Blood Bonds And Golden Ties

Chapter 27: Visit To The Ghost Market

[Quan Mo Ran]

Mo Ran navigated the throngs of people in the busy street. Passing many stores, he entered a section of town where people came to buy and sell all kinds of animals caught in the ocean. He saw fish tied by a string and dangled on the wooden bars in the stands. Some sold crabs that were put in neat rows so it would be easy for customers to pick which ones they wanted. He saw live lobsters crowded in small buckets of water, ready to be bought any time. He was walking on the street when a live fish slid across his foot.

A man chased after the slippery fish which was flopping desperately on the ground.

"Sorry sir," the man said as he crossed paths with Mo Ran. After grabbing the fish, the man quickly brought it to his stand and took a big knife and hit the fish's head with the broad side of the knife. The fish stilled. The corner of Mo Ran's lip turned up slightly. Like that fish, everyone is powerless under my control.

Mo Ran continued on his way. He stopped in front of a rather worn down looking store. He looked up and saw the name:樓月平. The corner of Mo Ran's mouth went up slightly. This is it. He stepped into the building. It took a couple seconds before his eyes adjusted to the room dimly lit. The air was thick with the smell of different kinds of herbs.

A man was huddled over his suàn pán. He held up three of his fingers and made each one touch his thumb systematically. His lips moved as he scowled in concentration.

Mo Ran strode up to the man, but when he was about to say something, the man suddenly spoke. "How can I help you?" He didn't look up.

"I heard that this store sells Du She Gen," Mo Ran said as he leaned on the counter.

The man chuckled, still didn't look up. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

The man finally looked up. "How much do you want?"

"I want 3 ke."

"Alright!" The man said as he turned away and opened a drawer and started to fill a bag with herbs.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that it's always sunny here."

"Mm," the man nearly replied in bare acknowledgement.

"Not the weather kind of sunny, but the kind where there is always justice."

"Indeed. Justice here is the biggest attribute in the city."

"Yet even in the sunniest, brightest cities, lurks the will to survive despite right and wrong."

"Oh?"

"Not all that is bright is true and not all that lurks in the dark is fake. For the reality might be dark and what we call the light may be an illusion."

At this the man smirked and replied, "Follow me." He walked to his left and pulled aside a curtain that hung down from the door. "Please," he said as he held out his hand in the direction of the door, inviting Mo Ran to pass through.

Mo Ran nodded and found himself on a flight of stone steps. The man behind him said, "You may go down there yourself. I will not accompany you."

Mo Ran turned to the man and bowed slightly. "Thank you." Turning away, Mo Ran started to descend the steps. The further down he went, the louder it became and he started to hear distinct market noises. As he looked up, he saw that the market stretched miles and miles and reached the horizon. Torches of people moving among the many pathways zigzagged its way through the market.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard sellers calling to people passing by in hopes that they could sell their goods out. It was a completely different world. Contrast to the world above, this place crawled with shady business dealings and the selling of illegal goods. Indeed, many exotic and strange sights could be seen: snake charmers, fortune telling, people blowing fire from their mouths and hopping through small hoops. In this world, everyone was acceptable, and perhaps that was why this place was called the Ghost Market. One could be anyone here without their identity being questioned. It didn't matter if one was a Jing or Yan because everyone was equal.