Chapter 23: Xingxing, you look down on me!

Fanxing laid the human skin flat on the table and fetched her brush and paints. Because she worked in embroidery, she often had to draw her own patterns, so she kept a supply of brushes and paints at home.

Opening her computer, she pulled up a large collection of portraits. She then channeled spiritual energy into her brush and began to trace the features onto the face of the human skin, using the photos as a guide. She did not copy one person's face in its entirety; instead, she took eyes from one, a nose from another, and a mouth from a third, eventually combining them to form an entirely new face. As a "Skin-Painter," Fanxing had a keen sense of aesthetics and could tell at a glance which features would harmonize best.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a beautiful face gradually took shape on the skin. Setting down her brush, Fanxing picked up the skin to admire her work, a satisfied expression on her face. Fine willow-leaf brows, long, narrow fox eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips—it was a beauty, the kind whose gender was impossible to determine at a glance.

Since the new look was ready, it was time to test it. With this in mind, Fanxing shed her clothes and slowly eased herself into the skin. There was a seam running down the back, just large enough for her to slip inside. Miraculously, as she entered the skin, the seam began to emit a faint white glow before quickly knitting itself shut, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

She walked slowly to the mirror and touched her new, unfamiliar cheek. The texture was identical to real human skin. This particular skin belonged to a male, so Fanxing now appeared as a man. This meant she wouldn't have to worry about her identity being discovered when she went out hunting. There was only one drawback: the skin had a limited number of uses, and after being worn repeatedly, it would gradually deteriorate. Eventually, she would have to find a new one. It was quite a headache.

After testing the skin, Fanxing took it off and carefully tucked it into her Spirit-Pattern Bracelet.

Time flew by, and twenty days passed in the blink of an eye, bringing the end of their training period closer. During this time, Fanxing attended classes as usual and went hunting at night with Yedo and the Princess. Unlike the first night, the spiritual creatures she caught were all minor F-rank grunts, which did little to improve her strength. But there was no help for it; that was the norm in the outer world—powerful spiritual creatures were rare. The mysterious man she had encountered on the first night, along with his "Pig Butcher" and "Bull Butcher," were anomalies. Even if she met them again, she wouldn't dare approach them, as she realized there was more to the situation than met the eye.

Even though she had killed Lin Zai-ze and that mysterious man, the serial killings in Rainbow City continued, and the rumors of the "Skull-Cracking Butcher" were enough to strike terror into anyone. Clearly, this was organized crime, and the perpetrators were connected to Spirit-Users. Fanxing wanted no part of that trouble. Fortunately, she hadn't run into anything like that in the days that followed.

Beyond that, Fanxing went to the tower for combat training every single day without fail, and as a result, her combat experience, along with that of the Princess and Yedo, grew visibly. So far, she had made it to the 21st floor. The reward for the 20th floor was an expansion of her Spirit-Pattern Bracelet by one cubic meter, meaning it could now hold two cubic meters of items. It might seem like a small increase, but it could prove vital in a pinch.

One afternoon after school, just as she was about to leave, Fanxing was stopped by Fan Honghong.

"Xingxing, do you want to go to a great place?" Fan Honghong asked, acting all mysterious.

"A great place? Where?" Fanxing asked, puzzled.

Fan Honghong lowered her voice. "The Ghost Market."

"The Ghost Market?" Fanxing frowned and lowered her voice as well. "You mean the kind of shady place for secret transactions that you read about in novels?"

Fan Honghong laughed, slapped Fanxing on the arm, and said, "What are you thinking? The Ghost Market is a place the Alliance implicitly allows to exist. You know that while Spirit-Users can earn rewards through merit, that merit can't be used as currency. So, if Spirit-Users have items they don't need, they need other platforms to trade them, and thus, the Ghost Market was born."

"Of course, that was the original reason for its creation. But over the years, as it developed and various factions moved in, it has become a zone that even the Alliance cannot fully control. It’s a tangled web of different influences, and even Dark Spirit-Users sneak in. The Ghost Market is held every three months, and news of it only spreads within a small circle. I only found out because I overheard my parents talking about it. They won't let me go to such a chaotic place, but I’ve always wanted to see it."

