Monday, the autumn breeze tightened quietly.

As soon as school was out in the afternoon, Chen Hao, Ye Yuqiao, Xie Xiaofeng, and Tang Jing immediately poured out of the classroom and met up with Tang Chao at the gate of Jingwen Middle School.

Ever since they had stopped Tang Jing from marrying into the Li Family, different people from the Li side had been coming every day for the past three days to snatch her away, causing great chaos in Y City each time. Therefore, after discussion, the five of them decided not to sit idly by anymore, and prepared to take the initiative to go to Dao County to confront the Li Family!

Tang Chao had already found a van early on at the school gate, and as soon as the five met up, they boarded the vehicle and headed for Dao County.

Dao County was a county town on the southernmost border of Y City, three hours away from the Y City district. By the time the five arrived in Dao County, it was nearly nine o'clock at night.

The van did not drive directly into the county town of Dao County but stopped at the entrance of a village far from the main street of the county town.

"I'm sorry, folks, but this is as far as the car can go. If you walk a few hundred meters ahead, you'll reach the county town's main street," the driver said to Tang Chao, who was sitting next to him.

Looking at the pitch-black darkness ahead, Xie Xiaofeng's face darkened, and he asked somewhat displeased, "Why stop here? Why not drive directly into the county town?"

The driver turned his head to look at Xie Xiaofeng, a bitter look on his face. After a pause, he explained in a voice tinged with distress, "It's not that I don't want to go in, it's really too..."

"You're afraid of ghosts, aren't you?" Ye Yuqiao, who had been leaning on Chen Hao's shoulder with her eyes closed, suddenly said coldly, "If that's the case, let's get off the car then, and take a walk to breathe in some fresh countryside air."

The driver gave a wry smile and nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, I'm afraid of ghosts. Everyone knows Dao County is famous for being a ghost market. Once it gets dark, you can't step half a foot into the county town. You all should be careful!"

Suddenly, the driver looked puzzled and scanned the group with his eyes, asking, "I see you five are probably students, right? What are you doing in Dao County so late?"

"Don't you understand?" Chen Hao suddenly made a spooky face at the driver, and his tone also turned eerie. "We aren't human, heh heh!"

At once, the driver turned pale, utterly lost whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing this, Tang Jing couldn't help but snicker. Then she turned to look at Chen Hao sitting in the back row and said with a light laugh, "Don't scare our driver. Let's get off the car."

The five of them got off and walked for ten minutes in the night before they reached the main street of Dao County town.

"My God!" Xie Xiaofeng exclaimed sincerely after a glance. The main street of the county town in front of them was desolate, with only a few street lamps on and not a single shop lit up. It was even more desolate than the villages they had passed through on the way, where there were a few flickering lights.

The wind swept through, rustling the dry leaves on the ground, adding to the feeling of desolation and making the atmosphere on the street feel even more eerie. Although they opened their Yin Yang Eyes and didn't see any Yin Souls lingering around, everyone felt as if there were eyes watching them from behind, probably a psychological suggestion induced by the atmosphere.

"Is that mansion over there the Li Family's?" Xie Xiaofeng pointed to the southeast, where a house with high walls and lights was situated.

The lights were bright inside the mansion's walls, making it stand out dazzlingly in the entire Dao County town. It was clear that the Li Family, as a wealthy merchant, held a prominent status and position in Dao County.

"Tang Jing, actually the Li Family looks pretty good. If you'd gone there, you'd be practically a rich lady," Chen Hao joked, "If we hadn't stopped you from marrying into the Li Family a few days ago, we'd be here to accompany Tang Chao on a family visit now, and even have a meal at the Li Family's house."

Tang Jing looked at Chen Hao with a pout and a touch of bitterness on her face. She knew all too well that Chen Hao just couldn't help making jokes. Moreover, if it hadn't been for Chen Hao, she probably would actually belong to the Li Family by now. After a pause, she chuckled lightly, "So I should blame you guys? If it weren't for you, I'd already be enjoying life."

Hearing Tang Jing say this, both Xie Xiaofeng and Chen Hao laughed heartily; Tang Chao, however, wore a gloomy face, feeling a bit bitter and ashamed; Ye Yuqiao looked expressionlessly at Chen Hao. She had already sensed that Tang Jing's attitude toward Chen Hao had undergone a drastic change, so she felt somewhat sour inside.

"So are we going straight to the Li Family now?" Tang Chao asked in a tone filled with apprehension. All the way here, his heart had been uneasy. He worried that if they couldn't overcome the people from the Li Family, what would happen if Tang Jing was captured by the Li Family to become their daughter-in-law? Before coming here, he had pleaded with Tang Jing several times not to come, but she refused to listen, saying she wanted to stand side by side with everyone in battle.

