Cangzhou, the monster market.
"Sir, is this your first time visiting our Cangzhou monster market?" A little rabbit with gray fur and red eyes hopped along in front leading the way, while also asking Duke who was sitting on the Thirteenth's back.
Duke nodded, "Yes, my first time here."
As he spoke, Duke also took out his own smoking pipe, took out a smoke bomb condensed from the essence of the five elements and put it in the smoking pipe.
Casually rubbing the smoke bomb, five-colored smoke immediately rose from the smoking pipe. Duke bit the mouthpiece and sucked in a breath, tasting the refreshing feeling of the five element essence entering his body, while also asking, "Little rabbit, this monster market hasn't been open for long right?"
"It just opened a while ago. At first when I heard this monster market was opening, many monsters didn't dare come!"
Although this little rabbit looked timid, she also knew what to say.
She answered what Duke asked, and didn't say anything about what Duke didn't ask, and acted as if she didn't see whatever Duke did.
"Although they have gained intelligence, the cautious and careful traits of beasts are still hard to change."
Duke blew out a wisp of white smoke, and with a raise of his head, he noticed the temple he had seen earlier in the sky was now right before his eyes.
"The incense seems to be flourishing!"
Duke laughed lightly at the incense burner, and the little rabbit also very cleverly went to fetch an incense stick for the monsters to offer incense.
"Sir, for you!"
Seeing the little rabbit be so clever, Duke also fished out a gold piece and tossed it over.
"A clever child indeed, deserves a reward!"
As the little rabbit jumped up to bite the gold coin, she also bowed to Duke. Seeing this, Duke raised his eyelids and inhaled towards her.
A wisp of spirit force emanated from the little rabbit's body and was sucked into Duke's soul, nourishing the bud of his rhyme embryo.
Seeing Duke's odd gesture, the little rabbit blinked her eyes but didn't say anything.
In the monster market, one had to know to play deaf, dumb and blind, otherwise having nine lives wouldn't be enough for other monsters to swallow you in one bite.
Duke bent down to pluck the incense stick from the little rabbit's paws, casually lit it, then poked it into the incense burner.
As the incense stick fell into the incense ash, faint smoke drifted into the clouds. At the same time, Duke also glanced into the temple.
The temple was dilapidated. In the main hall there was a stone lion statue with an indistinct face.
Duke only glanced at it briefly before withdrawing his gaze.
That statue.....was alive!
No, rather than saying it was alive, it was more like something was possessing the statue, continuously collecting the incense offerings.
Noticing this point, Duke thought back to the billowing smoke he saw when entering the monster market, and understood where that smoke came from.
"There really are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in this monster market!"
Duke exclaimed inwardly. Just then, the little rabbit also went to get a permit from the nearby guard.
That guard was a gigantic toad, covered in warts, with a pair of bulging dead fish eyes.
Yet despite this, the little rabbit didn't show the slightest fear, and just went up to the guard.
"Brother Wa, Brother Wa, there's a new sir here to get a permit."
The toad's eyes, as large as millstones, rolled down to look at the little rabbit, and he spat out two mucus-covered permits from his mouth.
"Little rabbit, business is booming again, eh?"
"It's all thanks to Brother Wa's blessings."
The little rabbit picked up the permits, wiping off the mucus before saying to the toad, "Brother Wa, keep up the good work. I'll go get you some snacks later to show my gratitude!"
"You're too kind. Go on now."
The toad grunted and also glanced at Duke. Duke and the toad looked at each other without a word.
Compared to the Heiha brothers Duke had slaughtered earlier, this toad's strength was clearly much greater.
Those of differing strength naturally have different roles.
Seeing the white cat's attitude, the toad didn't say anything either. Although he was a new face, he hadn't caused any trouble or made a scene, so the toad had no other intentions.
Besides, he had also paid respects to Mother Lion according to custom, so the toad was even less concerned.
"Sir, your permit."
After the little rabbit brought the permit to Duke, he simply said, "Toss it in the purse."
"Oh!"
The little rabbit stood on tiptoes to put the permit in the purse, and also asked Duke, "Sir, is there anything you'd like to eat, see, or do?"
"Just say the word and I'll take you to the best places."
"The best?"
Duke chuckled lightly. The little rabbit didn't speak seeing Duke laugh.
In the little rabbit's heart, she felt this cat was a bit different from the other monsters she had seen, as if he didn't live in the same world as them.
Although the white cat didn't show anything substantial, the little rabbit could sense this point.
"What kinds of things are here, tell me in detail."
"Oh, just follow me sir, I'll tell you as we go!"
The little rabbit led the way in front, and Thirteen also lifted his feet to follow.
"Although our Cangzhou monster market just opened, the livelihoods in the market are already diverse and complete!"
"For example?"
When Duke spoke, Thirteen also looked towards the little rabbit.
"Ordinary mortals always say clothing, food, housing and transportation are indispensable aspects of the marketplace, and our monster market operates on the same principle."
