Only pitch-black darkness stretched across the rugged fields of the Heavenly Market Enclosure. Far in the distance, only the faint outlines of various mountains were visible.
"Over there!"
Qiu Shuijing hurriedly raised his hand to point at a cemetery in the fields. The disciples turned their gazes in unison. Light was seeping out from inside one of the graves. A moment later, that light transformed into countless characters, their shapes as beautiful as gold embroidered onto silk.
"It is the grave of a great scholar!"
Qiu Shuijing spoke to call the attention of his disciples, who were mesmerized by the magnificent golden spectacle.
"He was someone who devoted his life to learning and achieved great accomplishments. Because he accumulated abundant knowledge and experience, his soul became spiritually potent. That is why his soul did not scatter after death but remained, only appearing in such a splendid form in the grave today."
An ordinary person with ordinary eyes would never have been able to see such a strange phenomenon, but because the disciples possessed the Heavenly Eye, they were able to witness this magnificent and beautiful spectacle of light.
A short while later, light in the shape of a tiled house made of jade began to seep out from another grave in the cemetery. Following that, lights of various shapes emerged from other graves as well. From some graves appeared a Buddha's Lotus Pedestal, while from others appeared paintings of flowers and plants, trees, weapons, and vessels; the forms were truly diverse. From some graves, the images of divine beasts or monsters, such as dragons and phoenixes, even appeared.
Surprisingly, the lights that pierced through the graves coalesced to form a golden gate in the air. Afterward, countless bizarre characters gathered around it, forming a staircase leading up to the golden gate. Behind the golden gate, a city brilliant with golden and blue lights was visible; its appearance looked as majestic and beautiful as a city of the heavens.
The disciples looked up at the golden gate and the city, their souls captivated. It was difficult to maintain their composure in the face of such an unreal sight.
"Ah, so that is the Heavenly Gate... created by the souls of the dead..."
At that moment, another disciple shouted.
"Could that city behind the gate be the Ghost City? When the Heavenly Gate opens, doesn't the latch of the Ghost City open and spirits pour out?!"
Upon hearing those words, the complexions of the other disciples changed in an instant.
"When a person dies, it is like a lamp going out; they simply cease to exist. How can spirits exist in this world? Do not be deluded by strange talk!"
Qiu Shuijing scolded his disciples with eyes as sharp as blades.
"You were all educated in the official academies, and you are currently students studying the soul, so how can you be misled by the nonsense spouted by ignorant people!"
The disciples' faces turned red at Qiu Shuijing's harsh rebuke.
"The so-called ghosts or monsters that people speak of are merely remnant souls that did not dissipate after a person died, attaching themselves to wild animals or trees to survive!"
One disciple, listening closely to his master's explanation, asked.
"Master, then is Master Hu, whom we met earlier, also a case of a human soul transforming in such a way?"
Qiu Shuijing's robes fluttered as he descended from the roof of the Village School to the ground.
"Not only Master Hu, but the fox spirits learning to read under him are also human souls that have transformed. Because their souls are very weak and ignorant, they cannot maintain a form on their own, so they cling to various beasts until they eventually become fox spirits. Being ignorant and foolish, their humanity disappears, and in the end, only the savage nature of a beast remains."
"Then what happens to souls that attach to trees?"
"They become 'Spirits' (Jing). And if they attach to vessels or objects, they become 'Monsters' (Guai)."
Another disciple raised his hand high and asked.
"What if a soul attaches to a human?"
At the disciple's question, Qiu Shuijing changed his voice to something quite stern.
"That is exactly what a 'Human-Demon' (Renmoguishen) is! Because Human-Demons are extremely evil, they must be eliminated immediately, under any circumstances!"
Having finished speaking, Qiu Shuijing advanced toward the staircase formed by the gathering of characters. As he stepped onto the stairs, the characters emitted an even more brilliant light. The eerie sound of reading could also be heard.
As Qiu Shuijing climbed the stairs toward the Heavenly Gate, the disciples followed their master one by one, stepping onto the staircase.
"Once you pass through the Heavenly Gate and arrive at the Ghost City, you must abide by the rules of the Ghost City. Keep in mind that if you break the rules of the Ghost City, even I cannot protect you!"
Qiu Shuijing turned back to the disciples climbing the stairs behind him and issued a grave warning.
"Listen well, everyone! There are three rules in the Ghost City. First, never look directly into the eyes of a ghost! If you happen to look directly into a ghost's eyes, immediately gouge out your own two eyes and place them on your palms. You must let the ghosts take your eyes."
Qiu Shuijing raised his voice even further.
"Second, never be greedy! If you see an item you like and try to buy it, the ghosts will ask you to fulfill their desires. If you have the ability, you may take the item and fulfill their desire, but if you lack the ability to resolve it yet still covet the item out of greed..."
Qiu Shuijing continued coldly.
"Pull out your own tongue. You must absolutely not let the ghosts pull out your tongue for you."
The disciples shuddered upon hearing their master's warning.
"The third rule: leave immediately when the rooster crows. You must absolutely not remain there until daybreak!"
