Chapter 49: God

“Old friend?” Fu Li turned at an angle, speaking to Zhuang Qing in a low voice, “Seems like the creditor recognized you.”

Zhuang Qing picked up the spoon made of bone from the bowl of soup and ladled out a bowl of hot soup for himself. The soup neared his mouth, the hazy, hot mist blocking his vision. He lowered his head and took a sip. The taste was exactly like it had been that year; there was not the slightest difference.

Seeing that Fu Li was staring at him with wide eyes, he placed the bowl down. “This soup was cooked with a lot of skill, are you not going to give it a taste?”

“I am,” Fu Li gulped down half the bowl in one mouth. He nodded. “Delicious.”

After the two people finished their meal, Zhuang Qing paid the bill and left. He didn’t suggest meeting with the boss, nor did the boss make an appearance. By the time his feet met the stone steps, the mountain was already shrouded in mist, adding a layer of celestial yet yao-like mystery to the Ghost Market.

A tiny ghost scampered through the crowds with a charred red lantern in hand. A hint of innocence could be seen on his bloodless face. If not for the fact that some yao at this place still maintained some of their original features, an ordinary human who entered by accident might merely think that it was a mystical utopia and not a Ghost Market.

“Handsome, we have here jam made from natural, wild fruits deep in the mountains. No human chemicals and it’s far from pollution sources. Whether it’s for consumption or gifting friends, it’s the best of the best,” A female yao stuffed a leaflet into Fu Li’s hands and flashed a seductive smile at him. “Make sure to visit.”

But the moment she got a clear view of the man beside Fu Li, the smile on her face instantly disappeared. Lowering her head, she ran off in a flurry.

Fu Li shoved the leaflet into Zhuang Qing’s hands. “Help me see if the fruit jam really is fresh, I’m going to buy a bag of nuts.” Then, he hurriedly went back the way they came.

Zhuang Qing stared at the leaflet in his hands that had undergone zero typesetting. He furrowed his brows tightly. They had just finished a meal, and he still wanted to eat nuts. With such a small original form, where did all the food go?

The waiter put away all the plates and bowls in the rear kitchen. Seeing the whale yao’s aged complexion, he said worriedly, “Boss, the Ghost Market’s already been open for a long time. There won’t be many more customers, why don’t we close shop?”

“I’ve opened this store for 1500 years. It remains open till dawn every year,” The whale yao looked out at the empty lobby and sat on a wooden stool. “Who knows how many more years this store can remain open?”

He was old. Since he was unable to break through the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing Stage, his lifespan was limited. To him, it was his fortune to have gained intelligence and yao status. It was just a pity that he lacked the talent to go beyond the Nascent Soul stage. In the current era, humans flourished and certain people would even kill whales without restraint. If he died, who would protect those ignorant whales?

The waiter felt a bit upset. Thinking of the customer with the exceptional identity, he asked, “Boss, that customer seemed to be extremely influential in the yao world. If you are friendly with him, why not request him to help you search for a Spirit Transformation Pill…”

“Silly child, the Spirit Transformation Pill is worth cities, how can it be so easily obtainable?” The whale yao stood up to clean the kitchen stove. “He merely owes me one meal. This bag he gave as remuneration is already enough for 1500 years’ worth of meals.”

That year, it was his first time opening a store at the Ghost Market. After encountering the dragon that had barged into the Ghost Market, a momentary softening of his heart resulted in him not pursuing the matter of the unpaid meal. Perhaps this was fate.

“Is the boss around?”

The whale yao and waiter stood up, and saw the handsome man who had previously eaten at the store walking back. Unable to make out the other party’s identity or cultivation base, the whale yao stood up very cautiously. “May I enquire what teachings this gentleman has? Or was this old one’s dishes not to your liking?”

“The taste of your food was very good. Would the boss be able to help me cook the fish dish I had just now? I’ll bring it back to eat.”

