The mountain road is rugged and the muddy ground after a heavy rain makes it even more difficult to walk.
Thick fog swept across half of the mountain. The player riding on the ox was a player named Tian Wanling. Except for the cart pulling chickens, all players who chose to ride donkeys or mules sat in the front, and the paired guests sat in the back.
No one wants to expose their back, so players have to look back from time to time to prevent being backstabbed by their paired guests.
"Honey." The sickly male guest who was riding with her asked coldly, "Why do you keep looking back at me?"
Tian Wanling swallowed and didn't look back. Fortunately, there were two other players very close to her and they could remind each other.
Very close to him were Liu Yun and Zhou Lulu. Liu Yun looked back frequently, not to guard against the paired guests, but to see if Wen Shi was coming over.
Zhou Lulu: "I'm not trying to pour cold water on you, but it will be very difficult for Pei Wenwei to come over again."
The villagers who had means of transportation left first, and the ones left at the end were those leading corpse dogs and carrying paper carts. It was as weird as it could be. Out of curiosity, Zhou Lulu once talked to the villager who was leading the dog and learned that if he went with him, he could get free travel.
She had only one thought at the time: whoever wanted to waive the fare could do so; she would rather just pay the fare.
NPC's free lunch, whoever eats it will be unlucky.
Several female players almost all chose to ride, so they could run faster when encountering dangerous animals, while the two male players sitting on the three-wheeled chicken cart chose to share a car, and the villagers did not refuse. The result of sharing a car was that the wheels of the carts were deeply stuck in the mud, and people had to get off from time to time to dig out the wheels.
"Fuck, what is that?" The male player who was digging the wheel out felt extremely itchy on his calf. Looking again, he saw something similar to a red silk worm floating in the mist below. It could accurately find a person's pores and drill into them.
The male player was so scared that he jumped into the car and reluctantly cut off a piece of flesh from his calf. He kept taking potions to relieve the pain, while tilting his head back and gasping for breath.
The fog affected visibility. The players in the same car took a look with lighting props and saw nematodes in the bright red meat, which were almost the same color as the meat, happily devouring the blood. The chickens in the car felt the worms, and a few of them ran over and took the nematodes into their sharp mouths in just a few bites.
The villager in charge of pedaling the bike chuckled and said, "I've said it before, my chicken bike is the most expensive, but the safest."
If players didn't carpool for the sake of cheapness, it would be extremely safe.
There was more than one chicken car. Not counting the paired guests, Ji Yuanzhi and Yan Yan both chose to travel alone and had already left these people behind by some distance.
The fog gradually became thicker, and suddenly a faint bell sound came from behind.
Several players subconsciously looked back and saw a small broken cart appearing in the dense fog. The host wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled the cart forward with all his strength. On the cart, A Sang was holding the small lantern given by Wen Shi, which became the only source of light in the fog.
As for Wen Shi, he was yawning lazily with a bell tied around his delicate neck.
This bell can ward off evil spirits. Considering that the gates of hell will open tonight, Wen Shi still put it on himself, although he didn't know how many uses it would have.
The cart came closer and closer, and soon surpassed the chicken cart, mule, etc. The players stared at the host pulling the cart in amazement, unable to say a word.
The gold medal host's legs were steadier than a camel's. He almost pulled the cart at a gallop without slowing down.
When they reached the mountain road ahead, Wen Shi saw a familiar figure and said hi happily.
When Ji Yuanzhi heard the voice and saw this scene, the frame of his glasses slipped a little from his high nose bridge. Yan Yan, who was nearby, had an even more interesting expression when he saw this.
Not wanting the guests to see his embarrassed appearance too much, the host kept walking and did not give Wen Shi a chance to continue speaking. On the narrow road, the small broken car disappeared in the fog like a flash of lightning.
The bumps were still within the acceptable range. There was nothing to see in front of him, and it was all white. Wen Shi simply closed his eyes and took a nap in the car. He didn't know how long it had passed before he heard a voice mixed with gasps, "We're here."
