The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 267: 265 Child Yu Guan (Monthly Ticket!!!)

(Chapter update on the fifth of the month, ask for the monthly ticket)

The man in the gray robe also looked in that direction, clearly having heard the strange sound as well.

“Shall we check it out?” Shen Luo suggested.

“Agreed. This place is somewhat strange. Since we have to locate the Ghost Market here, it’s best to investigate the source of the noise.” After a brief deliberation, the gray-robed man agreed.

As a result, they each gripped their weapons and headed in the direction of the sound. After traveling some distance, they came upon a massive black stone, about thirty feet high. The noise was coming from behind this stone.

The gray-robed man looked at Shen Luo and made a hand gesture indicating they should split up and approach from either side of the stone.

Shen Luo caught his drift, carefully gripping his Ghost Wailing Ring and heading left. The gray-robed man approached from the right, quickly making his way behind the stone.

Both of them came to a stunned halt when they saw a little boy laying there. He looked about four or five years old, with a round head, face, and belly. He looked tiger-headed and adorable, fast asleep on his belly, the noise they’d heard was his snoring.

After the initial surprise, Shen Luo quickly regained his composure and observed the little boy. The child’s head was bald, not a single hair on his head, however, a bright red teardrop-shaped mark was on his forehead. He was exceptionally cute and looked no different from a regular child.

The boy was wearing a gray-white Taoist robe that had a Tai Chi Yin-Yang Fish Pattern embroidered onto it. He also had a round, bulging gray cloth bag strapped to his back, its contents unknown.

Shen Luo’s brow furrowed at the sight. This desolate place, absolutely devoid of human activity, suddenly had a child appear out of nowhere. This was most peculiar.

Fortunately, the boy didn’t radiate any mana, which put Shen Luo somewhat at ease.

“Friend Hong, what should we do?” Shen Luo looked to the gray-robed man and whispered.

However, before the gray-robed man could reply, the little boy stirred slightly, yawning and slowly blinking his eyes open.

Shen Luo’s expression shifted subtly, and he took a step backward, his hand clutching the Ghost Wailing Ring out in front of him.

The gray-robed man also took a step back, gripping his Ghost Head Battle Knife.

“Who are you?”

The small boy gradually sat up, looking at Shen Luo and the gray-robed man. Despite their ghostly appearances, he didn’t show any signs of fear or surprise. Rubbing his eyes, he mumbled his question as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet.

“Little one, who are you? How did you end up here?” Shen Luo looked at the gray-robed man and saw that he didn’t intend to ask anything. After a short deliberation, he decided to ask the question.

“My name is Yu Guan, are you here to attend the Ghost Market?” the small boy asked.

“Indeed. However, this is our first time at the Ghost Market and we haven’t yet found its location. Little Yu Guan, could you tell us where the Ghost Market is?” Shen Luo’s eyes lit up as he asked.

“You were teleported here, but there was no Guiding Lantern Spirit to lead the way?” The small boy scratched his head, looking somewhat puzzled.

“Guiding Lantern Spirit? We didn’t see anything like that.” Shen Luo blinked and exchanged a glance with the gray-robed man before shaking his head.

“Oh, it seems like those patrolling soldiers are slacking off again.” The small boy murmured under his breath.

“However, you didn’t go to the wrong place. The Ghost Market is in the valley ahead. You…” As the little boy pointed his finger to the hazy silhouette of mountains in the fog, he abruptly stopped speaking, his expression freezing on his face.

Upon seeing the dramatic change in the little boy’s expression, Shen Luo’s brow furrowed.

“You’re here for the Ghost Market? That means the Ghost Market has started? What time is it?” The small boy suddenly wore a look of terror, anxiously staring at Shen Luo and asking.

“Just past midnight.” Shen Luo sensed the flows of Qi in his body and replied.

“Oh my! I slept for too long! Master will be so angry and will punish Yu Guan. Yu Guan needs to leave right now!” The small boy quickly got up from the ground, and went running off towards the front. He was surprisingly fast; his small figure quickly disappeared into the fog.

Shen Luo and the gray-garbed man were both astonished, unable to understand what had just occurred.

Nevertheless, gaining knowledge of the location of the Ghost Market from the boy could be counted as some form of gain.

Just as they were about to resume their journey, the sound of footfalls echoed from within the fog. The small figure quickly reappeared, it was the little boy running back towards them. He arrived in front of Shen Luo, panting heavily.

“Master always taught Yu Guan to understand the concept of reciprocity when someone helps him. Thank you for waking me up just now. Here, take this.” The small boy took out something that looked like a token from his backpack and shoved it into Shen Luo’s hand.

Caught off guard by the sudden action, Shen Luo paused for a moment.

The gray-garbed man at his side glanced over. However, from where he was standing, he wasn’t able to see what the small boy had placed in Shen Luo’s hand.

“Also, I had a glimpse just now. If you plan to complete your objective at the Ghost Market, you’ll have to visit the Nameless Wild Shop there.” The small boy exclaimed rapidly before turning around and running off once again.

“What do you mean, ‘glimpse’?” Shen Luo paused again, but before he could ask for clarification, the small boy had already disappeared into the fog ahead.

Looking at the token in his hand, Shen Luo tucked it into his pocket. Exchanging a glance with the gray-robed man, they continued on their journey.

They soon arrived at the site of the vague shadow from before.

Just as Shen Luo had suspected, the shadow was created by two massive mountain peaks, with a valley in between. The valley was quite large, around twenty to thirty acres in size, but inside the valley, there was an air of desolation, no sign of any human activity, let alone a Ghost Market.

“Could the boy have tricked us? Or are there other valleys around here?” Shen Luo asked, frowning.

“It should be here. Let’s go in and have a look,” said the gray-robed man, scanning the valley before suggesting they proceed.

Shen Luo nodded in agreement, and together with the gray-robed man they stepped into the valley.

The moment their feet touched the valley ground, the scenario inside underwent an abrupt transformation. A translucent plaque appeared in the void above them, hovering in mid-air, with the large characters for “Ghost Market” written on it.

Behind the plaque lies a vast green light curtain, covering the top of the valley and projecting countless symbols and patterns of varying sizes, into intricate designs, constantly flickering.

Below the light curtain, a vast array of buildings shaped like palaces and towers materialized in the heart of the valley.

Most of these buildings appeared to be shops, vastly larger than the ones in Jianye City. Their doors and walls were decorated with various patterns that emitted different colored lights. The primary colors were blood red and gloomy green, lending an eerie, chilling vibe. Occasionally, terrifying ghostly wails could be heard, but it only served to magnify its grandeur.

Many figures were going in and out of these buildings. All these figures were ghosts of various shapes and sizes. Some were eight feet tall with green faces and tusks, appearing extraordinarily fierce. Some were miniature and dwarf-like, drawing laughter from their ridiculous appearances. There were also skeletal ghosts, corpse demons, and wandering spirits of all sorts. They were all quite the sight.

Although these ghosts looked menacing, their eyes were clear, showing they were nothing like the mindlessly killing beings Shen Luo had encountered prior.