Chapter 29: Crab Hag, Prototype of Foresight
The Five Madness Dharma Assembly was divided into Front Street, Middle Street, and Inner Market.
The locations were different, and so were the stall fees.
The Front Street mostly offered plants, stones, and other items excavated from the Diseased Domain. They possessed extraordinary attributes, but not many.
After a few glances, Jiang Yan quickened his pace and entered the Middle Street. Here, the variety of extraordinary items increased, and many Diseased Domain creatures appeared.
Loud cries of hawking and haggling filled his ears:
“Come and see the ‘Chi’ I just caught from a Grade A Diseased Domain in the Borderland of Desolation. Don’t miss out while passing by. Though it looks like a snake, it has one head and two bodies.
Carry it with you and call its name, and you can walk on water as if on land. It will be easy to explore treasures sunken in the ocean. Who knows, you might just find an Ancient Talisman level relic, ascend to the peak of life, and marry a noble lady from a prestigious clan.”
Jiang Yan looked over and saw a stall owner wearing a raincoat. Beside him stood a person-tall special glass tank, inside which swam a peculiar dark green little snake with two bodies.
“I just obtained twenty bones of Plague Refugees from a Grade B Diseased Domain in the Borderland of Desolation. These are rare goods; even killing a hundred Shades of Refugees might not yield one. Limited quantity, first come first served. I also have other fine items. History Walkers skilled in poison refinement, feel free to consult with me.”
A tall and thin stall owner nearby also hawked enthusiastically, holding up a dark green withered bone emitting a faint phosphorescent glow.
However, the stall with the biggest crowd was one selling crabs.
Each crab was the size of a basketball, carrying a moss-covered stone shell. Their pincers and legs were bound, their bellies faced upward, and they constantly spat out bubbles.
The stall owner introduced, “These are stone crabs laid by a Crab Hag at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Not only are they delicious, but they also enhance the cultivation speed of water-attribute techniques.”
“Are they authentic? They don’t look much different from ordinary black stone crabs,” someone asked curiously.
The stall owner patted his chest and guaranteed, “Of course they’re real. I saw her lay them with my own eyes.”
“Tch, seeing how confident you are, I almost thought you laid them with her.”
“Get lost!”
At that, the surrounding onlookers burst into laughter.
“How amusing!”
Jiang Yan also smiled.
“Master, are these things very good? I’ll work hard to earn money and buy them for you in the future.”
The Coffin Spirit hid in his pocket, communicating through the connection between the offspring and the Dark God Embryo.
Recently, Master had been worrying about money every day, and it had taken notice.
It swore to do its utmost to ease Master’s worries.
Jiang Yan laughed heartily and said, “Haha, I accept this sentiment. But compared to these things, it’s the stall owners’ tongues that are more impressive—able to speak the dead back to life.”
The Coffin Spirit asked in confusion, “Are they selling fake goods?”
“Not exactly.”
Jiang Yan slightly shook his head and explained, “Zhao Yinman’s notes mentioned that the ‘Chi’ can indeed allow one to breathe underwater. But that’s all it does. It’s fine for catching fish and shrimp in a river, but in the sea... there are violent undercurrents. If you’re not careful, you’ll get swept away. Dive too deep, and the water pressure can crush you into meat paste.
The key issue is, the life lamp of that ‘Chi’ is about to burn out. Just like those shady pet shops, they forcefully fed it drugs to make it look lively. If you buy it, chances are it’ll soon become... hmm, a Weekly Monster.”
“As for the stone crabs, they’re real, and their effects aren’t a lie. But the Crab Hag is an extremely vengeful demon. She’ll hunt down anyone who eats her offspring, to the ends of the earth.
The stall owner isn’t very powerful, yet he obtained the stone crabs, which means he either picked up a bargain or used some underhanded method to kill the Crab Hag. But he didn’t annihilate its soul, so the crabs are laden with heavy resentment. Eating them rashly can lead to nightmares, mental disturbances, and even the formation of a Nightmare Suppression.”
At this point, Jiang Yan became more aware of the benefits of a powerful spirit. Not only could it see through illusions, it also possessed foresight.
Otherwise, even with Zhao Yinman’s notes filling in his lack of extraordinary knowledge, he would have fallen into many traps today.
If he kept improving at this rate, perhaps he truly could master Foresight.
“Humans are just too sinister.”
The Coffin Spirit was greatly shocked. The schemes of human society were too deep.
It must become even more sinister than them to protect its master!
Jiang Yan smiled, looked around, and continued searching for what he needed.
