Chapter Forty-Five: Yong'an Market

Chen Ye’s gaze fell on the rules, and he read through them carefully, his brow furrowing slightly.

“This market only accepts currency transactions, which means players can only use copper coins, or higher denominations like silver and gold coins, to purchase goods—barter trade is not allowed.”

“The prices fluctuate according to supply and demand… so the rarer the item, the more expensive it becomes?”

“Also, there’s another rule for entering the market—never look directly at anything here!”

“Does that mean we have to buy things with our eyes closed?”

Just reading these few rules made it clear that this market was shrouded in mystery and danger.

The last rule was the most chilling: breaking any of the above rules meant being trapped here forever.

It sounded eerily ominous.

Apparently, very few people on the forums ever mentioned the Yong’an Market. Chen Ye vaguely recalled only a handful of posts referencing it, mostly asking if anyone had insider information.

He guessed hardly any players dared to recklessly enter it.

Looking at the rules beside him, it was easy to see why most would be scared off.

The old chestnut seller grandmother pulled out two long strips of black cloth from her pocket, handing one to Chen Ye and keeping the other for herself. She wrapped the cloth several times around her eyes and tied a tight knot at the back of her head.

“Here, young man, put this on properly.”

“The other rules in this lousy market, you don’t really have to pay much attention to. Prices are usually what they are.”

“The owner here is pretty fierce, and not many sellers dare to pull shady tricks, or they’re just asking for trouble!”

“We only need to follow our own rules.”

“Though keeping your eyes tightly shut or covered are just makeshift measures, better safe than sorry!”

“Besides wearing this, the safest way is to blind yourself.”

Chen Ye felt a flush of embarrassment. To avoid this rule, people actually blinded themselves… that was just too extreme.

He obediently took the black cloth.

It was nearly a meter long, enough to fold several times and cover the eyes completely.

There was almost no chance of any light passing through.

Having done this, Chen Ye tried to open his eyes.

But then, something unexpected happened!

Though his vision was pitch black, he faintly saw a soft halo of light swirling directly in front of him.

It was the aura of fortune that the chestnut-selling grandmother possessed!

“Even blindfolded, I can activate the Eye of Fortune?”

Chen Ye was surprised and delighted.

The Eye of Fortune seemed to penetrate the black cloth barrier, allowing him to glimpse the aura rings of things around him.

It was like gaining a special kind of vision.

But this vision was obviously different from ordinary sight.

He only saw the shapes of fortune auras.

With his eyes covered, he still couldn’t see what the surroundings really looked like or what objects were there.

The fourth rule of Yong’an Market only forbade looking directly at anything here.

But observing through the black cloth with the Eye of Fortune wasn’t direct sight.

It was a special visual effect.

In essence, this shouldn’t trigger the fourth rule.

Still, to be safe, Chen Ye planned to ask the chestnut grandmother a little more.

“Grandma, this fourth rule says not to look directly at anything here. Does that mean I can open my eyes or use other methods to get visual information?”

The grandmother chuckled, “Of course that’s fine. When you come to this market, you have to rely on your own skills. If you can see what’s around without looking directly, that’s your own ability.”

Chen Ye finally felt reassured.

Though he couldn’t clearly see the path ahead, with the Eye of Fortune, he could tell exactly where the chestnut grandmother was.

Once inside the market, during trading, he could also see the fortune auras of sellers and their goods.

This way, even if sellers tried to use underhanded tricks to bypass the market’s rules, Chen Ye could judge whether a deal was worth it.

The wheels of the cart clicked and clattered over the uneven ground.

The chestnut grandmother began slowly pushing the cart forward, her voice drifting softly, “Alright, young man, we need to move quickly.”

“This market is huge. It takes quite some time to get to where the carts are.”

“We have to try to get out before six-thirty.”

Chen Ye nodded quickly. He knew the market was open until six-thirty.

Though the rules didn’t explicitly say it was dangerous or forbidden to stay past closing time, the rule alone made Chen Ye unwilling to linger inside Yong’an Market after hours.

He stepped forward, calculating the distance as he went...

At that moment.

Chen Ye knew he was only about five meters from Yong’an Market.

He kept his eyes open and tried to walk forward slowly, watching the faint fortune aura floating above his head.

Throughout, the aura remained a light sky blue. At the same time, a subtle mysterious yellow energy hovered around him. At the edge of this yellow glow were barely visible touches of purple.

Chen Ye judged that this fortune aura would not bring him danger for now.

If this kind of vision violated the market’s rules, the aura would have shown a blood-red omen just like it did on the lower reaches of the West River.

Since everything was normal, Chen Ye didn’t hesitate and took a step forward.

The next moment...

The air around him suddenly felt much colder.

Where it had been quiet moments before, now countless noisy voices surged in from all directions like a tidal wave.

“Emperor spiders! Fresh emperor spiders!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, come see the fish I found! Ten heads on one fish! Anyone who loves fish heads and eyes can’t miss this!”

“Large intestines, original flavor large intestines!”

“Freshly cooked claypot rice, made with my second daughter’s entire daily portion—absolutely delicious!”

“Meat buns, five copper coins each!”

“Fair prices, no cheating young or old!”

The sellers’ cries mingled together, enveloping him from every direction, as if they all erupted at once and poured into his ears.

Outside the market, it had been silent. With just one step difference, the atmosphere had suddenly transformed dramatically.

Suddenly, Chen Ye had the strange feeling that he might have crossed into another world...

He glanced around. Though he couldn’t see the full layout of Yong’an Market, he observed that colorful auras had appeared nearby.

White, black, purple, mysterious yellow...

All kinds of colors intertwined, as if he had stepped into a canvas spilled with ink.

The chaotic colors blended and overlapped, dazzling to the eye, yet the lines formed were harmonious, never chaotic, almost artistic.

Taking a few more steps inside, Chen Ye suddenly felt a chill creeping over his body.

The temperature inside Yong’an Market seemed several degrees colder, like winter’s grasp.

But this cold wasn’t just physical—it felt like it seeped into his very bones, penetrating his soul.

He stayed close behind the chestnut grandmother, his left hand lightly holding the back end of the cart to avoid losing her. His other hand reached into his pocket to take out a candied chestnut, both to fill his stomach and to dispel the chill.

Then, suddenly, Chen Ye felt something cold and sticky on his back, pressing against him and slowly crawling from his shoulder toward his cheeks on both sides...