Chapter 404: An Old Man at the Ferry of the Dead
The Ghost Market is a market outside Fengdu, separated by a river.
No one knows what this river is called, but according to legend, the Ruoshui River flows into it.
The Weak Water is so strong that it can melt bones and corrode souls, and even boats and ships cannot float. It is said that throughout history, the only person who could cross the Weak Water alone was a general from the upper realm.
Therefore, the God of the Underworld cannot set foot on this river, which is why the ghost market flourishes here and is out of the control of Fengdu.
It is recorded in the Demonic Code that the one who governs the Ghost Market is a dragon ghost, or a celestial dragon that has committed a crime, or an evil dragon born from the Blood Pond Hell, or even worse, there are those who say it is the soul of Zhu Yin.
There are many different opinions, but no one knows where he came from. No one has ever seen his true face, and he has never appeared in person. Most matters in the Ghost Market are handled by his subordinates.
Most of the dead souls who come to the ghost market have one purpose, which is to trade good deeds, either between souls or between souls and the ghost market, to offset the sins of their previous lives and avoid punishments above the Ten Courts of Justice, and the price is blessings in the next life.
Such behavior is indeed against the law of nature, but the dragon ghost has the ability to deceive the black and white words in the book of life and death.
Later, the birth of the demon world made the ghost market even bigger.
All previous Demon Lords were not good lords. Many demon clan members were either forced or exiled, and eventually settled in the Ghost Market, creating the current situation of the Ghost Market being a mixed bag.
There is no sun or moon in the underworld, so it is difficult to distinguish the days. Maidong and his group have no idea how long they have stayed in the ghost market. It’s not that they are delaying time, but they have not found a way to cross the river yet.
If you want to go to Guimen, you must first go to Fengdu, and if you want to go to Fengdu, you must first cross the river that spans the two places.
As for crossing the river, there is actually a way.
On the other side of Fengdu, there is a ferry called the Ferry of the Dead Souls. There lives an old man at the ferry, who holds a dead leaf and travels back and forth between the two banks all year round, ferrying the dead souls on the other side to the ghost market.
Don't look at it as just a tattered dead leaf, but it can miraculously carry thousands of dead souls. But the old man has a strange temper. When he is happy, he can go back and forth dozens of times a day, but when he is unhappy, he will not move at all for a year or two.
But if you want to go from the Ghost Market to Fengdu, you can only wait for the old man to come with the boat before you can cross the river.
I heard that the cloak on Lord Wumin was made from a piece of the dead leaf that the old man was holding up, and that the demon soldiers were able to cross the river thanks to Lord Wumin's magical powers.
However, Wu Min Jun was not present now, so no matter how anxious Mai Dong and the other two were, there was nothing they could do.
Although Wolf Head is a human, his face is covered with the flesh and blood of the demon. And Bo Luohui is not a living person fundamentally speaking, so the two of them are relatively safe in the ghost market.
But Ophiopogon japonicus is different.
Maidong is a living person with strong Yang energy, while the ghost market is mostly populated by dead souls, who not only have excessive Yin energy but also have deep obsessions.
Yang energy is like poison to these dead souls. If they smell it, they will turn into evil ghosts and impose the karma of their previous life's sins on Maidong.
Therefore, Bo Luohui didn't dare to leave Maidong at all, just to use the corpse qi on his body to cover up Maidong's vitality.
But this is not a long-term solution. Maidong's consciousness is already weak. If he always stays in the yin energy, his yang energy will become weaker and weaker, and eventually his soul will leave his body.
When they were at their wits' end, Wolf Head finally brought good news: the old man from the Ghost Ferry came in his dead leaf boat.
When Bo Luohui heard this, he quickly carried Maidong on his back and was about to leave, but Langtou stopped him.
The old man didn't know how many ghosts would get on board the boat on this trip. If he just followed them casually, and if the ghosts on the boat smelled the yang energy of Ophiopogon japonicus, there would be no place to escape in the waves.
This is indeed something that needs to be considered, but if we don't leave now and miss this ferry, we don't know when the next one will be.
What to do?
"It's not that there is no solution, it's just..." Seeing that Wolf Head was in trouble, Bo Luohui hurriedly urged: "It's already this time, if there is a solution, please tell me quickly."
“I’m just a little sorry for you,” Wolf Head frowned, “You are already dead, and the blood in your body is dead blood. If I can apply it on Miss Maidong’s body, I can use the corpse qi to temporarily cover up her life, but…”
This is indeed very offensive.
After death, people want their bodies to be intact no matter what. If we use the blood of Bo Luo Hui, we don't know how many holes we need to pierce to cover the Ophiopogon japonicus, after all, it is difficult to use the blood of a dead person.
After hearing this, Bo Luohui drew out the wolf-head sword without saying a word and stabbed it into his chest.
"This body is in the underworld, so where can it be buried? What does it matter whether the body is intact or not?" Bo Luohui said as he drew out the blade.
Bo Luohui was a living corpse, so he naturally couldn't feel pain, but even if his spirit platform was pierced by a knife, only a few black lines of blood flowed out.
Wolf Head admired Bo Luohui's courage and did not care about the difference between men and women. He quickly tore off the hem of his robe and smeared the blood on Maidong's body.
Bo Luohui stabbed Maidong nine times in a row before smearing blood on his face, neck and arms. Langtou draped the bloody cloth over Maidong's body, and the three of them then headed towards the ferry.
But even so, Wolf Head and Bo Luohui were very careful along the way, trying their best to avoid the ghosts and demons that came and went.
After a lot of twists and turns, they finally reached the shore, but the withered leaf boat was already crowded with people.
There was indeed an old man on the boat, with his eyes covered by cloth, his hair and beard completely white, and he was holding a pole that looked like a dead branch, with a purple gold gourd hanging on the pole.
Bo Luohui carried the unconscious Maidong and got on the boat with Langtou. Not long after, the boat set sail.
The three of them huddled in a corner. Bo Luohui and Lang Tou were as tense as a string, not daring to relax at all. But at this moment, the old man rowing the boat started laughing.
"Don't worry, these passengers have cleared their karma, and there is nothing to threaten this little girl."
Langtou and Bo Luohui were shocked when they heard this: the old man was clearly talking to them, and he was blindfolded, so how did he know them?
Surprised, the old man laughed again: "People in the world are often blinded by a leaf. If we lose these eyes, our hearts will be clearer."
As the old man spoke, he pulled the purple gold gourd off the pole and threw it to the two stunned people.
"This girl's consciousness is damaged, and her soul is missing. I'm afraid you will have to change your route to Yama Palace before you even reach the Tiger Gate." He pursed his lips and said, "Give her a mouthful of my turbid wine, and she will wake up when she reaches the shore."
Bo Luohui and Lang Tou looked at each other. The former hesitated, but the latter thought it over again and again, and still followed the old man's instructions and fed Maidong a mouthful of the wine in the gourd.
Of course, Wolf Head had his considerations for doing this.
This person is definitely not a simple person as he can row a boat at the source of the Weak Water and travel between Fengdu and the Ghost Market. Although we don't know who he is, there is no need to harm them.
Wolf Head returned the gourd, thanked the old man, and said nothing more. However, Bo Luohui was still a little worried.
"Senior and junior have never met before, why are you helping us?"
The old man still smiled, stroked his long beard, and said only: "Be loyal to the people who trust you." He didn't say anything else.
Entrusted by someone? Entrusted by whom? Could it be Elder Fu Cang?
That doesn't make sense! How could Elder Fu Cang know such a great person? But apart from her, Bo Luohui couldn't think of anyone else.
(End of this chapter)