To prepare for the coming Diseased Domain, he analyzed his strengths and weaknesses.
With the Vajravārāhī Tummo Seal, there was no need to consider defensive methods, and the offensive means were covered by the Sanskrit Sword Buddha Arm.
What he lacked were some special abilities and methods to rapidly boost his combat power. Even if it came at a cost, he could accept that.
As a life-saving trump card.
If none were available, then he would look for special skills that tempered the five viscera and six bowels, especially the liver.
If still none, then he would consider extraordinary corpses brimming with transcendent spirituality.
These could be used to grow higher-grade Spirit Rice or to bury for the Coffin Spirit, enhancing its power.
The reason he couldn’t buy everything, of course, was...
Poverty.
If he had money, he would’ve bought that ‘Chi’ already, just to gain underwater breathing ability.
More skills never hurt.
Unfortunately, the Middle Street was too vast, with a mix of good and bad goods.
Compared to the Inner Market, which charged an entry fee and was guaranteed by the Five Madness Dharma Assembly, this place truly tested one’s discernment.
He had thought the Ash Lamp could help him avoid pitfalls, but found that...
The place was filled with traps.
After picking through for a long time without finding satisfactory materials, Jiang Yan felt somewhat disappointed.
“As expected, the kind of lucky finds in novels all require heaven-defying fortune.”
“If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll have to ask Old Ba for an advance on this year’s wages and go check out the Inner Market.”
Just as Jiang Yan was deep in thought, a little girl in traditional clothing embroidered with the characters of the Five Madness Dharma Assembly darted out of the crowd.
She wore two bun-shaped hairdos and a blouse-skirt with the markings of the Five Madness Dharma Assembly. With a sweet and adorable face, she came up to Jiang Yan and cheerfully said:
“Big brother, this must be your first time at the Five Madness Dharma Assembly, right?”
Though it sounded like a question, her tone was full of certainty.
Jiang Yan asked with interest, “How could you tell?”
The little girl straightened her back proudly and said:
“Because people who come here often head straight to the places they need, never lingering in one spot for too long. After all, Middle Street is full of sly old foxes. Trying to outwit them is a waste of time, and they’re all selling stuff that’s been sitting unsold for months.
Only newcomers look around everywhere, taking a peek at everything, thinking it’s all fresh.
Which is understandable. The Five Madness Dharma Assembly is great, but there are way too many stalls here and the items are all over the place. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, and finding what you need is a hassle. That’s when you need someone like me—a gold-certified shopping guide who knows this place inside and out—Ningning.”
Jiang Yan asked, “You’re with the Five Madness Dharma Assembly?”
“Not yet,”
Ningning shook her head and said, “But my dad is an extraordinary being who can handle the Five Madness Cavalry. He’s in charge of transporting and protecting the customers—he’s super awesome.”
As she introduced her father, Ningning’s eyes lit up.
“Indeed, that’s impressive.”
Jiang Yan nodded with praise, not brushing her off just because she was a child.
His own father used to work as a bricklayer, and his mother learned hairdressing on her own to help with the family income.
Making money through one’s own efforts was always worthy of respect.
Ningning grinned and said, “Dad says I’m just average in talent and not suited to become a History Walker—it’s too dangerous. But I always come first in school, relying on my refusal to lose. So, I use my free time after finishing homework to do part-time work and save up money.
When I grow up, I’ll buy suitable extraordinary materials to awaken my spirituality and become a History Walker as strong as Dad.
Big brother, you powerful folks spend money like water because you’re strong. But we don’t have money, so we have to be extremely careful with every purchase. That’s why we’re good at bargaining.
Hiring me only costs five hundred an hour. I’m just making a bit from the crumbs that fall from under your fingernails.”
As she spoke, Ningning even made a rubbing gesture with her thumb and forefinger. Her expression was exaggerated, but not annoying.
Jiang Yan was also amused. He briefly explained his needs and said:
“If you can find materials that meet these conditions, I’ll pay you double.”
“Special corpses of demons, right? And for a cheap price too. That’s not an easy ask, but... it’s nothing I can’t handle. However, that shop is in the Inner Market, and the extraordinary organs might be partially damaged. Can you accept that, big brother?”
“I can.” Jiang Yan nodded in agreement.
Most people needed intact extraordinary organs to refine various items. If they were damaged, their value dropped sharply.
But his Dark God Embryo was not that delicate. As long as part of the body remained and contained transcendent spirituality, it could be nurtured into offspring.