Chapter 106 Ghost Merchant
teahouse!
The ancient Bagua center gathering place.
Throughout history, there has always been a time traveler who has come to the teahouse.
All kinds of people, peddlers and porters.
This is where news about other worlds circulates most.
When Lin Ye brought Dao Hai into the teahouse, they attracted the attention of many customers. The combination of a handsome nobleman and a muscular monk is eye-catching no matter where they are.
Lin Ye and Dao Hai found a seat by the side and sat down. The waiter came up to ask what kind of tea they wanted. When he heard what Lin Ye ordered, his eyes lit up and he said, "Sir, we have private seats on the second floor of the teahouse ."
"No, let's just go to the first floor."
If we go to the private room, we won't be able to hear the gossip.
After a while, the waiter came over with a teapot and served tea. He then took the initiative to stand aside and when he saw that the two people's tea was a little shallow, he immediately filled it up, and was as enthusiastic as a personal waiter.
This scene caused dissatisfaction among the guests at a table not far away. The bearded man slammed the table and pointed at the waiter and cursed: "Waiter, what's wrong with you? We are not guests. My teacup has been empty for a long time, and you didn't come to refill the tea."
The waiter was scolded by the bearded man and responded with a sarcastic look.
"Guest, you have been in the teahouse since this morning, ordered a large pot of tea, asked for three servings of melon seeds, and drank thirteen cups of tea."
"So what? It's not like I didn't pay."
"Yes, you paid. A large pot of tea costs only ten cents. Do you want to spend ten cents drinking in the store all day?"
Listening to the waiter's explanation, the other customers in the store also looked at the bearded man. However, the bearded man was not embarrassed at all. He puffed out his chest and asked, "Does your store have a rule that does not allow one pot of tea to be drunk all day?"
Waiter: ...
Many guests: ...
There was a brief silence in the entire lobby, because there was indeed no such rule in the teahouse, but the key point was that no one would be so shameless as to order a pot of tea and sit there for a whole day.
"Since there is no such rule, why can't I continue to sit here?"
"Oh, it's Mr. Hu. I'm a new waiter and I don't know Mr. Hu. Please don't blame me. Hurry up and serve him tea." The owner of the teahouse came out from the back, saw the bearded man, and greeted him with a smile on his face.
"You, the shopkeeper, still recognize me?"
"How could I not remember? Seven years ago, Boss Hu, you stayed in my teahouse for three days. Later, the business made a lot of money and you gave my teahouse ten taels. I still remember it to this day."
"Your boss has a good memory."
"It's mainly because you are so generous, Boss Hu. Are you here to do that business this time?"
The shopkeeper lowered his voice a little, and the bearded man nodded and said, "Yes, I'm going to Shangyang County tomorrow. This time the location is Shangyang County. Shopkeeper, do you need anything?"
"I guessed that you were coming, Boss Hu, so I contacted two customers during this period, but they could only afford five taels."
"Five taels?"
Hu Jun looked at the shopkeeper with suspicion, and the shopkeeper said sincerely: "Boss Hu, I didn't lie to you. I really only have that much money. I am also a poor man. My child is sick and we have spent all our savings on the child's medical treatment. It was also because I have seen your magic, Boss Hu, and I made a guarantee to them, that I was able to scrape together five taels of silver by borrowing money from everywhere."
"Okay, five taels is five taels. As usual, you take 20% of the commission."
"Thank you very much, Boss Hu, for the meal."
The two men spoke very softly, but Lin Ye had good hearing and heard their conversation clearly. For a moment, he became curious about the identity of the bearded man.
"Junior brother, are you curious about this person's identity?"
Dao Hai saw Lin Ye's eyes were fixed on Hu Jun. He glanced at Hu Jun's attire and said, "A copper bell on his waist, black shoes with white soles... This man is a ghost businessman."
Ghost businessman.
This was the second time Lin Ye had heard of this profession. The first time was from Yang Jian.
"Brother, do you know Ghost Merchant?"
"I've heard of this. He specializes in dealing with ghosts and is a businessman walking around the ghost market."
Lin Ye heard contempt for the ghost merchant from Dao Hai's tone, which made him a little confused. Could it be that the ghost merchant was not doing a good thing?
"Junior brother, you don't know that ghost merchants are the most treacherous and profit-seeking. Most of the ghosts that trade with ghost merchants in the ghost market are lonely ghosts. Because they have no relatives or descendants, their lives are miserable. The ghost merchants trade with them, and all they pay is some paper clothes and paper money, but they get huge profits."
"What good can it do?"
"Those ghosts need to pay ghost Yin Qi to trade, which is similar to the Yuan Yang Qi of us living people. Living people lacking Yuan Yang Qi will lead to physical weakness and illness, and the same is true for ghosts lacking ghost Yin Qi."
"Then what is the use of this ghostly Yin energy?"
"For practitioners, the ghost Yin Qi can be used to practice certain secret arts or refine magical instruments. For people with special fates and constitutions, the ghost Yin Qi can cure their illnesses. For example, if a pure Yang body is not infused with ghost Yin Qi, it will not live past the age of sixteen."
Lin Ye understood. To put it simply, it means buying low and selling high to make a huge profit from the difference.
"With such low costs, isn't there anyone trying to grab the business?"
"One day is a ghost businessman, and ten generations of ghost businessmen are there."
Seeing Lin Ye's confusion, Dao Hai explained in detail: "Once you become a ghost merchant, the next ten generations must be ghost merchants. If you are not a ghost merchant and enter the ghost market, you will be attacked by other ghosts in the ghost market."
“There are disadvantages to being a ghost merchant, right?” Lin Ye could tell. This tenth generation of the family were all ghost merchants, so this must be a restriction.
"After becoming a ghost trader, you have to cut off all contact with your relatives. Generally, only those who have nowhere else to go will become ghost traders."
I'm a lonely man.
God is fair. Lin Ye thought of those disciples who went out to perform rituals. After having the guardian deity , it was easy for them to make money, but there was also a price to pay. They would be neither human nor ghost, and would suffer a lot of torture every time they were possessed by the deity.
No wonder Daohai looks down on ghost merchants.
However, Lin Ye was very interested in this ghost merchant. After the shopkeeper left, he walked over with a smile.
"Brother..."
"Brother, we have different paths and cannot work together."
Hu Jun interrupted Lin Ye directly with a somewhat unfriendly tone. His unkindness was not because of Lin Ye, but because of Dao Hai.
When Dao Hai was explaining just now, his voice was not small and he also heard some of it.
They can all deal with ghosts, but their ghost business is looked down upon by Buddhism and Taoism, so Hu Jun naturally did not have a good attitude towards Lin Ye who was sitting by the Taoist sea.
"I have something to ask you. If it's convenient for you, I'd like to invite you to sit in the restaurant across the street. This is considered as a travel fee."
There was a banknote on Lin Ye's sleeve, and Hu Jun's eyes widened as he looked at it: "Sir, you are so polite. What's your name, sir?"
"Your surname is Lin."
"So it's Master Lin. Master Lin has an invitation, so of course I have to accept it. My name is Hu Jun, and you can also call me Hu Lao San."
