating freshwater fish and may not like the fishy smell of sea fish. This is precisely why the shopkeeper's seafood business is not doing well and he still has a large amount of unsold stock.

Xu Dan had a sudden inspiration and secretly wondered if he could wait until the sellers couldn't sell their products and then buy them at the bottom of the market.

After all, he had quite a few good things on his hands, especially that super big salted fish, which he had been eyeing for a long time.

Walk a few more steps forward and you'll see Kuang Kui's stall.

However, Kuang Kui hasn't been out digging for treasure lately, so there aren't any novelties on his stall. He only has some magical artifacts and talismans he recently stocked up on for warding off evil spirits. But now that the eerie mist has dissipated, these things are no longer needed, and it's unlikely anyone will buy them anytime soon.

After exchanging a few words with Kuang Kui, he led Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er on their way.

The three of them wandered around the market, and Xu Dan discovered that there were far more things in the market than when he last came.

Especially the goods coming and going from the north and south, there are many kinds, and all kinds of commodities are dazzling and overwhelming.

There were also rare and precious items brought by merchants and monks from all over the world, displayed one by one on the stalls, shining brightly in the sunlight, radiating an amazing light that dazzled the eyes and made people stop to admire them.

In comparison, the special products from the Arctic tundra plateau, such as animal bones, corpses, ancient giant trees, amber, and meteorites, seem extremely ordinary.

In the past, whenever something good appeared, the best of it would often be sent to places like Yinlong Pavilion or Mingfeng Tower.

Shops will compete to buy the slightly better quality ones; while the slightly lower quality ones will be sold on street stalls.

Upon closer inspection, Xu Dan discovered that while there were many exceptional items at the market, the prices were shockingly high.

Given his current wealth, he wouldn't dare touch it.

Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er were stunned by the bustling scene before them. They had never imagined that such a large market, with so many goods and so many treasures, existed in this desolate land. However, despite their admiration, neither of them bought anything. Perhaps it was because they were short of money; after all, as sons of a collateral branch of the family, their privileges within the clan were limited, and they were probably not well-off.

Thinking back to their first meeting, the two of them generously gave her gifts.

Xu Dan pondered whether he should find a suitable time to return the gift.

Before they knew it, it was almost noon, and the sun was getting quite hot. Looking up at the sky, Xu Dan took the two to a steamed bun shop for lunch. As soon as they entered, the steaming aroma and the fragrance of large meat buns wafted towards them. They ordered several baskets of freshly baked meat buns, and the three of them sat together, enjoying their meal.

After finishing their meal, they all went home to their respective mothers.

Xu Dan strolled slowly toward home, intending to get a good night's sleep.

"Ancestor".

They hadn't gone far when they heard someone calling. Turning around, they saw Wan Zhen waving from a short distance away. Seeing his travel-worn appearance, they couldn't help but ask, "You didn't just come back from escorting goods, did you?"

"Actually, we arrived a while ago, but the ghosts attacked the city and we couldn't get in, so we had to rest outside for a few days. Luckily, things calmed down early, otherwise we would have been eating dirt outside," Wan Zhen said with a wry smile.

Those who escort goods usually carry several days' worth of dry rations, but ultimately, the amount is limited.

If it weren't for the combined machinations of Fengzhen Temple and Beiting Prefecture, this attack on the city by ghosts probably wouldn't have ended so easily. Perhaps, not only would it not have ended quickly, but Jingning might have even fallen and become a ghost town.

Thinking of the possibility that he might die, Xu Dan's eyes widened suddenly. He quickly shook the terrible thought out of his mind and asked, "It seems like you've been gone for quite a while this time."

"Don't even mention it, I was caught in a sandstorm and my mouth was full of sand."

Wan Zhen waved his hand, then asked curiously, "I heard you were in danger last night, is that true?"

"It is indeed dangerous." Xu Dan nodded.

The two couldn't just stand on the street chatting, so after looking around, Xu Dan led Wan Zhen to a teahouse not far away. They ordered a pot of tea and some fruit and pastries, and Xu Dan began to tell Wan Zhen about what happened the previous night.

"You have no idea what happened yesterday; it was absolutely terrifying."

The morning was fine, but from the afternoon onwards, the sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds. The low-hanging clouds were almost within reach, making it hard to breathe. Meanwhile, the dark fog outside was slowly approaching the city walls, completely surrounding Jingning, making it as difficult as climbing to heaven to get out.

Within that gloomy mist, countless ghosts floated and sank.

There are all sorts of ghosts: water ghosts, hanged ghosts, starving ghosts, wronged ghosts, painted-skin ghosts, headless ghosts, and so on. There are also ghosts missing arms and legs, half their faces gone, intestines spilling out, and bloody, mangled creatures whose shapes are barely discernible. Basically, if you can imagine it, there's no ghost that doesn't exist.

These ghostly creatures howled pitifully within the gloomy mist; their terror was truly chilling.

Wan Zhen swallowed hard, feeling both frightened and curious. He couldn't help but ask, "And then what happened?"