strokinit Chapter 17 Folk Gathering, Huangjing Ghost Child
Chapter 17 Folk Gathering, Huangjing Ghost Child
As the days went by, the progress of completing the "Divine Rooster Catches the Five Poisons Talisman" was very encouraging, and it soon exceeded halfway.
Half a million "Divine Rooster Talismans"! Completed in less than half a month! Although the progress slowed down later, it was still enough to excite Jiang Jun.
But then he thought, "Wouldn't the fourth item require a hundred million clones?" He also felt that although the future was promising, it was far too long and he might easily die of exhaustion on the way.
"Therefore, you can't rely solely on talismans; you still need to cultivate yourself! You have to walk on two legs!"
In the past few days, Jiang Jun has also visited the antique street.
However, due to the attack on the Department of Supernatural Affairs by the Ghost Cult, the folk ghost-tamer exchange meeting was suspended.
The exchange meeting finally resumed on April 20th, the day of Grain Rain.
Jiang Jun, carrying several broken and strange items and supplies, with a grotesque human skin pasted on his face and a Black Cat Sheriff mask on top, entered the scene with his head down.
Apart from a few organizers who showed their true faces, everyone else present was disguised.
Some people dressed up as Spider-Man or Batman, while others wore Ultraman jumpsuits.
Of course, there are also masked people dressed in traditional Chinese style.
Wearing a mask like Jiang Jun is considered relatively low-key.
At the beginning of the exchange meeting, the organizer, "Old Huang," released several pieces of free information as a perk of the event.
#The Bureau of Mysteries verifies that the talismans "Guardian of Ghosts," "Guardian of Ghosts," and "Divine Chicken Catches Five Poisons Talisman" are indeed effective.
#The Old Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain emerges from seclusion, opening the sixth stage of the "Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir Method," and the Department of Divine Wonders sends a congratulatory telegram.
#The eerie world of western Sichuan has been eradicated; large-scale official explorations will be organized over the next decade.
#The Yunnan branch of the Five Gu Cult has been wiped out; the crackdown on cults continues.
Jiang Jun raised an eyebrow: "The Five Gu Sect branch was wiped out? The Divine Rooster Talisman must have played a significant role. Such a grand display, yet no waterfall of golden light fell… What major feat did they accomplish last time?"
He noticed the intelligence report about the Ghost Realm in Western Sichuan and felt there was some connection between the two: 'But the first two protective artifacts aren't very useful for purging the Ghost Realm, are they? Even with the artifacts themselves, I'm only at the Refinement Realm level.'
After the free information was released, the exchange meeting officially began.
Old Huang first took out four boxes and lined them up in front of him: "Four complete level monster artifacts, in exchange for the remains of the Yellow Essence Monster Child."
Jiang Jun looked inside and saw a wooden comb, a bronze mirror, a rouge box, and a white silk ribbon, all of which seemed to have been left by the female ghost.
A man wearing a Sichuan opera mask nearby sneered, "Old Huang, I heard you set fire to 'Qiao Liyuan' a while ago. These are remnants of those theatrical pranksters, aren't they?"
"As the saying goes, it's hardest to resist the kindness of a beautiful woman. How much affection did you show inside? How could you bring yourself to do it?"
Old Huang glared at him: "The monsters are not human, they have no real feelings, everything is given by the Abyss. If you were to develop real feelings like you, Old Ghost Qian, that would be a laughing stock."
"Stop talking nonsense. These items are all top-grade among complete-level monsters, not far from elite-level monsters. Trading them for Huangjing would be a huge loss for me!"
Beside them, an old woman wearing a veil remained silent. She took out a jade box, opened it, and inside was a Solomon's Seal plant shaped like a baby, emitting a strong and pure eerie aura.
The doll has an eerie appearance, with a pair of dark, unsettling eyes. One eye is as big as a black bean, and the other is as small as a sesame seed, making it extremely asymmetrical and unsettling to look at.
A blood talisman was pasted on its forehead, trembling slightly with the breathing of the Huangjing doll.
Old Huang raised an eyebrow: "Alive? Granny Sun, you're quite skilled! This is indeed quite valuable. Shall I trade two strange items for it?"
Grandma Sun shook her head, her voice hoarse, "Not enough, at least three!"
"Deal!" Old Huang agreed immediately.
Watching this scene unfold, Jiang Jun remarked, "If they're this agreeable, even if Granny Sun bought everything, Old Huang would probably still agree, right?"
