Chapter 282: Ninth Older Brother Accompanies You

Xiao Er strode forward, catching up to him in a few steps, and seized his wrist from behind.

"Ow ow ow—" the Daoist winced and struggled, "What are you doing? Robbing in broad daylight?"

Xiao Er dragged him back to face Xiao Ningxun, pointing at the lump of iron on the ground: "Where did this come from?"

The Daoist stammered: "I, I picked it up! Is that not allowed?"

"Picked up?" Xiao Ningxun's face turned cold, "Then lead the way, right now—I want to see if this stuff is really littering the ground of Jiangzhou Prefecture!"

The Daoist swallowed, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Tuan Tuan stared at him for a moment: "You're lying, you know."

"I, I didn't!" the Daoist insisted stubbornly.

Tuan Tuan tilted her head: "All right, if you're lying, it won't just be a fall—you'll never be able to walk again!"

"My words are quite effective—want to try again?"

"You! You…" the Daoist recalled his earlier fall, heart still pounding.

Xiao Ningxun looked at him and added fuel to the fire: "We're not the authorities—you won't be thrown in jail for talking, so what are you afraid of?"

"However, judging by your appearance, carrying this surely means you're plotting wrongdoing. Forget it—stop questioning him, just hand him over to the officials."

"No no no! I'll talk! I'll talk!" the Daoist gave in completely, "I fished this out of the water!"

"In the water?" Xiao Ran frowned, "Which stretch of water?"

"The reed marsh three li outside the East Gate."

"Those days no one was telling fortunes, I was broke, so I thought I'd go scoop some fish and shrimp in the river to sell."

The Daoist wiped sweat from his head: "The water there isn't swift, but the banks are full of tiny fish and shrimp, so I went to the deeper parts to probe, hoping to catch something bigger."

"In the end I didn't catch any fish, but my foot stepped on something hard."

"I dove down, felt around, and pulled up a lump of iron. Though I don't know its value, such heavy iron must be decent, so I kept it."

Xiao Er pressed: "Just these few pieces?"

The Daoist nodded: "I thought this could fetch a few coins, so I combed that whole stretch of riverbed, and that's all I found."

He pointed at the scattered refined iron on the ground: "That's all there really is—I've combed every inch of that area, and there's nothing else."

Xiao Ran stared at him: "Where were you planning to sell it? Iron is tightly controlled by the imperial court—this stuff can't be sold just anywhere."

The Daoist's face stiffened, his eyes darting about.

Tuan Tuan snorted: "You don't want to walk anymore, huh?"

"No no no!" the Daoist waved his hands in panic, "I tell you! I was originally going to take it to the Ghost Market to sell."

"Ghost Market?" Xiao Ningxun frowned slightly.

The Daoist lowered his voice: "At Jade Creek Bridge west of the city, the market opens at the third watch and disperses at dawn. That's the Ghost Market—anything can be bought and sold there, no questions asked about origins."

Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran exchanged a glance.

Tuan Tuan untied her sachet, took out a silver piece, and handed it to him: "Here, is this enough? No need to keep fishing—hurry home!"

The Daoist never expected this, staring at Tuan Tuan in shock, his eyes reddening.

"Not enough?" Tuan Tuan shoved all the silver from her sachet into his hands: "How about now?"

The Daoist stared blankly at the silver in his hand, a flood of emotions.

Xiao Ningxun smiled, pulling his sister into his embrace, glanced at the banner reading "Iron‑mouth Judgment": "Go on—don't ever pull this kind of shady trade again."

The Daoist bowed deeply: "Thank you, miss, thank you, gentlemen. I, Kong An, vow to turn over a new leaf and never do this again."

He glanced at his stall, took nothing, and left without looking back.

Xiao Er picked up those few pieces of refined iron, tucked them into his lapel, and the group returned to Zui Jiangyue.

Xiao Ran asked: "What can you do with just a few lumps of iron?"

Xiao Ningxun replied: "Cold Star Sand is a special additive used only when forging strong crossbow components. Controls are extremely strict—losing even a tael is a serious crime."

Xiao Ran understood: "These iron lumps laced with Cold Star Sand have turned up in Jiangzhou Prefecture, and in batches of five or six at a time!"

"Everyone should rest early," Xiao Ningxun stood, gazing at the darkening sky outside the window, "Tonight we'll go check out that Ghost Market!"

Xiao Ran brightened: "Great! I've heard the name of the Ghost Market in Jingcheng before—tonight I'll finally get to see it!"

Tuan Tuan jumped up from the stool: "I want to go too!"

Xiao Ningxun sighed: "All right, I'll bring you along—I knew you'd never agree to stay at the inn."

Xiao Ran cracked his knuckles: "Don't worry! With Ninth Older Brother here—Ninth Older Brother will accompany you!"

Everyone rested separately; at the third watch they set out and arrived at Jade Creek Bridge west of the city.

The night was black as ink, the river surface glimmering with a dim light.

The bridge was deserted; only the wind whistling through its arches made a mournful sound, making the surroundings ever more still.

Xiao Ran looked around: "Where is the Ghost Market?"

Lu Qi, being an old hand, searched about and saw a few inconspicuous marks on the bridge's stone piers; a fresh sign pointed toward the riverbank below the bridge.

"Follow me," he whispered.

The group descended the bridge, walked east along the bank for about a hundred steps, and ahead appeared a tangled thicket of reeds where faint, flickering lights could be seen.

Lu Qi stopped: "This should be the place."

Tuan Tuan peered curiously; deep in the reed marsh, shadowy figures could be seen moving, yet all was silent—like a troupe of mute spirits trading in the dark.

Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow: "No wonder it's called the Ghost Market."

Before the words faded, a figure suddenly burst from the reed thicket.

"Everyone!" the person's face lit up with delight, "I thought you might come!"

It was none other than the fortune‑telling Daoist Kong An from earlier today.

He wore a plain gray cloth short outfit, smiling as he walked over.

"Is it you?" Xiao Ningxun was somewhat surprised.

Kong An rubbed his hands sheepishly: "Today, I have to thank the little girl for giving me silver."

"I figured you'd probably come to this ghost market, so I'll wait here and see if I can guide you—consider it a small repayment."

Tuan Tuan's eyes lit up: "You're here to help us!"

"Exactly!" Kong An nodded repeatedly: "This ghost market has many rules; strangers easily get into trouble going in. I've been around here a few times, so I'm fairly familiar."

Tuan Tuan gave a thumbs-up: "You're really nice!"

Xiao Ran glanced at him for a moment: "He actually knows how to be grateful."

Kong An scratched the back of his head, made a "please" gesture: "Everyone, follow me."

"There are quite a few rules in this ghost market; you all must remember them well."

"First, all items, regardless of origin, must be genuine. Second, once a transaction is complete, no returns or exchanges. Third, no lighting lamps."