I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 306 - 270: The Enigmatic Peddler

"What’s that?"

Yao Zhen squinted for a long time, thought for a while, and finally remembered who that was.

"The vendor I mentioned to you last time."

The Ghost Vendor has an innate ability to make people forget him. Even if ordinary people see him eight times a day, each time feels like the first. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Yao Zhen’s current strength is at the fourth layer, and even with the token from Nine Songs given by her master, it still takes her some time to recognize the Ghost Vendor.

"Nine Songs’ Ghost Vendor?"

There was no need for Sang Que to pretend not to know about such an obvious thing.

"Yes, the way to drive the Five Ghosts originally came from Nine Songs, and the Ghost Vendor is among the best. Whenever someone successfully summons the Five Ghosts, he appears to do business with them."

Sang Que nodded slightly, suddenly feeling that the power Witch Lady had placed on her to prevent her identity from being exposed was no longer effective.

The people of Nine Songs were gradually approaching her.

Was it because her strength had increased, giving her the power to protect herself, or because the power from Witch Lady was growing weaker?

Not long after, the Ghost Vendor arrived in front of the two, set down his burden, and smiled at Yao Zhen with a bow.

"Meeting you again, how is your recovery coming along?"

Yao Zhen replied, "When I went back last time, it just so happened that the Bell Doctor was visiting my master, and he healed me in passing."

Yao Zhen was always forthright, and she didn’t avoid speaking about these things in front of Sang Que, intending to let the Ghost Vendor know that Sang Que could be trusted.

After all, what Sang Que had done recently, sheltering refugees, and dealing with bandits, had made Yao Zhen view her with newfound respect.

The Ghost Vendor looked at Sang Que, and even though he had never seen her, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and warmth towards her.

The Ghost Vendor’s strength was obviously higher than Sang Que’s, and also higher than Yao Zhen’s, but as a vendor, he always respectfully addressed everyone as ’you’.

"Miss, would you like to take a look at my list of goods? If there’s anything you need, we can barter. If you have something I want, I can also come to collect it."

The Ghost Vendor took out a yellowed hardcover book and handed it to Sang Que.

Sang Que accepted the book, absent-mindedly flipping it open. Previously, she was pondering how to contact the people of Nine Songs, but now that she was meeting them, she hesitated about revealing her identity.

In fact, she had been contemplating a question for some time.

Should she inherit everything left by Witch Lady and rebuild the Witch Temple, or simply abandon everything from the past and establish a new power?

This was the question she started considering when she was preparing to sculpt the Divine Statue.

Rebuilding the Witch Temple could allow her to directly receive help from Nine Songs, and draw in those who still believed in Witch Lady, making the initial development perhaps easier.

But this way, she would be more easily targeted by the Evil Suppression Bureau, which might destroy her with all means necessary before she could gain a foothold.

If she abandoned the Witch Temple and started afresh, it might be difficult initially, but it would be relatively safer, allowing her to quietly lay a solid foundation.

By the time the Evil Suppression Bureau realized, she would have become a mighty tree, no longer easily uprooted.

Sang Que herself leaned towards the latter option.

Having understood this, Sang Que focused her attention on the book, which contained many items.

Besides various yin objects, there were also various Evil Spirits and even Evil Ghosts for sale, though the required items were bizarre, such as twin placenta, hands with broken palm lines, and the Life Scrolls of people with extremely ominous fate, etc.

There were also some books, "Paperman Secret Technique" and "Puppet Secret Technique", as well as those familiar to Sang Que like "Qimen Dunjia", "Heavenly Craftsmanship", and "Missing One".

Sang Que flipped a few pages and saw something she currently needed.

A mole.

It was simply called a mole, a product made by the Ghost Vendor himself. He referred to such things as "secret artifacts", a term originally used to denote a coffin but now refers to items crafted by special artisans using special techniques.

The puppets made by the Puppet Master in the Ghost Opera Troupe are a kind of flesh-and-blood secret artifact, existing in the realm between life and death, between human and ghost.