"Take clothing, food, housing and transportation for example. We have the Weaving Lady House that specializes in making and selling clothes, the Delicacy Residence that cooks fresh vegetables and blood cuisine, the Happy Building for indulgence and pleasure, and the Qianli Inn that can travel all under heaven."
"Aside from the above, our monster market also has the Ghost Market, where there are many monsters and all kinds of goods for sale, but the Ghost Market only opens at night, and there are also many scammers."
"Is that all?"
After hearing the little rabbit's words, Duke asked another question.
"No other places of interest?"
"There are! I only talked about the common places monsters in the market go. Aside from those, there's also the Spring Returning House that treats illnesses and dispenses medicine, Hongque Building that buys and sells information and gossip, the Head Marking Residence that trades human and beast slaves, the Ruyi Building for gambling, and also..."
"Wait!"
Duke's eyes narrowed, "Did you say there's a place here specifically for buying and selling information?"
"That's right!" The little rabbit nodded vigorously, and also stopped walking, "Sir, where would you like to go?"
"I have some news I want to investigate, just not sure if this Hongque Building you mentioned can satisfy me."
"Sir, the famous trades in our monster market are interconnected with the other twenty-eight monster markets in the world, because most of these trades were established by the demon kings."
"Like the Hongque Building you just asked about, it was founded by the current Wuzhou Demon King. Rumor has it the Wuzhou Demon King was a pheasant spirit, extremely skilled at catching wind and shadows. Before becoming king she was known as the Roof Bird, meaning she excelled at gathering gossip and rumors about people."
"There's this kind of inside story?"
Duke's eyebrows raised in interest. It seemed there were still many things in the monsters' world he needed to learn about.
"That's right. I mentioned earlier the Weaving Lady House belongs to the Luo Zhou Demon King, the Delicacy Residence belongs to the Tao Zhou Demon King, the Happy Building belongs to the Qing Zhou Demon King, and the Qianli Inn belongs to the Ju Zhou Demon King."
"Hmm." Du ke nodded slightly, and at the same time threw out the third gold coin, "Reward money, take it yourself."
"Thank you, sir, for the reward."
"Let's go, to Hongque Building. I have some things I want to find out."
"Okay, please go this way!"
Having received reward money twice in a row, Little Rabbit was quite excited, but even so, she did not become complacent, but instead became more and more careful.
This is a big money man, she has to serve him well.
Maybe she can earn a year's worth of expenses today!
Little Rabbit led the way in front, and Thirteen followed behind at a jog.
Du ke sat upright in the saddle, silently chewing on his pipe and thinking. What he wanted to know most now was about the matter of the maid.
He should know that after the convoy was attacked, he was not only separated from the maid, but also completely lost contact with the maid.
Although he was going back to the Su family in Qingzhou, what if the maid was not at home after he went back?
What if something happened to the maid?
He must figure it out, figure out the maid's recent whereabouts.
And Hongque Building, which Little Rabbit mentioned, may be an opportunity for him.
As for the price?
Price is not a problem!
At this moment, Little Rabbit also led Thirteen to the most prosperous street in the Monster Market.
Various beast roars and howls also poured into Du ke's and Thirteen's ears all at once.
"Vermillion fruits, just picked vermillion fruits!"
"Aren't these vermillion fruits just red fruits, how can they be called vermillion fruits?"
"Aren't red fruits vermillion fruits?"
"All kinds of silks, just arrived all kinds of silks!"
"Boss, why is there still blood on the stuff you sell?"
"Oh, this is goods I just brought in from outside, small business, please understand more!"
"Herbs, just dug up herbs!"
"Classics and scriptures, classics and scriptures that secular scholars like most!"
"What are you bumping into me for?"
"It's you who didn't watch where you were going!"
"What, you wanna fight?"
"Come on then!"
........
Amidst the beast roars and howls, Du ke also looked over the entire street.
He saw that the street was three zhang wide, with monsters and spirits coming and going. Shops on both sides of the street had their doors wide open to welcome customers from all directions, and like the mundane world, vertical banners were erected in front of the shops, with signs and flags hanging from the banners to display the foundation of the shop and the industry of business.
The middle of the road was divided by two rows of stands, dividing the long street into three lanes.
Walking in the middle was shuffling through the various stands.
Walking on both sides, one could freely enter and exit the shops.
Shopkeepers also greeted customers, looking enthusiastic and lively, giving Du ke the illusion of returning to the mundane world.
Except this Monster Market had an innate aura of primitiveness and savagery, and was layered with an eerie, monstrous atmosphere.
"The Monster Market is the Monster Market after all, still very different from ordinary cities."
Du ke glanced at the donkey and pig fighting and brawling because of a bloodstained cloth over there, the porcupine and badger arguing incessantly over a piece of bloody cloth not far away, and the wolf in the nearby alley pressing hard on a fox.
Yet all the passing monsters took this as a matter of course, as if already accustomed to it.
"This really has opened my eyes!"
When Du ke said this, he also turned Thirteen's head away from looking at the wolf and fox in the alley.
"Don't look, be careful you'll get an eyeful."