Long before the host opened his mouth, the noise of shouting and bargaining in the busy market had already awakened Wen Shi.
When the mist cleared, the eight paired guests, led by the deformed man, could not help but exclaimed. They had lived in Fengguan Village for many years and had never seen such a lively and prosperous scene. Not to mention the distant ones, there were several ceramic jars on the nearby stalls, with the words "dead fetus" written on them in red pen. The businessman next to the dead fetus was sitting cross-legged on a straw mat, with a variety of water pipes in front of him, and complete fox skins, mink skins, etc. opposite.
The deformed men were the poorest people in the village. When they first saw such a big market, they tapped their toes in their straw sandals. They had run all the way here before, and their calves were bitten by red filaria. These monsters were covered in rotten flesh, and the red filaria usually sucked a few bites and then lost interest, so the bloodstains looked nothing serious.
"What a big world." The deformed man sighed.
The host was sweating profusely, his pink suit was soaked through, he quickly put on powder and touch-up his makeup, and sprayed some perfume on his body.
He held his breath and started working again, forcing a smile at the camera: "Dear viewers, knowing that this year's 'post' will be held in Fengguan Village, many merchants came early to occupy the stalls. The annual ghost market has already opened in advance."
While Wen Shidong was looking around, players arrived one after another. The ghost market mentioned by the host just happened to reach their ears, and their faces did not look good.
The host opened his eyes and spoke nonsense, and began to explain to the players: "This ghost market sounds scary, but it is actually a group of vendors without business licenses who gather together to set up stalls. There are all kinds of things here, and they sell everything. Every year, there are unscrupulous merchants who mix in and sell counterfeit goods."
As the last chicken cart arrived, the male player with an injured leg limped down, and all the players arrived.
The host looked at the time and clapped his hands to signal everyone to gather.
"We are lucky this time. We came at the right time. Not only can we appreciate the natural scenery of Fengguan Village, but we can also experience the ghost market." The host read out the items of today's love variety show. "As the saying goes, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you manage the household. This activity is mainly to let everyone learn how to live frugally in advance. In this round of the game, you are only required to complete four transactions in the ghost market, and the transaction content must meet the needs of food, clothing, housing and transportation."
The host gave an analogy: "I won't say much about food and clothes. As long as it is a container, it can be considered as [housing]." He pointed to the clay pot that contained the dead fetus: "That counts as well. As for [transportation], there are many kinds of crutches, communication tools, etc. The initial experience gold of 200 yuan has been issued to everyone. The ghost market will be more lively as the night goes on. It is not safe to crowd in. Please complete the transaction as early as possible."
The last sentence is particularly meaningful.
The system prompt sounded synchronously—
[Side quest: Go to the market.]
After a day of getting along, you have gained a deeper understanding of each other and finally begin to experience the feeling of living together. Please complete the four transactions as soon as possible.
During the free shopping session, you only need to remember one thing: you cannot buy items that other players have already bought.]
"What do you mean by deeper understanding?" Wen Shi muttered. The paired guests around him had changed twice, and he didn't even ask the name of the woman in the red coat before she disappeared.
From choosing the means of transportation in the early morning to doing the transaction now, the theme of today's session seems to be "choice", and every choice is crucial.
I saw Wen Shi glanced at the chicken cart indifferently.
Yan Yan, who had been observing secretly, immediately realized something and ran over to discuss with the villagers, asking: "How much do you sell your chicken for?"
Thanks to Wen Shi's glance, he had a brilliant idea: Compared to picking up uncertain things at the market, the stock in the hands of the villagers who came to the market with them must be safer, "And this car, can you sell it at a lower price?"
Villager: "That adds up to one hundred and thirty."
Yan Yan frowned. He had spent twenty dollars on travel expenses when he came here, so he only had fifty dollars left.
The villagers frowned impatiently: "If you don't want to buy, get out of the way and don't delay my business."
