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However, the burly man clearly underestimated the strength of the two doorkeepers.
The two men flashed nimbly, dodging the burly man's fist.
Then, one of them kicked the burly man's knee, while the other punched him in the abdomen.
The burly man was too slow to dodge, letting out a miserable "Ow!" as he took both attacks with his body.
But he was still not resigned and tried to struggle and resist.
However.
The two men's attacks rained down like a storm, their movements swift and decisive, each move carrying powerful force and precise control.
In a short while, the burly man was beaten senseless and collapsed to the ground.
He groaned in pain, his face filled with terror and regret.
But the two men did not stop there; they continued to punch and kick the burly man until his legs were broken, and blood stained the ground.
Afterward.
The two men lifted the burly man out as if dragging a dead animal and threw him by the roadside.
The entire process was swift and cruel, leaving everyone around them terrified.
The originally somewhat noisy crowd instantly quieted down, and an atmosphere of tension and fear permeated the air.
But at this moment, the three people at the alley's entrance remained calm, showing no emotional fluctuations whatsoever.
Dugu Bo and Zhuge Lan witnessed all of this, and a chill couldn't help but rise in their hearts.
Zhuge Lan whispered, "The people in the Ghost Market are truly ruthless. It seems these rules cannot be broken lightly."
Dugu Bo nodded, his expression solemn, and said, "Indeed, we must be even more careful in our actions. This Ghost Market is clearly not simple; the waters here are probably deeper than we imagined."
They looked at the burly man's still slightly trembling body, their vigilance towards the Ghost Market increasing by several points.
At this time, the queue continued to move forward, and soon it was Dugu Bo and Zhuge Lan's turn.
Although Zhuge Lan felt a little uneasy, he still unhesitatingly pulled out 100 gold coins.
He carefully asked, "Is there a family ticket for two people? Can it be cheaper?"
...
The man sitting there kept his head still, only raising his eyes to stare directly at Zhuge Lan.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo immediately felt something was wrong.
He quickly snatched the 100 gold coins from Zhuge Lan's hand and directly put them into the box.
He said in a low voice, "Excuse me."
Then he pulled Zhuge Lan with him and carefully walked into the alley entrance.
The man, seeing the money was paid, didn't bother to stop them.
After entering the alley, Dugu Bo also let out a sigh of relief, then slapped Zhuge Lan on the head.
Dugu Bo said somewhat angrily, "You damn it! You're always causing trouble for me! Can't you be more mindful?! Next time, if I don't help you, you might lose your life."
Zhuge Lan rubbed his hit head and said aggrievedly, "I was just trying to save some money."
Dugu Bo glared at him: "This is not a place where you can mess around casually. One wrong move and both of us could lose our lives. You saw what happened to that burly man just now, and you still dare to fool around."
Zhuge Lan pouted and said, "I know, I know, I'll be careful from now on."
Dugu Bo vigilantly scanned his surroundings.
Inside the alley, the light was dim, and the path was narrow and winding.
Some oil lamps hanging on the surrounding walls emitted a faint glow, barely illuminating the way forward.
The crowd moved slowly through this narrow passage, their footsteps unusually clear in the silence.
The alley was narrow and long. After several minutes of walking, they finally saw a white light emanating from the end of the alley.
Dugu Bo and Zhuge Lan involuntarily quickened their pace; they were both filled with curiosity and apprehension about the true face of the Ghost Market.
As they got closer to the light, the sounds of commotion gradually reached their ears.
When they completely walked out of the alley, the sight before them made their eyes widen.
Dugu Bo and Zhuge Lan stepped into the Ghost Market, and a bizarre and colorful picture slowly unfolded before their eyes.
Before them was a huge square, bustling with people.
The various stalls in the square appeared chaotic but were arranged in a well-ordered manner.
Each stall had lanterns of various shapes hanging in front of it, and beneath the lanterns were all sorts of strange and unusual goods.
From rare spiritual herbs and miraculous medicines to exotic beast inner cores, and even ancient scrolls and weapons emitting mysterious light.
There were gems emitting mysterious light, as well as some mechanical devices whose purpose was unclear, everything imaginable.
The Stall owners also came in all shapes and sizes.
Some had ferocious faces, while others wore eerie masks.
Various hawking cries, bargaining sounds, and arguments intertwined, rising and falling.
Zhuge Lan couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, this is the Ghost Market, it's so lively!"
Dugu Bo, however, frowned and whispered a reminder, "Don't just look around; be careful, there's a dangerous aura everywhere here."
"Two customers, come and see! Ten-thousand-year Ganoderma, thousand-year snow lotus, all kinds of rare and exotic herbs are available!" an old man with a smiling face called out.
"Come and take a look! Here are scales from a ten-thousand-year divine beast, the best material for forging top-tier weapons!" another Stall owner waved the scales in his hand, shouting loudly.
Zhuge Lan saw some herbs displayed at a stall, and his eyes lit up. He had never seen these herbs outside; one of them emitted a faint fragrance, and its leaves shimmered with a faint glow.
He said to Dugu Bo, "Old Poison, look at these herbs, could they be useful to us?"
Dugu Bo examined them carefully, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "These herbs are very rare; many high-grade elixirs seem to require them as supplementary ingredients. They might truly be of great use in the future. Let's go ask for the price."
They came to the stall, and Zhuge Lan politely asked the Stall owner, "Boss, how much are these herbs?"
The Stall owner was a middle-aged woman. She looked at the two and said with a smile, "These herbs are all good stuff. They're 200 gold coins in total."
Zhuge Lan frowned: "Can it be cheaper, Boss? We don't have that much money."
The middle-aged woman continued to explain, "These herbs are very rare. You might not find even half a hand's worth if you cross 10 mountains. This bundle of mine is quite a lot!"
Dugu Bo said, "I know these herbs are rare, but they are not extremely scarce. It's just that their distribution is very scattered and not concentrated, making them difficult to collect. 200 gold coins is too expensive."
The middle-aged woman thought for a moment: "Seeing that you two are sincere buyers, 180 gold coins then. I can't go any lower. For 180 gold coins, I'll give you this whole lot."
Zhuge Lan frowned and said decisively, "150 gold coins! No more talk, we'll take all of them for 150!"
The middle-aged woman hesitated for a while. Although she wore a mask and her facial expression couldn't be seen, her tone revealed her extreme reluctance: "Alright, alright, seeing as you two are quite fated today, I'll give them to you."
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