Fanxing replied, "Now that you put it that way, I want to see it too."

"Right? Right!" Fan Honghong exclaimed excitedly. "Let's go together! I know where it is."

However, Fanxing shook her head. "I won't go with you. Just tell me the location, and I'll go myself."

"Why?" Fan Honghong pouted.

Fanxing said, "Do you think your strength is sufficient for a place like that? If something happens, are you going to be responsible, or am I?"

"Uh..." Fan Honghong was speechless. She whimpered, "Xingxing, you look down on me."

Fanxing admitted it quite frankly. "Yes, I do! With your level of strength, I can't in good conscience pretend otherwise."

Fortunately, Fan Honghong wasn't unreasonable. She didn't pester Fanxing to take her, knew her own limitations, and had no intention of sneaking off on her own. "Then you have to tell me all about what the Ghost Market is like when you get back," she begged.

"Deal," Fanxing agreed readily.

Hearing this, Fan Honghong happily drew a map of the route to the Ghost Market for her.

After leaving school, Fanxing found a secluded spot, donned her hand-crafted skin, changed into men's clothing, and headed toward the location. The Ghost Market was naturally not in the outer world; it was hidden in a deep mountain range near Rainbow City. Just as she reached the foot of the mountain, Fanxing saw many people like herself heading up in small groups, all moving in the same direction. It was clear they were all there for the Ghost Market, just like her. That saved her the trouble of searching, so she followed closely behind them.

After walking along the mountain path for some time, she reached a valley. The valley was shrouded in thick fog, and one could only vaguely see tall trees growing within. The people in front of her walked into the mist one by one and vanished in the blink of an eye.

So the Ghost Market was here? No wonder it was called the Ghost Market; it was so mysterious. Just as Fanxing was about to step inside, she heard a few familiar voices. She turned her head and saw, to her surprise, that it was Lu Xiangxiang and her group. It seemed that while the rebellious Fan Honghong hadn't come, the others had.

There were three people with Lu Xiangxiang: her best friend Mei Xiaohuan and two boys from their class. Fanxing remembered the tall one was named Wu Xingyu, and the shorter one was Sun Chao. Because everyone kept their distance from her, she hadn't bothered to remember anyone else's name. The four of them walked into the valley, chatting and laughing, looking very excited.

Once they had vanished from sight, Fanxing stepped into the valley. Miraculously, instead of the large trees she had seen from the outside, there was no fog inside. In its place was a bustling street lined with wooden huts, which appeared to be shops run by both humans and spiritual creatures.

As she passed one shop, a sultry voice called out, "Customer, wouldn't you like to come in and take a look?"

Fanxing looked toward the voice and saw a red-haired fox sitting behind the counter. The fox was somewhat plump, with a round face and a round belly, but judging by the voice, it was female. It wore a beige bandana and a grey apron, exuding an air of laziness. Fanxing thought that if this fox were human, it would surely be a plump beauty. She was curious about what kind of spiritual creature it was and was about to check it with her encyclopedia when the fox stood up from its chair.

"Little handsome, it's very impolite to point an encyclopedia at a lady," the fox said. Fanxing immediately desisted.

The fox gestured to her with a beaming smile. "Little handsome, won't you really come in and take a look? I truly have some wonderful things here."

Fanxing walked over and saw a variety of jewelry displayed in the glass cabinet, all crafted from different types of gemstones. No, they weren't ordinary gemstones; they were spiritual energy crystals.

"How about it, young man? Would you like to pick something out for your girlfriend? These pieces all have auxiliary effects for Spirit-Users~" The fox leaned half its body over the counter, bringing its head close to Fanxing, and spoke in a seductive tone.

Fanxing felt her mind go hazy for a moment and quickly pulled back. "No thanks, I don't have a girlfriend." The fox had used a charm spell on her.

