Chapter 623: The Gates of Hell Trading Conference


    Afterthat ghost impersonating event, I didnt dare to sleep again. I wanted to talk to Yin Xinyue, but I didnt know how to face her. Eventually, I decided to call Li Mazi.


    Fortunately, he hadnt slept yet. Hey bro, Im on a train to visit Chuchus grave. How are you doing?


    Im doing okay. Its hard to fall asleepat night these days. I pretended to bealright. I smiled and chatted with him.I swallowed what I wanted to tell him down my throat.


    Li Maziwas a sensitive person. If he knew that Ihadaproblem, I was sure he woulde here to help me right away.


    Hey, you have toe home soon and take me to conquer more otherworldly items! His voice was cheerful.


    After listening to him, I felt touched. Iwaslonelyandwantedto quit this business at times, but in the end, I couldnt.Being an otherworldlymerchant wasn''tjust a profession;it was my life. If I left it, I would find no one to talk with.


    I had lived for almost thirty years and I had never been this lonely before. The night was so long. Everysecondthat passedby wasasecond I was tortured.


    When the East became bright and the first beams of sunlight shone, Ileaned back and slept. It was a good sleepasI didnt have any baddreams. However, I was awoken by the noise outside. The workers had returned to their jobs. I checked the time. It was noon already, and Chuyi hadnt returned. I was worried,so I decided to callhim.


    The callwentthrough soon. Chuyis voice came from the other end of the line weakly. Im onmyway back. Dont worry.


    Indeed, he came back shortly after. His Kumamont-shirt was torn, and there were streaks of blood on his face.


    Thereareno mermaidstearshere. He breathed out when he got into the car. Then, he asked me to drive home while hesleptinthe back seats.


    Afteryesterdays events, Id already lostmy hopeof findingthe mermaidstearshere. Afterlistening to him, I didnt feelthatdisappointed.


    We reached Yin Xinyues vige by twilight. I stopped at the vige entrance and woke Chuyi up.


    I fought with him, but none of usdared tokill the other.Anyway, he told me that the Dragon King Vige doesnt have the mermaids tears, but another secret. However, he didnt tell me whatthis secret is.


    Chuyiwas still tired. I knew he was talking about the old man. I nodded as I understood.


    Since we cant find the mermaidstearswithin a short time, we must find another solution to keep your parents alive.


    What do you mean? My eyes brightened. If he said so, hemust have asolution!


    Chuyi nodded and added, This year, when the Gates of Hell open on July 15th, there will be a mysterious trading conference. Its held by the otherworldly merchants Circle. There will be countless masters, monsters, and even thousand-year-old ghosts. They will trade rare herbs, pellets, cores, otherworldly items, and magic weapons. I think we can find the mermaidstearsthere.


    It wasnt even February yet.Thismeant we had to control my inws sickness for half a year, butnormal methods couldntbuy us that much time. Chuyi had considered for a long time before he came up withasolution: we would use the fate-swap method, as Senior Shuhad done. We would find two animals to swap their fates with my inws.


    However, therewas thepossibility that those animals couldnt endureituntil July 15th.If that happened,my inws fates would be gone with them. Tobe sure, Chuyi decided tobring herethe fox spirit we had subduedin Japan. At the same time, we would borrowSenior Shus life-bound rat to use.


    Thank you, Chuyi. I thanked him. Chuyi smiled, then directly drove away without visiting my inwshouseasecond time.


    I lingered for quite a long time to gather the courage to go home. I thought that the first thing Yin Xinyue would ask me about was the water nymphs tears.


    Brother Zhang, youre back!Are you hurt? Unexpectedly, she worried about my well-being first.


    I shook my head, then told her what Chuyi had told me.


    Its good. As long as my parents are safe, just dowhatever is needed.


    I didnt know if she wanted tofort me or what, but her emotionswerestable. Yin Xinyue didnt cry as she had done before.


    For thenext few days, I madeaspecial ointment for my inws every day. After a few days, Chuyi came back with the fox spirit and the life-boundrat. He held a ritual with some spells to swap their fates.


    After everything was done, Chuyi finallylet out a sigh ofrelief. If nothing unexpected happens, for the next six months, they will bealright. Now,wejust need to wait for the Gates of Hell Trading Conference on July 15th.


    I knewthat nothing unexpectedwould happen becauseSenior Shuhad been swapping hisfatewith his life-bound rate for quite a long time, and he had no problems.


    After listening to me, Yin Xinyue didnt look worried anymore. She still had work to do, so we couldnt stay in her hometown for a long time.


    We stayedfor a few more days.After confirming that nothing unexpected would happen, we werereadyto go back to the city. I wanted to make Chuyi my guest for a few days, but he refused and saidthat he needed to return to Dragon King Vige to solveanissue.


    You should be careful, then, I told him.


    I didnt ask him what he wanted to do, justas Ididnt ask him what had happened on the night he locked me inside the car. Everybody hadasecret they didnt want othersto know. We could just wish him well.


    Whenwe returnedto the city, Yin Xinyue was busy again with her work. She rarely came home. I started to resume my lonely lifeand felt evenloneliernow.


    Fortunately, Li Mazi came to the rescue with a new business deal. Moreover, the client was near Wuhan. My interest was aroused after listening to him. Mazi, give me the address.


    Li Mazi was always stealthy, his voice despicableas he said,LittleBrother Zhang, you have to take me with you. Otherwise, Ill swallow the address down my tummy!


    Then, he closed his eyes as though he was a dead pig that wasnt afraid of boilingwater.


    Ihadalmost cracked mentally these days, soIwasnt inthe mood to joke with him.I agreed to take him with me.


    Well, its in a vige called Baijia.


    We departed.Onthe way, I was bored, soI asked, Where did you get this case?


    It was like magic;wheneverI neededa casethe most, this cunning man could alwayse withabig deal.


    Li Mazi sniggered. On my way back after visiting Chuchus grave, I saw a sullen-faced man on the train. You know my strength, right? Im good atreadingpeoplesfaces and guessing theirintentions. I felt that the manwasin trouble. I started to chat with him. Indeed, hehad a bigproblem. His name is He Kui. He went to the South to praytothe Bodhisattva there.


    It turned out that so many strangethings happened tothe mansfamily after his father passed away. First, his wife had an ident, whichresulted inher miscarriage. Then, He Kui lost his job in the city.Feeling helpless, he had to take his family back to the countryside to live.


    Evenafter that, they didnt find peace. At night, when He Kuis wife slept, she would dream about herte father-inw, who cried and shouted at her face.


    He Kuis wife had always looked down on her inws. She disdained the old man because he was just a farmer from the countryside. She had thrown the eggs that her father-inwhad toborforinto the trash bin. She even sent him out of the house in the middle of a snowy night.


    When He Kui heard the situation from his wife, he hurried to his fathers grave to burn paper money, begginghim to forgive his wife.However,it didnt work. The situation had turned even worse. In the end, his wife didnt dare to sleep anymore.


    They had endured the situation, but the next incident made He Kuiloathehis fatherpletely.After a long time, his wife finally gave birth to a baby girl,but the child wasveryweak. They took the little girl to the hospital to check. The doctor said she was all right, but the little girl kept crying as though she saw something very scary.


    The couple thought that it could be the ghost of their old man who stayed nearby andscaredthe child.Feeling helpless, He Kui had to go to the South Sea to visit and implore the Goddess of Mercy!