“Cooked fish shouldn’t sit for too long, this…” The whale yao hesitated. Bad-tasting food was detrimental to his brand.

“That’s not an issue, my Qiankun pouch can maintain freshness and taste. You can do as you always do. But try to be a bit faster, my friend is still waiting for me ahead.”

The whale yao was inwardly startled. This gentleman was actually in possession of the rare Qiankun pouch, what exactly were his origins? He moved swiftly, blade light dancing in the air. What used to be a lively fish had already turned into thin slices of fish that boiled in hot oil.

The fish meat was very quickly cooked. Fu Li took out a tiny brocade box from behind him and delivered it to the whale yao’s hands. “Many thanks.”

The whale yao hadn’t even gotten a clear glimpse of the item the other party had given when he vanished in a puff of green smoke.

The waiter stared blankly for two seconds. “Leaving without paying?”

The whale yao opened the brocade box. Upon seeing the medicinal pill lying inside, he stared in a daze.

“S-Spirit Transformation Pill?” The waiter saw the object in the box. Only after a long period of time had gone by did he stammer out, “Is this a Spirit Transformation Pill?” Although relying on medicinal pills to stack cultivation was the worst thing a cultivator could do, using medicinal pills was the only way to extend one’s lifespan if one was nearing the end of their life.

Slight trembles ran through the hands cupped around the brocade box. Suddenly, the whale yao understood. The true reason behind the handsome gentlemen’s return wasn’t the fish, but to give him this item because he had sensed that his life was coming to an end.

“Boss, why would he give you this?” At this moment, the waiter felt like the other party had returned his one peanut with a carload of gold bricks.

The whale yao stood up and walked over to the entrance of the store, bowing deeply towards the umbrella-carrying youth in the distance.

He turned back and took out the brocade sack given by Zhuang Qing. When he poured out the spiritual stones and pearls inside, a brown-colored medicinal pill rolled out as well.

It was a Spirit Transforming Pill, exactly like the one given by the handsome gentleman.

It started drizzling. Fu Li opened his jade bone umbrella and saw Zhuang Qing standing a distance away from the fruit jam store. He hastened his footsteps as he made his way forward. Along the way, he shifted the umbrella so that it covered Zhuang Qing’s head. “Is the fruit jam fresh?”

Zhuang Qing looked up at the umbrella over his head and nodded. “Not bad.”

The ghost cultivator manning the fruit jam store was on the brink of weeping. Ever since this Dragon Lord stood at the entrance to his store, no other customers dared to come over. What was this situation?

“Then let’s buy some back?” Although Fu Li asked for Zhuang Qing’s opinion, his eyes were already fixed on the fruit jam.

“En,” From the way he looked, Zhuang Qing knew that it was useless to suggest not buying it.

“Five jars for each of us, one jar each for the other bureau colleagues…” Fu Li counted the number of people in the bureau before getting the boss to retrieve the stock.

Zhuang Qing wanted to say that he didn’t like to eat such things, but seeing how serious Fu Li was, he grew too lazy to bicker with him over such things. At any rate, it was just a few jars of fruit jam. They wouldn’t take up a lot of his money. Compared to throwing tips along the road, this was definitely better.

Fu Li’s Qiankun pouch was akin to a bottomless pit; it could take any amount that was stuffed in. After throwing the purchased fruit jam into his Qiankun pouch, Fu Li once again opened the umbrella and covered their heads. “Let’s go.”

Fine rain landed gently on the umbrella, yet not a single drop of rain fell onto Zhuang Qing. Only then did he realize that the umbrella in Fu Li’s hands had a strange characteristic – the simple embroidery on the umbrella contained auspicious qi. It was no wonder the surrounding ghosts didn’t dare to get close to them.

The handle of the umbrella was as glossy as jade, but it wasn’t real jade. On the contrary, it seemed like an animal’s bones. There were remnants of the animal’s auspicious qi when it was still alive. This auspicious qi was very familiar. It seemed to be… unique to the dragon race?