Such items require a complex crafting process, needing the right time, place, and people. The Ghost Vendor wouldn’t tell Sang Que the specific details, and she couldn’t understand them.

Yao Zhen said that the Evil Suppression Bureau has secret artifact craftsmen, and the incense masks they use also belong to the category of secret artifacts.

"Is the mole a disguise item?" Sang Que asked.

The Ghost Vendor replied, "When people disguise themselves, they want others to ignore their appearance. The mole does the opposite, drawing people’s attention to it, so people who have seen you only remember you having a mole on your face and are vague about your other features."

Yao Zhen added, "His blind eye is somewhat similar to this. I still don’t know his true appearance and can only identify him by the blind eye, his burden, and the five little ghosts he carries."

Sang Que understood the meaning, realizing that the Ghost Vendor’s entirely white blind eye was a disguise. When he didn’t wish to disguise himself anymore, by removing the blind eye and changing his attire, no one would recognize him as the Ghost Vendor.

The Ghost Vendor’s identity was tied to his blind eye.

"Were the previous Ghost Vendors also blind?" Sang Que asked.

The Ghost Vendor chuckled, as if tacitly acknowledging it, suggesting that the blind eye was an incense artifact, a symbol of identity with other purposes.

A mole certainly didn’t possess the abilities of an incense artifact that could absorb the power of incense and be passed down. It had a usage period when created and had been traded before, now only three and a half years remained.

"Why is there no mention of what you require for the exchange?"

"I haven’t decided what I want yet, but it’s okay. On our first transaction, you can pay later. You can use the item first, and when I’ve decided what I want, I’ll send a Little Ghost to notify you. If you can’t afford it, you can return the item without needing to pay anything extra."

Sang Que raised an eyebrow; this was a post-use payment system, a rather advanced transaction model.

However, for the Ghost Vendor to dare to do this, he must be confident, not fearing having his goods stolen.

"Alright, so how do we contact each other?"

The Ghost Vendor inquired, "How do you control the Five Ghosts, and what token do you use?"

Sang Que took out a string of Copper Coins, and the Ghost Vendor accepted them with both hands. He shook the rattle, and the five big-headed mask-wearing children who had been running wildly over the wilderness ran over, gathering together and sniffing hard at the Copper Coins. Sang Que vaguely saw strands of grayish air being sucked into their noses.

The Ghost Vendor handed the Copper Coins back and took out three Yellow Paper figurines with runes, handing them to Sang Que.

"Keep this booklet and the Paperman safe; my Little Ghosts have memorized the scent of your Five Ghosts. As long as it’s nighttime, they can find you through your Five Ghosts Token. Rest assured, they are well-behaved and only deliver messages and items without harming anyone."

"If you wish to trade with me, find a deserted place after nightfall and burn a Paperman. This will summon my Little Ghosts, inform them of your convenient time, and I’ll visit you."

Having said this, the Ghost Vendor glanced at Yao Zhen, pulled out a small peach wood box from his burden. Inside was a fingernail-sized piece of human skin with a small vermilion mole on it.

"You can attach this item anywhere on your face, and it can be removed at any time without harming you. However, you need to pay attention because it will expire when the time comes."

Sang Que accepted the item, and the Ghost Vendor asked another question.

"Have we met before?"

Sang Que replied straightforwardly, "I don’t know."

The Ghost Vendor nodded, having completed his purpose. He hoisted his burden and bid farewell to the two, only to take three steps before disappearing into the night with his five Little Ghosts.

Sang Que held the booklet given by the Ghost Vendor and thought that there would definitely be many more future encounters.

Previously, she was wondering where to catch Evil Spirits transformed from the souls of the deceased to artificially create Yin Walkers. As it turned out, the Ghost Vendor appeared, and there were many available for exchange in this booklet.

It’s just that those peculiar items require her subordinates to keep a lookout and collect them diligently.

For now, she would just use the Ghost Vendor as a tool, and when the time is right, she can reveal her identity without haste.