"What if we remain there even after the rooster crows?"
A disciple who looked young couldn't hold back and asked hurriedly.
"If you remain there even after the rooster crows, you will be annihilated for all eternity."
After hearing all of Qiu Shuijing's grave warnings, a heavy tension hung over the disciples. Some disciples wiped cold sweat from their foreheads, while others swallowed dryly.
In truth, all the disciples were children of wealthy tycoons or renowned noble families from the north. And all their parents knew just how dangerous the Ghost City of the Heavenly Market Enclosure was. However, when Qiu Shuijing said he would take their children to the Ghost City, no one objected. That was how much they trusted Qiu Shuijing.
Before they knew it, they had reached the end of the stairs. A cold wind passed by with a weeping sound, and the surroundings were filled with a gloomy aura. The closer they got to the Heavenly Gate, the hazier their minds became, and it felt as if they were not in reality. Then, suddenly coming to their senses, they realized they were already passing through the Heavenly Gate.
Seen from below, the Ghost City was a brilliantly beautiful metropolis, but once they actually passed through the Heavenly Gate, it was a shabby city filled with gloomy and bizarre energy. Somber houses lined both sides of the dreary streets, and Ghost Fires floated gently between the houses. Those Ghost Fires were, in fact, the eyes of ghosts.
Although all the disciples trained in the cultivation of the soul, they couldn't help but feel tense and anxious now that they were actually in the Ghost City.
Walking along the streets, one could frequently see rare and precious items, but in truth, those treasures were all objects from inside graves.
There were many graves in the Heavenly Market Enclosure. And while many rare treasures were buried within those graves, no one dared to dig them up and take them. This was because the owners of those graves were the ghosts themselves.
The ghosts held onto those treasures, waiting for a person who would fulfill their desires. Since the Ghost City of the Heavenly Market Enclosure had already existed for over a thousand years, the relatively easy desires had already been fulfilled. Now, only the truly difficult desires remained.
However, wealth has always moved the hearts of men since ancient times. How much more so for the treasures of ghosts?
Because of this, there were countless people who, coveting a ghost's item, unhesitatingly claimed they would resolve the ghost's desire, only to meet a violent death when they could not fulfill it. Some even gathered people to try and steal the treasures by force, only to meet a gruesome death at the hands of the ghosts. In fact, it was because of such people that the notoriety of the Ghost City had become far greater than reality.
"A Great Person passed away today. Actually, the reason we came to the Ghost City this time is partly to broaden your horizons, but there is also another important purpose. It is to grant that person's wish and retrieve his burial goods..."
Qiu Shuijing looked around at his disciples, then stopped speaking in shock.
'It's that child! The child we saw at the Village School!'
Surprisingly, the child who had been studying with the fox spirits was sitting on the opposite side of the street, wearing an innocent smile. A stall was spread out in front of the boy, and a few items were placed upon it.
"Su Yun!"
Qiu Shuijing calmed his surprised heart and called out to Su Yun.
Su Yun, who was sitting by the roadside, seemed to hear the voice and turned his head. Su Yun flashed an innocent smile toward them and shouted.
"Come here and take a look at my wares!"
Meeting Su Yun in such an unexpected place, the disciples felt their hair stand on end. Although Su Yun's face was full of innocent smiles, seeing that smile in the Ghost City, which was full of gloomy energy, actually induced a chilling fear.
'Even if we accept that he takes classes with fox spirits, how can a thirteen-year-old boy, and a blind one at that, be here...'
'Furthermore, the boy is not dead, so why are the ghosts letting him sell items in the Ghost City? Just what is this boy's identity...?'
The disciples wanted to drag the boy over immediately and ask him in detail what was going on.
At that moment, one of the disciples shouted as if realizing something.
"I know! That child is a Human-Demon!"
When the soul of a dead person attaches to a living person, they become a Human-Demon who has completely lost their humanity. That boy named Su Yun was accepted without any resistance by both the ghosts and the fox spirits. Therefore, there was no way to explain it other than that this boy was a Human-Demon. But could this boy truly be such an evil Human-Demon?
As the disciples fell into confusion, Qiu Shuijing spoke in a calm yet firm voice.
"There is a fourth rule I did not mention earlier. Do not concern yourself with matters other than your own! Excessive curiosity will invite death."
In reality, there was no fourth rule in the Ghost City. Qiu Shuijing had hurriedly invented the fourth rule out of concern that his disciples would get deeply involved in the boy's affairs and fall into unexpected danger.
"Are you looking to buy something?"
Su Yun asked, still wearing that innocent smile.
Qiu Shuijing nodded and approached Su Yun. Standing in front of the boy, Qiu Shuijing peered closely into his eyes and felt a heavy pressure suddenly lift.
'He is not a Human-Demon!'
Qiu Shuijing realized that Su Yun's soul was already spiritually potent. Su Yun's Divine Power (Shentong) was so faint and dim that even the disciples' Heavenly Eyes could not detect it; only by looking with intense concentration could Qiu Shuijing himself sense it.
read more on brightnovels.com