Zhuang Qing’s expression turned a bit strange. To hide from the rain, he and a rabbit was sharing an umbrella made from dragon bones. There seemed to be something wrong somewhere.

At the corner, the erhu played by a woman in a veil was weeping with grief. Drops of rainwater splattered onto her skirt. Yet, as if oblivious, she used the erhu to sing a story of sorrow. Those who were despondent turned sorrowful upon hearing the tune, while those who were happy wore smiles as they hastily walked past.

Opposite the woman, a ghost couple was putting on a play. Bystanders were sent into loud bursts of laughter and the applause won by the play was never-ending.

Fu Li glanced to his left, and then looked towards his right. With a toss of his hand, an extra ingot appeared in the tipping bowls on both sides.

Zhuang Qing couldn’t help saying, “You shouldn’t be called Fu Li.”

“Ah?”

“It would suit you better to change your name to Scattering Money Boy.”

Fu Li, “…”

In the crowd, Wei Cang tugged on his senior brother Zhang Ke’s sleeve. “Senior brother, look at those two in front sharing an umbrella. Don’t they look like Boss and Fu ge?”

“I would believe you if you said that Fu ge came to join in on the fun, but how can it be possible for the boss to do the same,” Zhang Ke was clad in a robe, yet his hair was only an inch long. This made him appear a little out of place. However, there were many ghosts who appeared out of place, so he didn’t stand out much in the throng of people. On the contrary, it was the elegant, carefree noble gentleman wearing a jade band and brocade robe that drew more eyes.

The more Wei Cang looked, the more similar he felt they were. After all, not just anyone could have their surroundings ghost-free in a crowded street. Although that person was wearing a brocade robe, his back view so good looking that it left female yao infatuated, he was certain that the white-robed gentleman was Fu ge.

“Senior brother, that really is the boss and Fu ge.”

“Junior brother, stop joking around,” Zhang Ke sighed. “You’re new, so you don’t understand the boss’ habits. He never visits the Ghost Market. Even Chu Yu, who has followed him for more than a hundred years, said that he’s never seen the boss make an appearance at the Ghost Market. How can he be strolling about the Ghost Market and sharing an umbrella with Fu ge…”

Zhang Ke’s voice became softer and softer, before eventually vanishing.

“Aiyo f*ck, is that really Boss?!”

Zhang Ke and Wei Cang were about to move forward to look into it when the dull sound of drums suddenly rang throughout the entire Ghost Market. It sounded again and again, loud and anxious, as if an emergency had occurred.

“What happened?” Wei Cang looked at Zhang Ke, whose expression was extremely ugly. “Someone forced their way into the Ghost Market.”

Among the pedestrians along the streets, some directly vanished on the spot upon hearing the drums, while others transformed into animals and fled in a panic. Lofts and houses turned into rough stone or trees. In the blink of an eye, the noisy streets became a deserted mountain without any signs of human habitation.

The great disparity between the clamor and silence left Fu Li momentarily stunned.

Seeing the confusion on his face that indicated he knew nothing about what was happening, Zhuang Qing said, “A foreign enemy might be invading. The yinchai can’t fight against it, so they informed everyone to leave.”

Since the yao and ghosts who had set up the stalls were gone, the items manifested through their magic power naturally also reverted to their original appearance. Fu Li discovered the two fellow disciples Zhang Ke and Wei Cang not too far away. He waved a hand at them. “You guys also came to play… also came to patrol?”

Zhang Ke stole a glance at the black-robed Zhuang Qing wearing a jade band. Pulling on his junior brother, he drifted to Fu Li. “Fu ge.”

A gale erupted abruptly, sending soil flying and stones rolling. Zhang Ke gripped Wei Cang’s hand tightly, preventing him from being blown away by the wind. Several ghost bailiffs blown over from who-knew-where collapsed in front of Fu Li’s group, unable to get up even after a great deal of time had passed.