"Still early, isn't it?" Chen Hao's mouth curled into a mischievous smile, "We're here not just to force the Li Family to call off the marriage but to completely destroy their foundation!"

..

Twenty minutes later, after finishing their arrangements on the streets of Dao County town, the five of them walked around the town streets and finally managed to find the only hotel in a corner.

Like all the shops in this county town, the doors of the inn were tightly shut, with only a weak, pale yellow light squeezing through the crack between the door and the ground.

After knocking on the door four times, the inn's door quietly opened, revealing a gap no bigger than a fist.

"It's said that ghosts knock no more than three times, whoever is knocking must be alive, right? If not, don't bother us. We only do business with the living," a trembling hiss drifted out.

"Then I'll trouble you," Xie Xiaofeng said with a light laugh, finding the comment quite amusing.

The door now fully opened to reveal a white-haired old man, about sixty years old. Seeing five vibrant young people before him, the man's face instantly wore a kindly and benevolent smile.

"Come on in!" the old man moved aside to make way.

Once inside the inn, the old man immediately closed the door, turned around and asked, "What brings you five young friends to Dao County on such a dark and windy night? Aren't you afraid of being haunted by ghosts?"

"We're here for a room," Xie Xiaofeng explained, "One who does no evil by day does not fear ghosts knocking at night. We have nothing to fear. But Grandpa, you are not doing business properly. Skulking about as if you've done something wrong, could it be that you have a guilty conscience?"

"I express my concern out of kindness, and it turns into a fault of mine," the old man chuckled, understanding that Xie Xiaofeng was joking. After a pause, his expression suddenly became solemn as he said mournfully, "The night is still young, so you haven't encountered anything strange. Wait until after midnight, when the ghost market moves on. You won't even need to go outside; you'll hear loud ghostly noises even lying in your room. I'm telling you in advance so you won't be frightened later."

After receiving the keys from the old man, the five of them didn't rush upstairs to rest but listened to the old man talking about the ghostly occurrences in Dao County.

The old man said that Dao County had become a haven for a ghost market partly due to being surrounded by mountains, which diminished sunlight and increased the presence of Yin Qi, attracting Yin Souls; and partly because the nearby mountains were considered geologically auspicious, people from Y City and surrounding regions preferred to bury their dead there. Dao County, being a major transit hub, became a passing point for many Yin Souls after death.

Before the Li Family got involved in the netherworld business, Dao County's ghost market had already formed some scale. However, since ghosts are afraid of places with heavy Yang Energy and lots of people, the market was dispersed throughout rural corners of Dao County.

After Li Jiachang started his netherworld business, he collaborated with some of the local bullies to covertly warn and threaten the shops on the county town streets not to do business after eight o'clock at night. Over time, the ghost market centered around the Li Family came into existence.

As a result of the ghost market, no one dared to invest or do business in Dao County, nor did they dare purchase crops from Dao County's farmers. The people of Dao County lived increasingly worse by the day, while the Li Family's days grew more flourishing.

The government and police had once detained Li Jiachang, but he was released after just a couple of days; the county's farmers had also paid for some folk sorcerers and geomancers to help, but in the end, they either fell ill or lost their minds. From then on, no one dared to cross those associated with the Li Family.

"So the people from the Li Family are this domineering!" Chen Hao exclaimed angrily upon hearing this.

"Alas," the old man sighed silently, "I'm just chatting, you young folks should just take it as a story, don't go around saying I'm the one who told you!"

After chatting with the old man, the five of them went upstairs to their rooms to rest.

In the room, seeing Chen Hao still angry as he lay on the bed, Ye Yuqiao approached him and asked, "What's wrong? Has your sense of justice been stirred up again?"

"Yeah!" Chen Hao nodded and took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Ye Yuqiao. "I might not have many strengths, but sometimes my sense of justice is too strong."

Ye Yuqiao snorted with laughter and pushed against Chen Hao's chest, trying to break free.

"Don't move around!" Chen Hao pulled Ye Yuqiao, who was standing at the edge of the bed, onto it, "I can't calm down right now. I keep thinking about setting the Li Family on fire. I need you to lie in my arms, only then can my heart settle down."

Ye Yuqiao complied and stopped resisting, resting her head in Chen Hao's embrace. After a moment of silence, she placed her hands on Chen Hao's shoulders and hugged him tightly.

Time passed unknowingly.

"Will there ever be someone else who can calm your heart like I do right now?" Ye Yuqiao asked shyly, her eyes closed.

After a long wait without a response from Chen Hao, Ye Yuqiao opened her eyes. She slightly lifted her head to look at Chen Hao and noticed that he had fallen asleep. Unable to hold back, a tear of grievance trickled down from her eyes.

It had taken her so much courage to ask that question, yet Chen Hao had fallen asleep and hadn't heard it.

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