Then, another person traded a fragment of the Huangjing doll's body for the last strange item.
Jiang Jun, curious and not hiding his newbie status, asked, "May I ask, senior, what is the origin of this Huangjing doll, what are its uses, and why is it so valuable?"
Old Huang glanced at him: "Newbie? Don't you even know this basic common sense? Fine, I'm a kind old man, these two basic manuals from the Department of the Supernatural are yours."
As he spoke, he handed over two palm-sized booklets, which looked like they had just been opened, with brand-new paper and a faint smell of ink.
"Thank you so much, senior!"
Jiang Jun's pupils contracted slightly: "They're showing their cards directly? What 'civilian ghost-tamer exchange meeting' turns out to be an official event..."
He opened it and saw that the first volume was about the common knowledge of ghost tamers and the distribution of resources in the Mirror Ghost Realm of Qingjiang City.
"Huangjing Ghost Child" is a unique type of strange creature found only in the Qingjiang Ghost Realm - Xuanling Mountain area, with strength ranging from the level of a rogue to an elite.
Its remains are one of the two major specialties of the Qingjiang Ghost Realm. After being purified with divine objects, they have miraculous effects whether consumed directly or used in medicine.
Another famous specialty is the "Green Fish Ghost Stone," which comes from the unique ghostly creature "Green Fish Ghost Child" in Qixia Lake, Qingjiang Ghost Realm, and has the effect of enhancing the quality of ghostly objects.
The second booklet was none other than the cultivation method for the first level of the Ghost Master: the Spirit Communication Realm!
Jiang Jun achieved his goal without spending a single penny, and couldn't help but exclaim, "The Divine Realm is truly magnificent! No wonder it's the best in the world!"
With his goal achieved, he relaxed considerably and quietly observed the subsequent transactions.
Some people exchanged supplies, some traded information, some invited others to form teams, and some asked questions about cultivation problems.
The forms of transactions are also very diverse.
You can settle the payment on the spot in Lao Huang's presence, or you can go to the private room next door for a private conversation.
There were transactions that were completed one-on-one, as well as those involving multiple bidders with the highest bidder winning, and of course, some that failed to sell.
The exchange meeting was drawing to a close.
A short, stocky man wearing a blue dragon mask took out three boxes of pills and lined them up in a row.
"A secret elixir from the Divine Bureau, strengthening the body, boosting vitality, and nourishing the spirit. The mark is still intact, guaranteed authentic. One box of medicine, in exchange for two... no, three eerie fire candles!"
"Pfft..." Old Huang, who was drinking tea, spat it out. "Cough cough cough... Which department of the Supernatural Division are you a newbie in? Don't you know that welfare supplies can't be resold?"
The man said in a deep voice, "This is a folk exchange meeting! I haven't committed any taboos such as colluding with evil spirits or harming people. Do you think the Department of Divine Wonders would break the rules and come here to arrest people?"
Jiang Jun: "..." Where did this weirdo come from?
Many people in the room were shrugging their shoulders, clearly struggling to hold back their laughter.
Perhaps considering that maintaining the trust of these folk spirit mediums was not easy, Lao Huang ultimately did not reveal the truth and let him hawk his wares on site.
Others understand the ins and outs, so why would they take on this hot potato? This secret medicine isn't of high quality; it's meant to lay the foundation for newcomers. There's no need to offend the Department of Divine Wonders for something so trivial.
Jiang Jun was somewhat tempted. He was a complete novice and had never experienced the thrill of cultivation using pills before!
He looked around for a moment: "So far, the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs seems to be reasonable. I'm genuinely exchanging my magical candles for theirs; they can't expect me to lose everything, can they? That would be a honey trap!"
"If you really want to cause me trouble, I'll just return the medicine." He made up his mind, took out six eerie candles, and handed them over. "That's all the candles I have, but I want three boxes in exchange!"
After observing for a moment and seeing that no one was bidding higher, the man reluctantly took the eerie candle, examined it, and said, "That's fine then." He then threw the medicine to Jiang Jun and left without waiting for the exchange meeting to end.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
"Cough cough cough..." Old Huang rolled his eyes and looked at Jiang Jun, saying, "You only get a taste of this medicine after taking two or three boxes."
"If you really want to rely on this for cultivation, you might as well join the Divine Bureau. They provide monthly stipends that can sustain newcomers until they reach the Refinement Realm."
Jiang Jun knew the medicine had been saved: "Thank you for your guidance, senior. I will consider it."