"Buy, buy." Yan Yan saw another player getting ready to make a move, so he quickly took out the money.
Spend money to avoid disaster. This way, he only needs to pick up two items at the ghost market, and the safety factor is greatly increased.
Wen Shi witnessed the completion of the transaction, curled his lips, and took the initiative to say to Ji Yuanzhi and the others: "Let's go, let's go pick some good things together."
Liu Yun looked at Yan Yan with disdain: "He got the advantage for nothing."
When you encounter someone in a dungeon who always wants to climb up by stepping on others, it's like an uncertainty mine buried in the soil.
"It's okay. He's probably not going to make it." Wen Shi reminded, "We need to avoid anything that has animals in it later."
The calendar says that today is a good day to raise animals, but that is from the perspective of ghosts. As a human being, it is better to avoid them.
He spoke with great confidence, which showed that he did have a clue.
Liu Yun was surprised: "So you were deliberately tempting me just now..."
Wen Shi interrupted with a smile, "I just glanced in a certain direction. He made the decision to buy the chicken himself."
Liu Yun was silent. She knew Pei Wenwei would not let Yan Yan go. If she were in his place, she would not let go of someone who brought trouble upon herself. But she did not expect that Pei Wenwei would trick Yan Yan with just a look.
A look!
The market is now mainly populated by vendors. The host was not exaggerating. Today, there are visitors from all over the place. Some of them are wearing brightly colored clothes and are obviously not villagers from Fengguan Village.
Ji Yuanzhi was pushing the girl in the wheelchair, Wen Shi was holding the hand of A Sang, and eight men were following behind. The woman who was in the team with Liu Yun suddenly felt chilled to the bone as an exception.
Not long ago, everyone was happily riding in a hearse to find a partner, but now some are dead or disabled. This is not a good sign!
"You can buy whatever you like," the woman said. "I don't like crowded places. I'll wait for you outside."
Liu Yun also didn't want to get along with her, so the two of them hit it off immediately.
Girl in wheelchair: "Me too..."
Ji Yuanzhi shook his head when he heard the news: "Your legs and feet are not convenient, I am worried about you being out there alone."
As he was speaking, he noticed an empty seat in front. He and Wen Shi looked at each other and both walked over.
Ji Yuanzhi suddenly leaned over and picked up the girl. He put her aside in the face of her puzzled gaze, and then calmly called out to the customers passing by: "Wheelchairs for sale. Does anyone need one?"
Wen Shi took out his white coat and tried to sell it, but Ah Sang stuck a straw on his head first and said, "Selling a child. Is there anyone who needs a child?"
Liu Yun, who was watching everything, felt his eyebrows jump.
That’s right, the host only said it was a transaction, but there was no requirement for them to buy, they could also sell.
As she was thinking about whether she had anything to sell, she bent down to remind Ah Sang: "Business must be related to food, clothing, housing and transportation."
A Sang stared at the small broken bowl.
Liu Yun: "A bowl can barely be considered one."
But does anyone want this thing
"No, that's not it." Ah Sang hurriedly explained while protecting his precious bowl, "[衣]means to take off the clothes and purse; [食]means to wait for customers to come, I will smash the watermelon with the bowl and take out the edible things from their heads; [住]means to hollow out the body and keep the shell, and use the shell as a container. This intact shell may be very popular; [行]means to make crutches out of the bones, and boil bone soup for secondary sale."
This would more perfectly meet the needs of food, clothing, housing and transportation, and he could then sell these things and make another sum of money.
When talking about doing business, A Sang was not vague or stuttering at all, and he finished it in one breath.
Liu Yun's face was filled with shock.
All the paired guests around began to step back unconsciously.
Ji Yuanzhi adjusted the frame of his glasses and took a deep look at Wen Shi, who also made a living by getting something for nothing.
Wen Shi took a breath of cold air: "Wo..."
Wo day.
He finally understood what the similarities were between him and this child.
(End of this chapter)