The fox's expression changed instantly. "A stupid man who can't recognize a treasure when he sees one." With that, it sat back down and ignored her.

Leaving the fox's shop, Fanxing was suddenly drawn to a shop belonging to an old man. Inside, beautiful flower spirits—jasmine, rose, lily, orchid, and others—were fluttering about. To be precise, the old man wasn't human either. He was hunched over, leaning on a green wooden staff. His head was covered in green leaves, his face was lined with wrinkles that looked like tree bark, his clothes were draped in greenery, and his lower body was literally made of tree roots.

Even without the encyclopedia, Fanxing recognized this creature: a Forest Sage. Their teacher, Mr. Hu, had used it as an example in class and had even shown a photo. The Forest Sage was the evolved form of a Jungle Messenger, which was the evolved form of a Wood Spirit, which in turn was the evolved form of a Small Wood Sprite. Although Small Wood Sprites were common, after so many evolutions, the Forest Sage was an incredibly formidable spiritual creature.

Having been warned by the fox, Fanxing didn't casually point her encyclopedia at anyone else. Noticing her gaze, the Forest Sage said with a smile, "Young man, would you like to come over and take a look?"

Fanxing entered the shop to see the counter filled with all kinds of flowers: peonies, roses, lilies, chrysanthemums... a dazzling, colorful display.

The Forest Sage introduced them: "These have been carefully cultivated by Jungle Messengers and Flower Whisperers. They can emit spiritual light. If you plant them where you live, they will gradually cause the spiritual source there to become abundant."

"That's amazing?" Fanxing said, surprised.

"Indeed," the Forest Sage nodded. "I've been doing business here for decades, and I never cheat my customers."

Fanxing was tempted. "Can they really gather spiritual energy?" she confirmed.

"Truly. Would an old fellow like me lie to you? If you don't believe me, ask anyone else." The Forest Sage was very open.

Just then, a head popped out from a neighboring shop—a scruffy middle-aged man who was a normal human, not a spiritual creature. He said, "Everything it sells is genuine and does indeed work, but it's obscenely expensive."

Fanxing laughed. "If it's a good item, a high price is to be expected."

The Forest Sage beamed. "You're a man who knows his goods! Some people have no money and then claim my items aren't good—it's enough to make a person furious!"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "You old stump, you aren't even a person."

The Forest Sage slapped its forehead and chuckled, "That's right! Look at me, I forgot."

After scanning the flowers in the shop, Fanxing asked, "Does the old gentleman have any recommendations?"

The Forest Sage pondered for a moment, then pointed to a green seedling with short thorns on its stem. "How about a rose? Its ability to gather spiritual energy is very strong. Plant it outside your courtyard wall, and it will climb. Once it covers the wall, its ability will be further enhanced. When the roses cover the wall and are all in full bloom, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking! By the way, the flowers we cultivate have a very high chance of birthing a flower spirit. With a flower spirit to care for them, the roses will bloom even more beautifully."

The more Fanxing heard, the more tempted she became. "Alright, give me a rose."

"What color would you like, young man?" the Forest Sage asked.

"What colors do you have?"

The Forest Sage smiled, "Red, white, pink, yellow, purple... we have them all!"

Fanxing thought for a moment. "Give me a yellow one." Yellow was bright and vibrant; it would surely look beautiful covering the wall.

The Forest Sage handed the seedling to Fanxing with a smile. "Alright! Thank you for your patronage. One spiritual energy crystal."

"O... one spiritual energy crystal?" Fanxing was stunned. Was it really that expensive? One spiritual energy crystal was worth a million! Although she had prepared herself for a high price, she was still shocked by the Forest Sage's demand.

"That's right, is there a problem?" the Forest Sage asked.

Fanxing tried to negotiate, "Can we bargain?"

The Forest Sage shook its head firmly. "No bargaining!"

"Fine," Fanxing resigned herself. Thinking of the flower's function, it was expensive, but acceptable. After paying, she tucked the seedling into her Spirit-Pattern Bracelet. She had started with 13 spiritual energy crystals, and now she had already spent two.