Chapter 4: Descend from the Mountain — Port City’s Ghost Market
812 Words
Location: Port City (South Coast of China, pseudonym)
Time: Three days after Luohun Temple battle
The bus screeched to a stop at the foot of the hill. Port City stretched beyond the window—a neon-drenched metropolis coiled with bridges, high-rises, and winding old alleys that hummed with unseen energy.
Lin Yechen stepped off, duffel bag slung over one shoulder, a talisman tucked behind his ear like a cigarette. He turned to Qin Shuyan, who stood beside him, already unfolding a copper-colored umbrella to block the sun.
“You really couldn’t pick a normal city?”
She glanced at him. “Port City sits on a five-vein Dragon Pulse convergence. It’s a spiritual supernode. Every Taoist sect, exorcist family, and foreign paranormal agency has people here.”
“…So basically, Ground Zero for occult drama?”
“Exactly.”
Lin let out a low whistle. “And here I thought I’d get a week to adjust.”
“No such thing. You broke a thousand-year seal, Yechen. The world’s already moving.”
⸻
The city looked normal at first glance—until you knew where to look.
At the intersection of Three Rivers Road and Old Heaven Alley, there was a pet shop that only opened after midnight and sold no actual animals.
At the base of Biyun Tower, a street vendor sold dumplings laced with talisman ash—to keep nightmares at bay.
And in the underground level of the East Wharf Parking Lot… was the Ghost Market.
A hidden gathering of Taoists, witches, rogue cultivators, and things with less-than-human blood.
“Rule number one,” Shuyan said as they descended the graffiti-covered stairwell. “Don’t touch anything unless I say so. Rule number two: Don’t talk to anything that doesn’t blink.”
“Noted,” Lin muttered. “You sure I look the part?”
She eyed his hoodie, jeans, and scuffed sneakers. Then handed him a Taoist robe.
He held it up. “Do I have to?”
“You’ll be ignored in this. Otherwise, someone might try to harvest your kidneys.”
“…Fair.”
⸻
The Ghost Market was a chaotic, incense-choked maze. Stalls made from spirit wood and jade tiles lined the walls. Talismans fluttered like laundry in the wind. A ghost monkey ran across the ceiling pipes, screeching and spitting black coins.
One vendor was selling “haunted mirrors—genuine one-owner souls inside.”
Another had cursed dice, guaranteed to give “unfaithful lovers nosebleeds.”
Lin was both fascinated and slightly nauseated.
Then—everyone turned quiet.
A figure entered from the far tunnel.
He wore a crimson Taoist cloak, eyes like frost, and a nine-ring copper sword on his back. His presence pressed down like a mountain.
“Wan Qingsong,” Shuyan whispered. “Inner disciple of the Kunlun Sect.”
Lin raised an eyebrow. “Friend of yours?”
“Rival family. And worse—he’s here for you.”
The man’s gaze locked onto Lin instantly. He strode forward, stopping ten steps away.
“You’ve awakened the Azure Emperor’s inheritance,” Wan Qingsong said coolly. “On behalf of Kunlun Sect, I am authorized to assess your qualifications—and, if necessary, confiscate the inheritance.”
Lin blinked. “Confiscate my soul? That’s a bit rude.”
“You are unstable. You lack training. The power may devour you. We will preserve what matters.”
Before Lin could answer, a talisman flashed across the air.
Boom—!
The force of the spiritual strike was absorbed by a spinning compass barrier—Shuyan’s.
“Try touching him again,” she said coldly, “and I’ll shatter your spine’s meridian flow.”
Wan Qingsong raised an eyebrow. “Qin Family still acts without thinking, I see.”
“And Kunlun still acts without asking.”
A pause. The air between them crackled.
Then he turned to Lin, eyes narrowing.
“Know this: you’re not special because you carry ancient blood. You’re special if you master it. Fail to prove yourself… and every sect in China will fight over your corpse.”
With that, he turned and left, the Ghost Market parting silently in his wake.
⸻
Lin exhaled only after he vanished.
“So… that was my first assassination attempt?”
“Technically just a warning. You’ll know when it’s real. There’ll be poison.”
He looked at her. “Thanks for stepping in.”
She adjusted her compass. “Don’t get used to it.”
But then she added, quietly: “You’re under my family’s protection now. Until you figure yourself out.”
Lin nodded slowly.
For now, the city buzzed around them—danger, opportunity, and legacy all waiting to collide.
And deep underground, something began to stir.
A sealed tomb. A corrupted vein.
And the echo of a name long thought forgotten.
“Blood Emperor… has awakened.”
- Writer