Worried that they would be blown away again, Fu Li flung the jade bone umbrella in his hands. The umbrella suddenly turned into an immense imperial canopy, shielding everyone within. The imperial canopy was equivalent to a separate world; no matter how intense the wind and rain, none of it would blow in.

A somewhat miserable-looking person flew out of the strong winds. Upon landing, the person backed up quite a few steps before managing to gain stable footing. In one glance, he saw Fu Li underneath the imperial canopy. Both eyes instantly lit up and he ducked under the imperial canopy in a series of rolls and crawls.

“Fu daoyou, what a coincidence,” Li Xu patted the dust on his clothes and saluted Fu Li. “We meet yet again.”

“What’s going on outside?” Seeing the wretched state this chief ghost messenger was in, he cast a few looks in the direction of the wind.

An enormous bird appeared at the point where the wind was sharpest. The bird’s gigantic human face along with the large green snakes under its feet made for an image beyond terrifying. With a flap of his wings, black gale arose and the surroundings plants instantly withered, losing vitality.

“W-What is that?” Faced with such a monstrous creature and the dried up plants littering the ground, fear overflowed from the yinchai’s eyes. Li Xu’s expression turned grave as the strange creature made for the direction in which the yao and ghosts had fled in. He cursed, “F*ck him, laozi will slaughter him!”

Fu Li grabbed Li Xu. “You’re not a match for him.”

Li Xu exclaimed anxiously, “But there are so many yao and ghosts on this mountain. If they were caught by him, how would they preserve their lives?”

Fu Li’s expression was extremely ugly. He swiftly performed a series of hand gestures, adding an extra barrier to the imperial canopy. Without his permission, no one inside would be able to leave.

“Fu ge, what is that?” Zhang Ke had seen the Suanyu and Zhuyan’s appearance, but even those two couldn’t compare to the terrifying appearance of this strange creature. The two flying green pythons beneath his feet were particularly scary.

“That is…” Sweat seeped out of Fu Li’s forehead. “That’s what you humans call a ‘god’.”

“God?” Zhang Ke looked at the strange bird in the sky that was no different from a monster. “Don’t gods save people? Why would it…”

“Don’t you humans have a song about how there is no savior, and that immortals or emperors shouldn’t be counted on?” Fu Li opened his right palm, and a red whip appeared. “The so-called god is merely a figure of speech. You humans call him the Wind God, Emperor of the Sea, and… God of Pestilence. He was born with that ability. In the yao world, he has another name – Oujiang.”

“Then we…”

“None of you are a match for him, including you,” Fu Li glanced at Zhuang Qing before abruptly flying out. The red whip in his hands suddenly lengthened, morphing into a net that attempted to hold Oujiang back. However, the two snakes hanging on Oujiang’s ears suddenly widened their mouths and used their toxic teeth to bite through the approaching red whip.

“Petty creature, scram,” Oujiang looked at Fu Li arrogantly. In his eyes, perhaps all living creatures were beneath him.

Fu Li didn’t speak. With a flick of the whip in his hands, he engaged Oujiang in battle once more. Beyond this mountain lay a densely-populated city with nearly eight million permanent residents. If he allowed Oujiang to bring disease to that city, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Inside the imperial canopy and obstructed by the barrier, Zhuang Qing had a very unpleasant look on his face. He knew Fu Li had the habit of first reporting his family clan before fighting with yao. Yet on this day, he didn’t utter a single unnecessary word. This could only mean one thing – that this god called Oujiang was an arrogant creature who wouldn’t listen to words.

What odds of success would a yao who fought with a god have?

He placed his hands against the barrier, attempting to break through it. Yet, who knew what method Fu Li had used when erecting the barrier, but he was unable to succeed..

Seeing the tactless behavior of the little yao before it, Oujiang was enraged right there and then. “This king has merely slept for several years, yet vulgar creatures like you actually dare to block my way?!” The two green pythons beneath his feet widened their venomous mouths. Coiled in poisonous smoke, they bit at Fu Li.

