Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 774

Chapter 774: Chapter 774

The mud road shrouded in thick white fog was completely a new and unknown world for Yang Fan.

His understanding of that place was probably no more than that of a child grasping the vastness of the world for the first time.

Nearly every new occurrence he encountered exceeded his comprehension.

Fortunately, he had a master to guide him.

Without such guidance, Yang Fan believed he would likely stumble through countless detours, suffer innumerable losses, and perhaps only then begin to understand the nature of that eerie place.

Mr. Fan continued, "The refinement of paper persons is an exceedingly complex matter. The materials and spiritual energy it requires are significant, so unless one has spent a long time on the path of cultivation and frequently travels to the Netherworld, very few people would choose to undertake it."

"However, don’t think you’re immune, boy. Just because I mentioned this rarely happening doesn’t mean it’s unheard of. While the probability is low, among twenty paper-person replacements, you’ll definitely come across at least one that’s been repeatedly refined."

"Paper persons refined to a high-grade level can appear almost indistinguishable from real people. You should feel lucky. This time, all the ones you encountered were disposable; none of them were truly formidable. If you had faced one of those, getting away wouldn’t have been easy."

"But why would the Netherworld Market open in such a place?"

Mr. Fan murmured softly to himself, clearly still unable to make sense of this world.

"Could it be... that something unexpected happened there?" He muttered, then asked Yang Fan, "Did you ask those people why the market was set up in that location?"

Yang Fan shook his head, "Old man, you’re putting me on the spot here. I didn’t even think to question why the market was established there, let alone suspect there was anything amiss. However, the green-robed old man did say his credibility was as ancient as the flag in front of the clay house. If he dares to say such things, that place must have been operating for quite some time, right?"

"What was written on the flag?" Mr. Fan asked.

"I couldn’t recognize it. It was crooked, like seal script, but slightly different somehow." Yang Fan thought for a moment and then drew the symbol on the ground. "Something like this. Old man, do you recognize it?"

"It’s Qin." Mr. Fan’s gaze turned solemn. "A Netherworld Market flying the Qin Flag? I’ve never heard of such a thing..."

"The scale of this market is clearly quite small. Even that embroidered-shoe apparition managed to intimidate that small-time dealer, who offered to gift a life soul to the embroidered shoes to avoid conflict. Later, during our skirmish, I thought those people would be much stronger, but it turned out that they weren’t, and we didn’t face too much trouble from them," Yang Fan remarked.

Mr. Fan nodded thoughtfully, "Perhaps it’s just a small market hidden in some remote location. It might have been unable to survive on the Netherworld Road and relocated here instead. Things like this have happened before; it’s not worth making a fuss over."

"Nonetheless, I must seriously warn you: if you run into such markets on that road in the future, never act recklessly. You won’t make it back alive. That’s absolute, without exception."

Yang Fan let out a small gasp and rubbed his neck. "Seems like I really lucked out this time."

"It’s not that you lucked out. It’s just that on that road, you generally won’t encounter anything too dangerous. Truly powerful figures wouldn’t bother going to such a messy, rundown place," Mr. Fan explained.

"Otherwise, do you think I’d let you waltz in to fish people out so boldly?"

Yang Fan furrowed his brow, "So, it’s not the Netherworld Road, after all?"

Mr. Fan had been speaking about the path, and all along Yang Fan had treated it as the Netherworld Road.

"Definitely not. If that road were the Netherworld Road, heh..." Mr. Fan let out a dry laugh and glanced at Yang Fan.

That sinister smirk left no room for doubt.

Yang Fan understood instantly: if that road were truly the Netherworld Road, he’d likely have been long dead.

"Old man, since it’s not the Netherworld Road, does that road have a name?" Yang Fan asked.

Mr. Fan shook his head, "No name. The Netherworld Road winds and twists for nine hundred miles. If it’s likened to a great river, its tributaries branch off into many smaller streams, and those streams further divide into meandering creeks."

"The road you ventured down was one of those small creeks. The creatures abandoned in that place are mostly outcasts, weak spiritual bodies, or beings seeking refuge. Most are entities who purposely steer clear of the Netherworld Road. The big players wouldn’t bother with such places. But, you better not let this description lull you into thinking it’s free of danger."

"With your level of strength, navigating that place still poses significant challenges."

Yang Fan chuckled, "Old man, I’m far from arrogant. Where caution is needed, I’ll remain cautious for sure."

"Being cautious lets the boat sail safely for ten thousand years. Caution is always the right approach, no matter the place," Mr. Fan said, nodding. "While the path doesn’t have an official name, it has countless nicknames. Some people call it Meilian Road, others Netherworld Path, Mishi Village, Gui Yan Road, and so on—a mess of names."

Yang Fan’s mouth twitched slightly, "People sure get creative with naming, huh..."

What kind of ridiculous names were these? Way too casual.

Mr. Fan chuckled, "Meilian Road is called so because there are primarily faceless beings there. They’re considered potent raw materials. Those who specialize in capturing faceless beings for medicine favor that name. The term ’Netherworld Path’ stems from the many inhabitants along the road; many are beings who refuse to reincarnate and choose to settle there instead."

"I see. Speaking of which, I did run into one," Yang Fan remarked. "I got ambushed by a rotting fox-faced being. After chasing it for a bit, I ended up near a few graves where they were holding a wedding celebration. I gave them my congratulations, and the host even offered me some Grave Grass as a gift."

"Hmph, they made out well enough!" Mr. Fan snorted coldly. "In the future, don’t go congratulating anyone on that road. It uses up your fortune, and overdoing it will cause problems. Still, that old thing had some sense to gift you Grave Grass—it’s something you can keep; it does have some use."

Yang Fan nodded and said with a bitter smile, "Old man, why are there so many rules on that dreadful road? Even saying a word casually could lead to trouble."

He suddenly felt a bit mentally drained; there were simply too many things to beware of.

Who would have thought a simple congratulation could consume one’s fortune?

Ridiculously unfair!

"What did you expect? That place is an entire world of its own, with its own rules," Mr. Fan snorted. "Here, everything we do adheres to certain rules; it’s no different there. Take your time, you’ll gain plenty of experiences in the future."