The green pythons moved too rapidly, so much so that they seemed like lightning bolts. Before anyone could react, one of them had already swallowed Fu Li.

Under the imperial canopy, Zhuang Qing let out a dragon roar. Both his hands transformed into dragon claws and dragon scales covered his entire body. He attempted to tear apart the barrier with brute force, but in the span of a few short seconds, his dragon claws began to bleed, staining the entire barrier red.

Zhang Ke dazedly watched the green pythons circling gleefully in the sky. From his red eyes dropped a man’s tears. He stood up and made his way behind Zhuang Qing. Wiping the tears on his face, he pushed the entirety of his magic power into Zhuang Qing. “Boss, I’ll lend you a hand.”

Wei Cang silently followed after Zhang Ke. Mimicking Zhang Ke, he injected his magic power into Zhuang Qing.

Li Xu laughed bitterly. His outstretched palm pressed against Zhuang Qing’s back.

Zhuang Qing could care less about the people nearing his back. His dragon transformation became increasingly distinct as blood flowed continuously down his five dragon claws. Finally, a crack appeared. He didn’t know what thoughts lay in his mind; it was just a blank space. His body screamed for him to slaughter that green python, to slash open its belly.

“Ridiculous,” Oujiang had noticed the imperial canopy in the midst of the black wind. Flapping his wings, he stamped down on the canopy.

All of a sudden, a green python beneath his feet let out a hiss. It landed on the ground in a crazy manner, rolling about in pain. But rolling about wasn’t enough to save him. His abdomen dissipated into ashes bit by bit, as if he was being corroded. In the end, the entire green python became a pile of black ashes that vanished into the huge gale.

“My beloved!” Oujiang bellowed, no longer paying heed to the imperial canopy.

Fu Li’s entire body heated up the moment he was swallowed by the green python. He had thought that the green python’s gastric acids were digesting him, but the python actually vanished. Did his body have some sort of mysterious power?

He shook the fur on his body, After allowing his natal whip on the ground to integrate with his body, his hind feet kicked out, sending the other green python flying.

Roar! Fu Li mimicked the long cry that White Tiger had done that year on the mountain and let out a roar. His body might be tiny, but he personally believed that he had quite the imposing manner when shouting in such a manner.

Sure enough, upon hearing this roar of his, the green python he had kicked away became too scared to approach.

The python and rabbit – one in the sky and another on land – actually gave off a murderous sensation as if it was a battle between giants.

“Sir, that daoyou didn’t die!” A yinchai pointed outside the barrier with an excited expression. “He turned into a rabbit!”

Rabbit?

Hearing this word, Zhuang Qing instantly looked up. Instantly, he caught sight of a palm-sized rabbit who was actively vaulting towards the green python, kicking at it. As for the green python… it was sent flying a great distance away.

“My god, is Fu ge a violent King Kong rabbit?” Zhang Ke stared stupidly at the large-scale Xuanhuan drama taking place outside, starring a tiny rabbit cruelly beating up a large green python. He even forgot to continue transmitting his magic power.

Seeing that the two pets he had personally raised had died in Fu Li’s hands, Oujiang was enraged. He pointed at Fu Li. “Lowly livestock, this king will punish you.” He spread out both wings and an immense vortex appeared in the sky. Berserk wind swept through the entire mountain and forest. A cyclone rose from level ground, swooping madly towards him.

The god was in a rage.

Kacha.

Zhuang Qing finally broke through the barrier. He transformed into a golden dragon, his dragon hiss resonating throughout the mountain and forest. The Four Seas responded, imbuing his body with spiritual qi. His dragon body enlarged dramatically as he hovered in front of Fu Li.

Black clouds roiled in the sky as if thunder and lightning would soon appear.

Fu Li glanced at the golden dragon shielding him and then gazed up at the sky.

Ilyz: King Kong rabbit…